The gift Aimi Izumi wanted was simple: she just hoped that Kotomi would go shopping with her, watch a movie together, or even if they didn't go anywhere, simply stay in the room and play the same galgame together. That alone would make Aimi happy.
What she truly wanted as a gift was Kotomi Izumi's companionship and affection.
In truth, Aimi often couldn't figure something out. The gifts she wanted from Kotomi were simple—one was love that existed only for each other, and the other was long-lasting companionship that would never part. But why was it so difficult to receive these two "gifts"?
After Aimi finished speaking, she couldn't help but clutch at the hem of her clothes. She looked at Kotomi as though waiting for her answer.
Kotomi Izumi froze for a moment—not because Aimi's wish was difficult to fulfill. On the contrary, the reason she hesitated was precisely because Aimi's desired gift was too simple to grant.
As expected of her dear little sister—even the gifts she wanted were so easy to achieve, Kotomi thought with quiet amusement.
Kotomi Izumi considered herself lucky to have such a wonderful little sister like Aimi.
"Sure, no problem. Once I come back from Kyoto, let's pick a day off and go see a movie together. You can decide what to watch—I'm fine with anything, as long as the popcorn at the theater tastes good."
Kotomi agreed and made a promise with Aimi. After speaking, she reached out and hugged her beloved little sister.
"While I'm away, make sure to sleep early, okay? Don't stay up all night playing galgames."
"Got it…"
Every time Kotomi hugged her, Aimi would soften completely and become docile. Normally, she was a proud and sharp little cat, but the moment she was held by Kotomi, she turned into a silly, purring kitten.
Aimi once read somewhere that when a person is at the peak of happiness, they willingly allow themselves to become foolish.
Even something as simple as Kotomi's embrace was enough to fill Aimi with happiness and joy.
Every time Kotomi saw Aimi acting spoiled like this, she couldn't help but have a strong urge—to hug Aimi tightly, refuse to let her go, and whisper, "Aimi, I want to hear you meow."
Kotomi almost said it out loud, but she stopped herself. Now wasn't the right time.
If she did say it, Aimi would definitely meow for her. But after that, Kotomi probably wouldn't be able to leave so easily.
After all, when a proud cat meows, it means one of two things—she's either upset or… hungry.
And what does a hungry cat eat?
Meat.
Before leaving, Kotomi went downstairs and walked to the cats' bed.
She lifted Dragon and Phoenix, who were still sleeping soundly, gave them a gentle shake left and right, then buried her face in their round, furry bellies, taking a deep breath.
Only after she'd made the two little "gas tank" cats fully awake did Kotomi finally drop them to the floor, feeling accomplished.
She didn't forget to remind Aimi thoughtfully:
"During the day, don't let the cats nap. At night, they'll keep you up if they do. Usually, I'm the one tiring them out, but since I won't be home for a few days, it's your job now. Whenever you see them napping in the day or evening, wake them up. Do whatever it takes to keep them from sleeping. If they won't wake, take them to the bathroom and give them a bath."
"Give them a bath? Forget it. I once saw a pet vlogger bathing her three cats—it looked so calm and peaceful, the background music was even Chopin's Nocturne in C-sharp minor. But if we tried that with Dragon and Phoenix, the BGM would probably need to be Flight of the Bumblebee."
Aimi looked at Dragon and Phoenix with exasperation. She had already bathed these two little "gas tank" cats before and knew all too well how chaotic it could get. Luckily, the bathroom was sturdy—otherwise, the entire room might have been turned upside down by them.
Kotomi Izumi laughed heartily. The task of bathing Dragon and Phoenix had originally been hers, but she completely shirked her responsibility and handed it over to Aimi instead.
She even said, "Aimi, once you finish bathing Dragon and Phoenix, I'll give you a kiss."
Hearing such a reward, Aimi instantly felt invincible. How hard could bathing a couple of cats be, anyway? Brimming with confidence, she grabbed Dragon and Phoenix and headed into the bathroom.
A few minutes later, the bathroom erupted with a commotion loud enough to rival a tsunami.
An entire hour passed before Aimi finally managed to subdue Phoenix and give her a thorough wash. After that, she and Phoenix together held down Dragon and gave her a good wash as well.
By the end of it, Aimi had learned an important lesson about bathing her two little "gas tank" cats.
If neither of them had been bathed yet, Dragon and Phoenix would unite in perfect harmony against the idea of a bath.
But if she managed to hold one down first—say, Phoenix—once Phoenix was done, she'd suddenly feel it was unfair to let Dragon "escape unscathed." So Phoenix would help Aimi hold Dragon down, forcing her to take her turn obediently.
It worked the other way around too. Whether Phoenix or Dragon was bathed first didn't matter—whichever cat finished first would assist in restraining the other.
Thinking back on that memory, Kotomi suddenly remembered something. Back then, she had stood at the bathroom door for quite some time, watching the spectacle. Later, once Aimi finally managed to subdue the two cats and bathe them both, Kotomi had gotten bored and asked Aimi what she wanted to drink. Aimi had replied that she wanted Sprite.
So Kotomi had gone to the kitchen, fetched a chilled bottle of Sprite, and placed it on the living room table.
After that, she went back upstairs to continue writing her novel.
As for the promised kiss reward—she had, quite naturally… forgotten.
It wasn't until now that Kotomi suddenly remembered it.
And when she did, she finally understood why Aimi had seemed unhappy during that time—it was because she had forgotten the promised reward.
Feeling a wave of embarrassment, Kotomi realized that if this moment hadn't reminded her of the cat-bathing incident, she might still not have remembered even now.
Kotomi looked at Aimi, hesitated for a moment, then softly said:
"Aimi, come a little closer to me."
When it was time to be bold, Kotomi Izumi was always bold—she never faltered.
"Eh?"
Aimi looked puzzled but instinctively leaned closer to Kotomi, closing the distance between them.
"Remember when you gave Dragon and Phoenix their bath? I said I'd reward you, but I got so absorbed in writing my novel that I forgot all about it. I'm really sorry. It's not that I wanted to forget—it's just that the story I was writing was so captivating that I lost myself in it completely."
As she said this, Kotomi added, her tone serious and convincing:
"See? Just the mention of bathing Dragon and Phoenix made me remember instantly. Do you know what that means, Aimi? It means that you're the only one in my heart—that's why I remembered it so quickly."
At first, Aimi had felt a little upset that Kotomi had forgotten about the promised kiss. But after hearing Kotomi's words, all of her resentment melted away. Her cheeks flushed a shy pink as she whispered softly:
"Then… can you give me that reward now?"
"Of course—absolutely!"
"Then what are you waiting for?" Aimi said with a bashful smile, inching her face closer.
Little by little, closer and closer…
Just as they were about to "arrive"—
"Kotomi, it's going to get colder tonight! Remember to wear something warm when you go out!" their mother called out as she came out of her bedroom.
"O-okay!"
Kotomi reacted instantly. The moment she heard her mother's voice, she quickly pulled back.
"Oh my~ Were you two sisters whispering secrets?" Akina Izumi teased with a knowing smile.
"Not really secrets," Kotomi said quickly. "I was just telling Aimi to help me tire out the cats while I'm away. You know what they say—if you don't exhaust the cats during the day, they'll exhaust you at night. So we've got to make sure Dragon and Phoenix adjust their sleeping schedule to nighttime."
As she spoke, Kotomi thought that maybe she really could become an actress someday.
She clearly had a natural talent for acting.
"I see, that makes sense," Akina said with an understanding nod. Then she turned and added, "Kotomi, it's getting chilly. That outfit looks a bit thin. I'll grab you a thicker coat—or maybe a scarf, too?"
There's a kind of cold—the kind your mother thinks you feel.
"I think this is warm enough. Aimi already packed some thick clothes in my luggage," Kotomi replied.
"An extra coat and scarf won't take up much space."
"Alright then."
"Good. I'll go upstairs and get them. You two can keep chatting—I won't interrupt your secret talk~" Akina said cheerfully as she headed upstairs.
Both Kotomi and Aimi felt their cheeks heating up.
"Ai-Aimi, aren't you going to claim your reward?" Kotomi asked with a teasing smile.
"Umm… maybe not now. It's too embarrassing!"
Aimi covered her blushing face, shy and flustered.
Compared to Kotomi, Aimi's skin was far thinner.
Of course, it could also be said that Kotomi's was far thicker.
...
After saying goodbye to her parents and sister, Kotomi Izumi pulled her suitcase with one hand, her Gucci tote hanging from her other wrist, as she scrolled through her phone.
Instead of heading straight to the station, Kotomi took a slightly longer route—she wanted to stop by the Yuigahama residence first.
It wasn't that she worried about Yui Yuigahama getting lost—Yui wasn't Mashiro Shiina. Though Yui could be a bit airheaded at times, she wasn't directionally challenged. Kotomi just wanted to go pick her up so they could walk to the station together. On the way, she could sneak in a little hand-holding, maybe even a few secret kisses.
Kotomi often wondered whether Mashiro Shiina was genuinely bad with directions, or if she simply never paid attention because all her thoughts were occupied with her art. She'd been in Japan for nearly three months now, yet she still hadn't memorized the route from Sobu High School to the train station.
Chihiro Sengoku often complained, saying she felt like Mashiro's personal babysitter and chauffeur.
Mashiro would always respond with her trademark bluntness: "A babysitter's cooking tastes better. Cousin, six out of ten of your meals are bad."
Kotomi Izumi had never actually eaten Chihiro Sengoku's cooking before, but from Mashiro Shiina's descriptions alone, she could tell it wasn't something she'd want to try. Kotomi was a foodie, but even she had never heard of a dish like stir-fried pineapple and green peppers.
Of course, if Chihiro Sengoku could resist her disastrous "creative impulses" and simply follow the recipe step by step, her cooking would be perfectly edible.
She was thirty years old, after all—it wasn't possible for her to truly be incapable of cooking.
Kotomi was just about to reach Yui Yuigahama's house when she heard the front door open.
"Mom, I can go to the station myself, you don't need to send me off! Yuka, be good while I'm gone, okay? Listen to Mom and help her around the house."
"I know, Onee-chan! You're going to Kyoto with Penguin Onee-chan, right? Good luck!"
"Shouldn't you be saying 'have a safe trip'? Why 'good luck'?" Yui looked puzzled, not understanding what her little sister meant.
Even though Kotomi was still a short distance away, her Queen of All Females hearing easily picked up the exchange. She couldn't help but chuckle. Little Yuka might be young, but she certainly didn't hold back when she spoke—children could say anything without fear.
"Penguin Onee-chan! Good evening!"
Noticing Kotomi walking toward them, Yuka's eyes flickered with a complicated expression before she waved her chubby little hand and greeted her cheerfully as usual.
Ever since she'd vaguely realized what had happened that night between Penguin Onee-chan and her big sister in the bedroom, Yuka's feelings had been… complicated.
"Hello~ Yuka! Good evening. Your sister's going to Kyoto with me for a few days, so while she's away, you have to be good, okay? Don't make your mom worry, and help her with chores you can manage."
Kotomi smiled as she quickened her pace toward the Yuigahama house.
"I know! I'm a good girl!" Yuka declared proudly.
"So sweet~" Kotomi praised her with a warm smile before turning to greet Yui's mother.
"Good evening, Mrs. Yuigahama. I'm here to pick up Yui."
"Kotomi, thank you. This will be Yui's first time traveling far from home, so I'll be counting on you to take care of her," Tomoka Yuigahama said kindly. Though she had agreed to let Yui go on this Kyoto trip with Kotomi and Yukino, she couldn't help but feel a little anxious. After all, Yui had never gone on such a long trip alone before.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Yuigahama. I'll take good care of Yui," Kotomi promised sincerely.
"See, Mom? Kotomi will take care of me!" Yui said proudly, puffing her chest a little.
"You silly girl, what are you so proud of?" Tomoka sighed helplessly, then asked, "Yui, I remember packing a scarf for you since the weather's getting colder. Did you put it in your suitcase? You're not wearing it now."
"Oh, the scarf? I thought it felt a bit stuffy, so I just put it in my suitcase," Yui said casually.
"But Onee-chan, I was the one who zipped your suitcase," Yuka interrupted suddenly. "I looked inside before I did, and I didn't see any scarf in there."
"Eh?" Yui froze.
"Don't tell me you left it in your room again," Tomoka said, pulling at the corner of her mouth in exasperation.
"Ah… hahaha… now that you mention it, I think I did forget to pack it. As for where I put it in my room… uh, I don't remember," Yui admitted awkwardly, scratching her head with an embarrassed smile.
"Don't just stand there laughing, go back and find it!" Tomoka said, then turned to Kotomi apologetically. "Sorry, Kotomi, it's cold out here. Please come inside and wait for a bit while I help this silly girl look for her scarf."
"It's alright, no rush," Kotomi said with a small wave of her hand.
Once Tomoka and Yui went upstairs to look for the scarf, Kotomi stayed at the entrance, not bothering to take off her shoes. She planned to just wait there.
At that moment, Yuka tugged gently at the hem of Kotomi's coat.
"Hm? Yuka, what is it?" Kotomi felt the pull and crouched down with a smile.
"Penguin Onee-chan, I have something I want to give you. Can you come with me for a moment?" Yuka said, seizing the opportunity she'd been waiting for.
Kotomi didn't know what Yuka wanted to give her, but she agreed readily.
"Sure, no problem."
She took off her shoes and followed Yuka into the living room.
Once inside, Yuka went over to her toy box and pulled out a small box decorated with magical girl stickers.
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