As she walked, Kotomi Izumi found herself troubled by a certain matter.
Megumi Kato was her girlfriend, and Yui Yuigahama was also her girlfriend.
She had once believed that no matter how many girlfriends she had, she could treat them all equally—balancing everything like holding a bowl of water perfectly level.
But now that she truly had two girlfriends, Kotomi finally realized that keeping that bowl perfectly level was indeed rather difficult.
Still, so what if it was difficult?
Kotomi Izumi was proud—so much so that even when faced with obstacles or challenges, she would never back down. She had full confidence in her feelings and believed that no matter how many girlfriends she had, she could still be completely devoted to each one.
Of course, taking the longer route wasn't just to avoid being seen by Megumi; there was another reason—Kotomi wanted to stop by the supermarket to buy some of Yuka's favorite snacks.
After buying snacks for Yuka so many times, Kotomi had figured out exactly what she liked—what kind of treats and juices she preferred.
Many of those snacks were ones Kotomi herself liked as well. Naturally, the most essential among them were the chocolate cookies that Yuka loved so much.
Ever since Kotomi found out that Yuka liked them, she had often bought them for her—so much that Mrs. Yuigahama would often tell her privately, "You shouldn't spend money so recklessly."
After all, those chocolate cookies Yuka liked weren't cheap. The first time Kotomi bought a box, she even grumbled about how expensive they were.
Pricey as they were, though, they really were delicious. No wonder they dared to charge that much.
Even Kotomi, who didn't like chocolate, found them surprisingly tasty after trying one. Not only did she not dislike the taste, but she even thought they were pretty good.
Given how often Kotomi bought such pricey cookies for Yuka, it was only natural that Mrs. Yuigahama felt helpless. For one, the favor she owed Kotomi kept piling up, and she had no idea how to repay it. For another, she worried that Yuka might be spoiled by Kotomi's constant pampering.
Kotomi understood these concerns perfectly well. Yet for some reason, ever since she first met Yuka, she had felt an irresistible urge to dote on her—not like one would a little sister, but like a mother doting on her own daughter.
Maybe it was because of Yuka's heartbreakingly mature behavior, or maybe because Kotomi had fallen for Tomoka Yuigahama.
"Yuka might be starting to lose her baby teeth soon, so she shouldn't eat too many chocolate cookies. I'll just get her one box this time. As for chips, if I remember correctly, she likes the tomato flavor. I like that one too, but someday I'll make her understand that the best flavor of Lay's is still the classic original... Speaking of which, why doesn't this supermarket sell original Lay's?"
She had intended to listen to Mrs. Yuigahama and buy fewer snacks this time, but before she realized it, Kotomi had already filled her basket with a pile of them again.
Still, Kotomi wasn't too worried that Yuka would eat all those snacks at once without restraint.
On the contrary, she was actually worried that Yuka would eat too little out of reluctance—nibbling on them bit by bit until they eventually expired.
Kotomi had long noticed this about Yuka's eating habits. Yuka never finished a whole bag of chips in one go, even when the bag wasn't very big. She would always take just a few chips at a time, place them in her palm, eat them slowly without wasting a single one, and then roll up the bag's opening neatly to continue the next day.
Usually, a single bag of chips would last Yuka several days.
It was easy to understand why. The Yuigahama family wasn't well-off, and for Yuka, getting to eat snacks was a rare treat—sometimes only a few times a year. Especially those chocolate cookies she loved; being able to eat them twice a year was enough to make her overjoyed.
Naturally, she treated every bag of snacks like a treasure.
"Looks like I need to teach Yuka to finish a bag of snacks all at once sooner or later. Or more precisely, I should help her understand that she can rely on me more." Kotomi muttered softly to herself.
After paying, she left the supermarket and headed straight for the Yuigahama residence.
When she rang the doorbell, Yui Yuigahama soon came to open the door.
Although Yui had already seen Kotomi through the small screen by the entryway when the bell rang, the moment she saw Kotomi standing at her doorstep in person, a wave of excitement and happiness flooded her heart.
Yui Yuigahama nearly burst into tears again.
"Uu... Kotomi, you've been to my house so many times before, but why does seeing you today make me so happy I almost want to cry?"
"You're exaggerating," Kotomi said with a soft smile, reaching out to ruffle Yui's hair. Seeing such a timid and gentle girl always stirred up a mischievous urge in her—she couldn't help but think, So cute... if I gave her a light punch, she'd probably cry for a long time.
"Is Aunt Tomoka and Yuka home?" Kotomi asked.
"Mom's still asleep, and Yuka's doing her homework."
"Homework? In kindergarten already?" Kotomi was surprised. She remembered her own kindergarten days being nothing but fun from start to finish.
"Yeah, she has to memorize a few English words. Right now, she's frowning and glaring at them like she wants to eat them alive," Yui said, giggling as she imagined the scene.
Just mentioning her little sister's struggles with homework made Yui look a little smug. It seemed all older siblings were the same—whenever they saw their younger brothers or sisters struggling with schoolwork or getting scolded by their parents, they couldn't help but feel a twinge of schadenfreude.
Especially during holidays—nothing was more satisfying to a big sister or brother who had already finished their vacation homework than lounging in their sibling's room, playing on their phone and eating snacks while watching their little sibling still buried in a pile of assignments, occasionally asking, "Done yet? How much more do you have left?"
Now that Yuka even had weekend homework, Yui couldn't be happier. Her grin was uncontrollable.
Because homework meant Yuka would obediently stay in her room working—no need to worry about her running around and disturbing Yui's precious time alone with Kotomi.
Thinking of that, the "good big sister" even started wondering if she should secretly give Yuka extra math worksheets, then tell her that the kindergarten teacher called to say there were more pages of addition drills to do.
When Yui noticed the large shopping bags in Kotomi's hands, she quickly reached out to take them.
"What's all this?" she asked.
"One's for Aunt Tomoka—donuts and soda. She loves having a donut with a bottle of soda, right? The other's for Yuka—I thought her chocolate cookies were almost gone, so I bought her another box."
As Yui carried the bags, hearing that everything Kotomi bought was for her mom and sister made her heart feel warm. She was so touched that Kotomi cared about her family this much, but she still puffed her cheeks in a mock pout and said in a teasing tone:
"So everything's for my mom and my sister, huh? Where's my gift~?"
Learning to fake jealousy now, huh... Kotomi thought with an amused smile. Then, spreading her arms wide, she said gently:
"Right here."
Yui giggled, then threw herself into Kotomi's arms without hesitation.
When Kotomi Izumi wrapped her arms tightly around Yui Yuigahama, Yui felt that at this very moment—she was the happiest person in the entire world.
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