I want to stay at school to rehearse!
I want to stay with Yukino and Yui, practice together, and at night the three of us can sleep side by side!
The moment Shizuka Hiratsuka mentioned that students could apply to stay after school to rehearse, Kotomi Izumi's whole spirit lit up. Even an older brother would've praised her: Good! That's the spirit!
Kotomi swore—her desire to stay overnight for rehearsals was purely because the cultural festival was only days away, and she, Yukino, and Yui still had many parts of their performance not polished enough. Of course, they needed more practice to perfect it.
Kotomi had already decided: this was her first and also her last cultural festival. Since that was the case, she had to perform her best—not just for herself, but also to make sure Yukino and Yui wouldn't have regrets.
If Kotomi didn't participate next year, Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama certainly wouldn't either. As Kotomi often said, this was the first time the three of them had ever joined a cultural festival together—and it would also be the last. For the two festivals in the later years of high school, they would probably only attend as spectators, not performers.
Even if this time, whether for the sports festival or the cultural festival, Kotomi had only signed up because Shizuka "tricked" her into it, the same wasn't true for Yukino and Yui. They had agreed fully aware of what it meant, and still chose to join Kotomi on stage.
Especially for Yukino Yukinoshita, whose personality was reserved—standing on stage was an immense challenge.
Even so, she had chosen to join Kotomi's three-person band.
Every time Kotomi thought of this, she felt deeply moved—so moved that she wanted to pull both Yukino and Yui into her arms at once. It gave her even greater motivation.
At first, she only wanted to muddle through the performance, since if not for Shizuka's persuasion, she would have simply wandered around the festival, spending most of her time at food stalls, with zero interest in performing on stage.
But with Yukino and Yui joining, Kotomi's attitude changed completely. From trying to slack off, she now wanted nothing more than to give a full, brilliant performance on stage!
Next year, she definitely wouldn't participate again.
But this year—since she was already in—she wanted to give it her all and leave no regrets!
Everything she told herself came down to one point: I, Kotomi Izumi, only want to apply to stay overnight so I can give my best performance at the cultural festival!
Absolutely not because she wanted to sleep next to Yukino and Yui!
After finishing the topic of the festival, Shizuka Hiratsuka moved on:
"Of course, before the cultural festival begins, there's one more matter. Tomorrow morning, during the first half of the day, there will be a parent-teacher conference to go over the results of the midterm exams. Remember to inform your parents when you go home today."
The moment they heard there would be a parent meeting, the class burst into chatter. After all, some had done well, while others had done poorly.
Shizuka clapped her hands, signaling for quiet.
"Alright, everyone, settle down. By now, you all know your exam results. Some of you made progress, others slipped back. If you improved, keep working hard. If you didn't, don't be discouraged—victory and defeat are both part of learning.
"Moreover, this midterm was more difficult than usual, so it's natural for some to regress. The most important thing is not to get complacent. Many of the questions were taken directly from past university entrance exams. In your free time, organize your mistakes into your error books. Strengthen what you got right, and thoroughly understand what you got wrong, so that next time you won't repeat the same mistakes.
"So at the parent meeting, I'll put in a good word for you all, to make sure your parents don't scold you too harshly afterward."
"Yay!"
"Teacher Hiratsuka is the best!"
Shizuka's approach won her the students' admiration instantly.
After class—
Under the puzzled gazes of Mashiro and Megumi, Kotomi excitedly pulled Yukino and Yui out of the classroom.
Yukino Yukinoshita looked confused. She didn't understand why Kotomi had suddenly dragged her and Yui out the moment class ended.
Yui Yuigahama, however, didn't think about it at all. She always felt that whatever Kotomi said, she should just follow. Like a puppy chasing after a frisbee its owner had thrown—tail wagging, eager to fetch it back, waiting for praise and a pat on the head. So, she obediently followed Kotomi, waiting to hear what Kotomi wanted her to do.
Whatever Kotomi asked—even if it meant going through fire and water—Yui would bark loyally and charge ahead without hesitation.
When Kotomi finally spoke, bringing Yukino and Yui to a quiet corner, she got straight to the point:
"Let's sleep together, the three of us!"
Yukino: "Huh?"
Yui: "Okay! Eh… wait, Kotomi, what did you just say?"
Yukino sighed. Did this idiot really agree without even thinking first? She's way too obedient to Kotomi—like a little dog.
So, with a helpless expression, Yukino clarified: "She said the three of us should sleep together."
"Ah!" Yui's face instantly turned red. She felt a little upset. If Kotomi wanted to sleep with her, she could've just said so—why did she have to drag Yukino in too?
Could it be… that for Kotomi, she alone wasn't enough?
With that thought, Yui's face crumpled with grievance, almost to the point of tears. She wasn't angry at Kotomi's supposed unfaithfulness, but rather at herself—angry that she wasn't enough to satisfy Kotomi alone, forcing Kotomi to seek another.
Kotomi, of course, had no idea what Yui's little head was imagining. But one look at her expression left Kotomi exasperated. Whatever it was, she was definitely thinking in the wrong direction.
"I mean, I want to apply for overnight rehearsals before the cultural festival, so we can practice a few more times," Kotomi explained.
"Overnight rehearsals? That means we'd be staying in the music room?" Yukino raised a brow.
"Exactly." Kotomi nodded. "Liblume and Re:TrymenT—even though you two are already familiar with the songs, the three of us haven't formally performed them together yet. I thought we still had time, but after Shizuka-sensei announced the festival would be this Friday, with preparations starting tomorrow, it suddenly feels too rushed. And tomorrow morning there's still the parent meeting."
"Now that you mention it, time is tight. I'm in! Staying overnight in the music room sounds so fun." Yui nodded, raising her hand eagerly.
Yukino's brows knit slightly. She wasn't against Kotomi's proposal, but she couldn't help noticing Yui's attitude. Wasn't she being a little too obedient to Kotomi? It was always the same—no matter what Kotomi said, Yui instantly sided with her.
If Kotomi told her to run south, Yui would charge south without hesitation—even if she hit a wall and bled, she still wouldn't argue.
"What about you, Yukino? Do you want to apply for overnight rehearsals?" Kotomi turned to her after Yui agreed.
Yukino looked at her deeply, then said flatly: "Whatever. If you want to apply, go ask Hiratsuka-sensei. Once it's approved, just let me know. I'll go home and pack a little. Anything else?"
"N-no, that's all," Kotomi stammered. Was it just her imagination, or did Yukino seem a little… upset?
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back to the classroom to study."
With that, Yukino turned and left.
Kotomi sensed Yukino's flicker of emotion in that moment.
But since Yui was still beside them, Kotomi didn't ask Yukino directly. Though she didn't know exactly what had caused Yukino's mood, she could guess—it probably had something to do with her and Yui.
Kotomi remembered when she went to Yukino's house on Sunday. When Yukino found out Kotomi had come only after singing with Yui, her whole atmosphere seemed clouded with a faint emotion.
Back then, Kotomi had wondered—could Yukino have been jealous?
And just now, Yukino seemed to have that same mood again. While Yukino always gave off a cold, aloof aura, Kotomi had noticed that her "iciness" actually felt different depending on her emotions.
At normal times, Yukino was like an iceberg floating on a frozen sea—majestic yet frightening, too cold to approach despite its beauty.
When she was happy, she was like an iceberg about to melt in the warmth of spring. The ice was still cold to the touch, but the sunlight made everything feel gentle.
But when Yukino was upset, it was another scene entirely—blizzards sweeping the icy sea, waves freezing over, and a deathly cold iceberg looming ahead, not as a beacon of hope, but as a symbol of despair.
Kotomi thought back on her actions. Yet no matter how much she reflected, she couldn't figure out what she had done to upset Yukino.
Could it have been Yui who made Yukino unhappy?
That didn't seem right either. Yui had been obedient the whole time, only chiming in to agree with Kotomi's words.
If Yukino had opposed the idea earlier, her mood would have been understandable. But Yukino had agreed to the overnight rehearsals herself, hadn't she?
Kotomi felt troubled. She was a girl too—so why couldn't she understand another girl's heart?
"Hey, Kazumi, did you notice just now? What exactly did I do to upset Yukino?" Kotomi subconsciously whispered in a voice only she and Kazumi could hear.
But the words stopped halfway. Silence. Her body was empty—Kazumi was gone, like a sketch erased clean by an eraser, leaving no trace.
Kotomi's lips curled into a bitter smile. She still hadn't gotten used to life without Kazumi.
"Kotomi, what's wrong? You've been spacing out. Class is about to start," Yui Yuigahama called several times, but Kotomi didn't respond. In the end, Yui had to shake her by the shoulders.
"Ah…" Kotomi let out a faint sound, as if waking from a dream. She rubbed her head and gave Yui a small smile, pretending nothing was wrong.
"I was just thinking about how to ask Hiratsuka-sensei for permission to stay overnight. Even though it should be granted easily since we're performing, it's always better to be polite. When you need someone's help, even if you know they'll agree, you should still phrase it in a way that makes them feel respected."
Kotomi often slipped in little lessons like this for Yui, teaching her bits of life experience—like a mother imparting wisdom to her daughter.
Yui nodded seriously, listening carefully as if she understood a little.
"You go back to the classroom first. I'll head to the office to ask Hiratsuka-sensei about staying overnight," Kotomi said.
"I'll come with you."
"No need." Kotomi shook her head. "It's just a simple request. If I go alone and return a bit late, the teacher won't mind. But if both of us go and come back late, the teacher might start thinking we deliberately used it as an excuse to skip class."
"I see. Alright then, I'll head back to class first. On the day of overnight rehearsal, I'll bring dinner!"
"I'll be looking forward to it. No matter how long I live, I could never get tired of your cooking and desserts."
Kotomi said with a soft laugh, not realizing how her casual words struck Yui differently once they sank into her heart.
The Dango's cute little face turned red with shyness. As she returned to class, her whole body floated with the happiness from Kotomi's words.
Kotomi, meanwhile, went straight to the teachers' office. There, she found Shizuka Hiratsuka seated at her desk, typing on a membrane keyboard, occasionally taking a bite of the red bean bun by her side. Looks like she hadn't eaten breakfast yet.
Seeing this, Kotomi thought: Since I didn't knock, she probably hasn't noticed me yet. So she quietly slipped back out. But instead of returning to class, she stopped by the school shop to buy a bottle of warm fruit-flavored milk and six meat buns.
The buns had thin skin and lots of filling. Knowing Shizuka couldn't eat them all, Kotomi ate three herself.
When she returned to the office, Shizuka still hadn't noticed her earlier visit. She was still typing away at the membrane keyboard, struggling with the speech she needed for tomorrow's parent meeting. The red bean bun was already gone.
Finally hitting a thousand words, Shizuka let out a long sigh. Her brain felt hollow, but at least more than half the speech was done. Writing had never been her strength. She had considered improvising at the meeting, but as a homeroom teacher, she had to prepare a speech—whether or not she ended up using it.
"Just another five hundred words and it'll be done… Ugh, if only someone could write this for me. It's such a pain—it feels like I'm back in college writing a thesis. And I'm starving. Should've bought two buns. Now I don't even want to go to the shop. If I move, I'll lose my rhythm again." Shizuka leaned back in her chair, muttering to herself. The office was empty except for her—every other teacher was in class.
"At times like this, your little angel never lets you down."
Kotomi's voice suddenly came from behind, nearly making Shizuka jump out of her chair.
But before she could, Kotomi leaned in from behind, wrapping her arms gently around Shizuka's neck. She dangled the plastic bag in front of her, her voice smug:
"Sweet milk and buns—breakfast I bought for you~ Hmph! You always call me little witch, but do I look like a witch right now? Is there such a kind-hearted witch in the world? You should call me little angel!"
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven