After getting out of bed, Yukino Yukinoshita gave Kotomi Izumi, who was still sitting on the mattress, a puzzled look and asked:
"Still not getting up? Even though there's plenty of time, if you don't hurry a little, by the time we finish breakfast and go to school, we'll still be cutting it close."
Kotomi scratched her cheek with her fingertip, giving an embarrassed little laugh. Then she opened her phone and showed Yukino the time.
Yukino froze when she saw it, hardly believing her eyes. She quickly grabbed her own phone to check—but the time was the same. They had overslept. Completely. They were already very late.
"Sorry, I just woke up too, I didn't notice the time. I forgot to set my alarm last night," Kotomi said apologetically. Yukino was a model student—she had never once been late.
But after spending the night with Kotomi, she was late for the first time in her life. Her very first tardy was because of Kotomi… well, that's not so bad, Yukino thought to herself. For some reason, she almost smiled, though it looked halfway like a sigh of resignation. She wasn't angry at Kotomi at all. Her voice was gentle as she said:
"Since we're already this late, we might as well forget about the morning classes. I'll make breakfast, and you call Hiratsuka-sensei to ask for leave. After lunch, we can head to school."
"Got it."
Kotomi agreed instantly, without a second thought. But as she was scrolling through her contacts to find Shizuka Hiratsuka's number, she suddenly realized something and asked curiously:
"Yukino, why are you so confident that I'll be able to get Hiratsuka-sensei to approve my leave?"
For Kotomi, getting leave from Shizuka was ridiculously easy. But only she and Shizuka knew why. How had Yukino figured it out?
"I always thought your relationship with Hiratsuka-sensei was quite good. Plus, you've ranked first in Tokyo twice now. Even if it's not through a parent, if you go directly to your homeroom teacher to ask for leave, she'd turn a blind eye and let it slide, wouldn't she?" Yukino said calmly.
"Congratulations, that's exactly right. I'll ask for leave, and I'll add your name too. I've already thought of an excuse—we'll just say we had a study session at your place all day yesterday, then spent the night, and forgot to set our alarms before bed."
Kotomi had always been good at coming up with excuses, even when they were baseless. And in this case, it wasn't entirely made up—she really had forgotten to set her alarm. She only stretched the truth by adding that she'd been at Yukino's house all day studying.
After all, aside from Yui and Yukino, no one knew she had actually gone singing at karaoke with Yui for half the day.
Scrolling through a contact list full of beautiful older sisters and thoughtful younger girls, Kotomi finally found Shizuka Hiratsuka's number.
Don't misunderstand—most of those contacts weren't ones she had added herself. It was just that she was too pretty. Whether at school or out in town, she only had to linger for a bit and countless people would strike up conversations. Faced with the enthusiasm of older sisters and younger girls alike, Kotomi felt too shy to refuse, so she simply saved them all.
While Kotomi waited for Shizuka to pick up, Yukino didn't sit idle. She went to the bathroom for a quick wash, then headed into the kitchen to cook.
Tap-tap-tap—the sound of chopping. Bubble-bubble—the sound of something boiling. Kotomi's stomach growled at the noises alone, saliva almost spilling over.
"Oi, little witch, finally awake?" came Shizuka's exasperated voice when the line connected.
It was Monday morning, and the first period had been her Japanese class.
She hadn't seen Kotomi for two whole days, and had been looking forward to today's class. She had even come in early, pretending to grade papers in the classroom just so she could watch her student a little longer.
But she had waited all morning, through first period, and still there was no sign of Kotomi. Nor of Yukino. That left Shizuka scratching her head, utterly baffled.
Both of them were top students in Class 1-F. If you had to guess which one was more likely to skip class, there was no question—it would be Kotomi Izumi.
From the very first monthly exam, it had been obvious that Kotomi wasn't just thinking about skipping class—she was figuring out how to do it openly.
But Yukino was completely different. She spent breaks quietly reading at her desk, like a silent iceberg. The only times she left were to use the restroom or buy a drink. Though she sometimes snuck peeks at books during lessons, most of the time she listened attentively. She was the perfect model student.
Kotomi being late or skipping class didn't surprise Shizuka Hiratsuka at all. But Yukino? Who would believe that?
So during break, she even asked Yui Yuigahama if she knew where they were.
Of course Yui didn't. She was staring at their empty seats with confusion herself, wondering why the two of them had both been absent on a Monday morning.
Ugh, so jealous. I wish I could be the one who's late with Kotomi! Yui thought, her heart aching with envy.
Shizuka knew Yui probably didn't know their reason. She had only asked symbolically. Originally, she considered asking Megumi Kato, but for some reason today this usually invisible girl's expression was so cold it was frightening.
It scared even Shizuka away from approaching her.
Just as she was about to call Kotomi and Yukino's parents, her phone buzzed with a call—from Kotomi herself.
Seeing Kotomi's name, Shizuka felt relieved, letting out a quiet sigh. She hadn't been at ease all morning. For all her scheming to skip class, Kotomi wouldn't ever skip without telling her. That wasn't her style.
Relief was followed by a pang of resentment. But Shizuka would never admit it was because she had walked into class Monday morning and felt disappointed not to see her little witch Kotomi there.
When the call connected, her tone was sharp, but the words might as well have been: I'm not happy.
Kotomi easily picked up on it, of course. She always could. Without wasting time, she adjusted her tone and smoothly gave the excuse she had prepared:
"Good morning, Shizuka-sensei~ No need to dwell on it, I really am late today! And Yukino's late with me too! To be honest, we just woke up."
The way Kotomi phrased it was far too easy to misinterpret. Shizuka nearly bit her tongue in shock.
Thankfully, Kotomi continued right away, filling in the rest.
Otherwise, Shizuka might actually have dragged the two of them to her office later to lecture them about prioritizing studies in high school. Love was sweet, yes, but they couldn't drown in it. There was a time and place for everything.
And… Shizuka felt just the tiniest bit jealous. Not that she would ever admit it.
"Yesterday was Sunday, right? After the midterms, I realized I had a lot of gaps in my knowledge. So I arranged with Yukino to have a study session at her house. Studying really is both grueling and fulfilling~ Without realizing it, we worked from eight in the morning until nine at night.
"Then last night, it poured rain. I had no choice but to stay over at Yukino's place.
"Before bed, we even quizzed each other on English vocabulary. We got so absorbed that when we finally turned out the lights, we completely forgot to set our alarms for the next morning."
Shizuka Hiratsuka stayed silent, listening as Kotomi rattled off her excuse from beginning to end. But when Shizuka still didn't respond, Kotomi began to feel uneasy. Was the leave approved or not?
When Kotomi finally finished, both she and Shizuka fell into silence. Kotomi thought about speaking again but hesitated, deciding instead to hold her tongue and wait for Shizuka to respond first.
After a few minutes, Shizuka cleared her throat and slowly said:
"You gave that excuse so smoothly—you must have rehearsed it in your head beforehand. I hadn't even asked yet, and you already rushed through the whole story. I couldn't get a word in. If I had spaced out for a second, I might have approved it without even realizing."
Her tone was playful, but the meaning was clear.
"So… is it approved?" Kotomi cut straight to the point.
"Nope," Shizuka teased. She thought there was nothing more entertaining than toying with Kotomi, so she pretended to deny the request, just to hear Kotomi soften her tone and beg.
"Pleaseee~ Come on, we're already late. Even if I run to school now, I still won't make it in time. It's only half a day anyway, I'll be there for the afternoon classes!"
Kotomi didn't disappoint. At once, her blunt, straightforward tone turned into soft, playful whining.
Shizuka felt a tingle of delight, thoroughly enjoying it. She loved hearing Kotomi's coquettish voice. Though of course, she would never admit it.
"Ugh… can you stop with that habit of pouting every time I say no? Out in society, people won't cut you slack just because you're cute or know how to act spoiled. That's your teacher speaking—did you hear me, Kotomi?"
Shizuka deliberately adopted the weighty tone of a teacher lecturing her student across the desk.
After the 'lesson,' she changed her tone:
"Even if I told you to hurry to school, by the time you arrived, the morning classes would already be nearly over.
If I remember right, Yukino's address in the contact book was Gegu Apartments, wasn't it? Those luxury apartments are quite a distance from school.
Fine, since you and Yukino had a study session yesterday and overdid it, I'll approve it this time. But this is the first and last. If you dare be this late again, I'll call your parents."
Of course, "calling the parents" was something Shizuka often tossed out as a joke when scolding Kotomi. She had threatened it many times but never actually done it.
Though, at the last sports festival, that "calling the parents" had turned into literally meeting the parents.
"Yay, thank you, Shizuka-sensei, love you~" Kotomi chirped, even adding a playful mua.
That simple sound, delivered through the phone, nearly made Shizuka's knees buckle in excitement, all traces of teacherly composure gone.
After hanging up, Kotomi headed to the bathroom to wash up. Fresh and invigorated, she emerged, wearing Yukino's pajamas. Last night, she had gone to bed without any clothes at all, though she hadn't told Yukino. At some point, after Yukino had fallen asleep, Kotomi had quietly woken, slipped off both her pajamas and underwear, and gone back to bed nude.
With the lights off, Yukino hadn't realized the girl holding her hand all night was completely unclothed.
As Kotomi bent to wash her face, she moved carefully. The fabric across her chest was tight—even with the buttons undone, it still strained. She had to keep her motions small, afraid that the buttons might pop off Yukino's pajamas at any moment.
As she approached the kitchen, a warm, comforting aroma drifted into her nose.
Is Yukino making noodles?
Kotomi twitched her little nose, judging from the smell that Yukino was indeed cooking noodles for her.
Soon, Yukino walked out of the kitchen carrying two bowls of steaming egg noodles. She knew very well that although Kotomi looked stunning, her appetite was far bigger than most people's.
So Kotomi's bowl wasn't just the biggest one in the house—it was filled to the brim, with three poached eggs on top.
"Kotomi, the noodles are ready. Eat slowly, they're hot."
Kotomi sat down at the dining table and picked up her chopsticks.
The noodles Yukino made gave off a rich aroma. Scallions were sprinkled as garnish, and besides the poached eggs, there were also roasted shrimp.
So that was why Kotomi had heard the oven earlier—Yukino had taken shrimp from the freezer, roasted them, and peeled them one by one.
But Yukino also knew Kotomi disliked scallions. At school, whenever Kotomi bought a lunchbox with scallions, she would always find an excuse to hand it to Yui instead.
So her bowl had no scallions. Instead, it was topped with poached eggs, blanched greens, and an abundance of shrimp.
Out of ten shrimp, nine were in Kotomi's bowl.
Even Kotomi felt a bit embarrassed. "Yukino, let me give you a few."
"No need. I don't like shrimp. You do, so eat more. If it's not enough, there's still more in the pot," Yukino said with a shake of her head.
Kotomi's bowl was massive. Most girls would be full before finishing even half of it.
But Kotomi… after finishing her bowl, she really was ready to get more from the pot.
She lifted a mouthful of noodles with her chopsticks. The rich taste of egg noodles instantly stirred memories deep within her—the memories of her second life.
In that life, she had been born and raised in a mid-sized city. The cost of living wasn't too high, but it wasn't exactly cheap either.
After her parents died, as Ailun, he had carried the burden of supporting the family alone. Getting into a top university was never his expectation—he only hoped to score well enough on the entrance exam to get into a decent one.
After school each day, he had to set aside time to work. It had been a truly grueling time—finishing classes only to head straight to work, pushing himself to earn enough so he wouldn't fall behind on tuition.
Every night he got off work close to midnight. Starving, he would stop by the supermarket to buy a bag of cheap dried noodles—enough to last several days.
At home, he'd pull a couple of eggs from the fridge, boil some water, and cook himself a simple bowl of egg noodles, with some mildly spicy pickled mustard greens on the side. And it was delicious.
The egg noodles he made in that second life were worlds apart from Yukino's. Just plain noodles and a single poached egg. Eggs were expensive; he had to ration them. If he could add a few vegetables, that would make it a luxurious bowl.
A bowl like Yukino's, with shrimp added, was something he wouldn't even have dared to dream of back then.
And yet, those humble noodles, eaten with red-oil pickles, had warmed his lonely stomach through countless nights.
As he ate, Kotomi remembered so many fragments of that life—and remembered the one he had met back then.
Whether it was because of those memories, or simply because she was starving now, Kotomi devoured every last bite of Yukino's egg noodles, down to the final drop of broth.
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