As Kotomi Izumi sat on her lap, much of Megumi Kato's earlier irritation instantly melted away. At the same time, she reached out and gently wrapped her arms around Kotomi's enchanting, irresistible waist.
Whenever Megumi saw Kotomi walking, the way her slender waist swayed would always make her want to reach out and hold her close.
Kotomi had many alluring qualities—her breathtaking beauty that made one willing to plunge into the flames like a moth, her full chest, her shapely, plump legs, her delicate little feet that seemed like sweet candies begging to be teased, her fair and tender skin… and of course, this waist that haunted Megumi's every thought.
"I have to stay after school for rehearsal. Since I'm working so hard, when I'm on stage, Little Megumi, you must cheer me on with all your heart~"
Leaning against Megumi Kato, Kotomi spoke in a coquettish tone, like a young bride, yet still keeping the gestures within the bounds that would make outsiders think they were simply two close girls clinging together.
"When your performance ends, I'll give you a big hug!" Megumi smiled happily, then leaned close to Kotomi's ear and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, whispered with a laugh: "And a deep kiss."
"How embarrassing~"
What Kotomi said wasn't only to ask Megumi to cheer her on, but mainly to let Megumi know what she had been doing during the last class, and that she would be staying after school to rehearse.
Last time, when she went to karaoke with Yui Yuigahama without telling Megumi, it led to Megumi blackening, killing Kotomi, and then committing suicide in front of her. Even now, recalling it left Kotomi shaken.
People die when they are killed. If not for Kazumi successfully activating Soul Retention at the last moment, preserving their souls and using time reversal to resurrect them, then when Megumi's parents came home to see two corpses brutally slain in the bedroom…
The grief of that scene, Kotomi couldn't imagine. Nor could she imagine what her father, mother, and younger sister would feel upon seeing her body. Would they collapse in despair?
Being able to revive was truly fortunate… Since resurrection, Kotomi had always thought this way.
But their revival came at the price of Kazumi falling into a deep slumber, with no telling when she might awaken. Every time Kotomi thought of Kazumi still asleep, her heart ached as though pierced by a thorn.
Cherishing this second chance at life, Kotomi was extremely cautious, doing everything she could to avoid any situation that might lead to Megumi's blackening.
The gentler Little Megumi usually was, the more terrifying she became when she blackened.
Hearing Kotomi's words, Megumi's expression finally softened completely. She hugged Kotomi close, gently inhaling her fragrance.
At that moment, Megumi felt she was the happiest woman in the world.
Sitting behind them, Mashiro Shiina silently watched, her face expressionless, as she idly scraped her fingernail across her sketchbook.
Although Kotomi and Megumi had spoken quietly, so that only they should have heard, they had underestimated Mashiro's hearing.
Sitting alone behind them, Mashiro had heard every single word, clear and complete.
Their sweet words of love sounded to Mashiro like the most piercing noise.
Rip—
With a faint tearing sound, the paper of her sketchbook split under Mashiro's fingernail.
Her nails weren't long, but the paper could not withstand constant scraping.
"..."
Mashiro lowered her gaze, her emotionless eyes glancing at the torn page. On it was a sketch—of Kotomi and Megumi, leaning against each other just as they were now.
"If the paper is ruined, it must be torn out and replaced with a new one…"
She murmured softly to herself, then tore the page from her sketchbook with rough hands, shredding it into pieces.
Rising, she walked to the trash can and threw the fragments inside.
At all times, shredding into fragments was the most efficient way to clear and put away…
After discarding the scraps, a faint smile finally returned to Mashiro Shiina's face.
...
Afternoon.
Before the last class, which was self-study—
"I remember that at Sobu High School, during parent-teacher meetings, students don't have to come to school. So… that means tomorrow morning we don't need to wake up early!"
For tomorrow's parent-teacher meeting, the students who had done well on exams were happy, while those who had performed poorly felt uneasy, only able to pray that the teacher would say more good things in front of their parents.
Kotomi, however, immediately remembered that during tomorrow morning's meeting, students didn't have to attend.
She could sleep in comfortably tomorrow morning~ She only had to come to school at two in the afternoon. And even then, the two afternoon classes for Class 1-F were both self-study.
Self-study?
For Kotomi, self-study classes were meant for playing on her phone and napping.
She had already decided which movies she was going to secretly watch on her phone during today's and tomorrow's self-study periods.
After realizing she wouldn't need to wake up early tomorrow, Kotomi quickly opened Line and sent a message to Kiyoko Matsumatsu.
Kotomi Izumi: [Tomorrow is the parent-teacher meeting. Students don't have to come, right?]
Kiyoko Matsumatsu: [Yes! Tonight~ see you on Steam!]
Kotomi Izumi: [No problem!]
Kiyoko Matsumatsu: [Ah! The discipline director came to our class to confiscate phones again! This is already the third time today!]
Yui Yuigahama said with a relaxed expression:
"In the past, after exams, when it was time for the parent-teacher meeting, I always tried my best not to tell Mom. Of course, Mom would still get the notice from the teacher, and when she realized I hadn't told her, she'd scold me even more fiercely…
But this time, my grades have improved again, so I don't have to worry about hiding the parent-teacher meeting from Mom. I even hope she'll come to school earlier tomorrow~
This is the first time I can proudly let Mom attend the post-exam parent-teacher meeting! And it's all thanks to Kotomi!"
Yui said proudly, her every word tied back to Kotomi.
"Keep working hard."
Kotomi nodded with satisfaction, speaking little, like a mother who wasn't good with words, earnestly praising a daughter who had made progress in her studies, but still worried that too much praise might make her proud and complacent.
It wasn't that Kotomi was really not good with words—if she wasn't, then no one in the world could be said to be good at speaking.
It was just that, at that moment, most of her attention was caught in her thoughts. After hearing Yui's words, Kotomi couldn't help but imagine Mrs. Yuigahama, usually gentle and playful, scolding Yui fiercely.
As the thought crossed her mind, the corners of Kotomi's lips curled into a sweet smile.
—
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