"Oh, is that so? Looks like if I want to hang out with Izumi-san on the weekend, I need to make a reservation even earlier," Ruriya Hojo said half-jokingly.
Hearing this, Yui Yuigahama, who was following behind Kotomi Izumi, had a vivid change in expression—like a little dog who'd been lazily enjoying the sun, eyes half-closed, suddenly springing up in alarm, worried someone might steal her owner away.
Without thinking, Yui reached out and tightly grabbed Kotomi's hand.
Kotomi didn't understand what Yui was trying to do.
Yui herself didn't even know—she just felt like holding Kotomi's hand! But of course, this action immediately drew the attention of Yukino, Kotomi, and Ruriya Hojo.
Under their questioning looks, Yui's cheeks flushed slightly, but thankfully her brain didn't completely shut down. She blurted out a reason:
"Kotomi, help me balance a bit… My balance is bad. I almost fell when putting on my shoes just now."
"Alright, I'll hold you like this. Go ahead and put them on."
Kotomi nodded in understanding. Whether it was Megumi, Yukino, Yui, or Mashiro, whenever they changed shoes together—either at school putting on indoor shoes, or after school switching to leather shoes—Kotomi would discreetly watch them.
It was a little embarrassing, but Kotomi couldn't help fantasizing about burying her face between their stockinged or sock-covered feet.
With Megumi, her girlfriend, she never hid that part of her XP—they'd even played quite a bit with it…
But with Yukino and the others, since they were still just close friends, she limited herself to stealing a glance.
Because she always watched closely, Kotomi knew each girl's habits when changing shoes.
For example, Yui liked to keep the foot she was putting into her shoe slightly raised. It made things easier, since the snug leather school shoes required a little finger-hook at the heel to get on properly—not like sneakers that slipped on easily.
And Kotomi knew Yui's balance really was bad.
Sometimes, Yui could trip out of nowhere while walking on perfectly flat ground, scaring the people next to her.
Just walking with Kotomi, she had already tripped five times. Once, since they were holding hands, she even dragged Kotomi down with her.
Kotomi had brushed the dirt from her skirt and pretended to scold, "Why are you so clumsy? I won't let you hold my hand anymore!"
That single sentence made Yui, who had been about to stand up, lose all strength. She lowered her head pitifully, eyes brimming with tears like a puppy about to be abandoned, unable to even speak.
Fortunately, Kotomi immediately changed her tone, holding Yui's hand to help her up: "This time, I'll be the one holding your hand."
From then on… Yui just followed with a blissful, silly smile, letting Kotomi lead her.
This excuse worked perfectly… Yui breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't really thought things through earlier—she'd just felt anxious seeing Ruriya so close to Kotomi and even inviting her out on the weekend, and impulsively grabbed Kotomi's hand, like staking a claim.
But once she'd acted, she didn't have the nerve to actually say it—especially with three people staring at her in confusion.
If it had only been Yukino and Ruriya Hojo looking at her in confusion, Yui might have stubbornly kept holding Kotomi's hand without explanation.
But when Kotomi, who hadn't processed what was going on, suddenly turned her head with a puzzled look, Yui felt her gaze and quickly came up with the excuse about her bad balance while putting on shoes.
It was a childish excuse, but Yui knew Kotomi would believe it.
As they changed shoes, Kotomi gently applied pressure with the hand holding Yui's, genuinely thinking Yui might lose her balance and fall even during something so simple. She chatted casually with Yukino and Ruriya while maintaining steady, careful support.
"Th-thanks, Kotomi. That really helped."
Once she had her shoes on, Yui quickly released Kotomi's hand like a guilty child, cheeks burning as she wondered what silly thing she had just done… and yet felt happy for the excuse to hold Kotomi's hand.
She loved Kotomi's hands. She'd dreamed more than once of waking up in the same bed, Kotomi already awake, gazing at her with gentle affection. In those dreams, Kotomi would stroke her messy hair from the night before, fingertips brushing her slender neck before giving the collar around it a teasing tug.
"Woof~"
The mix of tenderness and dominance in those moments melted Yui's thoughts until she only wanted to snuggle closer to Kotomi.
Whenever she had that dream, she'd wake from excitement—and immediately have to change her underwear.
To Ruriya, Yui holding Kotomi's hand just seemed like friendly affection between girls. For close friends, holding hands was nothing strange—girls could even be playful in the changing room without it meaning anything.
But Yukino's eyes toward Kotomi and Yui grew complicated…
After leaving Sobu High, Kotomi remembered her agreement with Tomoka and kept quiet about her true destination.
Once home, she rushed to her bedroom, turned on her computer, plugged in a USB drive, and confirmed all necessary files were saved. Only then did she safely eject it and slip it into her pocket.
"Mom, I'm heading out. A friend invited me to a study session."
"Huh? What kind of study session?"
Akina Izumi was puzzled. Kotomi used to be too lazy to attend such things, and now, as the top student in all of Tokyo, what could she gain from them besides showing off?
"I've been so busy practicing songs that I've fallen behind on some class notes—stuff that might be on the finals." Kotomi smiled sheepishly.
Akina naturally took it as a sign her daughter was now proud of her academic standing and already worrying about maintaining her rank.
Her daughter was finally maturing.
"Which friend's house are you going to?"
"Yui Yuigahama's."
In a sense, Kotomi wasn't lying—she really was going to the Yuigahama house. Just that neither Yui nor Yuka knew.
So it's to that girl's house… Akina sighed inwardly, unsure what to say.
"Don't stay too late. Or maybe eat dinner here first so you don't trouble them. And take some fruit—don't go empty-handed. You two can snack while studying."
Fruit? Kotomi thought. Yui doesn't even know I'm coming…
"No need. They eat early, maybe they've already finished. I'm not hungry—I'll eat when I get back. Bye, Mom!"
Not hungry? That didn't sound like Kotomi at all. Akina was surprised, but nodded. "Be safe, and come home early."
...
When Kotomi left home, she checked the time on her phone—5 p.m.
Most of the time, Kotomi walked at a steady, unhurried pace. Her grandmother used to say that people who walk neither too fast nor too slow tend to be confident. They don't slow down because they're hesitant, nor do they rush because they're anxious.
When Kotomi first heard that as a child, she thought her grandmother was the wisest person in the world. No wonder Tendou Souji always liked to start sentences with, "Grandma said…"
So even when she knew she was about to be late for school, Kotomi would stroll along as if nothing was wrong—earning plenty of parent calls from teachers since elementary school.
Teacher: "Why are you late again?"
Little Kotomi, pointing to the sky: "My grandma said time flows around me. Whether one walks too fast or too slow, they won't achieve greatness. Only I have the bearing of an empress!"
Teacher: "…Tell your parents to come to school tomorrow."
But now, just thinking about Tomoka waiting for her in the bedroom made Kotomi's heart stir—and her walking speed doubled.
Inside Kotomi's body, Kazumi had just finished projecting an Xbox Elite Controller Series 2 and was happily starting Sekiro. With that controller, she was confident she could clear the game in one life even blindfolded.
But as the game loaded, Kazumi tilted her head, puzzled. She thought Kotomi should be home from school by now, so why had the Queen of All Females constitution suddenly activated? She was running like she'd just heard her CS:GO teammate call out "Five enemies at B!"
"Kotomi, where are you going in such a rush?"
"I'm going to the Yuigahama house!"
"What are you in such a hurry to see Yui for?"
"I'm not going to see Yui, I'm going to see Mrs. Yuigahama!"
"At night? You're going to see Dango's mom?"
Kotomi's words shocked Kazumi so much she dropped the controller.
Kazumi stared at her, speechless for a long time, before finally saying:
"Didn't expect my Kotomi to have the mindset of a true schemer."
The walk from the Izumi house to the Yuigahama house took Kotomi less than five minutes.
Standing at the door, she caught her breath and wiped the light sweat from her forehead. She'd been here before—stayed over, even. And yet, just to discuss some illustration work with Mrs. Yuigahama, she'd rushed over like she'd gotten a text from her girlfriend saying, "My parents aren't home tonight."
Her excitement had grown without reason, her pace speeding up until she'd broken into a run with the Queen of All Females boost…
Remembering that, Kotomi covered her face in embarrassment. It was just to discuss illustrations! She kept telling herself that as she touched the USB drive in her pocket. Luckily, it hadn't flown out while she was running.
Whenever she wore clothes without zipped pockets, Kotomi constantly checked to make sure nothing had fallen out.
"How am I going to get in…"
Looking at the brightly lit Yuigahama house, she knew Yui and Yuka must be home. Since she had promised Tomoka to keep her work as an illustrator a secret from them, ringing the doorbell and walking in through the front was out of the question.
Kotomi was certain that with Dango's considerate personality, the moment the doorbell rang she'd rush to the entryway, check the electronic screen connected to the bell, and then open the door.
And then she and Yui Yuigahama would be staring at each other, neither knowing how to explain why Kotomi had suddenly shown up at her house at night.
She couldn't exactly grab Yui in a hug and whisper: Dango, ever since we parted at school, my longing for you has been driving me mad. I love you! I want to be with you every second! Yui would probably overheat and faint on the spot.
Too shameless. That wasn't Kotomi's style.
If she couldn't go through the front, she had to think differently…
Her eyes instinctively went to the second-floor window—Yui's bedroom.
Maybe she could climb up, slip in through the window, then make her way down to Tomoka's room.
With the Queen of All Females boost, she could climb a tenth-floor window if she had to—though she'd have to overcome her fear of heights first. Planes were fine, but standing high up and looking down made her legs go weak and her head spin.
She remembered Yui's window opened inward from the inside. No way to open it from out here.
"Guess I'll have to find another way… the back door? But they don't have one."
From tutoring Yui often during midterms, Kotomi knew the Yuigahama house layout like her own—and knew about the small workroom in Tomoka's bedroom that neither Yui nor Yuka knew about.
Just then, her phone buzzed—a LINE from Tomoka Yuigahama.
[Tomoka Yuigahama: Kotomi, have you left yet?]
[Kotomi: I'm already at your door, trying to figure out how to sneak in without Yui or Yuka noticing. Brr, it's cold out here.]
[Tomoka Yuigahama: Hmph, usually you act like nothing is ever a problem, but now you can't think of a way in?]
Usually so composed and mature for her age, Kotomi rarely felt like a child in Mrs. Yuigahama's eyes. But now, seeing her stuck, Mrs. Yuigahama felt a small, playful satisfaction.
[Tomoka Yuigahama: Sweetie, even you have trouble sometimes. Ask Auntie for help. Don't go to the front—Yui's in the kitchen cooking. If you ring the bell, she'll hear. Climb over the first gate into the yard, then go right.]
Kotomi's face warmed at the message.Auntie, why are you so cute… You're making me want to marry you, even if you're Yui's mom!
The Yuigahama place was small but complete, with a low wall and a yard. Kotomi took a few steps back, ran, and leapt over in one go.
Going right brought her right to Mrs. Yuigahama's bedroom window—no need for risky second-story climbs.
Knock knock knock.
"It's me, Auntie Yuigahama."
Click. The lock turned. Tomoka Yuigahama pulled back the curtain and opened the window, smiling. "Good evening, Kotomi."
Kotomi shrugged. "Next time we meet here, let's pick a time when Yui and Yuka aren't home."
"Hehe~" Tomoka stuck out her pink tongue playfully—a hint of girlish mischief in her mature charm.
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