Kotomi Izumi remembered that she had come in the morning, and now, after several hours had passed, it was already noon.
The rain outside was still falling, though compared to earlier, it had weakened considerably. It seemed likely that it would clear up before long.
Even though it was already close to winter, the rain still behaved as it did in summer—coming quickly and leaving just as fast.
Especially when you step out and it suddenly begins to rain. Thinking the house isn't far, you run back to grab an umbrella, only to find that once you've fetched it, the rain has already stopped, and the sky has turned bright again.
That feeling was like wanting to ask the rain, "I've already got my umbrella, can't you show me some respect and rain just a little longer?"
While Kotomi Izumi was still half-asleep, not yet fully awake, she felt a small hand gently stroking her cheek.
She opened her drowsy eyes. She hadn't really fallen asleep earlier—just too exhausted, so she'd kept her eyes closed to rest. She wasn't even sure whether she had truly slept or not. In her perception, she hadn't. Even now, though she felt utterly drained, she hadn't fallen asleep.
As her eyes slowly opened, she saw Yui Yuigahama, who had already woken up. The blanket was draped over them, covering just enough. The dango lay beside Kotomi, one hand propped under her cheek, and the other softly caressing Kotomi's face—lightly, bit by bit.
When she saw Kotomi open her eyes, Yui's face flushed red, and she shyly asked in a careful, bashful tone:
"Kotomi, aren't you going to rest a bit longer?"
Hearing that, Kotomi gave her a slightly exasperated, teasing look, her tone carrying a touch of mock grievance.
"Oh~ now you know how to worry about me? A few hours ago, you didn't seem to care about how tired I was, or try to go easy on me!"
Thinking back to a few hours earlier, Kotomi couldn't help but feel a little emotional. She had originally thought that the usually obedient, timid, and silly Yui would make her the obvious 1000% top in their relationship.
So Kotomi had taken the initiative and kissed her first.
But less than three minutes after the kiss began, Yui had turned into a little tiger tasting meat for the first time. Within just a few breaths, she had completely overpowered Kotomi. The once-dominant Kotomi had no choice but to go from bold confidence to tearful surrender, and then to being held down so completely that even if Yui had wanted to stop, she couldn't.
Though in truth, Yui had never once thought about stopping.
In the end, the one who surrendered first was Kotomi.
Now, though her whole body and spirit felt elevated, Kotomi couldn't help feeling a little frustrated—not for any serious reason, but simply because… how come she was always the bottom one? It was one thing being that way with Megumi, but even with Yui, it was the same?
Kazumi had once told her that statistically, she had a decent chance of being the top a few times. But after all this time, even if this were a gacha game like FGO, she should've pulled at least one five-star by now. Yet she still hadn't topped even once.
Being the bottom wasn't bad… no, no, she couldn't accept that! She, Kotomi Izumi, had at least an eighty percent probability of being the top! If she admitted defeat and accepted being the bottom, that would mean she'd truly lost!
Kotomi mentally cheered herself on.
At the same time, she couldn't help grumbling inwardly. She had always thought that the silly, harmless-looking Yui was a total herbivore—but only after being completely overwhelmed a few hours ago did Kotomi realize the truth: Yui was a full-on carnivore!
She had thought Yui was the gentle type, but her one little initiative had instead awakened the deepest, most primal instincts inside Yui Yuigahama.
The problem was—Yui didn't actually know what she was doing! Who knew what kind of "little manga" she had been reading, but clearly her "skills" were completely unpolished. Kotomi had planned to take things slow and teach her step by step, but Yui never even gave her the chance, diving in headfirst with reckless energy.
Yui herself ended up fully satisfied, while poor Kotomi had nearly passed out several times.
Of course, her outward annoyance was mostly for show—inside, she was thoroughly delighted.
With her slight M tendencies, Kotomi Izumi was actually very satisfied.
But Yui Yuigahama didn't know that. She thought she had genuinely upset Kotomi, so she quickly apologized.
"Um, Kotomi, I'll be more careful next time! I'll never make you so tired again!"
"Hmm~ we'll see how you perform next time," Kotomi replied with a little proud huff. In truth, she hadn't taken it to heart at all. If anything, she'd wanted to praise Yui—Good job!
Kotomi Izumi's gaze fell upon the two faint crimson marks on the bedsheet.
Kotomi had "taken" the most precious thing from Yui Yuigahama.
And in turn, Yui had "taken" the most precious thing from Kotomi Izumi.
Both of their eyes lingered on that small trace of red, and when they finally looked up at each other, their cheeks were flushed as they shared a shy, knowing smile.
Kotomi reached out and gently took Yui's small hand, bringing it to her lips and pressing a soft kiss onto it.
"I just gave you everything I have," she whispered. "That was the most precious thing in a girl's life—especially for someone like me, who loves with all her heart. You won't find another girl like me even if you search with a lantern."
With that, Kotomi lay down in Yui's embrace, giving her a playful pinch as she murmured softly, "You have to take responsibility for me now… otherwise, I'll die right here."
"Mm!"
Yui, in her usual silly and honest way, hugged Kotomi tightly, nodding hard in response.
Not only did she nod—her trembling voice, caught between excitement and nervousness, came out broken and uneven, but filled with pure sincerity from the deepest part of her heart.
Yui's heart wasn't big, but she gave all of it to Kotomi.
"I also gave my most precious thing to you, Kotomi… It's hard to describe the feeling—it's like it could take three days and nights to put into words. But there's one thing I know for sure: I'm so happy right now! To have met you, to have fallen in love with you, to have given you my most precious self, and to be holding you like this now… I'm so, so lucky!"
Her voice trembled slightly with emotion, but her eyes didn't waver for even a second. She wanted to pour all of her feelings into Kotomi—every ounce of love and devotion she had.
"K-Kotomi… I know what I'm about to say might sound unrealistic, but… I… I want to marry you…"
Before Yui could even finish, Kotomi gently pressed a finger against her lips.
Kotomi's eyes were soft, her gaze filled with warmth. The faint curve of her lips carried an alluring yet tender smile—one that anyone would want to protect for the rest of their life.
"Shh…" Kotomi whispered softly. "It's still a little too early for that."
Yui's light peach-colored hair fanned out across the pillow. Her eyes were slightly swollen and red, and she held Kotomi tightly in her arms, praying that Kotomi would never leave her side—that they could become a family.
"Kotomi, I…"
"But," Kotomi said again, her voice calm yet full of emotion, "I'm looking forward to that day—the day when my ring finger will no longer be bare… but instead, carry a bond that I'll cherish forever."
Yui Yuigahama gently took Kotomi Izumi's hand and said earnestly:
"No problem."
Just three simple words, yet they carried the full weight of Yui's sincerity.
Kotomi leaned in and mua—kissed Yui softly on the cheek.
Yui's face instantly turned bright red again, her bashful expression making it almost impossible to connect her to the fierce, carnivorous little tiger she had been just a few hours earlier.
"I-It's almost noon now. Let me make you lunch," Yui said, still blushing furiously.
She tried to get up from the bed, but before she could even straighten her back, she suddenly let out a small "hiss" of pain, her legs giving way as she collapsed back onto the mattress.
Seeing Yui's reaction, Kotomi couldn't help but smile knowingly. It was perfectly normal—though Yui had been as wild as a little tiger discovering meat for the first time, it was still her first time, and her body was now in an understandably weakened state.
Maybe not to the extent of those romance novels where the heroine had to stay in bed for a week afterward—but at the very least, Yui shouldn't be moving much today. Resting was the best option.
Kotomi, thanks to her Queen of All Females constitution, wasn't as weak as an ordinary girl would be, though she still felt a strange lightness throughout her body.
In any case, cooking was no problem.
So Kotomi reached out, gently pressing down on Yui's shoulder as she said with a soft laugh:
"Just rest for a bit. I'll make lunch today."
"Eh? But Kotomi, aren't you tired too? Maybe we should wait until Mom wakes up and let her cook instead," Yui said worriedly. Since they were both girls, she knew Kotomi's body must also be exhausted right now.
Kotomi shook her head—whether she simply wanted to show off her cooking skills or take care of Mrs. Yuigahama as well, even she wasn't sure.
"It's fine, I'm feeling pretty energetic. Besides, Yuka's been saying she wants to eat curry omelet rice, so now that I'm here, I might as well make it for her."
Hearing Kotomi's words, Yui stopped insisting. She was happy that Kotomi cared so much about her little sister, though at the same time, her heart ached a little. Kotomi must still be tired, yet here she was trying to cook for everyone. If only Yui hadn't burned through all her energy earlier…
"Kotomi, you don't have to spoil Yuka so much," Yui said softly. "If you keep pampering her, she'll get too used to it."
Kotomi just smiled. "It's fine. Once I knew she wanted curry omelet rice, I looked it up on YouTube. It's not that hard once you get the hang of it—it's one of those dishes that just looks so appetizing. I'll borrow the kitchen for a bit. Are there curry cubes and eggs in the fridge? Oh, and if there's some ground beef, that'd be even better."
"All those should be in the fridge. Do you need me to help? I can chop some vegetables…"
"No need, you just rest here. I'll handle everything. When it's done, should I bring your portion up to you?"
"I can come down to eat!" Yui quickly shook her head. There was no way she'd let Kotomi cook and bring her food upstairs afterward.
Yui had originally planned to cook for Kotomi herself—to take care of her properly—but in the end, she had burned through all her strength. Forget cooking, she wasn't even sure she could stand steadily right now.
And now, it was Kotomi who had to take care of her instead…
The thought made Yui's cheeks flush with embarrassment.
She had always been the one looking after Kotomi, so being doted on like this left her feeling unaccustomed—almost flustered by the unexpected pampering.
Kotomi lay on the bed for a few more minutes, then took a deep breath and hopped down onto the tatami floor. She spent a while searching for her scattered clothes, wondering where they'd all been tossed.
After finally gathering everything, Kotomi tried to walk out casually, pretending as if nothing was wrong. But after only a few steps, she felt her feet sink softly into the floor, as though she were stepping on clouds. Still, she bit her lip and forced herself to walk steadily, as if perfectly fine, out of Yui's bedroom.
Once Kotomi left, Yui turned over on the bed, shifting to the spot where Kotomi had just been lying.
Thinking back on everything that had happened over the past few hours, she reached out with her finger and began tracing faint shapes on the place where Kotomi's body had rested—stroke by stroke, as though writing something unseen.
After finishing, Yui Yuigahama glanced at the faint marks she had drawn with her finger on the bedsheet. Her cheeks flushed red, and she let out a shy little laugh.
In the spot where Kotomi Izumi had been lying, Yui had written two words—"Wife."
...
As soon as Kotomi stepped outside the room and closed the door behind her, she immediately leaned against the wall, exhaling deeply.
Even with her Queen of All Females constitution, she was still utterly exhausted. Yui really didn't know how to go easy…
With one hand braced against the wall, Kotomi slowly made her way step by step toward the stairs, then down to the first floor, and finally to the kitchen.
When she arrived, she didn't start cooking right away. Instead, she pulled out a chair and sat down to rest for a moment.
Ten minutes later.
Once her special constitution had mostly restored her strength, Kotomi finally stood up, opened the refrigerator, and began preparing lunch.
"Even though Yuka doesn't like onions, curry omelet rice just isn't complete without them. And without onions, the curry won't be right either. Yui was right—I really shouldn't spoil Yuka too much. If I want her to stop being picky, I should start with the onions."
After taking out the eggs, curry cubes, and minced beef, Kotomi also grabbed a white onion from the vegetable basket beside the fridge.
Having been to the Yuigahama household so many times—and cooked there plenty as well—Kotomi was now just as familiar with the kitchen as Yui or even Tomoka.
She placed the onion on the cutting board, ready to slice it into thin strips.
Just then, Mrs. Yuigahama woke up. She pushed open her bedroom door and, out of habit, headed to the kitchen to get a glass of warm water—only to find Kotomi Izumi standing there, wearing an apron and holding a kitchen knife, chopping vegetables.
"Eh?"
Tomoka Yuigahama blinked in disbelief, rubbing her eyes. For a second, she thought she must still be dreaming. When had Kotomi gotten here?
"Morning… haha, well, I guess it's already noon now. Good afternoon, Aunt Tomoka," Kotomi said with a gentle smile, setting down the knife for a moment.
"Kotomi? When did you get here?"
Tomoka still felt half-asleep. She was sure Kotomi hadn't mentioned visiting today. Flustered, she quickly ran a hand through her hair. She'd taken a bath last night but had gone to bed without drying it completely.
What's going on? Why does this feel like that moment when someone you like suddenly shows up at your house, and you've just woken up—without makeup, with messy hair, and completely unprepared? she thought to herself, feeling her cheeks grow warm as embarrassment spread through her chest.
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven