At the Yuigahama household.
Because it was Sunday, little Yuka got up very late. Even an energetic child couldn't resist the comfort of sleeping in.
Wrapped in her small quilt, Yuka slept soundly until past nine in the morning.
There was a reason she'd slept so late. Usually, even on Sundays, her older sister would wake her up around eight. But today, she didn't. That had made Yuka stir once in her sleep, wondering vaguely why her sister hadn't called her up.
Still half-asleep, she walked to her sister's room, pushed open the door, and peeked inside—only to find that her sister had already gone out. So she trudged back to her own room, lay down again, and drifted off into another round of blissful sleep.
It wasn't until around nine that Yuka woke up again, and even then, she stayed in bed for a while.
She lazed around until nine-thirty before finally sitting up slowly. The second sleep had been so comfortable that she was still groggy, almost forgetting her sister wasn't home. Her stomach growled, and still half-dazed, she wandered to Yui's room, pushed open the door, and mumbled sleepily:
"Onee-chan, I'm hungry. I want breakfast... huh? Onee-chan?"
Standing there in a sleepy daze, Yuka blinked for a few seconds before it hit her—right, her sister had gone out.
"Onee-chan and Penguin Onee-chan went out really early today..."
Yuka stretched her arms, glancing at the messy bed. The blanket was all tangled, and one of the pillows had even fallen onto the floor.
"The bed's such a mess. That's not like Onee-chan at all... maybe she was in a rush to go out with Penguin Onee-chan this morning? Oh well, I'll clean it up for her. When Onee-chan comes home and sees her room all neat and tidy, she'll definitely be touched. Maybe she'll even reward me... with an extra bag of peanuts!"
Yuka loved chocolate cookies and peanuts.
Whether it was Yui Yuigahama or her little sister Yuka, both shared the same quick-to-act nature.
Kotomi Izumi had once said, "Yuka's energy level is almost the same as yours, Yui~"
To which Yuka proudly replied, "Little sister grew up watching big sister's butt!"
Yui had retorted with a sigh, "You mean, you grew up following your big sister's shadow, right?"
Yuka had blinked for a moment, realizing that was indeed the correct phrase, but refusing to admit her mistake in front of Penguin Onee-chan. So she puffed out her chest and declared, "It's the same thing!"
Regardless, Yuka's energy was undeniable. The moment she decided to clean up, her hands moved right away—rolling up her pajama sleeves, climbing onto the bed, and starting to fold the blanket.
As her sleepy haze faded and her mind cleared, Yuka's sharp childlike senses began to kick in.
Her tiny nose twitched as she sniffed the air—something smelled strange. A damp, odd scent lingered faintly in the room.
She sniffed again and again before murmuring in confusion:
"There's a weird smell... maybe Onee-chan and Penguin Onee-chan secretly drank juice in here last night and spilled some on the bed?"
Not knowing what the smell really was, Yuka just assumed it was juice. So she went over and opened the window, letting the crisp air from outside flow into the room.
Autumn was on its way out, and winter was creeping in. The air that blew in carried a noticeable chill.
Yuka shivered slightly and muttered contentedly:
"It must feel so nice to stay wrapped in a blanket on a day like this. It'd be even better if it were raining! I've always wanted to try that, but Mom and Onee-chan never let me. Even though they both love lying under blankets with the air conditioner on! They say my immune system's weak. Hah! I'm super strong!"
After finishing her little rant, Yuka clenched her tiny fist in determination.
Yuka's Secret Punch!
Smack!
Her little fist accidentally hit the wall beside her. Her adorable face scrunched up instantly in pain.
"Uuueeeh..."
She cradled her sore hand and whimpered a few soft cries.
Then, as usual, she wiped her tears, walked back from the window, and went back to folding the blanket again.
So that her mother and sister wouldn't worry, Yuka always made sure to cry only when no one was around. When she felt upset, she'd hide in her bedroom or the bathroom, letting herself sob just a few times before stopping. Afterward, she would wipe away her tears and act as if nothing had happened.
Being able to cry without leaving any trace—so that neither her mother nor her sister could tell—was something Yuka took great pride in.
Yui Yuigahama's comforter, whether spread lengthwise or sideways, was like a towering wall to little Yuka. So folding it was a bit of a struggle.
Halfway through folding the blanket, Yuka suddenly noticed two small spots on the bedsheet that looked like they'd been cut out with scissors.
"Did the sheet tear?" she murmured, setting the blanket aside for a moment and curiously examining the missing patches.
But then, something else on the bed caught her attention.
It was a tiny lace flower.
Yuka immediately recognized it—it was from Kotomi's underwear, a small lace decoration sewn onto it.
Last night, when she'd gone to bring Kotomi one of her mom's nightgowns in the bathroom, Kotomi's top and bottom underwear pieces had been left out. Out of childish curiosity, Yuka had sneaked a few glances.
Not because she was greedy for milk or anything like that—she just couldn't help but notice that it was her first time seeing underwear that large.
"How did Penguin Onee-chan's underwear flower end up on the bed? And the bedsheet too..."
Then Yuka recalled how messy the room had been earlier—the tangled blanket, the crumpled sheet, the pillow on the floor...
A few minutes later, Yuka sat frozen on the bed, her small body completely still. It seemed she had realized what had happened between her sister and Penguin Onee-chan the previous night.
...
Sobu High School.
While walking around, Kotomi Izumi found an excuse to slip away for a bit.
Not to visit a maid café.
But to...
She made her way to the faculty office and glanced toward Shizuka Hiratsuka's desk—only to find the teacher wasn't there.
Where did Ms. Hiratsuka go?
Kotomi had just asked Chihiro Sengoku earlier whether Shizuka had come to school today. After receiving confirmation that she had, Kotomi decided to come here specifically to talk to her privately.
But now, the teacher was gone.
Thinking for a moment, Kotomi quickly guessed where she might be.
"If it's Ms. Shizuka... she's probably there right now. To be precise, she's probably smoking."
Kotomi Izumi left the faculty office and went straight to the classroom of Class 1-F.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw exactly what she expected—Shizuka Hiratsuka standing by the window, quietly smoking.
"Skipping out on the festival to sneak a smoke in here? That's not very good, you know~" Kotomi said playfully as she walked over.
The sudden sound of the door startled Shizuka at first, but when she saw it was Kotomi, she exhaled in relief and instinctively moved to put out her cigarette.
"No need to. I don't really mind the smell of cigarettes," Kotomi said with a soft chuckle.
"Alright then..." Shizuka nodded but still opened the window wider, letting the smoke drift out more quickly.
Kotomi stood beside her quietly. Shizuka smoked in silence, and Kotomi didn't try to speak. The entire classroom, empty except for the two of them, felt still and hushed.
When the cigarette burned down to its end, Shizuka flicked the stub into her empty cigarette box—planning to throw it out later. It had been the last one in the pack.
She had bought that pack just a few days ago, and now it was already empty. She wasn't sure whether the cigarettes had been too few—or if she had simply been smoking too much lately.
These days, whenever she had a moment of idleness, Shizuka would find herself holding the cigarette box in her hand without even realizing it. And once it was in her hand, she'd always end up lighting one.
She knew full well she'd been smoking far too often lately. She had even thought about quitting, but before she could figure out how, she would somehow end up lighting another one or two.
As for why she'd been smoking so much lately—she understood the reason perfectly well. It was because she was leaving Sobu High.
Fulfilling the dream she'd once had was, of course, something to be happy about. But it also meant leaving behind the school she had worked at for so many years. And that, she couldn't help but feel reluctant about.
If this had been last year, perhaps she wouldn't have felt this much attachment. But the reason for her current hesitation... was standing right beside her.
Shizuka glanced at Kotomi Izumi. Yes, a large part of her reluctance came from Kotomi. Even though it hadn't been that long since they'd first met, Kotomi had quietly found her way into Shizuka's heart.
If Kotomi were coming with her to England, maybe she wouldn't feel so torn about leaving.
Shizuka knew this deep down, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it. She still believed her heart belonged to the silver-haired angel she had met years ago—the one who had proposed to her and given her the pendant with the little tree design as a token of affection.
Even though Kotomi also had silver hair, Shizuka told herself their personalities were completely different. The hair might be the same, but how could they possibly be the same person she had been searching for all these years?
And yet... despite their differences, Kotomi had still found a way into her heart—bit by bit, little by little.
Shizuka knew that if she didn't leave, the day would come when Kotomi would completely fill her heart. When that happened, she would stop searching for the angel from her memories altogether.
Yesterday, Shizuka had submitted her letter of resignation.
After today, she would no longer be a teacher at Sobu High.
That was why she had chosen to stay behind in the empty classroom of Class 1-F, quietly smoking by herself.
She had no intention of telling anyone about her resignation—not even her students. She hated farewells. If that was the case, it was better to leave silently.
Thinking that, Shizuka let out a faint, bitter smile.
"Kotomi, honestly, I'm a little curious. How did you know I was leaving Sobu High?"
Kotomi glanced at her, smiling faintly as she replied calmly:
"I can't read minds, really. It's just that the other day, when you were talking to Haruno about it, I happened to still be around. I stood nearby where you couldn't see me and... overheard a little. That's how I found out."
The moment Kotomi finished speaking, Shizuka reached out and pinched her cheek lightly, half-smiling in amusement.
"Eavesdropping isn't something good girls do, you know."
"Hehehe~"
Kotomi Izumi gave an awkward laugh, though in her heart she thought, I was never really a good girl to begin with.
As Shizuka Hiratsuka pinched Kotomi's cheeks, a strange sense of calm washed over her. She didn't quite understand why, but every time she squeezed Kotomi's soft cheeks, it made her feel at peace—as if the simple gesture could soothe her heart.
And since Kotomi always protested with words like "Don't pinch my cheeks!" but still looked like she secretly enjoyed it, Shizuka couldn't help but indulge herself, gently enjoying that comforting, healing feeling just a little longer.
After a moment, Shizuka finally let go and asked softly:
"Kotomi, that third song you performed on stage that day—'Ultramarine'—was it... written for me?"
Her tone hesitated. What if it hadn't been written for her? Asking would only make things awkward.
But before she could even finish her question, Kotomi answered ahead of her:
"Mm-hmm~ 'Ultramarine' was written for you. Do you like it?"
"I love it," Shizuka replied without hesitation. "I never realized before that you had such talent for composing and singing. With your skill, if you focused on music, you could definitely become a well-known artist and release albums someday. It's the first time... someone has ever written a song for me. I'm so happy—really, truly happy. Even decades from now, when I've become an old lady nearing the end of my life, I'll still remember the song you wrote for me—'Ultramarine.'"
Shizuka nodded deeply. Hearing Kotomi confirm that the song was indeed for her made her vision blur slightly, as if covered by a thin mist of tears.
Kotomi smiled faintly and teased gently:
"You're the one who's always insisting that you're twenty-nine and twelve months old. For someone who doesn't want to get old, you sure brought up the topic yourself."
"Every woman dislikes getting older," Shizuka said with a soft chuckle. "But disliking it doesn't change anything. As time passes, even the youngest person will eventually grow old. I'll age—and one day, you'll age too.
I've seen reports on the news—beautiful women taking their own lives even though they lived peaceful, uneventful lives. Their reason? They'd rather die young and beautiful than live to see themselves grow old.
I can't quite understand that kind of thinking. I may not like the idea of aging, but I can accept that it's part of life. What about you, Kotomi?"
Kotomi thought for a moment and replied calmly:
"It's not too hard to understand. For some people, appearance is more important than life itself. I don't agree with it, but I also don't judge."
"Exactly," Shizuka said approvingly, nodding. "That's the right mindset—to not judge what we don't understand."
She found that to be one of Kotomi's most captivating traits. People her age—boys and girls alike—often had a habit of acting as though they understood everything, passing judgment easily based on emotion.
But Kotomi was different. She carried a kind of composure and thoughtfulness that surpassed her years—a poise that made her seem less like a naïve high school girl and more like a mature woman who had already weathered life's trials.
That balance of maturity and youthful innocence—that was what drew Shizuka to her. It made her want to step closer, to learn more, to understand Kotomi even better.
Shizuka often wondered: if she could just let go of the past—release the ghost of her long-held obsession—and truly allow herself to fall for Kotomi Izumi completely, would she finally find real happiness?
Even now, standing here beside Kotomi, she could almost hear a voice whispering in her heart:
Embrace her—no matter what. Her gentleness, her beauty, her everything...
To love her is to possess happiness.
—
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