Sometimes, Kotomi Izumi... really had no shame.
Hiding not far away and eavesdropping, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but take a deep breath when she heard this. She clenched her fists, wanting to march over and give Kotomi a couple of solid punches to properly teach that increasingly arrogant little Kotomi a lesson.
When Kotomi Izumi made such a shameless request, Yui Yuigahama first fell silent. Her already not-so-bright little head became even more muddled for a moment. She couldn't figure out why she had to apologize for someone else's mistake.
Right now, Yui's mind felt like it had fallen into a maze, unable to find its way out.
Seeing that she had been waiting a bit too long, Kotomi habitually reached out and patted Yui's little head, urging her on.
"Are you going to apologize or not? I've been waiting for ages."
"Mm..."
Yui Yuigahama rubbed her little head, which had been lightly smacked by Kotomi and now felt a bit sore. After thinking for a moment, she asked softly,
"If I apologize to you... will your mood get better?"
"Mm, that's right. Hurry up and apologize. And make sure your attitude is sincere. If I'm not satisfied, you'll have to say it again—keep saying it until I'm satisfied."
Yui still couldn't understand why she had to apologize for someone else's mistake.
But since Kotomi said so, she decided not to think about it anymore. Whatever Kotomi said, she would do. If Kotomi told her to go south, she would keep going without turning back unless Kotomi told her to stop.
There was no helping it—Yui simply doted on Kotomi too much.
Even if Kotomi wanted the moon in the sky, Yui would already be thinking about how many ladders it would take to reach it.
And so, Yui Yuigahama really did foolishly apologize to Kotomi Izumi.
"Kotomi... I-I'm sorry. I was wrong."
"Mm, mm. Then tell me—what did you do wrong?"
Kotomi nodded lightly, her tone cool and aloof.
"Huh? What did I do wrong?"
Yui stared at Kotomi blankly. She genuinely had no idea how to answer.
Because she hadn't done anything wrong at all. Naturally, she didn't know what she had done wrong. On top of that, she wasn't good with words like Kotomi, who could easily make something up on the spot.
Yui stammered for a long time, unable to come up with anything. In the end, she simply leaned her little face forward.
Kotomi was momentarily stunned by this and asked,
"What are you doing?"
"I-I don't know what I did wrong, but since you're in a bad mood... then just hit me to vent your anger... If you let it out, you'll feel better."
Yui spoke softly. After saying that, she even closed her eyes, as if already prepared to be hit by Kotomi.
This completely threw Kotomi off. She knew this little airhead was simple-minded, but she hadn't expected her to be this simple. She felt both amused and helpless.
"Tell me, if I really hit you for no reason, what would you think?"
"I'd be thinking about whether your mood has improved. Even if it hurts a little when you hit me... if it helps you feel better, then please hit me harder."
At this point, Yui let out a silly little laugh.
"If you're happy, Kotomi, then I'm happy too."
Kotomi froze for a moment. Then, after a pause, she suddenly pressed Yui against the wall. After making sure no one was around, she leaned in and domineeringly kissed Yui on the lips.
When they finally broke apart, both slightly out of breath, she gave Yui's cheek a firm bite.
"Ha... that felt great. I think you're the real succubus, little dumpling—always tempting me to bully you!" Kotomi exhaled contentedly.
Yui didn't know what to say, so she just let out a soft giggle. She could feel that Kotomi's mood had improved.
If Kotomi was happy, then she was happy.
The dumpling's happiness was just that simple.
...
However, neither Kotomi Izumi nor Yui Yuigahama knew that Yukino Yukinoshita had been watching and listening to everything from the very beginning.
Seeing that the two of them were about to return to their room, Yukino lightened her footsteps and carefully hurried back to the Japanese-style luxury guest room ahead of them.
Recalling everything she had just seen and heard—it had all felt so real. Yet deep down, Yukino wished none of it were real. She would rather believe it was all a dream.
Watching the sweet interaction between Kotomi and Yui, the envy and jealousy burning in Yukino's heart nearly drove her mad.
And the 'little Yukino' inside her mind continued to whisper relentlessly.
"Pathetic. Watching the woman you love being so sweet with someone else, yet you can only hide behind a wall and spy on them like a coward. Not only do you lack the courage to step forward, you can't even bring yourself to walk away.
"What, do you enjoy watching the woman you love be intimate in someone else's arms? Didn't expect you to have such a hobby.
"Since that's the case, why not stop thinking about taking Kotomi away from Yui? Instead, focus on strengthening your friendship with Yui and become true best friends.
"When Kotomi and Yui get married, go ahead and beg them in advance. If they agree, then on their wedding night, you could even sit by the side and watch, couldn't you? Watching up close as Kotomi, dressed in a pure white wedding gown, lies on Yui's bed~
"The happiness belongs to them, while you're just a pitiful onlooker, able only to watch and listen.
"Or perhaps—even that much is already the greatest blessing you could hope for, as long as you can see Kotomi?"
Every word struck straight at the heart.
That was the best way to describe what 'little Yukino' had just said.
It completely enraged Yukino Yukinoshita, making her want nothing more than to crush that voice into pieces!
...
Back in the Japanese-style luxury guest room.
Yukino Yukinoshita sat by the kotatsu, picked up her phone, and pretended to read on Soushubar. In reality, she was only putting on an act—her attention wasn't on it at all. She didn't even know what book she had randomly opened.
A few minutes later, Kotomi Izumi returned, holding Yui Yuigahama's hand.
Seeing this, Yukino couldn't help but feel a surge of bitterness and jealousy toward Yui. Yet she still spoke with forced composure.
"Heh, I thought it would be Yui leading you back by the hand. Didn't expect you to be the one holding Yui's hand instead. That doesn't quite match your 'heroic exit' when you stormed out earlier~"
Kotomi showed no sign of backing down. She chuckled shamelessly and fired back,
"You just don't get it. Yui overate during breakfast and kept hiccuping. I saw it and felt bad, so I thought of a way to scare her. They say if you get startled while hiccuping, it'll stop, right? Turns out it worked. Look—she's not hiccuping anymore."
Yukino let out a cold laugh. She didn't believe a single word of Kotomi's explanation—not even the punctuation.
Not even a dog would believe it.
Meanwhile, Yui looked at Kotomi with a blank, innocent expression. Her already not-so-bright mind was now completely unable to process anything.
They hadn't even had breakfast yet—so why was Kotomi saying she had eaten too much and gotten hiccups?
At this moment, it was as if countless little question marks were floating above Yui's head.
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