In just two hours—
What Megumi Kato did to Kotomi Izumi could only be described as torment. Even though Megumi kept telling herself in her heart to stay calm, the moment she held Kotomi's body, an indescribable feeling surged within her.
Even Megumi herself didn't understand what that feeling was. She only knew there was a flame in her chest that needed the spring's water to extinguish. And that spring water, which could soothe everything and calm everything, was right before her eyes.
It was like someone lost in the desert for days and nights finally seeing an oasis with parched eyes—too weak to cry out, only able to devour everything the oasis offered with greedy looks and actions.
Until Megumi exhausted herself, collapsing on Kotomi's battered body, panting heavily.
Kotomi Izumi, whose breathing was faint and uneven, reached out and embraced Megumi's head, silently soothing her.
[Heal]
Kotomi silently repeated the word in her heart. It was one of the system's built-in abilities, which she rarely used before, but in the past two hours, she had used it countless times.
With the silent chant, a light of pink and blue enveloped Kotomi's right hand. The bones that Megumi had literally broken just moments ago were restored, and the pain vanished.
Everything Megumi had done just now was as if she were in a trance, her movements rough to the extreme.
To be precise, even Megumi herself couldn't control the weight of her every action. Yet Kotomi endured the pain and accepted everything, without the slightest rejection of what Megumi did.
If not for [Heal] constantly repairing the damage Kotomi sustained—
By the time Megumi came back to her senses, she would only have seen Kotomi's lifeless body: eyes empty, clothes disheveled, skin ice-cold.
When Megumi returned to awareness, her mind was filled with Kotomi's wordless gentleness. Tears welled in her eyes as she softly embraced Kotomi's bare body, trembling as she said:
"I just had a dream… a terrifying dream. I dreamed I killed you… in the bedroom… with a knife…"
"That really is a terrible dream. Let's forget it completely, shall we?" Kotomi rubbed her cheek gently against Megumi's.
"Okay…"
Megumi's voice was choked as she kissed Kotomi's lips deeply. Kotomi's warmth, her voice, her words—made Megumi feel that even if she couldn't monopolize Kotomi, it didn't matter. As long as Kotomi loved her, as long as they could live together until the end of their lives, that was enough.
The two lay quietly on the bed, embracing each other, spending a long, still moment together.
After a while, Kotomi finally spoke:
"You didn't take my first time…"
Megumi froze for a moment before realizing—yes, she hadn't taken Kotomi's first time!
"Then let's do it ten more times!"
Megumi pushed herself up. Just moments ago she had been exhausted, but upon realizing Kotomi's first time was still within reach, her whole body filled with boundless energy.
"Mm—" Kotomi puffed out her cheeks in displeasure.
Seeing this, Megumi scratched her head with an awkward smile and asked: "N-not allowed?"
"Of course not! You're such a bad little Megumi! You nearly broke me apart just now, and you still want more? Do you want me to drop out of high school before graduation and become a stay-at-home mom because of pregnancy?" Kotomi pouted, sulking.
"Ugh… fine…" Megumi muttered, a little disappointed, cursing herself inwardly. Why hadn't she taken Kotomi's first time when the chance was so perfect? What had she even been doing during those two hours?!
Seeing the disappointment on Megumi's face, Kotomi smiled softly. Once more, she gently embraced Megumi and said with a light laugh:
"I'm not going to suddenly disappear. You didn't take my first time this time—there's always next time~ Don't be in such a rush."
"Mmhm." Megumi Kato nodded obediently. Every time after she had her 'fill,' she would be very well-behaved and listen to Kotomi for a while.
...
As evening approached—
After putting her clothes back on, Kotomi didn't waste any more time and remembered the purpose of her visit: to copy the notes from the half-day of morning classes.
The notes weren't much. In just a little over ten minutes, Kotomi had completely caught up.
"I'll head home now."
"Not staying for dinner tonight?" Megumi asked.
"No, I didn't tell my mom I was coming to your place. She's probably just finishing cooking right about now."
"I see… then I'll walk you out."
"Okay~" Kotomi said, stretching out her slender, delicate hand toward Megumi.
Seeing this, Megumi immediately understood and reached out to support Kotomi, helping her walk downstairs.
Every time after they were done, Kotomi always needed Megumi's support to walk. Her legs hadn't completely recovered yet, and stepping on the floor with her small feet still felt like treading on cotton. Walking on level ground was manageable, but going down stairs left her swaying and unsteady.
And this was even with the help of the Queen of All Females constitution…
Supporting Kotomi down the stairs, once at the entrance, Megumi carefully helped her sit, then knelt on one knee to put Kotomi's shoes on. But before she slipped them on—
Megumi deliberately…
"Megumi, bad!" Kotomi puffed up her cheeks and kicked Megumi's face lightly with her small feet wrapped in black stockings.
The touch was so light it didn't hurt at all—in fact, it tickled pleasantly, making Megumi chuckle out loud.
Once Kotomi's shoes were on, she left Megumi's house. Megumi escorted her all the way to the door.
"See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow." Megumi smiled. Just as Kotomi turned to leave, she gently grabbed Kotomi's wrist.
Kotomi, about to walk away, felt the tug and resistance.
She turned back—and in the next moment, a sweet fragrance brushed past her nose.
So sweet.
The two kissed at the doorway.
...
Not far from Megumi's house—
A Rolls-Royce Phantom sat quietly.
Atsuki kept her eyes closed, never glancing outside. As Arisu Sakayanagi's maid, she knew very well what she should and shouldn't see.
In the passenger seat, Arisu's face was dark as she glared at Megumi Kato kissing Kotomi at the door.
"Ka…to… Megumi! This is the first time I've ever so strongly wanted to kill someone! You deserve death!!! Kotomi clearly belongs only to me… You dare desecrate her beauty? Even if I kill you ten thousand times, making you die in countless miserable ways, your actions could never be forgiven!! I'll drown you in cement and sink you to the bottom of Tokyo Bay!!"
Arisu's hand clenched tightly around her cane. Jealousy and rage twisted her beautiful face into something fierce, her words growing more intense with every breath.
Seeing Arisu Sakayanagi gritting her teeth in fury, Atsuki couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief in her heart. Fortunately, today the young lady had brought an ordinary cane, not the one with a hidden blade.
Otherwise, Arisu would probably have already drawn the blade, turning the cane into a sword and slashing at Megumi Kato.
Don't be fooled by how Arisu needed a cane to walk. When it truly mattered, her running speed was no slower than an ordinary person's. More than once, Atsuki had even suspected whether the young lady's legs had already recovered enough to walk normally.
As Arisu roared with rage, Atsuki could only keep her eyes shut silently, while constantly observing the young lady's emotions. If anything seemed off, she would have to stop her from acting on impulse at once.
Arisu's possessiveness and protectiveness toward Kotomi were terrifyingly pathological. And now, the Kotomi she loved most was being embraced and kissed by another woman.
Without question, Arisu's killing intent was already decided.
Atsuki quietly locked the car doors. She was afraid the young lady might impulsively jump out of the car and confront Megumi face to face.
Arisu continued her furious roar for quite a while. Only after coughing a few times did her emotions appear to settle. Yet the coldness in her eyes as she glared at Megumi was enough to send chills down one's spine.
Atsuki even wondered whether she should remind the young lady not to kill so easily.
Outside the car window, the two girls at the doorway finally ended their long kiss, gazing at each other reluctantly.
"Megumi, I really need to go home now."
"Be careful on the way. When you get home, remember to send me a message," Megumi said softly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Kotomi's ear.
"Come on, the road is so close. If you stand here and watch me until I disappear from sight, I'll basically already be home by then," Kotomi chuckled, then turned and walked in the direction of her house.
Megumi watched her leave until her figure vanished completely from view.
Only after receiving a Line message from Kotomi—[I'm home now]—did Megumi finally turn back inside.
But Megumi wasn't the only one watching Kotomi leave. Arisu Sakayanagi, sitting inside the Rolls-Royce Phantom, also stared blankly at Kotomi's retreating back.
She wished Kotomi could walk a little slower, even slower still, so she could look at her just a little longer.
After Kotomi left, Arisu silently opened the car door and returned to the back seat. On the way here, she had sat in the front passenger seat in her haste to see Kotomi sooner. Normally, she always sat in the back.
Once seated in the back, she pressed the button beside the seat, raising the footrest. The already comfortable chair became even more so as it reclined, letting her gaze up at the Rolls-Royce's starlight ceiling where a shooting star occasionally streaked across.
With the privacy shades drawn down, Atsuki finally started the car smoothly and drove away.
Only after a long silence did Arisu speak again: "Atsuki, when we return, pack my luggage and request a half-month leave from school."
"Yes, I understand. But, young lady, what do you plan to do with half a month's leave? I'll need to report to the master and madam."
"To visit the Izumi family in Yamanashi, and the Hishinaga family in Kumamoto, Kyushu," Arisu said calmly.
"Both families are related to Kotomi. One is her grandfather's side, the other her maternal grandfather's side."
"Although I've already entrusted grandfather to propose the marriage to the Izumi head, knowing his personality, I doubt he stated it clearly the first time."
"Young lady, it's only natural that the master acted cautiously. After all, both you and Kotomi hold extraordinary positions. If the two of you truly marry one day, it would mean binding together three great conglomerates completely. Many people do not wish to see such a situation."
"Not only outsiders. Even the heads of the Izumi and Hishinaga families will carefully examine Sakayanagi's sincerity and speculate on our true intentions."
"Our true intention is simple—I want to marry Kotomi. I want her to be my wife. I want her future name to be Kotomi Sakayanagi," Arisu declared firmly.
"What if the Izumi family refuses? What if they don't want Kotomi to marry into your family, but instead ask you to marry into theirs—so that your name becomes Arisu Izumi?"
"Either way is fine, as long as I can marry Kotomi."
"Sigh… Young lady, to be honest, even if you personally visit the Izumi and Hishinaga families, it won't be easy to settle the matter of marrying Kotomi."
Atsuki sighed, then continued:
"For ordinary people, marriage might be simple—discuss a dowry, set a date, and the wedding is done.
But neither you nor Kotomi are ordinary people. Your marriage wouldn't just be marriage—it would be called an alliance.
If such an alliance were decided, both the Izumi and Hishinaga families would want to secure the greatest advantage from it, while the Sakayanagi family would also seek to take the lead. Neither side would want to yield, so inevitably there would be a long period of negotiations and maneuvering. By the time everything is agreed upon, you and Kotomi will probably have graduated from university. Heh, in a way, that would be just right."
"You saw it yourself earlier—Megumi Kato has already made moves on Kotomi many times! We can't afford to wait patiently. The official wedding can wait until after high school graduation, but I want the engagement ceremony with Kotomi to be held when we're in our second year of high school," Arisu said seriously.
"That's too rushed," Atsuki reminded her.
"Rushed? This is already me at my most patient. If I could, I would marry Kotomi right away and build a small family with her~" As Arisu spoke, her face revealed a longing expression.
Then she added: "When we get back, just prepare my luggage and request leave from school. Also, buy a first-class ticket to Yamanashi. I'll visit the Izumi family first. As for Father and Mother, I'll talk to them myself."
Atsuki, as Arisu's maid, could only comply. She nodded. "I understand. You're sure you don't want a private jet?"
"Just a first-class ticket. Keep it low-profile."
...
When Kotomi returned home, she greeted her mother, who was cooking in the kitchen, before going straight to her bedroom.
The moment she entered, she shrugged off her outerwear and collapsed onto her bed.
"Kazumi…"
Once again, Kotomi softly called that name, hoping Kazumi would respond. But only silence greeted her. Normally, Kazumi would have already popped up with her usual cheeky arrogance, looking for an excuse to trick her into handing over more reputation points.
Covering her eyes with her arm, Kotomi whispered:
"Idiot."
As if speaking to Kazumi, but more like speaking to herself.
When Kazumi had sent her soul out of the mental space, she had whispered one last sentence, in a voice that sounded like a mischievous prank:
"Kotomi, I hope you can find the real me."
Kotomi hadn't even had the chance to ask what that meant before she was ejected from the mental space—and Kazumi had fallen into her slumber.
—
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