When Kotomi Izumi finally slept until she woke naturally, it was already 11 a.m.
After all, she had not fallen asleep until past five in the morning. Waking up at eleven was already considered early.
Of course, even though Kotomi Izumi was awake now, she still had a strong urge to roll over and go back to sleep.
It was just that she still remembered the agreement she had made with Ayani Kika before going to bed, and her stomach was a little hungry as well. So she could only temporarily give up the idea of sleeping until the afternoon, get up to wash her face first, and think about what excuse she could use later to tell Yukino and Yui that she needed to go out alone for a while.
Kotomi Izumi rubbed her sleepy eyes and slowly sat up. She subconsciously turned her head and saw that Yui Yuigahama was sitting beside her, playing with her phone, while Yukino Yukinoshita was seated at the kotatsu, browsing Soushuba on her phone.
Hearing movement from Kotomi Izumi's side, Yui Yuigahama, who had been sitting next to her the whole time, smiled and said,
"Kotomi, good morning!"
After seeing that Kotomi Izumi had woken up, Yukino Yukinoshita also put down her phone and said calmly,
"Yui, you said that wrong. It shouldn't be good morning, it should be good afternoon. Whether it's eleven right now or twelve an hour from now, both count as noon. Saying good morning is rather inappropriate."
After correcting Yui Yuigahama, Yukino Yukinoshita turned to look at Kotomi Izumi with a faint smile on her lips. Her tone sounded as calm as before, yet somehow slightly different.
"That aside, sleeping all the way until now—are you planning to enter hibernation early?"
Thick-skinned as ever, Kotomi Izumi paid no attention to Yukino Yukinoshita's teasing. She shrugged and said with a grin,
"Heh heh, that's right. I'm still in the adaptation stage of hibernation. In a few days, I'll officially enter full hibernation and sleep straight through until next spring. During that time, you and Yui will have to feed me, give me water, bathe me every day, help me change clothes, and carefully take care of all my daily needs."
"I-I can take care of you all by myself, Kotomi..." Yui Yuigahama said softly, her face flushed red.
"Why is that your focus?"
Yukino Yukinoshita mercilessly retorted to Yui Yuigahama, then flexed her wrist. A trace of menace seeped into her otherwise calm tone.
"If that's what you want, I can just beat you into a vegetative state first. That way, I can take care of you for the rest of your life."
Kotomi Izumi hurriedly grabbed the blanket and held it up in front of herself like a shield. She cautiously poked her little head out from behind it and stuck out her tongue at Yukino Yukinoshita.
"Do you have violent tendencies or something?!"
"Yukino, you can't treat Kotomi like that." Yui Yuigahama always stood on Kotomi Izumi's side.
Watching Kotomi Izumi and Yui Yuigahama act in perfect sync, Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly felt a sour ache in her heart. The bitterness spreading through her chest made her unwilling to continue chatting with them.
To be precise, Yukino Yukinoshita did not want to chat with Kotomi Izumi when Yui Yuigahama was around. If it were just Kotomi alone, she felt she could talk with her all day without ever feeling bored.
Yukino Yukinoshita was not a girl who liked talking, but she felt an inexplicably comfortable sensation when chatting with Kotomi. No matter how long they spoke, she would not feel bored or tired.
"If I really had violent tendencies, I would have already pinned you to the ground and beaten you," Yukino Yukinoshita snorted coldly, lowering her head to continue browsing Soushuba.
"You're not cute at all, you know~"
Kotomi Izumi muttered teasingly. Before she could even finish speaking, Yukino Yukinoshita shot her a fierce glare.
Heh heh heh...
Kotomi Izumi shrank her neck and gave an awkward laugh. Then she slipped behind Yui Yuigahama, wrapped her arms around Yui's waist from behind, and rubbed her little head against Yui's back as she whined pitifully,
"Yui, boo hoo... Yukino just scolded me. She might pounce on me and beat me up any second now. You have to protect me!"
"I'll definitely protect you!"
Yui Yuigahama nodded vigorously, shielding Kotomi Izumi behind her. She truly took Kotomi's words seriously.
Whatever Kotomi said, Yui believed.
For example, if Kotomi claimed she had seen a UFO when she was little and had even communicated friendly with aliens, Yui Yuigahama would genuinely believe that Kotomi had seen a UFO and spoken with aliens in childhood, and would admire her even more deeply because of it.
But if it were Yukino Yukinoshita...
Although Yukino also trusted Kotomi Izumi, she was different from Yui. Yukino was... very smart.
At the very least, if the excuse sounded perfunctory or fake, Yukino Yukinoshita would probably see through it before Kotomi even finished speaking.
Sitting not far away and browsing Soushuba, Yukino Yukinoshita appeared calm on the surface, as if immersed in reading and uninterested in the two of them. But in reality, jealousy had already thickened in her heart.
You two showing off your love—don't use me as seasoning!!!
...
After Kotomi Izumi finished washing up and came out of the bathroom, Yukino Yukinoshita put down her phone. Although she had not really been paying attention to Soushuba earlier anyway—her focus had been entirely on Kotomi.
Getting back to the point, Yukino stood up from the kotatsu and said,
"All right, let's go have lunch."
"Sure. Where are we eating today?" Yui Yuigahama asked, looking at Kotomi Izumi.
Having little opinion of her own, Yui was accustomed to relying on Kotomi at times like this.
But today, Kotomi Izumi was destined not to be able to have lunch with them. After all, before going to sleep at five in the morning, she had promised Ayani Kika that she would go see her today.
The reason she had stayed in the bathroom so long earlier was not only to wash her face, but also to think of an excuse she could use to leave alone later.
At first, Kotomi Izumi had felt a headache coming up with that excuse. After all, it was not only something she had to say to Yui Yuigahama, but also to Yukino Yukinoshita.
If it were only for Yui, Kotomi probably would not even bother thinking too hard. She could casually pick one of the excuses she had used before, tweak it slightly—or not even tweak it at all—and repeat it directly to Yui.
The reason she dared to do that was because Yui Yuigahama always trusted her unconditionally. Whatever Kotomi said, Yui believed.
For example, if Kotomi claimed she had seen a UFO when she was little and had even communicated friendly with aliens, Yui Yuigahama would genuinely believe it and even admire her more deeply because of it.
But if it were Yukino Yukinoshita...
Although Yukino also trusted Kotomi, unlike Yui, Yukino was clever.
At the very least, if the excuse sounded perfunctory or fake, Yukino Yukinoshita would likely detect it before Kotomi even finished speaking.
And so, in order to come up with a reason that both Yukino and Yui would believe, Kotomi Izumi had stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom just now, lost in thought for several minutes.
Until suddenly, she thought of someone!
If she used her as the reason, then whether it was Yukino Yukinoshita or Yui Yuigahama, they would definitely believe it!
A perfect excuse quickly took shape in Kotomi Izumi's mind.
After forming it, she could not help smugly muttering, "Good thing we're in Kyoto right now. If we were in another city, I wouldn't even be able to use this excuse."
After briefly organizing her wording for the excuse and making a few preparations on her phone, Kotomi Izumi walked out of the bathroom.
When faced with Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama asking where to eat for lunch today, Kotomi Izumi did not rush to give her excuse. Instead, she pretended to think about lunch and said,
"Let me think... I kind of feel like eating roast duck today..."
At that very moment, the time reached what Kotomi Izumi had calculated and set on her phone in advance.
"If those two words hadn't trembled, I wouldn't have realized I was hurting. No matter how I say it, it's just a breakup."
Her phone ringtone—Eason Chan's "Ten Years"—rang right on cue.
Scheduled playback was absolutely one of the greatest inventions in human history!
Kotomi Izumi screamed excitedly in her heart, though her face revealed nothing. She maintained a poker face at first, then, upon hearing the ringtone, deliberately showed a slightly puzzled expression, as if curious about who was calling.
In reality, no one was calling her.
This was not even a call ringtone. She had simply opened "Ten Years" in her music app earlier and set it to play at a scheduled time.
"Sorry, I'll take this call."
Kotomi Izumi spoke calmly. She did not take out her phone in front of Yukino and Yui immediately. Instead, as she turned and walked toward the window, she slipped her phone out of her pocket. From this angle, it just so happened that Yukino and Yui could see only the back of her phone.
At the same time, Kotomi Izumi had calculated the distance. From where she had been standing to the window, the space created was just right.
When she pretended to take the call in a moment, this carefully measured distance would allow her to speak very softly while still letting Yukino and Yui vaguely hear her. At the same time, they would not be able to see that her screen displayed wallpaper instead of a call interface.
All of Kotomi Izumi's calculating ability had been put to use in this kind of thing...
After taking out her phone, Kotomi Izumi quickly pressed pause and adjusted her voice to a volume that was low, yet just loud enough for Yukino and Yui to faintly overhear.
"Hello, Third Uncle, what's wrong? Ah! What? Yuyu actually... That's outrageous! Hit her! Harder! Beat her to death! If I were there, I would have already broken ten rolling pins by now! What? She wants me to come over? Does she think I'll speak up for her if I go?
If I don't beat her half to death today, I won't deserve all the times she's called me big sister since she was little!
I set such a good example for her when we were kids, teaching her to be civilized and polite, diligent and inquisitive, well-mannered, kind to others, and devoted in love. Looks like she didn't take a single word of my education to heart!
Third Uncle, don't worry. I'll head over right now. Let Third Aunt take a break too—I can even hear through the phone that she's about to swing the rolling pin like a lightning whirlwind slash.
Make sure you aim properly. Only hit her butt, don't hit anywhere else. If you injure something else, you'll have to send her to the hospital."
After finishing her earnest instructions, Kotomi Izumi lowered her phone. Then she casually turned sideways, deliberately letting Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama see her profile. Once she sensed their gazes on her, she let out a heavy sigh.
Then, as if injecting soul into the performance, she bared her teeth slightly and muttered to herself,
"Yuyu's really grown up, huh? Heh. Her height hasn't grown much, but her guts sure have. And for a girl to do something like that..."
That sigh and that muttered comment carried both disappointment toward her cousin and shock and anger at what she had done.
In an instant, the image of a mature, steady, responsible older sister leapt vividly onto Kotomi Izumi's face.
"Kotomi, what did Yuyu do?" Yui Yuigahama asked.
After having a meal at Third Uncle and Third Aunt's house before, Yuyu Izumi had called her sister-in-law upon meeting her. That left quite an impression on Yui Yuigahama. Hearing Kotomi's phone conversation just now, she was naturally curious about what had happened.
Yukino Yukinoshita was also curious, but she did not voice it. She only knew that Yuyu was Kotomi Izumi's cousin. Since she had never met her, she felt she had little standing to comment, so she remained silent and waited to hear the rest of the conversation between Kotomi and Yui.
Kotomi Izumi did not answer immediately. She fell silent for a moment, as if considering whether to say it.
Seeing this, Yui Yuigahama quickly said considerately,
"If it's not something you can talk about, that's fine. But it sounds like they need you to go over there. When are you leaving? Do you need me to come with you?"
At that, Kotomi Izumi shook her head and said calmly,
"No need. Yuyu's still in adolescence, after all. She's at that age where she cares a lot about saving face. If I go, that's fine. But if you go with me, she'll definitely feel embarrassed in front of her sister's friends. As for what happened..."
Kotomi Izumi deliberately paused before slowly continuing,
"Yuyu... has a crush on a girl in her class at school. Don't be fooled by how carefree she seems. In front of the person she likes, she's actually very shy. She's never dared to confess and has just kept it bottled up, feeling miserable.
So the day before yesterday, during swimming class at school, after that girl changed into her swimsuit and was warming up by the pool, Yuyu quietly slipped back into the locker room and stole the girl's... 'personal garments.'"
Kotomi Izumi spoke without blushing or skipping a beat. At the end, to make it sound even more convincing, she added,
"She took both the top and the bottom. That's just insane. At least leave the girl one piece. Even when I do something like that, I know to leave—cough, cough! The point is, after taking them, Yuyu even foolishly searched up how much the two 'personal garments' cost and put money in the girl's locker accordingly!
But then she realized she didn't have enough cash in her wallet. Since her wallet was worth quite a bit too, she just stuffed the money and the wallet together into the girl's locker!
Just listening to this description, I can already picture the scene. After swimming class, the girl returns to the locker room, showers, gets ready to change clothes, opens her locker—only to find both pieces of her 'personal garments' gone, replaced by a very familiar-looking wallet.
This isn't even 'honor among thieves.' This is stealing something and then leaving a mark behind like a provocation!
The girl was so traumatized by Yuyu's stunt that she nearly developed psychological trauma on the spot. Once she realized the wallet belonged to Yuyu, she went home crying to her parents.
And so, today her parents went to Third Uncle and Third Aunt's house, scolding Yuyu nonstop for three hours before leaving. Right now, Yuyu's being hung up and whipped by them.
My Third Aunt is so angry she's got a rolling pin in each hand, almost swinging them like lightning whirlwind slash and thunder crescent chop."
Kotomi Izumi shrugged, vividly narrating the dark history she had just fabricated for Yuyu Izumi to Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama.
She truly had talent for storytelling. Yukino and Yui were both left stunned.
The most shocked of all was Yui Yuigahama. She had never imagined that Yuyu Izumi would do something like that!
After finishing most of the story, Kotomi Izumi changed her tone and said quietly,
"That's basically what happened. So I need to go to Third Uncle and Third Aunt's house alone now. Not to plead for Yuyu, mainly to keep an eye on things so they don't get too carried away and accidentally beat her into the hospital."
As her words fell.
At this moment, there were only two words in Kotomi Izumi's heart.
Perfect!
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