Sobu High School.
Second Music Room.
The twilight sky outside the window gradually deepened, and the last trace of the setting sun's afterglow seemed ready to sink completely into the night at any moment.
They had been rehearsing ensemble pieces continuously, taking only five-minute breaks between each session before starting again.
Finally, after singing for the fifth time, Kotomi Izumi and the others stopped at last, preparing to rest for a while.
"I'm exhausted… but, Yukino, your suggestion of continuous ensemble training really worked. Tiring as it is, at least now I don't get so nervous every time I think about tomorrow's culture festival."
After carefully putting down the microphone, Yui Yuigahama plopped down on the floor with a long sigh of relief, gasping for breath. Once her breathing steadied, she began to sip slowly from the energy drink Kotomi had bought for her.
"If you get too nervous before a performance, you should exhaust yourself through repeated practice the day before. It's not just to distract you—it's also because in continuous practice, you gradually build confidence. You start to feel that if you can maintain this state, even performing on stage will be no problem."
Yukino Yukinoshita explained while flexing her wrists on the piano bench, speaking to both Kotomi and Yui.
Thanks to her Queen of All Females constitution, Kotomi didn't even feel that tired after five consecutive ensemble sessions. She could easily go for another five.
But seeing Yui and Yukino with sweat running down their cheeks, Kotomi had no choice but to pretend to be tired too—sitting on the floor with her guitar in her arms, looking as if she was too exhausted to speak. In reality, what she was really thinking about was what to eat for dinner tonight.
After nearly two weeks of rehearsals, the trio's coordination had reached its peak. Maintaining this state for the culture festival performance would ensure there were no problems at all.
Thinking of that, Kotomi relaxed a little. Though she appeared calm, she was actually a little nervous inside—not out of fear that the performance would go badly. She trusted her guitar skills, Yui's singing, and Yukino's keyboard playing.
Her slight nervousness was purely instinctive. She had heard before that keeping a moderate level of tension during competitions or exams could sometimes lead to unexpectedly outstanding results.
At this point in their rehearsal, they had done all they could.
Kotomi no longer expected any extraordinary miracles on stage. She only hoped for a smooth performance—one where the three of them could give their best, finish their ensemble perfectly, and receive positive feedback. She wanted this year's culture festival to become the most beautiful memory she shared with Yui and Yukino during their high school days.
A memory so wonderful that even years after graduation, when they recalled it, the corners of their mouths would still unconsciously curl into a smile.
"Let's rehearse one more time later, then we'll go grab dinner," Kotomi said, rubbing her stomach—it was already dinnertime, and she was getting hungry.
Some students who stayed behind to rehearse weren't planning to eat dinner, intending instead to dedicate more time to practice and just eat extra breakfast the next morning.
But that wouldn't work for Kotomi. Missing even one meal was impossible for her. If she skipped dinner tonight, she probably wouldn't even have the energy to get out of bed tomorrow.
For Kotomi, three meals a day were essential.
Though more was always welcome.
Kotomi sometimes liked to make herself a late-night snack. Eating five times a day wasn't unusual for her.
After spending so much time together, both Yui and Yukino knew very well that Kotomi couldn't skip a single meal, so they agreed to her suggestion.
Of course, before starting their next rehearsal, they needed to rest for about thirty minutes. Those five consecutive ensemble runs had worn Yui and Yukino out.
Especially Yui Yuigahama—she had sung five times in a row, performing two full songs each time without skipping a single line. When they stopped just now, her throat felt like it was burning. Gulp, gulp—in the blink of an eye, she had already finished the entire bottle of energy drink.
Seeing this, Kotomi handed her barely-touched bottle of peach soda to Yui Yuigahama and said kindly,
"Here, drink this. I'm not thirsty yet."
That extra sentence wasn't unnecessary. Kotomi knew that if she didn't say it, Yui—who always listened to her so obediently—would never be able to drink it comfortably. Yui would probably start overthinking it in her head: 'Kotomi gave me this soda—did she just mean for me to hold it for her? She didn't actually tell me to drink it. If I drink it on my own, will she get mad at me?'
Kotomi had no idea why Yui was so obedient toward her. It felt like even if she told Yui to call her "Mom," she'd do it without hesitation.
Knowing how overly compliant Yui could be, Kotomi always made sure to express herself as clearly as possible whenever she spoke to her—even if it made her sentences sound a little redundant. That way, Yui wouldn't start overthinking things.
Because once Yui thought she might have misunderstood Kotomi's words, she'd immediately feel ashamed, freeze on the spot, and barely dare to speak—terrified that she might upset Kotomi by being too slow or too dense.
This was something Kotomi had deduced herself, and all she could do was sigh helplessly. Sometimes, she really wanted to tap that little dumpling's head and ask, "Am I really that scary? Have I ever even gotten angry with you? Even if I did, it's not like I'd eat you alive!"
"Thank you, Kotomi!"
Sure enough, after Kotomi spoke, Yui beamed happily, twisted off the cap, and began to drink.
Watching Yui sip from the peach soda, Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly found herself wanting a taste too—or more precisely, she wanted to drink from the same bottle Kotomi had used…
"Good evening, everyone. Sorry to intrude~"
Just as the three were resting, the door opened and a cheerful voice came from behind it. To their surprise, Ruriya Hojo poked her head in, smiling warmly. Then she stepped inside the second music room, holding two large cylindrical insulated lunch containers in her hands.
Her sudden appearance startled not only Yui and Yukino but even Kotomi, who was in the same club as her.
It was almost six in the evening—what was Ruriya Hojo doing here?
She hadn't mentioned coming by earlier.
And those two long cylindrical containers she was carrying… were those lunch boxes?
"Ruriya, why are you still at school this late?"
Kotomi asked in confusion. She had indeed mentioned earlier that they would be staying after school to rehearse, but Ruriya Hojo hadn't said anything about coming to see them.
"After I got back to the shop, I thought you might not have had dinner yet, so I asked my mom to help me prepare some food to bring over. I even made a few of the dishes myself. I had a quick taste before packing them up—they turned out pretty good! Looks like I might have a bit of talent for cooking after all."
Ruriya Hojo explained with a bright, open smile, and only then did Kotomi and the others realize she had come to deliver dinner.
"Thank you."
Yukino Yukinoshita expressed her gratitude politely. Although she could tell that Ruriya's excuse of bringing dinner for the three of them was only a pretext—and that her real goal was clearly to cook for Kotomi—she still gave the proper thanks that courtesy demanded.
"Thanks, Hojo-san. I'll help pass out the chopsticks."
As for the little dumpling, Yui Yuigahama… she might've sensed that something was a bit off about Ruriya's actions, but her small brain didn't have the mental energy left to think it through deeply. She simply helped set out the chopsticks enthusiastically.
For girls who were shy or a little insecure, someone as outgoing and radiant as Ruriya Hojo could seem like a blinding yet harmless ray of sunlight.
An extroverted, cheerful, and confident person was like the sun itself—warm and inviting. When they approached someone with a similar personality, they would quickly become friends, perhaps even take a step further if mutual feelings developed.
But when that same bright energy approached someone introverted or self-conscious, even without any ill intent, it could unintentionally burn.
After laying out the tablecloth and opening the lunch containers one by one, arranging them neatly, and setting out disposable chopsticks and plastic bowls, Ruriya finally exhaled in relief. She stretched her wrists, then sat down on the floor beside Kotomi and said,
"Whew… I carried these all the way from the shop. Even though I used to exercise a lot back when I was a cheerleading captain and still have decent stamina, I don't have much upper-body strength. My dad said you have quite the appetite, Kotomi, so I made extra. Even the lunch boxes I used are the biggest ones from our store."
"Your dad said I have a big appetite? Your dad is… wait, I don't think I've ever been to your house."
Kotomi tilted her head in puzzlement. As far as she could remember, she had never visited Ruriya's home, let alone met her parents.
Seeing Kotomi's confused expression, Ruriya chuckled softly.
"Hahaha, technically, you haven't met my parents with me, which is why you're confused. But actually, you already know them—you've been one of our regular customers for a while now. Yui Yuigahama should've seen them too, right? You and Kotomi went to a KTV near the station last weekend."
Hearing that, Kotomi's eyes widened in realization, and after a short pause, Yui also caught on.
So Ruriya Hojo's family owned that KTV they'd gone to over the weekend!
Kotomi was indeed a longtime customer of their shop. Though she hadn't been there much recently, she used to go quite often. And whenever she did, she hardly sang—she spent all her time eating the snacks, making people wonder if she'd mistaken the KTV for a restaurant.
Thinking about it now, it all made sense—after all, the KTV's owner's surname was also Hojo.
Even though Kotomi had known that the shop's owners both shared the surname Hojo, when she first met Ruriya after entering high school, it never crossed her mind that this cheerful girl might be their daughter.
After all, the surname Hojo was incredibly common in Japan. Especially in Shibuya—stop any random person on the street, and chances are their last name would be Hojo.
"So that KTV is actually run by your parents, Ruriya? This is the first time I've heard that. But come to think of it, I've been there quite a few times. I always order a full table of snacks every time—the food and drinks at your KTV are so good, and the prices are super reasonable too!"
"When we went last weekend, Kotomi recommended your fries to me," Yui Yuigahama added quickly. "After just one bite, I instantly understood why she was so insistent about them."
In truth, Yui hadn't found the fries that amazing. She was simply echoing Kotomi's enthusiasm because Kotomi loved them so much.
After praising the fries, Yui began sneaking glances at Kotomi out of the corner of her eye—nervous and hopeful, secretly watching to see how Kotomi would react. Would she smile softly at her? Or maybe pat her on the head later when no one was looking as a form of praise?
If she really did get that kind of "reward," Yui thought she could stay giddy and smiling like an idiot for an entire week.
But despite Yui's hopeful glances, Kotomi didn't react at all. She was entirely focused on her food, concentrating intensely on the bento box before her.
She hadn't noticed Yui's words at all!
If Yui were to ask, "Do you remember what I just said?" Kotomi would probably look at her in surprise and reply, "Huh? You said something just now?"
"Uu…"
Yui let out a soft, pitiful whimper, biting down gently on her chopsticks like an abandoned puppy left behind by her "master" Kotomi. The sound was faint, but still audible if one listened closely.
Even Yukino Yukinoshita, sitting across from her, heard the little whimper and looked at Yui in confusion.
Meanwhile, Kotomi Izumi, holding a piece of fried chicken, was seriously contemplating an important question—should she dip her first bite in ketchup or in thousand island sauce?
...
Since they had eaten the dinner Ruriya brought, the three girls agreed that the least they could do was wash the lunch boxes afterward.
However, Ruriya Hojo firmly insisted that she'd just take them back to the shop and wash them there herself.
Unable to argue with her, they finally relented. But before Ruriya could start packing the containers, Kotomi swiftly helped tidy everything up, her movements quick and efficient.
"I'll walk you out," Kotomi said, standing as Ruriya prepared to leave.
This time, Ruriya didn't refuse. Instead, she nodded happily—perhaps this was what she'd been hoping for all along.
They stepped out of the school building together, walking slowly through the campus as night settled over it. The November air had already turned chilly, colder even than the night before.
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