After a long, long time, Kotomi Izumi and Yui Yuigahama reluctantly ended their second kiss, their eyes meeting as they both giggled foolishly.
"L-let's head back. Yukino's probably already bought the drinks and is waiting for us near the auditorium."
Kotomi was the first to speak. When it came to kissing, she was actually quite experienced—so naturally, she recovered her composure quickly. After all, she kissed Megumi every single day, at least ten times on average.
But just now, while kissing Yui, Kotomi had deliberately acted shy and inexperienced, just to be safe. She didn't want Yui to suddenly push her away in tears, shouting:
"Kotomi, why are you so skilled at this?! Just how many other girls have you kissed before?!"
Still, her little dumpling was obedient and easy to handle—just like a small puppy. She shouldn't suddenly whip out a hatchet from behind like Megumi once did... Kotomi thought with a nervous chuckle.
Just the memory of that hatchet sent a cold sweat down her back. And now, in the blink of an eye, she had another girlfriend.
Dating two girls at the same time—what she needed to avoid most was having both of them at the same school. Even if they didn't know each other, one day they might just meet face to face, each seeing the other as "the third wheel." That kind of scenario...
Would absolutely trigger a bloody, apocalyptic love war.
But in Kotomi's case? It was even worse. Her two girlfriends weren't just from the same school—they were friends. Worse still, they sat one behind the other in class.
Kotomi Izumi's deskmate was Megumi Kato, and in front of Megumi sat Yui Yuigahama.
This was practically dancing on the edge of a knife...
At that moment, Kotomi suddenly found herself looking forward to class reassignment.
At least after that, the physical distance between them might widen a little, giving her more room to maneuver and minimize the chances of triggering a full-blown love war—ideally reducing the risk to almost zero.
As Kotomi was lost in thought about how to avoid a disaster scenario, Yui, cheeks still pink, nodded with a bashful smile. Her voice trembled slightly, full of excitement yet cautious, as though her racing heart still hadn't caught up with the fact that she was now Kotomi's girlfriend.
"K-Kotomi, when we go back... can we hold hands? If you don't want others to find out, we can just hold hands for a short while, maybe just a few steps."
Yui's voice stuttered slightly from nervousness.
Seeing Yui's reaction—so adorable and pitiful—Kotomi couldn't help but reach out and tightly grasp Yui's small hand, replying matter-of-factly:
"From now on, if you want to hold my hand, don't ask. Just do it. Because... we're lovers now!"
"Okay! Hehehe, finally, I can hold Kotomi's hand in public!" Yui said happily, giggling from ear to ear.
Kotomi hummed proudly to herself. That line was perfect. I really sounded cool just now. I'm finally getting the hang of being the 'top' here!
But just as Kotomi was basking in her newfound "coolness," Yui smiled and suddenly asked:
"Kotomi, does that mean from now on I can just hug you whenever I want—and I don't have to share you with Mashiro anymore?"
Kotomi froze for a moment. That one sentence from her dumpling made her realize something terrifying...
If we're going by the order of confessions, then the first one was Megumi Kato, the second was Mashiro Shiina, and Yui came third.
Back in Kyoto, Mashiro had already confessed to Kotomi. But Kotomi had thought she'd wait until they returned to Chiba to find the right time to give her response.
Yet somehow, ever since returning to Chiba, she'd been swamped—daily life, work, everything packed to the brim.
And so, she never got the chance to respond...
Kotomi wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, making a mental note: Once Mashiro becomes my girlfriend, I must never, ever tell her about this.
She confessed first, but I responded to Yui before her... if she finds out, she's definitely going to be mad! Kotomi thought with a grimace.
At least there was one small comfort—Mashiro's personality was mild and gentle. She wasn't the type to go dark and pull a hatchet out of nowhere... probably.
Kotomi didn't answer Yui directly. Instead, she lightly tapped Yui's small nose and said in a mock-scolding tone:
"Silly dumpling, when did you learn how to get jealous?"
After saying that, Kotomi Izumi, still feeling a little mischievous, pinched Yui Yuigahama's small nose.
Yui's eyes welled up pitifully with tears as Kotomi pinched her nose. The truth was, Kotomi hadn't exactly been gentle—her grip was a bit too firm. Even with her Queen of All Females constitution, Kotomi still couldn't claim she had perfect control over her physical strength.
The problem was, she often didn't even notice when she applied too much pressure. What felt like a light pinch to her could be quite painful for the other person.
Even so, Yui didn't pull away. She just whispered softly:
"Mm... I started feeling jealous the moment I realized I liked you..."
Yui's words made Kotomi's heart melt instantly. But then she noticed the tears glimmering at the corners of Yui's eyes and froze for a moment. She had just comforted Yui earlier, wiping away all her tears. How had it been less than ten minutes, and this silly dumpling was already crying again?
Is she made of water or something? How can she cry so easily?
"Why are you crying again?" Kotomi asked in confusion. Could it be that I scared her? No way—I pinch her cheeks and nose all the time, and she's never cried before. In fact, she sometimes even looks like she enjoys it...
"Uu... Kotomi... you pinched my nose too hard..."
"Eh? Ah! I'm so sorry!"
Kotomi quickly let go, realizing she had once again failed to control her strength. Poor Yui's little nose was flushed red from being pinched—no wonder she looked like she was about to burst into tears.
Feeling awful, Kotomi hurriedly apologized. Yui had only been her girlfriend for less than half an hour, and she had already made her cry. If word of this got out, her list of infamous titles would probably grow by one more.
Her current two "titles"—"Kotomi Izumi of Class 1-F, the girl who toys with women's hearts" and "the one who sails a hundred ships at once"—were already enough to make her speechless.
Especially that second one. The more Kotomi thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Counting all the girls I know, across every age group, the total doesn't even reach a hundred! Where the hell did they get 'a hundred ships' from?!
Seriously, I'm the kind of girl who treats relationships with sincerity and loyalty—and yet they call me a player? A womanizer? What kind of cosmic joke is that? she grumbled inwardly.
Kotomi looked at Yui apologetically and said:
"Yui, I'm really sorry. Sometimes I just lose control of my strength like that. I promise I'll be more careful from now on! I have to do something to make it up to you—something that'll cheer you up! But I can't think of what you'd like best right now, since I don't have mind-reading powers. So... why don't you just tell me? Whatever it is, I'll do it! No hesitation, I swear!"
When Kotomi said that, Yui Yuigahama quickly tried to hold back her tears. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with anticipation, almost as if tiny stars were shining within them. Her voice trembled with excitement, stammering a little:
"R-really? You'll really agree to anything I ask?"
"Really," Kotomi replied with a nod.
"Then... Kotomi, you're not coming to school tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah. It's not that I'm tired—I just want to take a day off to sleep in. I'll go back to school the day after tomorrow for the cultural festival."
"Then... after you wake up tomorrow, can you come over to my house? I'm not going to school either. I want to spend the whole day with you, Kotomi. Is that okay?"
Yui's face turned bright red, her expression shy and nervous as she fidgeted slightly. She was afraid Kotomi might refuse.
Kotomi, hearing Yui's request, had expected something more serious—but it turned out to be just an invitation to visit her house.
So that's all she wanted? Kotomi thought, smiling to herself before readily agreeing:
"Of course. Let's meet tomorrow morning, then. Even though I said I'll sleep in, my biological clock won't let me sleep too late. Don't worry~"
"Yay! I've been practicing some new dishes recently. Tomorrow at noon, I'll cook for you myself, Kotomi. You have to taste my cooking!"
"I'm looking forward to it," Kotomi said with a gentle, approving smile.
When they returned to the auditorium, Kotomi saw Yukino Yukinoshita sitting quietly in a corner, a paper bag placed by her side.
"Yukino! Sorry, Yui and I went to the restroom earlier. Did you already get the drinks? Thank you! How much was it? I'll transfer you the money."
Kotomi quickly walked over, sat down beside Yukino naturally, and took out the drink she had wanted.
"No need. It didn't cost much," Yukino replied, her voice slightly hoarse.
"Eh? Yukino, your voice sounds kind of rough—are you okay?" Yui asked with concern.
"It's nothing. I'm just a little tired from performing. I'm always like this—no matter how calm I seem on stage, I still get nervous inside. After it's over, my voice just gets a little hoarse. Don't worry—it'll go back to normal after I drink some water."
Yukino made up the excuse smoothly, though her voice still carried a faint weakness—like someone who had just cried. But she hid it well. She didn't want Kotomi or Yui to notice.
With the cultural festival performance over, some students who hadn't yet performed chose to stay at school to continue rehearsing for the next day.
Kotomi Izumi went home with her parents and younger sister. When they learned that Tetsunosuke Isshiki and Kumi Motokawa were not home, Aimi Izumi invited Iroha Isshiki over for dinner.
Iroha happily agreed.
On the way home, Kotomi deliberately slowed her pace. Iroha noticed and matched her steps, and before long, the two of them had naturally fallen behind the rest of the group.
Of course, aside from Aimi—who didn't notice at all—Kotomi's parents were fully aware of what was happening. Seeing their daughter slow down to chat privately with Iroha, they both pretended not to notice a thing.
Akina Izumi, in particular, was quite the expert at playing dumb. Not only did she act oblivious, but she even subtly positioned herself behind Aimi so that if Aimi happened to turn around, Akina could quickly redirect her head forward again—making sure Aimi wouldn't spot Kotomi and Iroha talking alone.
After arranging all these "precautions," Akina turned her head slightly toward Kotomi, gave her a big thumbs-up, and mouthed silently as if to say: Go ahead, sweetheart, talk as much as you want. I've got Aimi covered! Your dad and I saw nothing, know nothing. Go get her! And when you do, your mom will help babysit your kids someday!
Kotomi thought to herself, That look in Mom's eyes... wait, could it be—Mom's already 100% completed Resident Evil 8 and even earned the Platinum Trophy?! She's too powerful!
"Senpai, did you slow down because you're tired?" Iroha Isshiki asked with a light, teasing smile.
"No," Kotomi Izumi shook her head. "I was just curious—you agreed so quickly just now. Normally, when Aimi invites you, you'd politely refuse at first, and only agree after she asks again."
"Senpai... how do you know me so well? Could it be that every single moment you've spent with me, your eyes and your heart have never once left me? That makes me so happy!"
Iroha Isshiki said with a bright smile, even giving a small hop of joy as if she wanted to pounce on Kotomi.
But Kotomi quickly sidestepped, worried that the noise might attract Aimi's attention up ahead.
Seeing Kotomi dodge, Iroha puffed out her cheeks, her face glowing pink in mock indignation.
Even so, Kotomi's words that followed were nothing short of dangerous:
"How could I possibly not be thinking of you? That's not right at all. You—and everything about you—are in my heart. My eyes and thoughts could never leave you. It's like your playful, adorable face is always floating before my eyes, and every moment in my heart is filled with you."
As soon as she said that, Iroha's face turned crimson. She lowered her head, her voice soft and shy, completely losing her usual mischievous air.
"Senpai, that's so unfair. Saying something like that... how am I supposed to not fall for you?"
Seeing the little devil's face turn red from her words made Kotomi feel an incredible sense of satisfaction.
That's it. That's the feeling of victory! This might be my first win, but it definitely won't be my last. If I keep teasing this little devil like this—making her blush and fidget every time—then one day, this mischievous imp who loves to toy with me will turn into a meek, obedient little lamb!
Just as Kotomi was basking in her glorious triumph, Iroha suddenly leaned close to her ear, her voice soft and sweet:
"Senpai, do you know why I agreed so easily when Aimi invited me to your house for dinner? It's because you've been busy with the performance all afternoon. Now that it's over, I want to have dinner at your place... so I can spend more time with you~"
As she spoke, Iroha giggled and gently bit Kotomi's ear.
!!!
Kotomi's face instantly turned bright red. She clapped a hand over her ear, stepping back in embarrassment, her voice stumbling out:
"Y-you—you were just blushing earlier! How can you recover that fast?!"
Iroha's smile only grew brighter—like a flower blooming under the summer sun. She placed a finger on her lips, grinning playfully:
"Hehe, that's because I wasn't actually blushing~"
"What?!"
Kotomi froze in defeat. So that's it... I didn't 'counterattack' at all. This little devil played along just to lure me into her trap!
"Hmph! I'm not talking to you anymore!" Kotomi huffed, turning away dramatically, pretending to ignore her.
"Senpai's acting like a child~ Want me to pat your head?"
"I—It's none of your business!" Kotomi said, her cheeks still red, pouting slightly.
Iroha looked at Kotomi with a soft smile, touching her own cheek with her hand. Her skin still felt warm from Kotomi's earlier words.
Senpai, the things you say... they're way too powerful... she thought dreamily, tiny bubbles of happiness floating in her heart.
Less than a minute later, Kotomi tilted her head slightly and leaned closer.
Iroha blinked, taken aback for a moment before realizing what Kotomi meant—but she didn't say it out loud. She just wanted to hear Kotomi say it herself.
"Hehe~ Senpai, what are you trying to do?"
"Don't you get it?"
"Nope~"
"Hmph, you're such an idiot!" Kotomi pouted before muttering shyly, "Y-you were just asking if you could pat my head, right? Well... go on and do it. I—I'm saying it clearly now! If you still don't get it, you're the biggest dummy in the universe! Dumb little Iroha!"
Finally hearing Kotomi say it herself, Iroha couldn't help but laugh brightly. She reached out and gently stroked Kotomi's soft hair, her voice tender and affectionate:
"Good girl, good girl~ Senpai, you worked so hard today. Whether it was your guitar playing in the first two songs or your performance of Ultramarine at the end—it was all absolutely perfect."
"Hmph, of course! I'm the best, after all. And besides, I didn't even use my full strength yet!"
Being praised made Kotomi's heart soar, though she still huffed proudly, pretending to be modest. In truth, she had given it her all—but she wasn't about to admit that.
"Senpai, you're so cute~"
"Hmph, I know~ I'm super cute!"
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