When Kotomi Izumi's fried shrimp omurice was finally brought out, she stopped chatting with Ruriya Hojo and quietly began to eat.
Ruriya assumed Kotomi just didn't like talking while eating, so she stayed silent as well, watching Kotomi take one bite after another.
The atmosphere between them was always subtle—tinged with something unspoken. Ruriya harbored secret feelings for Kotomi, while Kotomi herself wasn't sure whether she liked Ruriya or not.
That was why their relationship always remained like this: close enough to talk easily, yet distant enough to feel an invisible boundary.
When Kotomi finished the last piece of shrimp and the final bite of omurice, she set her fork down and said softly, "Thanks for the meal."
Wiping her mouth with a napkin, she offered Ruriya a brief goodbye before standing up to pay the bill.
Ruriya didn't even react at first—still sitting there in a daze, as if Kotomi were still across from her.
Akira Hiyama, who had been secretly observing from nearby for quite some time, finally couldn't bear it anymore. She walked over and gently tapped Ruriya's shoulder.
"Ruriya, Kotomi already left."
"Eh?"
Ruriya blinked rapidly, only now realizing that the seat in front of her was empty. The plate that once held the omurice was spotless—completely clean except for the spoon resting on it.
"She really just left without saying goodbye..." Ruriya murmured, sighing softly. Deep down, she wished she could have spent just a few more seconds with Kotomi.
Ruriya Hojo was a proud girl—but ever since the day she saw Kotomi perform on stage, something inside her had changed.
Kotomi had shone so brightly under the lights, while she—just another face in the audience—had felt like a tiny, insignificant speck of dust.
Kotomi stood on the stage; Ruriya sat below. It was as if they existed in two completely different worlds.
Like two parallel lines—perhaps, by some miracle, they had crossed paths for a fleeting moment. But even if they intersected once, what did it matter? It was only temporary. They would return to being two lines that would never meet again.
And parallel lines, by definition, never truly intersect.
Two people from different worlds—no matter how briefly their fates touched—would soon drift apart again.
Will Kotomi and I ever have a real future? Ruriya thought hazily. No… that's not even the right question. What I should be wondering is… does Kotomi even like me?
"When Kotomi left, she did say, 'Ruriya, goodbye.' You were spacing out, so you probably didn't hear her," Akira said gently.
"Really?... Haa, that's good then." Ruriya's face brightened, relief flickering in her eyes.
Akira had once thought Kotomi and Ruriya liked each other mutually. But after what she'd just seen, she began to doubt it.
Kotomi's tone, her smile, her choice of words—none of them carried any trace of affection. It was the warmth of friendship, nothing more.
That was when Akira realized the truth: Ruriya's feelings for Kotomi were one-sided.
At least for now, it was unrequited love.
Akira opened her mouth, wanting to say something—to warn Ruriya that one-sided love could be painful—but seeing the joy on Ruriya's face just because Kotomi had said goodbye to her, Akira couldn't bring herself to say it.
Love really is troublesome... maybe I'm better off never falling in love at all, she thought wryly.
...
The truth was, Kotomi hadn't come to the maid café specifically to see Ruriya. She was simply hungry and wanted an omurice.
The reason she'd asked Akira earlier if Ruriya was working that day had been nothing more than casual curiosity. Among all the café's maids, Ruriya was the one she knew best, after all.
When Ruriya had lit up with joy upon seeing her, Kotomi had noticed—and remembered. She wasn't dense, not anymore at least. There was no way she couldn't tell how Ruriya felt about her.
"Unrequited love, huh…" Kotomi Izumi murmured softly. Despite the faint helplessness she felt, a small smile still tugged at her lips.
The unspoken sweetness and ache of youthful crushes—she hadn't expected that one day, she'd be the object of admiration for someone like the proud and beautiful Ruriya Hojo.
As for how she should respond… Kotomi hadn't decided yet. It wasn't because she was worried about seeming disloyal—after all, she'd only just accepted Yui Yuigahama's feelings a few days ago. That didn't bother her in the slightest.
Kotomi believed that love should be straightforward and decisive. If I know you like me, and I like you too, then I'll answer your confession, treasure your feelings, and become your lover. Even if she already had one.
When it came to someone she liked who also liked her, Kotomi never held back just because she was already dating someone else. She had absolute confidence in her heart—no matter how many girlfriends she had, she could love them all equally and sincerely.
But the key condition was always the same: You like me, and I like you.
Kotomi was affectionate, but not promiscuous. She admitted she could be a little flirtatious—drawn to many different girls—but that didn't mean she fell for everyone.
If a girl confessed to her and she didn't share those feelings—if she only saw her as a friend—then no matter how beautiful or charming that girl was, Kotomi would never date her out of pity or impulse.
For Kotomi, love had to be mutual—a two-way connection, a shared heartbeat.
And that was exactly why she couldn't decide how to respond to Ruriya Hojo.
Did she like Ruriya? To be honest… she did find the proud little beauty appealing. There was definitely some fondness there.
But it wasn't quite love—at least, not yet.
That was why, for the first time, Kotomi found herself hesitating between two choices: to accept, or to refuse.
"Kotomi, are you thirsty?"
The familiar voice of Yui Yuigahama called out.
Kotomi looked up to see Yui standing near a vending machine not far away, buying drinks.
"I'm not that thirsty, but get me a lychee soda," Kotomi said, walking over to her with a light step. "Where are Yukino and Megumi?"
"Yukino said she was a bit thirsty, and since I knew where the nearest vending machine was, I offered to grab drinks for everyone. Then I saw you walking over here, looking all serious—like you were deep in thought."
Kotomi chuckled. It seemed she'd been thinking about Ruriya Hojo a bit too intently just now.
Glancing at the peach soda in Yui's hand, Kotomi paused for a moment before asking casually:
"Yui, that night during the rehearsal—the one where we stayed at school—when Yukino and I went for a walk after lights out because we couldn't sleep... were you following us the whole time?"
As she spoke, Kotomi reached out, took the peach soda from Yui's hand, and took a sip.
Yui Yuigahama stared blankly at Kotomi Izumi as she drank the peach soda. When Kotomi finished, Yui took the bottle back and nodded slightly, her tone obedient and soft.
"Mm... That night, when you and Yukino were quietly chatting because you couldn't sleep, I wasn't actually asleep either. I was pretending—so I wouldn't disturb you two. When I heard you were going for a walk, I wanted to go too. But since you both thought I was asleep, if I suddenly got up and said I wanted to join, it would've sounded like I'd been eavesdropping. So I waited until you two left, then put on my shoes, opened the door, and followed after you. It was really cold that night... even though I was wearing my pajamas and a jacket, I still felt chilly."
"Rather than saying you wanted to walk with us, isn't it more accurate to say you were jealous of Yukino? You couldn't stand the thought of me secretly walking at night with another girl, so you followed us," Kotomi said with a mischievous smile. She had discovered that her little dumpling was quite the jealous type.
Even before they had started dating, Yui had already been this possessive.
Hearing Kotomi tease her, Yui didn't blush or try to deny it. Instead, she nodded firmly.
"That's right! Even though we weren't dating yet, the moment I thought of you walking alone with another girl at night—even if that girl was my good friend Yukino—I just couldn't stand it. So I followed you two."
Her small lips pursed in a sulky pout. "And then... I saw you and Yukino hugging. Even though I heard from your conversation that it didn't mean anything, I still felt upset. I guess... I should thank Yukino. Seeing her hug you made me realize that if I didn't act fast, someone else might take you away from me. And that... I could never allow! That's when I finally gathered the courage to confess to you after the performance."
What if I told her that Yukino's hug actually did mean something? Kotomi thought half-jokingly. She wasn't a mind reader, but the thought of teasing her dumpling like that was amusing.
Of course, she decided against saying it aloud—knowing Yui, she'd definitely overthink it.
"So, even if you say all that... you couldn't quite control your emotions back then, could you? That's why you dropped your peach soda bottle," Kotomi said, pointing at the drink Yui was holding.
"Ehehehe... Yeah. I figured since I was already out following you, I might as well toss the empty bottle. But it was so dark in the hallway I couldn't see the trash can. And I was too focused on watching you and Yukino... I forgot all about it. Then, when I saw you two hugging, I got so worked up that my hand slipped and—bam—the bottle hit the floor and made a loud noise. I knew you'd notice, so before things got awkward, I used the noise to cover my footsteps and ran all the way back to the second music room."
Yui laughed awkwardly after finishing her explanation.
Kotomi exhaled in quiet relief. So that's what had happened that night—the mysterious sound of the bottle rolling on the floor had simply been caused by Yui's jealous reaction.
And for someone who usually acted like such a ditz, the dumpling had reacted surprisingly fast that night. She must've sprinted away like lightning. Between her light steps and the sound of the bottle hitting the ground, by the time Kotomi and Yukino turned around to check, Yui had already slipped back to the music room unnoticed.
Kotomi Izumi thought for a moment about the spot where she and Yukino had gone walking that night. It wasn't exactly close to the second music room—but not that far either. For Yui to have run back so quickly...
Kotomi decided she probably needed to get that girl into track and field.
"Your running speed is no joke. When Yukino and I heard the sound of the bottle hitting the floor, it took us a few minutes to react, but even then it wasn't more than five minutes. For you to get all the way back that fast, maybe you should join the athletics club."
"Hehehe~ I'm not that amazing~" Yui laughed awkwardly, but her face glowed with joy. As long as Kotomi's words sounded like praise, she was happy to hear them.
Smack!
Just as Yui was giggling foolishly, Kotomi suddenly slammed her hand against the wall beside her, cornering her in a perfect kabedon.
Though to be fair, Yui hadn't planned to run anyway…
"If you ever dare to follow me around again, I'll punish you properly next time!" Kotomi said with a sly smile. "I finally got to see just how jealous you can get, little dumpling. Maybe I should start calling you Jealous Dumpling instead?"
As she spoke, Kotomi quietly rose onto her tiptoes—trying to look a little taller for once.
Yui's delicate face and budding figure made her look even more stunning under the dim hallway light. Her youthful cheeks flushed pink, and her lovely crimson eyes shimmered with a mix of shyness and determination that made her utterly irresistible. Nervously, she clenched her fists at her chest, her hands trembling slightly.
She looked like a puppy begging for affection—so adorable that it made Kotomi want to tease her right there and then.
Though, in truth, every time Kotomi did start teasing her, it always ended up with Yui turning the tables and teasing her instead…
"K-Kotomi... maybe you should just punish me now?" Yui said shyly, her blushing face trembling—but her voice carried a hint of anticipation?!
Kotomi's lips twitched. She had expected Yui to tear up and beg for mercy—not to look forward to it!
What the hell? This dumpling's not right... Is she even more M than I am? Kotomi thought, flustered.
Her face burning red, Kotomi glanced around. They were alone—good. She'd already made her threat; if she didn't follow through, she'd lose all her "dominant" credibility.
To maintain her image as the "top" in this relationship—well, mostly top—Kotomi leaned forward and pressed a light, teasing kiss to Yui's cheek.
"If you ever dare to follow me again, I won't let you off so easily next time," she whispered. "I'll... bite your lips until they bleed."
There's a next time?! Yui's eyes sparkled instantly, her heart fluttering in delight at the thought.
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