"Aimi, I got you a present!"
As soon as Kotomi Izumi entered the house and saw her younger sister, Aimi Izumi, who had already returned from school, she suddenly had an idea and called out loudly.
"Yay!"
Aimi, who had been sitting on the edge of the sofa watching their mom play Resident Evil 8, jumped up the moment she heard that her sister had bought her a gift. Barefoot, she scampered over happily.
Whenever Kotomi brought Aimi even something as simple as a drink after coming home, Aimi would be delighted for the rest of the day. It wasn't about what Kotomi gave her—it was the thought that mattered!
Though Aimi never truly understood what Kotomi was thinking when she brought her little things, her clever mind always interpreted it the same way: Kotomi really cares about me! She must love me! We're truly meant for each other!
Aimi ran over, her expression filled with excitement, eager to see what her sister would pull out of her bag this time. No matter what Kotomi gave her—even if it was just a single peanut—Aimi would be overjoyed. She would carefully place it in a small clear box and set it on the most prominent spot on her desk, unable to bring herself to eat it.
She had even thought before that if she ever died someday, she wanted that peanut her sister gave her to be buried with her.
Kotomi set her schoolbag down on the floor and took out several moderately thick workbooks—not too many, not too few. They covered every science subject that a third-year junior high student would need for the upcoming entrance exams.
Holding the stack of workbooks in both hands, she handed them solemnly to Aimi and said seriously:
"Aimi, there are only a few months left before your exams. The closer it gets, the less you can afford to slack off. Before school, Mom told me to stop by the bookstore after class and pick up some science workbooks for you. So I got one for each subject—math, physics, and chemistry. They're not too hard, and they're all based on real questions from past exams.
"Make sure you use these few months wisely—finish them all before the exams. Use the real problems to strengthen your foundations. Anything you don't understand at school, ask your teachers. And anything you don't understand at home, you can ask me. Do your best to get a great score on your exams!"
After saying that, Kotomi patted Aimi gently on the back, her tone and expression full of sisterly affection.
It was such a heartwarming moment.
Aimi looked down at the stack of workbooks in her hands, her cute little face showing an expression that seemed on the verge of tears. No matter what her sister gave her, she would always treasure it. But she hadn't expected that her sister's "gift" this time would be… a pile of workbooks!
Then again, she realized these were actually the ones their mom had asked Kotomi to buy. So even though Kotomi had half-jokingly said they were a gift, in reality, they weren't something she'd chosen herself—they were bought because Mom had asked her to.
If Mom hadn't mentioned it, Kotomi probably wouldn't have bought her workbooks as a "gift."
Aimi felt conflicted. If she decided to treat this stack of workbooks as a gift from her sister, then no matter how many exercises there were, she would finish every single one without skipping any.
Aimi was a good student, but she wasn't the type who could focus on studying all the time. She was just smart and made efficient use of her school hours.
Ever since she started playing gal games, Aimi had developed a strict routine—after coming home from school, she would finish her homework as fast as possible so she could spend the rest of her time progressing through her gal games. Even as a third-year junior high student, she had already completed six gal games—every ending unlocked.
Recently, she'd been planning to buy another new gal game to play. There were several she was interested in, but she hadn't bought any yet—mainly because most of her allowance had already gone into buying gal games and their special bonus merchandise. As a result, she was a little short on cash lately.
Before paying, Aimi hadn't realized just how expensive character wall scrolls and acrylic stands from gal games could be! The key issue was that each store offered different exclusive bonuses with their gal game editions.
After calculating it carefully, she found that buying all the store-exclusive bonuses for a single gal game would cost even more than playing gacha games!
But once she saw the merchandise featuring her favorite characters, it was already too late—by the time she came to her senses, she had already paid. The payment confirmation text had even arrived on her phone.
Anyway, even though she knew her exams were only a few months away, Aimi still wanted to have some gaming time after coming home each day. After all, balance between study and rest was important!
However, she also knew perfectly well that complaining to her sister wouldn't get her out of doing the workbooks—because those weren't gifts Kotomi had bought on her own; they were ones Mom had asked her to buy.
And they were all science workbooks…
If she went to her mom and said, "Mom, I don't want to do the workbooks! I want to play gal games! I want to stay home and look at beautiful girls!"—
Aimi could already imagine how that would go. Mom would be so thrilled to hear that—she'd give her a nice, solid spanking.
Sure, Mom didn't hit faces, but she did hit bottoms—and it hurt! When Aimi was little, even the lightest smack would make her cry for ages.
Only Kotomi had built up a natural resistance over time—she'd been spanked so often for being naughty as a kid that her "defense stat" was now maxed out.
"T-Thank you, Onee-chan…" Aimi said softly, taking the stack of workbooks with a cheerful smile. She planned to head straight to her room, do a few pages, and try to earn herself at least an hour to play gal games before bed.
An hour wasn't nearly enough for a gal game player, of course. The ideal setup was a lazy afternoon, snacks and drinks within reach, laptop on the bed, and a gal game running for half the day.
Kotomi looked at her little sister's bright, happy face and sighed softly with a helpless smile. She leaned close to Aimi's ear and whispered:
"I know you don't want to do them. Honestly, if it were me, I wouldn't want to either. But your exams are coming up soon, and Mom just wants you to use this study time to calm down and get through this period properly."
"Alright…" Aimi pursed her lips slightly. Science subjects weren't hard for her—she was actually pretty good at them. Back when Kotomi had just started junior high, she'd often secretly ask elementary-schooler Aimi to help her with her math homework.
Because of that, Aimi had already learned first-year junior high math while she was still in sixth grade.
As an older sister, it was Kotomi's job to motivate her little sister when she was feeling down.
"Once your exams are over," Kotomi said, "no matter what your grades are—as long as you study seriously and do your best—I'll buy you every gal game you want. All of them. Full store editions."
Aimi's eyes lit up instantly. "All store editions?! You mean you'll buy me not just the base games, but every store's special bonus too?!"
"If there's a limited edition, I'll even get you that too," Kotomi said casually.
Her tone was calm, but her heart was bleeding inside. She knew from experience how much gal game limited editions and full-store bonus sets could cost. Just thinking about it made her ears ring with the sound of her wallet crying.
But to make her little sister study seriously, Kotomi was willing to buy however many it took—no matter how much it hurt.
"Oh, right, Onee-chan—our homeroom teacher handed out mock application forms today," Aimi said suddenly. "It's not the real one, just practice—to get us used to how to fill them out and to decide which high school we want to apply to. That way, when the real one comes, we'll know exactly what to do."
Just hearing her sister promise to buy her every gal game she wanted had completely lifted Aimi's mood. Her gloomy expression vanished in an instant.
In some ways, the two sisters were quite alike—when either Kotomi or Aimi was happy, they both tended to talk a lot more.
Just as Kotomi Izumi was about to head upstairs, she heard Aimi's words and immediately became interested. In a flash, she darted in front of her little sister.
"Now that you mention it, it really is almost time for third-year students to fill out their final high school application forms. Go ahead and show me that mock form you mentioned—if you don't mind, I can give you a few pointers from experience."
"I actually told you about it because I do want your opinion! I've filled out a few mock applications before, but now that the next one will be for the real thing, I'm starting to get nervous. I'm not sure what to choose for my first and second choices."
"Haha, sure, the high school entrance exam choices are important—just like college ones—but you don't have to get so worked up. If you're this nervous about a high school application, what'll you do when it's time for university?" Kotomi teased lightly.
Hearing that made Aimi blush a little. She pouted and mumbled something under her breath before running off to fetch the form.
Kotomi took the chance to go upstairs, set down her schoolbag, and change into her pajamas. She had worn sleep dresses until recently, but now that the weather was turning cold, she decided to switch to thicker sleepwear.
Just as she finished changing, Aimi came pattering up the stairs barefoot, heading straight into her sister's room.
Geez, Kotomi thought helplessly, you're adorable when you run around barefoot, but it's already getting chilly. Doesn't the floor feel cold?
"Next time, wear slippers, okay? You'll catch a cold otherwise," Kotomi reminded her.
"Got it! I'll remember next time!" Aimi said cheerfully, handing over the mock form. "Here, Onee-chan, take a look! I'm planning to copy this layout when I fill out the real one."
"You're not going to ask Mom and Dad for their opinions too?"
"I did. When I got home, I asked Mom first, then called Dad. They both said they'd respect my choice and let me decide which high school I want to apply to." Aimi sighed softly as she said that.
Even though she was mature for her age—already in her final year of junior high—when it came to major decisions like exam applications, she still instinctively relied on her parents and family for advice rather than making decisions on her own.
That wasn't a bad thing, of course. Listening to the advice of elders was a good habit. No one becomes decisive overnight—it's something that develops with time.
Kotomi looked over the mock form carefully. She remembered filling out one just like it back in her own third year of junior high. The format hadn't changed at all.
After a few moments of thought, Kotomi sat down at her desk with Aimi standing beside her, watching closely.
Kotomi picked up a mechanical pencil and began filling in the three school choices:
First Choice: Sakuraha Girls' Academy (High School Division)
Second Choice: Chiba Municipal Sobu High School
Third Choice: Ochanomizu University Affiliated High School
"These three schools…" Kotomi began, tapping the first one with her pencil. "The hardest to get into is Sakuraha Girls' Academy. The cutoff score will definitely rise next year. To be honest, your current grades might be enough—or might not. It really depends on how much higher they raise the bar next year. So since the acceptance odds aren't great, we'll list it as your first choice. If you make it in, fantastic; if not, you can smoothly move on to your second choice."
Kotomi pointed to each name as she explained. She knew Aimi was interested in applying to Sobu High School, so she placed it as the stable second choice.
Most students, whether in junior high or high school, usually listed a school they were confident about as their second choice, while their first choice would be a prestigious or highly competitive one.
After all, people liked to think, What if I actually get in? And even if they didn't, choosing a well-known, difficult school as their first choice not only showed ambition but also made them sound impressive when talking to family or friends.
Failing to get in wasn't embarrassing—first choices were meant to be a challenge, after all.
The third choice was usually a backup school—something safe, to avoid the risk of not being accepted anywhere. But if there was a school you really liked and were confident about getting into, that should go in the second choice, and the third could be filled in casually.
Of course, Kotomi Izumi didn't actually fill in the third choice at random. She wrote down Ochanomizu University Affiliated High School—a prestigious school known for its excellent university admission rates.
While explaining the third choice, Kotomi added, "Of course, if you're not interested in Ochanomizu's affiliated school, you could also choose Kobun Girls' High School. But if you go there, you won't be able to come home every weekend—it's in Osaka Prefecture."
"I think I'd rather stay close to home. Sobu High is still the safest bet," Aimi replied.
Despite Kotomi listing several well-known high schools, Aimi seemed fixated on Sobu High School. The reason was obvious—it was where Kotomi went.
The idea of going to the same high school as her sister wasn't something Aimi had to explain; their parents knew, and Kotomi herself could easily tell.
Kotomi also wanted that—she wanted things to stay like when they were younger, when the two of them went to and from school together every day.
Still, as the older sister, she also hoped Aimi could receive the best education possible. The best opportunity, of course, lay with her first choice: Sakuraha Girls' Academy.
Whether Aimi could actually get in or not—that was up to fate.
After all, Sakuraha Girls' Academy's admission scores were notoriously high every year, and competition was fierce.
Of course, there was another way to get admitted without taking the exam—by having one's parents donate a tiny fortune to the school and becoming one of its "honorary patrons."
"Then let's go with this," Kotomi said finally. "Your second choice will be the one you really want—and are confident you can get into: Sobu High. But if you want to make any changes later, feel free to adjust it yourself."
"Got it! Thank you, Onee-chan!"
"No problem at all~"
Aimi hugged her stack of workbooks and the mock form before heading back to her room, while Kotomi began packing her bag in preparation for the on-campus rehearsal scheduled for tomorrow.
She wouldn't be staying overnight for long—just one or two days—so there wasn't much to pack. After a few minutes of simple preparation, she was done.
Still, this was the first time she'd packed her own luggage without Aimi's help. Holding the suitcase that wasn't even half full, Kotomi placed one hand on her hip and hummed proudly, as if she'd just achieved something on par with humanity's first moon landing.
Then, she picked up her phone, planning to message Kiyoko Matsumatsu and tell her to log in so they could play Apex together again.
But just as she opened LINE, a new message popped up. Seeing the sender, Kotomi blinked in surprise—it was from someone who almost never messaged her first.
The sender was Seiko Kirigiri.
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