She had never been late before, nor had she ever experienced something as ordinary as eating out with a friend.
These little experiences—things she had never known under the suffocatingly strict discipline of her mother—Kotomi Izumi seemed to bring to her naturally.
Yukino Yukinoshita stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror. She turned on the faucet and splashed her face with water. She realized that she and Kotomi had grown much closer without even noticing, and that they had already done many things together…
She wanted to do even more with Kotomi. She wanted their shared experiences to grow richer and deeper.
Such thoughts appeared in Yukino's mind more than once.
After drying her face with a tissue, Yukino left the restroom. She was about to head back the same way when she noticed a side corridor that seemed to connect to the neighboring sushi shop.
Earlier, she had heard that Tako-nee's Sukiyaki House and Salmon Madam Sushi Restaurant next door were actually under the same ownership. You could order sushi from the sukiyaki restaurant, and vice versa.
If Tako-nee's servers were this eccentric, wearing octopus headgear that made one's sanity waver, then what about Salmon Madam Sushi Restaurant next door…?
Curious, Yukino decided to take a peek. From a distance, she looked inside the sushi shop and saw people walking around in wriggling salmon sashimi costumes.
Her expression froze. At last, she understood why reviews on food sites about these two restaurants were always so polarized.
Covering her face, Yukino turned back. She wondered if the sukiyaki she and Kotomi ordered had been served yet. Instead of circling back the long way, this route seemed shorter, so naturally, Yukino chose the quicker path.
But after only a few steps, she stopped. When she had been glancing around idly just now, she had passed a wall. Hanging on that wall was a large photograph. She hadn't looked closely at the time, just given it a passing glance. But she thought she had seen someone familiar in it.
Yukino retraced her steps and looked up again. Her expression stiffened.
It was a two-person photo, blown up to the size of a poster as tall as a person. Though just two girls, they were standing very close, looking intimate—like lovers who had fallen deeply in love and vowed to be together forever.
Below the photo was a small plaque, written in elegant pen strokes by the owner of Tako-nee's Sukiyaki House and Salmon Madam Sushi Restaurant, who had been so moved by the picture that she wrote it herself:
Among the lilies blooms another kind of beauty. Not all flowers require stamens and pistils. Pistil to pistil, too, can release a fragrance. A fragrance unique and unmatched.
Every form of genuine love in this world deserves respect and blessing.
The words were beautiful. If Yukino hadn't recognized one of the girls in the photo, she would have nodded in wholehearted agreement.
But she did recognize her. One of the girls in that couple's photo was someone she knew all too well, someone waiting for her back at their table—Kotomi Izumi.
The other was a pretty, light-brown-haired girl Yukino didn't know.
"Why does Kotomi have such a photo with another girl? And those words underneath… does that mean she likes girls? That she already has a girlfriend?!"
Knowing Kotomi liked girls should have made her happy. But seeing Kotomi in a sweet couple photo with someone else made her heart sink like it was drowning in a suffocating sea. The weight of it made her want to tear that picture of Kotomi down with her own hands. She couldn't stand seeing Kotomi being that close with another girl!
Yukino took several deep breaths. She couldn't even explain why her emotions were swinging so violently. After all, her relationship with Kotomi was still just that of friends who shared a love of reading…
Why did seeing Kotomi in a photo with another girl stir such intense jealousy inside her?
Her mind, unbidden, replayed the words Kotomi had written in the letter she sent with the Kiyomizu pottery from Kyoto, making the couple photo before her eyes sting even more sharply.
"Why would Kotomi take such an intimate picture with that girl? No matter how you look at it, they look like a couple… Why did Kotomi bring me to this sukiyaki place? Was it on purpose, to make me see this photo?" Yukino murmured to herself. A sourness welled up in her chest, her eyes glistening as if brimming with tears. She hadn't even realized how much she had lost control of her emotions.
After a moment, she slowly resumed walking, heading back into the dining area toward Kotomi.
Kotomi, meanwhile, was busy on her phone, chatting with Mashiro Shiina and Ruriya Hojo. After sending a reply to Mashiro, she quickly tapped open Ruriya's chat, her small fingers flying across the keyboard to type a response.
Hearing footsteps approaching from behind, Kotomi instinctively lowered her phone and looked back.
Seeing Yukino return, Kotomi set her phone aside and smiled. "Yukino, you're back. I think I forgot to order juice earlier. What would you like to drink?"
"Water is fine," Yukino replied coolly, sitting down.
Kotomi blinked at her in confusion. She sensed Yukino's tone had suddenly grown colder.
What's going on?
Kotomi couldn't figure it out, so she assumed Yukino was just hungry.
Before long, the sukiyaki pot arrived, along with two bowls of rice, one for each of them.
For Kotomi, one bowl of rice definitely wouldn't be enough—she was already planning to order another.
As they ate, Yukino picked at her food slowly, as though lost in thought. Kotomi noticed the piece of tofu in her bowl was cooling and thought about reminding her, but in the end decided not to. Yukino seemed to be thinking about something deeply, so it was better not to disturb her.
"Kotomi," Yukino suddenly said.
"Hm?"
Kotomi paused, just as she was about to scoop up some beef and broth into her bowl. She looked up at Yukino.
"Are you… in a relationship?"
After a brief pause, Yukino Yukinoshita still voiced her question. She wanted to know the truth about that photo where Kotomi Izumi and another girl posed so intimately, almost like lovers. Was that ash-blonde girl really Kotomi's girlfriend?
If she was, then why did Kotomi bring her here? Normally, wouldn't you avoid such a place to prevent misunderstandings? Or… did Kotomi bring her here deliberately, just so she would see the photo?
These thoughts swirled in Yukino's mind, and her expression darkened.
When did you first realize you liked girls?
That question came from a novel Yukino had read long ago. At first, she thought it was just a simple love story, but upon opening it, she discovered it was about the entangled love and hate between two girls. The novel began with these lines:
When did you first realize you liked girls? Don't think of same-sex love as something cool or rebellious. It's not just a way to resist your parents during adolescence. Falling for someone of the same sex is perfectly normal, even trivial. Because love, from the very beginning, was never bound by gender.
So, set aside all the imposed ideas, and ask yourself honestly—when was the first time you realized that the person you liked, the one you admired and longed for, was the same sex as you?
Perhaps this was the author's preface.
But it had to be said—the writer's words were powerful, almost divine. With just those two paragraphs, readers were drawn into reflection, their eyes lingering on the lines.
Even those who had always considered themselves straight would, in that moment, question whether in their past they had ever admired or felt drawn to someone of the same sex.
When Yukino first read the book, she, too, paused at those words and thought:
—If I must fall in love and marry someday, I think I'd rather my partner be a girl.
That first reflection led Yukino to such a conclusion.
When she finished the story, the two heroines loved each other, but in the end they were separated. The tragic ending left a heavy sadness. For the first time, Yukino felt real dislike toward a tragic conclusion, though she had once thought tragedy was beautiful.
With this book, she found herself wishing the heroines could have stayed together. The ending was painful, but the journey had been beautiful. Months later, during the summer break after her entrance exams, she picked up the book again and reread it.
When did you first realize you liked girls?
Upon opening the book, those words met her eyes again, pulling her back into reflection.
I like girls. I want to meet someone like the heroine, someone worth loving with all my heart. But unlike the novel, I want our ending to be a happy one.
That second reflection led Yukino to a new conclusion.
And the girl worth loving with all her heart… After starting high school, every time Yukino thought about it, her gaze and her thoughts inevitably drifted toward Kotomi Izumi.
After asking Kotomi whether she had ever been in love, Yukino anxiously awaited her reply. She felt nervous—even though she was not someone easily rattled.
Kotomi listened calmly to her question. There was no trace of panic in her expression, as though she was long used to such inquiries. She hid her composure well, however, her lips curving into a faint smile. Just a light smile, yet so captivating.
"Love is one of the most beautiful emotions in the world. Who wouldn't want to meet the one waiting for them under a blooming cherry tree? To walk toward her and see the bright smile on her face? The beauty of love makes you wish again and again that such a moment could last forever."
Kotomi touched her fingertips together lightly, the smile still on her face as she continued:
"There has always been someone I liked in my heart."
Yukino's cheeks warmed. Listening to Kotomi's words, she felt her heart in disarray.
She had always liked someone.
But who was that person?
Was it a boy? Or a girl?
If it was a girl, then who?
Could it be that ash-blonde girl in the photo with her?
All these questions swirled through Yukino Yukinoshita's mind, pushing her to speak without thinking:
"Kotomi, I like girls."
The moment the words left her mouth, Yukino regretted them. She didn't even know for sure if Kotomi really liked girls. Perhaps that photo had just been a picture with a close friend, taken during some Valentine's Day-like event at the restaurant.
If Kotomi didn't like girls, and she had confessed so suddenly, how would she face her from now on?
Yukino's cheeks flushed slightly—something rare for her. She was never the type to speak impulsively. So why had she just blurted out that she liked girls?
Was there such a thing as magic that could take back words once spoken?
No. There wasn't.
Kotomi froze for a moment when she heard Yukino's sudden confession, but soon her expression softened. Her tone shifted slightly, and she smiled faintly:
"What a coincidence. So do I."
"Eh?"
...
The two of them ate the rest of their sukiyaki in quiet silence. After resting for a while, they rose and headed toward Sobu High. Since the moment Kotomi had said What a coincidence. So do I, she had worn a smile the whole time, as if genuinely happy.
Yukino walked behind her with her head lowered, her thoughts completely tangled around Kotomi, unable to let go.
She likes girls too… just like me?
In the end, Yukino still didn't get the chance to ask about the girl in that photo with Kotomi. Or rather, she didn't have the mental energy to spare for it anymore. Her mind was filled with nothing but Kotomi's words: What a coincidence. So do I.
Walking ahead, Kotomi let out a quiet sigh of relief in her heart. She had thought that after so long, the restaurant owner would surely have taken down that photo, but it was still there!
Earlier, when she went to the restroom, she had been puzzled as to why Yukino seemed gloomy and even a little jealous afterward. So instead of taking the same route back, she retraced the path Yukino had taken.
From the direction Yukino had entered the dining area, Kotomi was able to guess her route.
Sure enough, following it halfway, she saw it—the couple photo of herself and Iroha Isshiki still hanging on the wall.
The moment she saw it, Kotomi understood instantly. Yukino had seen the photo of her and Iroha!
—
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