Kotomi Izumi leaned against the wall as she walked out of the bathroom. She had gone in to take a shower to relax and clear her head, to refresh herself a little.
But who could have expected that the moment the dumpling carried her into the bathroom, she couldn't behave herself? Kotomi couldn't even resist, and ended up being held tightly in Yui Yuigahama's arms, until she was crying all over again.
Kotomi glanced toward Tomoka Yuigahama's bedroom and let out a small sigh of relief—the door was still shut. She must still be asleep.
Kotomi really didn't want Tomoka to have heard the sounds she had made in the bathroom just moments ago.
Back in the upstairs bedroom, Yui glanced at Kotomi's clothes from last night lying on the floor, then turned her gaze toward Kotomi herself—who was now taking off her borrowed pajamas and getting dressed.
Barely five minutes out of the bathroom, and Yui already felt her energy returning. She was itching to go again.
"Kotomi, let me help you get dressed!" she offered eagerly.
"Get lost! Who was it in the bathroom just now who said she'd 'help me bathe,' and then started getting all handsy the second I nodded?!" Kotomi snapped, her face turning red as she hurried past that part. "I can dress myself, thank you very much. You should focus on calming that H-filled brain of yours."
"Aw... I just thought maybe you hadn't fully recovered your strength yet. I was worried you'd have trouble dressing yourself~" Yui replied, looking pitiful.
"Heh. That's exactly what you said in the bathroom too," Kotomi said dryly.
Her cheeks were still faintly pink from earlier, and her short snow-white hair gleamed under the gentle morning sunlight filtering through the window.
Right in front of Yui, Kotomi lifted one smooth leg and began sliding on her gradient black pantyhose from her toes upward. The color slowly shifted from dark chocolate to white chocolate—only the silky texture remained unchanged.
When the pantyhose finally hugged her legs and hips snugly, Kotomi let go, and the faint snap that followed marked the beautiful meeting of fabric and skin.
Yui, who had been pretending to tidy up but was actually sneaking glances at her, swallowed hard.
Gulp.
Kotomi's graceful movements while putting on pantyhose were mesmerizing. Yui thought to herself that no matter what color or style she wore, Kotomi would always look irresistibly beautiful.
If only there were a chance to see Kotomi wearing just those fishnets...
Her imagination went too far—the image in her head too vivid—and she suddenly felt her nose grow hot.
Just then, Kotomi finished putting on her clothes and turned around. Seeing Yui, she froze for a moment, then hurriedly asked, "Yui, why are you bleeding from your nose? Tilt your head back!"
Kotomi turned away to grab tissues. She made Yui lean her head back, wiped away the remaining blood with a wet wipe, then rolled a few tissues into small cylinders and gently plugged her nostrils.
After finishing up, Kotomi sighed in relief and asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell? I turn around for one second, and suddenly you've got a nosebleed. Maybe you should skip school today. It's the last day of the cultural festival, but honestly, there's not much worth seeing."
Yui, who had been about to act spoiled, quickly shook her head at that suggestion and said bluntly, "No, I'm fine! I'm in perfect health. I just... got distracted watching you get dressed. I guess I got too absorbed and didn't realize my nose started bleeding."
She gave a sheepish grin, embarrassed by her own honesty.
Kotomi blinked, stunned for a second—then her face turned visibly red. Flustered and angry, she raised her hand and lightly smacked Yui on the head.
"You stupid dumpling! Can't you think about anything else for once? If you keep this up, I swear I won't let you touch me for an entire month—not even hold my hand!"
That threat worked like a charm.
Yui's face crumpled instantly. This time she wasn't pretending to be pitiful—she was genuinely about to cry. The thought of going a whole month without cuddling or holding Kotomi was a torment beyond imagination.
"My head's always filled with thoughts of you, Kotomi… but since you said so, I'll try to think those H things a bit less often," Yui Yuigahama said, pursing her lips.
Of course, what she meant by "a bit less often" was that instead of thinking about it every single second, she'd try to reduce it to—once every three seconds!
To go from thinking about it every second to once every three seconds… such self-restraint required unimaginable endurance.
Yui Yuigahama was truly amazing!
Kotomi Izumi glanced at Yui. She didn't quite understand what exactly Yui meant by "reducing the frequency," but seeing her sincere expression, Kotomi's heart softened. She sighed lightly and nodded, deciding to let the matter go.
After Yui finished getting dressed as well, the two of them went downstairs together. Tomoka Yuigahama still hadn't woken up yet, so Kotomi naturally put on an apron and began preparing a delicious breakfast for the Yuigahama mother and daughters.
Yui sat in a chair, watching Kotomi's graceful figure moving busily in front of the stove. Her thoughts drifted far beyond the present—she could already picture their future together after marriage: Kotomi, wearing an apron, cooking for her; herself, wrapping her arms around Kotomi from behind, watching her blush shyly as she cooked.
In her imagination, while they teased each other sweetly, their child—drawn by the aroma of food—came running into the kitchen. Seeing them together, the little one beamed and shouted happily:
"Mommy and Mama are flirting again!"
Kotomi, now a blushing wife, would immediately protest with a flustered, "We are not!"
Watching this imagined scene of Kotomi playfully arguing with their child filled Yui's heart with happiness.
Lost in that beautiful fantasy, her face glowed with joy. Kotomi, holding a plate in her hands, called her name several times—but Yui didn't respond.
"Yui, Yui, Yui…" After several tries, Kotomi sighed helplessly and reached out to tap Yui lightly on the head.
"Ow!"
Snapped out of her daze, Yui looked up to see Kotomi's slightly pouting face. Embarrassed, she gave a sheepish grin.
"Ehehe… Kotomi, what's up?"
"What were you daydreaming about just now? Honestly, I don't know what to do with you. Go get the chopsticks and bowls—breakfast's ready."
"Oh, okay!"
Yui nodded energetically and scampered off to help Kotomi set the table.
"Hehehe, waking up in the morning and getting to eat breakfast made by my girlfriend, enjoying it together like this—it's just the best!" Yui Yuigahama murmured happily.
Kotomi Izumi naturally heard her, and the corners of her lips curved into a faint smile. When she noticed her phone charging on the coffee table, she suddenly remembered—she hadn't taken it upstairs with her after her bath last night.
Thankfully, Mrs. Yuigahama had plugged it in for her.
Kotomi dried her hands, went to the living room, and picked up her phone.
The moment she turned it on, she froze—there were three missed calls from Megumi Kato. Megumi had called her last night?
Checking the timestamps, Kotomi realized that during those calls, she had been… with Yui…
A few drops of cold sweat formed on her forehead at the thought.
Since she hadn't answered Megumi's calls last night, that meant Megumi would almost certainly be waiting for her outside her house this morning.
And if Kotomi showed up late—or worse, arrived together with Yui…
Absentmindedly, Kotomi rubbed her abdomen. A faint, phantom pain shot through her stomach, instantly bringing back the memory of being stabbed to death by Megumi's knife before.
"Yui, eat without me, okay? Keep the other two portions warm—they're for Aunt Tomoka and Yuka. I need to go home for a bit," Kotomi said quickly as she untied her apron and slipped on her shoes at the entryway.
"Eh? Kotomi, wait for me! I'll go with you!"
"Stay here and finish breakfast!" Kotomi shouted as she rushed out the door.
Yui wanted to follow her, but Kotomi's tone left no room for argument. She stopped, watching helplessly as Kotomi's figure ran off into the distance.
Kotomi ran, thinking about what she should say when she saw Megumi. Megumi was probably waiting outside her house already.
Fortunately, Kotomi was quite experienced when it came to coming up with excuses for her girlfriend. As she ran, she mentally prepared her explanation.
The key point—take the initiative.
She didn't deliberately change her route either. She took her usual path—intentionally passing by Megumi's house—so that her story would sound more natural later.
While running, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bottle of perfume. She had tossed it in there by habit earlier—just a tiny bottle, easy to carry. But now, it had become her secret weapon.
Kotomi slowed her pace, spritzing herself a few times. Despite its small size, this Dior perfume was a limited-edition anniversary fragrance—a rich, concentrated scent.
The perfect balance of sweetness and depth—it stunned the senses on first contact and lingered softly, creating a lasting attachment.
When she neared her home, Kotomi saw Megumi Kato standing under the streetlight in front of her house, waiting.
Kotomi took a deep breath, steadied her breathing, then picked up her pace, making her footsteps louder on purpose.
"Megumi!!!"
Kotomi called out loudly as she ran, waving her hand.
Megumi, who had been waiting beneath the light, turned toward the sound, her eyes lighting up with joy. Seeing Kotomi running toward her, she stepped forward to greet her—but Kotomi reached her first, slipping her arms around Megumi's.
Kotomi clung to Megumi's arm tightly, resting her head against her fragrant shoulder, her expression gentle and affectionate.
"Kotomi, you're out earlier than I am today."
"Hehehe~ just taking a walk, getting used to my new shoes," Kotomi said sweetly, holding Megumi's arm while flashing an adorable smile. She even tapped her heel lightly against the ground.
Hearing that, Megumi's gaze drifted down—and upon seeing the high heels Kotomi was wearing, she remembered how fast she'd been running earlier.
"Kotomi, do you realize how amazing you just were?" Megumi said with a sigh of admiration.
"Hmm?" Kotomi tilted her head curiously.
"In all my life, I've never seen anyone run that fast in high heels before," Megumi said, genuinely impressed.
Kotomi Izumi finally realized how fast she had run earlier. Most people couldn't even manage that speed in sneakers—let alone in high heels. It seemed the Queen of All Females' enhanced balance was no exaggeration after all.
"Maybe that's what they call the power of love~" Kotomi said sweetly. "When I saw you waiting there after my walk, I just couldn't help myself—I wanted to hurry and hold you as soon as possible."
To make her story sound even more natural, Kotomi glanced down at her feet.
"It's been a while since I wore heels, and since I'm planning to wear them to the cultural festival today—and they're new shoes—I set an alarm early this morning. I wanted to wake up, pick out my outfit, and take a quick walk to get used to them."
That one phrase—"the power of love"—nearly melted Megumi Kato's heart. Whatever irritation she'd felt from Kotomi not answering her calls last night began to fade.
"I've never worn heels before. Don't they hurt?" Megumi asked with concern.
"Not really," Kotomi replied. "See? These ones aren't too high, and they're really comfortable. They fit my feet perfectly."
These high heels were custom-made for Kotomi to wear at formal events. Every detail—from the overall shape to the heel height—had been designed precisely for her feet.
Naturally, they fit her perfectly and were incredibly comfortable to wear.
Kotomi then released Megumi's arm and twirled gracefully in front of her. "Do I look good?"
"You look beautiful!" Megumi replied without hesitation, her eyes lighting up.
To her, Kotomi was always breathtaking—just as stunning as when they first met. No matter how long they had known each other, every time she saw Kotomi, that same spark of awe blossomed again.
It reminded Megumi of a line she'd once heard—If life could always be like the first meeting.
Every time she saw Kotomi, it felt like falling in love all over again.
Hearing Megumi say she looked good, Kotomi exhaled softly, a small look of relief on her face.
"That's great. I guess waking up so early wasn't for nothing—I got up at five just to pick the right outfit." She stretched and stifled a small yawn. "Even though I went to bed around nine last night, waking up at five is still a bit rough... I'll definitely go to sleep early tonight too."
Before Megumi could even ask, Kotomi had already delivered her perfectly prepared explanation—why she hadn't answered last night's calls, and why she wasn't seen leaving home this morning.
Megumi immediately understood. No wonder Kotomi hadn't picked up the phone last night—she really had gone to bed early.
"Kotomi, why did you wake up so early just to pick out clothes?" Megumi asked curiously. In her impression, Kotomi had never been the type to fuss much about fashion.
After all, Kotomi's natural charm made her look good in anything. On top of that, she had an innate sense of style—she could throw together an outfit at random and still look effortlessly perfect.
Kotomi gave her a playful look. "Silly Megumi, haven't you ever heard the saying—a woman adorns herself for the one she loves?"
Of course, Megumi knew what that meant. Her heart, already soft from Kotomi's sweetness, completely melted. Thinking about how she'd been overthinking last night, jealousy twisting her mind, she felt a pang of guilt.
Kotomi went to bed early and woke up before dawn just to pick out a pretty outfit—for me. She wanted me to see her at her best. And I... I was imagining she was with someone else... Megumi thought to herself, regret washing over her.
She wrapped her arms around Kotomi tightly and whispered, "Kotomi, I love you so much!"
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