Looking at the beautiful face of Ayani Kika, filled with a smiling expression, Kotomi Izumi instinctively shrank her neck.
Because at this moment, the smile on Ayani Kika's face practically had the words "ill intentions" written all over it. Just being stared at like that made Kotomi feel like a little lamb walking straight into the jaws of a big bad wolf.
Ayani Kika was the wolf, and she herself was a sweet, delicious little lamb...
"Really? Because the expression on your face makes it look like you've written out, word for word, your plan to devour me completely."
Kotomi glanced at Ayani Kika with a faint, knowing look. Like she was playing hard to get, she subtly scooted her hips backward, deliberately widening the distance between them.
Naturally, that small movement didn't escape Ayani Kika's notice.
Without a doubt, she interpreted it as a provocation—a silent "duel invitation" from little Kotomi.
"Haha!"
Ayani Kika couldn't help but laugh. She brushed a strand of her long hair back and said in a charming, seductive tone,
"My 'appetite' isn't that big. The reason I was smiling at you just now is simply because when you were on the phone with your girlfriend, both what you said and the way you said it made me unable to stop smiling.
I'm starting to understand why Megumi Kato's possessiveness toward you is so strong. After all, when you lie, you don't even blink—you spent a wonderful night with another girl, stayed up so late being all lovey-dovey that you slept straight through the morning, missed your scheduled call with your girlfriend...
And yet, when you explained it to Megumi, you managed to smooth everything over in such a convincing tone, as if it were completely real.
I thought what you did yesterday afternoon at the tempura shop was already your limit. But now you've shown me—what limit? That's just your normal level of performance.
Honestly, no matter what kind of personality a girl has, once she starts dating you, her possessiveness will gradually grow... and might even become twisted~"
After saying that, Ayani Kika sat up again, gently cupping Kotomi's cheek with her hand as she continued with a smile,
"And about what you thought earlier—that I wanted to devour you completely... I already said, my 'appetite' isn't that big. But that's only if I'm not being tempted by you.
Once you start tempting me, my appetite instantly turns into gluttony. You've already experienced that quite thoroughly, haven't you, little Kotomi~?"
"Hehe..."
Kotomi let out an awkward laugh. Kika's words made her recall yesterday afternoon—and the early hours of this morning...
Even now, her legs were still trembling slightly. At this rate, when she left later, she might have to walk while holding onto the wall.
Before Kotomi could look away with a flushed face, Ayani Kika gently pinched her chin, firmly preventing her from turning her head away. Once again, she leaned in and pressed her lips against Kotomi's.
But this time, within that kiss of love and tenderness, there was also a trace of reluctance to part.
She knew that once Kotomi walked out of her door, when they would meet again was uncertain. It might be a few weeks... or a few months... or perhaps...
No one knew when they would see each other again.
Because of that, she wanted to pour all of her feelings at this moment into this embrace and kiss.
After a long while, the kiss—filled with love, tenderness, and reluctance—finally came to a slow end. Ayani Kika reached out, gently stroking Kotomi's short, snow-white hair, and spoke softly,
"You have so many girlfriends. I'm not so unreasonable as to expect your heart to always stay with me, nor will I ask you to come to Kyoto to see me every week or two.
Even though... I selfishly want to ask that of you.
But I also know that you're still a high school student. So when you're free someday—or if you have a reason to come to Kyoto—come find me then. I'll always be here, waiting for you.
Of course, if you're willing, while you're not in Kyoto... it would be nice if you could call me a few more times each week. Even if we can't meet, I still want to hear your voice often."
"Actually... you could be a bit more selfish," Kotomi murmured softly while leaning against Kika's chest. "For example, you could ask me to set aside one day every week to come to Kyoto and stay with you."
"Silly child~"
Ayani Kika cupped Kotomi's face and gently rubbed her cheeks with both hands, smiling as she said,
"You can afford to be unreasonable, but I have to be sensible. With so many girlfriends, how could you possibly have enough free time to come to Kyoto once a week?
Even if your family had a private plane, that would still be too extravagant."
Kotomi smiled.
"Kika-nee... I hope the time until we meet again won't be too long."
"If there's a chance, I might even go to Chiba to find you myself," Ayani Kika said with a cheerful smile. After speaking, she added,
"Don't worry. Before I appear in front of you, I'll observe from the shadows for a while. Only after confirming there aren't any other girls around you will I show up. I'll make sure not to put you into a 'battlefield of love' situation."
Kotomi laughed awkwardly. She hadn't even thought that far ahead, yet Kika had already planned it for her. But after thinking about it carefully, what Kika said did make sense. So she changed the subject,
"That's surprising. You actually know what a 'battlefield of love' means? When you didn't even know what 'fan' meant before..."
"I didn't know because I never took the initiative to learn about it," Ayani Kika replied calmly. "But if I do take the initiative to learn something new, I pick it up quite quickly.
After seeing how you looked when you were on the phone with Megumi yesterday at noon, I got curious and searched online what kind of word is used to describe that kind of situation.
Turns out there really is one—'battlefield of love.'
In my impression, that term originally described the battlefield where the Asura gods and Indra fought. But after reading its modern meaning online, I have to admit—modern people are quite creative. I never expected a single term to develop so many meanings."
At this point, Ayani Kika shrugged, then spoke to Kotomi in a slightly boastful tone, as if silently saying: I learned a new word—hurry up and praise me.
Kotomi immediately understood. She reached out and gently patted Kika's head.
"Very impressive, very impressive~"
Though simple, it was enough to satisfy Ayani Kika.
"Hmph~ This time I'm satisfied. But next time you praise me, make it last a bit longer, okay?"
"Alright, alright... But Kika-nee, since you learn things so quickly, why not spend a day learning how to properly use a smartphone? And other electronic devices too. Sometimes your unfamiliarity with them really doesn't seem like that of someone born in 2000..."
"Hey~"
Before Kotomi could even finish speaking, her little face was suddenly pinched by Ayani Kika.
"What is it~? I'm just not good at using smartphones. I'm just not good with electronic devices. It took me a whole year just to barely learn how to type on a phone. Even now, I still prefer handwriting input. Even so... what, exactly, is your problem with that~?! Do you think I'm old? Do you think I'm stupid?"
While pinching Kotomi's cheeks, Ayani Kika questioned her word by word.
For a moment, the inexplicable pressure made Kotomi completely unable to fight back. She could only surrender like a well-behaved child.
"Mm... Kika-nee, I'm sorry."
"Hmph~"
Only then did Ayani Kika release her cheeks, letting out a light snort filled with the delight of a victor—as if she had just won a long-awaited battle.
"Phew..."
Finally freed from Kika's "clutches," Kotomi rubbed her cheeks and let out a small sigh of relief. Then she hugged Kika's arm and spoke in a soft, coaxing tone,
"How could I possibly think you're stupid or old? Besides, you're not old at all. If someone born in 2000 counts as old, then Japan's aging problem is completely beyond saving."
"Mm-hmm. And then?" Ayani Kika nodded, continuing to press the issue.
"And then what?" Kotomi blinked, momentarily confused.
"You've only cleared up the misunderstanding about 'thinking I'm old.' You haven't explained whether you think I'm stupid yet," Ayani Kika reminded her.
Because I really do think you're a bit silly... Kotomi thought to herself, but outwardly she laughed helplessly.
"Haha, I haven't gotten to that part yet, have I?"
"Pfft—"
Ayani Kika couldn't hold back her laughter. She pulled Kotomi into her arms and rubbed their cheeks together affectionately.
"Little Kotomi, why are you so cute? I only planned to tease you a bit more before you left, but now that I've bullied you... I feel even more reluctant to let you go. How about you just stay another day?"
"Next time, I'll definitely stay a few more days. But today really isn't possible. Even though Yui usually spoils me a lot, if I don't go back soon, she'll still get upset," Kotomi quickly explained.
She felt she had already stayed here long enough. If she didn't return soon, Yui and Yukino would definitely start worrying.
"Oh? So this other girlfriend of yours—Yui—does she have a bad temper?"
Ayani Kika asked curiously. Though she hid it well, there was still a faint trace of jealousy in her tone.
"Quite the opposite," Kotomi shook her head. "Yui has a very gentle personality. Even when I act willful sometimes, she accepts it without complaint.
If we got married in the future and stayed together all the time, I think it wouldn't take long before she spoiled me into becoming completely useless.
If you really had to point out a flaw in her personality... it would probably be her lack of confidence and her tendency to overthink things. But it's definitely not a bad temper."
"I see~ I think I get the general idea now. If there's ever a chance, I'd love to sit down and chat with all of you together," Ayani Kika said thoughtfully. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Oh right—your girlfriends... they don't know about each other, do they?"
"They do, in a way," Kotomi replied. "But they all think my relationship with the others is just that of ordinary friends.
For example, Megumi thinks Yui and I are just friends, and Yui thinks Megumi and I are just friends."
"Wow... you're really bold," Ayani Kika said with a teasing grin. "Aren't you afraid that one day they'll suddenly start talking about relationships?
No matter the era, the most popular topic among high school girls is always romance. Once they realize they both have girlfriends, they'll have even more to talk about—and they'll start discussing their own girlfriends... which is you.
Then, as they keep talking, they'll gradually start to feel that something's off. Why does the girlfriend the other person is describing sound exactly like mine? Not even the slightest difference.
And finally, when they say their girlfriend's name... they'll discover that they're talking about the same person—Kotomi Izumi."
At this point, Ayani Kika gave a mischievous smile.
"Just imagining that scene is thrilling. And that's only for juggling two relationships. Someone like you, boldly juggling several... I really can't imagine what kind of spectacle that would turn into."
Just imagining that scenario based on Kika's words made Kotomi shiver involuntarily.
Even so, she maintained a calm expression.
"It's fine. As long as I keep everything balanced and don't let them notice each other, that situation won't happen."
"Oh~ really? Then I wish you the best of luck, little playgirl," Ayani Kika said with a cheerful smile.
...
After getting dressed, Ayani Kika escorted Kotomi to the entrance.
"I was planning to have you stay for lunch."
"Hehe, next time I come, I'll definitely have to try your cooking properly, Kika-nee. But not today—I need to head back to Harugamo Inn..."
"To see your girlfriends," Ayani Kika helpfully finished for her.
"Ahaha..." Kotomi laughed awkwardly.
After leaving Ayani Kika's house, Kotomi hailed a taxi by the roadside. After paying the fare, the taxi carried her toward Harugamo Inn.
At the same time...
Harugamo Inn.
A luxurious Japanese-style guest room.
After waking up, Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at the space beside her, sighed softly, and then asked Yui Yuigahama, who was already up,
"Has Kotomi not come back yet?"
"No," Yui nodded. "She sent me a message last night saying that her uncle and aunt were busy, so she might not be back until today."
"I see..."
Yukino responded quietly. Picking up her phone, she noticed that she hadn't received any calls, messages, or LINE notifications from Kotomi.
Kotomi didn't come back at all last night... Even though she sent a message, why did she only tell Yui and not me?
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