What was Kotomi Izumi doing?
She stood beside Yukino, who was wearing an apron, humming lightly with a small smile on her lips as she skillfully worked a knife on the bamboo fish in front of her.
Every cut landed just right. Processing a fish wasn't only about knife skills—it also tested one's experience with different kinds of fish. Kotomi had long since learned from her father how to handle all sorts of fish, including bamboo fish.
Back then, Kaneyoshi Izumi often went to nearby pay-by-the-hour fishing ponds. After all, Chiba was a city, not the countryside—there weren't natural lakes with scenic mountain views where you could sit by the shore and fish.
Every time her father went fishing, little Kotomi always tagged along excitedly. At that age, with her short arms and legs, she couldn't even hold a fishing rod properly—the rod was taller than she was. And if by chance a fish did bite, it would probably drag her right into the water.
So Kaneyoshi bought her a toy fishing rod. It couldn't catch fish, of course—it was just a prop for kids playing pretend.
At the time, Kotomi hadn't even fully learned to speak. She could barely string a few words together, yet she believed it was a real rod. She'd drop the hook—without bait—into the water, sit on a little stool, and stare seriously at the surface, her tiny face full of determination. In her mind, she had already imagined a dozen ways to cook the fish she would catch.
The problem was, Kotomi could actually sit still. The whole morning, she sat quietly on her little stool beside her father, not crying or fussing, gripping the toy rod tightly and staring at the water with hopeful eyes, waiting for a bite.
The poor fish in the pond must have been terrified. They dared not approach her, afraid that this little girl—who looked like she was plotting how to eat them—would lose patience and toss the toy rod aside, then drag over the water pump instead.
Of course, children were still children. No matter how energetic they were, sitting still for hours would wear them out. By 11 a.m., one moment she was staring intently at the water's surface, and the next she had dozed off.
Beside her, Kaneyoshi had been keeping an eye on her, ready to pack up the moment she grew restless. But he hadn't expected her to wait so patiently for fish—to the point of falling asleep. Seeing this, he smiled warmly, then glanced at his own bucket and realized he hadn't caught a single fish. Not even a small one.
If this were in China, he would've immediately opened Tieba and posted in the fishing forum about his "air force" failure.
Helpless, Kaneyoshi bought a few fish from the owner. After spending the morning at the fishing pond with Kotomi, it would've been too embarrassing to return empty-handed. He'd feel like hanging that brand-new rod on a resale site with free shipping.
He bought a few medium-sized fish, then told himself they'd pretend he caught them.
Picking one sluggish fish, Kaneyoshi quietly hooked it onto Kotomi's toy rod while she was still napping. He tugged on the line, then quickly sat back down and acted like nothing had happened.
Kotomi, half-asleep in her chair, suddenly perked up. Instinctively imitating her father's motions, she pulled hard with her little arms and lifted the weary fish from the water.
Seeing that she had finally caught a fish, Kotomi felt a sense of accomplishment she had never experienced before. From then on, every time her father went fishing, she insisted on going too—always sitting on her stool with that toy rod in hand.
Kaneyoshi also began teaching her bits of knowledge about fish. What stuck with her most was: which ones tasted the best, and how to prepare them.
—I caught a fish with a toy rod!
Even now, whenever Kotomi remembered it, she never once questioned how a toy rod with a plastic hook and no bait could've caught a fish. Instead, she would proudly brag to Aimi:
"You might not believe it, but when I was little, I actually caught several fish with a toy fishing rod. If I hadn't lost it, maybe I'd even be able to use that toy rod to catch tuna out at sea! Truly, if heaven hadn't given birth to me, Kotomi, the world of fishing would be shrouded in eternal night."
In reality, she had only ever caught one fish—and that was because Kaneyoshi hooked it while she was asleep. But from Kotomi's lips, the story had turned into her childhood self catching several big fish with a toy rod.
Back to the present: while Yukino was preparing salad, Kotomi had already finished with the bamboo fish, then took the thawed meat filling and began shaping it into meatballs.
"I'll handle the meat filling. You should go rest in the living room."
"It's fine." Kotomi shook her head, her hands still busy rolling the meat into neat balls. "I'm really good at making meatballs. Aimi loves my braised meatballs—just that one dish alone and she can eat three big bowls of rice."
She chuckled after saying it, casually revealing her little sister's appetite.
If Aimi heard Kotomi telling her friends about how much she ate, she would definitely blush and rush over to cover her sister's mouth. But since Aimi wasn't here, it didn't matter~
Watching Kotomi move so naturally in her kitchen, Yukino's heart grew complicated—flustered, yet happy. She couldn't deny how much she liked the feeling of working side by side with Kotomi, as if they had already been living together for a long time.
It felt like the two of them had just returned from work to the apartment they shared, tired from the day but still helping each other cook a warm dinner to ease the exhaustion.
Outside, night deepened. Inside, the warm light shone over their faces and voices, close enough to touch.
After finishing dinner, they carried the dishes to the living room, opened a bottle of juice, and sat together on the carpet, leaning against each other, savoring both the food and each other's presence. They ate slowly while watching Crayon Shin-chan. The episodes they liked had been rewatched countless times, yet they still loved seeing them again during meals.
If only Kotomi could move in and live with me… Yukino thought absentmindedly. Realizing what she had just imagined, she quickly snapped back to herself, cheeks warming. Distracted, she accidentally poured too much Caesar dressing on the salad.
...
"Is it good?"
"Delicious. No wonder your little sister can eat three bowls of rice with just these braised meatballs. I can't eat that much, but this really is the kind of dish that makes rice irresistible. I never thought meatballs could be made this way… I usually just make them into winter melon soup."
After finishing dinner, the two of them sat across from each other at the dining table outside the kitchen. Yukino's kitchen was semi-open, equipped with all the necessary utensils. Watching her cook, though still a little unpracticed, it was clear she often prepared meals herself.
Kotomi, with her braised meatballs, showed off her cooking skills. Seeing Yukino's satisfied expression after eating them, she let out a smug little hum.
She suddenly felt that being good at cooking was a wonderful thing—because when others ate her food with joy and satisfaction, she herself felt deeply fulfilled.
Kotomi's gaze grew so warm that Yukino unconsciously lowered her head, eating in small, delicate bites. Her voice was as calm as ever, yet now tinged with shyness—though no blush showed on her icy face.
"Don't just stare at me. Eat your food too…" Yukino said softly.
"Back in third grade, the teacher introduced a Chinese idiom: xiu se ke can—'beauty so delightful, it's a feast for the eyes.'
When I first heard it explained, I imagined sitting beside a beautiful person. Even if I had only a bowl of plain rice and no other dishes, I'd still eat happily—as if it were the world's finest banquet.
Back then I was full of imagination, but too young to really understand. Now… the meaning of xiu se ke can has become much clearer to me."
"Thank you. I also now understand what it means to be a feast for the eyes." Yukino nodded lightly, picking up a piece of bamboo fish with her chopsticks.
That night's dinner had been well divided: Kotomi prepared the braised meatballs, while Yukino made Caesar salad, grilled bamboo fish, and miso tofu soup. Even though it was their first time cooking together, their cooperation was seamless, and the meal came out wonderfully appetizing.
Kotomi had originally planned to act as if she had a small appetite in front of Yukino.
But Yukino saw right through her. Before cooking the rice, she poured in half a bag of grains and said: "We've eaten lunch together so many times already. Do you think I don't know your appetite by now?"
As she said this, Yukino's lips curved upward in the faintest smile.
Yukino rarely smiled, and each time Kotomi saw it, she couldn't help but stare. She suddenly felt Yukino should stay exactly as she was—cold and aloof—because when such a person smiled, that single moment became unimaginably precious and beautiful.
...
After dinner, they cleaned the kitchen together—washing dishes, putting away utensils, tidying everything. Cooking and cleaning had taken quite a while, but the eating itself was over so quickly. By the time everything was done, it was already 9:32.
Normally, by this time Yukino would have finished her bath, settled into bed, and be reading her current novel. At 10:50, she'd set the book aside, turn off the light, and sleep.
But for Kotomi, nine o'clock was still early—the night had just begun!
Of course, under Kazumi's supervision lately, Kotomi had developed the habit of going to bed at eleven.
And why under Kazumi's supervision?
Because hugging Kazumi was simply too comfortable. Every time Kotomi wanted to fall asleep holding her, she ended up going to bed early.
Out of thirty nights in a month, at least half were spent hugging Kazumi to sleep. Only after experiencing such perfect sleep could one know how wonderful it truly was.
That said, Kazumi herself felt her role growing a little blurry. As a tentacle monster—cough, cough—as Kotomi's cheat-like system, she might often bug out, but at least she was still somewhat useful.
So why did it feel like she'd recently been downgraded into Kotomi's hug pillow?!
And not just any pillow—an entire body-length one.
Maybe she should transform into a pillow with one side all-ages, and the other side R18?
Of course, that thought stayed only in her mind. Kazumi knew that if she ever actually suggested it, Kotomi wouldn't even let her finish before immediately agreeing, shouting: GKD! (Hurry up!).
"You take a bath first. I want to read for a while," Yukino Yukinoshita said. She suddenly realized that with the entire weekend plus half of Friday after school, she had spent nearly all her time practicing piano for Kotomi's sake.
Two and a half whole days without reading a book!
In the past, that would have been unthinkable for her. Two and a half days was enough for her to finish a short novel on the first read.
"Do you have an extra set of pajamas?" Kotomi asked a little awkwardly.
If she were staying over with Megumi Kato, she wouldn't hesitate—if there were no pajamas, she'd just sleep without them. After all, Megumi had already seen her countless times.
But Yukino… honestly, it was her first time staying at Yukino's place. She was happy, yes, but when it came to bathing and sleeping, she couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
"I have a spare set. You can wear it tonight," Yukino said, then went to her bedroom wardrobe to fetch them for Kotomi.
I usually sleep without pajamas… without anything at all, Kotomi thought silently. She didn't dare say it aloud. She'd just wait until Yukino fell asleep, then quietly take them off.
After borrowing Yukino's pajamas, Kotomi went to the bathroom to wash up. She had planned on a bath, but since it was already late, she settled for a shower.
Even quickly done, girls still took some time in the bathroom. Washing her hair added even more.
When she dried off and began putting on Yukino's pajamas, the pants fit easily. But the top…
It went on, but the higher she tried to fasten the buttons, the harder it became.
In the end, they simply wouldn't close.
Kotomi didn't dare tug too hard—she felt like she might rip the fabric wide open across the chest.
"Yukino's pajamas are definitely… flat in the front."
Looking at herself squeezed into Yukino's pajamas, Kotomi couldn't help but laugh softly.
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