Yukinoshita Residence
Ever since the monster incident, Yukinoshita Yukino had been summoned back home.
"Yukino-sama, Madam and Haruno-sama are waiting for you in the reception room," the maid informed her with a bow.
The moment she stepped inside, she was already being called before her mother.
"…I'll go," Yukino replied softly, walking down the quiet hall.
The moment she slid open the door to the reception room, a suffocating weight pressed down on her chest.
The air itself felt heavy, her mother's presence overwhelming, like a mountain. Even breathing was difficult.
"Mother, I've returned," Yukino greeted, steadying her tone.
"Sit."
Yukimo Yukinoshita sat gracefully, her elegant features bearing a striking resemblance to Haruno's. Anyone might have mistaken them for sisters rather than mother and daughter.
Across from her sat Haruno Yukinoshita. Usually playful and carefree, she now sat upright, posture firm, lips drawn tight under their mother's gaze.
A maid entered silently to pour tea, then withdrew without a word. The silence stretched until Yukimo finally spoke, her tone sharp and direct.
"What do you think of your classmate, Yami Tsukishiro?"
Yukino froze. She had already guessed this would be the question.
But even she hadn't sorted out her own feelings yet.
The flood of news, the endless online discussions, the videos—everything had left her shaken.
Shaken by the reality of monsters.
Shaken by the truth of someone she thought she knew.
Confused about the world.
Confused about her own ideals.
Her thoughts drifted back to something Yami Tsukishiro had once asked her:
"If monsters really existed, what could I, as an ordinary person, do?"
Now that his "if" had become reality, she still had no answer.
If it were him… what would he do?
Her silence made Haruno frown.
"Yukino," she prompted firmly.
"I…" Yukino lowered her gaze. "Mother, I'm not very familiar with Yami Tsukishiro."
It was the truth.
Yukimo placed her teacup down with a soft clink.
"You know his identity now. And you understand his worth, don't you?"
Yukino didn't respond, but she didn't need to. His value was obvious—immeasurable. Anyone with sense could see what his existence meant.
"Yukino," Yukimo continued, her tone calm but absolute, "can you be his friend?"
Though phrased as a question, Yukino understood the intent. It wasn't a request. It was an instruction—an order to draw closer to him.
Before, her mother hadn't been in such a hurry. But now that the entire world knew of Yami Tsukishiro, there was no room for hesitation.
"…I…" Yukino's voice faltered. She was too intelligent not to understand her mother's demand.
But according to her own sense of self, her principles—she couldn't accept it so easily.
For once, Yukinoshita Yukino could not give a clear answer.
Just as Yukimo was about to press her daughter further
"Ding-dong!"
The sudden ring of Yukino's phone broke the heavy silence of the reception room.
The timing was so inappropriate it almost felt deliberate.
Yukino fumbled quickly, taking the phone out of her pocket. She unlocked it, scanned the screen—then froze.
Her expression stiffened, her breath caught.
"Yukino? What's wrong?" Haruno leaned forward, puzzled by her sister's reaction.
Yukino raised her head slowly, her voice carrying a bitter edge.
"Mother… Haruno-onee-san… Yami Tsukishiro has withdrawn from school."
"…What!?"
Both Yukimo and Haruno were caught off guard.
But it was true.
On the class group chat, their homeroom teacher, Hiratsuka Shizuka, had just posted a sudden announcement:
Hiratsuka Shizuka: @everyone. I have something to inform you.
Student Yami Tsukishiro will officially withdraw from school starting today.
And then, right after
Yami Tsukishiro: See you, if fate allows.
The message hung there for a moment before his name turned gray. Yami Tsukishiro had exited the group.
Shizuka promptly locked the chat, leaving everyone stunned.
…
"Seriously? Just like that?" Shizuka muttered aloud in the empty staff room, still staring at her phone.
The withdrawal process had already gone through, handled swiftly by people far above her.
For someone like Yami Tsukishiro, even something as drastic as leaving school had been "approved" without effort.
It was done. Final.
But even then, Hiratsuka had tried to persuade him over the phone.
"Yami… are you really sure about this?" she had asked, a rare trace of hesitation in her voice.
On the other end, his tone was casual, almost helpless.
"Shizuka-sensei, do you honestly think I can live a normal school life now?"
He wasn't wrong. After everything, after the truth of his power had been exposed, could anyone really expect him to sit in a classroom like nothing happened?
He was already far beyond that. Too strong, with too many burdens waiting.
He had his goals: devouring worlds, dealing with the escalating violence that plagued reality itself.
High school was never going to contain someone like that.
"…I really didn't expect things to come to this," Shizuka whispered. A heaviness lingered in her chest.
She had always been optimistic about him, maybe even believed he could find his way through the mess of youth. And now…
"Don't worry," Yami had added with a faint chuckle. "Even if I'm not a student anymore, we can still be friends. You can always come over for a drink sometime."
"Drinking!?" Hiratsuka's voice had instantly sharpened. "Students can't drink!"
"Sensei… have you forgotten? I'm not a student anymore. And with my current status, the rules don't exactly apply."
"Ugh…" She had been struck silent, realizing he wasn't wrong.
Finally, she could only sigh and give in with a wry laugh.
"…Fine. But remember, I only drink good wine."
"Then I'll prepare both wine and food," he promised before hanging up.
Now, alone in the staff room, Hiratsuka leaned back in her chair.
The world outside was changing too quickly. Every district, every city—Tokyo included—was on edge, preparing for the next monster attack.
Even as an ordinary person, she could feel it. The fear. The tension.
Everyone was walking on thin ice. She was no exception.
Her lips curled into a dry, humorless smile.
"…Honestly, what a shitty world we live in."
…
News of Yami Tsukishiro's withdrawal spread quickly. It reached the ears of many and one of them was Shinomiya Kaguya.
"Miss, I have some bad news for you," Hayasaka Ai reported, entering her room with her usual cool expression.
Kaguya, seated at her desk, was calmly browsing through the latest reports Hayasaka had gathered. Without even looking up, she asked:
"Hayasaka, just tell me. What news?"
"Yami Tsukishiro has dropped out of school."
"Oh."
Kaguya's reply was flat. She continued turning pages leisurely.
But then her hands froze. Her head snapped up, eyes wide. Her whole body stiffened as if struck by lightning.
"…What did you just say!?"
Hayasaka didn't flinch. She repeated it just as calmly.
"Yami Tsukishiro has withdrawn from School."
This time Kaguya knew she hadn't misheard.
"…Why?" The question slipped out before she could stop herself.
"I don't know. I only heard that it was his own decision."
"..."
Kaguya fell into thought. From one angle, it made sense. With his special circumstances, the mounting attention from society, even public pressure—it wasn't strange for him to step away from school life.
But for her… it was a disaster.
Her carefully laid plans to approach him, to establish contact, to "befriend" him under the Shinomiya family's terms—had been derailed before they even began.
It was her first true defeat.
Her first… failure.
Kaguya Shinomiya, who prided herself on never losing, had suffered her greatest setback yet.
…
Meanwhile, on Yami Tsukishiro's side, the withdrawal barely caused a ripple.
Sure enough, Yuigahama Yui sent him a message almost immediately.
Yuigahama Yui: Are you there? Are you there? Are you there? Urgent!!
Yami Tsukishiro: What's wrong? Did you get locked in the bathroom?
Yuigahama Yui: Waaah! Don't joke right now!
Yuigahama Yui: Yami-kun, why did Hiratsuka-sensei say in the group that you dropped out? That's not true, right?
Yami Tsukishiro: It's true. The paperwork's already done.
Yuigahama Yui: Ehhh!? Why!? This is way too sudden. Did something happen with your family?
Yami chuckled softly to himself. It seemed Yui hadn't connected the dots about his true identity at all.
Yami Tsukishiro: No. I'm a person with superpowers. I'm going to fight monsters and save the world.
Yuigahama Yui: Eh—what are you saying, Yami-kun? Even now you're still joking around… Don't worry, if something's wrong I'll definitely help!
Yami Tsukishiro: I'm grateful for your kindness. But I wasn't joking, Yui. Haven't you seen the news? About the monsters?
Yuigahama Yui: Of course! They're terrifying. I don't even want to go outside anymore.
Yuigahama Yui: …But luckily, there's that Superman who defeated one.
Yami Tsukishiro: Is there a chance that "Superman" you're talking about… is me? There are plenty of people in the group, but I didn't expect you not to notice me at all. That really hurts, Yui. I'm heartbroken. 💔
For some reason, even as he sent it, a faint unease tugged at his chest.
On the other end, Yui had gone silent. She was probably double-checking the news.
During the pause, another notification popped up.
A friend request.
The note read: "Yami-kun, it's Miura Yumiko."
"…Miura Yumiko?" He blinked. Why would she suddenly add him?
They had barely spoken before. He couldn't recall any particular interaction with her.
Still, he accepted.
Yami Tsukishiro: Miura-san?
Miura Yumiko: It's me… Yami Tsukishiro.
Yami Tsukishiro: …What's up?
Miura Yumiko: ...I heard you dropped out of school.
Yami Tsukishiro: It's true. You've probably heard the reasons already.
Miura Yumiko: ...
She knew. Everyone knew. That wasn't why she had added him.
Lying on her bed, Yumiko bit her lip, staring at the glowing screen. Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard. She hesitated for a long time, then finally typed—
And sent a flood of messages all at once.
Miura Yumiko: Yami-kun… you probably never paid much attention to me. You might not even remember what happened when we first entered high school.
Miura Yumiko: But before you leave, I have to say this. I like you, Yami-kun.
Miura Yumiko: I've liked you ever since that incident in our first year. But… Yui's my best friend, so I didn't know how to say it.
Miura Yumiko: I know it's selfish, maybe even underhanded. I don't expect an answer from you. I just want you to know… there's someone out there who likes you.
Miura Yumiko: Goodbye, Yami-kun.
And with that—
[You are no longer friends with this person.]
"…???"
Yami blinked at the screen.
He had just been confessed to...then immediately dumped.
In the span of thirty seconds.
Was there anything stranger than this?
"…First year?"
He frowned, trying to recall. Back when he had just entered High School… someone had tried to bully him. He'd shut it down quickly, teaching them a lesson.
Campus bullying had always been the one thing he couldn't stand. He never tolerated it.
And...yes. There had been a blonde girl back then. She'd been the target. She hadn't said much, just brushed it off. He hadn't thought about it since.
But now that he pieced it together, that girl… had been Miura Yumiko.
"No wonder I didn't remember right away," he muttered. "She didn't make it a big deal at the time."
He stared at the messages, expression twisting.
Confessed to. Blocked. One-sidedly discarded.
It was absurd. Embarrassing, even.
But he wasn't the type to just accept being thrown away.
"…Miura Yumiko, huh?" His lips curled into a crooked smile.
"I remember now. And this time… I'll make sure I win."
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