"Yukinoshita!"

Just as Yukinoshita was about to walk away, a sudden force yanked her back and shoved her against the wall.

Eri, her cheeks flushed with anger and teeth clenched, gripped Yukinoshita's shoulders tightly.

She had probably intended to grab Yukinoshita by the collar, just like in a TV drama.

Unfortunately, Yukinoshita was wearing a sleeveless, low-cut evening dress tonight, so Eri had to awkwardly place both hands on her bare shoulders instead.

Since Eri was slightly shorter, she had to tilt her head upward to look at Yukinoshita. Even in such a fit of rage, her attempt to physically intimidate lacked any real menace.

Yukinoshita's expression remained calm as she spoke. "Be a little gentler. If you wrinkle my dress, people downstairs will get the wrong idea."

Her voice was light, almost teasing. "After all, there's still that rumor about me liking girls."

Eri hated her. She hated Yukinoshita's arrogant attitude in the past, but she hated even more the way she now carried herself with unshakable composure, as if everything were under her control.

No matter how hard Eri tried to get back at her, Yukinoshita seemed to view her as nothing more than a noisy clown, never worth taking seriously.

Right now, Eri was certain the only thing in Yukinoshita's eyes was mockery.

And she despised herself even more — for losing her cool so completely, for throwing away family honor and personal dignity, for letting her emotions lead her into stupidity. Of course Yukinoshita would look down on her.

Eri hated losing. But even more than that, she hated the fact that no matter how thoroughly she lost, she still couldn't hurt Yukinoshita in the slightest.

Even so, there was something she still needed to say — something she had to achieve, even if she failed in every other way.

Glaring straight into Yukinoshita's eyes, Eri said through gritted teeth, "I know. To someone like you, nothing I say will ever make you feel the slightest bit of guilt."

Yukinoshita's face stayed perfectly neutral.

Why should she feel guilty? None of this was her doing. If anything, she was the one most wronged here.

Her system's "Negative Image Reversal" progress had reached thirty-five percent. It had been moving along steadily before, but lately the progress had slowed to a crawl.

She knew exactly why.

Her biggest point sources — like Kaori and Yui — had once disliked her enough to fuel her system daily. But as their relationships improved, those points naturally dwindled.

And for her own reasons, she no longer wanted to farm points from them so aggressively.

Coming to this party was partly for family honor, but also because she hoped to find a new "point source."

But now…

Those clear blue eyes glaring at her were turning red from frustration. Despite being the one pressing Yukinoshita against the wall, Eri was the first to lose momentum.

"Tomoya's been studying for exams every day now. He's not exactly academic material — no matter how hard he works, his grades only improve by a handful of spots. He's even stopped paying attention to the nerd culture he used to love so much. But that's fine. I'll help him find his dream again!"

"And Kaori… She may act strong and cruel, but she's just a sensitive, fragile fool. I don't know what words or tricks you used to earn her trust, but I'll tell you this — her mental state is more unstable than anyone realizes. She can't take another calculated betrayal."

"So whatever schemes you're planning, direct them at me!"

Yukinoshita was silent for a moment. "Earlier I said you lose your head when you get emotional and do stupid things. I take that back — sorry."

Before Eri could respond, Yukinoshita added, "You're still foolish and selfish, but… you're a little smarter than I thought."

Eri: "…"

Damn it.

When this woman compliments you, it's somehow more insulting than when she insults you.

Was that even a compliment?

Yukinoshita gently pushed Eri's hands off her shoulders and smoothed her dress.

"You really want Tomoya to go back to his old life? You really want to mend things with Kaori, go back to that old bantering, sniping friendship?"

Eri blinked in confusion, not understanding her point.

"You've liked Tomoya for years without confessing. Have you ever truly planned to tell him?"

"You used to have a terrible relationship with Kaori, yet now you're thinking only about her well-being."

"You're so sure I'm up to no good with Kaori, and you're desperate to pull me away from her."

Yukinoshita's gaze flickered over her.

"The truth is… more than wanting to confess to Tomoya, more than wanting to become real friends with Kaori… you just want the three of you to go back to the way things used to be."

"Stop dressing it up in noble words. You're just afraid of being alone."

She waved casually as she walked away. "Kaori's doing fine now. She doesn't want to go back to the past with you."

That last line shattered what remained of Eri's defenses.

Everyone was moving forward. No one wanted to look back.

"No… no…"

No, it couldn't be true.

Otherwise, wouldn't that mean she was the only one still standing still — clinging to something long gone, making a fool of herself?

…

The hallway conversation had lasted less than ten minutes. When Yukinoshita returned to the banquet hall, people turned to look at her, smiling and chatting as if nothing had happened.

The atmosphere was warm and friendly.

Eri's younger sister approached her with a smile, leaning in to speak quietly.

"My brother's tied up with something, but you don't need to worry. Whatever happens, the partnership between your family and ours won't be affected by little incidents like this."

Of course, Yukinoshita thought. Only Eri and her naive brother would think the two of them could make or break an alliance between entire families.

Unless, of course, a giant like the Shijo or Shinomiya family stepped in…

She was still thinking this when a faint commotion rose from outside the hall.

"Honestly, Eric, only telling me about the banquet this late?"

The voice was young, clear, and male.

Yukinoshita looked up — and saw an unfamiliar brown-haired boy, followed by a figure she recognized all too well.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Already hooked? Let me know what caught your attention—your review fuels the adventure ahead!

The season is shifting. Dive into OneJourney and stay a step ahead of the pack.

[email protected]/yanxx

Change @ to a.