Inside the Shinkansen's Green Car.
"Phew—now we can just relax in our seats and wait for departure. The early boarding privilege of the Green Car is really great. At least we don't have to keep checking the time in the waiting hall."
After finding their reserved seats according to the tickets, Kotomi Izumi reclined her seat back and lay down comfortably. After all, there was a considerable distance between each seat in the Green Car, so there was no need to worry about disturbing others.
Moreover... just like on the trip here, the return journey's Green Car still only had the three of them.
It wasn't that there were few passengers taking the Shinkansen, but rather that very few people chose to buy Green Car tickets. After all, most passengers traveling late at night were either in a hurry or on business trips, so naturally they wouldn't opt for the expensive Green Car.
When booking the seats, Kotomi had placed all three of them together. Yukino Yukinoshita sat by the window, Kotomi sat in the middle, and Yui Yuigahama sat by the aisle.
After sitting down, Yukino Yukinoshita didn't immediately take out her tablet to read. Instead, she glanced at Kotomi, then at Yui, leaned back in her seat, and casually said,
"Come to think of it, you were the one who bought the tickets when we came here too, right?"
"Yeah," Yui Yuigahama nodded.
"Why?"
Kotomi looked at Yukino in confusion, not understanding why she would suddenly ask this now.
"Nothing~"
Yukino Yukinoshita shrugged and gave Kotomi a meaningful look before saying lightly,
"I was just a little curious. Why is it that every time you pick seats, you always sit in the middle?
I remember you once said during lunch that when you were younger, whether it was trains, planes, or cars, you always liked sitting by the window.
So why is it that when you choose seats yourself, both times you gave yourself the middle seat? Did you grow up and stop liking window seats?"
"Ahaha... no, not really. When I booked the seats, I didn't think much about it. I just wanted the three of us to sit together. As for who sits where... I just picked randomly."
Kotomi forced a laugh and answered innocently, while internally cursing:
Yukino, you tigress, can't you use that sharp observation of yours somewhere else?!
Kotomi had thought she had been subtle enough, but Yukino Yukinoshita had still noticed something.
That's right. The reason Kotomi always chose the middle seat for herself was to secretly enjoy being flanked by both sides.
After all, her grand harem ambition hadn't been fully realized yet, so she could only use this method to sneak a taste of what it felt like to have someone on both sides.
Incidentally, during their stay at Harugamo Inn these past few days, Kotomi had also arranged her bedding between Yui and Yukino every night for the same reason.
Until she could fully achieve her harem dream, Kotomi planned to take every possible opportunity to experience being surrounded on both sides.
Back to the point—there was no way she could say that out loud. She could only quickly make up an excuse to muddle through.
Just as Kotomi's brain was racing, trying to think of how to respond if Yukino continued pressing the issue, Yukino suddenly changed the subject and said,
"Oh? Is that so? Alright then..."
Hm?
A small question mark seemed to appear above Kotomi's head as she looked at Yukino Yukinoshita in confusion. From Yukino's earlier tone, it was obvious she had noticed something. Given her personality, she would normally pursue it relentlessly—but now she had simply let it go, giving up such a rare opportunity to press further.
After all, with Kotomi's meticulous way of speaking and acting, chances like this didn't come often. Missing one might mean waiting a long time for another.
Kotomi couldn't understand why Yukino would suddenly give up such a chance. She tried to put herself in Yukino's shoes to deduce the reason.
But after only a few minutes, she decisively gave up and complained inwardly: Yukino's thought process is completely different from normal people's—how am I supposed to figure it out?
In any case, her "being flanked by both sides" scheme, which had nearly been exposed, safely passed this crisis thanks to Yukino dropping the subject.
Realizing she had once again avoided triggering a battlefield of chaos, Kotomi breathed a sigh of relief and gradually gained some confidence, thinking:
I've managed to defuse these situations several times in a row without incident. Maybe I'm finally getting the hang of handling them?! I think I've got this! Even if a full-blown conflict breaks out, maybe I can keep it under control.
At that thought, a smug smile unconsciously appeared on Kotomi's lips. The look on her face made one want to pin her down on a bed and teach her a harsh lesson.
The innocent Yui Yuigahama didn't catch the hidden meaning in Yukino's earlier words. She simply listened with a smile, ready to step in and mediate if the two started arguing. Normally, without Yui's intervention, who knew how many times Kotomi and Yukino would clash in a single day?
Seeing that the two had no intention of arguing, Yui finally relaxed. She then took out her phone, planning to send a message to her mother.
But as soon as she unlocked it, a low battery warning popped up—it was below 10%.
"That's weird. It still had 67% before we left the hotel. How did it drain so fast?" Yui muttered softly.
"Probably because of the cold. That brand of phone has always been criticized for its battery performing poorly in winter. Even if it's fully charged when you go out, people still feel safer carrying a fully charged power bank in their pocket," Kotomi said as she took out a power bank and charging cable and handed them to Yui.
"Use mine. Our phones use the same type of charging port."
"Thanks, Kotomi~"
Yui happily accepted it, plugged in her phone, opened LINE, and sent a message to her mother.
Yui Yuigahama: [Mom, me, Kotomi, and Yukino have already boarded the train back. We should arrive in Chiba tomorrow morning. We'll pass by a supermarket on the way home—do you need me to buy anything? While I was away these past few days, was Yuka behaving?]
Her mother quickly replied.
Tomoka Yuigahama: [Be careful on your way back. Once you arrive at the JR Tokaido Shinkansen station, remember to send Mom a message or give me a call. Yuka has been very well-behaved, and she misses you a lot. Every night at dinner, she asks me, "When are Onee-chan and Penguin Onee-chan coming back?" You don't need to buy anything. When you get home, Mom will cook you a big meal. And if Kotomi has time, make sure to invite her over for dinner.]
Yui Yuigahama: [Got it... Is it just me, or does it feel like this big meal is actually for Kotomi?]
Yui sent that half-joking reply. When interacting with her daughters, Mrs. Yuigahama always maintained a youthful mindset. Most women in their thirties tended to put on a stricter front when dealing with their children, hoping to maintain their authority as mothers.
But Mrs. Yuigahama was completely different. Sometimes, the way she interacted with her daughters felt more like friends. It was common for them to joke around with each other.
She believed that as a mother, one should be serious when necessary and gentle when appropriate. Only in this way would her daughters, during their teenage years, be willing to share their thoughts with her instead of shutting her out due to a generational gap.
Because of this, both Yui and Yuka rarely hesitated when talking to their mother. They simply said whatever was on their minds.
Meanwhile, in a small partitioned space in her bedroom, Mrs. Yuigahama was working on illustrations for "Redo of Healer" for Kotomi. When she saw the message from her daughter, her mind instantly drifted back to that night she had spent with Kotomi.
That night, thinking she had already fallen asleep, Kotomi had secretly kissed her cheek and softly whispered:
"Aunt Tomoka... when did I start liking you, I wonder? Hehe... good night."
Even now, when she recalled that gentle, love-filled kiss Kotomi had left on her cheek—and that quiet confession—Mrs. Yuigahama still felt as though it had all been a dream.
She had been trying to numb herself by constantly drawing, forcing herself not to think about how Kotomi had kissed her while she slept and confessed to her.
She did this not only because she felt the age gap between them was too great, but also because she clearly understood that her daughter, Yui Yuigahama, liked Kotomi Izumi.
Mrs. Yuigahama did not want to become the kind of mother who would steal her daughter's happiness. She wanted both Yui and Yuka to be happy. So when she learned that Kotomi and Yui had started dating, she had genuinely felt happy for her daughter.
But whenever she recalled that kiss and confession from that night, her heart felt complicated.
Countless times, she had wanted to ask Kotomi:
"If you like Yui, then why did you kiss me that night when you thought I was asleep—and say something like that to me?!"
Yet every time the question reached her lips, she forcibly swallowed it back down. She had thought about Kotomi's feelings toward her, but after learning that Kotomi and Yui were now dating, she stopped trying to understand them.
Because even if she figured it out, it would be meaningless. Kotomi had already become her daughter's girlfriend...
Tomoka Yuigahama decided to bury that night—the kiss filled with affection, the confession spoken to her—deep within her heart, never to think about it again. Only by doing so could she sincerely bless Yui and Kotomi as a mother, without feeling guilty or something akin to jealousy.
But now, as Yui mentioned Kotomi in her message, all of Mrs. Yuigahama's efforts crumbled into nothing.
That night—the stolen kiss, the confession—resurfaced vividly before her eyes and echoed in her ears.
As she recalled Kotomi's confession, Tomoka Yuigahama's hands trembled slightly as she held her phone, and a faint, alluring blush spread across her cheeks.
She took several deep breaths before finally managing to calm herself a little. Then, with slightly trembling fingers, she began typing.
Tomoka Yuigahama: [You silly girl, of course it's for you! And besides, isn't it only right for me to invite Kotomi over for dinner? She took you to Kyoto for so many days, and she covered all the expenses. As your mother, of course I should properly thank her!]
Yui Yuigahama: [Hehe, Mom, I was just joking~]
Tomoka Yuigahama: [Honestly... is this because you're in high school now? As your mother, I'm already starting to feel like I can't handle you anymore.]
Yui Yuigahama: [No way! No matter what, I'll always be Mom's sweet little girl~]
Tomoka Yuigahama: [If you really think that, then Mom will happily cook even more dishes. Remember, if Kotomi has time, invite her over tomorrow.]
Yui Yuigahama: [If Kotomi doesn't have time and can't come, will I still get the big meal?]
Tomoka Yuigahama: [Of course you will!! You silly girl, I already said it's for you. Since when did you start overthinking like this?]
Yui Yuigahama: [Hehe, got it~ Mom, I'll ask Kotomi. It's getting late, so make sure you go to bed early!]
Tomoka Yuigahama: [You too. It's almost midnight, so go to sleep early. Good night.]
Yui Yuigahama: [Good night, Mom!]
After finishing the conversation with her mother, Yui put down her phone. She first glanced at Yukino Yukinoshita, who was sitting by the window reading on her tablet. After confirming that Yukino wasn't looking in their direction, Yui cautiously reached out and held one of Kotomi's fingers.
Kotomi, who had been looking at her phone and thinking about which older sister or younger girl she should chat with before the train departed, instinctively turned off her screen the moment she felt her finger being held—making sure no one could see her LINE chats. She then turned her head and saw Yui, cheeks slightly flushed, secretly holding onto her finger.
Seeing how cautious Yui was, Kotomi understood why—after all, she was the one who had told Yui that their relationship must not be discovered by anyone. But even so, seeing Yui act so carefully made Kotomi want to laugh... and tease her a little.
Kotomi glanced at Yukino Yukinoshita, who was still focused on her tablet, then quickly lowered her head and kissed Yui's small hand. Taking advantage of Yui blushing from the sudden kiss, Kotomi smiled brightly and said:
"The finger you just held is my ring finger, you know~ Silly dumpling, do you know what it means to hold your girlfriend's ring finger?"
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