Chapter 126: Oh, then do you like me?

"Are you spying on someone else's sister?"

Suddenly, a cold, clear voice drifted from the woods. Kunida Kazunaka was startled and shrank behind Haruno.

Night had already fallen. The sky was sparsely dotted with stars that flickered in and out of view against the velvet dark, while a lovely crescent moon cast a faint, silvery glow.

That familiar voice, that familiar tone—at this stage, the only person bold enough to mock the handsome Haruno was Seiryo Yukino.

The pale moonlight bathed the beautiful girl. She seemed sensitive to the cold, bundled up in a thick, high-end down jacket. Her delicate neck was wrapped in a scarf, and her hands were encased in thick gloves. Her long silver hair danced in the night breeze, and under the lunar light, she possessed an almost saintly air.

"Appearing alone in a small grove so late at night—it's no wonder Kunida feels scared. It really is quite eerie." Haruno shrugged, offering no comment on whether he was spying on his good buddy's sister.

"W-who says I'm scared?" Hearing himself mentioned, Kunida Kazunaka summoned his courage and took a step forward to stand beside Haruno.

However, no one paid him any mind.

"Only those with a guilty conscience feel fear. For instance, is there someone else on your mind?"

"Of course there is. Everyone knows that Seiryo-san is the ray of sunshine in my heart."

Haruno glanced down. Instead of the perfect leg line he might have expected, he saw the pile of firewood beside the girl, and realization dawned on him. "How is it that the esteemed Second Young Lady of the Seiryo family has to pick up her own firewood?"

"Take a guess." Seiryo Yukino said with a mischievous smile. "If I told you I came out here to find you, would you believe me?"

Looking at that face, curved like a crescent moon, and those jewel-like eyes filled with... sincerity? Even the dense Kunida Kazunaka was left dumbstruck.

Haruno gazed at her face, as delicate as a porcelain doll, and couldn't help but have a bold thought: *A girl this excessively cute... if I punched her, she would probably cry, right?*

Facing the bright moonlight, he walked toward the princess.

Seeing Haruno approaching, Seiryo Yukino couldn't help but retreat a step. Though she felt a sense of revulsion, she had to admit that his appearance was simply unfair. His upper body was held straight, his Western-style aristocratic school uniform looking incredibly high-class on him. His frame, honed by daily exercise, was nearing perfection, and he carried an indescribable aura.

It was as if the moonlight itself were shifting toward the boy.

Even the beautiful and moving Second Young Lady couldn't help but blush under Haruno's advance. "W-what are you doing? There are others here, you know."

Seiryo Yukino spoke in a soft, sweet voice. Her expression of feigned resistance was so cute it felt like a violation of the rules. It made Kunida Kazunaka wish he weren't present.

Haruno smiled as he walked right up to her. The distance between them was so close that he could see himself reflected in her eyes. He leaned down, picked up the bundle of firewood from the ground, gathered the few scattered pieces nearby, and finally handed them to Kunida Kazunaka.

"Alright, let's head back. Mission accomplished; we've found the wood."

Haruno patted Kunida on the shoulder and then shot a wink at Seiryo Yukino. "Thanks to the Second Young Lady. Knowing we were looking for wood, she delivered it right to our doorstep."

With that, he turned to leave. They had a quota for gathering firewood; they couldn't return empty-handed. Now, they had intercepted her stash—saving time, effort, and peace of mind.

Kunida Kazunaka stood there, holding the brown logs, clearly dazed. *What the hell? We're already done?*

Seiryo Yukino was equally stunned. *What does this mean? What kind of move is this? I spent half the day struggling to pick up this wood, and it’s just gone? And he's thanking me? Thanking me for what?!*

"Why are you just standing there? Let's go!" Haruno urged Kunida to leave quickly. If they didn't go now, when would they?

"Oh, right! Coming!" Kunida snapped out of it, shot a look of apology at the beautiful girl, and hurried to catch up. "Wait for me, Haruno!"

Seiryo Yukino was left alone, disheveled in the cold wind.

The night breeze blew, sobering the young lady. She gritted her teeth and stomped her fuzzy boots into the snow. "Haruno! You jerk!"

But by the time she reacted, their silhouettes were already fading. Her clear, angry voice echoed through the silent woods. She hurried in the direction they had left.

They hadn't gone far. After running just a dozen meters, she saw their two backs as they walked leisurely, chatting and laughing. She grabbed the coat of the tall, handsome figure.

"Y-you jerk, don't... don't go. Give me back the wood!" Seiryo Yukino panted as she spoke. Even though it was only a short dash, the sheltered rich girl had used every ounce of her strength to catch up. The short-distance sprint was more than she could handle.

"What's wrong? Are you that reluctant to part with me?" Haruno heard her cry, turned around, and said with a smile.

"You jerk, give me the wood back." Seiryo Yukino glared at him. She had spent a long time collecting that wood; how could she let someone else just walk away with the fruits of her labor?

"Haruno, maybe we should give it back to Yukino-san," Kunida Kazunaka said, hesitating. Bullying a young girl went against his inner code of chivalry.

Haruno patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Kunida, you take the firewood back first. I'll keep her company while she finds some more." He gave him a look of firm encouragement.

"But..." Kunida really wanted to say he would stay to help her search too.

"You go ahead and deliver the wood; the class is in a rush! You have a great responsibility!" Haruno said in a profound tone, as if bestowing a peerless mission upon Kunida. "Kunida! I believe in you! The classmates are waiting for your wood!"

*Quick! Deliver the fire of hope for our survival, and leave the rest to us!*

A short sentence was enough to ignite the hot-blooded soul of this teenager. In Kunida’s eyes, the world underwent a cataclysmic change. The woods felt like the bottom of an abyss, the cold wind turned into the roar of demons, and the firewood in his arms was no longer just wood—it was the spark of hope for the entire village. And he was the one carrying everyone's hope!

"Understood! Comrade! I will definitely deliver the wood!" Kunida replied to Haruno with an expression of absolute certainty. His eyes were clear and fervent. He looked toward his other companion, Seiryo Yukino, and the intensity of his gaze made the young lady want to curl her toes in embarrassment.

*This silly kid, he's been completely swindled.*

"Mm, go ahead!" Haruno nodded with equal seriousness.

Kunida patted Haruno’s shoulder hard one last time, then turned and left with the firewood, resolute.

"Are you really that kind?" Watching his determined back, Seiryo Yukino couldn't help but curl her lip.

"Of course. I am an aspiring youth from Hokkaido, full of a sense of justice!" Haruno said as if it were only natural.

Seiryo Yukino ignored this. She glanced at the triumphant boy beside her; his defined profile was incomparably handsome.

"Hey, you didn't do all this just for me, did you?"

With Kunida gone, the grove returned to silence. The night seemed to settle in, and the tree branches rustled. Walking on the soft snow, Haruno pursed his lips. "I thought I was thick-skinned enough, but I didn't expect you to be even more narcissistic than me. Sleep on your side tonight!"

He turned and walked forward.

"What do you mean?" Seiryo Yukino followed him immediately. She understood the first part, but the second was baffling. What did sleeping on one's side have to do with anything?

"It's easier to dream that I like you when you sleep on your side!"

"You!"

"Hey, why don't you stop liking my sister and like me instead?" Seiryo Yukino sidled up to Haruno and said with a giggle.

"Has your hatred for your sister reached such a deranged level?" Haruno picked up a branch from the snow, felt it, and decided it wasn't too damp; it would be usable if he cut a piece off.

"It's not like that." Seiryo Yukino acted as if she were on a vacation, hands behind her back, looking up at the crescent moon. "I just think it's fun to take things away from my sister."

Haruno stood up and stuffed the pile of firewood he had just gathered into the Second Young Lady's slender arms. "If you have time for that, why don't you finish the task? I still have to go back and keep Seiryo-san company!"

"I already finished it! The one who hasn't finished is you, Haruno!" The mention of this made the young lady's blood boil.

"Who says? Do you have proof?" Haruno said shamelessly.

"You jerk, you're truly hateful." Seiryo Yukino pouted, looking quite similar to Seiryo Miron at that moment.

Haruno shrugged and continued searching for usable wood.

"Hey, I'm serious. Stop liking my sister and like me, how about that?" Seiryo Yukino tied up the bundle of firewood and asked again with a giggle, her words sounding quite sincere.

"Oh? And do you like me? Seiryo-san likes me very much, you know." Haruno replied casually.

"I do!" Seiryo Yukino blurted out, as if she had been prepared.

Haruno stood up and glanced at his Love Assistant device:

[Seiryo Yukino's current favorability: 13 (Very poor!!!)]