627 — Oh, you thick-browed, big-eyed Yukinoshita… You’re trying to steal my husband!?

“And besides, your outfit should’ve already been picked out, right?”

Yukinoshita Yukino spoke with certainty.

Her sister might dislike attending parties, but when she did go, she treated every single one like a battlefield.

She even preparing dresses, jewelry, and makeup at least two days in advance.

That was something she learned directly from their mother.

After all, for women, appearances are the battlefield.

“And even if I don’t come home that often, could you please not take over my closet? You already have your own dressing room, don’t you? Isn’t that giant room enough for your clothes?”

Yukino complained with clear irritation.

Honestly, did this woman have no sense of boundaries?

Both Yukino and her cat hated people with no sense of personal space!

Right now, they were in her bedroom and every single outfit her sister had been comparing came straight out of her closet.

“What’s the big deal~”

Haruno waved her hand dismissively, not even looking guilty, as she started analyzing the dress in her hand.

“Black and form-fitting—it really brings out the body’s curves and gives off a mature vibe…”

As the heir personally groomed by Mrs. Yukinoshita herself, Haruno’s fashion sense was on a completely different level from ordinary high school or college students.

Her commentary was so sharp and insightful that even the annoyed Yukino couldn’t help but listen with interest, secretly learning a few things.

“…But most importantly, black makes your chest look smaller. That’ll help with my little problem.”

That last line immediately broke Yukino’s train of thought.

She gave her sister a deadpan look.

“Wouldn’t that be bad? I thought you said small-chested women aren’t popular.”

“Exactly! But if you wear it, that’s a different story!” Haruno suddenly raised her voice dramatically.

“When you wear this dress, everyone will just assume it’s the color that makes your chest look smaller, not that you’re naturally flat!”

“Excuse me!?”

“This is your dress, you know. Didn’t you notice?”

When Yukino blinked in confusion, Haruno looked even more confused.

“I took it from your closet. If it’s not yours, is it supposed to be mine? Are you okay, little Yukino?”

“Wha—!?”

Yukino’s elegant brows furrowed in frustration.

“When you buy clothes, you can’t just pull at the fabric to see if it’s durable, you have to check if it suits you, fits the trend, and matches the occasion. Honestly, your wardrobe is a disaster.”

Haruno sighed and shook her head dramatically.

“It was fine before when you didn’t have any friends—”

“I do have friends!” Yukino cut in immediately.

She sounded almost offended.

Once upon a time, she might’ve launched into a long philosophical lecture about the definition of friendship, proudly claiming that she had countless friends lined up neatly on her bookshelf.

But now—now she could hold her head high and declare that she truly had friends.

“…I know you do,” Haruno replied casually. “That’s why I said before. Back then, no one cared about what you wore outside of your school uniform.

Not even your precious ‘friends on the shelf.’ But now you have real friends who visit your home, who go shopping with you. Maybe it’s time to stop dressing like you’re headed to a farm.”

“Stop making me sound like some clueless country bumpkin…” Yukino muttered inwardly, though in reality, she just turned her face away with a small pout.

“Anyway,” Haruno continued, “no matter how close you are with your friends, you should still take care of yourself. Look at Mom, have you ever seen her unprepared in front of Dad?”

“…” Yukino pressed her lips together, silent.

Of course not.

Even when their father came home drunk after midnight.

The first thing he saw was always his perfectly made-up, breathtakingly elegant wife, dressed in a gorgeous kimono with not a single hair out of place.

Mrs. Yukinoshita Chiyo an utterly flawless woman, as invincible and unshakable as a Gundam.

People on the outside probably thought that growing up with such a mother would be inspiring.

That her daughters must have had the best possible role model.

Her family’s acquaintances in both politics and business often gushed about how the Yukinoshita daughters must also be outstanding young women.

Suitors were said to line up all the way to Hokkaido.

But that was the outsider’s view.

Only those who actually lived in that household knew how suffocating it was.

Imagine coming home exhausted after a long day, only to find your mother standing there in a perfect kimono.

Her every step graceful and precise, her posture so straight it looked like a ruler was tied to her spine.

She didn’t even have to say a word, her presence alone made you straighten up and force yourself to look composed.

And when you finally finished dinner and wanted to relax, maybe watch some TV and waste a bit of your evening, you’d see her already in the tatami room, chatting elegantly on the phone with a senator’s wife, one hand on her stomach helping digestion.

In moments like that, being lazy didn’t even feel possible.

You’d just quietly grab a book and pretend to study.

That was the real Yukinoshita household.

To most people, it might not seem so bad, especially since Mrs. Yukinoshita rarely pressured her younger daughter.

If anyone got scolded for poor posture or improper manners on the couch, it was always Haruno.

But Yukino was… Yukino.

A girl who lived by self-discipline and perfection.

With a mother like that beside her, how could she not try to live up to it?

Every time her mother smiled that calm, gentle smile and said, “Yukino, you don’t need to force yourself like your sister does. Just do what makes you happy,” she’d feel her chest tighten.

She knew it wasn’t meant to hurt, but it still did.

Because deep down, she understood that no matter how hard she tried, her mother’s gaze would never truly be on her.

“Poor Yukino-chan~ You know, you really don’t have to try so hard,” Haruno said with a teasing smile. “Even if you do everything perfectly… Mom’s never going to care.”

Her sister’s words landed like a soft knife.

Haruno the one who always excelled at everything, the one who met every one of their mother’s expectations effortlessly, could even afford to observe her for fun.

Yukino couldn’t tell anymore if Haruno was being sincere or just playing around.

She admired her sister, respected her, even liked her but she also knew Haruno was an unrepentant tease.

Someone like that wouldn’t just kindly help her pick an outfit, right?

And yet… she was.

She’d even been serious about it.

Well, serious by Haruno standards.

That contradiction left Yukino deeply unsettled.

She wanted to ask why.

She wanted to know if this was just another of her sister’s games—or if, maybe, just maybe, it was one of those rare moments of genuine sisterly care.

Even if that chance was less than one percent…

She couldn’t bring herself to break the illusion.

And so, Yukinoshita Yukino remained quietly conflicted.

Yukino’s heart was in a mess caught between joy and dread.

She was thrilled by her sister’s sudden kindness, yet terrified that it was just another elaborate prank.

So she sat there, frozen and obedient on the sofa, like a well-trained cat, letting Haruno pull her up and hold dresses against her body like she was a life-sized doll.

“Mhm, not bad at all,” Haruno said with a critical nod. “Sure, your chest is on the small side, but that’s exactly why this kind of dress works.

Only someone flat-chested can really pull off this silhouette. You should remember that, Yukino-chan—choose clothes that suit your strengths.” She nodded proudly, clearly pleased with herself.

‘I already know that!’ Yukino grumbled silently.

Her philosophy had always been that a woman’s charm wasn’t about one specific feature—it was about overall balance.

So of course she’d learned to turn her flat chest into a strength, choosing outfits that emphasized poise and refinement rather than… cleavage.

But seeing her sister earnestly helping her pick clothes, Yukino’s heart softened without her realizing.

She couldn’t help asking quietly,

“…Why are you helping me choose an outfit, sister?”

Haruno blinked, looking mildly surprised like she hadn’t expected such a question.

Taking a step back, her light-purple eyes glimmered mischievously.

“Why? Isn’t it perfectly natural for a big sister to help her adorable little sister pick out clothes for a date?”

She said it with a teasing smile.

‘A sister helping her younger sister pick clothes for a date… Is that really normal?’

Yukino tilted her head slightly, her sharp mind flipping through every book, drama, and conversation she could remember.

She couldn’t recall seeing such a scene in fiction.

But then again, Sakura once mentioned that back in her boarding school days, whenever one of the girls had a date, the others would all team up to help.

They’d go shopping together, lend accessories, do each other’s makeup…

‘So… sisters do that too?’

Her heart fluttered.

How nice.

For the first time in so long, her pale-blue eyes sparkled with something soft and warm.

She couldn’t remember the last time her sister had been so gentle—probably not since she’d started taking lessons from their mother.

Yes, Haruno had misunderstood the “date” part, but Yukino didn’t feel like correcting her.

If this was what having a caring sister felt like… she could even put up with going on an actual date with Hojou Kyousuke.

If she had to describe her feelings right now, Yukino would say she felt like a cat.

A cat curled up in a sunbeam.

A proud ragdoll cat that always acted above the rest, yet secretly adored the silly black-and-white cat that constantly teased her.

But today, that mischievous cat had suddenly approached first, rubbing its soft head affectionately against her chin.

Yukino felt so happy she could almost purr.

“And besides…”

Just as she was basking in the moment, Haruno’s cheerful voice shattered it.

“When you go on your date with Hojou, it’ll feel like I’m part of it too—since you’ll be wearing the dress I picked out for you!”

…

God help me.

God.

Help.

Me.

Yukino’s smile froze. Her face fell instantly, her eyes turning cold enough to chill the room.

‘I’m such an idiot.’

‘I let myself get all sentimental over my sister’s “kindness” and forgot—she’s insane.’

I should’ve known better.

If she’s rubbing against me, it’s probably just so she can sucker-punch me afterward.

Inside Yukino’s mind, her emotions were shifting violently from peaceful Triassic calm to full-blown Cretaceous chaos.

If there had been a Jurassic period in between, it was gone now erased by the intensity of her meltdown.

The once serene landscape of her heart was now a volcanic wasteland—lava erupting, meteors crashing, the world ending.

Meanwhile, Haruno seemed blissfully unaware of the disaster she’d caused.

Still smiling sweetly, she went on:

“With Hojou’s personality, he’ll definitely compliment you when he sees you. And that’s when you’ll say, ‘Oh, this dress? My sister picked it out for me~!’”

Her tone turned playful as she imitated a bubbly, cutesy voice Yukino would never use.

“Then, after the party, when you’re back home with Hojou and the lights go out, you’ll whisper—‘Ah~ no, stop! You can’t tear that! My sister picked this dress for me!’”

“...Enough!!” Poor Yukino couldn’t take it anymore.

Her fair skin prickled with goosebumps, and her patience finally snapped.

“Don’t drag me into your dirty fantasies! Just because you think like that doesn’t mean I do!”

Her tone was unusually sharp—but considering who she was talking to, it was still polite.

If it had been anyone other than her sister, Yukino might’ve said something like:

“To announce your perverted fantasies out loud like that—should I be impressed by your shamelessness, or concerned that your tiny brain is so full of lust there’s no room left for basic human decency?”

Thankfully, they were sisters.

And Yukino knew that even if she went that far, Haruno would probably just smile serenely and reply with some refined, poetic insult—just like their mother.

Haruno stared at her, then smiled in that infuriatingly confident way of hers.

“Oh? So you’ve finally said what’s really on your mind, huh?”

“...Huh?”

“When Mom was picking my potential husband, you pretended not to care,” Haruno said accusingly, “but secretly, you were watching the whole time!”

“Wh—ME!?”

Yukino’s jaw dropped.

She could only gape at her sister in disbelief.

She knew Haruno had no shame—but this level of audacity was impressive even for her.

“Still trying to play innocent?” Haruno smirked, crossing her arms like she had irrefutable evidence.