Right before her eyes was Kotomi Izumi's face—so close that Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but feel her cheeks grow warm again. Her heart was filled with nervousness, yet at the same time, a faint sense of expectation—hoping that Kotomi might close the distance even more.
When Kotomi's fingertips brushed the corner of her lips, the warmth and gentleness that lingered at her touch felt like a small flame melting the ice surrounding Yukino's heart.
Kotomi Izumi's tenderness was like a gentle fire—sweet, but also dangerously intoxicating.
The frozen layer around Yukino's heart began to melt. Deep down, she had always been someone who was cold on the outside but warm within. If Kotomi's flame completely melted that icy shell—what kind of person would Yukino become afterward?
"M-My lips? They don't hurt anymore. That was years ago… the wound's long healed. How could it possibly still hurt now…"
The gloom that had weighed on Yukino's heart from remembering her mother's indifference was slowly soothed away by Kotomi's gentle touch.
Yukino wanted to say that her lips did still hurt—and that only a kiss from Kotomi could make them better.
"Are you sure it doesn't hurt?"
Kotomi leaned in even closer. Their faces were now only inches apart, her soft, rosy lips so close that Yukino could almost feel their warmth. In that instant, a voice deep within her urged her—pushed her—to close the gap herself, to take the initiative and kiss Kotomi.
Even though Kotomi's actual girlfriend, Yui Yuigahama, was sitting right there beside them…
A whirl of emotions swelled in Yukino's chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced toward Yui. The girl was happily chatting on a video call with her family, her full attention on her phone—completely unaware that her girlfriend was sitting in an unmistakably intimate position with another girl.
If Yukino kissed Kotomi now, Yui probably wouldn't even notice… right?
Are you sure it doesn't hurt?
Yukino didn't understand why Kotomi asked again—but that simple question felt like magic. It stirred something inside her, something that made her want to throw her arms around Kotomi's waist and say, My lips still hurt—you have to keep kissing me until they stop.
If she hugged her, she would hold her tightly—so tightly that Kotomi wouldn't be able to leave until Yukino was fully satisfied.
These thoughts, wild and burning, surged up like molten lava erupting from a volcano—relentless and uncontrollable.
Right now, Kotomi was so close that all Yukino had to do was reach out. Just a little courage—just a single motion—and she could easily wrap her arms around her.
Yukino didn't answer Kotomi's question. The wild, fiery thoughts boiling within her mind were burning away every last piece of logic and reason.
When the ice melts—what does it become?
Of course Yukino knew what ice became after melting.
She slowly stretched out her trembling hands toward Kotomi, her gaze fixed on that soft, alluring smile. The only sound in her ears was Yui's cheerful voice as she spoke to her mother and sister over the video call. Yui's tone was full of warmth and joy—like a happy fool, blissfully enjoying this trip with her beloved girlfriend, Kotomi Izumi.
If Yukino reached out now, made a deliberate sound, Yui would surely look this way… and what kind of expression would that happy fool wear then?
Just as Yukino was about to extend her hands fully, a flicker of illusion appeared before her eyes.
The younger version of herself stood a short distance away—like a ghostly reflection.
"Yukino, do you really want to become the third party that ruins the happiness between Kotomi and Yui?"
Little Yukino raised her head, clutching a thick book in her arms. Her tone was cold, her eyes sharp—and the faint smirk curling her lips carried open mockery, ridiculing the shamefulness of Yukino's current thoughts.
The last thread of Yukino Yukinoshita's reason took form as her younger self—a hallucination that appeared before her eyes. It pulled her back from the brink, helping her regain composure and calm her turbulent emotions.
"Really… it doesn't hurt anymore," Yukino said softly to Kotomi Izumi.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Kotomi smiled faintly and withdrew her hand from Yukino's lips. The tenderness her fingers had left on Yukino's skin didn't vanish immediately—but as her hand moved away, that gentle warmth began to fade, slowly but surely.
Soon, it would disappear completely.
Yukino didn't want the warmth Kotomi had left on her lips and cheek to vanish. But she couldn't hold on to it. She knew exactly how to keep that warmth from fading—but even knowing how, now that she had calmed down, she no longer had the courage to act on it.
Composure didn't mean her feelings had cooled or faded. On the contrary, her emotions for Kotomi Izumi had only grown stronger, richer. The mark Kotomi left on her heart had deepened.
Kotomi Izumi's image—her name—was now etched deep into Yukino's soul.
Being cared for so gently by Kotomi feels so good. I want to have her all to myself—to make her mine alone, someone no one else can touch.
The phantom "Little Yukino" appeared again—this time perched on Kotomi Izumi's back, her small arms wrapped loosely around Kotomi's neck. Her gaze toward Yukino was filled with mocking challenge.
"So this is what you were really thinking just now. Disgusting and pathetic. Don't bother denying it—I'm you, and you're me. I know exactly what's in your heart. You're jealous of Yui Yuigahama. You want to be Kotomi Izumi's lover—her future wife. You want to own her completely, never letting anyone else touch her. And deep down, you already have some terrifying ideas about how to make that happen~ You just haven't realized it yet."
Little Yukino stroked Kotomi's cheek, but Kotomi seemed completely unaware. In fact, everything around them had gone still—as if time itself had stopped.
Only the hallucination—Yukino's inner self—could move.
Even Yukino herself was frozen, forced to watch helplessly as the young phantom version of her climbed over Kotomi's back, running her delicate hands through Kotomi's hair, over her skin, and—
Yukino clenched her teeth, eyes blazing with fury as she glared at the phantom version of her younger self daring to touch Kotomi so freely.
Right now, she wanted nothing more than to regain control of her body—so she could kill that little Yukino clinging to Kotomi's back.
She couldn't allow anyone to touch Kotomi like that.
Not even a hallucination of herself.
"Look at your eyes—I can feel the killing intent pouring out of you," said Little Yukino with a smirk. "You'd really go that far, huh? I'm still you, after all. I'm your truest self. And my face? It's the face you had as a child."
"How ironic," she sneered. "You can muster the heart to want to kill your own younger self—but a moment ago, you were too cowardly to even hug Kotomi, to kiss her lips, to declare war on Yui Yuigahama."
"Oh, I see—you want to say that if I hadn't interrupted you just now, you'd already be kissing Kotomi, right? Don't kid yourself. Even if I hadn't stopped you, your laughable rationality would've held you back at the last second. You would've hesitated again."
"By the way, didn't I just mention that you've already thought up plenty of terrifying ways to make Kotomi yours? You still don't realize it, do you?"
"No matter. Right now, your twisted heart—liking Kotomi but not daring to confess, watching her be with Yui and silently stewing in jealousy—is like a deep, lightless sea. And soon, from that abyss, the monsters called 'methods' will start to surface one by one…"
"You're furious watching me touch Kotomi, but that anger's mixed with jealousy, isn't it? Because what I'm doing to her right now—that's exactly what you've always wanted to do. You want her. You want to possess her."
"But too bad—this time, I'm going to take her before you can. I'll steal the Kotomi Izumi you've always longed for. And I'll start… by stealing her kiss."
With that, Little Yukino gently tilted Kotomi's chin upward. Kotomi looked like a puppet with its strings pulled—motionless, completely under her control.
The young phantom smiled wickedly, slowly closing the distance between them. In the next instant, Yukino Yukinoshita could only watch in frozen horror as her younger self leaned in to claim Kotomi Izumi's lips right before her eyes.
Just as the hallucination—"Little Yukino"—was about to press her lips against Kotomi Izumi's, Yukino Yukinoshita tried with all her strength to lunge forward, to pull Kotomi back from her phantom self's grasp.
Was she really going to just stand there and watch as "Little Yukino" stole Kotomi's kiss before her eyes? No—absolutely not! The very thought made something snap inside her.
"I won't let you touch her!" Yukino shouted with all her might.
The moment her voice rang out, "Little Yukino" stopped. Then, just like sand slipping through fingers, her figure dissolved into nothingness.
The world around her began to move again, and Yukino herself suddenly felt the invisible restraints vanish. She could move freely once more.
But because the bindings disappeared at the exact moment she had thrown herself forward, Yukino, who had been straining with all her might to move, ended up hurling herself straight into Kotomi Izumi's arms—
Soft landing.
Yukino slowly lifted her head, meeting Kotomi's concerned eyes. Kotomi blinked once before asking, "Yukino, what were you thinking about just now? You seemed totally spaced out."
"Eh?" Yukino looked confused, as if she hadn't understood what Kotomi meant.
"You went completely unresponsive for a while," Kotomi explained with a small smile. "I called your name several times but you didn't answer. Just as I was about to tap your shoulder, you suddenly shouted, 'I won't let you touch her!'—and then you dove straight into my arms."
So it wasn't that time had actually stopped. Everything she'd seen—her younger self, the frozen moment in time—it had all been an illusion.
Yukino furrowed her brows slightly. She had never experienced a hallucination before. Her understanding of the word "hallucination" only came from novels and films.
And yet, what she had just witnessed—the sight of "Little Yukino," the voice, the words—they had felt so real. Even the paralysis that had gripped her body had been genuine; she couldn't even lift a finger.
Maybe it's because I stayed up too late reading last night and didn't get enough sleep, Yukino thought.
Still, she couldn't shake off the things that "Little Yukino" had said.
Did I really harbor such dark, possessive thoughts deep in my heart—ones I wasn't even aware of? She said they were 'good methods'… what could she have meant by that? Yukino wanted to deny it, but couldn't find the conviction to do so.
Because she did want to monopolize Kotomi. She was jealous of Yui.
Yukino knew exactly why she didn't have the courage to refute the words of her hallucination.
Resting against Kotomi's chest, Yukino finally spoke up to answer her question.
"I was reading a novel last night… a medieval horror story, actually. It was a bit scary. There was a really cute little girl in it, one who made you want to protect her. There's a scene where she walks alone on a snowy night and gets followed by an invisible ghost. No one can see it—it's just silently stalking her, waving its dreadful claws, waiting to devour her soul."
"The story also took place on a snowy night. Just now, for some reason, that scene popped into my mind. I guess I got carried away thinking about that little girl in danger, and before I knew it, I shouted, 'I won't let you touch her.'"
Yukino had completely made up the story on the spot. Even she felt the explanation sounded stiff and awkward.
She had stayed up late reading, but it hadn't been a dark medieval horror story. It was a cozy gourmet novel instead. Because she preferred eating light dinners, the descriptions of delicious food had made her hungry halfway through.
The dishes in the book had looked so appetizing that she couldn't resist. Normally, she never ate late at night—but that evening, after skipping dinner and only eating two apples, she ended up waking at 1 a.m. to make herself a bowl of instant noodles… with two fried eggs on top.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to fall asleep at all—her stomach had been growling too much!
Anyway, back to the point. She had made up that medieval horror novel entirely on the spot. Though she could have easily invented a title, Yukino Yukinoshita secretly prayed Kotomi wouldn't ask for it. After all, no matter what name she came up with, that book didn't actually exist.
It's not like she could just admit, 'I made it up myself.' Yukino loved reading, but when it came to writing, it wasn't that she lacked interest—it was simply that she wasn't good at it.
She could easily recall the classic scenes from every book she'd ever read, reciting them word for word. But if she were asked to write even the simplest story herself, she might not manage a single line in an entire day.
Luckily, Kotomi Izumi didn't ask about the title, which made Yukino secretly sigh in relief.
"Oh, I see," Kotomi said with a light laugh. "No wonder you seemed so distracted just now. I get that feeling too—sometimes I get lost remembering a scene from a book. Even though I haven't read the one you mentioned, from what you described, it sounds like it was written by a really talented author. A story that can pull someone's emotions in that deeply must be something special."
"Kotomi…"
Yukino's voice trembled slightly as she looked up at Kotomi from within her arms.
At that exact moment, Yui Yuigahama's voice rang out.
"Um… Kotomi, Yukino—what are you two doing?"
Somehow, Yui had finished her video call. She stood there staring at them, her expression full of confusion—and a rapidly growing wave of jealousy.
"Y-Yui?! I—I was just…"
For once, the usually calm and composed Yukino Yukinoshita looked completely flustered, stumbling over her words as if she'd forgotten how to speak.
"Yui, you're done with your call?"
Kotomi Izumi, on the other hand, only showed a hint of surprise—nothing more. Her voice was relaxed, her tone steady, as she continued to hold Yukino while speaking to Yui.
After all, Kotomi had been through plenty of love-triangle chaos before. Compared to those, this was a small, harmless scuffle—something she could handle with ease.
And more importantly, she hadn't actually done anything wrong. Sure, she was hugging Yukino, but she could easily explain everything if needed.
Of course, there was another reason Kotomi felt so calm: the person who had caught them was Yui Yuigahama.
Yui was sweet, obedient, and a little naïve—like a puppy that could be easily soothed.
If it had been Megumi Kato who'd seen them instead, Kotomi would definitely not have been this calm. She'd be silently praying for the Clock of the Twilight Demon to show her some mercy.
"Yeah," Yui said softly, nodding. "I just finished a video call with Mom. She and Yuka are having dinner right now."
Then her tone shifted.
"So… why exactly are you two hugging?"
Even faced with Yui's suspicious question, Kotomi didn't panic in the slightest. She didn't even let go of Yukino. In fact—
Snuggle~
Right in front of Yui Yuigahama, Kotomi hugged Yukino Yukinoshita even tighter.
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