Megumi Kato’s intention was first picked up by Mashiro Shiina. Just moments ago, she had been dozing on her desk, but after hearing Megumi’s words, any trace of sleepiness vanished.

“If we all gather together, won’t it be too conspicuous? I don’t know how they’re arranging seating during the sports festival, but if all five of us sit together, we might get noticed. Even if Hiratsuka-sensei hasn’t said we can’t eat snacks during the event, being so blatant about it probably isn’t a good idea.”

“I suggest we divide the snacks and sweets beforehand and then sit separately!”

“I’ll sit with Kotomi!”

Mashiro Shiina laid bare her true objective with that last line.

“No way. Kotomi eats a lot. Even if we give her extra snacks and sweets when splitting things beforehand, she still might not be full.”

“If we sit separately, she’ll have to ask to get more food. But Kotomi’s shy—she might feel too embarrassed to ask again.”

“If she’s not full because of your suggestion to sit apart, and ends up too self-conscious to ask for more, that would be disappointing. I heard Yui’s bringing a ton of sweets just to make sure Kotomi eats to her heart’s content. Wouldn’t that be wasting Yui’s good intentions?”

Mashiro opened her mouth, but couldn’t find a retort. Megumi was just too cunning—Mashiro hadn’t expected her to counter her proposal so directly.

Hmph, easy for you to say now. But if the suggestion had been that you and Kotomi sit together, you’d be singing a completely different tune! Mashiro grumbled inwardly.

No matter how frustrated she felt, Mashiro couldn’t deny Megumi’s reasoning. Even if her words were just bold-faced lies, there was no obvious flaw to pick at.

It was infuriating, but she was powerless. Was she really just going to watch Megumi ruin her chance for one-on-one time with Kotomi?!

Just like that day, when she’d guessed what Megumi and Kotomi had done during lunch break—the reason Kotomi’s white thigh-high tights had mysteriously disappeared afterward.

And yet she hadn’t even had the courage to confront Megumi about it. All she could do was lie in bed late at night, thinking about the expressions Kotomi might’ve made, alone with her tangled feelings and excitement…

Suddenly drawn into the battlefield, Yui Yuigahama blinked in confusion. While it was true she’d bring lots of sweets for the sports festival, her tote bag only had so much space. Even if she packed it full, there was no way she could fill Kotomi’s bottomless stomach.

Having often eaten meals with Kotomi, Yui had already witnessed her monstrous appetite. Just sweets alone weren’t going to cut it. That’s why Yui had reignited her passion for cooking.

Since she often cooked for her little sister Yuka and her mom, Yui’s skills in the kitchen weren’t bad. But now that she wanted to fully capture Kotomi’s heart (and stomach), she’d been secretly practicing her cooking nonstop.

No exaggeration—Yui Yuigahama’s culinary skills now surpassed Megumi Kato’s.

Ever since she realized her love for Kotomi, it was like her brain had been supercharged. Whether it was academics or cooking, she picked things up in no time.

“I’m bringing a whole bag of sweets,” Yui said, pointing to her tote bag. “There’s no class during the sports festival, so I won’t need any textbooks. The whole bag will be filled with desserts. Still, space is limited—even if I leave out all my books, there’s only so much I can bring.”

After she finished speaking, Megumi’s grip on her mechanical pencil unconsciously tightened.

On the surface, Yui sounded like she was just lamenting the lack of bag space.

But in reality, she was subtly undermining Megumi’s earlier argument against Mashiro. Her seemingly airtight logic was now on shaky ground.

“Sweets should be the cherry on top, not a substitute for a proper meal. The ideal way is to nibble on a sweet treat while watching the sports festival—just enough to enhance the experience. After all, if you fill up on sweets beforehand, who’s going to eat lunch afterward?”

Yui Yuigahama added with a light laugh, then leaned over and wrapped Kotomi in a bear hug:

“Kotomi, I improved by 60 points on this midterm!”

Kotomi Izumi blinked, momentarily confused by the heated debate around her. There was an unmistakable tension in the air. But once she found herself caught in Yui’s hug, she finally came back to her senses.

“Sixty points?! That’s amazing! See? As long as you work hard, anything’s possible!”

Kotomi hugged Yui back, gently stroking her soft, peach-colored hair.

The pride and joy swelling in her chest nearly brought her to tears. Was this what it felt like to be a teacher?

“Hehe~”

Yui snuggled her head against Kotomi’s chest, letting out a delighted giggle.

Mashiro Shiina, feeling jealous, wasn’t about to lose ground. She promptly hugged Kotomi from the other side—Yui on the left, Mashiro on the right.

“Kotomi, I passed one subject on this midterm! It was Japanese!”

“W-What?!”

Kotomi gasped in disbelief. She never thought she’d live to see the day Mashiro passed even one subject!

No wonder Hiratsuka-sensei looked on the verge of tears while reading out the class scores, especially when she got to Mashiro’s total—her voice had noticeably trembled.

Kotomi had been completely baffled by it at the time, but now she understood. If she were the one reading those scores, and saw that Mashiro had passed a subject, she’d probably cry tears of joy on the spot.

“Mashiro, you’re amazing! Come on, let me give you a kiss! You’re my precious gem! Remember how it felt writing that Japanese exam. If you ever have questions, just ask me. Let’s aim to pass three subjects on the finals!”

Overcome with emotion, Kotomi couldn’t hold back and gave Mashiro a kiss on the cheek.

Mashiro’s flawless face turned a deep shade of red.

Beside them, Megumi Kato watched in silent fury, practically turning green with envy.

Yui, still clinging to Kotomi’s left side, stared wide-eyed. She had been the first one to hug Kotomi, and yet Kotomi had never kissed her—not once!

The simmering tension in their earlier debate instantly dissipated under the weight of Kotomi’s unexpected gesture.

Yukino Yukinoshita didn’t even have a chance to jump into the fray before the school bell rang, signaling the end of break.

Everyone had to return to their seats.

Yukino sat quietly, the image of Kotomi kissing Mashiro’s cheek vivid in her mind. Just thinking about that scene made her restless—too agitated to focus on the lesson.

She couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling. All she knew was that she couldn’t sit still.

In the end, it was only when she recalled Kotomi’s trip to Kyoto—how she had handpicked a beautiful piece of Kiyomizu ware just for Yukino, and written a heartfelt letter—that she managed to calm herself. The jealousy slowly faded.

Among all of them, Yukino thought, she was the only one who had received a handwritten letter from Kotomi. If she ever revealed that little detail, surely it would be enough to leave the others green with envy.

Ever since Kotomi had kissed her on the cheek, Mashiro Shiina wore a dreamy smile for the rest of the day—her happiness was written all over her face.

Mashiro was in a great mood.

Seeing this, Yui, Yukino, and Megumi Kato weren’t nearly as cheerful. The first two merely stewed in jealousy internally, but Megumi… Megumi had sneakily pinched Kotomi’s thigh under the desk more times than she could count.

Kotomi could only lie face-down on her desk, pitifully pleading for mercy.

But Megumi Kato was not so easily appeased.

So after school, Megumi domineeringly prevented Kotomi from attending any club activities and, without room for argument, dragged her to the sports equipment storage room.

By the time the two of them emerged, the sky had completely darkened, and the school gates were locked.

“Ah… I told you we should’ve kept an eye on the time,” Kotomi muttered with a hint of grievance in her voice, lightly thumping Megumi on the back with her small fist as they stood before the locked school gate.

“You kissed Mashiro today. I got jealous! When I’m jealous, my battle power spikes!” Megumi said confidently, like a pouting girlfriend waiting to be comforted.

Kotomi suddenly felt an ache in her lower back. Megumi wasn’t wrong—her combat prowess had indeed soared. Especially when she had gotten up from the mat earlier, Kotomi felt like her entire body was falling apart.

“I was just so happy to see Mashiro improve her grades… I got carried away and…”

Kotomi, knowing she was in the wrong, lowered her head and mumbled an apology, her voice timid and cautious, afraid that Megumi might get upset again and drag her back to the storage room.

A glance at her phone showed it was already 8 p.m. By this time, the school grounds were deserted.

Totally empty.

She looked toward the pitch-black school building and the dark field—such stark contrast against the lights not far outside the school grounds. Images of countless school ghost stories flashed through Kotomi’s mind. She loved thrilling horror tales, but being in a dark, empty school like this gave her a chill.

Kotomi clung tightly to Megumi’s arm, her face blushing, yet she still tried to save face:

“L-Let me be clear! I’m not holding your arm because I’m scared or anything. It’s just that tonight’s a bit chilly, and I worked up a sweat earlier, so I… that’s all.”

Though it was obvious she was thinking of some spooky school tale and got spooked, Megumi didn’t call her out. Instead, she played along:

“Yeah, it’s definitely chilly tonight~”

Kotomi quietly held Megumi’s arm tighter, refusing to let go.

“So what now? We can’t climb over the wall, can we?”

Kotomi asked. The walls around Sobu High weren’t easy to scale—especially not in a skirt. Even if one could manage to get over, there was always the risk of getting stuck in an awkward, embarrassing position.

“I remember there’s a side gate.”

“Isn’t that closed at this hour too?”

“We won’t know unless we check,” Megumi replied with a soft smile, leading Kotomi toward the side gate.

From a distance, the gate looked firmly shut. Kotomi sighed and was just about to steel herself to call Shizuka Hiratsuka.

But Megumi walked right up, gave the gate a gentle push—it looked closed, but thankfully, it wasn’t locked.

With a bit of effort, she managed to open it.

“It’s not locked?” Kotomi exclaimed in surprise, hurrying over with a jog.

“Maybe because the security office is nearby. The night guard probably figured it was close enough and didn’t bother locking it.”

Megumi pointed to the lit guard room nearby. No one was inside—likely the guard had gone to patrol the school building.

Once they stepped outside, Megumi closed the side gate behind them. Only then did Kotomi finally feel at ease.

“I was so nervous… I really thought we’d have to spend the night in the school’s equipment storage room…” Kotomi let out a long sigh of relief.

“Even if we had to stay at school overnight, it wouldn’t be in the storage room. We don’t have any blankets, and it’s winter—sleeping there would be unbearable. I’d find a way to get us into the school building and stay in the infirmary instead,” Megumi Kato said, holding Kotomi’s small hand as they walked down the street.

“If I’m not mistaken, once the teachers leave, every door to the school building gets locked.”

But the idea of spending the night with Megumi in the infirmary…

Kotomi imagined the scene and felt a strange sense of anticipation. But she would never admit it out loud!

“Different situations call for different solutions. If it really came to that, I’d find a rock and break the window of a first-floor classroom to get us inside. No way would I let you freeze in the storage room.”

Megumi said it with a smile, but her tone was so sincere it almost sounded like she truly would break a window.

“More importantly, we should keep better track of time. Won’t your mom say something if you get home this late?”

“She’ll definitely say something, but I’ll just tell her we were at the library studying together. That we got so into it, I forgot to text her.”

Megumi delivered the excuse so smoothly, it was clear she’d thought it out in advance.

“Then I’ll have to cover for you~”

“How can you say that? We both got home late. You’ll cover for me, and I’ll cover for you.”

“I wonder whose fault it is that I’m home so late…” Kotomi muttered shyly.

“But I remember your expression was really… mmph!”

Before Megumi could finish, Kotomi quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Even though there weren’t many people around and their voices were quiet, shy little Kotomi didn’t want Megumi saying anything embarrassing out loud.

“Shut up! No talking! Let me hold your arm!”

Little queen Kotomi gave the command without leaving room for argument.

“We’re already off school grounds. You don’t have to worry about those ghost stories anymore.”

As Megumi said that, she naturally offered the arm closest to Kotomi, letting the occasionally timid little penguin cling to her once more.

“W-Who said I was scared of ghost stories?! I already told you at school—it was just cold! I wasn’t scared of the nighttime school! And I definitely wasn’t imagining seeing a human-shaped statue suddenly appearing in one of the classroom windows, scaring myself silly!”

“That’s right, my brave little Kotomi~”

“W-When did I become yours…?” Kotomi muttered, lowering her head to hide the blush on her face.

Kotomi’s courage was wildly inconsistent—sometimes she could speedrun horror games without blinking, and other times, like now, she was easily spooked. One might even think a sudden shout in her ear would make her burst into tears.

In the past, Megumi might have actually done it—shouted suddenly just to see Kotomi’s reaction and laughed until her stomach hurt.

But after experiencing Kotomi’s anger and cold shoulder once, Megumi no longer dared. She obediently let Kotomi cling to her arm all the way to the Izumi household.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep