"Are you sure you don't want the driver to take you to school?"
"No, no need. I just want to try going by myself for once. And after school, I'll come home on my own too—no need to send the driver."
"But Sobu High is pretty far from here… How about I drive you instead?"
"It's fine, thanks."
Why did your voice suddenly turn so cold and distant?
The man reached out toward his daughter's retreating figure, trying to call her back. But he hesitated, looking like an old golden retriever that had just been abandoned. Even his neatly combed hair seemed to droop.
It was Monday.
Finally, she didn't have to waste another weekend stuck at home.
After last night's conversation with her mother, Haruno's house arrest had been lifted. No more playing mind games with her mother's shadow. She was free to go out again.
She even had more personal time now.
Guess getting tangled up with Hayashizaki had *some* benefits.
Haruno put on her familiar Sobu High uniform.
After walking a short distance from home, she quietly doubled back, grabbed her guitar, and slipped out over the wall.
"Do you need me to take you to school?" A voice came from beneath the collar.
"No need. Like I said, it's kind of refreshing to go by myself for a change." Yukinoshita Haruno smiled.
As she walked toward the train station, the morning breeze gently lifted her soft, short hair. Her pleated school skirt swayed with her light steps, and beneath it, her toned legs moved with energy. Her black knee-high socks were tucked into her sneakers.
But the beauty of the morning vanished the moment she stepped into the train station.
The train car was packed with office workers in suits. They came in all shapes and sizes, but their faces all shared the same exhaustion and lifelessness, like emotionless puppets.
For a moment, Yukinoshita Haruno was overwhelmed by this scene, like a glimpse into a living nightmare. She quickly moved to the women-only carriage, where the air finally felt breathable again.
Luckily, the train ride through this "office worker hell" was just a small part of the journey. By the time she stepped through the gates of Soubu High, Hayashizaki couldn't help but feel a strange sense of nostalgia, as if it had been ages since he last set foot here.
The last time he entered Chiba's top high school, he had been with Yukinoshita Yukino. But now, it was her older sister Haruno—who was only a first-year.
He had no idea how Yukinoshita Yukino was doing now, but knowing her, she was probably no longer at Soubu High. Most likely, she had transferred to Jujutsu High.
After all, that school had better access to information and more opportunities for exorcising curses.
Still, Gojo Satoru would definitely use Yukino's transfer as an excuse to mess with him. Just thinking about it put Hayashizaki in a bad mood.
At the same time, in a completely different world, a white-haired man was reading a report when he suddenly felt a tickle in his nose and sneezed twice.
"Huh? Am I catching a cold?" Gojo Satoru rubbed his nose but didn't think much of it. His focus returned to the report in his hands.
It was written by Ijichi Kiyotaka—an evaluation of Yukinoshita Yukino's first mission.
"Completed in seven minutes and thirty-two seconds. Despite multiple confirmed curses inside the barrier, including a Grade 1 curse, she still managed to finish this quickly? As expected, Yukinoshita has already reached the level of a Grade 1 sorcerer. And she's even grasped an incomplete Domain Expansion…"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. The younger generation is terrifying."
Gojo Satoru smiled as he read, but his expression suddenly froze when his eyes moved further down.
"Notably, during the mission, Yukinoshita used the Zen'in clan's inherited technique—the Ten Shadows Technique. How she acquired it remains unknown…"
Just like Hayashizaki.
Even Yuta couldn't keep a copied innate technique as a permanent ability. But judging by both Hayashizaki and Yukinoshita Yukino, they each seemed to possess multiple innate techniques.
And based on Yukino's previous battles, she had likely only learned the Ten Shadows Technique recently—otherwise, she would've used it earlier.
How did she do it? It's definitely intriguing. But even if I asked her directly, she probably wouldn't give me a straight answer.
What's next? Is she going to copy my Limitless technique too?
The thought crossed his mind as a joke, and Gojo Satoru didn't dwell on it. Every sorcerer had their own secrets. If anything, he was more curious to see how far she could go.
—
—
In Class 1-A, Yukinoshita Haruno walked into the room with a guitar case on her back, immediately drawing the attention of all the students.
Unlike her sister Yukinoshita Yukino, who was always alone, Haruno was popular in the class. With her flawless looks and status as the eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family, no one would dare make an enemy of her.
And today, she had an eye-catching black guitar case on her back. Of course, people were going to notice.
"Good morning, Yukinoshita! Is that a guitar?"
"Is our genius girl stepping into the world of rock now?"
"When's your first concert? Save me a ticket!"
As soon as she walked in, she was met with greetings and playful teasing. She smiled, waved a hand, and responded, "Not at all! I just started learning. I only bought this guitar yesterday."
Like her sister, Haruno's seat was by the window. She placed her guitar against the wall, making sure it wouldn't block the aisle.
After spreading out a book on her desk, she rested her cheek against her palm and drifted into thought. Seeing this, the other students wisely chose not to disturb her.
Everyone knew that Yukinoshita Haruno was easy to talk to, but when they saw that she wasn't particularly close with anyone in class, they understood that their relationship with the eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family would never go beyond just being classmates.
Outstanding people always attract attention, and while someone like Yukinoshita Yukino, who was sharp and unapproachable, might spark jealousy, Yukinoshita Haruno was different—people could only admire her.
And admiration was the farthest kind of distance.
Should I join a club? But that sounds like a hassle…
The morning classes passed by in a daze. Haruno turned down an invitation from her friends to have lunch together and instead headed to the teachers' office.
A familiar figure came into Hayashizaki's view—still wearing that same white coat as always.
"Shizuuka-chan~"
Haruno called out with a playful smile.
"Don't call me that." Hiratsuka Shizuka frowned but then sighed helplessly. "What do you want, Haruno?"
"I remember you saying you played the drums in college, right?"
—
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You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu