If Kotomi Izumi were asked to pick the most worthwhile expense she made in October.
The Kotomi Izumi from before might have hesitated, unsure how to choose for a moment, but now, Kotomi Izumi felt that the most worthwhile money she spent in October was the 100 yen she used to buy a ring from Yuki!
Not only did the ring she bought cheer Megumi up.
The connection she formed by buying that ring also allowed Yuki to help her avoid a disaster at a critical moment.
Kotomi Izumi was not a fool. After listening to Yuki's explanation, she immediately understood that if Yuki hadn't pretended not to know her at that time, then as long as Yui asked a few more questions about her buying a ring for Megumi, everything would have been exposed.
At that point, if Yui pressed her about why she bought a ring for Megumi... or even worse, if Yui didn't ask her at all but waited until they returned to Chiba and directly asked Megumi about the ring...
As Kotomi Izumi thought this through, she couldn't help but shiver. If that really happened, the scene would definitely turn into a bloodbath!
Ever since being stabbed once by Megumi, whenever Kotomi Izumi saw or even imagined Megumi holding a knife, she felt a lingering fear. She believed that if Megumi entered an extremely enraged, darkened state, then as long as she had a knife in her hand, killing both her and Yui wouldn't be a problem at all.
Thinking of this, Kotomi Izumi couldn't help but worry about Yui Yuigahama. Yui had always had a soft personality. If a love-triangle battlefield ever truly erupted, with her timid nature, would she even be able to escape Megumi's blade?
Yui is too gentle. If she ever sees Megumi in that darkened state, holding a knife, she would definitely be so frightened that her legs would go weak and she wouldn't be able to move at all. That's exactly why I must do everything I can to prevent that situation. I have to keep everything perfectly balanced. I absolutely cannot mess this up. I absolutely cannot let a battlefield like that happen!
Kotomi Izumi firmly resolved in her heart.
Yuki, whose head was being patted by Kotomi Izumi, happily narrowed her eyes, clearly enjoying the affection.
What a good child. I was just about to walk straight into a bloodbath, yet she was clever enough to pretend not to recognize me. To put it bluntly, she's basically my lifesaver... Kotomi Izumi thought as she looked at Yuki, liking her more and more.
Not only because Yuki was cute, but also because what she did this time was simply too perfect.
If Yuki had been even a little more honest while talking to Yui back then, what would have followed would have been a bloody scene between Megumi, Kotomi Izumi, and Yui Yuigahama.
At the very least, Kotomi Izumi, who always had a clear sense of her own situation, felt certain she would have been stabbed several times by Megumi.
"Kotomi, do you know this little girl Yuki?" Yui Yuigahama suddenly appeared beside them and asked out of nowhere.
!!
Kotomi Izumi was startled for a moment, but quickly adjusted her emotions. With a calm smile, she said:
"How could that be? Didn't this little girl Yuki just say it herself? This is our first time meeting. Yui, it's not nice to ask questions you already know the answer to~ Haha. But even though it's our first meeting, I think she's quite cute, so I couldn't help patting her head. Especially with that little basket she's carrying—it reminds me of Little Red Riding Hood from fairy tales. The only difference is that she's not wearing a red hood."
Yui Yuigahama, who had always trusted Kotomi Izumi, naturally had no doubts about her words. The reason she asked was simply because the way Kotomi and Yuki interacted didn't quite look like a first meeting, so she became curious.
"I see. I just thought the way you two were interacting didn't seem like you'd just met, so I got curious and asked," Yui said with a smile.
This dango girl's intuition really can be sharp sometimes... Kotomi Izumi complained inwardly.
"Hehe, Kotomi-neechan's hands are so warm~ And your hair color is so beautiful, like snow in winter!
"I saw another big sister with white hair before. I thought she was the only one in the world with white hair, but now I've seen another one—Kotomi-neechan.
"It's just a shame I didn't get the chance to ask that white-haired big sister what her name was back then. What a pity~"
Yuki said with an innocent smile. In reality, the "white-haired big sister" she mentioned was Kotomi Izumi herself. She was simply cooperating with Kotomi and pretending not to recognize her in front of Yui.
"Whether it's Kotomi's hair, her face, or her figure—everything about her is the most perfect in the entire universe!"
Whenever Kotomi was mentioned, Yui Yuigahama would proudly say things like this.
As for what Yuki had just said?
Yui didn't think much of it at all and simply believed it.
This child is way too clever... Kotomi Izumi thought as she gently pinched Yuki's cheek.
At the same time, she found herself a little unsure about something. She wanted to thank Yuki, but what kind of gift should she give in return?
Buy all the rings in her basket?
With that thought, Kotomi Izumi glanced at the small basket in Yuki's hands, only to realize that all the rings that had been inside earlier were gone. The only things left were two Anpanman-themed capsule toys, which were likely the ones Yui had given her.
Not only did Yuki's basket contain Anpanman capsule toys, but Kotomi Izumi also noticed that the twin-tailed girl standing beside Yuki was holding one as well. The girl had already opened the capsule and was holding the toy figure inside.
Looking at the Anpanman character figure in the twin-tailed girl's hands, Kotomi Izumi recalled that if she remembered correctly, this character was called Cream Bun Boy.
"Yuki, who is this little girl?" Kotomi Izumi asked curiously as she looked at the twin-tailed girl.
"I remember when we were buying the capsule toys earlier, this little girl was there too, right? You really liked Cream Bun Boy," Yui Yuigahama added.
This twin-tailed girl had repeatedly thanked Yui after finally getting the Cream Bun Boy capsule toy she had long wished for. She had bowed several times in a row, looking so happy she was almost on the verge of tears. Her sincere gratitude had made Yui feel quite embarrassed, so naturally, she remembered her well.
"Mm!" The twin-tailed girl nodded. "Yui-neechan, thank you so much for earlier. My mom promised she would buy me an Anpanman capsule toy, but after she went back to the guest room, she never came back. She was probably arguing with my dad again while getting her wallet. They're always like that—arguing over all sorts of things, and then they forget about me. I had already prepared myself to wait by the capsule machine until midnight for my mom."
"It's alright, um... after you went back, your mom and dad..."
Yui Yuigahama found herself at a loss for words. Every family has its own difficulties, and faced with the twin-tailed girl's gratitude and confession, she didn't know how to respond.
After all, she wasn't like Kotomi, who always seemed to know exactly what to say and when.
Just as Yui was struggling to respond, Kotomi Izumi naturally took over the conversation and asked the twin-tailed girl:
"Little one, what's your name?"
"My name is Tomoe."
The twin-tailed girl looked at Kotomi Izumi and answered softly, her gaze carrying a hint of curiosity.
Tomoe was a very shy child. She rarely spoke to others on her own, and when someone initiated a conversation with her, her introverted nature often left her unable to say even a single word for a long time.
But for some reason, when Kotomi Izumi spoke to her, Tomoe didn't feel even the slightest bit of nervousness. On the contrary, she felt that Kotomi's expression was gentle, and her voice brought her an immense sense of reassurance.
Under this inexplicable sense of comfort, Tomoe subconsciously and smoothly said her name in response to Kotomi's question.
"Tomoe... I'll remember that. It's a very beautiful name," Kotomi Izumi said with a soft sigh.
"A beautiful name?" Tomoe looked puzzled. "I've always thought my name was very ordinary."
"Of course it's not ordinary. Tomoe, do you know about Chinese characters?"
"I do, but I haven't started learning them yet."
"Once you do, you'll understand why I say your name is beautiful."
Kotomi Izumi smiled as she took out her phone, crouched in front of Tomoe, opened her notes app, and began writing while continuing:
"If we write your name using Chinese characters and break it down, it becomes two characters—'friend' and 'beauty.' Do you know what that represents?"
Kotomi Izumi wrote Tomoe's name in Chinese characters in the notes app and handed her phone to her.
Tomoe carefully accepted the phone. When she saw her name written on the screen, she said with a hint of surprise:
"So this is how my name looks in Chinese characters... But big sister, what do these two characters mean?"
"In Chinese, the character 'friend' represents companionship, and 'beauty' represents beauty. Put together, your name can be understood like this—you are a beautiful girl who will meet good friends."
Kotomi Izumi spoke gently.
"Th-then... if that's the case, I don't think this name suits me. I'm not pretty, and I don't really have any friends... My mom and dad are always arguing, and the other kids at kindergarten all found out. One time during a parent meeting, my mom scolded my dad in the classroom over something small, and then they started arguing right there. After that, the other kids in class don't really play with me anymore."
Tomoe lowered her head with a trace of inferiority and spoke in a small voice.
"How could that be? I think you're the one who fits this name the most in the entire world!"
Kotomi Izumi's warm voice was like a ray of sunlight that could dispel darkness.
"Eh?"
Tomoe, who had been about to lower her head out of habit, instead found herself lifting it unconsciously upon hearing Kotomi's voice, as if some kind of strength was suddenly supporting her.
"Tomoe, you must remember this—just because you don't have friends right now doesn't mean you won't have them in the future. And having many friends isn't what matters. One truly meaningful friendship is worth more than thousands of superficial ones."
As she spoke, Kotomi Izumi gently adjusted the slightly loose scarf around Tomoe's neck.
"As for your parents, frequent arguments between them can be very troubling. When they argue, you can choose to step in and try to calm them down, or you can go somewhere quiet and wait for them to finish.
"Both choices are fine. There's no right or wrong. However, if their arguments become too intense, you should know to seek help from a teacher in time."
Every family has its own difficulties. Kotomi Izumi didn't know why Tomoe's parents argued so often, so this was all she could say.
"I understand, Kotomi-nee... thank you," Tomoe nodded and said softly.
"You're welcome~"
At this moment, Yukino Yukinoshita, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke:
"It's already past ten at night. At this hour, children should have gone to bed long ago. Why are you two here at the station? Are there no adults accompanying you?"
"There are! My mom and dad are nearby. They're probably still parking the car.
My parents and Tomoe's parents are good friends. My family lives in Kyoto, while Tomoe and her parents live in Tsuzuki Ward of Yokohama.
Originally, Tomoe's family planned to stay in Kyoto for a hot spring trip until the end of the month, but her dad suddenly had something to take care of and needed to return to Yokohama early, so they bought a ticket for tonight.
Since Tomoe's dad isn't very familiar with Kyoto, my parents drove him here.
Tomoe came along because she wanted to see her dad off. Even though he's going back to Yokohama, she and her mom will continue their trip in Kyoto until the end of the month."
As she spoke, Yuki seemed to recall something and added:
"Come to think of it, my parents really didn't mention anything unless I asked. Even though they've known Tomoe's parents for many years, today was actually the first time I met Tomoe. To be precise, it was only about ten minutes ago—after she and her dad got into our family's car, I realized she was the twin-tailed girl who had been waiting by the capsule machine for a long time earlier."
After saying this, Yuki glanced subtly at Tomoe. As if realizing something, Tomoe quickly said:
"Y-yeah, when I got in the car, I stared at Yuki's face for a while. After a long moment, I finally asked her, 'Have we met somewhere before?'"
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