Chapter 182: The Drastic Change in Yukinoshita Yukino’s Life Part 2
The first five days of summer break had passed, and for Yukinoshita Yukino, every second was a bitter lesson in reality.
The small apartment she rented, in a district far from the city center’s luxury, felt like a cage. Its thin walls let in sounds from the neighboring unit, and its window faced only the wall of the building across.
A stark contrast to the lavish apartment she once lived in.
Food became a struggle. Yukino, once accustomed to meals with expensive ingredients, now faced instant noodles, frozen rice heated in the microwave at the convenience store where she worked, or cheap, tasteless bento.
The taste of fresh vegetables and high-quality meat was now just a memory. She learned to read price tags, compare discounts, and count every yen she spent.
An irony, considering she used to view money as mere numbers.
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In the morning, Yukino woke with aches all over her body.
The thin mattress in her apartment offered none of the comfort of her old plush bed.
Yukino glanced at the cheap alarm clock beside her bed—6:00 AM.
One hour before she had to prepare for work. She rose, stepping into the tiny kitchen with just a small electric stove.
Yukino boiled water for cheap tea, not the premium jasmine tea she once drank.