Kotomi walked up to Iroha, momentarily forgetting that Aimi was watching from the side. She reached out and gently placed her hand over Iroha's, which was still covering her face, and asked softly:
"Does your face hurt?"
"I'm fine," Iroha shook her head. "That girl didn't have much strength. Even though she slapped me, it only hurt for a bit. I was just keeping my hand there to make it look more serious."
After saying that, she flashed her usual mischievous smile and playfully stuck out her tongue.
But this time, seeing that little devilish grin didn't make Kotomi want to tease her back.
The image of Iroha standing alone earlier—stubborn yet isolated—made something inside Kotomi soften. Before she even realized it, she reached out and pulled Iroha into a tight embrace, whispering against her ear:
"Aimi told me everything yesterday. You've been getting isolated by your classmates, yet you never told me. Are you treating me like an outsider?"
"Senpai… I'm sorry. I know I was wrong."
"The reporter who exposed you and your father's real names has been caught. She was sentenced to fifty years in prison."
"Really? That's amazing…" Iroha exhaled in relief. She was not someone who believed in "forgiveness," so hearing that the journalist had been arrested and punished made her feel incredibly satisfied.
"I'll go get you an ice pack to put on your face. If it swells up, that won't be good."
"If my face really becomes ugly, will you still like me, Senpai?"
Caught off guard by the question, Kotomi instinctively nodded. Realizing what she had just done, her face turned red as she stammered, "You little devil… You just look for every opportunity to mess with me, don't you?!"
Iroha smiled at her, her gaze carrying that sweet, mischievous affection unique to her.
"Oh no, Senpai, I think Aimi is watching us…"
Realizing this, Kotomi quickly released Iroha, and Iroha turned toward Aimi, only now realizing that their interaction might have been a bit too intimate.
Aimi was walking toward them with a dark expression, each step heavy.
Even someone like Iroha, who often teased Aimi, felt a pang of nervousness—because she was genuinely afraid of Aimi when she looked that serious.
"Aim…"
Iroha was just about to explain herself weakly when Aimi suddenly lifted something and pressed it hard against Iroha's cheek.
"Ow! It's so cold—it hurts!"
A sharp sensation of both burning pain and icy chill spread across Iroha's face. She shuddered and immediately jumped away in shock.
"Hold still!"
Aimi's tone was displeased. Only then did Iroha realize that what she was holding was a freshly unwrapped ice pack.
It turned out that Aimi had gone to the teacher's office to grab an instant-use ice pack from the first aid kit, worried about Iroha's swollen cheek.
She had been about to give it to her when she saw Kotomi hugging Iroha. Remembering what that girl had said earlier, there was no way she could feel happy about it!
The fact that she didn't swap the ice pack for a knife was already a testament to her self-restraint.
Kotomi wasn't blind—she could clearly see that Aimi was in a bad mood. And she also knew exactly why.
"Aimi… Let me explain," Kotomi said awkwardly.
Aimi shot Kotomi a glare and pressed the ice pack even harder against Iroha's face, making her tear up from the pain.
"Go ahead."
"Before I explain, can you at least press the ice pack a little softer? Iroha is about to start crying."
Applying an ice pack to an injury was effective, but it was like pouring alcohol on an open wound—the pain that followed could make someone suck in a sharp breath instantly.
Normally, when holding an ice pack to someone's face, the person would press lightly and leave a small gap to reduce the discomfort.
But Aimi? She was practically shoving the ice pack directly against Iroha's skin.
The only reason Iroha hadn't cried out yet was that she was gritting her teeth and enduring it.
"This is all it takes for you to feel bad?" Aimi shot her sister a resentful glare, growing more frustrated the longer she thought about it.
I'm about to cry from frustration because of you two, but Onee-chan, why aren't you worried about me? Aimi thought bitterly.
However, she still loosened her grip on the ice pack slightly. Seeing Iroha wincing from the cold and pain did make her feel a little bad.
It's all that girl's fault for hitting so hard!
If I had known earlier, I would've slapped both sides of her face swollen!
Aimi blamed the entire situation on the other girl and regretted not hitting her harder.
"That girl was just making stuff up! That day, I just happened to go to Enoshima to buy a phone, happened to run into Iroha, and we just happened to go buy a phone together. That's all!"
Kotomi declared indignantly, as if she had been doused with a bucket of dirty water.
"That's right, that's right!" Iroha nodded frantically in agreement.
"There are so many phone stores in Chiba, and yet you two just had to go all the way to Enoshima?"
Aimi's expression was filled with suspicion. Her sister's explanation sounded like something only a three-year-old would believe.
Even a dog wouldn't buy this!
"Chiba does have a lot of phone stores, but what you probably don't know is… last Saturday, a phone store in Enoshima was offering large, no-restriction discount coupons!" Kotomi said seriously.
Normally, such an explanation would only sound more ridiculous.
But coming from Kotomi, it was a different story.
"Ohhh, so there were big discount coupons. No wonder you went all the way to Enoshima, Onee-chan."
Aimi, who had been adamantly refusing to believe them just a second ago, suddenly nodded in understanding. The doubt on her face disappeared completely.
After all, in Aimi's eyes, Kotomi was the type of person who would ride a train to Enoshima just to use a large discount coupon for a phone.
The highest level of lying was saying something that perfectly matched your own personality.
Without a doubt, Kotomi had just mastered it.
Kotomi was even admiring her own quick thinking in her heart. Her ability to adapt on the spot was truly impressive.
"So, that girl completely misunderstood Iroha's relationship with you and thought you two were a couple?"
"Yeah. There were a lot of people on the street that day, and I was afraid we'd get separated, so I stayed really close to Iroha," Kotomi explained naturally.
"I just didn't expect a classmate to see us while we were in Enoshima." Iroha smoothly followed along with Kotomi's story.
Maybe it was because they had spent too much time trying to outwit each other in the past, but now, in this unexpected "collaboration," their synergy was flawless.
No words were needed.
A glance, a shift in tone, a slight movement—each could immediately understand what the other was thinking.
"Oh, you should've said so earlier! I almost thought Iroha was really dating my sister."
"Good thing it was just a misunderstanding. You scared me~"
"Iroha, does your face still hurt? And Onee-chan, stop touching Iroha! Hugging her out of nowhere like that—what do you think you're doing? I'm jeal— What if you scared her?"
Aimi's "gloomy" expression instantly vanished as she affectionately held Iroha's hand.
Meanwhile, Akina, who had been discussing Aimi's recent academic performance with Hiragi Kawano, was also listening in on the conversation between the three girls.
After hearing everything, Akina glanced at Aimi and let out a silent sigh in her heart.
This foolish daughter of mine…
...
After leaving the teachers' office, the injured girl looked utterly dejected. Half of her face was swollen, and the corner of her mouth was split from Aimi's slap. Saying that she had accepted defeat would be a lie—let alone offering a sincere apology.
Aimi knew full well that neither the girl nor her mother would genuinely apologize, but she wasn't worried. If they dared to cause trouble again, she was confident she could slap both sides of their faces swollen next time.
"Tch… This isn't over. Next time, I'll make sure to get revenge," the girl gritted her teeth, unwilling to let it go.
Having been spoiled at home, she couldn't stand the humiliation. She had already been jealous of Aimi and Iroha for their looks, and now, not only had she failed in her attempt to cause trouble, but her face was also swollen from a slap.
Now, she was the one too embarrassed to stay in the classroom.
Her mother furrowed her brows deeply before suddenly clapping her hands as if she had just realized something.
"Aiyah! No wonder that woman looked so familiar, and her last name was Izumi… So it was her… If that's the case, we're in big trouble!" The once-aggressive woman suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
"Mom, what's going on?"
"Listen to me, daughter—stay away from those girls. Don't mess with them again. In fact, don't even talk to them! We might have some money, but we can't afford to bring disaster upon ourselves!" the woman warned seriously.
"Mom, what do you mean? Do they have some kind of powerful background?"
"Iroha Isshiki might not, but her friends—Aimi and her, uh… 'girlfriend' Kotomi—they're both from the Izumi family!
"We cannot afford to cross the Izumi family. You must stop thinking about causing trouble for them! From now on, keep your distance, and if you ever run into them, be polite.
"After your high school entrance exams, I'm sending you abroad for school. Until then, behave yourself!"
The injured girl didn't understand much, but seeing her mother's serious expression, she couldn't help but feel a little scared. Her thoughts of revenge immediately vanished, and she quickly nodded.
"Okay, Mom. I'll just avoid them from now on."
Meanwhile, Akina and Kotomi were preparing to head back to school. But after glancing at the clock on the wall, Kotomi hesitated—if she went back now, she wouldn't make it in time to buy lunch.
It would be better to eat first before returning.
"What do you two want for lunch?" Kotomi asked Iroha and Aimi.
By the time the teachers' office incident had ended, the fourth period had already finished.
Like her, Aimi and Iroha usually bought lunch from the school store. But now, after all this delay, there was no way they'd get what they wanted.
"Let's check if the store still has bread," Iroha suggested.
She set down the ice pack. After getting used to it, the pain had subsided, and the swelling had begun to go down.
The quick relief was all thanks to Aimi forcefully pressing the ice pack against her face earlier.
Iroha then turned to Akina, bowed slightly, and smiled.
"Thank you, Izumi-san."
Akina tilted her head slightly, observing her. Iroha had visited their home before to play with Aimi, so she had an impression of her.
But seeing her interact so closely with Kotomi was unexpected.
Wasn't there a mistake in the way these relationships formed?
Akina had a sharp intuition for uncovering the truth and was very curious about what exactly was going on between Kotomi and Iroha.
Besides, as someone older and more experienced, she absolutely did not believe that those two had zero romantic thoughts toward each other.
Unlike her younger daughter, who had been completely "fooled" by Kotomi and Iroha's explanation earlier—without even realizing it.
"She really didn't inherit my intelligence at all." Akina sighed internally, covering her face in her mind.
Of course, as a senior figure, she kept a calm and composed expression. She simply nodded slightly, accepting Iroha's thanks, and smiled.
"It's nothing. You haven't eaten lunch yet, have you? I'll take you three to a restaurant outside the school."
"Mom, you were so cool just now!" Aimi flattered eagerly, her eyes sparkling.
"Before I even stepped into the office, weren't you the impressive one? In the twenty-year history of this private school, I doubt there's ever been a student who could stand in the teachers' office and scold someone for an entire hour. Honestly, I think if I hadn't walked in, you would've gone on for four hours straight."
"Hehehehe~" Aimi grinned, mimicking Kotomi's usual laughter.
A few minutes later, the four of them arrived at a restaurant not far from Chiba City Private Middle School.
Iroha felt a little nervous—this was her first time having a meal with her senpai's mother!
When she sat down, she instinctively leaned a little closer to Kotomi, and the two ended up sitting very close to each other.
Taking advantage of the close distance, Kotomi took a proper look at Iroha's cheek where she had been slapped earlier. Though the swelling had gone down, she still couldn't help but feel a pang of distress.
"When you get into Sobu High School, I'll have your back. But if you end up going to a different school and someone bullies you, call me—I'll go beat them up for you."
"Senpai, do you think I'm someone who gets bullied so easily? If I call you, it'll be so we can go beat them up together!"
Iroha turned to look at her. At such a close distance, she gave Kotomi a sweet smile, and for a moment, a soft, pink atmosphere seemed to bloom between them.
"But of course, I'll definitely get into Sobu High School. I want to go to the same school as you, Senpai," Iroha added.
Hearing the conversation, Aimi, who had been focused on the menu, quickly jumped in, "I'm going to Sobu High School too!"
"But Aimi, your grades are still a little below the admission line," Akina commented bluntly, holding up two fingers to indicate a small gap.
"It's fine, I still have six months! I can definitely raise my grades by a lot!" Aimi declared with confidence.
Right now, Aimi was already fantasizing about going to school with her sister every morning and coming home with her every afternoon.
Akina simply smiled silently and continued flipping through the menu.
Before looking down, she glanced at Iroha and Kotomi sitting across from her. Observing their atmosphere, she smiled knowingly, as if she had seen through everything.
In a few years, will I have to start preparing baby clothes for a grandchild?
However, since both she and Aimi were here, Kotomi and Iroha had no chance to be alone together. Their current relationship was likely "more than friends, but not yet lovers."
As a mother, she should give them a little push…
Hmm… That's it!
Akina set down the menu and slid the pitcher on the table toward Aimi.
"Aimi, go fill this with juice over there."
At this restaurant, customers could get free juice refills with their meals, and who would turn down something free?
Unless someone was dieting and only drinking plain water, nearly every customer would head over to the juice dispenser after ordering their food.
Of course, since the restaurant was busy, the line for juice was long.
"Wow, there are so many people…" Aimi murmured as she glanced at the queue. But without much thought, she picked up the pitcher and obediently went to wait in line.
A minute after Aimi left, Akina also stood up and said to Kotomi,
"Kotomi, I'm going to the restroom. Watch my bag for me. If the waiter comes, you two go ahead and order whatever you want."
"Okay." Kotomi nodded, not yet realizing her mother's carefully planned intentions.
As Akina left, the four-person table was now occupied only by Kotomi and Iroha, sitting side by side.
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