Damn, I just saw 2 more translations of this book. Oh well....
****
Hearing Yukinoshita Yukino's words, Sanshokuin Sumireko's lips curled slightly, a faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes.
"Yukinoshita, you really are a good person."
Her tone carried a mix of teasing and sincerity. "You're right. I really am troubled right now. If I had to make a specific request, I'd want Hazuki Yasuo to give up pursuing me."
"I can't help it. I ran into him once on the train, and he saw my school uniform. Now he's definitely going to come to Sobu High to find me."
"I invited Hozuki Nozomi to the marriage experience ceremony partly because I wanted to send Yasuo a message—that I already have someone I like. I thought seeing the difficulty firsthand would make him give up."
"But that guy… he won't give up that easily. And besides, you know Nozomi-kun is a bit of a playboy, right? If Yasuo starts digging into his background, he's going to find reasons to be even more stubborn."
"If possible, I think it'd be best to let him realize Sakurahara Momo and Kusami Runa's feelings for him. That way, he'll be too preoccupied to pay attention to me."
"After all, they've always been the ones sticking by his side, competing for his attention."
Yukinoshita Yukino frowned slightly, clearly troubled by the situation.
"I've never been in a relationship before, so I don't know how to make those two girls gather the courage to confess…"
"Really? Can't they just say it directly? Why does it have to be so complicated?" Yukinoshita asked, exasperated.
Sanshokuin Sumireko shrugged helplessly. "Those two have probably been completely swept up in Yasuo's so-called 'gentleness.'"
"So now you get why I rely on Nozomi-kun, right, Yukinoshita?" she continued. "The atmosphere around him is totally different from Yasuo's."
"Whether it's Mahiru, Sayu, or even Senpai, they all get along just fine. There's no infighting, no hidden tensions. They can coexist peacefully without constantly trying to outmaneuver each other."
Yukinoshita Yukino sighed. "Doesn't that just mean Nozomi-kun has his own set of problems? How can they all just get along so harmoniously?"
She didn't voice it, but something about Hozuki Nozomi unsettled her. His presence, his mysterious abilities… and now, she found out he even had an upperclassman?
Sanshokuin Sumireko looked at her in amusement. "If you have so many complaints about him, then why did you invite him to a wedding experience just now?"
She smirked. "Several school beauties have already 'married' him. At this point, Nozomi-kun is the number one public enemy among the boys in school."
"Ah… that… I… I just wanted to cause him some trouble and stir up a bit of resentment! He deserves it for being so fickle!" Yukinoshita hurriedly justified herself, her voice a little flustered.
She convinced herself that this was her form of punishment—making him deal with the jealousy of his male peers.
But wasn't this basically rewarding him instead?
Being able to "marry" Yukinoshita Yukino was something that most of the boys in school could only dream of.
Sanshokuin Sumireko rolled her eyes. This hypocritical Yukinoshita…
She decided not to call her out on it.
"So, Yukinoshita, who has never been in a relationship, what kind of help are you planning to offer me?"
Yukinoshita Yukino hesitated. Should she just act confident and wing it?
If it was any other kind of request, she would have completed it with a hundred percent effort. But when it came to love—something she had no experience with—she was completely lost.
Seeing her deep in thought, Sanshokuin Sumireko felt a small warmth in her chest.
Because she could tell Yukinoshita was genuinely trying to help her.
A soft smile played on her lips. "Can I join the Service Club, Yukinoshita-san?"
"Hmm… You can, but why do you want to join?"
"Because I don't want you to be alone with Nozomi-kun," she stated without hesitation. "Even if he likes you, I'm not backing down. I'll be your 'light bulb'!"
"Sorry, but I can't accept that as a reason! And for the record, I don't like him!"
Then why are you blushing?
Sanshokuin Sumireko saw through her but decided to let it slide.
She continued, "Just let me join. Besides, I love reading, so I won't be a bother most of the time."
"For now, I want to avoid the library. Yasuo knows I like books, so he'll definitely be waiting there to pester me."
Yukinoshita Yukino let out a sigh as she looked at the expectant girl in front of her.
"…Fine. Write the club application."
"Yatta! I'll write it right away!" Sanshokuin Sumireko beamed happily.
Yukinoshita was way more interesting than she'd expected.
Not as cold and distant as she seemed on the surface.
She had heard from Nozomi-kun that he often used cats to lure Yukinoshita Yukino, which she found oddly adorable.
Was this the famous Yukinoshita contrast?
"Oh, by the way, Sanshokuin, if you join the Service Club, what about the library? Aren't you the librarian?"
"Oh, that's not a big deal."
"Nozomi-kun helped me find someone to fill in for me. I'll go back to the library after Yasuo finally gives up."
At that moment, in the library, Kawasaki Saki, who had been roped into temporary library duty, looked particularly annoyed.
She hadn't wanted to take on the extra responsibility.
But Nozomi had offered her 5,000 yen a day.
It was way easier than working a part-time job.
Hearing Yukinoshita Yukino's words, Sanshokuin Sumireko's lips curled slightly, a faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes.
"Yukinoshita, you really are a good person."
Her tone carried a mix of teasing and sincerity. "You're right. I really am troubled right now. If I had to make a specific request, I'd want Hazuki Yasuo to give up pursuing me."
"I can't help it. I ran into him once on the train, and he saw my school uniform. Now he's definitely going to come to Sobu High to find me."
"I invited Hozuki Nozomi to the marriage experience ceremony partly because I wanted to send Yasuo a message—that I already have someone I like. I thought seeing the difficulty firsthand would make him give up."
"But that guy… he won't give up that easily. And besides, you know Nozomi-kun is a bit of a playboy, right? If Yasuo starts digging into his background, he's going to find reasons to be even more stubborn."
"If possible, I think it'd be best to let him realize Sakurahara Momo and Kusami Runa's feelings for him. That way, he'll be too preoccupied to pay attention to me."
"After all, they've always been the ones sticking by his side, competing for his attention."
Yukinoshita Yukino frowned slightly, clearly troubled by the situation.
"I've never been in a relationship before, so I don't know how to make those two girls gather the courage to confess…"
"Really? Can't they just say it directly? Why does it have to be so complicated?" Yukinoshita asked, exasperated.
Sanshokuin Sumireko shrugged helplessly. "Those two have probably been completely swept up in Yasuo's so-called 'gentleness.'"
"So now you get why I rely on Nozomi-kun, right, Yukinoshita?" she continued. "The atmosphere around him is totally different from Yasuo's."
"Whether it's Mahiru, Sayu, or even Senpai, they all get along just fine. There's no infighting, no hidden tensions. They can coexist peacefully without constantly trying to outmaneuver each other."
Yukinoshita Yukino sighed. "Doesn't that just mean Nozomi-kun has his own set of problems? How can they all just get along so harmoniously?"
She didn't voice it, but something about Hozuki Nozomi unsettled her. His presence, his mysterious abilities… and now, she found out he even had an upperclassman?
Sanshokuin Sumireko looked at her in amusement. "If you have so many complaints about him, then why did you invite him to a wedding experience just now?"
She smirked. "Several school beauties have already 'married' him. At this point, Nozomi-kun is the number one public enemy among the boys in school."
"Ah… that… I… I just wanted to cause him some trouble and stir up a bit of resentment! He deserves it for being so fickle!" Yukinoshita hurriedly justified herself, her voice a little flustered.
She convinced herself that this was her form of punishment—making him deal with the jealousy of his male peers.
But wasn't this basically rewarding him instead?
Being able to "marry" Yukinoshita Yukino was something that most of the boys in school could only dream of.
Sanshokuin Sumireko rolled her eyes. This hypocritical Yukinoshita…
She decided not to call her out on it.
"So, Yukinoshita, who has never been in a relationship, what kind of help are you planning to offer me?"
Yukinoshita Yukino hesitated. Should she just act confident and wing it?
If it was any other kind of request, she would have completed it with a hundred percent effort. But when it came to love—something she had no experience with—she was completely lost.
Seeing her deep in thought, Sanshokuin Sumireko felt a small warmth in her chest.
Because she could tell Yukinoshita was genuinely trying to help her.
A soft smile played on her lips. "Can I join the Service Club, Yukinoshita-san?"
"Hmm… You can, but why do you want to join?"
"Because I don't want you to be alone with Nozomi-kun," she stated without hesitation. "Even if he likes you, I'm not backing down. I'll be your 'light bulb'!"
"Sorry, but I can't accept that as a reason! And for the record, I don't like him!"
Then why are you blushing?
Sanshokuin Sumireko saw through her but decided to let it slide.
She continued, "Just let me join. Besides, I love reading, so I won't be a bother most of the time."
"For now, I want to avoid the library. Yasuo knows I like books, so he'll definitely be waiting there to pester me."
Yukinoshita Yukino let out a sigh as she looked at the expectant girl in front of her.
"…Fine. Write the club application."
"Yatta! I'll write it right away!" Sanshokuin Sumireko beamed happily.
Yukinoshita was way more interesting than she'd expected.
Not as cold and distant as she seemed on the surface.
She had heard from Nozomi-kun that he often used cats to lure Yukinoshita Yukino, which she found oddly adorable.
Was this the famous Yukinoshita contrast?
"Oh, by the way, Sanshokuin, if you join the Service Club, what about the library? Aren't you the librarian?"
"Oh, that's not a big deal."
"Nozomi-kun helped me find someone to fill in for me. I'll go back to the library after Yasuo finally gives up."
At that moment, in the library, Kawasaki Saki, who had been roped into temporary library duty, looked particularly annoyed.
She hadn't wanted to take on the extra responsibility.
But Nozomi had offered her 5,000 yen a day.
It was way easier than working a part-time job.
Besides, she was making money through her own efforts, so she reluctantly agreed.
However, as she thought about the money she had spent on her mother's hospital bills and the remaining 500,000 yen debt, she couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.
Life was unpredictable.
How did things end up like this for her family?
Thinking about Hozuki Nozomi, she felt both grateful and conflicted. A shameful thought crept into her mind.
Did she really have to become his lover just to repay her debt?
Her mind flashed back to the wedding experience event, where Hayama had stood as the officiant and asked her if she was willing to marry Nozomi.
Her face flushed red.
========================
Back at the Service Club room, Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait, someone is actually filling in for you at the library?"
"Besides someone obsessed with books, who would willingly stay in the library all day?"
"I have no idea, maybe we should ask him later?" Yukinoshita suggested.
"Nah, it's not that important. I'd rather not ask," Sanshokuin Sumireko replied nonchalantly.
Watching Yukinoshita take her club application form, Sumireko's lips curled into a playful smirk. She stepped behind Yukinoshita's chair, casually resting her hands on her shoulders.
The unexpected soft pressure against her back made Yukinoshita frown slightly.
"Hey, Yukinoshita, wouldn't you like to… you know, grow a little bit bigger?" Sumireko teased.
"You're already super cute and beautiful, but if your figure were even more perfect, Nozomi-kun would be thrilled."
"Shut up! Like I care what makes him happy!" Yukinoshita snapped, clearly flustered.
"Really? So, do you want them to grow or not?" Sumireko pressed on, her amusement evident.
"If you're suggesting that I let him rub them—absolutely not! I refuse!" Yukinoshita exclaimed, her face heating up.
"Pfft… Yukinoshita, you're so adorable," Sumireko giggled. "Actually, you can rub them yourself, but the effect isn't as good."
Yukinoshita gave her a dubious look. "Wait, Sumireko… Do you actually do that? Just… rub them yourself?"
Sumireko smirked. "Nope, I grew naturally."
Yukinoshita's eye twitched in irritation.
"Then why are you giving me useless advice?!" she huffed.
Crossing her arms, she glanced downward at her modest chest and snorted. "For the record, I don't care about breast size at all. Science clearly states that individual differences are completely natural! We don't all have to be fixated on the same things."
Sumireko chuckled. "Pfft, fair point. Small is cute too. Besides, Nozomi-kun seems to like you just the way you are."
"Ugh! Can you stop bringing him up? I thought you liked him! So why are you always going on about how much he likes me?!" Yukinoshita retorted, clearly exasperated.
"But he really does like you." Sumireko tilted her head playfully. "Otherwise, why would he always lure you in with a cat—" She suddenly stopped, covering her mouth as if she had let something slip.
Yukinoshita's cheeks burned red.
Her fists clenched instinctively.
Sure enough!
That guy had been using a cat to bait her on purpose!
What a scheming man!