337 So This Is How Fun Bantering Can Be

Sakura's antics didn't last long.

Just as Yukinoshita was on the verge of losing it, her face darkened with barely restrained fury, Mitsuha grabbed Sakura and led her upstairs.

Yukinoshita watched the two of them chatting and laughing on the staircase like a pair of real sisters.

She forced herself to suppress the absurd surge of emotions bubbling up in her chest.

Everyone here really did feel like family.

No—maybe they were even closer than that.

At the very least, Yukinoshita had never experienced such a range of emotions back at home.

Frustration, admiration, reverence, envy… and even that subtle hint of jealousy she didn't want to admit—those had never been part of her emotional palette.

Back in the grand Yukinoshita estate, which made even Yoshi-Ryo look modest, she never sat cross-legged around a low table with others, never let her shoulders drop, never relaxed completely.

Even when she was formally seated, she never dared let her posture slacken.

Every word she spoke had to be meticulously filtered—was her grammar correct? Was the tone appropriate? Was the meaning crystal clear?

Her mother had never been that strict, to be fair.

And her sister often told her, "Why so uptight? Try to enjoy life a little."

After all, she wasn't the heir of the Yukinoshita family.

There was no real need to live with such exhausting formality.

And yet—she still couldn't accept it.

That unwillingness… burned inside her like a quiet fire.

Among the Buddhist Eight Sufferings is "not getting what one desires."

Yukinoshita had examined herself countless times—did she dream of inheriting her father's legacy, earning her mother's recognition, and having what her sister had, just because she lacked those things?

Or had her life experiences molded her into who she was today, giving rise to her dream of reshaping humanity and changing the world?

She didn't know.

All she could do was follow that inner voice and keep moving forward.

Whether it stemmed from envy or purpose, once her dream became real, the truth would be revealed—like waves pulling back to expose either muddy sand… or beautiful shells.

And here, in Yoshi-Ryo—

There was no overbearing older sister, no terrifying mother even worse than said sister...

'No. I shouldn't think that way about Mother,' Yukinoshita corrected herself, shaking her head quickly.

But here, in this place… what she felt was frustration, exasperation, helplessness, warmth.

At home, the atmosphere was always tense.

Everyone was like a perfectly timed train on a set track—never veering, never colliding.

There wasn't even kindling to start a fire of emotion, let alone a way to ignite it.

The Service Club.

She was beginning to understand her own club on a much deeper level.

Just like she said in the beginning—through helping others, through observing others—she had sought to refine her own "technique for understanding the human heart."

But how could one understand the heart without truly experiencing it?

She'd never believed that one could discover the truth of the world solely through books.

That was a lesson she'd learned from reading countless biographies.

But even so, she hadn't realized that she herself would need to go through every single one of these "human experiences" personally.

And now, it felt like she was finally reclaiming all the pieces she had once been missing.

As Yukinoshita stared quietly at the staircase, Hojou Kyousuke was watching her.

Just like Sakura—who could infect everyone around her with silliness and make even the most stoic people act like clowns—

Yukinoshita Yukino, too, had a strange power: she made people feel calm, just by being there.

When she stayed silent, the tension in her arched brows would ease, the corners dipping gently downward.

Her pale blue eyes, like a still well reflecting the moon, seemed serene… and impossibly deep.

Kyousuke wondered what kind of household could raise two daughters as drastically different as Yukino and Haruno.

It was like their mother had set their paths the moment she gave them their names—

And both girls had followed those names with unwavering precision.

They were like Tokyo's Yurakucho Line and Fukutoshin Line: starting at the same station, but eventually veering off in completely separate directions, never crossing paths again.

If this was intentional—designed to shape them into complementary successors—then Kyousuke had to admit: the Yukinoshita family's education was impressively effective.

Haruno might be a mischief-maker like Sakura, but she had a captivating charisma that left everyone around her spellbound.

Yukino, on the other hand—though sharp-tongued—could still inspire admiration at school, as long as she kept her mouth shut.

Of course, that was a joke.

The more one got to know Yukinoshita Yukino, the more they'd come to understand her unique and magnetic charm.

Kyousuke had never considered himself a "good person."

With his flexible morals, standing next to someone like Yukinoshita made him feel like he had no principles at all.

Yukino lived the kind of life everyone dreamed of—

Boys or girls, anyone could see in her a version of the future they once longed for.

She didn't lie.

She didn't falter.

She never gave up.

Her beliefs were unshakable.

She was strong.

Unbeatable.

And above all—righteous.

She always upheld her own sense of justice.

When he brought her home, she'd looked at him like he was scum.

And he hadn't minded one bit.

Humans are flawed. That's what makes them human.

But Yukinoshita… because she chased perfection too fiercely, she lived a life far more exhausting than necessary.

As for himself?

He had no lofty ideals like "reaching down from a place of privilege to offer others a hand."

He just wanted to be selfish.

To look at Sakura. At Shouko. At Mitsuha.

To wrap all the people he loved—and all the good things in the world—tight in his arms and never let go.

Like right now.

It was Friday after school.

Some of the sports clubs were still grinding through extra practice for their national tournaments.

And him?

He was lounging comfortably on tatami flooring.

In the kitchen, Yukino and Naoka were preparing dinner for him.

In the living room, Eriri was shouting passionately at an anime on TV.

Upstairs, a certain seductive sleeping beauty awaited his ambush.

At his side, Megumi was seated, patiently waiting for his tutoring session.

And right in front of him—

Yukinoshita Yukino, still staring at the stairs like some kind of stone statue of longing.

"Yukinoshita?" Kyousuke called softly, watching her drift off into her thoughts.

'Does she like Sakura that much? The girl's been gone for a while, and you're still staring? Aren't your eyes dry yet?'

"If you want to go hang out with Sakura, don't worry about Katou—I can handle tutoring her on my own," he offered.

'As expected of Sakura,' he thought.

Even the ice queen Yukinoshita was starting to melt.

And without her around, tutoring Katou might actually go even smoother.

Or maybe she could go play with General Bubble in the garden.

No, his house didn't have a backflipping cat—but it did have a koi fish that liked to show off its belly.

Yes, somehow—Eriri must've trained it, or maybe it was just freakishly talented.

Whenever someone approached the pond, that stupid fish—General Bubble—would flop over onto its side, wiggle a bit, sink to the bottom, and then shoot back up to the surface with flair.

At first, Kyousuke thought it was dying.

He'd almost scooped it out of the pond to make more room for the others—before Eriri could find out and cause a scene.

Back when Kyousuke first visited Eriri's house and tried to copy one of her draft sketches, he almost gave up his dream of becoming a manga artist then and there.

But now, he could replicate Eriri's art style flawlessly—stroke for stroke.

Of course, he'd never dare tell Eriri that.

If that idiot ever found out, it'd be a disaster.

Right now, he was acting as Sayuri's stand-in, making sure Eriri met her deadlines for updating egoistic-lily's weekly site illustrations and doujinshi.

If she discovered that her so-called "assistant" could imitate her drawing style, she wouldn't get mad—no, she'd be over the moon.

Then it'd spiral into:

"Assistant! Has Kashiwagi Eiri's manuscript for this week been finished yet?! The deadline's coming up fast and you're sitting here chatting with girls?

Back to your room! You're not leaving my side until it's done!"

…Honestly? Just thinking about that kind of life sounded kind of nice.

After all, while drawing, he could always pull the "I'm out of inspiration, can't imagine the scene" card, and have Eriri pose as a model—wearing outfits she'd never normally wear, pulling every kind of expression and pose, just for his viewing pleasure.

Just imagining it already made his heart skip a beat. What a perfect life that would be.

"Hojou Kyousuke!" Yukino suddenly snapped, shouting at the boy spacing out in the living room.

"If you'd rather be watching your precious anime, I can take care of tutoring Katou-san alone," she added, voice cool but pointed.

After all, she was the president of the Service Club.

She founded the group, accepted requests—all in the name of refining her human insight.

If Hojou wanted to spend his Friday night on trivial pursuits like anime, well… she could at least try to understand.

There were strict households that only let their kids watch TV on weekends, after all.

But she never thought he would be one of them.

Anime truly was terrifying—it didn't just cause chuunibyou, it sapped your very drive.

"Huh?" Kyousuke turned, raising an eyebrow.

That's literally what he had just said to her.

How did she turn that back around so fast?

Could it be her perfectionism extended into her grudge-holding, too?

A gentleman might wait until tomorrow to get even—Yukino apparently preferred immediate revenge.

"No need to worry about me," Kyousuke said smoothly, a smile tugging at his lips. "The anime's already recorded. I can rewatch it anytime.

But Yukinoshita-san you won't get another moment like this. Sakura's different every second. I think you'd regret missing it, so why not just go now while the moment's fresh?"

Jeez. She was totally being a tsundere.

The moment he exposed her desire to go hang out with Sakura, she deflected by attacking him.

How adorably not-cute.

"No, no. While I'm not very well-versed in otaku matters," Yukino replied with her usual grace.

"I've seen enough at school to know that people who like anime or games light up the moment class ends.

Their sleepy expressions vanish, their mouths run non-stop like someone just ripped off the duct tape."

"Right now, over there, you've got Sawamura-san, Miyamizu-san's little sister, and her friends, all heatedly discussing something. That kind of energy… should be extremely appealing to someone like you, right?"

Yukino's way of speaking was unique—she could say a whole paragraph in one breath, and yet every syllable was crisp and precise.

Not stiff or mechanical—more like the clear chime of jade wind chimes in perfect rhythm.

She wore a faint smile as she spoke, her pale blue eyes filled with serene understanding—and just a bit of pity.

"There's no need to suppress your true self on my account. Girls like me—who have completely transcended lowbrow interests—are rare.

I won't change my opinion of you just because you prefer anime. So go on. Watch your cartoons. I can handle Katou-san just fine on my own."

Kyousuke couldn't help but laugh cheerfully at that.

"I once heard a theory—that you can learn everything about a person from what they love… and what they hate. At the time, I didn't really buy it.

It sounded like something out of a data-obsessed echo chamber. I mean, how can you define a person's whole identity just from a few clicks online?

"Maybe they just clicked on something on a whim, but the algorithm keeps pushing more of it at them—twisting their preferences until they fit the data's expectations.

Is that really who they are? Or are they just trapped in a cage built by suggestion?"

He turned, grinning. "But today, hearing your words… I've changed my mind. The fact that I was looking at the anime means I do long for it deep down. And the fact that you were watching me means that you—"

"Utter nonsense!" Yukino snapped, eyebrows twitching upward.

She cut him off before he could go any further.

She used to think Sakura was the queen of nonsense logic—but clearly, Kyousuke was on another level.

At least Sakura's nonsense was just silly.

This guy could shamelessly blend his perverted fantasies into his warped reasoning without blinking.

She longed for him? Where did he get the guts to say that?

Just because she didn't know much about the internet didn't mean she was going to let that slide.

"There's no need to be shy," Kyousuke said mildly. "You're free to stay and observe. I can tutor Katou-san just fine."

He closed his lips with a soft smirk, refined and composed.

"If I can teach someone like you, then of course I can handle tutoring Katou-san. You're free to go watch your anime now. I'll take care of things here."

Yukino's eyebrows twitched again.

Glaring at him, she realized once more—"cooperation" was never in her vocabulary.

She preferred to earn everything through one-on-one duels, like her earlier dance battle with Miyamizu Mitsuha.

Whoever won had the right to teach.

Independence.

Strength.

Relying only on herself.

That was Yukinoshita Yukino's way of life.

Meanwhile, the actual subject of their argument—Katou Megumi—sat silently between them.

Her bobbed hair gently swayed as she tilted her head from left to right, looking at Kyousuke, then Yukino.

Huh… why does this feel like I'm some kind of hot commodity?

But something seemed… a little off.

Just as Kyousuke opened his mouth again to undoubtedly say "I can handle Katou by myself," Megumi quickly interrupted, voice soft and cheery:

"Umm~ if we don't start soon, it's gonna be dinner time, you know~?"

This was Megumi's secret skill—developed over years of family gatherings where everyone only praised her cousin Keiichi.

It defused awkward moments perfectly, without shifting focus onto herself.

The ultimate win-win.

Kyousuke closed his mouth reluctantly.

…No wonder Kasumigaoka-senpai looked so pleased when Yukino first arrived.

So this is what it feels like to argue with her—it's actually kinda fun.

Whether she was scolding him or being scolded, there was something addictively satisfying about it.

Next time, he'd make it a real match.

In the Service Club room, with Sakura as the judge.

Every time he won, he'd get +3 points. Every time Yukino won, he'd lose 3.