“What it means is this: when you’re dealing with relationships between people, there’s a constantly repeating process. From the very beginning, when you first get to know each other, to deepening that relationship, you need one contradiction after another, one conflict after another, before you can arrive at a deeper bond.”
“But those conflicts have to stay within limits. They can’t go beyond the range of ordinary contradictions among the people.”
“And the way you handle relationships is through criticism. But this criticism isn’t the kind where a superior criticizes a subordinate, nor is it simply about rebutting or scolding the other person. It means, from a standpoint of caring about them, making them realize—on the basis of mutual equality—that you are thinking of them, that you do want what’s best for them. Once that happens, a new level of closeness follows naturally.”
“Then… can the method you just described be used to resolve the conflict between Yuigahama and that man?”
“Of course it can.”
“Then…”
“Don’t ask me why I won’t do it. The reason is simple: I don’t have any good reason to take the initiative. They didn’t ask me for help. That’s their conflict. The two people involved have to take the initiative themselves, criticize the side that’s in the wrong, and correct certain mistaken ideas. It isn’t my problem, so even if I interfered, it wouldn’t help. If anything, I’d be more likely to get called a meddlesome busybody.”
Tadayana’s words left her speechless.
“All right. I understand. But if you have any ideas, please tell me. I do bear some responsibility for the problem between those two.”
“What responsibility?”
“…I may count as the one who caused harm.”
…?
“You mean you had a hand in making their relationship turn out like this?”
Of course Tadayana knew what she meant.
She meant that when Hachiman had been hit by the car while saving the dog on the first day of school, she had been sitting inside that car.
Yukinoshita was, in some ways, far too emotional.
“No.”
“Then that’s that. You’re not the one at fault. Their relationship turned out this way because the gloomy guy has some problems in the way he thinks. If it had been a normal person, then even if helping someone had only created the opportunity for them to start talking, the affection that came out of that process would still have been real affection. It was precisely because of that help that he got the chance to become friends with Yui Yuigahama. Aren’t a lot of friendships born by chance through people helping each other? Why would he think there’s something wrong with that?”
“True. It really can be seen as a problem caused solely by Hikigaya-kun, then. So… would it be proper for him to resolve this himself?”
“Yes. Neither you nor I have the right or the obligation to interfere in this, because the problem doesn’t lie with either of us. We can’t solve it. You’ve already given the gloomy guy the chance to help pick out a birthday present. That’s already going above and beyond. That’s enough.”
“Mm. Thank you. Talking to you makes me feel much lighter.”
Yukinoshita let out a breath. The angle from which Tadayana understood problems really had eased a good deal of her pressure.
“You’re just too good a person. That’s why you always end up carrying all sorts of strange pressure. But I really like that about you.”
Tadayana’s words, spoken right beside Yukinoshita’s ear, turned the atmosphere between them warm and gentle.
“Oh my, isn’t that Yukino-chan? Out shopping with a friend?”
The moment she heard that voice, Yukinoshita went on alert.
She turned toward it and saw a familiar figure slowly approaching.
Tadayana looked over as well and got a clear look at the newcomer—
She had a face strikingly similar to Yukinoshita Yukino’s, yet fully bloomed where Yukino’s was restrained.
If Yukino was cool, radiant moonlight, then this woman was a blazing, dazzling sun.
Her skin was just as pale and translucent, but her features were more vivid and expansive. Her bright, sharp almond-shaped eyes tilted slightly upward, carrying a perfectly measured, almost patterned smile—yet that smile did not reach her eyes. Beneath it lay calm scrutiny and the air of someone who understood everything at a glance. She wore a subdued rosy-beige lipstick suited to summer, making her lips look all the fuller and softer.
Her shoulder-length hair was styled with chic efficiency. It was a shade lighter than Yukino’s, and under the glow of the setting sun it gleamed like honey. A few unruly strands fell by her cheeks, lending her an extra touch of effortless charm.
She wore a sleeveless light apricot dress of obviously fine material, cinched at the waist. The cut was simplicity itself, yet it perfectly traced the delicate, shapely lines of her mature, feminine figure.
The hem fell to her knees, leaving a pair of beautifully shaped calves on display, their complexion healthy and smooth. On her feet were a pair of simple white low-heeled sandals.
Her accessories were few but carefully chosen: on her left wrist was a slim platinum bracelet-watch, and on her right, a finely designed strand of sandalwood beads. Taken as a whole, she looked like an elite woman who had just stepped out of a high-level meeting and casually decided to stop by and sample “ordinary people’s life” on the way.
“…Haruno-neesan.”
Yukino spoke softly. A flicker of fear passed through her eyes, but she immediately forced herself back into composure.
The atmosphere that had just improved moments ago vanished without a trace.
“What is it, Yukino-chan? Why are you so quiet when you see your onee-chan? Not even a greeting? And hello there, little miss!! My name is Haruno Yukinoshita. You’re Yukino-chan’s friend, aren’t you? I’m her onee-chan. Nice to meet you, nice to meet you.”
“Hello.”
This felt… suspiciously overenthusiastic.
No—it was enthusiasm to an excessive degree. Tadayana couldn’t make heads or tails of why she was acting this warmly.
Even so, out of basic politeness, she replied.
“As you guessed, I am Yukinoshita-senpai’s kouhai. As you can see, I just happened to come out shopping with her today.”
“I see… I never thought Yukino-chan had friends too. Congratulations, congratulations.”
She opened with a line of cold mockery toward her imouto.
As Tadayana turned it over in her mind, she caught the distinct undertone hidden inside it.
What Haruno meant was this—
Someone like Yukinoshita Yukino couldn’t possibly make a genuine friend, so Tadayana didn’t count.
That was the implication running through every word she said.
She really was a genuine social operator. She hid her true meaning inside the conversation itself.
“I didn’t know Yukinoshita-senpai had such a beautiful onee-chan either. She never mentioned it. As expected of Yukinoshita-senpai’s family—you’ve grown up just as beautiful.”
“Hahaha, you really know how to talk. Onee-chan here likes girls like you. Well then, enjoy your shopping, you two. Next time we run into each other, let’s chat more! Onee-chan has something to do, so I’ll be off first.”
This is a fan translation of 拒绝我啊，可恶的女人 by 帝国の咕咕鸽. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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