While bathing, Kotomi Izumi often found herself thinking about many things.
She felt that showering made it easy for her mind to become calm, allowing her to think clearly. In this state, Kotomi especially liked to reflect on interpersonal relationships.
More precisely, her relationships with them.
When she had said "I was just teasing you" earlier, she had also seen the disappointment and unhappiness on Yui Yuigahama's face. In fact, even before saying it, she had already known Yui would definitely feel disappointed.
Since she knew that, why did she still say it?
It wasn't simply because she wanted to bully Yui a little... well, okay, there was indeed a bit of that feeling mixed in.
But more importantly, Yukino Yukinoshita had been standing right there. And she and Yukino weren't girlfriends yet. In that situation, if she had gone into the bath with Yui, what exactly would Yukino have thought? Kotomi didn't know for sure, but she was certain of one thing: if she had gone to bathe together with Yui right in front of Yukino today, then pursuing Yukino afterward would definitely become twice as difficult.
At the very least, when the three of them were together, Kotomi—standing in the middle—felt she needed to maintain a balanced attitude, like keeping a bowl of water perfectly level. Later, when she had private time alone with Yui, she could spoil her to her heart's content.
Once Yukino also became her girlfriend, Kotomi felt she should still maintain that balance while showering affection equally on both Yui and Yukino.
And if Megumi joined too, then she would simply spoil Megumi, Yui, and Yukino all at once!
"Perfect."
Kotomi couldn't help praising her own plan inwardly.
Halfway through her bath, she suddenly noticed a gray mat placed in a corner of the bathroom.
Curious, she walked over to take a closer look. It was an inflatable gray mat.
After unfolding it and placing it on the bathroom floor, the sense of familiarity made Kotomi instantly break into a mischievous grin that suggested an extensive reserve of knowledge.
"No wonder the color looked so familiar. It's a classic prop from those little movies~"
Kotomi chuckled to herself. Just moments ago she had been thinking about keeping things balanced, but now she suddenly felt the urge to drag Yui Yuigahama into the bathroom and bathe together with her.
Wait—if she invited Yukino in too and they bathed together, wouldn't that count as keeping things balanced as well?! I really am a genius!
The thought stirred restlessly in her mind.
After thinking it over, she folded the gray mat back up and returned it to the corner. Then she stepped back under the showerhead and rinsed her hair with cold water to calm herself down.
"Next time I reward myself, I'll watch something from the bubble category."
Kotomi had already decided what type of little movie she would watch next.
After finishing her bath, she spent some time drying her hair. Even though her hairstyle was short, getting every strand completely dry still took a little while.
Fortunately, the hairdryer in the love hotel was very powerful, and it took less than five minutes to dry her hair completely.
She had brought a change of clothes with her before entering the bathroom, but now that she was done bathing, she didn't feel like wearing them. Instead, she simply put on a white bathrobe.
How convenient was a bathrobe? When it was time to sleep later, she could just toss it onto the floor.
When Kotomi stepped out wearing the white bathrobe, both Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama stared at her in a daze.
Kotomi's beautiful eyes were like pink gemstones. Her skin was pale and smooth like porcelain. The warm lighting in the room left a hazy glow upon her white bathrobe. Every movement she made, every subtle smile, was irresistibly captivating.
She called to mind the spring breeze of warm spring, the cicadas of midsummer, the harvest of golden autumn, and the snow of deep winter.
Like a gentle, intoxicating fragrance in the air, she left both of their hearts entranced at once.
Kotomi's beauty had perhaps been described a thousand times, ten thousand times, yet it still felt insufficient. Even if one spent an entire lifetime describing her beauty every day, it would never be enough to fully capture just how beautiful she truly was.
Yukino Yukinoshita had been pretending to look out the window, but the corner of her eye remained tightly fixed on Kotomi, who wore only a bathrobe. The "little Yukino" within her heart seemed to be giggling again:
Are you really willing to let someone as breathtakingly beautiful as Kotomi Izumi be so easily monopolized and possessed by another woman?
Stop pretending to be calm and generous. You cannot sincerely bless Kotomi and Yui. Your true desire is to selfishly snatch Kotomi away. Don't think of yourself as some noble, aloof ice queen. Deep inside, you're nothing more than an ugly, jealous monster!
A selfish fool who fell in love with Kotomi without realizing it, who only started regretting your own slowness and cowardice when you saw her with someone else, now wanting to take her back!
Envy is like a fuse, igniting the jealousy you feel toward Yui. So what? Haven't you always wanted to become more selfish? That desire has just been hidden deep within you, something you haven't fully acknowledged yet.
Now that I've said it for you, stop pretending to be reserved. Release the monster-like truth buried at the deepest part of your heart!
Do you want to stand by helplessly as Kotomi and Yui fall deeper in love every day, eventually walking into a wedding together while you carry your love for Kotomi and jealousy toward Yui for the rest of your life?
Or do you want to become a little more selfish, steal Kotomi away from Yui, and become her wife? So what if it's selfish? As long as you have happiness!
Even if you don't want to say it out loud, don't pretend you don't know which choice to make. That ugly heart of yours already decided long ago.
The tone of "little Yukino," half mocking and half persuasive, made Yukino angry. Yet at the same time, she gradually began to feel that those words might hold some truth. Perhaps she really should become a little more selfish...
But the remnants of rationality within her fought like a desperate warrior, pulling back at the sanity that seemed ready to collapse.
That "little Yukino" was hardly the embodiment of reason. It was clearly the incarnation of the most selfish side of her heart.
Yukino felt as though there was a door standing before her. Her hand already rested upon it. With just a gentle push, she could snatch Kotomi away from Yui's side. But the price would be losing her rationality and her friendship with Yui.
Her reason told her she must not do this!
But the "little Yukino" within her let out a monstrous, feral laugh: Such a feather-light, insignificant price. Just toss it aside with a flick of your hand~ You're not still hesitating, are you? Pathetic~
Yukino gently rubbed her brow, and only then did her turbulent heart gradually calm down.
Whenever her emotions became unsettled, Yukino would rub her brow like this to restore her composure. She just didn't know how long this calm would last.
Unlike Yukino, who was struggling between rationality and selfishness, Yui Yuigahama—the official girlfriend of Kotomi—nearly went cross-eyed with shock upon seeing Kotomi. In her heart, a wild "awoo" seemed to echo, like an adorable tiger that hadn't eaten meat for days.
Kotomi had just been about to sit down at the edge of the bed when she suddenly felt as though she were being stared down by a little tiger. The corner of her lips curved into a helpless smile. She was far too familiar with that feeling.
With a glance from the corner of her eye, she looked beside her and, just as expected, met Yui's gaze—bright with hunger, practically spelling out the words "want meat."
Kotomi reached out and gently tapped Yui Yuigahama's small nose with her finger, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Not allowed~"
Upon hearing that, the shine in Yui's eyes instantly dimmed, her expression turning pitiful. Kotomi couldn't help softening. She pinched Yui's nose lightly and said with a hint of resignation:
"Let's wait until Yukino falls asleep. But we have to agree in advance—you can have meat, but only once. It's already very late. If I let you eat like you usually do, I'll probably end up sleeping until tomorrow night."
The moment Kotomi said that, Yui's previously dim eyes lit up again. She nearly shouted, "Yay!"
But Kotomi had already seen it coming and shot her a sharp glare.
After being glared at, Yui quickly shut her mouth and obediently nodded to show she understood.
Kotomi then glanced at Yukino Yukinoshita, who was sitting by the window as if admiring the scenery.
Though what scenery there was to admire, she had no idea.
After all, who would come to a love hotel and leisurely appreciate the view outside? Most love hotels didn't particularly care about what was beyond the window.
Take the king-sized room they were staying in now, for example. She didn't know what the view was like from the other rooms, but outside this one was nothing more than a cold concrete wall.
The wall seemed as though it had been built specifically for street graffiti enthusiasts. But after it was constructed, perhaps due to its location, it failed to attract many artists.
Street graffiti enthusiasts usually hoped their work would catch the eyes of passersby.
But in an area filled almost entirely with love hotels, who would stop to admire graffiti on a wall?
So most graffiti artists never came to create anything on it—unless they were paid.
Yet the owner who built the wall probably thought, Didn't you say you like painting on walls? I built one for you. Why should I have to pay you to paint it?
And so, nearly seven months after its construction, the wall remained spotless. No one would believe it had originally been built for street art.
"Yukino, why are you staring at that wall outside the window?" Kotomi walked over and asked with a light smile.
If I don't look outside, should I look at you and Yui being all sweet together? Kotomi Izumi, you really are cruel... Yukino thought bitterly.
That was what she truly felt, but of course she couldn't say it aloud. She could only make up an excuse.
"It's nothing. Whenever I'm thinking about something, I tend to fix my eyes on whatever is in front of me. I probably look like I'm spacing out, but my mind is actually running nonstop."
"So you were spacing out while staring at a wall?"
"Mainly because there's nothing else to see outside. If I could see the street, I'd probably stare at a streetlamp instead.
"But speaking of which, I once read a book about architecture. It mentioned that what makes a hotel important isn't just its interior design, but also the view outside the window. Some world-famous hotels are renowned largely because of their breathtaking scenery. The moment guests draw back the curtains and look outside, they're greeted with something stunning.
"It seems this hotel didn't choose its exterior view very well."
Faced with Yukino's criticism, Kotomi burst into laughter.
"It's normal that the view isn't great. This is a love hotel. The people who come here probably aren't paying attention to the scenery outside."
"Why?" Yukino asked curiously.
In the past, when she encountered something she didn't understand, Yukino could only search through books or use a browser to look up the answer.
It wasn't that she was too proud to ask her family for help. But whenever she had gone to her mother with a question as a child, her mother would mock her for a long time, saying things like, "You need to ask me something so simple?" "If you're just looking for an excuse to talk, stop with those boring thoughts." "I don't have time to chat with you." "If you have time for this nonsense, go practice piano in the music room!"
Her mother's coldness had taught Yukino to bury her questions inside herself and search for answers alone.
Until she met Kotomi Izumi.
At some point, Yukino realized she had changed. She found herself wanting to rely on Kotomi more and more.
When she had doubts, she no longer habitually hid them and searched alone. Instead, she would ask Kotomi. If Kotomi was nearby, she would even turn her head directly toward her and simply ask, "Why?"
Even though she knew Kotomi wasn't omniscient, she just liked the feeling of talking to her.
As long as she heard Kotomi's voice responding to her, Yukino's heart would unconsciously relax.
Kotomi, who obviously knew the answer, gave a mischievous grin when Yukino asked and even imitated the classic line of the Team Rocket trio:
"Since you asked so sincerely, I shall tell you with mercy! To protect the world from devastation, to unite all peoples within our nation. To denounce the evils of truth and love, to extend our reach to the stars—"
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