She had discovered yet another little habit Yukino had when she was embarrassed—she spoke without thinking.
Compared to the usual calm, intelligent Ice Queen Yukino Yukinoshita, this version of her—flustered, fidgety, and full of tiny tells—was irresistibly adorable in contrast.
Kotomi Izumi swallowed.
I feel a tiny bit sorry for Yui, who's lying beside me right now, holding onto my sleeve while she sleeps…
But!
I really want to kiss this blushing, shy Yukino right now!!!
First of all, Kotomi Izumi was not a playgirl. She truly just wanted to kiss Yukino out of pure affection.
Secondly, she was not a playgirl. She loved Megumi. She loved Yui. Her love for both of them was wholehearted, clear as the sun and moon!
But right now—she just wanted to kiss Yukino.
Just as Kotomi was about to lean in, Yukino Yukinoshita—who still had no idea Kotomi was planning to kiss her and was desperately trying to change the subject because she was too embarrassed—finally thought of something to say.
"After calming down from earlier… I suddenly realized that my current piano level still has its limits. As for the future, I won't talk about that yet. But with my current ability, if I went straight to the Brahms International Piano Competition, becoming champion would be impossible. I'm not even sure I could pass the Japanese regional preliminaries.
"After the cultural festival ended, I've been maintaining two hours of piano practice every day. I listened to my current recordings and compared them with recordings from years ago. To put it bluntly, there's a clear gap between my present level and my past one. The years I abandoned the piano… the impact was simply too great."
"But I think your piano playing is already really good," Kotomi said.
"It's only at a 'pretty good' level. For ordinary competitions in Japan, it might not be a problem. Even if I didn't win, I could probably place in the top three. But if it's the Japanese preliminaries for the Brahms International Piano Competition… I might not even pass the first round. Let alone make it to the Japanese finals. Only by winning the Japanese finals can you qualify to go to Hamburg, Germany, for the international finals."
Kotomi briefly considered whether she should use the reputation points she had accumulated recently to raise her Music skill to MAX, become a master-level musician, and personally tutor Yukino one-on-one.
She hadn't used reputation points to level up in a while, yet the popularity of her works and the growing fame of her pen name "Izumi Ki" had caused her balance of reputation points to skyrocket.
After all, that pink-haired profiteer who was always trying to squeeze reputation points out of her was still asleep—and no one knew when she would wake up.
Kotomi steadied herself.
What was wrong with her? She had almost drifted into thoughts of Kami Hisami again.
Now wasn't the time to feel down. The Kami Hisami who had fallen into a long slumber would never want to see her sinking into sorrow because of her.
She had to keep moving forward. Only then could she one day understand what Kami Hisami had meant in her final words before falling asleep:
"Kotomi, I hope you can find the real me."
Perhaps once she solved that request and fulfilled it, she would be able to reunite with Kami Hisami.
Kotomi forced herself to settle her emotions and pull her drifting thoughts back.
Using reputation points to max out her Music skill and guide Yukino really was a good idea.
But then how would she explain to Yukino that her piano ability had suddenly skyrocketed overnight?
While Kotomi was still thinking about how to help Yukino recover her former level and push even further, Yukino said calmly:
"It doesn't matter. I understand my own condition clearly. The Japanese preliminaries for the Brahms International Piano Competition are at the beginning of December this year, and the finals are at the end of December. Registration is still open. I plan to sign up for the preliminaries and give it a try.
"I don't know if I'll pass, but I'll do my best.
"There's about a month left before early December. I'll use this month to practice seriously.
"Even if I fail the preliminaries, it doesn't matter. The Brahms International Piano Competition is held every two years. If I fail this time, I'll train even harder and prepare for the next Japanese preliminaries.
"I will recover the level I once lost—and surpass it.
"Kotomi, I will succeed. I will stand on the podium of the Brahms International Piano Competition and personally smash the championship trophy onto the ground."
Her tone was gentle, yet filled with unshakable determination.
She wanted revenge against her mother. She wanted to tell her—through something far more powerful than words:
When it comes to the piano, you have no right to say the word 'disappointed' to me!
I will win the championship you once dreamed of—and smash that trophy in front of you. So you'll understand how meaningless your obsession is to me.
Looking at the resolute Yukino before her, Kotomi's gaze softened.
She had originally wanted to kiss her.
But now, she felt that what Yukino needed more was an embrace.
Kissing can wait until later~
Kotomi had always been the type to act immediately once she decided on something. A few seconds after Yukino finished speaking, she slowly reached out and pulled Yukino into her arms.
Filled with confidence, she whispered into Yukino's ear:
"No problem. Yukino will definitely win! Whether it's the Japanese preliminaries, the Japanese finals, or the international finals in Hamburg—I'll be there at every venue, cheering for you.
"Yukino, I promise. I won't miss a single one of your competitions.
"I'll personally witness you becoming the champion of the Brahms International Piano Competition—and completing your 'revenge.'"
Kotomi's words flowed into Yukino's heart like a warm current, melting the ice that had long encased it.
Perhaps one day, that iceberg would melt completely—revealing warmth only to Kotomi.
As intoxicating as Kotomi's words was the embrace she was giving her now.
Yukino felt as though Kotomi were someone holding a block of ice in her arms. Within that embrace, the ice was slowly melting. Perhaps before long, the cold, rigid ice would turn into water.
But water would not be the end. It would gradually warm.
Turning ice into warmth without any external force—it defied logic.
Yet if it was Kotomi… it somehow made perfect sense.
"Then it's a promise. You're not allowed to miss a single one of my competitions."
Yukino's voice sounded like that of a girl teetering on the edge of falling in love.
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized how different her tone sounded and quickly tried to regain her usual composure.
"A-At that time, don't you dare fall asleep in the audience!"
"Hey, don't make it sound like I'm some artless straight girl who goes to concerts with her girlfriend and ends up dozing off. I'm quite good at composing and drawing, you know. That's music and fine arts—two whole artistic disciplines. Someone with that much artistic sensibility would never fall asleep during a piano competition. I'm already thinking about what kind of formal outfit I should wear to the concert hall."
Kotomi laughed, genuinely amused. She even began seriously considering what formalwear she should choose. After a moment, she asked Yukino for her opinion:
"How about a strapless backless evening gown?"
"No!"
Before Kotomi had even finished speaking, Yukino rejected the idea decisively.
Kotomi blinked, slightly stunned.
In her wardrobe dedicated to formal attire, she did indeed have a strapless backless evening gown she particularly liked. Whenever she attended an event that required formalwear, it was usually her first choice.
She had only wanted to look beautiful while cheering Yukino on from the audience.
Yet the moment she mentioned it, Yukino had immediately shouted no.
Kotomi didn't get angry. Instead, she quickly raised a finger to her lips.
"Shh. Keep it down. Yui's still sleeping."
After saying that, she turned her head to glance at Yui Yuigahama beside her.
Yui was still sleeping soundly, her cute face carrying a faint, blissful smile.
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