When Mai Sakurajima asked that, Utaha Kasumigaoka froze for a moment. Then she let out a laugh that tasted bitter. The smile looked painfully bitter—and the bitterness in her heart was even stronger than what showed on her face.
"I wish Kotomi could figure it out, but unfortunately, she hasn't. She still hasn't realized I'm the girl from kindergarten who kept giving her koala cookies and even insisted she be my girlfriend." Utaha sighed, then shot Mai a look. "Also, now that you brought it up, I kind of regret telling you in the first place. Why do you always like using that to mock me?"
"Huh? I'm just checking in on you, okay? What, good intentions get treated like donkey liver now?" Mai complained, the corner of her mouth twitching in disbelief. "I ask out of concern about you and Kotomi, and you immediately assume I'm mocking you. Our friendship might not be at the level of 'lifelong besties,' but it's not some fake plastic friendship either, is it?"
"Can't you be a little more tactful?" Utaha said quietly.
She knew Mai was concerned, but being asked so bluntly still stung. The disappointment made her feel unsettled.
"If I ask tactfully, does that change anything?" Mai fired back without mercy. "Will Kotomi suddenly remember who you are? Or will she appear in front of you the next second, throw herself into your arms, and say in a baby voice that she wants to marry you?"
"Damn it…" Utaha grumbled. "If your fans knew you talked like this in real life, wouldn't they be disappointed?"
"I acted in a crime-suspense drama before. I played a nasty-tempered, razor-tongued female forensic doctor. Later the plot flipped and she turned out to be the long-hidden villain. She told the protagonist group, 'The reason a few of those cases became cold cases is because I erased the key evidence. Heh heh heh!'
"When filming wrapped, I was actually worried my popularity would take a hit after it aired. My acting was just too good. When I mocked the protagonists as the villain, it really made people hate me so much their teeth itched.
"A lot of actors lose popularity because they play villains too well—viewers take the hatred to heart.
"But after it premiered, the comments did curse me out pretty hard. And instead of my popularity dropping, I broke out even more! With that character, I dominated the Twitter trending list for a full week!
"Which proves that being sharp-tongued doesn't damage my image at all. It actually makes my popularity skyrocket."
By the end, Mai sounded extremely pleased with herself. She usually kept up a modest front, but once the topic turned to how good she was as an actress, she became like a proud peacock with endless things to say—she could go on for half a day.
"Oh wow~ Superstar Mai Sakurajima is amazing~" Utaha clapped politely.
"I hear zero worship in that," Mai said with a grin, pushing her luck.
"Of course there's no worship. I'm not your fan." Utaha paused, then added, "Kotomi is, though. She's apparently a devoted fan. I heard there's a big cardboard box in her bedroom filled with your photo books, magazines with you on the cover, and all sorts of posters she's collected."
At the end, Utaha couldn't help glaring at Mai with obvious irritation.
It wasn't anything complicated. Just thinking about how much Kotomi liked Mai—no matter how many times she told herself it was the kind of liking a fan had for an idol—she still couldn't stop the jealousy from rising.
If Kotomi liked some other celebrity, fine. At least that person would be out of reach.
But Kotomi liked Mai Sakurajima—someone she ran into in daily life. And lately, it even seemed like Mai and Kotomi were getting closer and closer…
Just imagining it made Utaha want to open a window and toss Mai out.
"I know," Mai said cheerfully. "Every time we meet, Kotomi asks me for an autograph. To be liked by Kotomi is my supreme honor! When I have time, I want to go home with her. Anywhere she wants my signature, I'll sign it for her!"
If Mai's earlier pride had been about her acting skills, then now—when the topic was Kotomi liking her—there was not only pride, but blatant showing off in Utaha's face.
"Let me make this clear. Kotomi's feelings for you are the kind a fan has for an idol!" Utaha emphasized, clearly annoyed.
"Aww, are you jealous?" Mai instantly caught the thick vinegar in her words. She raised a hand to her mouth, deliberately playing dumb while putting on a shocked expression—so exaggerated it nearly made Utaha explode.
"Honestly, you treating me like a love rival and getting jealous isn't going to help you," Mai said with a teasing sigh. "Little Utaha, you need to figure out who your biggest rival actually is.
"Obviously, it's Arisu Sakayanagi!
"She's your number one enemy from kindergarten—the girl who stole Kotomi from you with fruit candy!
"Even if Kotomi can't remember you or Arisu for some reason right now, that looks like a crisis on the surface, but it's actually an opportunity. Because it means that even if Arisu won back then, it doesn't count now. The competition between you and Arisu has returned to the same starting line.
"And instead of rushing to chase Kotomi before Arisu does, you're standing here treating me like your rival. I think you're just bullying the soft target because you don't have full confidence you can beat Arisu. You're venting your frustration on me.
"Do you really want to watch Arisu beat you again?
"Just imagine it. Arisu successfully courts Kotomi once more and goes straight to the wedding hall with her, while all you can do is stare at the wedding invitation Kotomi sends you and torture yourself with the question: 'Do I go, or do I not go?'
"Or maybe you sit alone in some tiny corner of the audience, watching Kotomi Izumi onstage in a wedding dress, smiling with pure happiness—while you, unwilling yet helpless, secretly wipe away tears that won't stop falling."
Mai's delivery was worthy of an actress with powerful line-reading skills. With that emotional performance, the tragic scene she described instantly appeared before Utaha's eyes.
Utaha ground her teeth, anger flaring as she shouted,
"Of course I wouldn't accept it! I was the one who fell in love with Kotomi first!"
"Exactly." Mai nodded, satisfied. "So don't treat me like your rival. Arisu Sakayanagi is the most dangerous, most troublesome rival for you.
"Honestly, it's like some melodramatic soap opera.
"You already knew Arisu Sakayanagi was the cane-holding little girl who used fruit candy in kindergarten to steal Kotomi away from you.
"Arisu also already knew you were the koala-cookie girl who gave Kotomi snacks every day and tried to make her your girlfriend.
"But the one at the very center of it all—Kotomi—lost her memories and forgot what happened when she was little. Kotomi really is a woman burdened with sin~"
Mai spoke step by step, and at the end she couldn't resist cracking a joke, describing Kotomi as "burdened with sin."
Mai had no idea that what sounded like a casual joke was, in a certain sense… completely accurate.
"Arisu Sakayanagi seems to know why Kotomi lost her memories. But I don't even need to ask to know she definitely won't tell me.
"Still, it doesn't matter. Even if Kotomi has forgotten her childhood, I have the confidence to make her my girlfriend again.
"Back then, she didn't even understand what romance was. The reason she agreed to be with me so easily was probably just because being with me meant she could eat koala cookies every day. And the reason she agreed to marry Arisu Sakayanagi was probably just because she thought she'd get fruit candy every day.
"Now she's grown up. She doesn't look as clueless as she was back then. She should understand what love is now. In that case, if I succeed in pursuing her and make her fall in love with me, then in this war of love, I'll be the true winner—and Arisu Sakayanagi will only deserve to be the loser!"
Utaha Kasumigaoka's voice was filled with confidence. At that moment, she seemed to see a victorious image in her mind—herself carrying Kotomi Izumi in a princess carry while stepping on Arisu Sakayanagi beneath her feet.
"Wow, now that's passion!" Mai Sakurajima laughed mischievously, clearly pleased with herself, and couldn't resist fanning the flames further.
"And another thing!"
Utaha's tone shifted abruptly. Her eyes turned slightly cold as she looked at Mai.
"Don't think I don't know what little scheme you were plotting with that long speech just now. You were trying to stir things up between me and Arisu Sakayanagi, weren't you? The fiercer we fight, the better. Then when we both end up badly hurt, you can sit back and reap the benefits, casually pursuing Kotomi while we exhaust each other. Let me tell you—there's no such easy deal!"
Mai froze for a split second.
She really had been gradually stoking Utaha's anger in order to let her clash with Arisu Sakayanagi, so that she herself could pursue Kotomi more easily and profit from their struggle.
Just when it looked like her first attempt at stirring trouble was about to succeed, Utaha saw right through her.
Impressive.
Mai clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I thought all your intelligence was used on writing novels."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Utaha replied, raising an eyebrow.
Just as she was about to see how Mai would respond—
"Lying on the sofa really is the best… 'If I can sit, I won't stand. If I can lie down, I won't sit. If there's rice, I won't just eat the side dishes.' What Kotomi said really is the ultimate truth."
Mai simply lay back lazily, completely changing the subject.
"You haven't answered me yet!" Utaha pressed.
"I don't feel like answering. Right now, I just want to lie here on the sofa, eat fried chicken, and leisurely enjoy the night. I spent the entire day choosing scripts. My brain is already exhausted. I really don't want to think anymore."
With Mai acting like a dead fish that wasn't afraid of boiling water, Utaha opened her mouth, then finally gave up. At least for now, this topic would have to be shelved.
Although Mai had clearly been trying to stir trouble and profit from it, she had also made Utaha realize something.
It wasn't just herself and Arisu Sakayanagi who liked Kotomi.
The number of girls who had feelings for Kotomi—who secretly admired her, planned to pursue her, or had already started pursuing her—was probably even greater than she imagined.
At the very least, Utaha's list of love rivals had already grown from just Arisu Sakayanagi to Arisu Sakayanagi and Mai Sakurajima.
Utaha suddenly recalled a wildlife documentary she had once watched out of boredom. When a pack of wolves faced a single piece of meat, each one would strike first without hesitation.
It really was time to act first… she thought to herself, determination settling in her heart.
At the same time, she sincerely hoped the number of names on that rival list wouldn't increase any further.
...
Shinkansen.
One second, Kotomi Izumi was fast asleep. The next, she woke up earlier than expected. It wasn't because she had drunk too much water before bed and needed the restroom—it was simply because she knew it was time to wake up.
She glanced at the time on her phone.
2:05 a.m.
Normally at this hour, she would either be sleeping soundly under her blankets or sitting at her computer playing games, writing novels, or reading manga.
The entire carriage was silent. Beside her, Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama were still immersed in dreams.
She had slept for, at most, two hours.
The reason she woke up so early wasn't because she wanted to take advantage of them sleeping to open her laptop and start writing.
She had finally come out on a trip. She had no intention of spending most of her travel time working.
Traveling was for relaxation. Who would keep their mind on work during a trip?
The reason she was awake now was simple.
Even if she didn't wake up now, she would have woken up soon anyway.
Why?
Because they were almost in Kyoto.
They had boarded at eight in the evening. The trip from Chiba to Kyoto took seven hours. The Shinkansen they were on had already entered Kyoto.
In less than half an hour, they would arrive at Kyoto Station.
At first, Kotomi had thought that with a seven-hour journey, they would arrive during the day.
It wasn't until after buying the tickets that she realized—if they boarded at the latest time slot she had chosen, seven hours later would mean arriving at two in the morning.
But since the tickets were already purchased and nonrefundable, she had no choice but to stick with it.
Now it was nearly three in the morning because snowfall had slowed the train's speed.
"So sleepy… I should've scheduled a later departure. I originally thought I'd just sleep on the Shinkansen overnight and wake up in Kyoto the next day."
Kotomi rubbed her drowsy eyes, took a pack of wet wipes from her pocket, and wiped her face to refresh herself.
She pulled back the curtain and looked out the window. In the distance, she could faintly see Kyoto's lights still glowing brilliantly.
Just because it was two in the morning didn't mean a city was asleep. On the contrary, many cities only revealed their true charm deep into the night.
"Kotomi… you're up so early…"
Yukino Yukinoshita, who had been sleeping comfortably in Kotomi's arms, felt her move and groggily opened her eyes.
It was like a child dreaming of holding the biggest, most delicious candy in the world—only for it to vanish before she could savor it. Naturally, the child would wake up, feeling a trace of loss, instinctively searching for where the candy had gone.
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