Yui Yuigahama looked at Yuyu Izumi in astonishment. Although she had already learned from Kotomi yesterday what Yuyu had done to Kobayakawa Tomoyo, hearing Yuyu admit it in person still left her deeply shocked.
Yuyu Izumi, on the other hand, felt somewhat puzzled. She had more or less guessed that when Kotomi left alone yesterday, she must have made up some excuse using her as the reason, and now she had helped cover for that lie.
Still, Yuyu couldn't help but feel curious—what kind of excuse had her sister come up with?
Since I admitted it, Yui-nee has been looking at me like she's completely shocked... seriously, what kind of ridiculous story did my sister make up about me? It definitely can't be anything good. No one understands that annoying sister of mine better than I do... Yuyu Izumi thought to herself.
Yui Yuigahama wanted to say a few words to lecture Yuyu, but she didn't know how to begin. She had originally thought she could use her experience from teaching Yuka, but only now did she realize that the two situations were completely different. Teaching a younger sister and guiding a young girl were entirely different things—there was nothing she could draw from!
"Huh? Yui, why is Yukino standing outside? Are you here to welcome me?"
Kotomi Izumi, who had just gotten out of a taxi, spotted Yui Yuigahama and the others not far away and walked over with a smile to greet them.
"Kotomi, why are you only coming back now?"
Upon seeing Kotomi Izumi, Yui Yuigahama quickly walked up to her and asked, her voice filled with the worry and slight resentment of a girlfriend. Kotomi had been gone for an entire day. Even though she had received a few messages from her, Yui still couldn't help but feel uneasy.
If possible, she wished she could cling to Kotomi forever.
Perhaps this, too, was a form of dependence.
Ever since becoming Kotomi Izumi's girlfriend, Yui Yuigahama had felt an urge to stick by her side at all times. There were even moments when she clearly sensed that, in order to achieve that, she might do something extremely bloody and frightening...
Kotomi Izumi was just about to say the excuse she had prepared in advance when the corner of her eye caught sight of Yuyu standing nearby. The corners of her mouth twitched.
Why is this brat here...?
Normally it wouldn't be a problem, but she had just used Yuyu yesterday as part of her fabricated story. Given Yui's personality, she would definitely ask Yuyu whether it hurt when she got beaten yesterday. But since Yuyu hadn't been beaten at all, if she asked in confusion, the lie Kotomi had constructed would collapse instantly...
Thinking of this, Kotomi Izumi suddenly hesitated over whether she should say the excuse she had prepared.
What if Yui had already found out from Yuyu that she was lying and was only pretending not to know? If she kept lying now, wouldn't that just make things worse?
Even though Yui wouldn't go yandere like Megumi Kato and pull out a knife, she would definitely keep it bottled up and feel hurt on her own.
Sensing her sister's gaze, Yuyu immediately understood and raised her head, returning a look that said, "Sis, don't worry. I didn't expose your lie."
Having grown up together, Kotomi and Yuyu could read each other's expressions at a glance.
Good little sister!
Kotomi Izumi gave Yuyu a mental thumbs-up, her internal nickname for her instantly changing from "that brat" to "good little sister."
After all, the title "good little sister" had originally belonged exclusively to Aimi...
In any case, after confirming from Yuyu that she hadn't "leaked" anything, Kotomi Izumi silently let out a sigh of relief before delivering the excuse she had prepared:
"Sorry, sorry. That silly Yuyu cried all the way until three in the morning last night. I stayed up with her comforting her the whole time. Haah—Even after catching up on some sleep, I'm still so tired."
???
A string of question marks seemed to pop up above Yuyu Izumi's head. Even though she had helped cover for Kotomi, she still had no idea what kind of excuse her sister had made. Why was she now saying that she had cried until three in the morning?
Three in the morning?
At that time, she had either been sleeping soundly or secretly watching shows on her phone under the blanket!
Putting Yuyu's reaction aside.
After finishing her line, Kotomi Izumi even yawned as if fully committing to the act, then smoothly changed the topic:
"Anyway, let's not talk about that. This young lady looks unfamiliar. What's your name? Are you Yuyu's friend?"
Kotomi Izumi walked over to Kobayakawa Tomoyo with a gentle smile. Although Tomoyo wasn't exactly her type, it didn't stop her from recognizing her as a beautiful girl. For some reason, seeing her reminded Kotomi of Tomoyo from Cardcaptor Sakura.
Kobayakawa Tomoyo, who had been unconsciously captivated by Kotomi's beauty from the very first glance, finally snapped back to her senses. Realizing her earlier lapse, she quickly said:
"H-hello, big sister! I'm Yuyu's friend, Kobayakawa Tomoyo. Nice to meet you. I've often heard Yuyu mention you—she said she has the most beautiful cousin in the world. At first, I thought she was exaggerating on purpose, but now that I've seen you in person, I understand she wasn't exaggerating at all—she was just stating the truth!"
"Thank you for the compliment. You're very pretty too~"
Kotomi Izumi's smile deepened, and her impression of Tomoyo instantly improved several times over. Even though she had heard countless compliments about her appearance since childhood, it still made her happy every time she heard them.
"By the way, Yuyu, do you always take this route home? From your school, there should be a shorter way back, right?"
As she spoke, Kotomi Izumi reached out and pinched Yuyu's cheeks.
"You little brat, are you taking a detour somewhere to secretly play?"
"As if I'm like you..." Yuyu Izumi replied meaningfully before continuing, "School ended early today, so I wanted to go have lunch at a pizza place with Tomoyo."
"Oh? Is that so? Do you have enough money? If not, I'll give you some."
As she spoke, Kotomi Izumi took out her wallet. She had already realized that if not for Yuyu helping just now, her fabricated story might have fallen apart on the spot.
Hearing that they planned to go eat pizza, Kotomi decided to treat Yuyu as a silent way of expressing her thanks.
This was also a long-standing unspoken understanding between the two sisters. Whether they wanted to make up after an argument or express gratitude, they rarely said it directly—instead, they would treat each other to food.
More precisely, it hadn't always been meals. It started with treating each other to ice cream or candy, and gradually turned into treating each other to full meals.
Getting back on topic, although Kotomi Izumi intended to treat Yuyu to a meal as a way of expressing her gratitude, she also didn't forget to consider the delicate, sensitive thoughts that her younger cousin might have upon entering adolescence.
After all, she had gone through middle school herself. Kotomi understood that boys and girls at that stage were in the peak of their adolescence. At that time, they preferred being with their friends, and if they had something on their mind, they were more inclined to talk about it with friends.
It wasn't that they didn't want to spend time with family, nor that they didn't want to confide in them—it was just that they felt embarrassed and didn't know how to begin. For those with stronger adolescent tendencies, even simply staying with family could make them feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Kotomi Izumi knew very well that, as Yuyu's family member, even though they had grown up together, Yuyu might still subconsciously view her as an elder now that she was in her teenage years.
Yuyu wanting to go to a pizza place with Kobayakawa Tomoyo was probably because she wanted to chat about friends' topics while eating pizza. If Kotomi went along, the two of them would inevitably feel restrained.
That was why Kotomi directly asked whether she had enough money, intending to simply give her some instead of going along and paying for everything herself.
Although Kotomi Izumi usually appeared a bit mischievous and unreliable, like a cheeky witch, she was actually very thoughtful and considerate of others' feelings.
But Kotomi Izumi forgot one thing, and that was...
"Huh? Sis, you're not coming with us? When I saw you just now, I was already thinking of dragging you—and Yui-nee... I mean, Yui, and Yukino—along to the pizza place. That way we can order as much as we want, since you'll be the one paying in the end!"
Yuyu Izumi said smugly, as if she had already planned it all out.
That's right. Kotomi Izumi forgot one crucial point—Yuyu Izumi's thoughts were nothing like those of a normal teenage girl!
What delicate, sensitive adolescent feelings did she have? What desire to be alone with a friend and chat?
Maybe when she first invited Kobayakawa Tomoyo to go eat pizza, she did have a bit of intention to chat and open up.
But the moment she saw her sister, all thoughts of chatting or bonding with Tomoyo instantly vanished. In Yuyu's eyes, there would always be time later to talk with Tomoyo, but an opportunity to have her sister treat her to a meal—once missed, who knew how long it would be before it came again?
Sis treating us to a meal!? If I miss such a great chance, I'll write my name backwards! Even if I have to tie her up, I'll drag her to that pizza place today! Yuyu Izumi thought with burning determination.
Seeing Yuyu's expression as if she were about to drag her to the pizza place by force, Kotomi Izumi twitched her lips and sighed inwardly: I knew it—I can't treat this brat like a normal teenage girl! What delicate, sensitive thoughts? Right now, all she's thinking about is how to drag me to the pizza place and order a bunch of expensive dishes for me to pay for!
Kotomi Izumi ignored Yuyu and instead turned to Kobayakawa Tomoyo with a smile. "Is that alright? If we all go together, we won't be interrupting you and Yuyu, will we?"
As the saying goes, the older the ginger, the spicier it is. Although that phrase didn't quite suit Kotomi, at least when it came to relationships, this little playgirl who juggled multiple relationships had far more experience and tricks up her sleeve than Yuyu Izumi and Kobayakawa Tomoyo, who had never been in a relationship.
From the brief glance Tomoyo gave Yuyu earlier, Kotomi had already seen through the small feelings hidden in Tomoyo's heart.
A hint of uncertainty mixed with youthful innocence, along with a trace of timid confusion.
That was exactly the kind of gaze and mindset a girl would have when she first developed feelings for someone.
Such a look was something even a skilled actor couldn't fully replicate, nor could it be concealed by any means.
Because a crush is a crush.
That hazy yet sincere emotion—when one might not even be aware of it oneself—how could it possibly be hidden?
Well, well... Yesterday I just made up a story about 'Yuyu having a crush on a girl,' and now it's actually come true. The only difference is that I said 'Yuyu has a crush on a girl,' but in reality, it's 'a girl has a crush on Yuyu.' Of course, it might even be mutual. Heh... who would've thought that even this brat Yuyu could be charming to other girls...
Kotomi Izumi glanced between Yuyu and Tomoyo, teasing herself inwardly.
It was precisely because she realized this that Kotomi decided not to follow them to the pizza place. After all, this could count as their own little world for two.
Faced with Kotomi Izumi's question, Kobayakawa Tomoyo smiled openly and said:
"Of course not. Pizza tastes better when there are more people. Please come along, Sister Izumi."
"Is that so..." Kotomi Izumi said, then looked at Yui and Yukino, asking for their opinions.
"Since we happened to run into each other, let's all go eat pizza together. Right, Yukino?" Yui Yuigahama immediately understood after catching Kotomi's glance.
"I'm fine with anything." Yukino Yukinoshita nodded. She neither agreed nor objected, completely leaving it up to Kotomi.
After deciding to go eat at the pizza place together, the group didn't linger and soon headed in that direction.
While walking, Yuyu Izumi suddenly moved beside Kotomi Izumi and sharply poked her in the waist with a finger.
"Ah! You brat, what are you trying to do?" Kotomi cried out in pain and quickly stepped away from Yuyu.
Having just come from Ayani Kika's house, Kotomi's legs were still somewhat weak. Yuyu's sudden jab to her waist—without even a warning—was already something she had endured with restraint without letting out a full scream.
Yuyu Izumi stared at Kotomi with a gloomy, fish-like gaze and asked meaningfully, "I'm just a little curious—what kind of story did you make up yesterday?"
"W-what story?" Kotomi Izumi forced a smile, feeling guilty, with no mood left to argue with Yuyu.
"Don't play dumb. Yesterday you went out alone, and before leaving, you made up an excuse so that Yui-nee and Yukino wouldn't get suspicious. I don't know the exact details, but I know the main character in that story was definitely me—and it was probably nothing good!"
With a quick movement, Yuyu leapt onto Kotomi's back, wrapping her arms around her neck just like when they were younger. Leaning close to her ear, she spoke in a slightly displeased whisper.
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