Hikigaya's Inner World of Spring

Yukinoshita spent a sleepless night.

Now, she sat groggily in the back seat of a blue sports car, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion.

In the front seat, a short-haired woman—who bore an eight-to-nine-point resemblance to Yukinoshita but exuded a far more mature aura—was driving skillfully.

"Goodness, showing up on the first day of school with no energy? That's so unlike you~," remarked Haruno, breaking the silence in the car.

"…"

Yukinoshita slowly opened her eyes, only to be greeted by the sight of her sister's annoyingly radiant and smiling face in the rearview mirror.

After just one glance, Yukinoshita decided to ignore her.

Naturally, Haruno noticed her younger sister's indifferent reaction. Unbothered, she continued to tease, "Honestly, if I hadn't happened to pass by, you'd have been late today. That kind of rookie mistake doesn't seem like something you'd do. Hmm, I'd wager you must've been up to something very exhausting last night."

"Let me guess—burning the midnight oil studying?"

"…"

"No? Hmm… then you were staying up late watching cat videos?"

"…"

"Still wrong? Oh, I've got it! You must've been out late on a date with Hikigaya-kun!"

"?!"

Yukinoshita's eyelids twitched at the mention of Hikigaya's name.

Noticing this subtle reaction, Haruno smirked, her interest piqued. "See, I knew it! It's Hikigaya-kun, isn't it? Hmm… now, did little Yukino and her Hikigaya-kun snuggle last night?"

"???" Yukinoshita's eyes flew open as her cheeks flushed crimson. Panicking, she shot back, "We didn't snuggle! Not at all!"

"Oh? Really?"

"…"

Faced with Haruno's playful gaze, Yukinoshita clamped her mouth shut, refusing to engage further.

She prided herself on maintaining composure and responding deftly in any situation—except when dealing with her mother or this particular elder sister.

Every word, every glance from Haruno seemed custom-made to unravel her calm.

I still have so much growing up to do.

Meanwhile, Haruno, undeterred, giggled. "No need to be so upset. It's perfectly normal for couples to do that sort of thing. Now, I'm curious—who took the lead? You or Hikigaya-kun?"

Yukinoshita scoffed, her tone frosty. "Hmph. Who'd want to engage in such filthy behavior with… a worm like him?"

"Wow, that's harsh! I think Hikigaya-kun is rather cute~," Haruno teased.

"Cute? He's nothing but… a useless slacker!"

Haruno chuckled. "If you dislike him so much, why not let me take him off your hands? I'm in the market for a boyfriend, you know."

"?"

"Seriously! I wouldn't mind a younger guy. Hikigaya-kun's kind of adorable, isn't he?"

Yukinoshita's expression darkened, her gaze sharp. "Snow Woman Haruno, you'd better watch what you say. Hikigaya-kun is my boyfriend. If you want to play cougar, go find someone outside the family."

"Aww, so mean! My little sister's scolding me~."

Yukinoshita huffed and looked away, refusing to engage any further.

Not choosing Haruno as my partner was absolutely the right call.

Last night, after hours of deliberation, Yukinoshita had eliminated Haruno and decided on her schoolmate, Katou Megumi, as Hikigaya's partner.

Haruno was simply too dangerous—a blazing inferno that could burn everything to ash. If Haruno genuinely fell for Hikigaya and pursued him, Yukinoshita wasn't sure if either of them could handle the fallout.

Kato, on the other hand, was an unknown variable. Yukinoshita hadn't heard much about her during their second year, but compared to Haruno's hellish difficulty, Katou seemed like a preschool-level challenge.

After making her choice, the system had provided Yukinoshita with basic information about Katou:

[Name: Katou Megumi]

[Personality: Gentle, quiet, nurturing, witty; Hidden traits: ???]

[Relation to Host: High school classmate]

[Relation to Hikigaya: Middle school and high school classmate]

[Maximum Potential Points: 100,000]

Two points caught Yukinoshita's attention:

1. Katou had attended the same middle school as Hikigaya, which warranted scrutiny.

2. The maximum obtainable points from Katou were only 100,000.

Intimate interactions—like holding hands, hugging, kissing, or even… having children—would yield points. If Katou fell deeply in love with Hikigaya to the point of committing to him for life, she'd provide a hefty 50,000 points.

Points, of course, were the system's currency. A million points were needed to redeem the medicine that could save Hikigaya.

Katou alone could only contribute 100,000 points, which meant Yukinoshita had to make Hikigaya "snuggle" with ten different girls!

The thought made Yukinoshita's blood boil.

Ten?!

My Hikigaya-kun is going to turn into public property at this rate!

Though she wanted to resist, the system always countered with, "Host, you wouldn't want Hikigaya to die in three years, would you?"

This infuriating reminder left her no choice but to reluctantly play along.

Fortunately, Katou seemed like a quiet girl, which Yukinoshita assumed would make things manageable.

---

"Alright, we're here~."

Haruno smoothly parked the blue sports car by the curb. She glanced around habitually and quickly noticed a bicycle pulling up near the school gate.

"Oh, isn't that Hikigaya-kun? Running just as late as you. Hmm? Who's that girl riding on the back of his bike?"

"Hm?"

Yukinoshita, deep in thought, instinctively raised her head and followed Haruno's gaze.

At the school gate, Hikigaya stopped his bike, and the girl sitting on the back hopped off. The two exchanged smiles as they chatted.

"??"

Yukinoshita's eyes widened in shock, her thoughts screeching to a halt.

What?! Where did that vixen come from?!

[That girl is Katou Megumi. She's the one you need to pair with your boyfriend to earn points.]

The system's voice echoed in her mind.

"...What?!"

Yukinoshita's face paled as her eyes grew even larger.

The girl on the back of Hikigaya's bike… is Katou Megumi?!

What happened to the quiet, reserved persona?!

Wait! I haven't even started yet, and they're already this close?!

Don't tell me they were lovers in middle school, rekindling an old flame?!