After being glared at by the aloof and tsundere little tigress, Kotomi Izumi stopped teasing her and gave an awkward smile.
Kotomi was genuinely afraid that if she continued, the cold little tigress in front of her might chomp down on her.
"Yui, let me lie down a little longer."
Kotomi Izumi said this. She had originally planned to head to the restaurant now, but she was worried about running into Ayani Kika in the hallway or dining area and triggering a "Three Kingdoms"-level battlefield. So she decided to stay in the room for another half hour before going to eat.
"Hehe~ Kotomi, you never have to ask me in the future. If you want to lie down, just lie in my arms directly~" Yui Yuigahama opened her arms to Kotomi, smiling brightly.
Just like Kotomi loved lying in Yui's arms, Yui also loved letting Kotomi lie in her arms. That way, she could openly gaze at Kotomi, occasionally lower her head to kiss her little lips, stroke her cheeks, and...
Unfortunately, this wasn't their private time alone. Otherwise, with a beauty in her arms, how could this little dumpling who loved eating meat possibly resist the chance to have a bite?
"Okay."
Kotomi leaned back and lay directly in Yui's arms. At the same time, Yui wrapped her arms around Kotomi from behind, holding her gently and resting her chin on Kotomi's fragrant shoulder.
When Yukino Yukinoshita saw this scene, it felt as though she had swallowed another lemon. She had already lost count of how many lemons she had eaten in her heart today. As the saying goes, what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over. Yukino simply turned her gaze toward the window, as if admiring the scenery outside.
Upon seeing beautiful scenery, a literary girl like Yukino Yukinoshita should have had a poem arise in her heart, or perhaps a passage from some classic novel describing landscapes. But right now, nothing surfaced in her mind. No poetry, no literary scenes. She had only shifted her gaze outside to avoid looking at Kotomi and Yui.
As long as she sat beside Kotomi, even someone who loved reading as much as Yukino couldn't get through a single page. All she wanted was to let her gaze linger on Kotomi.
If Yui Yuigahama weren't here, Yukino would have pretended to read, while in truth every glance would have been fixed on Kotomi.
Chiba City Private Middle School.
After receiving a message from Kotomi Izumi, Aimi Izumi let out a cheer.
"Yay! Onee-chan finally replied to me!"
Her slightly unhappy little face instantly brightened with joy.
Opening the chat window, Aimi realized that the reason Kotomi hadn't replied promptly was because the messages she had sent earlier hadn't displayed in LINE in time. If Kotomi hadn't casually tapped refresh, the messages might not have appeared even after she returned from Kyoto.
Thinking of this, a small flame flared up in Aimi's heart. Of all people, whose messages did you have to delay? You dared to delay the messages I sent to Onee-chan!
Stupid LINE!
"Did Senpai finally reply to you?" Iroha Isshiki asked with a smile when she saw Aimi suddenly become so happy.
"Mm!" Aimi Izumi nodded vigorously, then quickly began typing a reply to Kotomi.
Aimi Izumi: [Wuwuwu... Onee-chan, I thought you found me annoying and stopped talking to me.]
[Stupid LINE actually delayed showing the messages I sent you.]
[A gift? As long as you come back early, Onee-chan, that's the best gift for me~]
Lying in Yui Yuigahama's arms, Kotomi received Aimi's message. Instead of opening her phone immediately, she lifted her little head and said to Yui:
"Yui, how about we play hide-and-seek?"
"Sure!" Yui nodded. "Who's going to be it?"
"You be it. I'll hide. You have to find me, okay?" Kotomi smiled.
"Mm-hmm!"
"Then close your eyes now and count down from twenty."
"Okay. Twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen, sixteen..."
After speaking, Yui obediently closed her eyes and began counting down as Kotomi had said.
Kotomi Izumi had no intention of actually playing hide-and-seek. She didn't even get up. Once Yui started counting with her eyes closed, Kotomi remained lying in her arms, took out her phone, and opened LINE.
She simply wanted to use the time Yui had her eyes closed to unlock her phone.
As for why she needed Yui to close her eyes before opening it?
One look at Kotomi's phone wallpaper would explain everything.
Her lock screen and wallpaper were both photos of Iroha Isshiki.
Kotomi knew very well that if the other girls saw it, she would have to spend time explaining herself again. As for the explanation, she had long since prepared one in her mind.
Iroha Isshiki is my little sister's best friend, so I also see her as my own little sister. What's wrong with using my little sister's photo as my phone wallpaper?!
Although she had prepared this line long ago, after silently reciting it in her mind, she felt something about it was slightly off. It didn't sound perfect. She wanted to revise it, yet didn't know how.
She thought of several other explanations, but none felt satisfactory.
So... she stopped thinking about it. Too lazy. Whatever.
Just now, when she had been about to open her phone in Yui's arms, she suddenly remembered the wallpaper issue again. But Kotomi's brain worked quickly.
If she couldn't think of a good explanation, then she just wouldn't let Yui see it.
How could she reasonably make Yui close her eyes?
Simple. Pretend to play hide-and-seek and make Yui be it.
I'm such a genius...
Kotomi narcissistically praised herself in her heart as she opened Aimi's message and began typing a reply.
Right at that moment, Yui finished counting. She opened her eyes and found that Kotomi hadn't hidden at all. Instead, she was still lazily lying in her arms, playing with her phone. Yui looked confused. Hadn't Kotomi said they were going to play hide-and-seek?
"Kotomi, why aren't you hiding?" Yui asked curiously.
"When you started counting, I thought about getting up and finding a place to hide. But lying in your arms is just too comfortable. I didn't want to move at all, let alone stand up and hide."
As she said this, Kotomi pouted and lightly bit Yui's arm, complaining:
"Yui, it's all your fault! Who told your arms to be so comfortable that I don't even want to move? I win this round of hide-and-seek! Hmph!"
With just that bit of spoiled behavior, Yui's entire heart nearly melted. Who cared about winning or losing anymore? She wrapped her arms around Kotomi and said dotingly:
"I didn't see anything. Mmm~ Kotomi, where are you? I give up."
Pfft—
Kotomi burst out laughing at Yui's reaction and said cheerfully:
"Silly dumpling, I'm hiding in your arms."
Only then did Yui act as if she had just found Kotomi. Her eyes lit up, and she hugged her even tighter.
"Hehehe, so you were here~ You hide so well. I concede completely."
"Hmph hmph. I won this round, you lost. You have to agree to one request from me unconditionally," Kotomi huffed proudly.
"Okay."
Yui nodded without hesitation, not even asking what the request would be.
To Yui Yuigahama, as long as it was Kotomi's request—whether one, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred million, or infinite—she would do her utmost to fulfill it.
"Very good, very obedient. But I haven't thought of what I want yet. I'll tell you after I decide, okay?"
"Okay~"
The little goofball Yui nodded. Looking at Kotomi lying in her arms, a natural sense of happiness rose up and filled her entire heart.
She held Kotomi Izumi in her embrace while Kotomi lazily lay against her, continuing to type a reply to Aimi.
Yui was extremely curious about who Kotomi was messaging. But she also felt that she shouldn't pry. She worried that if she asked, Kotomi might become unhappy.
Between asking and not asking—two completely different choices—Yui found herself unable to decide.
If she asked, she feared upsetting Kotomi. If she didn't, the curiosity surging in her heart made her want to speak up again and again.
Just as Yui was struggling internally, Kotomi finished typing. She turned her head slightly to glance at Yui behind her. The corner of her lips lifted into a meaningful smile as she said lightly,
"I'm chatting with my little sister. Whenever I go on a trip, she's the one who packs my luggage personally. It's been snowing and getting colder lately, so she's worried the thick clothes she packed for me aren't warm enough. She sent me several messages on LINE asking whether I'm cold and whether I brought enough layers."
"I-I see... Kotomi, your sister really cares about you. I'm so envious. Now I finally understand what it means when people say there's no hurt without comparison. Yuka really should learn from Aimi."
"Yuka is so well-behaved. Every time she calls me Little Penguin Onee-chan, I feel completely healed. Let me tell you, I've already long considered Yuka my daugh—cough, I mean, my real little sister to spoil. If you talk about Yuka like that, even if you're her biological sister, I'll be upset."
Kotomi said this in a mock fierce tone, acting adorably aggressive.
"She's not that well-behaved. You haven't seen her when she's being naughty. It's a real headache," Yui said modestly.
Though she said that, when she heard Kotomi say she already treated Yuka like a real little sister, Yui couldn't help feeling happy inside. So happy that she didn't even notice Kotomi's slip of the tongue.
After learning that Kotomi was messaging Aimi, Yui quietly let out a breath of relief. The curiosity from earlier gradually faded. She wrapped her arms around Kotomi and gently closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth.
While Kotomi and Yui were being affectionate, Yukino Yukinoshita had been pretending to look out the window as if admiring the scenery. But in truth, both her eyes and ears were fixed on Kotomi and Yui the entire time.
Even though she kept telling herself in her heart, Kotomi and Yui are mutually in love. They're a legitimate couple. What right do I have to listen to their conversation or watch them like this?
The more she told herself that, the more she paid attention to what they were doing and saying.
The more she listened, the more she watched, the more bitter her heart became. In less than an hour, how many lemons had she swallowed in her heart? She had long since lost count.
Yukino used to love the taste of lemons.
She rarely drank sweet beverages, nor did she like the colorful milk teas and fancy drinks that other high school girls enjoyed. But sometimes she would buy a cup of lemonade from a shop. She didn't know how they made it, but she loved that sweet-and-sour flavor. Every time she finished a cup, she felt refreshed and satisfied.
Before this moment, if someone asked Yukino Yukinoshita to name a fruit she liked, she might have immediately answered: lemon.
But at this moment—and from this moment onward—if someone asked her to name a fruit she hated, she might say:
"Lemon."
Yukino had thought Kotomi and Yui were already being intimate enough.
What she didn't know was that this was merely the most ordinary display of affection the two of them could think of.
If Yukino weren't here right now, Kotomi, lying in Yui's arms, would have already turned her head and kissed Yui. And Yui's hands certainly wouldn't be behaving as properly as they were now.
Looking at Kotomi and Yui, Yukino wondered how she should describe her current feelings.
It was like...
One lemon after another being pushed into a juicer. The rapidly spinning blades mercilessly shredded the whole lemons into pulp, squeezing out their sour juice. And in the end, the crushed remains were dumped into the trash.
Kotomi, you are the juice that makes me feel happiness. But when you're with Yui, to me you're like the flashing, rapidly spinning blades inside that juicer, cruelly shredding my heart into lemon pulp.
Yukino gave a bitter smile in her heart. It was as though she were speaking to Kotomi, or to Yui—or perhaps to herself.
They remained in the room until noon before the three of them finally left to get lunch.
Earlier, they had briefly discussed where to eat. In the end, they decided to dine at the hotel.
If Harugamo Inn's restaurant weren't limited to hotel guests only, with the chefs' culinary skills, the inn's main attraction might gradually shift from its hot springs to its restaurant.
In the future, some guests might come specifically for the food rather than the baths.
Almost everyone who tasted the restaurant for the first time was amazed.
"Alright, my stomach's already growling. In a moment, I can feast properly on Harugamo Inn's restaurant food," Kotomi said excitedly, rubbing her stomach.
When she had watched the promotional video for Harugamo Inn earlier, what attracted her most was the restaurant—not the hot springs.
"I asked you half an hour ago if you wanted to go eat, but you insisted on lying lazily in Yui's arms and refused to move. Now your stomach's growling," Yukino said.
"Eating while hungry makes everything taste better. For example, if you eat the same dish when you're starving, you'll think it's unbelievably delicious—like you've never tasted anything so good in your life. But if you're not very hungry, it might feel ordinary. I stayed in the room longer on purpose to make myself hungrier."
Kotomi spoke confidently.
In truth, the real reason was that she was afraid of running into Ayani Kika on the way to the restaurant and triggering a "Three Kingdoms"-level battlefield. So she deliberately waited half an hour to stagger their timing.
Just then, Saori Funamoto happened to pass by, covering half her face and limping slightly. It made one curious what kind of "loving education" her mother had just given her.
After being beaten by one's mother, upon seeing acquaintances, a normal person would probably find an excuse to leave quickly, too embarrassed to linger for even a second.
But Saori Funamoto was different.
When she saw Kotomi Izumi, not only did she fail to greet them and leave, she instead limped over while covering her swollen cheek, greeting them familiarly with a smile.
"Miss Izumi, are you heading to the restaurant? Let's go together~"
Her speech was slightly slurred, making one worry whether she had lost a few teeth.
"We can, but... are you really okay? Don't you need to apply some medicine and lie down to rest?" Kotomi asked with a helpless smile, still showing concern.
Saori covered her swollen cheek with one hand and waved casually with the other as if nothing were wrong.
"It's fine, it's fine. Thank you for your concern, Miss Izumi. I've been beaten by my mom since I was little. I don't even know how many rolling pins she's broken on me. My passive defense stat is already maxed out."
There was even a hint of pride in her tone.
"Impressive."
After thinking it over, Kotomi felt those two words suited Saori best.
Just as they were about to reach the restaurant entrance, Saori suddenly asked,
"By the way, Miss Izumi, are you interested in geisha?"
"Geisha? I'm... somewhat interested."
"Then you're very lucky today~"
"Huh?" Kotomi looked puzzled.
With a bit of proud enthusiasm, Saori explained,
"I'm not just bragging, but Harugamo Inn's hot springs and cuisine are very famous within the geisha circle. Whenever they have time off, they choose to vacation here and let the hot springs heal their fatigue.
Today, five geisha are staying here for a vacation. Three of them are very famous. Thankfully, they didn't come wearing full geisha makeup. Otherwise, the entire inn would be surrounded.
Geisha makeup is very deceptive. Once they remove it, it's hard to imagine it's the same person. They're beautiful both ways, but the aura is completely different.
For example, one of the five geisha who came today—after removing her makeup, she's an absolute beauty. Like someone who stepped out of a painting. Even a great beauty like me has to avoid her edge.
I originally wanted to ask those five geisha for a photo together, but I was stuck in my room getting beaten by my mom earlier. By the time I finished and went to the lounge, three of them had already left. Honestly, why leave in such a hurry? After soaking in the hot springs, enjoying a comfortable meal is the perfect combination."
At this point, Saori sighed in disappointment.
The only geisha Kotomi knew was Ayani Kika. Hearing that three had already left, Ayani Kika was probably among them.
"Oh... I see. So there are still two geisha at Harugamo Inn? I'd kind of like to meet them," Kotomi said casually with a smile.
Hearing this, Saori immediately tried to curry favor.
"That's easy. One of them is dining in the restaurant right now. You'll see her in a moment. Oh—we're here."
Standing at the restaurant entrance, Saori pointed toward a spot inside and whispered,
"See that girl sitting by the window? She's the number one oiran of Gion—Ayani Kika."
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