Yukino Yukinoshita arrived at the station early. She had originally planned to stay home a bit longer and read, since her apartment wasn't far from the station. If she walked briskly, she could get there in under ten minutes.
But the thought that today marked the start of her hot spring trip with Kotomi made it impossible for the usually book-loving Yukino to concentrate. After double-checking that she had turned off the water, electricity, and locked the windows, she finally locked the door, took the suitcase she had packed the night before, and headed to the station early to wait for Kotomi Izumi.
Yukino let out a soft breath. The air tonight was getting colder; she could even see the faint white mist of her exhale. Thankfully, she had checked the weather forecast this morning and dressed warmly enough.
Autumn was already drawing to an end—winter would be arriving soon.
"Yukino!"
The voice she had been waiting for finally reached her ears. Hearing Kotomi Izumi call her name made Yukino immediately raise her head from her phone, where she had been scrolling through a book forum. A small, gentle smile formed on her lips—but the moment she saw who was with Kotomi, the smile froze, then slowly dissolved.
There was only one thought left in her heart:
She came with Yui...
Kotomi Izumi sat on her large suitcase, dragging along Yui Yuigahama's suitcase with one hand. Yui, carrying a backpack and with Kotomi's Gucci tote hanging from her wrist, carefully pushed Kotomi's suitcase from behind.
Halfway there, Kotomi had playfully insisted that Yui push her while she sat on the suitcase.
It wasn't because she was tired. With the power of the Queen of All Females within her, Kotomi's stamina was usually formidable. But after being cornered and kissed by Yui, Kotomi would always enter a short, clingy phase. Even though she would pout and say things like, "You haven't even proposed to me yet—I'm not marrying you," she'd still act like a spoiled little wife.
No one could resist Kotomi when she acted spoiled. Not even Kotomi herself could resist her own spoiled charm.
Of course, rather than saying she became clingy because Yui kissed her, it was more accurate to say that every time she got close and affectionate with a beautiful girl, Kotomi would transform into a proud little creature who had just been conquered—soft, docile, and full of affection.
The duration of her spoiled phase varied depending on when she encountered another girl afterward.
For example, the moment she spotted Yukino Yukinoshita in the distance, Kotomi immediately stopped being spoiled with Yui before Yukino could see her that way. She had even wanted to ask Yui to princess-carry her earlier, but now that Yukino was here, that could wait for another time.
Watching Kotomi sitting atop her suitcase and Yui pushing her from behind, Yukino felt a sharp sting—not only in her eyes, but in her heart as well. She gave a faint, self-mocking smile and whispered inwardly to herself:
Honestly… what was I even expecting?
On this trip of just the three of them, Kotomi and Yui were the ones who shared mutual affection. Yet here she was, arriving early and waiting for them at the station...
I really am an idiot.
"Yukino-chan!"
Yui Yuigahama waved enthusiastically as they approached.
"You two are a bit late…" Yukino said softly after a quiet sigh.
"I'd say it's more like you're the one who came too early," Kotomi said with a grin. With a quick motion, she hopped down from her suitcase and brushed her skirt smooth.
"I'm not really used to leaving early. My mother always says that whenever you have something important, it's best to leave half an hour earlier. I never quite agreed with her before. Her advice might have been right, but instead of leaving thirty minutes early, I always preferred staying home reading a bit longer, then heading out just ten minutes before. But today... I suddenly understood her words. So I came to the station half an hour early—to wait for you... both of you."
Yukino spoke slowly. She had wanted to say "to wait for you," but seeing Yui standing beside Kotomi made her hesitate and change it to "you both."
"Half an hour early?! Yukino, that's way too early! Come here, let me warm your hands before you freeze."
Kotomi Izumi let out an exaggerated gasp. Considering the distance from Gokoku Apartments to the station, even if Yukino left early, there was no need to arrive half an hour ahead of time. Ten minutes was plenty to reach the station—and if she had been waiting here since then, that meant Yukino had probably been standing there for at least twenty minutes already.
Adding to that, Kotomi had delayed their arrival because she kept acting spoiled along the way—asking Yui Yuigahama for hugs and kisses whenever they passed a quiet, empty spot. Naturally, it had taken them longer to get here. So Yukino Yukinoshita might have been waiting nearly fifty minutes in total.
When Kotomi reached out to hold her hands, Yukino's heart skipped. She wanted to lift her hands and meet Kotomi's touch halfway, wanting to feel her warmth just a moment sooner—but then she remembered that Yui was right beside them. So she quietly pulled her hands back.
"N-no, thank you for your concern... I didn't wait that long."
After saying this, Yukino subtly put a bit of distance between herself and Kotomi, glancing at Kotomi's outstretched hand before hiding her longing deep within her eyes.
In a love triangle, no one ever wants to be the third person.
Kotomi didn't take Yukino's refusal personally. She could tell Yukino was cold, but since Yukino said she didn't need it, Kotomi didn't insist. If it were just the two of them here, Kotomi would've ignored Yukino's protests and intertwined their fingers tightly together.
But with her official girlfriend Yui Yuigahama standing beside her, Kotomi had learned her lesson since being "cleavered" by Megumi Kato—there were some things one simply couldn't do in front of another girlfriend.
Unless, of course, Yukino became her third official girlfriend. Then Kotomi could hold Yui's hand with her left hand, and Yukino's with her right—openly and proudly.
Kotomi liked to think she had many hearts, and each heart loved one girl completely. Thinking that way made her feel like a faithful, devoted girl, didn't it?
As for whether she truly had that many hearts... Kotomi felt there was no need to overthink it. It was like Schrödinger's cat—until you opened the box, the cat was both alive and dead.
Inspired by Schrödinger's cat, Kotomi had once developed her own theory—the Kotomi Izumi Heart Theory.
Her heart might be one, or it might be many. To find out exactly how many? One could simply cut open Kotomi Izumi's abdomen and look.
Before the knife cut her open, her heart could be either singular or multiple. The answer existed only in thought. Once the knife sliced through, that answer would transform—from a concept within the mind to a reality before one's eyes.
Kotomi had only ever shared this theory with Kazumi.
When she told her, Kazumi listened quietly from start to finish.
Later that night, after Kotomi fell asleep, a faint pink-blue light appeared beside her bed—Kazumi manifested beside her. Extending her "hand," Kazumi began to heal Kotomi's brain while murmuring softly:
"To take Schrödinger's cat and twist it like this... Kotomi's mental illness has gotten worse again."
The fire from her childhood had not only caused Kotomi Izumi's brain to erase parts of her memory for self-protection, but had also left her with a mental disorder that modern medicine could not explain.
When it flared up, she would see horrifying, incomprehensible visions—spectacles so bizarre and otherworldly that neither science nor theology could describe them.
Anyone who saw such scenes would be driven into madness. Their sanity would be consumed, replaced entirely by violent, murderous intent.
It was no exaggeration to say that if Kotomi Izumi's illness were ever formally identified, the medical community would name it after her.
And the only one who knew about Kotomi's condition—was Kazumi.
After being severely burned in that fire, even when sent to the best hospital for emergency treatment, Kotomi's life force continued to fade under the relentless assault of her injuries.
In order to save the dying Kotomi Izumi, who had been gravely burned, Kazumi—who at the time had not yet mastered her human form—panicked and revealed her true form before the young Kotomi.
Appearing before little Kotomi, Kazumi used her divine power to pull her back from the brink of death, gradually healing her burns.
However, in that same moment, the unspeakable horror of witnessing Kazumi's true form shattered the young girl's sanity and spirit.
Though Kotomi survived her fatal burns, seeing Kazumi's true form with her own eyes left her with a deep-seated mental illness.
She was sick—very sick.
Fortunately, Kazumi had immediately seized the fragments of Kotomi's shattered reason, forcibly pulling them back into her body and mending them.
After soothing the child's emotions and helping her drift peacefully into sleep, Kazumi sealed away the illness deep within her mind.
Rather than calling it a second personality, it was more accurate to describe it as an inhumanly pure darkness within her.
Even the kindest people harbor a darkness they themselves may not recognize.
Every person has both light and shadow within them. Only through coexistence can balance be maintained.
For most kind souls, their darkness remains buried forever—or even if it surfaces, they can suppress it with their own will, forcing it back into the depths of their hearts.
Kotomi Izumi's darkness, however, was different. It was singular, yet absolute—its only manifestation was murderous intent.
Her darkness did not arise from an obsession with killing, but rather from the nature of her illness. When her reason was consumed by the darkness—when her mental disorder took over—the grotesque visions that filled her sight filled her with overwhelming fear. And when fear reached its peak, it transformed into rage.
And from rage, killing intent was born.
The last time Kotomi's dark side surfaced was when she tried to kill Shika.
Thankfully, Kazumi had intervened in time to suppress the darkness within Kotomi's heart. Otherwise, even with her strength depleted and her umbrella broken, she might have still managed to kill Shika with her bare hands under the influence of that darkness.
Kazumi never wanted Kotomi's hands to be stained with blood. Taking lives—that was something Kazumi would bear herself.
From Kotomi's childhood to the present day, Kazumi had always remained by her side, constantly using her power to treat Kotomi's mental illness.
In Kazumi's view, the reason Kotomi had fallen ill in the first place was entirely her fault—because she had revealed her true form to her.
That was also why, even though Kazumi had been with Kotomi since she was a child, she had always stayed invisible, never allowing Kotomi to see or notice her.
At that time, Kazumi still hadn't mastered the ability to take human form, and she didn't dare appear before Kotomi again, afraid that if the girl saw her true form once more, she would lose her sanity completely.
All these years, Kazumi had never found a way to completely cure Kotomi's illness.
All she could do was seal it—again and again—easing the symptoms whenever they flared up.
Thanks to her relentless effort, Kotomi's illness had indeed grown much lighter, allowing her to live as if she were perfectly normal.
Even in the final moments before falling into her long slumber, Kazumi never gave up on treating Kotomi. If she couldn't cure her right away, then she would use every last bit of her remaining strength to strengthen the seal around her illness—a grand, almost divine barrier meant to protect Kotomi until she awoke again.
Once, Kotomi had casually said to Kazumi:
"Hey, Kami-chan, sometimes it feels like we've known each other for a really long time."
Whenever she said that, Kazumi would only smile silently.
Seeing Kazumi's quiet smile, Kotomi would laugh awkwardly, thinking she'd said something silly.
But what Kazumi truly wanted to tell her was this:
"Kotomi, you're right. We have known each other for a very long time. Since you were little, there's always been a girl by your side—one who deliberately hid herself because she was once ugly and terrifying. She was afraid that if you saw her true form, you'd go insane. So she worked quietly to shape a human form for herself, all while watching over you, protecting you, and loving you. That girl... was me."
...
Gurururu—
Having just finished her yogurt cake, Kotomi Izumi felt hungry again and said, "Alright, let's go!"
"Shouldn't you eat something first?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked.
"I'll eat once we're on the Shinkansen. Let's get going now."
Dragging her suitcase, Kotomi walked into the station with Yukino and Yui Yuigahama. For a fleeting moment, she could have sworn she heard Kazumi's voice whispering by her ear:
"Kotomi, you are loved. You are blessed."
Kazumi?
Kotomi spun around sharply, searching the area for the one she missed so dearly.
But when she turned, Kazumi was nowhere to be found.
Kotomi stood still, rubbing her ear and letting out a bitter laugh. "Was that just my imagination?"
"Kotomi, the monorail's here," Yui Yuigahama called, noticing Kotomi still standing there.
"Oh! Right, coming!"
Snapping back to her senses, Kotomi hurried to catch up with Yukino and Yui.
They boarded the monorail, then transferred once on the JO Sobu Main Line, soon arriving at the JR Tokaido–Sanyo Shinkansen station.
Kotomi had timed everything perfectly. Just as the three of them reached the waiting area, the Sanyo Shinkansen pulled into the station.
Once they settled into their seats in the first-class compartment, Kotomi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she'd been confident in her timing, she couldn't help but worry about missing a train. But thankfully, everything had gone exactly as planned.
Now came the time to eat and rest.
The seven-hour ride ahead would be more than enough to relax.
"Kotomi, isn't this car really expensive?" Yui Yuigahama asked nervously as she sat down beside her. She glanced around. Aside from the three of them, the car was empty. Even the boarding path they took earlier looked like a VIP route. The spacious seats and luxurious interior were nothing like an ordinary car.
Kotomi nodded and opened her phone, showing Yui the cost of their three tickets.
When Yui saw the number, she gasped aloud.
Realizing just how much one ticket cost, the comfort she'd felt a moment ago instantly turned into tension. She sat gingerly, afraid she might break something.
Kotomi couldn't help laughing at Yui's cautious behavior. She'll need to get used to this eventually. After all, as one of Kotomi Izumi's future wives, she couldn't be startled by something as simple as a first-class seat.
"Relax. I've wanted to try the first-class car for a while. I happened to save up some pocket money recently, and since we'll be on the Shinkansen for seven hours, I figured we should ride comfortably. So, I bought three premium tickets."
She said it lightly, pretending it was just curiosity. In truth, Kotomi wasn't interested in first-class travel at all—she was already used to luxury flights and premium train cars.
"Eh? But—"
"Alright, no more buts!" Kotomi said, pressing gently on Yui's shoulders and making her sit down properly.
Watching Kotomi and Yui together, Yukino Yukinoshita felt a swirl of emotions—envy, jealousy, or perhaps simply the quiet wish that she were the one sitting beside Kotomi instead.
As the JR Tokaido–Sanyo Shinkansen began to move, the night scenery outside the window receded into the distance, marking the true beginning of their journey.
"Yukino, don't read while the train's moving—you might get motion sickness. Today's the official start of our hot spring trip! It's a special occasion, so no reading, okay?" Kotomi teased.
If it were just the two of us, I wouldn't be reading at all... Yukino thought quietly. She wanted to say it aloud but restrained herself. Instead, she shifted her gaze from the book to Kotomi, offering a faint smile.
"I often read during train rides to pass the time, and I don't get motion sickness. But thank you for worrying about me. Besides, can reading on the Shinkansen really cause motion sickness?"
"What if it does?"
"Then what—should I look at you instead?" Yukino replied softly with a teasing smile.
"Of course you can! Look at me~ look at me~ I think I'm pretty gorgeous myself. A girl as cute and beautiful as me—calling me a once-in-ten-thousand-years beauty isn't an exaggeration at all!" Kotomi Izumi pointed at her own face, instantly energized whenever she began bragging about her looks.
Yukino Yukinoshita wholeheartedly agreed with her words—but her pride wouldn't allow her to say so. Instead, she put on a faintly exasperated expression and said, "When we first met, I don't remember you being this narcissistic."
"That's because I have every reason to be! My figure, my looks—they're one in a million!" Kotomi declared proudly, even letting out a smug little hum afterward.
"Hmph, all talk," Yukino replied coolly, but she quietly set her book aside.
In truth, even while she had been pretending to read earlier, her eyes and thoughts hadn't been on the page—they had been on Kotomi's profile.
As long as she's beside me, I can't focus on anything else. When did I become like this…? Yukino wondered silently.
Before she could think further, Yui Yuigahama's cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Kotomi, Yukino, look outside!"
"Eh?"
"Ah… winter has arrived," Yukino murmured softly, following Yui's gaze toward the window.
Outside, large, delicate flakes drifted down, landing gently against the glass.
In an instant, the world beyond the window turned from deep black to pure white.
"It's snowing…" Yui whispered happily.
"I didn't expect it to snow this early. Usually, snow only comes when winter is about to end—but this year, it's snow that welcomes the season," Kotomi said thoughtfully.
Then she grinned and turned toward Yui. "Yui, by the time we get off tomorrow, everything outside will be covered in white. So tonight, you'd better behave and be my cuddle pillow—or I'll grab a handful of snow tomorrow and shove it down your collar."
"Being your cuddle pillow… there's such a good deal?!" Yui's eyes lit up immediately.
Kotomi couldn't help tugging at the corner of her mouth, amused and slightly helpless. "Why does it sound like you're the one getting rewarded here?"
"Hehehe~"
Sitting nearby, Yukino watched the playful teasing between Kotomi and Yui, then turned her gaze to the falling snow outside. Her voice was so soft that only she could hear it, carrying a faint tremor like the whisper of someone crying:
"Don't fall… not now of all times."
"Dear passengers, welcome aboard the JR Tokaido–Sanyo Shinkansen. Due to snowfall, the train will now be reducing speed. Thank you for choosing JR Tokaido–Sanyo Shinkansen. We wish you a pleasant journey."
The snow outside wasn't heavy enough to disrupt travel, but it gradually covered the landscape, painting it white.
As Kotomi watched the snow, a memory surfaced—of a work by Yasunari Kawabata titled Snow Country.
The opening line came to her mind:
"Beyond the long tunnel through the border, there was the snow country. The night was white. The train came to a stop at a signal station."
This year's winter had begun—with snow.
—
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