After walking Kotomi Izumi to her doorstep, Megumi Kato smiled and waved. "See you tomorrow. If you're too scared to sleep tonight, feel free to video call me."
"I already told you, I'm not scared of school ghost stories!" Kotomi blushed, trying to sound firm. She left a quick, "Call me when you get home," before rushing inside.
Watching her little penguin scurry off, Megumi couldn't help but laugh cheerfully. Suddenly, she imagined a life where nothing dramatic ever happened. Just the two of them going to and from school together every day for years, then getting into the same university.
Maybe they'd rent a place together and start living under one roof during college.
And after graduation, they'd come out to their families. If things went well, perhaps within a few more years, they'd even get married.
That kind of calm and steady life was deeply appealing.
Who needed grand adventures? A cozy life full of everyday routines—cooking, cleaning, sharing moments—was more than enough.
Back in her bedroom, Kotomi was changing into her pajamas when Megumi called.
"I'm home now, eating dinner," Megumi said casually.
"I'm—"
"You're changing into pajamas~" Megumi said, beating her to the punch.
Kotomi froze, then looked at the owl plushie on her desk. Awkwardly, she asked, "Aren't you supposed to be eating? How are you eating while watching your tablet?"
"I also installed an app on my phone that connects to the miniature camera inside the owl plushie. Kotomi's cute little undergarments are adorable~ Although at this size… I guess 'big' undergarments might be more accurate."
"Shut up!" Kotomi shouted, face beet red. She stomped her foot, grabbed the pillow cover, and threw it over the owl plushie.
When Megumi saw the screen go dark, she quickly pleaded for mercy:
"I'm sorry, Kotomi! Please take the cover off!"
"I promise I won't say anything weird again!"
"Kotomi? Kotomi?! Say something!"
"Onee-chan~ dearest sister~ your little sis wants to see you, won't you please take the cover off?"
Kotomi took a deep breath, completely unmoved. She shouted, "No!"
Click!
She hung up the call.
Megumi hadn't done too well on the midterms this time. While it wasn't a complete stall, her progress was much smaller than usual.
Her mother, Ikemi Kato, wasn't exactly thrilled with the results—just passable.
So Megumi used that as an excuse to eat dinner in her room, saying she wanted to watch online lectures while she ate. Ikemi agreed. After dinner was ready, Megumi took her meal upstairs.
Except, she wasn't watching any lectures. She opened the app connected to the camera and began spying on Kotomi. But since Kotomi already knew about the camera, it technically wasn't spying… right?
Feeling bolder, Megumi had called her. And now? The camera inside the owl plushie was covered.
"The camera's blocked… what a waste. Still, Kotomi really is… big. No matter how many times I see it, it's always impressive," Megumi muttered, leaning back from her small table and resting her head on the bed.
Even though Kotomi was her girlfriend, Megumi couldn't help but be curious—what did Kotomi eat to get that big?
Dinner at the Izumi household—
To celebrate Kotomi scoring first place in the grade again, Izumi Kan also brought home five 15-pound Boston lobsters.
After all, Kotomi could polish off three of them all by herself, down to the shell, without leaving a single scrap of meat. If no one stopped her, even the shells might vanish.
By the time Kotomi finished her fifth bowl of rice and her second lobster, she finally remembered to ask:
"Oh right, Mom, where are my old running shoes from middle school? You know, the little white ones."
"The running shoes you wore in middle school? I don't really remember. They should be in one of the boxes in the deepest part of the shoe cabinet. Why do you ask?" Akina Izumi tried to recall. It had been almost a year since she'd washed those running shoes and stored them away—her memory had started to fade.
After all, Kotomi had plenty of shoes she wore regularly, including a few pairs of sneakers. So that specific pair of little white shoes from middle school had long since slipped from Akina's mind.
"The sports festival is coming up. I signed up for the girls' 800-meter race. If I run in regular shoes, my feet will hurt afterward. Better to wear proper sneakers."
No sooner had Kotomi spoken than Aimi shot up from her chair in shock, her voice trembling:
"Pfft—Are you really my sister? Tell me! Where have you hidden my real sister? There's no way she would voluntarily sign up for a sports festival event, much less an 800-meter run!"
"What kind of image do you even have of me?!" Kotomi said, near tears. She snatched a shrimp from Aimi's bowl, dipped it in garlic sauce, and fed it to her. "It's a waste to eat such a big piece of shrimp without garlic. Here, try it."
"Mmm—Onee-chan, it's so good!"
"It'd be even better if you could add the words 'lobster' before 'so good.'"
"The last time Kotomi voluntarily joined a sports event was… hmm, let me think… I think it was back in kindergarten," said Kan Izumi, trying hard to remember.
"If not kindergarten, then first grade," Akina added.
Kotomi fell silent, burying herself in her food.
"That pair of little white shoes might be hard to find. Don't you have a few other pairs of sneakers? Just wear one of those," Akina suggested. Hunting down a specific pair could be a hassle.
Sometimes when you go looking for something specific, you can't find it no matter what. But if you stop trying and just casually open a cabinet, it turns up out of nowhere.
"But I want to wear that pair~" Kotomi said, hugging her mom from behind and whining softly.
But any mom who's raised a daughter knows all about these tricks. Kotomi's routine was nothing new—Akina had perfected it years ago. It didn't work in the slightest.
Akina tapped Kotomi lightly on the head. Kotomi instinctively stuck out her tongue.
"If you want to wear them, look for them yourself after dinner. There's no guarantee they'll still fit."
"Hmm~ I don't think my feet have grown that much. I should still be able to wear them."
As she spoke, Kotomi habitually slipped off one of her slippers, revealing a soft, fair foot like carved jade. She glanced down and wiggled her rosy little toes.
Aimi, who was pretending to bend down to pick up chopsticks, had a clear view—and couldn't help but swallow. Suddenly, she felt like she could eat ten bowls of rice even without any lobster.
After dinner, Kotomi dragged a small stool to the shoe cabinet and began the long process of searching.
"Onee-chan, want some help?" Aimi offered with thinly veiled ulterior motives.
Kotomi didn't think much of it. But the idea of needing her little sister to help her find one pair of sneakers made her feel like a failure as an older sibling. Anyone watching might think she was the kind of hopeless big sister who couldn't function without Aimi.
"No need. I'm the older sister, I can do it myself!"
"But every time you pack your suitcase, you still need me to help…"
Oof!
Kotomi felt like Aimi had stabbed her right in the heart.
This kid really knew how to twist the knife. She'd get her back for that later.
Having rejected Aimi's help, Kotomi resumed her serious search for the little white shoes. She couldn't help but wonder—was the shoe cabinet really that big, or had her mom stored that shoebox way too deep?
She'd been searching for over ten minutes and still hadn't found the shoes she so dearly missed.
"Weird… is my little white shoe playing hide and seek with me?"
Kotomi searched for another five minutes and still couldn't find her little white sneakers. She'd nearly turned the entire shoe cabinet inside out. Rolling her neck to relieve the stiffness, she was glad she'd brought a small stool to sit on. If she'd been crouching the whole time, her legs would've gone numb. It was as if her sneakers had turned into a little ghost—nowhere to be found.
Feeling a bit thirsty, she returned to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and drank a can of Pepsi. After a short rest, she returned to the shoe cabinet and finally found the shoebox containing her little white shoes on the second shelf.
"Phew… finally found you. My little white shoes, you're finally willing to show yourself."
Kotomi stood up with the shoes in hand.
Unlike other white sneakers that had colorful accents, Kotomi's little white shoes were pure white—an embodiment of simplicity.
She took the shoes back to her bedroom, put on some socks, and tried them on. They still fit perfectly—not too tight, not too loose.
"Alright, I'll wear you to the sports festival."
She had quite a few sneakers to choose from, and until now, she hadn't been sure which pair to wear. Seeing these middle school-era white sneakers helped her decide instantly.
Glancing at the time, it was already 8:00 PM. Kotomi looked at her computer, then at her cozy bed.
Time to make the ultimate decision between typing out some chapters or watching anime in bed.
"So comfy~"
Kotomi threw the covers over herself and started watching the anime she'd been following—Tawawa on Monday.
No hidden meaning here—she just liked the art style and enjoyed the plot. Absolutely no other reason!
"Let the good times roll~" she said, snuggling under the blanket, planning to watch until she fell asleep.
Ring ring!
She hadn't even clicked on an episode before her phone rang.
"Damn it!" she muttered, annoyed, wondering who was calling so late.
—Merii Hizuki.
The chief agent from the Nichirushi (Heavenly Spider) Talent Agency. She'd been busy lately. Since sending the final payment, Miriri hadn't contacted her much.
Kotomi hadn't minded. After all, she'd already received the full payment for Fly Me to the Star, and the royalties were still being deposited monthly into her bank account.
As soon as she answered, she heard Miriri's enthusiastic voice:
"Kotomi! Fly Me to the Star is out on the music platforms—have you listened to it yet?!"
The song had gone live on all major music platforms and was absolutely dominating the charts.
To outsiders, looking at the leaderboard, it'd be hard to believe that the singer—Rin Hoshizaki—was a rookie who had just debuted this year!
Kotomi had listened to Rin's version of Fly Me to the Star after its release. Her vocals were solid, and her emotion matched the song's mood perfectly. Still, Kotomi stood by what she told Miriri after writing the song: it was meant to be sung as a duet.
That's how you get a real love ballad. When sung solo… it turns into a song for the lonely.
"Yeah, I listened. Miss Hoshizaki sang it well. Clean vocals, strong emotion—she did justice to the song," Kotomi said with a smile.
"She did justice to the song." Only a true composer—someone worthy of being called a "music papa"—could say that with such pride. No matter how confident a new artist might be, in front of someone like that, all they could do was humbly nod.
Even if you're arrogant, you'd better rein it in in front of a songmaster! If you don't understand that, you've got no place in the music industry—go do something else.
To get a songmaster to collaborate with you takes tremendous effort, even for Japan's top three entertainment companies. Once they manage it, they treat the songmaster like royalty.
Though Kotomi wasn't quite a full-fledged songmaster yet, Merii Hizuki already regarded her as a future one. Naturally, the artists under her management saw Kotomi the same way. With the massive success of Ririn Hoshizaki's debut track "Fly Me to the Star," they became even more convinced.
Merii had the call on speakerphone, and sitting across from her was Ririn Hoshizaki. Upon hearing Kotomi's praise, Ririn lit up like a student finally receiving long-overdue approval from a teacher. She jumped to her feet, barely containing her joy.
Merii shot her a look, silently signaling her to calm down. Ririn quickly sat back down, hands on her knees, rigid as a statue.
When she first heard that the composer of "Fly Me to the Star" was a young-sounding girl, Ririn had felt some relief. But after that look from Merii, she realized—even if the voice sounded young, this was someone so talented that even Merii Hizuki called her a songmaster.
The relaxed feeling vanished in an instant. Nervous tension surged back, and Ririn sat straight, barely daring to breathe, worried she might annoy the person on the other end of the line.
"Izumi-sensei, here's the thing—Ririn's with me right now. As soon as she heard I was calling you, she begged to listen in. Is now a good time? Do you have any feedback for her regarding 'Fly Me to the Star'?"
As expected of someone with Merii's experience, she used the chance to subtly introduce Ririn and hint at hopes for future collaborations.
Kotomi picked up on the implication instantly. Merii wanted her to get familiar with Ririn for potential ongoing work.
"Of course. I'd love to hear the voice of the girl who performed my song so beautifully."
She didn't reject the idea—in fact, she hinted that she was open to future collaborations. Kotomi wasn't the type to act aloof, especially not when a single song could be so profitable. She was more than willing to continue working with Nichirushi's agency.
After all, once she started developing games and anime, she'd need help from Nichirushi's talent pool. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. If both sides could gain, why not keep things friendly?
Merii and Ririn were overjoyed to hear Kotomi's response.
"Keep your composure and know when to speak and when not to," Merii whispered to Ririn as she handed over the phone.
Ririn nodded quickly, her hands trembling slightly as she took it. She hadn't even been this nervous during her debut concert.
"Hello, Izumi-sensei. My name is Ririn Hoshizaki. Thank you so much for composing this song for me. Your work has truly changed my life. I don't even know how to properly thank you."
By the end, Ririn's voice was breaking. Seeing her name at the top of music charts across every platform had stunned her—it felt surreal.
Even though Nichirushi was pushing her hard as a new talent, Ririn knew that without real results by year's end, they'd shift focus to someone else.
Every year, new stars are born. If you don't shine quickly, the spotlight moves on. Agencies don't waste time—unless you're a top-tier artist.
But if you are a top-tier artist, that time isn't a waste—it's an investment.
"I'm the composer, yes. But you're the one who brought the song to life. I'm not just being modest—without me, you wouldn't have had this opportunity. But without you, 'Fly Me to the Star' wouldn't have reached so many people. Instead of just thanking me, we should thank each other."
Kotomi spoke sincerely—not with arrogance, but also not pretending to be humble. There was no need to.
Ririn had all the makings of a breakout star. It was best to build rapport with her now. Later, when Kotomi launched her Type-Moon Realm company, she could ask Ririn to sing for her games. With the goodwill built, Ririn would likely agree without hesitation—and Kotomi might even ride the wave of her popularity when the game launched.
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