Watching Yui Yuigahama kneeling on the floor and helping pack her luggage, Kotomi Izumi suddenly felt an inexplicable urge to walk up behind Yui and hug her from the back.
The thought even made Kotomi imagine a scene years later: Yui Yuigahama standing at the stove, wearing an apron, slightly busy as she cooked. From time to time she would raise her arm and wipe the faint beads of sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. After seeing Yui's back as she cooked, Kotomi would deliberately sneak up behind her and wrap her arms around her in a sudden hug.
Then their child, seeing this, would ask curiously:
"Mother, Mom, what are you doing?"
Smack!
At that thought, Kotomi Izumi slapped her own head hard with her hand. A wave of alarm rose in her heart, and she spoke to herself with deep seriousness.
Is the game no longer fun, or is making money not interesting anymore? Why the hell did I suddenly start imagining married life? At least right now, I absolutely cannot let thoughts about marriage or even having kids appear in my mind. That's terrifying as hell!
It was not that Kotomi Izumi did not want to get married.
It was simply that she knew her current emotional situation very well. If she truly wanted to get married someday, there would definitely be a lot of groundwork to lay and a huge number of problems to solve.
After all, it was not like she could marry just one person.
When the time came, when would she get married? Who would she marry today? Who tomorrow? Who the day after tomorrow? Where would the wedding be held?
And most importantly, there was the problem of wedding rings.
Kotomi Izumi had always claimed she was devoted and single-minded about however many wives she planned to marry in the future. But in her heart she had a clear understanding of the number. If each wife needed her own ring, even if Kotomi wore rings on all ten fingers, it still would not be enough.
...
It was better not to think about it. The moment Kotomi started thinking about marriage, her head began to ache faintly.
Although she was confident she could solve it eventually, she had no intention of spending energy on such matters right now. Her game company had not even been established yet, and she had not saved enough money to buy the luxury apartment she wanted.
That was why she had told herself firmly in her heart earlier:
At least for now, I absolutely cannot start thinking about marriage or children. That's terrifying as hell!
While thinking about "marriage," Kotomi Izumi habitually split her attention. While pondering the topic, she silently began counting down in her mind.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
When the count reached one, Kotomi withdrew her gaze from Yui's back.
Earlier, when Yukino Yukinoshita had been secretly looking at her before turning her gaze away, Kotomi had quietly timed it.
Yukino usually stared at her face for about twenty seconds before awkwardly shifting her gaze away for one second, as if trying to cover it up.
Then after ten seconds passed, her gaze would drift back again.
It left Kotomi feeling a little annoyed. Not because Yukino was secretly looking at her—on the contrary, she would have loved for Yukino to stare at her as much as possible.
What annoyed her was that this Yukino, who usually argued with her like a cold, prideful little tigress, suddenly became cautious and timid when secretly looking at her—like a sensitive little kitten.
After being secretly watched like this several times, Kotomi had the strong urge to slam the table and shout:
Yukino, can you have a little courage? So what if Yui is sitting next to me? Can't you just walk over boldly, grab my collar, and kiss me domineeringly? What are you being timid for? It's not like Yui will pull out a chainsaw and kill you!
Of course, that was only a joke Kotomi said to herself.
Ever since learning how sharp Megumi's "kitchen knife" could be, Kotomi's survival instincts had become extremely strong. She was doing her best to avoid triggering a battlefield of love.
After withdrawing her gaze from Yui's back, just as expected, Yukino's eyes stuck to Kotomi's cheek again the very next second.
This time, Kotomi did not pretend to drink tea or look out the window like she had done previously.
The scenery outside the window...
To be honest, Kotomi Izumi was not someone with refined, leisurely tastes. After looking at it a few times, she had already grown bored.
She had a very clear self-image.
The world is vast and beautiful, and I want to be a vulgar person who loves money and beauty.
Instead of looking outside or continuing to drink tea—she was already getting bored of that too—Kotomi lowered her head as if she were playing on her phone.
The tea prepared in the luxurious Japanese-style guest room was indeed excellent. Kotomi could tell with a single sip.
Both its price and quality had to be extremely high.
If an ordinary person drank it, even someone uninterested in tea could sit at the tea table savoring it for an entire afternoon.
But when Kotomi drank it, it felt no different from casually buying a bottle of mineral water.
It tasted good, but if she stopped drinking it, she would not feel any regret.
After all, ever since she was young, the tea she had consumed had almost always been top-tier world-famous tea, or tea privately supplied by the Izumi family.
When Yukino secretly looked at her again, Kotomi lowered her head and pretended to be playing on her phone.
Yukino Yukinoshita did not think much of it. She knew Kotomi loved playing games, so it was perfectly normal for her to take out her phone and play during idle moments.
Sometimes Yukino even wondered if she should casually ask Kotomi what games she usually played and download them herself. That way they would have more topics to talk about.
One thing did make Yukino slightly curious.
She remembered that the mobile games Kotomi usually played required holding the phone horizontally. But right now Kotomi was holding it vertically.
Maybe she's playing a matching game...
Yukino thought briefly, but did not dwell on it. She simply continued staring at Kotomi in a daze.
Right now Yukino did not want to think about anything.
She only wanted to quietly watch Kotomi's face.
At some point she had realized that she liked secretly watching Kotomi more and more.
Watching Kotomi when she smiled.
Watching Kotomi when she ate.
Watching Kotomi when she dozed off.
Watching Kotomi...
Watching the way Kotomi looked at Yui as if there were no one else in the world.
...
Yukino Yukinoshita thought Kotomi was playing a matching game.
In reality, Kotomi was using LINE to send messages to Megumi Kato and the others to let them know she was safe.
The first person Kotomi opened was Megumi Kato's chat.
Kotomi Izumi: [My dear little Megumi~ Yui, Yukino, and I have already arrived in Kyoto. To be precise, we arrived quite a while ago and even took a nap. But I didn't sleep well. The moment I close my eyes, you're all I can think about. For a moment I even want to fly straight back from Kyoto to Chiba. Only in your arms can I sleep peacefully.]
After sending the message to Megumi Kato, Kotomi immediately swiped her finger, exited the chat, and began typing rapidly to send a message to Iroha Isshiki.
Kotomi sighed inwardly.
The benefits of typing quickly are not only useful when writing novels...
Kotomi Izumi: [Hehe. If I'm not mistaken, you're probably studying diligently right now, preparing for this February's high school entrance exam. Guess where I am right now. Can't guess, can you? Call me—]
She had not even finished typing the sentence.
Because she typed too quickly, her finger slipped and accidentally hit the send button.
Tap.
The unfinished message was sent out.
"Damn it, stupid LINE."
Kotomi muttered softly as she quickly tapped the message, intending to withdraw it.
But after tapping the screen repeatedly, nothing happened.
Perhaps her fingers had gotten wet while making tea earlier. The phone screen simply refused to respond—and then suddenly went black.
Kotomi twitched her mouth and politely greeted the mothers of both LINE and the phone manufacturer in her heart.
After reopening the phone and entering LINE again, Kotomi sighed helplessly.
The unfinished message could not be withdrawn.
And worse, it already showed as "read."
Kotomi had saved Iroha Isshiki's contact in LINE as "Little Devil."
And right now, beneath that nickname, a line of text appeared.
—The other party is typing.
Seeing that line displayed beneath the nickname, Kotomi Izumi raised an eyebrow. For some reason, she could already picture Little Devil Iroha typing with a mischievous grin, the little devil tail behind her swaying with ill intent.
Hmph. No matter what, she's my sister's friend and my future junior. There's no way she'll manage to tease me again, right?
Kotomi let out a disdainful laugh in her heart.
Just like how she always believed she was probably the dominant one eight times out of ten, whenever she faced Iroha Isshiki, she felt confident. This time she would definitely counter-kill the little devil!
And yet, the moment she relaxed even slightly, she would still end up being teased by that little devil.
This left Kotomi Izumi—often called a scummy witch—extremely dissatisfied.
I'm the one who teases others. How can you, a mere little devil, tease me instead? Hmph. I let you win the last few times on purpose. This time I'm bringing out my true skills!
Kotomi rubbed her hands together as if preparing for battle. Anyone who did not know better might think she was about to devour Iroha alive.
Just as she was imagining how she would bully little Iroha in the future, a new message popped up.
Iroha Isshiki: [Huhu~ haha~ heehee~ hehe~]
Kotomi shook her head.
What was this girl doing? Imitating the sound effects of a villain's entrance in an anime?
If that was the case, then Kotomi would have to teach her what a true villain's entrance laugh sounded like.
You did not need so many different giggles piled together. Just one laugh was enough to hold up the entire villainous aura.
And what laugh was that?
Of course—"Jiejiejie!"
Kotomi Izumi: [Jiejiejie!]
She actually sent "Jiejiejie" to Iroha.
Seeing it, a small question mark seemed to pop up over Iroha's head.
Iroha Isshiki: [Senpai, what does "Jiejiejie" even mean? Ugh. In the dramas I watch, it's supposed to be the junior who understands more of these memes and explains them to the senior. Why does it feel like it's the opposite in real life?]
Kotomi Izumi: [That string of laughter you just sent reminded me of the sound effect villains use when they make their entrance in anime. But the one you came up with didn't feel powerful enough, so I gave you a proper demonstration. Well? Don't these three syllables sound more impactful than the one you invented?]
Iroha Isshiki: [They actually do. Then next time we chat, can I use the villain laugh you created?]
Kotomi Izumi: [Use it if you want. Why are we dividing things into yours and mine between us?]
After a short while, another reply arrived.
Iroha Isshiki: [Senpai is so nice~ Jiejiejie!]
Kotomi Izumi: [Forget it. You're not allowed to use "Jiejiejie" anymore. Even though it's just text, it somehow looks kind of strange. No using it!]
Iroha Isshiki: [I refuse! Senpai, a promise once made can't be taken back! And even if you want to regret it now, you can't withdraw your earlier message, can you~? Jiejiejie. I deliberately waited a moment before pressing send just now, so you wouldn't have time to change your mind and retract what you said.]
Heh. After teaching her the laugh, she was using it more enthusiastically instead.
Kotomi looked at her phone, the corner of her lips curling up slightly.
Kotomi Izumi: [Little girl, your courage has grown, huh? You actually dare to scheme against your respectable and adorable me?!]
Iroha Isshiki: [Hehehe. Then come hit me, Senpai~]
Kotomi Izumi: [How am I supposed to hit you from Kyoto? When I get back from Kyoto, I'll beat you up properly. The kind that lasts a whole day and night without stopping.]
Iroha Isshiki: [Why does that sound like it has a hidden meaning… No way, I'm going to tell Aimi!]
Kotomi twitched her mouth.
She had not expected the little devil to fight so unfairly and call for backup.
Left with no choice, she conceded.
Kotomi Izumi: [Wait, my cute little baby Iroha~ We can talk this out!]
To be honest, Kotomi was not afraid of Aimi finding out...
Well, maybe a little.
Kotomi was not stupid. Ever since their first meeting, her relationship with Iroha Isshiki had been steadily deepening.
Back then, they had coincidentally become the tenth couple to dine at Tako-nee's Sukiyaki House. In order to get the twenty percent discount and a free oversized Fruit Carnival dessert, Kotomi and Iroha had even taken a couple's photo together.
That photo was still hanging inside Tako-nee's Sukiyaki House.
Then there was Enoshima, the serial murder case, and the fact that Iroha had been isolated because her mother was a murderer...
Looking back now, Kotomi realized that she and Iroha had gone through far too many things together.
Their relationship now felt like two magnets separated by a thin sheet of paper.
They were constantly attracting each other, yet because of that thin layer between them, they could never truly stick together.
That sheet of paper was so thin that with just the slightest poke, it would disappear entirely, allowing the magnets to snap together completely.
That paper was the final bit of distance left between Kotomi and Iroha—the last small gap between their two hearts.
Once that final step was crossed, their hearts would merge completely, without restraint.
As for how long it would take to cross that final step...
Kotomi Izumi already seemed to have an answer.
In truth, Kotomi understood everything perfectly well.
She knew Aimi's feelings for her.
She also knew Iroha's feelings for her.
And precisely because she knew, she pretended not to.
Especially I can't let Aimi know about Iroha's feelings for me. At least not right now. Iroha is Aimi's only friend. If I don't lay the groundwork first and prepare Aimi mentally, a huge rift will definitely appear between them.
And with Aimi's personality… there's even a chance they could become enemies because of it.
Kotomi sighed inwardly.
Aimi did not know about Iroha's feelings for Kotomi, yet she was even planning to confess her own feelings to Iroha. Aimi regarded Iroha as her best friend and wanted her support.
Iroha was the same. She did not know about Aimi's feelings for Kotomi and had been hesitating over whether to tell Aimi, "I like Kotomi." Iroha regarded Aimi as her best friend and wanted her blessing.
They did not know about each other.
Only Kotomi, who was simultaneously liked by both of them, knew everything.
She understood very clearly that if this issue was not resolved perfectly, once it erupted, a crack would inevitably appear in the relationship between Aimi and Iroha.
Frankly, a crack would already be the best-case scenario. It would be fortunate if they did not turn against each other entirely...
Kotomi knew she needed a perfect solution.
But she could not simply slap her forehead and instantly come up with a flawless answer. She was not a god.
For now, she could only maintain the status quo.
Aimi did not know about Iroha's feelings.
Iroha did not know about Aimi's feelings.
And Kotomi, standing in between them, would slowly figure something out.
That was why when Iroha had casually said, "I'm going to tell Aimi," even though Kotomi knew it was a joke, she still instinctively chose to surrender.
Under no circumstances can Aimi see the chat history between me and Iroha. If she manages to endure even one second of it, that already counts as her being broad-minded.
Kotomi thought helplessly.
—
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