School was on break for a week.
The dark mass of special forces surrounding the area made it clear to anyone with a functioning brain that something major had happened at the school. Soon after, a notice for leave was immediately handed down—
Furthermore, a large number of students had disappeared.
"Have you heard?" Eriri said, wearing a princess dress with her hair flowing smoothly down her back. "Komuro Yota has disappeared."
In Sen Getsusa's mansion, this blonde girl was visiting, dressed elegantly and gorgeously for the first time.
"I heard that at first, those parents organized themselves and went to the police station entrance to protest together."
The girl held her black tea, the steam drifting past her sapphire-like eyes. The things that puzzled Sen Getsusa had also puzzled this blonde princess.
Speaking of which, why did she go out of her way to dress up just to visit Sen Getsusa?
"However, they were all 'invited' inside later," Yuno Gasai continued, entering the room with a tray of freshly baked cookies, a light pink apron still tied around her chest. "No more news has come out since then."
Sen Getsusa nodded, picking up a clearly textured oval cookie. It was golden-brown and sprinkled with tiny white sugar granules. As she put it in her mouth, the rich milky fragrance instantly exploded on the tip of her tongue.
"Delicious!"
Sen Getsusa's slightly drooping eyes narrowed, and she gave Yuno Gasai a satisfied thumbs-up.
Eriri glanced sideways at Yuno Gasai, not even sparing a look at the plate of cookies.
"Eating that kind of stuff will make you fat."
Yuno Gasai retorted with a smile, "Tsukisa doesn't get fat from eating."
"Does Sawamura-san think Tsukisa is fat?"
Of course not.
Pouting, Eriri adjusted her posture and coughed twice. "I just hate these kinds of cookies. High calories, high sugar... Sen Getsusa doesn't like unhealthy..."
She looked at Yuno Gasai. "...food."
Yuno Gasai casually picked one up and, meeting the other's gaze, slowly put it in her mouth. "Is that so?"
Then, she heard that pink-haired 'black-hearted cabbage' chuckle and say, "But Tsukisa clearly loves eating them."
Yuno Gasai made a troubled expression. "Luckily Sawamura-san told me. It seems you know a lot about these things."
As her light pink hair swayed, cold eyes full of mirth were revealed through the gaps in her hair.
"Next time, why don't you let me learn from Eriri?"
"Right, Tsukisa?" Yuno Gasai's finger lightly brushed the thigh of the girl who was busy eating beside her. "Has Eriri ever made anything for you?"
"Has she ever made those 'healthy' dishes for Tsukisa? Or has she done anything else for Tsukisa?"
"It couldn't be that there's nothing at all, right?" Yuno Gasai covered her mouth in feigned shock.
Eriri glared with angry eyes. "You—!"
Sen Getsusa: Munch munch munch.
Clap clap.
Brushing the cookie crumbs off her palms, the girl extended her index finger. Her light green fingernail tapped the tear mole at the corner of her eye as she looked at the two who were acting like fighting cocks.
"You two..."
"Are you both having a major 'bleeding' day today?"
Eriri huffed, her small chin held high. Sitting beside Sen Getsusa, Yuno Gasai just quietly narrowed her eyes, wearing a very standard smile as she looked at Sen Getsusa.
"Sparkly?"
Sen Getsusa waved her hand in front of Eriri's face, then turned to nudge Yuno Gasai, who still maintained that business-like expression.
"Eh, Yuno, don't look at me with that gaze like I'm your father's killer..." Her muttering paused as Sen Getsusa tugged at the hair on her chest, suddenly remembering. "Oh, it actually was me."
"Pfft."
Seeing Yuno Gasai being amused, Eriri's brow furrowed even tighter. She didn't know what they were talking about, and when she was excluded from the conversation, that slight anger and jealousy slowly crawled out from her heart.
Sen Getsusa noticed that neither of them was paying attention to her and sighed.
"Eriri and I have been friends for many years. Or rather, you could say we're very close friends who have known each other since elementary school."
Yuno Gasai still had that smiling face, but when she heard 'together since childhood,' her light-colored pupils flickered. She suddenly interrupted softly:
"Grew up together?"
"Does Tsukisa mean that you and Eriri are Osananajimi (childhood friends)?"
"Oh, compared to that, I'm indeed not as important as Miss Sawamura..."
Sen Getsusa bumped Yuno Gasai with her shoulder in dissatisfaction, then lightly bumped heads with her.
"Hey, you can't say it like that, of course..."
The 'big genius' Miss Sen, who completely saw through (not really) why the two were bickering, still tried to solve this little problem.
"Look, everyone has things they are good at and things they aren't. As friends, importance has nothing to do with those things." Sen Getsusa spoke gently to Eriri. "Eriri, you don't need to care about that."
"Just like how you have things that no one else can compare to."
Yuno Gasai curled her lip.
Is it that brand-new brain that has never been used?
She stroked the braid on her chest, watching the other girl's expression become complex as she gradually frowned.
Eriri's expression was indeed complex.
—Does Sen Getsusa think I'm angry because I'm fighting with Yuno Gasai for the position of her 'closest' friend?
—Or because of that plate of cookies?
—How is that possible?! Of course not!
—I'm angry because... because... eh?
—Right, why am I angry?
Yuno Gasai yawned.
Going toe-to-toe with an idiot, I really am too idle. Being this nervous, I was indeed being overly cautious.
This blonde... isn't a threat at all.
Thinking this, Yuno Gasai, as if convinced, slowly extended her palm toward Eriri. In her downcast eyes, frustration and a bit of cowardice spread out.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to target Sawamura-san."
"It's just... I really want to be friends with you all... with Tsukisa... so I'm sorry..."
Eriri pouted and wanted to say something more, but after feeling Sen Getsusa's subtle gaze lingering on her, she reluctantly reached out her right hand and touched Yuno Gasai's finger with her fingertip.
She pulled back as soon as they touched.
"Hmph."
The girl swung her golden twin-tails as she stood up, walking into the house with her slippers pitter-pattering.
"Tsukisa..."
Yuno Gasai withdrew her hand and turned sideways, looking hesitant to speak.
"Alright now." Sen Getsusa stuck out the tip of her tongue to sweep away a cookie crumb from the corner of her mouth. "Eriri is always like that. She's surprisingly honest and direct; she wasn't targeting you."
—Surprisingly honest and direct?
Yuno Gasai looked at the curly-haired girl gently: My dear, when exactly did you go blind?
"I think so too..." Yuno Gasai smiled bitterly. "Anyway, I won't mind. After all, I've only been in contact with Tsukisa for a few months..."
"While Eriri has been there since childhood..."
Sen Getsusa waved her hand, straightened Yuno Gasai's face, and curled her lips into a grin. "Yuno."
"You are just as important."
"Although we haven't known each other long, we've been through a lot together, haven't we?"
"Isn't that enough?"
In the girl's pitch-black pupils, Yuno Gasai saw herself. Her smile... was so cute.
"An important person?"
Sen Getsusa pressed her forehead against Yuno Gasai's, nuzzling against her. "Yeah, like you said, family. Family. Yuno, I have very, very, very much experience in taking care of a younger sister..."
"Sister?"
Yuno Gasai pursed her lips, her hand resting on the sofa suddenly tightening.
"Oh... I see."
"Of course."
Damn 'family'.
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