To avoid waking Kotomi Izumi from her sleep, Aimi woke up unusually early today—five minutes before the alarm clock rang.
She didn't know why, but her sleep quality last night was exceptionally good. When she opened her eyes in the morning, even though it was early, she didn't feel sleepy at all. She was refreshed and full of energy!
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw that morning was—
Aimi smiled contentedly. No wonder she'd slept so well—it was because she'd been held in Kotomi's arms all night!
Reluctantly, she slipped out of Kotomi Izumi's embrace, sat up on the bed, and stretched lazily. In her heart, she thought:
That was such a good sleep. How to describe it again? Oh, right—golden sleep! It felt like all the fatigue had been completely washed away. So comfortable! If not for the fact that she had classes this morning, she really wanted to savor that golden sleep a little longer. She envied her sister for not having morning classes today…
After getting out of bed, Aimi tucked the blanket neatly around Kotomi, looked at her sister's adorable sleeping face, and couldn't resist planting a quick kiss on her cheek before leaving the room happily to return to her own bedroom to change clothes.
When she went downstairs,
Aimi saw her mother just finishing breakfast. Kaneyoshi Izumi had eaten an hour ago and left for the airport—he was probably waiting in the departure lounge by now.
One portion of breakfast was stored in a thermal container—obviously, it was prepared for her sister.
Aimi wondered when Kotomi would wake up.
Usually, if Kotomi overslept, their mother would make another breakfast for her later. But since their mother had to attend a parent-teacher meeting at Sobu High School this morning, she had made everything in advance and packed Kotomi's share in the container so that Kotomi could still enjoy a warm meal whenever she woke up.
"Good morning, Mom."
"Morning. Is your sister still asleep?"
"Mm-hmm, she's still sleeping," Aimi replied casually.
"You slept in your sister's room again last night, didn't you?" Akina Izumi asked with a gentle smile.
That startled Aimi so much that she nearly dropped the glass of apple juice she was pouring—some even splashed out.
How did Mom know?!
She had gone to Kotomi's room after going upstairs last night—she hadn't told either of her parents!
And Mom said again?!!
So she knew it wasn't the first time?!
Aimi's heart immediately began to race with guilt. She couldn't stop thinking about all those times she'd done… this and that while Kotomi was asleep. Hopefully, she'd remembered to close—and lock—the door every time?
Her cute brows furrowed. The more she thought about it, the more nervous she became. Wait… there was that one time when she'd been in such a rush that she'd only closed the door and forgotten to lock it!
"When you're pouring something, hold the glass steady," Akina said with a sigh, pulling out a tissue and handing it to Aimi.
Aimi stiffly wiped up the spilled juice, then cautiously looked up at her mother's expression. The smile on her face was warm, but Aimi could tell—Mom was waiting for her answer. There was no way she could just play dumb and get away with it.
Well then—just admit it! She liked Kotomi, after all!
Aimi straightened her back. In moments like this, she was never one to falter—she'd charge ahead no matter what.
She nodded and admitted honestly:
"I slept in Kotomi's room last night."
Just as she was about to confess her feelings for her sister—
Akina Izumi sighed softly, half helplessly.
"You should address her properly as your sister. What kind of little sister calls her elder sister by name like that? You made a cup of warm milk last night, didn't you? I saw you take it upstairs, but you never brought the cup back down. I was going to wash it for you.
"Then, when I went to your room to get it, you weren't there. I thought I'd check Kotomi's room, and before I even reached the door, I heard the two of you talking. That's how I realized you wanted to sleep there last night. So I went back downstairs and didn't disturb you two."
At that, Akina gave Aimi a meaningful glance and added—
"The soundproofing on the second floor rooms does have a few flaws," Akina Izumi continued. "The walls are quite well-insulated, but the doors aren't quite as good. But don't worry—Mom didn't eavesdrop on your conversation with Kotomi~ I just happened to hear both your voices coming from the same room, so I went back downstairs right away.
"Mom knows you two sisters are very close. Your sister's bed is a double, after all, so it's perfectly fine to sleep together~
"After all, your sister's always been a little timid.
"You probably don't know this, but until her third year of middle school, your sister would sometimes have nightmares and couldn't fall back asleep. She'd come running into our room with tears in her eyes, saying, 'Mom, Dad, can I sleep with you?'"
"I see…" Aimi let out a soft sigh of relief and didn't think any further about it.
At the same time, she couldn't help but smile when she imagined her big sister still running downstairs in middle school to sleep with their parents after a bad dream.
As for confessing her feelings about Kotomi to her mother—if the atmosphere hadn't shifted, Aimi might have really blurted it all out with her usual boldness. But now that the tension had eased, her courage faded along with it. She quietly finished her breakfast, slung her schoolbag over her shoulder, and left for school.
After Aimi had gone, Akina Izumi poured herself a cup of hot coffee. As she recalled Aimi's flustered reaction to her earlier teasing question, she couldn't help but sigh.
"Ahh~ neither the older nor the younger one lets me rest easy."
Akina gave a meaningful smile and shook her head with a quiet laugh.
She placed the dishes in the sink. Normally, she would have washed them right after breakfast, but she had to leave soon for the parent-teacher meeting at Sobu High School. If she didn't head out early, she might be late. She could wash the dishes when she got back.
Even though Kotomi had already told her which classroom she was in and where she sat, Akina knew that finding it on her first visit wouldn't be easy. It was better to leave early, just to be safe.
She applied light makeup, changed into a long dress, and draped a soft ivory shawl over her shoulders—a style popular among women in autumn and winter. Her appearance was graceful and elegant.
She picked up a medium-sized white handbag—the matching mother-daughter set she and Kotomi had bought together in Ginza. After checking that her keys, phone, wallet, and handkerchief were all inside, she stepped out the door, heading for Sobu High School.
Sunlight fell across Akina Izumi's beautiful snow-white hair. Unlike Kotomi's silvery locks, Akina's lacked that translucent luster. That was only natural—Kotomi's white hair was innate, but Akina had dyed her original black hair white specifically for Kotomi.
Akina always braided her long hair into a single plait and let it fall over her left shoulder, gentle and elegant.
The main reason, however, was a small habit she had developed after getting married—she often absentmindedly toyed with the end of her hair when thinking. Wearing it in a braid that hung over her shoulder made it easy to reach.
Another reason was that she could immediately notice if any strands of her hair began turning black again.
—"The older sister's hair color is like Mom's, and the younger sister's is like Dad's."
That gentle lie, told to protect Kotomi's feelings, had lasted nearly seventeen years.
Even now that Kotomi was grown, the Izumi couple had no intention of revealing the truth. They planned to keep it that way forever.
Because after all these years together, they had long since come to see Kotomi as their own daughter—their firstborn. They had nearly forgotten that she was once a child they found and adopted from a park.
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