After leaving Aimi’s bedroom and returning to her own, Kotomi Izumi glanced at the time on her phone:

“Ah, no good, it’s already almost ten o’clock. I remember it was just around 8:40 before I went to Aimi’s room… Time really flies when you’re not paying attention.”

Originally planning to play games for a while before bed, Kotomi saw that it was already ten and decided not to waste any more time. She placed her pajamas and underwear on the inside edge of the bed to make it easy to put them on after waking up tomorrow morning. After all, it’s already winter—if she had to go to the wardrobe to get clothes without a robe on, she wouldn’t even need cold water to wake up; the chill alone would do it.

[I have my midterm exam tomorrow. I must go to bed early today. Looks like I won’t be able to chat with you late tonight. Don’t wait for me—go to sleep early too.]

Kotomi sent a message to Iroha Isshiki via Line. She wasn’t sure when it started, but chatting on the phone before bed had become something she and Iroha did every night. Even if there wasn’t anything new to talk about, just hearing each other’s voices seemed to bring them joy.

She had originally thought they could chat from 9 to 10 tonight, but before she knew it, she had spent so much time in Aimi’s room.

Iroha was probably still waiting for her. Kotomi felt a little bad and thought it might not be the best time to call, so she opted for Line instead.

After sending the message and figuring that it was already ten, Kotomi assumed Iroha wouldn’t reply instantly, so she got ready to set her alarm and go to bed early.

“Come to think of it, Iroha’s dad got discharged today. After the exams are over, I should find a time to visit. Mom and Dad also said they want to go to the Isshiki house to thank them. Maybe we can go together on a day when both Uncle Isshiki and Aunt Motokawa are home.”

Back during the serial murder incident, when the frenzied Shikama charged with a knife, if Uncle Isshiki hadn’t shown up in time to shield her from the fatal blow, it might have been Kotomi and Iroha lying in hospital beds now.

Gratitude must be repaid, and grudges must be returned. This had always been part of Kotomi’s nature. She may have grown more worldly, learned the art of subtlety and blending in, but some aspects of her character had never changed, and never would.

As for exactly when to visit the Isshiki house, she’d have to discuss it with Iroha.

Just as she was about to put her phone down, it chimed with a ding-dong. She opened it to see a new Line message—sure enough, it was from Iroha Isshiki.

She had sent her message less than two minutes ago, but Kotomi had still underestimated Iroha’s lightning-fast reply speed.

[Eh~ Senpai, your midterms start tomorrow?]

[Hehe, we just finished ours a few days ago. The grades aren’t out yet, but I feel like I did pretty well this time. Hopefully, I’ll show some improvement compared to last time.]

[Good luck with your exams, Senpai~!]

[P.S. Maybe by next year, I’ll be able to call you Senpai openly and officially.]

[(mω)]

After reading Iroha’s message, Kotomi couldn’t help but let out a soft pfft of laughter. Her fingers quickly typed a reply:

[Are you saying you’re not calling me Senpai openly right now?]

Iroha replied with a new message:

[Because I want the way I call you to mean more than just the word ‘Senpai’. I want it to have a deeper meaning. For example~]

[Hmph hmph, I’m not going to say it. Even if I don’t, a smart Senpai like you should understand, right?]

[(の·ω·.)/]

Kotomi thought about it for a moment but couldn’t figure it out. She scratched her head and sent two words:

[I don’t.]

Five seconds of silence.

Instead of text, Iroha sent a sticker:

[(Fainted from straight-girl energy.jpg)]

“Eh? How did I become a straight girl now?” Kotomi couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Just as she was thinking about how to redeem herself—

A new message came from Iroha Isshiki.

[Senpai, just a friendly reminder: it’s already 10:10 p.m. You’ve got your midterm exams tomorrow. Are you really okay not sleeping yet? Or… do you want me to call you and lull you to sleep with my voice? Haha.]

[That’s true… You should sleep early too. Oh, right, right—after our midterm exams, we’re having a cultural festival. Will you come?]

Kotomi didn’t know what she was thinking—before she realized it, the invitation had already been sent.

She instinctively wanted to retract it, but after a moment’s thought, Kotomi moved her finger away from the recall button and didn’t put her phone down. Instead, she waited quietly for Iroha’s reply.

Would she come?

Did she want her to come?

Many questions surfaced in Kotomi’s mind, as if subtly urging her to find an answer.

Ding-dong.

Another Line message popped up.

[Senpai, do you want me to come visit your school’s cultural festival?]

“She threw the question back to me?” Kotomi couldn’t help but overthink after seeing the message. A certain emotion slowly spread in her chest. What was it?

It felt like… the feeling of a girl, noisy and cheerful, someone who had become synonymous with “happiness” in her eyes, was about to leave her side.

Was it just a drowsy illusion caused by staying up too late? Kotomi chuckled at herself, brushing away the sudden, nonsensical thought, and began typing a reply.

Just as she was about to send it, her finger paused. She looked out the window at the night sky. It was a clear night, with stars visible.

Delete.

She deleted the message she had just typed, exited Line, and instead opened her phone app to call Iroha Isshiki.

“Senpai, good evening!”

That same energetic voice—like it would never quiet down. Was the little devil always this spirited every day?

Well, maybe not. During the serial murder incident, she had seen that little devil at her lowest. Back then, she had just wanted to protect her, always and forever.

It was that very feeling that had allowed her to face the murderer’s knife without fear, and instead use her umbrella to strike the killer—beating him half to death… Kotomi quietly reminded herself in her heart.

“Senpai?”

Seeing that Kotomi hadn’t spoken for a while, Iroha asked again, thinking the signal might be bad.

“Ah, I’m here. Ahem, about the question you just asked—my answer is: Of course I want you to come visit. Even though I didn’t sign up to participate in any events during the festival, I’d love to walk around with you, just like when we go shopping on weekends. I really do want you to come.”

“I’ve made a lot of friends in high school, and they’re all really nice people. You haven’t met them yet, have you? This would be the perfect chance to introduce you.”

“Ehh~ I’m so happy!” Iroha laughed cheerfully. “I thought Senpai might want to keep me hidden like a little secret lover, never letting any of her friends know.”

“Absolutely not.” Kotomi tugged at the corner of her mouth.

The moment the words left her lips, both of them burst into genuine laughter—laughing long and hard, until there were tears in the corners of their eyes.

“Has Uncle Isshiki already been discharged?”

“Yeah, he’s back from the hospital. Aunt Kumi was hoping Dad could rest a bit longer at home, but he said he’s been resting long enough. If he doesn’t go back to the company soon, it’ll cause trouble. Aunt Kumi couldn’t talk him out of it, so she finally agreed to let him go back to work tomorrow.”

“It’s a good thing he was able to recover and be discharged. When Uncle Isshiki and Aunt Motokawa are both home one day, I’ll visit with my parents to properly thank them. We really owe Uncle Isshiki for what happened last time.”

“Eh? Both Uncle and Aunt Izumi are coming too? Senpai, you’re so formal with things. Sometimes I wonder if you’re actually a middle-aged woman.”

“If that’s how you see it, I guess it’s not wrong. So, when would be a good time?”

“I’d like to know too, but Aunt Kumi is a surgeon. Even though she occasionally gets a day off on weekends, she often has emergency surgeries where she has to be the lead surgeon. So she honestly doesn’t even know when she’ll be free.”

At this, Iroha Isshiki gave a soft, thoughtful smile.

Even though Motokawa Kumi always seemed busy every day, whenever Iroha came home from school, there was always a meal waiting on the table, covered in plastic wrap. Next to it would be a note reminding her and Tetsunosuke to reheat the food and eat properly, even if they were tired.

No matter how busy she was, Kumi would always come home first to make meals for Iroha and Tetsunosuke before returning to the hospital to continue working.

Iroha had told her a few times that if things at the hospital were really hectic, she didn’t have to rush home just to cook—she could eat something simple.

But every time, Kumi would say, “You’re still growing. You need to eat properly every meal.”

“Then let’s decide later,” Kotomi said softly.

“Ah!” Iroha Isshiki suddenly let out a soft gasp of wonder, like discovering a beautiful new view. Since her dad and Aunt Kumi were already resting, she spoke in a low voice.

“What is it?”

“Senpai, it’s a clear night—you can see the stars.”

I’ve been looking at the starry sky tonight all this time… Kotomi thought to herself, smiled gently, and said softly, “Yeah, it’s beautiful.”

“Is Senpai saying I’m beautiful, or that the starry sky is beautiful~?” Iroha suddenly asked.

Ah.

Kotomi froze for a moment, then her cheeks gradually turned red.

Of course, you’re the one who’s beautiful.

Kotomi said that in her heart.

“If I say it, you’ll just tease me again,” Kotomi replied with a flushed face, still stubborn.

On the other end of the phone, Iroha stood by the window, one hand propping up her cheek as she looked at the stars, the other holding the phone. Hearing Kotomi’s words, she smiled brightly:

“Does Senpai think I’m always teasing you, and you’ve never once won?”

Even though she felt a little awkward and her competitive spirit stirred, Kotomi still took a deep breath and admitted:

“Yeah.”

“Hahaha! Senpai, you’re such a big fool.”

“Eh? How am I a fool now?”

“Next time I come see you, I’ll bring a melon. A really sweet one.”

“Then bring a Hami melon, please. My grandpa sent too many watermelons—we’re kinda sick of them. A Hami melon would be nice for a change.”

“Senpai, if that sentence gets out, it might become the year’s most teeth-grindingly smug humblebrag.”

“Is it really that bad?”

“It is~”

The laughter in Kotomi’s eyes grew more and more tender as she looked up at the bright full moon in the night sky. The world was bathed in a pure, sacred glow, the vast and radiant moon shining down from above. Suddenly, she recalled the time she and Iroha climbed the observation deck in Fujisawa.

“Iroha.”

“I’m here.”

“It’s a full moon tonight too.”

“Yeah, just like when we climbed the observation deck and looked out at all of Fujisawa and Enoshima together.”

Kotomi was a little surprised, her mouth slightly agape: “What a coincidence.”

“Senpai means it’s a coincidence that we both thought of the same memory? Hehe.”

Iroha chuckled softly. Just from her voice, you could imagine her happily tiptoeing in place, her toes lightly tapping the floor.

“You guessed it all?”

“Because you casually said ‘what a coincidence’ just now. But for just those two words to let me instantly understand what you meant, Senpai, that means we both need to reflect!”

“Reflect on what?” Kotomi didn’t follow at first.

“Why was it that just from you saying ‘what a coincidence,’ I could guess that you were thinking of the same memory as me? It’s because we haven’t made enough memories together. If we had more, I wouldn’t have jumped to that conclusion just from one line. Senpai, we both seriously need to reflect.”

“Okay okay~ I’m reflecting with deep guilt right now.”

Kotomi laughed half-jokingly, opening the window to feel the cooling night breeze. A sense of peace and tranquility settled in her heart. Just after she spoke, Kotomi opened her mouth again:

“Hey, Iroha, once the cultural festival is over, let’s find a day to hang out—just the two of us.”

“Wah!” Iroha let out a surprised squeal, like a child receiving a long-awaited Christmas gift. Then she cautiously asked, “Just the two of us?”

“Yeah, just the two of us.”

“Yay!”

Hearing Kotomi’s reply, Iroha cheered and gave a little jump of joy on the spot.

“You don’t have to be that excited,” Kotomi said with a chuckle.

“Of course I do—because Senpai invited me~ Just the two of us~ Have you decided where we’re going yet?”

“Not yet. Still thinking. I’ll try to decide before the festival ends.”

“Eh~ You should figure that out before inviting a girl, you know.”

“Got it, thank you for the advice. I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” Kotomi replied, deliberately dragging her tone in mock seriousness.

“Hehehe… Senpai, it’s about time you went to sleep, you know. But I’m a little reluctant to hang up. Hey, hey, Senpai, how about we just leave the call on, put the phone by our pillows, and fall asleep listening to each other breathe? Let’s see who falls asleep first~”

“Please think about your phone bill for once!” Kotomi burst out laughing in amusement.

“But it’d be like we’re sleeping together. Senpai, don’t you like that kind of feeling? Or… do you want to actually sleep with me?! Ah-la-la~ Senpai, so bold~ Are you already on your way to my house to sleep with me? So embarrassing!”

Iroha’s words flowed like a seamless combo attack, catching Kotomi completely off guard. Though to be fair, she’d never really been able to handle Iroha to begin with…

Kotomi felt like her whole body was on fire from Iroha’s teasing. She hurriedly gulped down a big glass of ice water to cool herself off.

“I—I’m done talking to you! I’m going to bed!” Kotomi shouted, cheeks flushed and burning hot.

“Good night, Senpai. Dream about me in your dreams~”

After hanging up, Kotomi dove into her blankets, her face still red, rolling back and forth. When did it start again? She hadn’t even realized it, but she had once again fallen right into the little devil’s “trap.”

“That little devil Iroha—hmph!” Kotomi muttered, pulling the covers over her face.

————————————————————————————————————–

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep