Reincarnation: Yukino Yukinoshita Is My Childhood Sweetheart

7:00 PM.

Yukino sat at her computer, researching the elementary school she had attended.

According to what Haru had told her, Kasumigaoka Utaha had first seen him during a friendly football match between two elementary schools. Yukino wanted to search online for all the events her elementary school had hosted.

Unfortunately, given how long ago it was and the lack of any major newsworthy events involving her school, her search yielded little success.

Yukino knew, however, that if she truly wanted to investigate the details of that day, there was one person she could ask.

Hayama Hayato.

He had attended the same elementary school as Yukino and Haru.

Back then, Hayato, Yukino, and Haru had been friends.

But after Yukino was bullied and Hayato chose to stand by and do nothing, she hadn't spoken to him since.

There was no way she'd contact Hayato.

"Coincidences like this should only happen once or twice at most," Yukino muttered to herself as she leaned back in her chair.

The special connection she shared with Haru as childhood friends was no longer unique.

And that annoyed her.

She didn't take Eriri seriously.

Thanks to the ties between the Amamiya and Spencer families, Yukino had met that blonde girl before.

From her observations and judgment, it was clear Eriri wasn't a real threat.

But Kasumigaoka Utaha was different.

"She's the same type as me," Yukino admitted to herself irritably.

Long, sleek black hair, a stunning face, an incredible figure, and—most annoyingly—a large chest.

The only consolation Yukino had was that, so far, the only girls who had any connection to Haru from elementary school were Eriri and Utaha.

"Just two rivals," she muttered under her breath.

....

"Yui, why are you taking pictures with your phone again?"

At the Yuigahama residence, a graceful and warm woman watched her daughter curiously.

Yui smiled sheepishly. "I'm practicing my photography! I'm still a total beginner, and I want to improve quickly."

"Oh, is this for that photography club you mentioned? Have you made friends there?"

"Yeah, everyone's really nice. Especially our club president. He's so patient with everyone, even someone like me who doesn't know anything!"

As Yui spoke about Haru, her smile grew even brighter.

Her mother chuckled knowingly. "Sounds like my Yui is in love!"

"Mom! Don't say weird things! Amamiya-San and I are just friends!"

"Amamiya, huh? That name sounds familiar," her mother mused, pausing thoughtfully.

Yui tilted her head in confusion. "Familiar? What do you mean?"

"What's the full name of this boy you're so interested in?"

"Who said I'm interested in him?!" Yui blushed furiously. "His name is Amamiya Haru."

Her mother's expression softened with nostalgia. "Ah, I see. Is he a particularly cute boy?"

"Cute? What kind of word is that for a boy?" Yui laughed. "But, yeah… he is really good-looking."

Her mother gave a playful wink. "You might have met him when you were younger, you know."

"...Huh?"

Seeing her daughter's stunned expression, the woman chuckled. "Remember that time you threw a tantrum and refused to go to school? You were crying your eyes out like a little baby."

"I… I never did that!" Yui protested, flustered.

"You absolutely did," her mother said with a mischievous smile. "I remember it perfectly. To calm you down, I told you we'd transfer schools and let you pick one. That day, I took you to visit a few schools, remember?"

Yui paused, faint memories stirring.

"One of the schools we visited was hosting some kind of event—maybe a sports day? There were kids doing high jumps and playing football. You went off to watch, but while you were busy, I saw a very cute boy."

"Then what?"

Her mother's smile widened into an indulgent, almost doting grin. "He was so cute I couldn't help but ask his name. He said it was…"

"Amamiya Haru," Yui whispered, her heart skipping a beat.

Her mother nodded. "That's right. It was him."

So I met Amemiya-San back then? No… I missed him!

Yui's emotions swirled like a gentle summer rain—soft and chaotic, leaving her unsettled but not panicked.

Across from her, her mother smirked, understanding Yui's shifting emotions perfectly. "So, if you think about it, you and your club president are childhood sweethearts~"

Yui: "..."

What kind of childhood sweethearts are these!

But hearing this story, Yui felt something shift in her feelings toward Haru.

A tiny, suppressed thought began to surface.

Late that night, as Yui prepared to retreat to her room, her mother called out teasingly, "Yui, if you like him—and he's your sweetheart—Mom will totally support you!"

"I said it's not like that!" Yui shouted, her face red as she darted into her room.

I should never have asked her about this. Now she's never going to let it go!

Flopping onto her bed in her light sleepwear, Yui couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting back to Haru.

After some hesitation, she grabbed her phone and opened Haru's social account.

She had his contact info thanks to the club, where he had added her to their group chat.

Blushing, Yui typed a message:

"Are you asleep?"

A reply came within seconds.

"Not yet."

Her heart skipped a beat.

"Can I talk to you about something?"

Yuu's reply surprised her.

"What a coincidence—I wanted to talk to you too."

Yui froze, then smiled so brightly her cheeks hurt.

Her heart raced as a sweet, giddy feeling bubbled inside her.

Is this what they call… being in sync? Could Mom have been right about us being childhood sweethearts after all?

Hugging her phone tightly, Yui laughed quietly, rolling on her bed like a happy, love-struck fool.

After giggling to herself for a while, Yui forced herself to calm down and replied:

"You go first."

Seconds later, a notification popped up on her screen:

"[Your friend has sent you a file. Would you like to download it?]"

Yui blinked at the message, staring at the file size: 30MB.

The filename read: "Basic Theories of Lighting."

She froze in disbelief. "This… this is what you wanted to tell me?"

Haru: "Yes, hurry up and download it."

Yui: "Do I have to learn all of this? A 30MB text document?! Isn't that going to take me a year?"

Haru: "You wish. That's just the table of contents. I've got another 1GB of material waiting for you. If you're serious, you're looking at at least ten years of study."

Yui: "I'm going to bed!"

She put down her phone with a frustrated groan, feeling utterly defeated.

I wouldn't have asked if I had known!

Haru glanced at their chat history, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

~~

"Chatting with me late at night and starting with something as ambiguous as 'I have something to tell you'… Young people should just get plenty of sleep and stop letting their imaginations run wild."