"Yuka! Dinner's almost ready, so hurry up and get off Kotomi!"
As Yui Yuigahama spoke, she reached out, intending to lift Yuka off Kotomi.
The moment Yui reached toward her, Yuka dodged away, then let out a mischievous giggle afterward.
"You little brat, why aren't you listening anymore..."
Yui Yuigahama sounded exasperated, but anyone who looked at the corners of her mouth would notice that they were actually curved upward.
She liked seeing her little sister act mischievous and naughty like an ordinary child, and she sincerely hoped Yuka would continue doing so.
"All right, all right. Stop messing around, both of you." Kotomi Izumi said with a smile, not forgetting to support Yuka on her back so she would not fall, while also keeping Yui from catching her.
She looked just like a loving mother carrying her own child, with an almost sacredly gentle smile on her lips.
"Penguin Onee-chan, can I sleep with you tonight?" Yuka asked expectantly, tilting up her adorable little face.
"Of course you can." Kotomi Izumi nodded with a soft laugh, agreeing without a second thought.
"Yay!"
After Kotomi Izumi agreed, Yuka rubbed her cheek against Kotomi's and cheered happily. Her adorable eyes curved into two little crescents from sheer delight.
"Seriously..."
Yui Yuigahama puffed out her cheeks. The thought that Kotomi would sleep with Yuka tonight instead of her made jealousy inexplicably rise in her heart.
Even Yui herself was startled when she realized she was jealous. I'm her big sister. How can I even get jealous of my own little sister?! This is... so embarrassing!
Under the influence of those feelings, Yui Yuigahama could not help becoming somewhat dejected.
Kotomi Izumi did not notice Yui's mood sinking at that moment. She was too busy playing with Yuka on her back.
Perhaps because of her insecure personality, Yui was very skilled at concealing her truest emotions.
Because of that, even someone as observant as Kotomi Izumi could not always notice immediately whenever Yui was feeling unhappy.
...
After dinner, Yui Yuigahama volunteered to wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen. Mrs. Yuigahama returned to the little workroom attached to her bedroom to continue drawing illustrations for Sword Art Online.
Meanwhile, Yuka clung to Kotomi Izumi and insisted on taking a bath with her.
Naturally, Kotomi Izumi agreed without even thinking about it. However, once Yui Yuigahama learned about it, she became a little unhappy again.
After all, she wanted to take a bath with Kotomi too!
Fortunately, this time Kotomi Izumi noticed the dumpling's mood. She froze for a moment, then could not help smiling.
Kotomi Izumi did not say anything to Yui Yuigahama immediately. Instead, she crouched halfway down and gently said to Yuka,
"Yuka, can you wait for me in the living room for a little while? I'll help your sister clean up the kitchen, then I'll take you to the bathroom for a bath."
Kotomi did not dare let Yuka bathe alone. The Yuigahama family's bathtub was small, but if Yuka accidentally choked on water in it, it could still be dangerous.
So Kotomi asked Yuka to wait for her in the living room for a while.
Faced with Kotomi Izumi's request, Yuka naturally nodded obediently.
"Mm! I understand!"
"Yuka is such a good girl~"
Kotomi Izumi smiled as she stroked Yuka's hair, looking like a gentle mother praising her well-behaved daughter.
"Hehe~"
Yuka giggled happily. Her adorable eyes narrowed into two cute crescents, as though a head pat from Kotomi was the greatest reward in the world!
After rewarding Yuka, Kotomi Izumi turned and walked into the kitchen. She went to the sink and proactively started helping Yui wash the dishes.
Yuka returned to the living room alone, sat on the sofa, and continued flipping through the fairy-tale picture book she had spent the entire afternoon reading without finishing.
When Yui Yuigahama, who was scrubbing plates, saw Kotomi come over to help, she immediately worried that Kotomi would tire herself out.
"Kotomi, I can handle this little bit of work by myself!"
"Really?" Kotomi Izumi asked with a smile.
"Eh?"
Yui Yuigahama had no idea why Kotomi suddenly asked that. Of course she could handle something as simple as washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen by herself, so she answered honestly,
"Of course."
"Hehe. I wasn't asking whether you could wash the dishes and clean the kitchen by yourself. I was asking whether you're really not jealous right now."
Kotomi Izumi finished washing a plate and set the clean dish on the table. With dish-soap bubbles still clinging to her hands, she looked at Yui Yuigahama with a smile and asked in a leisurely tone.
Her pink eyes seemed to contain some mysterious magic.
Yui Yuigahama had originally intended to stubbornly insist that she was not jealous, but under Kotomi's gaze, she involuntarily nodded and honestly admitted,
"Mm... I'm a little jealous because you're sleeping with Yuka tonight instead of me."
After saying that, Yui Yuigahama's pretty face visibly turned crimson. She was too embarrassed to look at Kotomi.
She felt that getting jealous of her own little sister was extremely shameful. She had not wanted to admit it, but when faced with Kotomi's gaze, she could not stop herself from telling the truth.
"Hehe~"
After discovering that her guess had been correct, Kotomi Izumi could not help laughing.
She realized that the Little Dumpling really was incredibly easy to understand. Yui might have a tendency to get trapped in her own thoughts, but with just a little observation, it was easy to tell whether she was overthinking again or quietly sulking.
After laughing, Kotomi Izumi looked at Yui Yuigahama and raised one hand, dabbing some lemon-scented dish-soap foam onto Yui's little nose.
"Ah!"
Yui Yuigahama was startled by Kotomi Izumi's sudden action and let out a soft cry. She then stared at Kotomi somewhat helplessly.
She wanted to wash the bubble off her nose, but she was also afraid that if she removed the little dab of foam without Kotomi's permission, Kotomi might become unhappy.
It almost seemed as though Kotomi Izumi only needed to stare at Yui's face for a moment to read whatever she was thinking.
"Wash it off," Kotomi Izumi said slowly.
After receiving Kotomi Izumi's permission, Yui Yuigahama obediently nodded, turned on the faucet, and rinsed the dish-soap foam from her nose.
Then she hurriedly shut off the faucet again, afraid she might accidentally increase the water bill.
To save money on water, whenever Yui Yuigahama washed dishes, she always scrubbed every bowl, plate, and pair of chopsticks with dish soap first before turning on the faucet and rinsing them all together.
Only after Yui Yuigahama finished wiping the foam off her nose did Kotomi Izumi continue with a grin,
"Isn't it embarrassing to get jealous of your own little sister?"
"Mm... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten jealous of Yuka, and I shouldn't have sulked about it in my heart."
After Kotomi Izumi said that, Yui Yuigahama lowered her head awkwardly and apologized to Kotomi.
The way Yui Yuigahama looked right now was just like a little child who had accidentally done something wrong.
"Hmph. I was wondering why your mood suddenly seemed so much worse earlier. I even thought I'd done something wrong.
You made me reflect on myself for a while, and even after thinking it over, I still couldn't figure out what I might have done during dinner to upset you.
Then I guessed a little and finally realized that my Little Dumpling wasn't angry at all. You were jealous.
What a little vinegar jar~"
Kotomi Izumi continued teasing her with a smile as she started washing the chopsticks.
Listening to Kotomi Izumi's soft laughter, Yui Yuigahama could only feel her cheeks becoming redder and redder. She lowered her head deeply.
At the same time, she silently prayed that her jealous thoughts from earlier had not been noticed by her little sister.
If her little sister found out that Yui had been jealous of her, Yui felt like Yuka would tease her about it from this year all the way until she entered university.
At home, Kotomi Izumi often helped clean the kitchen after meals, so she washed dishes both quickly and thoroughly.
While Yui Yuigahama remained embarrassed and moved slowly, Kotomi finished washing every bowl, plate, and pair of chopsticks in the sink in the blink of an eye.
"I've finished washing all the bowls, plates, and chopsticks for you. You can handle the remaining two pots yourself. I originally wanted to stay and finish everything with you, but it's getting late.
I should take Yuka for her bath sooner and get her to sleep early."
Kotomi Izumi said this to Yui while washing her hands.
"O-Okay. I didn't want to trouble you in the first place," Yui Yuigahama said somewhat awkwardly.
"Don't say silly things."
After washing her hands, Kotomi Izumi raised her head and looked at Yui with a smile. Her tone became extremely serious.
"I'm your wife. Isn't it perfectly normal for me to help you wash the dishes? It's not like I'm some pampered rich girl who's never done housework."
After saying that, before Yui could react, Kotomi Izumi stood on tiptoe and left a light kiss on Yui's lips.
Chu~
After the kiss, Kotomi Izumi blushed and left the kitchen with cheerful footsteps.
That left only Yui Yuigahama, who had just recovered from her daze and was shyly savoring the light kiss Kotomi had given her.
I'm your wife!
Those words, which Kotomi had spoken as though they were the most natural thing in the world, together with the light kiss she had left on Yui's lips, immersed Yui in happiness.
At the same time, the jealousy in her heart gradually faded away.
Kotomi Izumi entered the living room, reached out with both hands, and scooped Yuka up from the sofa where she was reading her fairy-tale picture book.
"Yuka, let's go take a bath together~"
The moment she heard Penguin Onee-chan's voice, Yuka's attention immediately left the picture book, and she cheered happily,
"Yay!"
Then Yuka waved the fairy-tale picture book in her hand and asked Kotomi in a spoiled tone,
"Penguin Onee-chan, when it's almost bedtime, can you read this storybook with me and tell me the stories in it? It's really interesting, but there are some words I can't understand."
"No problem~ Onee-chan will read it to you later."
"I love Penguin Onee-chan the most~"
Yuka said sweetly, then placed the fairy-tale picture book on the sofa. Kotomi held her in her arms, and the two of them headed toward the bathroom together.
As they passed the kitchen doorway, Yuka turned her head and glanced at her sister.
When she saw Yui wearing an expression completely immersed in happiness, Yuka seemed to relax and quietly breathed out.
When they entered the bathroom, Kotomi found that Mrs. Yuigahama had already filled the bathtub with warm water for them before returning to her bedroom.
However, considering that Kotomi was already a high school student while Yuka was still in kindergarten, their tolerance for heat would obviously be different.
Water that felt perfectly comfortable to Kotomi might feel extremely hot to Yuka.
Kotomi Izumi sat on the edge of the bathtub without rushing to undress. She held Yuka in her arms, let her sit on her lap, then rolled up the sleeve of Yuka's shirt.
"Yuka, Onee-chan will check the water temperature first. Don't rush, okay?"
As Kotomi Izumi spoke, she reached one hand into the bathtub and tested the temperature.
Kotomi felt that the water was just right and extremely comfortable.
Just as Kotomi Izumi was about to dip a finger into the water and dab it onto Yuka's arm so she could see whether the temperature felt comfortable to her, she suddenly remembered something Kazumi had often said before.
"Kotomi, once you have children, you'll definitely become an extremely doting mother."
Before Kotomi could reach out, Yuka had already stuck one little hand directly into the bathtub. Mischievously, she waved it around in the water.
Her little hand moved back and forth beneath the surface, and when she felt the water's slight resistance, Yuka laughed happily.
"Yuka, isn't it hot?"
Kotomi Izumi hurriedly pulled Yuka's little hand out of the water and asked anxiously, afraid that the temperature might have burned her.
Yuka adorably shook her head.
"It's not hot at all."
Realizing that Penguin Onee-chan was worried about her, Yuka used her dry hand to touch Kotomi's cheek and smiled happily.
"Mom filled the bath for us. She remembers exactly what water temperature I like."
"So that's why... No wonder you little rascal dared to stick your hand straight into the bathtub.
But you can't do that again next time. What if someone gets the water temperature wrong one day? You could get scalded by the hot water or even burned!"
Kotomi Izumi still sounded worried.
Yuka might be smart, but sometimes she was also genuinely reckless. As her future sister-in-law and future mother, Kotomi naturally felt she needed to keep a closer eye on her.
"I know~" Yuka replied obediently.
Only after they had finished showering first did Kotomi Izumi carry Yuka into the bathtub and sit down with her.
The Yuigahama family's bathtub was very small. With Kotomi Izumi and Yuka sitting inside together, the available space could only barely be called sufficient.
We should replace this with a bigger bathtub someday... Kotomi Izumi thought while looking at Yuka sitting in her arms and playing with a little yellow plastic duck.
"Penguin Onee-chan," Yuka suddenly said.
"Mm? What is it, Yuka?"
"It's really good that Onee-chan isn't jealous anymore," Yuka said while playing with the little yellow duck.
"Yeah... huh?"
Kotomi Izumi answered instinctively, but the moment the words left her mouth, she suddenly realized something was wrong.
When she and Yui had been talking in the kitchen earlier, Yuka had clearly been staying in the living room.
So how did she know Yui had been jealous?
As though she could see Kotomi Izumi's confusion, Yuka pushed the little yellow duck under the water, let it float back up by itself, and continued,
"After dinner, when I kept clinging to Penguin Onee-chan and asked you to take a bath with me, Onee-chan already started getting jealous then, right?
No, no. It should've been even earlier. Before dinner, when I said I wanted to sleep with Penguin Onee-chan tonight, Onee-chan had already started getting jealous.
Haha, Onee-chan is really like a... a... What was it called again?"
Toward the end, Yuka suddenly ran out of words and could not think of how to describe her sister.
"A vinegar jar," Kotomi Izumi supplied.
"Right! Onee-chan is just like a vinegar jar! Hahaha!"
Now that she finally knew how to describe her sister, Yuka laughed happily.
Kotomi Izumi could not help marveling inwardly at how smart and perceptive Yuka was.
She and Yui had both assumed Yuka had not noticed anything, yet in reality, Yuka had noticed it long ago.
She really doesn't seem like a kindergarten child at all...
"You and I can secretly talk about that here, but don't ever let your sister hear you say it, okay?
If your sister hears you, she'll definitely get upset. She might even pinch your cheeks."
Kotomi Izumi deliberately frightened Yuka a little and reached out to rub her little face.
"Mm~ I know!"
Yuka leaned comfortably against Kotomi's chest and replied with a soft laugh.
...
After the bath, Kotomi Izumi, who normally dried her own hair by casually waving a hair dryer over it a few times, became extremely meticulous when drying Yuka's hair.
Holding the hair dryer, she carefully lifted sections of Yuka's hair. After drying it once, she immediately went over it again.
She was afraid that if she was careless and failed to dry Yuka's hair completely, Yuka might wake up with a headache the next morning.
"Penguin Onee-chan, I think it's dry enough already, isn't it?"
Although Yuka obediently sat on a little stool and let Kotomi dry her hair, she was actually a girl who disliked having her hair blow-dried too.
"Be good. Just wait a little longer. It'll be done soon."
Kotomi Izumi soothed her.
She completely understood how boring it was to sit there while having one's hair dried, but Yuka was still too young. Kotomi did not want her waking up with a headache the next morning because her hair had remained damp after the bath.
Only after several more minutes did Kotomi Izumi finally feel reassured enough to turn off the hair dryer.
Even then, just to be safe, Kotomi still took a small bath towel and wrapped it around Yuka's hair.
"Mm... That should be about right."
Kotomi Izumi nodded with satisfaction.
Just as Kotomi Izumi was about to pick Yuka up and leave the bathroom, Yuka suddenly said,
"Penguin Onee-chan, you haven't dried your own hair yet."
"Ah... I forgot. It's fine. Onee-chan is already an adult, so I can just wipe it with a towel later," Kotomi Izumi said.
"Penguin Onee-chan, you're not an adult yet. You're a first-year high school student who only started high school this year," Yuka corrected her in the manner of a tiny adult.
"Uh..."
For a moment, Kotomi Izumi genuinely had no idea how to refute her.
She originally wanted to change the subject, but with Yuka staring at her with such innocent eyes, Kotomi Izumi felt her cheeks grow faintly warm.
She was too embarrassed to lie in front of Yuka.
After being stared at by Yuka for a while, Kotomi Izumi ultimately lost to that pure, innocent gaze.
She simply could not bring herself to lie to Yuka or change the subject!
So she could only pick up the hair dryer and carefully dry her own hair properly.
—
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