"Well, well, it's not entirely because of your sister," Hiratsuka Shizuka clicked her tongue. She and Yukinoshita Haruno were once university classmates and had always had a good relationship. Even after graduation, they stayed in touch.
The two of them would occasionally go out for drinks. Haruno would complain about her eccentric clients, and Shizuka would vent about the weird men in the arranged marriage market.
Often, after getting completely drunk, a lot of stress would be relieved.
Because of this relationship, Haruno's younger sister, in Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes, was no different from her own little sister.
Adding to that, since Yukino was also her student, whether in public or private matters, she wouldn't leave the lonely Yukino unattended.
"I understand your good intentions, Hiratsuka-sensei, but it's really not necessary," Yukino had a bit of a headache. She thought Hiratsuka Shizuka was still not giving up and wanted her to make more friends and integrate into the class quickly.
But she truly wasn't interested in useless social interaction. These days she didn't even have enough time to pet her cat, let alone chat with others.
"Don't overthink it," Hiratsuka Shizuka scratched her head. "I called you here purely out of concern, and also to ask if you've encountered any difficulties in your daily life…"
Little Yukino's personality was actually a bit stubborn. She hated being forced to do things she didn't like.
Hiratsuka Shizuka had also come to understand, 'As long as Yukino isn't being bullied, then no friends means no friends. With me around to look after her, even if trouble comes up, there'll be someone to help.'
"I'm doing fine," Yukino nodded slightly. Hiratsuka Shizuka chatted with her a bit more, simply asking about her daily life, and was about to end the conversation.
But…
She frowned, staring at the faint dark circles under the girl's eyes. If she hadn't observed carefully, it would have been easy to miss.
"Did you stay up late last night?"
Yukino shook her head, "No, I went to bed early."
In an era where most college students still follow the motto "If the moon's not sleeping, neither am I. I'm the little treasure of King Yama," she was one of the rare few who didn't stay up late.
She paid attention to her routine, always maintaining the good habit of going to bed early and rising early.
"If not, then not," Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't think much of it. Aside from the faint dark circles, Yukino seemed to be in good spirits.
Besides, she was still young, pulling an all-nighter was normal. Even she herself stayed up late at times.
That should've been it.
But Tuesday… Wednesday… Thursday…
As the days passed, Yukino's dark circles didn't fade, they grew darker.
Even her spirit started to slump. She even dozed off twice during class.
Falling asleep in class might be normal for other students, no big deal.
But for Yukino, who had always excelled in both character and academics since childhood, it was practically unheard of.
Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't sit still anymore. She once again called the girl to the office, but this time her expression was much more serious, "Yukino, what exactly have you been doing lately? You're even nodding off in class now?"
Only a few days had passed, but Yukino looked noticeably more haggard.
Her originally smooth and shiny black hair had now lost its luster, appearing dull.
Although still beautiful, with a kind of fragile beauty like a sickly heroine, her overall mental state was clearly not good.
If she didn't trust Yukino's character, Hiratsuka Shizuka would have started to suspect the girl might be sneaking out to go skating or something.
Otherwise, it made no sense.
"I really haven't done anything," Yukino rubbed her temples, looking somewhat tired. Her daily life was the same as usual. Resting at ten at night, waking up at six the next morning, washing up quickly, preparing her lunch, and refilling the empty food and water bowls for her cat…
But she could clearly feel her energy draining.
It was like she'd overused water magic(mast*rbation). Powerless, with back pain and weak legs, constantly groggy, and all she wanted was to sleep deeply.
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[Back to the story:]
Hiratsuka Shizuka was still a little suspicious.
But with Yukino in this state, she definitely couldn't let it continue unchecked.
So she simply drove her to the hospital, intending to get a full-body check-up.
Unfortunately, the results were minimal.
They took all kinds of scans. When the test results came back, the doctor didn't find any serious problems.
He just assumed Yukino wasn't getting good rest and prescribed her some sleep aids.
"Looking at your current state… I'll request a few days off for you," After leaving the hospital and starting the car, Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed, "Don't go to school for the next few days. Rest well at home."
Yukino hesitated for a moment, but didn't refuse. She softly said, "Thank you, Hiratsuka-sensei."
"If anything comes up, make sure to call me," After reminding her a few more times, Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't say much more and drove her home.
On the way, Yukino was very quiet.
Only when they arrived in front of the apartment building did Hiratsuka Shizuka unfasten her seatbelt and turn her head.
Only then did she realize. At some unknown point, the girl had already fallen asleep.
She woke Yukino up, and the two of them went upstairs together, soon arriving at an apartment on the twenty-ninth floor.
Opening the door, a soft "meow-meow" sound rang out.
Looking down at the fluffy little creature, Hiratsuka Shizuka was a little surprised, "You have a cat?"
"Mm…"
Though her eyes were so tired she could barely keep them open, at the mention of her cat, Yukino still showed a happy smile. She squatted down and rubbed the little head of "Yukitan."
"I named her Yukitan," The kitty wasn't shy at all. It widened its curious eyes, staring at the stranger in the white coat with a puzzled expression.
Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't have much feeling toward pets, neither fond nor annoyed.
Seeing Yukino looking so exhausted, she helped her to the bedroom, poured her hot water, tucked her in, gave her a few more reminders, and left the apartment so as not to disturb her rest.
As she left, the little cat named "Yukitan" followed her to the door as if to see her off, stopping only when it reached the entrance. It even gave her two "meow-meow" calls.
Hiratsuka Shizuka was a little surprised, 'Are cats these smart nowadays?'
In the end, she couldn't resist reaching out to scratch the little one's chin, which made it purr in satisfaction.
'Not bad, it feels pretty nice.'
'No wonder Yukino loves cats so much,' Even Shizuka was a little tempted to get one for herself.
'But thinking it over… it's already hard enough taking care of myself. Adding a cat?'
'Forget it. Can't afford it. Goodbye.'
She went downstairs, got into her sports car, started the engine, all in one smooth motion.
On the way back to school, Hiratsuka Shizuka several times thought about calling Haruno. After all, Yukino was her little sister.
But thinking about it carefully, Yukino was just lacking in energy. Even the doctor couldn't find anything unusual. Calling Haruno suddenly felt like making a fuss over nothing.
Besides, Haruno seemed to be busy with a very important major project recently.
Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't want to disturb her friend's serious work and distract her.
In any case, she'd observe for a few more days first.
However, this thought was quickly shattered after returning to Shuka High.
"Hiratsuka-sensei?", Coincidentally, she bumped into a familiar figure in front of the school building. Kaito's eyes narrowed, "There's a demonic aura on you."
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