If it was just a simple matter of teaching some Chinese, Kotomi Izumi was quite confident. At least from her point of view, teaching Iroha Isshiki shouldn't have been a problem at all.
However, when she actually started teaching, Kotomi realized—Iroha Isshiki learned way too slowly!
So slow that more than once, Kotomi had the urge to throw in the towel and say: "Iroha, I don't want to teach you anymore."
But now, the very same Iroha who had learned at a snail's pace back then could not only speak idioms fluently in Chinese, but even said five in a row without stopping!
If that had happened back when Kotomi was still teaching her, she would've been so touched by the sense of accomplishment that she might've cried—hugging Iroha, spinning her around, and smothering her with kisses.
But now…
When Kotomi saw the faintly mischievous smile on Iroha Isshiki's face—the kind that seemed to belong to a little devil—she suddenly realized something. Back when she was teaching Iroha, could it be… that slow learning was all just an act?!
Following that train of thought, Kotomi instantly had a flash of clarity, as if the clouds had parted and the sun finally shone through.
No wonder she had seemed so clumsy when Kotomi was teaching her—it must've been on purpose! All to drag out their lessons and spend more time together. Damn it, this little devil tricked me again… Kotomi thought to herself.
A little devil's schemes were like a freshly baked mille-feuille—it might be called "a thousand layers," but no matter how hard you tried to count, you could never tell exactly how many layers there really were. Just when you thought you had finally seen through every trick, feeling smug and confident… you'd unknowingly fall right back into another of the devil's sweet little traps.
Tricked again by that little devil—fine. I'll remember this. Kotomi mentally jotted it down in her invisible notebook, planning to one day settle the score with Iroha Isshiki.
While chatting, Megumi Kato wasn't about to be outdone. She'd been quietly searching for the perfect opportunity to pull Kotomi into her arms in front of all the girls. Even if she couldn't announce to everyone that Kotomi was her girlfriend, she at least wanted to make it clear to those girls with suspicious intentions toward Kotomi that—she was taken!
At the top of Megumi Kato's "alert list" was Arisu Sakayanagi, followed by Mashiro Shiina, and then Yui Yuigahama. Although Kotomi had once stayed at Yukino Yukinoshita's house, there wasn't solid proof of anything between them yet. So for now, Yukino was only on the "watch list," not the full alert list.
Oh, right—and there was also Aimi.
As for Aimi, Megumi didn't feel particularly threatened. After all, who would be wary of someone whose fighting power was like that of a puppy trying to chew cabbage—a silly pup who hadn't even found the right track yet but still strutted around thinking she'd already won?
If anything, every time Megumi faced Aimi's childish provocations, it was more amusing than anything else. It was like watching a kid holding a wooden stick, pretending it was Excalibur—so ridiculous that she couldn't help but laugh out loud. You couldn't seriously get mad at such a cute little fool, could you? And when you didn't take her seriously, she'd think you were afraid of her and beam with pride as if she'd just scored another victory!
At this very moment, almost everyone's attention—Yukino Yukinoshita and the others included—was focused on Kotomi. Megumi Kato felt that her chance had finally come. Right here, right now, she was going to pull Kotomi into her arms in front of everyone!
She had even considered kissing Kotomi right then and there, but worried that it might upset her, she hesitated. After some inner struggle, she decided that a simple hug would do for now.
Megumi remembered clearly—back when they'd just started dating, Kotomi had warned her: "We can only go public after our parents approve of our relationship."
Megumi understood. Kotomi had her reasons. She could act a little spoiled or assertive in private, when it was just the two of them, but in front of others, she had to follow Kotomi's wishes. Their relationship couldn't be revealed to a third person—not yet.
That secrecy had to be maintained until both of their parents accepted their love.
Megumi understood all that perfectly. She could accept it. She really could.
But… even so, it still hurt.
Just moments ago, when Kotomi had introduced her to Iroha Isshiki, she had said—"This is my… desk mate, Megumi Kato."
That single word pierced Megumi's heart like a shard of glass.
Before she met Kotomi, she might've looked like a gentle, fragile girl—but inside, she'd always been strong and rarely cried.
Now, for the first time in a long while, she felt like she was about to.
But after she started dating Kotomi, Megumi realized that her heart was gradually becoming as soft as her outward appearance. Just a single moment of Kotomi's anger could leave her tossing and turning all night, curled up under her blanket, quietly wiping away tears while trying to think of a way to make Kotomi happy again.
Megumi didn't care if anyone else scolded her—she'd grown up under her mother's strict words and heavy expectations. But the one thing she couldn't bear was seeing Kotomi angry. What terrified her most was the thought that, in a fit of anger, Kotomi might leave her for good.
Maybe because those thoughts were swirling in her mind, Megumi suddenly found that she didn't even have the courage to pull Kotomi into her arms in front of everyone. She was afraid that even a simple hug might upset her.
Her hand, which had just lifted slightly, faltered midair and slowly dropped back down. A faint, fleeting smile touched her lips as she listened quietly to Kotomi chatting with the others.
Will I someday become the kind of person who feels completely content just by watching you like this? Megumi wondered inwardly—not really asking Kotomi, but asking herself.
Kotomi's ears twitched slightly, as if she had caught some sound. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Megumi, parting her lips just a little, as though she wanted to say something.
At the school gate, after waiting another five minutes, Yui Yuigahama sighed helplessly and picked up her phone, wondering if she should send her mom a Line message. Haven't they left yet? Why are they taking so long?
"Could it be that Yuka hasn't gotten out of bed yet..." Yui laughed awkwardly, feeling embarrassed for making everyone wait with her.
Just a moment ago, Yui had said, "Maybe you guys should go ahead and check out the culture festival first. I'll wait here for my mom and my little sister, and then I'll come find you."
Kotomi, showing no intention of leaving early, chuckled softly and said, "It's fine. I'll wait here with you for Aunt Yuigahama and Yuka. Aimi, you two can go ahead and look around the festival if you'd like."
But since Kotomi stayed, of course Megumi and the others had no intention of leaving either.
So they all stood there together at the school gate, waiting for Yui's mother and Yuka Yuigahama to arrive.
After standing for quite a while, Kotomi instinctively flexed her wrists and stretched her arms.
"Penguin Onee-chan!!!"
"Yuka, don't run so fast!"
A familiar, childish voice called out, followed closely by a mature yet lively tone that Kotomi couldn't mistake for anyone else's. Just hearing it made the corners of her mouth curve up in a soft smile—she knew it was Yuka and Mrs. Yuigahama.
Aimi also looked up at that moment. That voice… wasn't it the same mother and daughter they had met earlier while lining up at the gate?
She turned toward the direction of the voices—sure enough, it was them. The little girl's legs were short, but she ran surprisingly fast, like a corgi sprinting full speed ahead.
Her mother followed behind, calling out for her not to run so quickly.
Aimi couldn't help but feel puzzled. What's going on today? It seemed like every time she came to her sister's school, her confusion doubled. Could it be that the mother and daughter she'd met earlier were connected to her sister too?
Because that little girl was clearly running straight toward her sister!
Kotomi smiled gently, knelt down, and opened her arms wide—just in time to catch Yuka as she threw herself into her embrace.
Standing beside them, Yui Yuigahama blinked in surprise. For a brief moment, she thought she might have imagined it—but when Kotomi looked at Yuka, there was a soft smile on her lips and a tenderness in her eyes that seemed to radiate a motherly warmth. It was like watching a mother greeting her own daughter.
No way… I must've seen it wrong, Yui told herself quickly. There's no way Kotomi would look at Yuka like that. She's not even her mom. What a ridiculous thought—better keep that to myself. If Mom or Kotomi found out what I was thinking, they'd both scold me for sure. She laughed nervously in her head, wondering if maybe she'd just been practicing songs too hard lately and was starting to hallucinate.
Yui Yuigahama didn't want to make her mother angry—not because she was scared of her. On the contrary, her mom's anger wasn't scary at all. She just didn't want to add to her mom's stress or worries. That's why she always tried to be understanding and well-behaved, giving her mother as few reasons as possible to get upset.
But when Kotomi got angry—that was different. Yui was genuinely afraid. It was like she turned into a completely different person, her whole aura shifting dramatically, as if the very atmosphere around her had changed.
Yuka threw herself straight into Kotomi's arms, and Kotomi, catching her perfectly, instinctively adjusted her stance and put in a bit more strength, lifting the little girl easily.
"Honestly," Kotomi said in mock sternness, "your big sister's standing right here. Where did you think I was going to run off to? Running like that—what if you fell? You can't be that hasty next time, understand?"
"Mm... I understand," Yuka replied, pursing her lips slightly. She knew she'd run too fast just now and made her mom, her sister, and "Penguin Onee-chan" worry.
Kotomi's stern expression melted away instantly. She reached out and gently tapped Yuka's nose with her finger, smiling tenderly. "Good girl. Admitting your mistake and correcting it—that's what makes you a good kid."
"Penguin Onee-chan, I missed you so much!"
Yuka hugged Kotomi's neck tightly. Though her hands were small and her arms short, the strength of that hug made Kotomi quietly marvel inside—Yuka was surprisingly strong for her size.
It hadn't been too long since she'd last held Yuka, yet when she picked her up this time, Kotomi couldn't help but notice—she felt heavier than before! That little round tummy poking out said it all.
Now she finally understood why every time the topic of cooking came up, Yui Yuigahama would smile wryly and say, "Cooking for Yuka is really hard!"
At first, Kotomi had thought Yuka was just a picky eater. But now she realized—it wasn't pickiness. Yuka's appetite had simply grown bigger.
Yui had never been particularly good at cooking. But not wanting to let her mother handle all the household work alone, she had forced herself to learn a few simple home-style dishes, which actually turned out quite decent.
After cooking together once, Kotomi could see that Yui really wasn't confident in the kitchen. Even though she'd practiced for quite a while, she still got flustered easily and occasionally ended up making something that didn't turn out well.
That wasn't a flaw—it was just human. Everyone was naturally good at some things and bad at others. Someone who excelled at everything would be called a prodigy.
And cooking just happened to be one of Yui Yuigahama's weak points.
Still, she had pushed herself to learn several dishes through sheer determination, and over time, she had gotten more familiar with cooking.
But now that Yuka's appetite had grown, she ate more at every meal—which meant more work for Yui.
Yet being able to eat well was a good thing. Seeing her little sister eat more made Yui genuinely happy, because it meant she was growing.
So every meal she cooked was a mix of exhaustion and joy. Exhaustion because preparing food for one hungry little girl was tiring—especially for someone who wasn't confident in cooking. Joy because Yuka was growing taller. That was how it was for older siblings: when the little one who used to be a tiny bean sprout started growing up before your eyes, you couldn't help but think, Will I still be able to win in a fight when she's older?
Thinking back to when they first met, Kotomi remembered how easily she could scoop Yuka up with no effort at all. Now, even though not much time had passed, she couldn't help but feel how quickly time was flying.
While holding Yuka, Kotomi introduced Aimi and Iroha Isshiki to her. The little girl, still clinging to Kotomi's neck, blinked her big, curious eyes at the two older girls.
And then Yuka immediately recognized Aimi.
"Ah! You're that careless big sister who almost lost her ticket at the school gate! So you're Penguin Onee-chan's little sister!"
After that, Yuka looked at Aimi again, then glanced at Kotomi's clearly well-developed figure—the kind that promised no future child would ever go hungry—and muttered quietly to herself:
"Maybe I should call her Careless Miss instead. Big sisters are supposed to look more like Penguin Onee-chan…"
Fortunately, Yuka's muttering was too soft for Aimi to hear.
When Megumi Kato heard Yuka mention that Aimi had almost lost her ticket, she turned to Aimi and let out a small laugh.
"Pfft~ A careless big sister who almost lost her ticket, huh? That's so you, Aimi. I actually think Yuka's nickname suits you perfectly. Maybe we should just stick with it from now on—'Careless Little Aimi.'"
"Kato Megumi, are you looking for a fight?!"
Just as the tension between Aimi and Megumi was about to erupt into an all-out confrontation, Kotomi quickly intervened, forcibly changing the subject by suggesting they all go explore the culture festival. Her timely diversion successfully extinguished the sparks of what might've turned into a full-blown quarrel.
As they were about to head off, Yuka suddenly piped up:
"Penguin Onee-chan, are you and Onee-chan going to perform on stage today?"
"That's right," Kotomi replied with a gentle smile. "You'll cheer for us from the audience, won't you?"
"Of course!" Yuka nodded enthusiastically—so hard that her little head almost bumped into Kotomi's.
Then, with an almost ceremonial seriousness, Yuka reached into her pocket and handed Kotomi a small folded piece of paper.
"Penguin Onee-chan, I wish you a smooth and successful performance! This is a gift from me—you're definitely going to like it!"
"Eh? A gift for me? Thank you! What is it?" Kotomi asked, pleasantly surprised. She hadn't expected Yuka to have prepared something for her. Whatever it was, it was clearly something Yuka had made herself, and the note probably contained words of encouragement.
If that was the case, then no matter how ordinary the paper might look, its meaning to Kotomi would be irreplaceable.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that even if someone offered her ten million dollars or Yuka's little note, Kotomi would still, without hesitation, choose the note.
Money she already had plenty of—but a note personally made and given to her by Yuka Yuigahama? That was a one-of-a-kind treasure in the whole world.
Naturally, the little paper note that Yuka gifted to Kotomi caught everyone's attention—Megumi Kato, Yukino Yukinoshita, Yui Yuigahama, Aimi Izumi, Mashiro Shiina, Iroha Isshiki, and Tomoka Yuigahama all turned their eyes toward her.
Look how thoughtful my little Yuka is! Kotomi thought warmly, her heart swelling with affection. With great care, she unfolded the note—and froze.
On the paper was... a string of numbers?
It looked suspiciously like a phone number.
At that moment, Yuka proudly lifted her chin, looking up at Kotomi with a triumphant smile, her voice filled with excitement as she declared:
"Penguin Onee-chan, that's Ms. Shiro's phone number! Remember the first time you came to pick me up from kindergarten? You said you really wanted her contact info, right? Well, I got it for you!"
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