After placing the two capsule toys into her originally empty little basket, Yuki's cute little face lit up with an even livelier smile. She happily rose onto her tiptoes and spun in a circle.
"Yui-neechan, thank you for giving me these two capsule toys. I'll remember this in my heart for the rest of my life! You and that white-haired big sister are both good people!"
"You're welcome. Being able to get these capsules was also thanks to you, Yuki," Yui Yuigahama said with a gentle laugh, patting Yuki's small head. Then, unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked, "Yuki, can big sister ask you something? The white-haired big sister you mentioned just now—who is she? Is her name Kotomi?"
Snow-white hair was rare. Even if someone dyed their hair white, not everyone could pull it off—it usually looked unnatural. In Yui Yuigahama's understanding, the only girl whose hair was naturally as white as snow, and just as beautiful, was Kotomi Izumi.
So when Yuki mentioned a "white-haired big sister," the first person Yui thought of was Kotomi Izumi.
Yuki was just about to answer, but she suddenly noticed that Yui Yuigahama wasn't wearing a ring on her fingers.
Neither her left hand nor her right hand had the pink-and-white ring that Kotomi had bought from her last night.
Yuki couldn't help but feel confused. Earlier, when Kotomi and the others had finished soaking in the hot spring and were heading back to their guest room, Yuki had been quietly observing from a corner for a while. She had seen the white-haired big sister who bought a ring from her yesterday, and she could tell that the white-haired big sister and the light peach-haired big sister shared a very unusual relationship.
The ring the white-haired big sister bought from me last night must have been given to the light peach-haired big sister beside her, right?
That was what Yuki had thought.
Later, while watching Anpanman beside the capsule machine, she ran into the light peach-haired big sister. It was only then that Yuki learned her name was Yui Yuigahama.
Originally, Yuki had wanted to immediately check whether Yui Yuigahama was wearing the pink-and-white ring. But children would be children—when she heard that Yui wanted to buy an Anpanman capsule toy, she instantly became excited and completely forgot about checking the ring.
It wasn't until just now, after putting the two capsules into her basket, that Yuki suddenly remembered.
And when she looked—there was no ring!
Yuki, who firmly believed the two big sisters were lovers, suddenly became a little confused. The little love knowledge she had in her small head was all learned from TV dramas. Even so, she tried to think it through.
And she really came up with several possibilities.
The white-haired big sister forgot to give the ring.
The two big sisters might have had a fight, so the ring was taken off or simply not worn. The reason for the argument might be related to the black-haired big sister nearby. Maybe there was some kind of twisted love triangle between the three of them—something dramatic enough to run for a hundred episodes of a city romance drama.
After buying the ring, the white-haired big sister didn't give it to Yui-neechan, but instead gave it to the black-haired big sister.
The white-haired big sister wanted to give Yui-neechan a surprise, so she decided to keep the ring for now and wait for a meaningful day to present the long-kept ring.
The white-haired big sister was actually a narcissist. She didn't love anyone else—only herself! The pink-and-white ring she bought last night wasn't meant for anyone else, but for herself! Maybe, in the dead of night, she would wear a wedding dress and stand in front of a mirror, lovingly placing the ring on her own finger.
All five possibilities appeared in Yuki's tiny mind. Even though she had come up with them herself, each one dealt a heavy blow to her young heart.
Kotomi? Is that the white-haired big sister's name? It sounds so nice... With such a nice name and such beauty, she definitely can't be a bad person! Then... should I tell Yui-neechan that Kotomi bought a ring from me last night? Yuki wondered in her heart.
Yuki's intense thinking made her expression look unusually strained, which Yui Yuigahama found a bit strange. From the moment they met until just now, Yuki had been talkative, outgoing, and unafraid of strangers—a lively little girl. But now, she couldn't say a word for a long time.
However, before Yui Yuigahama could ask anything, Yuki suddenly smiled and said:
"Kotomi Izumi? That's such a beautiful name! Is she your friend, Yui-neechan? Just from the name, she must be a great beauty! Although the white-haired big sister I mentioned is also very beautiful, her name isn't the one you said."
Yuki quietly told a lie on Kotomi Izumi's behalf. If she admitted that the white-haired big sister she knew was Kotomi Izumi, then Yui-neechan would definitely ask how they knew each other.
If Yui had been wearing the ring, Yuki might have just told the truth. But the problem was that Yui wasn't wearing the pink-and-white ring, and Yuki didn't know who Kotomi had actually given the ring to.
To avoid causing unnecessary trouble for Kotomi, Yuki didn't think too much and simply lied, saying she didn't know anyone named Kotomi Izumi.
"Oh, I see. Since white hair is so rare, when you mentioned it, Kotomi was the first person I thought of. Turns out I got it wrong," Yui Yuigahama said. Naturally a bit airheaded, she didn't think much of it and believed Yuki right away.
Yui glanced at the remaining capsules in the paper bag—there were still quite a few left. Picking it up, she stood and said:
"Little sister, it's getting late. Where are your parents? Are they far from here? If it's far, big sister can walk you back first."
"It's okay, Yui-neechan! I can go back by myself!" Yuki said with a light smile, shaking her head and lifting her little basket. "My mom and dad are just nearby. They said they're taking me to eat pasta tonight!"
"I see. Then go back early, okay? Don't stay out too long. I'll be heading off now—bye."
"Bye, Yui-neechan!"
The braided little girl, now holding her beloved Anpanman capsule toys, happily went off to meet her friend on the way back.
"Nanami, you really didn't keep your promise. Didn't we agree to go buy chestnut buns together?" her friend said with a cheerful smile before complaining a little.
"Sorry, sorry! On my way to find you, I happened to pass by that capsule machine, so I got tempted and watched it for a while," the braided girl replied.
"You mean the Anpanman-themed capsule machine?"
"Mm!"
"Ugh, honestly... we're already in first grade, you know. If you still can't walk away whenever you see Anpanman, it'll make you look really childish."
"I-it's not that bad! You're the same—you can't move whenever you see Pretty Cure!"
"I do not! Huh? What's that thing in your hand? Let me see."
"It's an Anpanman-themed capsule toy."
"Oh, it really is. How did you get it? Didn't you say you didn't have any coins? Your mom doesn't like you playing with toys all the time, so she wouldn't give you money. You were even sulking about it this afternoon.
"Don't tell me you secretly took 300 yen from your mom's wallet?
"Wow, that really doesn't sound like you. Usually, just one glare from your mom is enough to scare you for ages. Since you're so afraid of her, there's no way you'd dare steal money.
"I was planning to lend you some, but after buying chestnut buns, I only have 160 yen left. Sigh... when will Mom give me more allowance?"
Nanami shook her head and explained:
"No, it's not like that! I'd never dare take money from my mom!
"I was just watching the Anpanman inside the capsule machine when a big sister with light peach-colored hair happened to pass by. She put in 300 yen and turned the handle a few times, and then the machine made this really exaggerated congratulatory sound, and all the capsules inside came out at once!
"That big sister might be a bit strange, but she must be a good person. After putting all the capsules into a paper bag, she placed it on the ground and let us each take one we liked."
"What a gentle big sister. If it were me, I'd definitely keep all the capsules for myself. But what do you mean she was a bit strange? You're still holding something she gave you—it's not very polite to say that."
"No, it's just that she really was strange!"
The braided girl shook her head, her tone becoming a little anxious.
"Even though I couldn't hear what she was saying, it looked like from the moment she walked up to the capsule machine, she kept muttering something quietly. And the way she spoke didn't feel like talking to herself—it was more like she was talking to a little girl...
"Didn't you say there were a bunch of kids around the machine? Maybe she just happened to know one of them?"
"But no! When she was talking quietly, she wasn't speaking to any of the kids there. The way she looked like she was talking to the air was like... like there was a little girl beside her that none of us could see!"
Gulp...
After hearing this, her friend's face turned a little pale. She swallowed nervously and shrank her neck.
"Y-you're serious? If that's true, then... then isn't that a real supernatural incident?! Maybe that big sister you mentioned was actually talking to a ghost that none of you could see!"
"D-don't say that! Let's hurry back. And you have to keep this a secret from my mom—don't let her know I got an Anpanman capsule toy."
"O-okay... but after hearing that, I'm kind of scared too. Let's sleep in the same bed tonight."
"Okay..."
"Oh right, when you were at the Anpanman capsule machine, did you see that little girl with twin tails? The one who really wanted the Cream Bun Little Brother capsule, but her mom kept putting her off, saying they'd buy it later?"
"Yeah, I saw her. It seemed like her mom had promised to buy it, so she came early to wait by the machine. But her parents seemed to be arguing in their room, so they never showed up, which made her a bit upset.
"Later, when that light peach-haired big sister hit the jackpot and got all the capsules, then let each child take one, the twin-tailed girl finally got the Cream Bun Little Brother capsule she wanted. She happily went back to her room to find her parents.
"I hope her parents have already made up... otherwise, going back happily only to find them still arguing—her mood would drop right away. She'd definitely feel really down."
"Yeah..."
...
"Huh? We're going back tonight?! Did something happen?"
Carrying the paper bag full of capsules, Yui Yuigahama had just returned to the luxurious Japanese-style guest room. Before she even had time to take off her shoes, she heard Kotomi say that they needed to pack their luggage and prepare to head back to Chiba.
Kotomi Izumi felt a bit embarrassed to admit that she had made a mistake when buying the return tickets. She gave an awkward smile and scratched her head, trying to think of a less embarrassing explanation.
Yukino Yukinoshita, standing nearby, showed no mercy and said directly:
"What do you mean something happened? It's just that a certain top student in all of Tokyo, with her supposedly brilliant little brain, made a careless mistake and picked the wrong departure time for the return ticket—she set it for midnight tonight."
"Phew... so that's what it was," Yui Yuigahama said, finally letting out a sigh of relief. "I thought something serious had happened and we needed to rush back. And Yukino, don't say that about Kotomi—everyone makes mistakes sometimes."
"You really do protect her a lot. If someone didn't know better, they'd think we were playing eagle catches chicks right now—I'd be the eagle, Kotomi would be the chick, and you'd be the mother hen protecting her. Forget it. Next time we come to Kyoto, let Kotomi stay with you a few extra days as proper compensation."
Yukino Yukinoshita smiled lightly, her tone carrying a hint of deliberate provocation.
"Hehe, I'm happy as long as I'm with Kotomi. Whether it's traveling or just everyday life back in Chiba, every moment feels great," Yui Yuigahama said with a silly smile, expressing her true feelings.
"Waaah, as expected of my precious dango! Next time we go on a trip, I'll definitely make it up to you properly!" Kotomi Izumi said, moved, as she hugged Yui tightly, pressing her cheek against Yui's.
Hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita first calmed the jealousy and displeasure in her heart, then said with a hint of sourness:
"Is that so? Anyway, that's about it. Hurry up and pack your things. The departure time is midnight, so we need to plan ahead. At the latest, we should finish packing and leave for the Shinkansen station before 10 p.m."
As she spoke, Yukino Yukinoshita began organizing her luggage while arranging the schedule.
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