Yui Yuigahama had been crying for nearly five minutes. Sitting to the side, Yukino Yukinoshita was not particularly surprised that Yui had broken down in tears at this moment.
Rather, Yukino had already guessed that Yui might cry. After all, suddenly hearing that your girlfriend might have long been someone else's girlfriend would inevitably make anyone feel miserable.
Yukino imagined what she would do if something like this happened to her. She suspected she would have already exploded into a huge argument with Kotomi. She wanted to be Kotomi's capable partner, but that did not mean she had no temper.
When Saori Funamoto had asked Kotomi, "You're Shizuka Hiratsuka's girlfriend, aren't you?"
Yukino Yukinoshita had instantly felt a heavy wave of anger cover her heart. At the same time, she kept telling herself that maybe Saori Funamoto had only been making a joke.
But when she heard Izumi Kotomi repeatedly calling her "Shizuka," it was like pouring oil on a fire. The small flame Yukino had been suppressing inside instantly turned into a blazing inferno.
For a moment, Yukino Yukinoshita desperately wanted to vent her anger and question Kotomi:
"What exactly is the relationship between you and Shizuka Hiratsuka? Don't tell me you two really started dating two years ago?!"
But just as the words reached her lips and were about to come out, she happened to glance at Yui Yuigahama sitting beside Kotomi. Suddenly, Yukino no longer knew how to say them.
If Yui had not been there, she would have already started questioning Kotomi. But Yui was sitting right beside Kotomi now. What right did she have to interrogate her?
Yui was Kotomi's official girlfriend.
Instead of getting angry and demanding answers about Kotomi and Shizuka Hiratsuka, Yui Yuigahama was simply crying uncontrollably.
Watching this, even Yukino had to sigh inwardly. Even at a time like this, Yui was only crying in sadness instead of getting angry and demanding an explanation. Kotomi really was lucky to have found a girlfriend with such a gentle temperament.
At the same time, Yukino found it somewhat strange.
In the romance novels she had read, when comforting a sad girlfriend, the person would usually hug her while whispering sweet words.
But Kotomi Izumi was simply holding Yui without saying a single word.
Silence was another form of acknowledgment.
Could it be that Kotomi really did have that kind of relationship with Shizuka Hiratsuka...?
Thinking this, Yukino Yukinoshita's feelings became complicated. Besides anger, she suddenly found herself feeling a little envious of Shizuka Hiratsuka. Even though Kotomi already had a girlfriend, Shizuka could still be with her.
Yet when she saw Yui Yuigahama crying so much that her voice had grown hoarse, Yukino felt a deep ache in her heart.
Being caught between two completely different thoughts was a torturous feeling.
Only after letting Yui cry for another three minutes did Kotomi Izumi slowly begin to speak.
"Are you done crying?"
"I can't stop... My heart hurts so much. It feels like the tears will never run out," Yui Yuigahama sniffed, her voice choked with sobs.
"Just because of that joke Saori Funamoto made earlier?"
This was the setup for Kotomi's plan. When she mentioned what Saori Funamoto had said earlier, Kotomi directly labeled it as a joke.
This was a form of psychological suggestion.
By using the words "joke," Kotomi subtly implied to Yui and Yukino that Saori Funamoto calling her Shizuka Hiratsuka's girlfriend had simply been a joke.
Even if they did not believe it right away, that was fine. This first suggestion was not meant to make them immediately accept it. It was only meant to plant the idea in their minds, laying the groundwork for what Kotomi would say next.
"Eh?"
"A joke?"
Even Yukino Yukinoshita could not help blurting that out.
She also wanted to believe that Saori Funamoto calling Kotomi Shizuka Hiratsuka's girlfriend had been a joke. But every time Kotomi mentioned Shizuka Hiratsuka or spoke to her, the faint sense of intimacy in the way she addressed her inevitably made people wonder.
Could Kotomi and Shizuka Hiratsuka really have started dating two years ago?
If that were true, then wouldn't Yui have become the third party between them?
And if that were the case, then even if Yukino snatched Kotomi away from Yui, Yui would have no right to accuse her of being a homewrecker.
Yukino Yukinoshita thought this silently to herself. A thought like a monstrous creature sleeping in the depths of the sea quietly surfaced in her heart—though she herself had not yet noticed it.
"Mm-hmm, that's right. A joke. That's just how Saori Funamoto is. She's basically someone who loves running her mouth," Kotomi Izumi nodded as if she understood Saori very well.
In truth, Kotomi did not know Saori Funamoto's personality at all. But in order to explain things to Yui and Yukino, she casually slapped the label of "big mouth" onto her without the slightest guilt.
Who told that damn Saori Funamoto to start stirring things up the moment they met?
"Really?" Yui Yuigahama wiped her tears and asked in a trembling voice.
"Really. I swear on my conscience that my relationship with Shizuka Hiratsuka right now is completely pure. Absolutely no impurities. If I'm lying to you, I'm a puppy."
Kotomi Izumi spoke with utmost sincerity.
After saying that, she silently barked twice in her heart.
Woof! Woof!
"Phew... That's a relief. You scared me to death. So Saori Funamoto was just talking nonsense with a straight face. I knew it—how could Shizuka Hiratsuka possibly be your girlfriend? Leaving aside identity and everything else, the age gap alone is way too big."
At this point, Yui Yuigahama let out a long breath as though a massive stone had finally been lifted from her heart.
Her limbs suddenly felt weak. Her body tilted toward Kotomi and she cautiously leaned against her, resting her small head on Kotomi Izumi's shoulder.
???
Yukino Yukinoshita, sitting nearby, was completely dumbfounded. A row of question marks seemed to appear above her head.
Not even a full minute had passed, and Kotomi had already coaxed Yui—who had just been crying her eyes out—back to normal?
Yui, could you stop being so easy to soothe?
It's precisely because you're so easy to soothe that this shameless scumbag Kotomi dares to act so recklessly!
Yukino Yukinoshita screamed internally.
Looking at the silly little dumpling that was Yui Yuigahama, Yukino suddenly felt a sense of frustrated disappointment, like iron that refused to become steel.
Yui Yuigahama lowered her voice as much as possible and continued speaking in a whisper only Kotomi could hear.
"Kotomi... when I heard Saori Funamoto say you were Shizuka Hiratsuka's girlfriend just now, it felt like someone stabbed me in the heart..."
"I recently read a manga about massage and learned a lot of new things. Sure enough, people should never stop learning. How about I give you a massage?"
The map of Yan was a bit too short—Kotomi Izumi quickly revealed her true intentions at the end.
Kotomi treats me so well... Yui Yuigahama thought happily in her heart.
"Okay..."
Yui Yuigahama was just about to nod in agreement, but when she noticed the obviously mischievous look in Kotomi's eyes, she froze for a moment.
Then she realized what Kotomi actually meant.
A shy blush immediately spread across Yui Yuigahama's adorable face at a visible speed.
"Mm... Kotomi, you're so naughty. If I hadn't noticed the look in your eyes, I might not have realized what you meant. When did you become this bad?" she murmured shyly.
"Because I love you too much~" Kotomi Izumi chuckled softly.
But in her heart, she was thinking: Actually, I've always been pretty bad. I was just pretending to be a pure little lamb in front of you before.
Because their voices were so quiet, Yukino Yukinoshita sitting nearby could not hear what Kotomi and Yui were whispering about.
Watching Yui leaning on Kotomi's shoulder while whispering to her, Yukino felt envy rising inside her.
That envy slowly grew.
And when envy reached its limit, it would transform into jealousy.
"Kotomi, why did you have to add the word 'right now' when you said your relationship with Shizuka Hiratsuka is pure? Are you implying that it's only pure for now... and whether it stays pure in the future is uncertain?"
Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly asked.
Cough—!
Kotomi Izumi had just taken a sip of tea. The moment she heard Yukino's words, she instantly choked on it.
Worse yet, the tea was a bit hot.
She had only just managed to coax Yui into calming down, and Yukino immediately came out of nowhere to sabotage things.
Although Yui was easy to comfort, being undermined like this still annoyed Kotomi a little.
Her face remained smiling, but inside she had already made up her mind.
Once I successfully win Yukino over, I absolutely have to make her wear white stockings and a cat-ear maid outfit. No matter what she says, she has to end every sentence with 'meow.' Then I'll make cat-ear maid Yukino kneel on the floor, call me Master, and help me put on my high heels! Hmph!
Not only that, Kotomi Izumi had already decided that once she saved enough money to buy a large luxury apartment, she would definitely buy more than a dozen maid outfits in different styles and designs.
She would put them all in the bedroom wardrobe and make Yukino try on every single one of them.
Yui Yuigahama froze for a moment, but she quickly understood what Yukino Yukinoshita meant.
She turned to look at Kotomi, hoping Kotomi would provide a reason to refute Yukino.
Even if Kotomi simply said, "That was a slip of the tongue. I misspoke," Yui would have believed her without hesitation.
But unexpectedly, Kotomi Izumi did not refute it.
After a brief silence, she nodded and smiled.
"Mm, yes. You're right. My relationship with Shizuka Hiratsuka is pure—for now. As for whether it will remain pure in the future? I can't say for sure."
The moment those words left her mouth, both Yui Yuigahama and Yukino Yukinoshita were stunned, wondering if they had misheard.
Yui stared at Kotomi in disbelief. She felt as if her heart were being stabbed countless times by a blade—and the one holding the knife was Kotomi herself.
Yukino, hearing Kotomi's answer, failed to react for a moment. She glanced at Yui, whose face was filled with devastation.
How should she put it...
She felt a little regret for asking just now.
If she had known, she would have waited until she was alone with Kotomi before questioning her.
Although no matter when she asked, Kotomi's answer would probably have been the same, at least Yui would not have had to hear it—would not have had to feel this pain right now.
Yukino opened her mouth. Countless words swirled in her heart, but she did not know how to say them.
In the end, all of it condensed into two words that slipped out instinctively.
"Scumbag."
Kotomi Izumi, whose hearing was sometimes sharp and sometimes dull, instantly caught it.
Her little ears twitched.
Being called a scumbag by Yukino made Kotomi immediately unhappy.
Someone like me—Izumi Kotomi—who is absolutely devoted in matters of love, single-minded, and loves only one person with one heart, being called a scumbag? Outrageous! Yukino, you little brat. Once I win you over and make you my third girlfriend, I'll definitely make you wear black stockings and a cat-ear maid outfit, kneel on the floor, and call me Master!
That said, although she had already resolved to make Yukino her girlfriend, whether Yukino would truly become her third girlfriend...
Calming down and thinking about it, even Kotomi herself was not entirely sure.
It was not a matter of lacking confidence.
It was just that Kotomi had far too many targets.
And she was not even certain whether more targets might be added in the future.
On that point, she had a bit of self-awareness.
So among them, who would ultimately become her third girlfriend?
Kotomi did not know.
She would let nature take its course.
Whoever became the third girlfriend did not matter. In the end, they would all become her girlfriends—every single one of them.
After all, rankings have no order of precedence.
Kotomi felt she could treat everyone equally, because she believed she had many hearts—each heart corresponding to a different girl.
That was why she could always say with such righteous confidence: I am completely devoted in love.
Seeing that Yui Yuigahama was on the verge of crying again, Kotomi reluctantly suppressed the thought of making Yukino wear gray stockings and a cat-ear maid outfit.
She spoke slowly.
"You two, don't panic. Listen to my explanation first. I swear on my conscience that my current relationship and feelings with Shizuka Hiratsuka are pure—like the waters of the deep sea, without a single impurity..."
"The waters of the deep sea aren't completely free of impurities. Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as absolutely pure water in this world," Yukino Yukinoshita could not help but retort.
"Of course I know that. It's called a metaphor. Do you understand? Don't tell me you've read so many literary novels without knowing what a metaphor is. Even if you never saw it in a book, your elementary school teacher must have taught you that, right?"
Kotomi seized the opportunity to shoot back sharply at Yukino, avenging herself for being undermined earlier.
Yukino, having been countered like that, paused.
It was hard to describe the feeling.
It was almost as if...
She liked this sensation of losing to Kotomi in a debate.
Yukino might appear cold on the surface, but deep down she possessed a competitive streak.
Yet at some point, she had gradually begun to enjoy the feeling of losing to Kotomi.
She would even think to herself:
If one day I really can date Kotomi, I hope our love will be evenly matched—neither of us willing to admit defeat. And in the end, in this war called "love," I will be exhausted and defeated by her, falling hopelessly in love with Kotomi.
But every time she finished indulging in that fantasy, Yukino would smile bitterly at herself.
Kotomi is Yui's girlfriend. And here I am fantasizing about what my relationship with Kotomi might be like in the future. I really am ridiculous...
Kotomi continued.
"The reason I said it might not remain pure in the future is because not long ago, I agreed to do Shizuka a favor."
"A favor?"
Yui sniffed and asked curiously.
"Do you two remember how Shizuka described her age before?"
"Twenty-nine years and twelve months?" Yui said after thinking for a moment.
The reason she remembered it so clearly was because at the start of the school term, Shizuka Hiratsuka had described her age that way.
At first, Yui had not understood. After asking Kotomi, she realized it was a roundabout way of saying thirty.
Once she understood, she tried to suppress her laughter.
But the more she held it in, the harder it became.
In the end, she burst out laughing.
Shizuka Hiratsuka glared at her upon hearing it. During the entire Japanese class that followed, she kept calling on Yui to answer questions.
Although the questions were not difficult, at that time—before Kotomi had started tutoring her—Yui had been nothing short of a hopeless academic underachiever.
She could not answer a single one.
"That's right. To put it bluntly, Shizuka is already thirty. After her birthday next year, she'll be thirty-one. She's over thirty, and not only does she not have a partner—she hasn't even been in a relationship once in her life. Naturally, her parents are extremely anxious.
When parents start worrying about when their child will get married, what do they do?
Of course—they start pressuring them.
Every day, it's the same thing.
Now whenever Shizuka sees her parents open their mouths, she already knows they're about to ask when she's going to start dating or get married.
She really couldn't stand the constant marriage pressure anymore, so she came to me and asked me to pretend to be her girlfriend. When the time comes, I'll accompany her to have a meal with her parents.
Once her parents see that their daughter has finally 'woken up' and started dating, they'll naturally ease up on the marriage pressure for a while. As for how long that pause will last—who knows?
It's not like Shizuka is actually going to marry me, right?"
Kotomi Izumi chuckled lightly.
But in her heart, she was thinking:
Hehe, I'm actually waiting for cute Shizuka to marry me...
Eh, wait. I'm the top! If we really get married, it should be me marrying cute Shizuka and bringing her home.