When Yukino Yukinoshita woke up, Kotomi Izumi habitually reached out and gently stroked her hair, speaking in a warm, intimate tone.
"The train should be arriving soon, so I'll get up first. If you're still sleepy, you can keep resting. When we get there, I'll wake you and Yui."
Halfway through her sentence, Kotomi suddenly acted as if she had only just realized how ambiguous her gesture was. She gave an awkward smile and quickly withdrew the hand that had been stroking Yukino's long hair, lowering her voice shyly.
"Sorry…"
Kotomi had done it deliberately.
She wanted to casually test Yukino's reaction to having her hair touched. If Yukino didn't resist—if she even silently allowed it—then in the future Kotomi could stroke her hair openly and without excuse.
Maybe she could even use it as a stepping stone. From stroking hair to holding hands. From holding hands to hugging. From hugging to kissing.
"It's fine," Yukino replied calmly.
Seeing that Yukino showed no aversion to the gesture, Kotomi felt a spark of delight in her heart.
The first step had gone smoothly.
Next, she just needed to find more opportunities to stroke Yukino's hair. And when the timing was right, she would evolve from that into holding hands, gradually closing the distance between them.
No rush. Every move placed precisely where it mattered most. By the time the other party realized what had happened, every piece she had laid down would already be connected like a tightly woven spiderweb. With a single motion, she could launch an overwhelming offensive that blotted out the sky.
Kotomi felt that if she had lived during the Warring States period, she would have been a master strategist—planning within the tent and deciding victory from a thousand miles away.
What she didn't know was that after she withdrew her hand, Yukino felt… disappointed.
She had been just about to enjoy Kotomi's touch. If Kotomi had continued stroking her hair a little longer, Yukino would have felt as comfortable as a tiny kitten, purring softly in contentment.
But before she could savor it, the hand was gone.
To Yukino, the feeling was like being lost in a desert and discovering an oasis—only to find there wasn't a single drop of water.
Exhaustion and despair pressed her to the ground. Just as her consciousness was about to fade, a drop of dew slid from a leaf and fell perfectly into her mouth.
But what could a single drop of dew do?
It merely moistened her throat for an instant. It didn't quench her thirst. On the contrary, that tiny drop only made her craving for water grow fiercer and more violent.
If that drop had never existed, perhaps she would have already died, freed from the torment of thirst. Whether heaven or hell awaited after that would hardly matter.
But now that the dew had fallen into her mouth—insufficient, useless—it only prolonged her suffering.
All she could do was continue enduring the endless, second-by-second agony of thirst, longing for a second drop while also wishing that death would arrive sooner and release her from this despair.
Kotomi, you really are cold… doing something this cruel to me…
Yukino closed her eyes faintly, looking at the hand Kotomi had withdrawn, bitterness filling her heart.
She wanted to say it. To pour out everything she truly felt, regardless of the consequences.
But from the corner of her eye, she saw Yui Yuigahama still fast asleep. She could clearly see Yui's small hand still holding Kotomi's.
Yukino fell silent.
Could she really bear to hurt Yui?
The answer was… she couldn't.
How she wished the answer in her heart had been yes.
To Yukino, being able to secretly talk with Kotomi while Yui slept—being able to secretly enjoy Kotomi's embrace and fall asleep beside her—was already the greatest blessing she could hope for.
Perhaps my feelings for Kotomi will only ever remain like this—hidden in the shadows, never able to walk openly beneath the sunlight. If they are exposed to the blazing sun, that scorching heat will burn the love I hide in my heart to nothing but scars.
She spoke to herself inwardly, as if warning herself, as if whispering her unwillingness into the void.
She had originally wanted to continue lying there, ignoring what Yui might think upon waking and seeing her beside Kotomi. For a moment, Yukino had wanted to be selfish.
But as her emotions gradually cooled and reason returned, she hesitated—then chose to leave Kotomi's side before Yui woke up and return to her own seat.
If only I had kept pretending to sleep when Kotomi woke up… maybe that selfishness I held onto before sleeping wouldn't have disappeared. Maybe I would still be lying beside her now.
As for how to explain it once Yui woke up and saw us together?
I don't want to explain.
Let her think whatever she wants.
If Kotomi wants to explain, she can do it…
After returning to her seat, Yukino thought silently.
Kotomi didn't say anything, but when she saw Yukino sit back down in her own seat, she discreetly let out a breath of relief.
Before asking Yukino to sit beside her earlier, Kotomi had already prepared several explanations for Yui in her mind.
When it came to explaining things to other girls, she might need a minute or two to think.
But explaining things to Yui?
She didn't even need to think. Several excuses would come to her instantly. All she had to do was adjust her tone and expression to sound sincere, and Yui's misunderstandings would dissolve effortlessly.
When it came to deceiving Yui—no, explaining things to Yui—Kotomi was extremely experienced.
That said, as a good girl devoted wholeheartedly to her feelings, she still didn't want Yui to develop any misunderstandings at all. Even if she could easily smooth them over.
If Yukino hadn't returned to her seat just now, then once Yui woke up, Kotomi would have had multiple explanations ready. For example, she could say Yukino had been too scared to sleep alone after watching a horror movie.
But as the saying goes, fewer troubles are better than more.
If a misunderstanding could be avoided, then avoid it. Everyone could remain harmonious and sweet and simply enjoy their hot spring trip.
As the Shinkansen was about to enter Kyoto Station, Kotomi decided not to let Yui continue sleeping. She gently pinched Yui's soft cheek and called her tenderly.
"Aimi… cough, Yui, time to wake up."
It felt a little awkward.
Normally, it was her girlfriends who woke her up. Now that the roles were reversed and she had to wake up her girlfriend, Kotomi wasn't used to it.
On top of that, she had mostly only ever called Aimi to wake up before. So when she first opened her mouth, Aimi's name slipped out by habit.
Fortunately, she caught herself in time and corrected it to Yui.
...
Yui Yuigahama, who had been busy in her dream trying to have their tenth child with Kotomi, was awakened by her. She first sat up drowsily, half-asleep and bleary-eyed. When she saw Kotomi, she instinctively leaned over again, resting her head on Kotomi's lap.
To Yui, sleeping on Kotomi's lap was the most wonderful thing in the world.
Watching Yui lie back down on her lap less than two seconds after sitting up, Kotomi Izumi couldn't help laughing softly, inwardly sighing at how adorable her girlfriend was. If Yukino Yukinoshita hadn't been nearby, Kotomi would have wanted to pull Yui into her arms and kiss her fiercely for an entire hour.
But then Kotomi reconsidered. Once Yukino also became her girlfriend, wouldn't she be able to hold both Yui and Yukino in her arms and kiss them for a whole hour?
Meanwhile, Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at Yui lying on Kotomi's lap, then calmly lowered her gaze back to her phone.
Only... she didn't realize that she was holding her phone upside down.
It wasn't really her fault for not noticing. Her heart was overflowing with envy and jealousy at that moment.
I want to lie on Kotomi's lap too!!!!!
Yukino shouted silently in her mind, the volume of her inner voice so loud that even if she had spoken aloud, it might not have matched it.
Kotomi smiled gently as she watched Yui resting on her lap. She liked watching her silly little dumpling sleep.
At the same time, Kotomi suddenly understood a little why Megumi Kato enjoyed watching her sleep so much.
I wonder what Megumi is doing right now? Kotomi thought while gently stroking Yui's cheek.
...
Chiba.
The Kato household.
Even though it was already deep into the night, Megumi Kato had not gone to bed. She stood in the kitchen, watching a recipe tutorial on her phone while preparing ingredients.
Ever since learning that Kotomi loved lasagna, Megumi had wanted to master making it herself.
By coincidence, her parents were away on a business trip and wouldn't return until tomorrow afternoon. Earlier that day, she had gone to a large supermarket in a department store and bought all the ingredients and seasonings needed for lasagna.
The recipe video made everything look simple, as though anyone could learn after watching it. Since Megumi herself also liked lasagna, she had assumed it would be easy to make.
But once she actually started cooking, she realized that many steps that sounded simple were surprisingly difficult in practice.
For example, how much seasoning should go into the minced beef? What ratio of filling should be layered between each sheet of pasta?
The recipe constantly used words like "moderate" or "appropriate amount." Every time she saw those phrases, Megumi felt confused. If I already knew what counts as an appropriate amount, why would I need a recipe tutorial in the first place?!
After buying the ingredients, she had tried making lasagna several times. Each attempt either lacked proper heat, was overbaked, or ended up looking nothing like lasagna at all, resembling stir-fried wide noodles with meat sauce instead.
Was there even such a dish as stir-fried wide noodles with Italian meat sauce?
Anyway, after multiple attempts, the results were either bad-tasting or acceptable in flavor but visually closer to fried noodles than lasagna.
Megumi refused to give up. She searched for more detailed tutorial videos, determined to create the perfect lasagna.
As she repeated the process over and over, time slipped by unnoticed until it was nearly three in the morning.
Megumi rarely stayed up late. She usually went to bed early. Only when she slept beside Kotomi did she stay up late or even pull all-nighters together with her.
She yawned sleepily, but the moment she imagined Kotomi eating the lasagna she made with her own hands and smiling happily, the drowsiness that had just appeared vanished instantly, as if swept away.
"Alright, let's start over again! I have to make the best lasagna in the world so that Kotomi will only want to eat the one I make from now on!"
Megumi lightly slapped her cheeks to wake herself up, picked up the kitchen knife, and continued chopping ingredients.
When making lasagna, she had to stay focused. Not only because she hated failing repeatedly, but also because the ingredients she had bought were almost used up, and she still hadn't succeeded even once.
She wasn't completely incapable of cooking. How could she be defeated by something as simple as lasagna?
"I remember Kotomi especially likes the Italian meat sauce inside lasagna. The meat sauce itself is easy to make. When I serve lasagna to her, I'll add extra sauce so she can enjoy it fully. And the sauce isn't only for lasagna. I can also use it to make the baked Italian meat sauce cheese rice she likes. Hehe, Kotomi will definitely be happy... Ah!"
While thinking about Kotomi as she chopped vegetables, the mixture of joy and late-night fatigue caused Megumi to lose focus for a moment. The sharp blade accidentally sliced her finger, leaving a cut that immediately began to bleed.
"Mm... it hurts... I really want Kotomi to blow on the wound for me..."
Megumi was actually very sensitive to pain. Feeling the sting from the cut, tears welled in her eyes, her voice carrying a faint sob. Usually she was the one who took care of and spoiled Kotomi, but now she wanted nothing more than to throw herself into Kotomi's arms, lie on her lap, and act spoiled.
But Kotomi wasn't home right now...
She set down the knife, went to the sink, turned on the faucet, and rinsed the wound under running water.
Then she went into the living room, took out the medical kit from the cabinet under the coffee table, and grabbed alcohol and cotton pads. After soaking the cotton in alcohol, she gently wiped the wound.
Even though she applied it lightly, the moment the alcohol touched the cut, a burning pain shot through her, causing her to cry out.
"Mm... it hurts so much...!"
After an entire day of repeated failures making lasagna, frustration and disappointment had been building up inside her. The pain from cleaning the wound with alcohol became the final trigger, and she released everything through tears.
Megumi was not actually strong. She wasn't someone who could do everything perfectly. When she experienced failure—even something as small as repeatedly failing to master a single dish—she wanted to confide in Kotomi.
She wished she could teleport to Kotomi right now and be held tightly by her.
Instinctively, she picked up her phone to send a LINE message. But when she opened Kotomi's profile, she realized it was three in the morning.
Kotomi must be resting now. She doesn't even use silent mode. If I send a message, I'll definitely wake her up. No, no. I need to be strong. I'm not a three-year-old child who cries over every little thing...
Thinking that, Megumi put her phone down, sniffed softly, and wiped away her tears with tissues from the table.
After disinfecting the wound and putting on a bandage, she went to wash her face in the bathroom before returning to the kitchen to continue making lasagna.
"I have to learn how to make lasagna before Kotomi returns from Kyoto!"
...
Perhaps because she didn't want to keep watching Yui lying on Kotomi's lap, Yukino's expression turned cold. She stood up and said calmly, "I'm going to the restroom. We'll arrive in about ten minutes. Wake Yui up soon."
Before Kotomi could respond, Yukino walked straight toward the restroom, her aura turning cold, like an iceberg that had nearly melted only to freeze over again after a blizzard.
After closing the restroom door, Yukino spoke softly, her voice tinged with sadness.
"Don't act so sweet in front of me..."
First-class carriage.
After Yukino left, Kotomi leaned down and gently kissed Yui on the cheek.
Yui, who had been asleep moments ago, opened her misty eyes as if she were Sleeping Beauty awakened by her beloved's kiss.
To Yui, the happiest thing in the world was opening her eyes after waking and seeing Kotomi's face and hearing her voice.
Without asking why she had been woken up, Yui wrapped her arms around Kotomi's neck and kissed her lips.
Kotomi had once said to Yui:
"When I close my eyes and fall asleep, even though I can meet you in my dreams, I can't see you with my real eyes. So when I open my eyes again and see you in reality, I want to use the most passionate and beautiful kiss to tell you how much I missed you during the time I couldn't see you."
Yui remembered those words deeply. So when she opened her eyes now, she used this kiss to tell Kotomi how much she had missed her while sleeping.
After the kiss ended, Yui continued holding Kotomi's neck gently, gazing at her affectionately.
"Kotomi, I dreamed about you while sleeping. We got married and had lots of children. It was such a happy dream. But even the happiest dream isn't enough when I can't see you with my own eyes. I missed you so much."
Hearing this, Kotomi smiled softly and brushed a strand of hair away from Yui's ear.
"What a coincidence. I fell asleep soon after you did, and I dreamed about you too. I dreamed about our wedding night. Just like you, even in a happy dream, not being able to see you with my own eyes made me miss you terribly~ Yui, now I want to properly tell you how much I missed you while I was asleep!"
After saying that, Kotomi took the initiative and kissed Yui's lips again.
At that moment, Yukino Yukinoshita, having washed her face and temporarily regained her composure, pushed open the restroom door and stepped out...
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