"Mmph—!"
Faced with Kotomi Izumi, who was puffing her cheeks and letting out an indignant little sound, Ayani Kika could only smile awkwardly before lowering her head slightly and saying in a small voice,
"Sorry."
How had things ended up like this?
For that, we have to turn the clock back a little over ten minutes...
During what was neither a particularly long nor particularly short bath, Kotomi Izumi had gone from nervous to excited and back again, all while waiting for Ayani Kika to push open the bathroom door.
But even after she had carefully blow-dried her hair, not leaving a single strand damp, Ayani Kika still hadn't come in.
When Kotomi finally realized what was happening, she took a deep breath. Then, in a burst of irritation, without even wrapping herself in a towel, she ran straight from the bathroom to the bedroom. Throwing the door open, she shouted at Ayani Kika, who was sitting there quietly,
"Why didn't you come into the bathroom and bully me?!"
"Eh?"
Ayani Kika froze.
It was unclear whether she was stunned by Kotomi's words—or by the beautiful sight now unfolding before her.
And so, the situation became what it was now.
Kotomi bit her lower lip. Her pink eyes shimmered pitifully, her expression full of grievance, like a wronged wife deceived by a heartless lover.
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
"I think I do... but I'm not completely sure. Either way, I made you angry, so I should apologize. As for exactly how I upset you—I'll figure that out slowly on my own after I cheer you up. Or maybe you'll tell me someday when you're in a good mood."
Ayani Kika spoke with such sincerity that Kotomi didn't even know how to keep being angry.
And after calming down, Kotomi realized she couldn't really act too furious anyway...
After all, before going into the bathroom, she had been the one to refuse Kika. She had planned to play hard to get. To make it easier for Kika to enter, she hadn't locked the door—or even fully closed it.
Yet Kika had truly kept her word. Since Kotomi said not to come in, she obediently stayed in the bedroom waiting for her to finish bathing.
She hadn't even changed her posture.
When Kotomi left, Kika had been sitting one way. When Kotomi returned, she was still sitting exactly the same.
And the crack Kotomi had secretly left in the door before her bath had turned completely useless...
Well, not entirely useless. At least a small draft had slipped through that narrow gap, blowing into the bathroom and making Kotomi shiver while she showered.
As her emotions gradually settled, Kotomi took a deep breath and said,
"F-Fine. Let's just forget about it. I won't play hard to get with you ever again."
Her resentful tone paired with her lonely expression made her look like a pitiful wife complaining about her unfaithful partner.
Though Ayani Kika wasn't skilled with smartphones, she wasn't foolish—on the contrary, she was very intelligent. Seeing Kotomi's resentful look and hearing the loneliness in her voice, combined with what she had just said...
A faint smile curved Kika's lips as she gradually understood why Kotomi had stormed in earlier without a bathrobe or towel.
The night was serene, the beauty before her like a painting.
Ayani Kika reached out and pulled Kotomi tightly into her arms, smiling as she said,
"I see now. You said you didn't want me to bathe with you, but in your heart you were actually looking forward to it. While you were showering, you kept wondering when I would push open the door. But I obediently listened to you. You told me not to enter, so I really didn't. I wasted the door you left open for me. That's why you ran over angrily just now to throw a little tantrum at me."
As she spoke, Kika tightened her embrace slightly, as if she wanted to knead little Kotomi into her very flesh and blood, never to be separated.
"In that case, I really did fail to appreciate a beauty's feelings. I should properly apologize to you~"
Held tightly in Kika's arms, the blush on Kotomi's cheeks deepened irresistibly. Especially when Kika whispered near her ear—though her heart was delighted, she naturally refused to admit it outright. Instead, she stubbornly changed the subject.
"Y-You're holding me too tightly..."
Faced with her shyness, Kika not only refused to loosen her grip, she answered with perfect justification.
"Do you think I'm just hugging you tightly for no reason? That's right. I want to hold you tightly. I wish I could keep holding you like this forever. Even death wouldn't make me let go!"
"Don't suddenly start confessing like that!"
Blushing furiously, Kotomi buried her head deep into Kika's chest like a shy little kitten. She didn't want Kika to see how red her face had become.
"It's not just a confession~"
After finishing what she wanted to say, Kika changed her tone. Smiling teasingly, she added,
"There's another reason I'm holding you so tightly—I'm afraid you'll catch a cold."
"Eh?"
Still unaware that she had run out of the bathroom without even wrapping a towel around herself, Kotomi didn't immediately understand what Kika meant by "afraid you'll catch a cold."
Seeing her still clueless expression, Kika's smile deepened. Leaning close to Kotomi's ear, she parted her lips and murmured softly,
"Little one, you should be grateful that my self-control is fairly good. I've been forcing myself to stay calm this whole time while talking to you. Do you have any idea how tempting you are? Or... do you know very well, and that's why you deliberately appeared in front of me like this? Were you hoping I'd lose control and fulfill what you were expecting while you were showering in there?"
"I—I... ah?! M-My body..."
Instinctively, Kotomi glanced downward. Her face instantly flushed bright red as she finally realized she had rushed out without even putting on a towel.
"Do you act like this in front of your girlfriend too?"
Kika looked down at the Kotomi in her arms with a playful smile, her tone tinged with unmistakable jealousy.
"N-No, of course not..." Kotomi bit her lower lip, her face growing even redder.
"So I'm honored to be the first? In any case, little cutie~ if that's what you were hoping for, then—congratulations. You've succeeded."
With a smile that was both charming and commanding, Kika didn't wait for Kotomi to react. She seized Kotomi's lips in a forceful kiss.
Kotomi's pink eyes widened in shock and embarrassment.
But soon, as those same pink eyes gradually grew hazy, it was clear she was slowly losing herself in the moment.
At least tonight, Kotomi Izumi belonged completely and utterly to Ayani Kika alone.
...
Morning.
Inside Ayani Kika's room.
Two beautiful figures were sleeping together beneath a single futon, embracing each other and enjoying their rest.
They shared the same blanket. To keep Kotomi from getting cold, Ayani Kika had draped most of it over her.
Of course, Kika had already been awake for quite some time.
She simply couldn't bear to let go of Kotomi Izumi's irresistibly enchanting slender waist. Pretending to sleep, she held her close, her slightly narrowed eyes constantly admiring Kotomi's adorable sleeping face.
As time passed, Kotomi gradually began to wake up as well. However, the drowsiness had yet to fully fade. Perhaps it was because they had gone to bed too late last night. Or perhaps it was because Ayani Kika had been far too domineering...
At this moment, little Kotomi only wanted to stay comfortably nestled in big-sister Kika's arms.
Ever since coming to Kyoto, Kotomi hadn't felt this satisfied in a long time. Unable to resist, she snuggled even closer into Kika's embrace and let out a soft, sleepy murmur filled with contentment.
Perhaps because she felt too comfortable, Kotomi rubbed her adorable cheek against Kika's chest in pure bliss.
After a while, Kotomi finally opened her drowsy eyes. Slowly turning over, she picked up her phone and habitually glanced at the time...
Rustle!
Kotomi abruptly sat upright. Without wasting a single second, she unlocked her phone and opened the call screen.
Because the moment she had checked the time, she saw it was already 11 a.m.—along with dozens of missed calls from Megumi Kato!
A bolt of realization struck her mind.
Only then did Kotomi remember the agreement she had made with Megumi in the early hours of the morning.
"Alright then. After you return to Kyoto, remember to call me..."
"Mm, I promise. Let's set it for 10 a.m. This time, I'll definitely call you on time."
...
Glancing at the current time again, Kotomi saw that it had already been a full hour past their agreed time. Looking at the long string of red missed-call notifications from Megumi, she didn't hesitate for even a moment before dialing her back.
The moment Kotomi's call went through, Megumi answered instantly.
Which made perfect sense.
Megumi had been holding her phone the entire time, wondering why Kotomi had broken their promise again while repeatedly calling her.
If Kotomi had dialed even one second later, she would have been receiving yet another incoming call from Megumi instead.
As soon as the call connected, Kotomi immediately blurted out,
"I'm sorry, Megumi. When I got back to Kyoto last night, it was really late—almost three in the morning. I set an alarm for six, thinking I'd sleep for three hours and then wake up early to wait for your call. But I underestimated how tired I was and ended up sleeping straight through until now. I'm really, really sorry!"
Kotomi felt that at a moment like this, she absolutely had to seize the initiative by speaking first.
If she controlled the opening, she could control the tone of the conversation.
As she spoke, she even added extra detail for effect. Rubbing her eyes as if they were sore, she muttered in a pitiful little voice,
"Mm... that's strange. I slept for several hours, so why do my eyes still feel sore after waking up? I guess I'm really getting worse at staying up late."
The moment Megumi heard Kotomi's voice, the tension that had been building inside her softened instantly.
Especially after hearing that small, pitiful mutter, her protective instincts surged so strongly she almost wished she could appear beside Kotomi that very second—surprise her, pull her into her arms, and let her sleep comfortably for a little while longer.
"It's alright. I just waited until ten and didn't receive your call. I tried calling you a few times and you didn't answer, so I thought something might have happened. I was really worried. Now that I can hear your voice and know you're fine, I feel much better."
Megumi adjusted her emotions and spoke in her usual gentle, calm tone, a soft laugh hidden in her words.
A few calls? Are you sure it wasn't a few dozen?!
Kotomi thought to herself, but outwardly she smiled.
"I'm fine. I just got back to Kyoto too late last night. The moment I closed my eyes, the drowsiness felt like a tidal wave about to swallow me whole. I had a very, very long dream. It had such a sweet and beautiful ending. When I woke up and checked my phone, I realized it was already eleven—and I saw your missed calls."
As she spoke, Kotomi deliberately mentioned the dream she had during sleep, hoping to spark Megumi's curiosity and draw her attention.
Sure enough, Megumi was immediately intrigued.
"What kind of dream was it? Can you tell me about it?"
"Of course. Because you were the heroine of the dream~"
"Now I'm even more excited!"
Megumi was so happy she nearly cheered in her heart. She urged eagerly,
"Tell me what happened in the dream."
"I dreamed that you and I got married! I remember I was wearing a pure white wedding dress. My dad held my hand and entrusted me to you. My mom sat in the audience with a gratified smile on her face, tears glistening in her eyes. Because it was a long train wedding dress, Aimi was behind me helping hold up the train."
Kotomi spoke with a bright smile as she described her dream to Megumi.
As Megumi listened, the corners of her lips curved upward uncontrollably, her voice filled with unmistakable delight.
"Just hearing you describe it, I can already picture it in my mind. I really look forward to the day we get married in the future~"
At that, Megumi added with a cheerful laugh,
"And you've just given me some inspiration. You'd look especially beautiful and sacred in a long train wedding dress. I hadn't decided what style you'd wear at our wedding yet—but now I've decided. It's definitely going to be a long train gown!"
"I do like long train dresses," Kotomi admitted. "But it might be a little inconvenient to walk in one. I'd need to trouble a bridesmaid to hold it up for me."
Faced with Kotomi's hesitation, Megumi had already thought of a solution—the inspiration coming directly from the dream Kotomi had just described.
Megumi smiled gently and said,
"That's fine. Didn't you say that in your dream, Aimi was holding up your train? When the time comes, we can ask Aimi to be your bridesmaid and have her hold it for you. Being able to witness her big sister walking toward happiness up close—I think Aimi would gladly accept and be very happy about it~"
—
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