"Tonight… how should the three of us sleep?"
After returning to the room, Yukino Yukinoshita asked tentatively. She really liked the feeling of sleeping together with Kotomi—it felt as if all her worries disappeared, as though she were completely immersed in a beautiful dream.
Last night, as she slept, she had both enjoyed being held in Kotomi's arms and felt a twinge of envy and jealousy toward Yui—who could often enjoy that warmth openly and without restraint, unlike herself, who had only been lucky enough to experience it for a single night.
Tonight… Kotomi probably won't hold me while sleeping anymore, right…
Yukino thought bitterly.
Her heart was conflicted. She wanted to continue enjoying the feeling of being held by Kotomi, and she couldn't help wondering whether Kotomi would embrace her again tonight like she had last night.
But at the same time, she kept reminding herself that she couldn't keep indulging in Kotomi's embrace. If she continued like this, her feelings would inevitably change. Perhaps she might even become the kind of person who would resort to anything to steal Kotomi away from Yui.
Rather than becoming like that, it would be better to cut things off cleanly. Tonight, she should put some distance between herself and Kotomi while sleeping.
With that decision made, Yukino wondered if increasing the distance between their futons would lessen her longing for Kotomi's embrace.
However, she also worried that silently pulling away might lead to misunderstandings. That was why she had chosen to ask first—how should they sleep tonight?
It would have been better if she hadn't asked.
The moment she did, Kotomi answered casually:
"Let's just sleep like we did last night at the love hotel. I'll sleep in the middle."
Hearing that, Yukino suddenly felt her cheeks heat up.
What did she mean, "like last night at the love hotel"?!
Yukino almost wanted to shout and question her, but the words caught in her throat. She wasn't an idiot—she knew that if she said it out loud, the atmosphere would instantly become awkward.
Yui Yuigahama was still here, after all. If she pointed it out, Yui—who hadn't thought anything of it—might start to notice something strange about Kotomi's wording.
And once Yui noticed, she would likely start overthinking again.
After spending so much time together, rehearsing for the cultural festival performance, Yukino had long since realized that Yui had a tendency to overthink things. Not only that, she was also rather foolish—the kind of person who wouldn't turn back until she hit a wall.
Even though Yukino herself wanted to steal Kotomi away from Yui, there were times when she genuinely felt helpless about Yui.
She had chosen someone like Kotomi—a little playgirl—as her girlfriend, and yet she loved her with such unwavering devotion. It was as if, so long as Kotomi nodded, Yui would be willing to dig out her own heart and offer it to her.
There had been several times when it was clearly Kotomi's fault, yet Yui blamed herself instead, thinking she hadn't done enough or hadn't satisfied Kotomi.
Watching from the side—even though I don't want to watch, I can't help but watch—Yukino sometimes felt that it was unfair to Yui. She had even thought about finding a chance to talk to Kotomi alone:
"You can't treat Yui a little better? She's practically ready to give you her whole heart—why do you still bully her?"
But before she could ever say it, Yukino realized something.
She was Yui's romantic rival.
Someone who hoped for cracks to form in Kotomi and Yui's relationship—how could she possibly think about speaking up for Yui?
And yet, at the time, she truly had wanted to defend her.
That felt strange to Yukino, but she quickly found an explanation for herself:
Maybe it's because I'm putting myself in Yui's place. If I were Kotomi's girlfriend right now, I would have already corrected her flirtatious nature. In the end, it's Yui's fault for spoiling Kotomi too much—it's basically unconditional indulgence! If you round it up, that just means she's not suitable to be Kotomi's girlfriend… I am.
While Yukino was still lost in her thoughts, Kotomi Izumi—who had been about to lay out the bedding—noticed that Yukino hadn't objected to her suggestion. Without hesitation, she quickly arranged the futons.
The three futons were placed tightly side by side.
Kotomi in the middle, with Yui and Yukino on either side.
To fulfill one of her ultimate dreams—holding one girl on each side.
Kotomi would never miss such an opportunity.
Details determined success. In Kotomi's view, even though Yukino wasn't her girlfriend yet, she still needed to start laying the groundwork now. Otherwise, once she finally succeeded in winning Yukino over, how could she possibly say something like:
"Yukino, actually, I have a lot of girlfriends. But I promise, I love all of you equally!"
She probably wouldn't even get past "I have a lot of girlfriends" before Yukino pinned her to the ground and beat her up.
Although Yukino Yukinoshita was often labeled as cold and expressionless, her personality was actually very easy to understand—or at least, Kotomi believed she understood her completely.
Yukino might be an ice queen on the surface, but when it came to actually taking action… she was probably the type to strike very ruthlessly.
Kotomi could already imagine it.
If she waited until after winning Yukino over to confess that she had multiple girlfriends—that Yukino was neither the first nor the last—she might not even finish speaking before Yukino pinned her down, broke her limbs, and left her to spend the rest of her life confined to a wheelchair or a bed, living every second under Yukino's control… or perhaps imprisonment.
Thinking about it made a chill run down Kotomi's spine.
And yet, at the same time, an odd sense of excitement stirred within her.
Back to the point—since that was the case, it was better to lay some groundwork in advance.
Just like foreshadowing in a novel, Kotomi decided she would start planting hints for Yukino from now on.
That way, when she eventually confessed, "Yukino, I want a harem!" Yukino might—just might—accept it.
…Alright, there was no way she would accept it happily.
At best, she might go a little easier on her because she had some mental preparation—unlike Megumi, who would pull out a knife without a word.
Hiss—
Thinking of that, Kotomi rubbed her lower abdomen and quietly inhaled a sharp breath.
Even though the wound had long since healed, why did recalling the moment Megumi killed her still make it feel as though the pain had returned, lingering vividly in her stomach?
Could it be that when she stepped out of the hot spring earlier, the cool night breeze had chilled her belly?
Kotomi Izumi gently rubbed her lower abdomen as if to soothe it. Perhaps it had just been her imagination. The excruciating pain from when Megumi had stabbed her to death seemed to resurface in her stomach once again. She had already lost count of how many times this had happened.
Maybe I should go see a neurologist at the hospital sometime…
Thinking that to herself, Kotomi walked toward the kettle, planning to pour herself a cup of hot water.
Yui Yuigahama, who was peeling an apple for Kotomi, immediately understood. Before Kotomi even reached the kettle, Yui moved as if she had teleported—picking up the kettle and cup to pour the hot water for her. After pouring it, she even pressed her cheek lightly against the cup to check the temperature.
This was something Yui had learned from her mother when she used to prepare formula for Yuka. Besides that, she would squeeze a drop of the prepared milk onto her arm with the bottle nipple, wait two or three seconds, then taste the drop from her arm. That way, she could judge the temperature using both her skin and her mouth.
Seeing this, Kotomi couldn't help but laugh. Half-jokingly, she said,
"It's not like I don't have hands and feet. I'm not so helpless that I need someone to pour me a cup of water. And are you sure you're pouring me hot water? It feels more like you're making formula for me. Should I lie in your arms and cry a couple of times for effect?"
"Hehehe… sorry. But Kotomi, you're amazing! You recognized that motion right away as checking the temperature of formula. Did you often make milk for your little sister when you were young?"
Yui scratched her head sheepishly. Maybe because she was always taking care of Kotomi, her care had grown more meticulous and attentive over time. She was practically treating Kotomi like a baby now.
In response to Yui's curiosity, Kotomi chuckled. With a tone that carried a hint of pride, arrogance, and tsundere flair, she said,
"That's because when I was little and got hungry and wanted formula, and Mom and Dad weren't around, it was my little sister who made it for me! I watched her a few times and memorized the movements. So? Isn't my memory amazing? Go on—praise me!"
Kotomi lifted her chin proudly, her smug expression practically spelling out the words "Praise me!" across her face.
"So amazing!" Yui immediately clapped and cheered for her.
In Yui's eyes, Kotomi was always the best.
"Um… sorry to interrupt, Kotomi, but may I ask—at what age did you stop drinking formula?"
Yukino Yukinoshita, who had been listening from the side, finally couldn't hold it in and asked.
She couldn't quite process it. Normally, shouldn't it be the older sister preparing formula and taking care of the younger one? How had it reversed in Kotomi and Aimi's case, with the younger sister making formula for the older sister?
Just how useless of an older sister was Kotomi…?
"I think… around eight years old? Why?"
Kotomi thought for a moment about when she had stopped frequently drinking formula and answered matter-of-factly.
"N-No reason…"
Yukino tugged at the corner of her lips. It felt as though ten thousand sarcastic remarks were surging inside her, yet she had no idea where to begin. In the end, she swallowed them all.
After finishing her hot water in a few gulps, Kotomi went back to arranging the bedding.
In truth, all she did was place the three futons on the tatami, adjust their positions, and then sit down as if she had completed her task. Sitting on the floor, she pulled out her phone and began scrolling through the official Twitter account of Valorant, checking out the upcoming new skins.
Yui, with unspoken understanding, picked up the pillows and blankets and began helping Kotomi finish the rest.
Seeing this, Yukino sighed helplessly and said, "Yui, just make yours and Kotomi's. I'll do mine myself."
With that, she turned to get her own pillow and blanket.
"I thought you were the kind of refined young lady who never sleeps on the floor, Yukino~" Kotomi teased with a grin.
The moment she finished speaking, Yukino shot her an annoyed glance.
"What kind of comment is that? You're making it sound like I was some pampered heiress raised in luxury. I wish I had grown up being spoiled by my parents. Unfortunately, they never spoiled me. In fact, every time I write the phrase 'pampered and indulged,' I can't help but feel curious and confused—what does that actually feel like?
"On another note, compared to a bed, I prefer sleeping on the floor. Sometimes I get insomnia in a bed, but if I sleep on a futon on the floor, I never do.
"There was once when I woke up in the middle of the night and kept tossing and turning, unable to fall back asleep. Later, I took out a futon from the closet, spread it on the floor, brought down the pillow and blanket, and lay down. The moment I closed my eyes, I fell asleep within minutes."
"Time can't go backward. If you weren't spoiled as a child, your parents won't suddenly start now that you're grown. But when you have your own child in the future, you can spoil them as much as you want," Kotomi said with a smile.
"With you?"
Faced with Kotomi's half-joking remark, Yukino asked calmly.
"Eh?!!!"
Before Kotomi could even respond, Yui was the first to jump in shock.
It was no wonder. Her best friend had just casually suggested having a child with her girlfriend. How could Yui possibly remain calm?
Even though she trusted Yukino and believed she wouldn't try to steal Kotomi, instinct still drove her to pull Kotomi into her arms, hugging her tightly like a small, protective beast guarding its food.
That was already her being restrained.
If it had been another girl instead of Yukino, the possessive little beast that was Yui might already have been baring her teeth and growling in warning.
Seeing Yui's exaggerated reaction, something complex flickered deep within Yukino's eyes as she looked at the two of them. She shrugged, a faint, almost helpless smile tugging at her lips.
"I said I'd have a child with Kotomi, not that I was going to eat her. Such a big reaction could easily make people misunderstand your relationship, Yui. Besides, I was only joking. There's no need to take it so seriously."
"J-Just joking? Really?"
Yui still looked uneasy, glancing at Yukino with caution.
"Of course she's joking. Besides, how could two girls even have a child?"
Kotomi finally spoke up, trying to smooth things over and back up Yukino's explanation. At the end, she even added a line that, if the Queen of All Females constitution could hear it, would probably make it curse loudly.
It was only because that constitution couldn't speak. If it could, it would definitely retort:
"How dare you underestimate the pregnancy-boosting power of the Queen of All Females constitution? You little playgirl, believe it or not, I could make your belly swell right now! If your stomach suddenly grew, which girl would you choose to be the child's mother?"
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