Upon hearing this, Yukino paused in her steps.
If Makoto hadn't mentioned it, it might have been fine, but since he did, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
After all, she had always considered herself a practitioner of absolute justice, and at the opening ceremony, she had even spoken boldly to Makoto about how 'the strong should help the weak'.
Now that Yumiko, Yui, and the others were in trouble, if she stood by and did nothing, she would essentially be slapping her own face.
With this in mind, Yukino bit her lower lip, hesitated for a moment, and finally turned to Yui and the others and said, "Well... would you like to stay at my place for the time being?"
Before she finished speaking, Mrs. Yukinoshita's sharp gaze shot towards her.
'When did I agree?'
In the real world, given the Yukinoshita Family's circumstances, it wouldn't be a problem to let a few girls stay temporarily.
A moment later, in the Yukinoshita Family's cramped two-bedroom, one-living-room house, eight people were now squeezed into the small space.
Yui, Yumiko, and the others sat with their heads down. The oppressive aura radiating from Mrs. Yukinoshita was too heavy, and no one dared to speak rashly.
"Yukino,"
Mrs. Yukinoshita asked coldly, "Do you know what your father and I's identities are in this world?"
"N-No, I don't."
Yukino, who usually held her head high at school, had become a kitten who didn't dare to hiss in front of her mother.
"I'm a restaurant clerk,"
Mrs. Yukinoshita's tone grew even colder. "Your father is a construction worker. Do you think, given our circumstances, we can support six children?"
At these words, Yukino fell completely silent.
She had just been so focused on practicing her life philosophy that she had completely forgotten to consider whether she actually had the ability to do so.
Or rather, until that moment, she had subconsciously still believed she was omnipotent… forgetting that this wasn't the real world, that she was no longer the daughter of a real estate magnate, but just an ordinary civilian student.
"Everything you had before, I gave you,"
Mrs. Yukinoshita said, her tone calm but almost cold. "The school you attended, the clothes you wore, the food you ate, the apartment you lived in. I know you've always wanted to break free from my control. I've turned a blind eye to this naive idea of yours… after all, the family already has Haruno as the heir. But this isn't the real world. If you do something else stupid, no family will pay the price for you."
Yukino, who in ordinary anime crossover fanfics could outclass any protagonist with her sharp tongue, was now being scolded like a grandchild.
It wasn't just about bloodline dominance, but also because she knew in her heart that every word her mother said was something she couldn't refute.
"U-Um, Auntie,"
Chizuru gathered her courage and spoke, "Th-then we'll take our leave now."
Yuigahama Yui and the other three also felt as if they had been granted a reprieve. At this moment, their feelings were like going to a friend's house to play but running into their friend's mother scolding their child… unable to leave, yet unable to stay.
Just then, the Yukinoshita Family's head awkwardly tried to smooth things over: "No, no, don't go. Now that you're here, let's all have dinner together, and you can stay here tonight."
Everyone quietly glanced at that beautiful woman, whose oppressive presence was overwhelming. Seeing that she didn't object, they stayed tremblingly for dinner.
After the meal, Mrs. Yukinoshita eventually relented and allowed the four girls to stay for one night.
She could at least give that much.
Yui and Yumiko shared one room, Chizuru and Ebina Hina shared another, while the four members of the Yukinoshita Family slept on the floor in the narrow living room.
The house was packed to the brim. If the four girls were to stay long-term, it would indeed be too much.
Late at night, when all was quiet, Yukino gathered her courage and spoke: "Mother, please don't get too close to Nishikawa Makoto. He's not a good person."
Mrs. Yukinoshita, sleeping nearby, raised an eyebrow and smiled ambiguously: "Oh? Come to think of it, Yukino, it seems you've also gained new power in this world."
Yukino immediately nodded.
Mrs. Yukinoshita suddenly became interested.
If her daughter truly had ability, she wouldn't mind letting her become the family's pillar of support… after all, relying on one's own daughter was always more reliable than relying on an outsider.
But when Yukino demonstrated the Transformation Technique, transforming into the image of her own mother, Mrs. Yukinoshita showed her younger daughter a rare smile and asked with great anticipation: "What else?"
Yukino was stunned and subconsciously asked back, "N-Nothing else. Th-That's it..."
"Is that it?"
Mrs. Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow. "You don't know any combat-type techniques? Like condensing an energy ball that can smash through walls?"
Yukino shook her head blankly.
The Transformation Technique was the only Ninjutsu she currently knew… she had only just started third grade and had only been formally learning Ninjutsu for a few days.
Mrs. Yukinoshita immediately let out a disdainful sneer, lay back down again, and turned her back to her daughter: "It seems I expected too much of you."
If she hadn't seen Makoto's power, she might have praised her daughter.
But when comparing goods, some should be thrown away; when comparing people, some should die.
Compared to Makoto, her daughter's Transformation Technique was a joke.
Looking at her mother's back, Yukino looked dejected.
She didn't understand why Iruka often praised her as excellent at school, yet here with her mother, she became so worthless.
"It's okay, Yukino. Just work hard slowly," The Yukinoshita Family's head said gently, trying to comfort her.
"That's right, your older sister isn't even as good as you," Haruno also chimed in teasingly.
Looking at her deeply affected younger sister, Haruno sighed inwardly, 'It's not that you're not excellent, little sis, it's that that guy is just too freakish.'
But even with the comfort of her father and sister, Yukino's mood didn't improve in the slightest.
This was the first time she truly felt that everything she had once been proud of had never been her own, but had been given to her by her family.
The next morning, with some time still left before school started, Yui, Yumiko, Hina, and Chizuru quietly left a note and slipped away from the Yukinoshita house.
They hadn't slept well all night.
Anyone could see that Mrs. Yukinoshita didn't welcome them. But they weren't angry… putting themselves in her shoes, anyone would feel the same.
"We still have to go back and live with those boys?" Hina scratched her head in distress as they walked to school.
Although she enjoyed reading boys' love stories, actually living with boys was another matter entirely.
The three girls walked to school with conflicted feelings.
Because they had left early, the Academy was still very quiet.
As they passed the teachers' office, the four girls paused in their steps… Iruka's voice came from inside.
"Makoto, you really want to apply for early graduation?"
The four girls immediately perked up their ears.
Then, Makoto's voice sounded: "Yes, Iruka-sensei. As you know, I'm now living with Airi and Marina. Auntie Kayoko has to work alone to support the three of us. I want to graduate and get a job as soon as possible, then move the four of them into a big house."
Hearing the words 'big house', the eyes of Yui and the other four lit up simultaneously.