Chapter 28: The Truth Doesn’t Matter at All!

Ishikawa Yuka’s enchanting dance finally came to an end after she had finished her rounds with the three boys: Nogami Hiroki, Kurohara Masahira, and Ishikawa Yota.

Although many people secretly hoped she would take to the floor again after a brief rest, she clearly had no such intention.

She withdrew quietly to the wall like a secluded orchid in a valley, her posture making it clear that she did not wish to dance with anyone else.

A few children tried to approach her to start a conversation, but she dealt with most of them with a polite yet distant manner.

In this somewhat chilled atmosphere, one girl marched directly toward Ishikawa Yuka.

Matsuyama Shoko was biting her nails nearly to the point of drawing blood.

The dance between Nogami Hiroki and Ishikawa Yuka had been too perfect; halfway through, she had even forgotten where she was, becoming completely immersed in that harmonious scene.

She had to marry Nogami Hiroki.

No matter what means she used, no matter what others said, for the sake of her family, she had no choice but to marry him.

This was a resolution she had made long ago, vowing never to give him up to anyone.

But…

She actually thought that Nogami Hiroki and Ishikawa Yuka looked so well-matched standing together!

She had even involuntarily admitted to herself that she was inferior to Yuka and stood no chance of winning.

The very thought of admitting defeat made her feel an intense, uncontrollable rage toward herself.

She had sworn to do whatever it took to marry Nogami Hiroki…

It was this frustration that drove Shoko toward the “wallflower” lady.

Her steps were heavy, lacking any of the grace expected of a young noblewoman, but she was too far gone to care about such things.

“Ishikawa Yuka!”

“Ah… Matsuyama-san, good day.”

“…Eh?”

Shoko, who had been blinded by fury and only wanted to confront Yuka with the passion surging in her chest, found her fire instantly extinguished by the other girl’s gentle smile and ordinary greeting.

What was she trying to do just now?

What had she intended to achieve by storming up to Yuka?

Did she want to slap her? Did she want to scream insults?

But what had Ishikawa Yuka done wrong?

Shoko had to admit that she had truly “lost.”

Deep down, she had already accepted this fact, and that was exactly what she couldn’t tolerate—she hated her own lack of resolve, hated that she had given up so easily, and… she even felt a faint desire to applaud them, to watch them continue dancing together.

But was that a reason to lash out at Ishikawa Yuka?

This was her own problem; it had nothing to do with Yuka.

Ishikawa Yuka… no matter how much Shoko ignored her or threw tantrums at her, Yuka always responded with that soft smile.

Toward such a person, she had actually…

“Oh my?!”

With a sudden stumble, Shoko staggered backward and collided with the long table holding the food.

Plates crashed down, and food splattered all over her, instantly staining her expensive gown with filth.

“Ah…”

It was a catastrophic blunder.

For the daughter of the Matsuyama family to knock over food and soil her dress at a banquet was an inexcusable mistake.

Her mind went blank, and she couldn’t remember any of the emergency etiquette procedures she was supposed to have memorized.

Knocking something over was certainly a loss of poise, but it wasn’t unprecedented; everyone has moments of negligence, and the key lay in how one made amends afterward.

If handled properly, it wouldn’t result in too much of a loss in reputation.

But Shoko was currently in such a state of mental chaos that she had no idea what to do.

She had studied it repeatedly, yet she couldn’t react in the moment.

There were many reasons—if this were a normal etiquette class, she would have handled it perfectly.

But Shoko had long since lost her composure.

First, she had been emotionally overwhelmed by seeing Hiroki and Yuka dance, and then she had been plunged into self-loathing and regret by Yuka’s smile.

Having an accident in this state meant she couldn’t respond with her usual calm.

“Ah… ah…”

“I am terribly sorry, Matsuyama-san! It was my carelessness that ruined your dress. Please, forgive me!”

Yuka suddenly raised her voice, speaking as she offered a deep bow toward Shoko.

“…Eh?”

Shoko was completely stunned.

She had clearly lost her footing on her own; it had nothing to do with Yuka.

Why was Yuka apologizing?

“What happened?”

“It looks like the Ishikawa daughter threw food on the Matsuyama daughter.”

“How could that happen?”

“Look… isn’t the Matsuyama family always trying to get close to Young Master Hiroki of the Noyama family…”

“Ah… I see, it’s a fit of jealousy…”

The hushed whispers of the adults nearby drifted into Shoko’s ears, and her face instantly turned deathly pale.

“No, it’s not…”

Yuka’s apology had been so loud specifically to take the blame for her, claiming a fault that wasn’t her own.

Furthermore, the rumors were already fermenting in an uncontrollable direction.

The content was entirely distorted!

The Matsuyama family was by no means the “number one candidate” for Nogami Hiroki’s fiancé; that was merely a rumor the Matsuyama family had spread themselves to create a predetermined impression.

Since her debut in social circles, Shoko had indeed been taking the initiative to approach Hiroki, but he had never given a clear response, nor had the two families officially discussed a marriage alliance.

Precisely because of Ishikawa Yuka’s appearance and her rapid closeness with Hiroki, the anxious Shoko had targeted Yuka multiple times at school.

So, it wasn’t right… Yuka had no reason to intentionally do such a thing to Shoko.

However, the uninformed onlookers only saw this as excellent gossip and began to add their own embellishments with great interest.

Stories of a battle for the position of Nogami Hiroki’s fiancé, of Shoko being the original candidate only to have Hiroki stolen away by Yuka, leading to a lingering grudge… all sorts of groundless speculations and fantasies spread rapidly.

But… even though Yuka could hear these discussions, she didn’t offer a single word of defense.

Not only did she not defend herself, but the disaster was entirely Shoko’s own doing and had nothing to do with Yuka.

Why…

“I am so sorry, Matsuyama-san. Please, follow me so we can attend to the stains on your dress…”

Straightening up, Yuka tried to lead Shoko away from this center of controversy.

Shoko knew she should stand up and say “it wasn’t her fault,” but her chaotic mind left her paralyzed.

It was understandable that a six-year-old child, already mentally distressed and then faced with such a crisis, would fail to provide a perfect response.

“Hey! What are you doing!”

“Mother…”

A lady forcefully pushed aside Yuka, who was trying to lead Shoko away, and grabbed Shoko’s arm.

“You! What did you do to my Shoko! Don’t think that just because you are a daughter of the Ishikawa family and part of the Upper Five that you can do whatever you want! If you did this on purpose, the Matsuyama family will not let this rest!”

“Ah… no, Mother, that’s not it…”

She had to explain… Yuka was not at fault; she was the one who messed up.

If she didn’t explain, Yuka would suffer a baseless accusation.

But how could a first-grade elementary student stay calm and explain everything logically to a crowd of adults in such a moment?

Furthermore, if she told the truth, she would have to admit why she had rushed toward Yuka in the first place.

Knocking over food was a small thing, but if it were known that she had lost control due to jealousy and intended to pick a fight, it would be too cruel for a child to bear.

“Yuka! What have you done?!”

“Mother… Matsuyama-san, I am truly sorry. Due to my negligence, I soiled Matsuyama-san’s dress. Please allow us to withdraw first to deal with the stains…”

The lady of the Ishikawa family also arrived upon hearing the news, making the scene even more chaotic.

However, because Yuka personally bowed and admitted fault, both Shoko’s mother and Yuka’s mother “understood” the “truth.”

Shoko’s mother had heard the rumors on the scene and believed she had a grasp on the situation, while Yuka’s parents had just arrived and walked right into the middle of the mess.

“Yuka! How could you… Mrs. Matsuyama, I am so sorry for my daughter’s behavior. We will compensate you for the dress at full price…”

“Don’t touch her! Shoko, we’re leaving!”

“Wait, Mother! It’s not like that!”

Before Shoko’s eyes, Yuka’s head was pushed down by her own mother, forced to bow and apologize alongside her.

A tight, painful sensation gripped Shoko’s chest.

Even so, Yuka did not offer a single word of defense.

As Shoko was forcibly pulled away from the venue by her mother, the image of Yuka’s submissive figure was deeply etched into her mind in her final backward glance.

****

Only after the Matsuyama mother and daughter had completely left did Ishikawa Yuka, whose head had been held down by her mother, finally get released to lift her face.

“Yuka… go home immediately.”

Mrs. Ishikawa’s words carried no emotion.

It didn’t sound like a mother speaking to her daughter; it was a mixture of anger and disappointment, tinged with a chilling coldness that suggested she had utterly given up.

“Yes. I am very sorry for the trouble I have caused everyone.”

Finally, Yuka bowed once more to those around her before leaving the banquet hall.

The entire venue was deathly silent, leaving only the sound of her departing footsteps and the light click of the doors opening and closing.

After Yuka left, the silence maintained for a while before the hall gradually buzzed with voices again.

“At first, I thought she was quite the remarkable young lady…”

“I guess you really can’t judge a book by its cover.”

“No wonder the Ishikawa family kept her hidden from the social world for so long.”

“If that’s the case, then indeed…”

In the blink of an eye, all the conversation revolved around the recent incident.

The heads of the Ishikawa family went around bowing and apologizing, but it was clearly impossible to wash away the infamy they had just acquired.

Tonight’s banquet had been full of unexpected turns, becoming a night of scandal.

At first, people thought they were watching a play where the Noyama and Kurohara families competed for the beautiful daughter of the Ishikawa family, but that theory had now been tossed far away.

People love a scandal; they prefer to hear and spread such stories far more than tales of virtue.

Tonight’s events had thoroughly stimulated the interest of those who found joy in such things.

The “grudge” between Ishikawa Yuka and Matsuyama Shoko; the “bloody war” between two first-grade girls for the position of Nogami Hiroki’s fiancé; the “contemptible” tactic of intentionally ruining a dress at a banquet, so inappropriate for their age… people discussed it with great relish, constantly exaggerating and embellishing the details.

Opinions were diverse, and groundless speculations and fantasies spread everywhere as onlookers willfully fanned the flames of a non-existent battle.

In the end, within the social world and high-society circles, Ishikawa Yuka was branded with the image of someone who “relied on her status in the Upper Five to bully Matsuyama Shoko of the Lower Seven.”

After this night, the rumors about Ishikawa Yuka gained a new entry alongside “being fought over by the Noyama and Kurohara families”: “stops at nothing to eliminate her rivals.”

After being pulled into a lounge by her mother, Shoko tried to explain the truth.

“Mother! Please, listen to me! This matter wasn’t Ishikawa Yuka’s—”

“That sort of thing doesn’t matter at all! Shut your mouth!”

“…Eh?”

Shoko, who was gripping her mother’s arm and desperately trying to explain, gasped when she saw the twisted smile on her mother’s face.

“Listen, Shoko. It doesn’t matter who soiled it or how it was soiled. What matters is that with so many people watching, the Ishikawa family bowed and apologized to us, the Matsuyama family! That fact is the key! Shoko, you are not allowed to tell anyone the truth about tonight! You are to tell everyone that Ishikawa Yuka intentionally threw food on you and ruined your dress! Do you hear me?”

“What…?”

Shoko couldn’t understand the words the woman before her was saying.

The syllables reached her ears only as unpleasant noise, and her brain refused to analyze their meaning.

“The truth doesn’t matter at all! We are going to utilize tonight’s events to the maximum! Whether it’s for the marriage alliance with the Noyama family or dealing with the Ishikawa family, we will use every aspect of this to its fullest! The truth is irrelevant! That arrogant Ishikawa family bowed their heads to us in front of everyone! How satisfying! Next, I am going to use this even more, even more thoroughly! Remember this, Ishikawa family!”

“Ah… ah…”

Shoko… still couldn’t understand what the sounds coming from that object meant.

She was simply gripped by fear, unable to say anything.

She couldn’t resist, nor was she capable of it.

After all, she had to marry Nogami Hiroki.

So… even if it meant letting the innocent Yuka suffer a false accusation, even if it went against her own will… she could only do as her mother said.

It was just that… in her mind, the image of Yuka’s face, always wearing that soft smile, flashed by, making her chest tighten until she could hardly breathe.