Walking through the school gate, Aimi finally entered Sobu High School, immediately searching for Kotomi’s figure.

Before long, she spotted Kotomi Izumi in the crowd… and standing beside her were Iroha Isshiki, Yui Yuigahama, and Yukino Yukinoshita.

“Onee-chan! Did you kick off your blanket again last night?” Aimi called out, running over.

Kotomi was in the middle of eating a burger Yukino had bought for her. Upon hearing Aimi’s first words, she almost choked.

“Cough, cough! You little brat—couldn’t you at least ask if I slept well last night? Kicking off my blanket… do you think I’m three years old?”

Kotomi spoke with a slightly embarrassed tone. Truth be told, she did have that habit—but please, not in front of the other girls!

“By the way, Onee-chan, is that all you’re having for breakfast?”

“Just something to fill my stomach for now. I’ll eat more at lunch.”

Three Mega Burgers and a large serving of fish and chips—most adults would either struggle to finish that or feel so stuffed afterward they’d skip the next two meals. Yet for Kotomi, it was considered “not much.”

While Aimi was chatting happily with her sister, Kotomi suddenly gave a small cough. Aimi instantly realized Kotomi had something to say and quickly paid attention. Kotomi subtly glanced toward Yukino and Yui, giving a silent cue.

Aimi understood at once and greeted them politely.

“Good morning, Yui-senpai, Yukino-senpai.”

In truth, Aimi had already planned to greet Yukino and Yui. After all, they had formed a three-girl band with Kotomi and even performed together. For that alone, Aimi respected them and was willing to treat them kindly.

As long as they didn’t try to steal her sister from her!

“Good morning, Aimi! If you ever want some sweets, my family’s cake shop is closed temporarily, but if you’d like, just let me know. I can make some for you and Kotomi,” Yui said with a bright smile.

“Thank you, but lately… I’ve been controlling my diet, so I can’t have sweets.”

That was a lie.

Far from dieting, Aimi’s appetite had actually increased noticeably in recent weeks—perhaps due to the stress of her upcoming high school entrance exams. People cope with pressure in various ways, and Aimi’s way was eating.

Still, even with her growing appetite, she did nightly fat-burning workouts in her bedroom following online tutorials. Not only had she avoided gaining weight—her figure had actually become even better.

“Good morning, and welcome to the cultural festival,” said Yukino Yukinoshita in her usual calm and cool tone. Despite the coldness of her voice, a closer look at her expression revealed that she was trying very hard to speak more words than usual.

Yukino didn’t want Kotomi’s younger sister to think she was unfriendly. She racked her brain to come up with something to say—like an author struggling with writer’s block, staring at a blank document, resisting the urge to smash the keyboard.

Kotomi had her own bouts of writer’s block too. The only difference was that she never smashed her keyboard or mouse—because they were too expensive.

Finally, Yukino came up with a topic. For her, starting a conversation was harder than memorizing an entire textbook.

“Aimi, have you lost weight recently?”

As soon as Yukino spoke, Kotomi gave her a look—half helpless, half encouraging. She could tell Yukino was trying her best to make conversation. Even if it came out awkwardly, at least she was making an effort—and that was what mattered most.

“Eh?”

Aimi tilted her head slightly. She had slimmed down a bit lately—her figure had improved thanks to her nightly workouts. Still, she hadn’t expected Yukino to point it out so directly.

This Yukino-senpai… could it be that she’s really not good at talking to people? Aimi thought to herself, deciding to follow Yukino’s lead and continue the conversation.

“Yeah, I did lose a little weight. Lately, I’ve been following workout videos on YouTube—doing fat-burning exercises about two hours before dinner. I work up a sweat, rest for a bit, eat, take a shower, and then go to sleep. It feels really good.”

“That’s a good habit. Does Kotomi join you too?”

After asking, Yukino couldn’t help but glance at Kotomi. To be honest, every time Kotomi changed clothes, Yukino always had the urge to pinch her little tummy. Even though there wasn’t any extra fat there at all, just looking at it made her fingers itch to give it a gentle squeeze…

“My sister tried it once on a whim,” Aimi said. “But after less than a minute, she ran off.”

“Really? I thought Kotomi had pretty good stamina,” Yukino said, sounding puzzled.

Kotomi’s athletic ability was practically common knowledge—after all, her long-distance running results during the school sports festival had been outstanding.

Remembering the time she’d joined Aimi for that fat-burning workout, Kotomi gave a wry smile and said,

“I swear I’ll never do that again. After less than a minute, my heart was like, ‘Are you stopping or am I stopping?'”

Kotomi had honestly wondered at the time if her title as the Queen of All Females came with no bonus to endurance.

Sure, her words were slightly exaggerated, but before she could even explain, concern from the others came flooding in.

Yui Yuigahama: “That sounds way too dangerous! Kotomi, you’re not allowed to do that again, okay?”

Yukino Yukinoshita: “Some people are naturally athletic but may struggle with aerobic routines like that. It’s important to do what suits you. Yui’s right—don’t push yourself with fat-burning exercises again.”

Iroha Isshiki: “Senpai, was that last Wednesday? When I messaged you, you said you were too tired from working out and wanted to rest early. I was wondering what kind of sport could tire you out like that! Senpai, you shouldn’t force yourself to do something you’re not good at! You’re the one who taught me that!”

Aimi Izumi: “Onee-chan, if you felt uncomfortable while working out with me, you should’ve just said so! You sat on the floor without a word—I thought you were just being lazy. Ugh… honestly, Onee-chan, you talk so much normally, but sometimes you go completely quiet! From now on, you’re not allowed to join me when I’m exercising!”

Kotomi had only added a touch of exaggeration to her story, yet before she could clarify, she found herself surrounded by Yukino and the others. Their tones varied, but one thing was clear—they all cared deeply about her and were genuinely worried.

Shrugging her shoulders with a faint, amused smile, Kotomi said softly:

“Alright~ I got it. I’ll behave.”

The Izumi couple came over to say hello. After exchanging a few polite words, they excused themselves, saying they wanted to take a look around the cultural festival first, leaving Kotomi and the others to enjoy themselves.

In truth, they simply didn’t want to interrupt the children’s conversation and fun. The Izumis understood well that, even though they weren’t very old themselves and still had a youthful mindset—playing games, watching anime, and all that—there was still a generational gap between adults and kids. No matter how young an adult’s heart was, or how mature a child’s mind might be, that gap could never fully disappear.

There will always be some kind of disconnect between adults and children. Age and experience inevitably create it. Even if they share the same interests or youthful outlook, at some point, differences in perspective are bound to appear.

The Izumis understood this perfectly. That was why they didn’t choose to stay with Kotomi and her friends. The presence of adults would make the kids feel a little more restrained, after all.

“Dear, look! The marble inside that bottle of ramune soda is so pretty!”

“Wow, it’s candied apples!”

“Is that Sobu High’s anime club? They’re cosplaying Kamen Riders for the festival! When Kotomi sees it later, she’s definitely going to rush over for a photo.”

Akina Izumi held onto Kaneyoshi Izumi’s arm, a candied apple in one hand, looking around the lively scene with delight.

“Taking time off work to attend Sobu High’s cultural festival really was the right choice. The moment I stepped into the school grounds, I felt younger already,” Kaneyoshi said with a light laugh. It felt like returning to his own high school days, when he’d always looked forward to the annual cultural festival. Whatever the reason, students’ anticipation for the festival usually boiled down to one shared truth—it meant three days with no classes.

And the best part? After the festival, the school would usually grant an extra few days off—without homework.

“Yeah, looking around like this, it really feels like being back in high school. Thinking about how long it’s been since graduation… wow, it’s been years already. By the way, weren’t we just like this back then? I held onto your arm while you carried my ramune soda?” Akina looked up at Kaneyoshi as she spoke.

Back in high school, every time Akina looked up at him, she would say stubbornly, ‘Just you wait, one day I’ll catch up to your height!’

At that time, their relationship hadn’t yet been defined—more than friends, but not quite lovers.

Now, they were married, about to celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary, and had two lovely daughters. Their eldest, Kotomi, was already in her first year of high school, and their youngest, Aimi, would be starting high school next year.

Many things had changed over the years, yet some things had remained exactly the same, as though untouched by time. One of those things… was their height difference.

Back in high school, Akina had been so confident that she’d still grow taller—just enough to match Kaneyoshi’s height, so she wouldn’t have to tilt her head up every time she looked at him.

But now, comparing again, she realized something startling—she was exactly the same height as she had been back then! Not a single centimeter taller!

Just as Kaneyoshi was about to answer Akina’s question, he noticed the subtle change in her expression. Guessing exactly what she was thinking, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You just asked if we were like this back in high school—holding hands while walking around the festival. I was about to answer, but then I saw that little look in your eyes. Let me guess—you just realized our height difference hasn’t changed one bit, right? Same as back then.”

“Huh? Honey, don’t tell me you’ve learned mind reading!”

“After all these years together, how could I not read that look in your eyes?”

“Hehe, that’s true. Honestly, I don’t even care about height anymore. Back in high school, I only obsessed over it because there was that tall, pretty girl from the dance club who was also after you.

“And the fact that she liked you back then… everyone in school knew it. I felt awful about it—I was scared she’d outshine me, or worse, that she’d steal you away,” Akina said softly, nibbling on her candied apple.

“Eh? There was a girl like that chasing me in high school? I don’t even remember. Aside from a few close friends, I’ve pretty much forgotten all my classmates’ names,” Kaneyoshi said with a small laugh before continuing.

“As for your question earlier—yeah, during our first cultural festival back in our first year, we were holding hands. You were too shy then to link arms with me. Even just holding hands drew a lot of attention. Our friends would tease us, asking when they’d get their wedding invitations. By the time we were in our second and third years, you’d already started taking my arm yourself—and you especially loved dragging me into crowds of girls.”

“Hmph, well, you were the most handsome guy in school! If I didn’t make it clear you were taken, how else could I stop those girls from pining after you?” Akina said with mock indignation, puffing out her cheeks slightly.

Then she smiled brightly, happiness shining in her eyes.

“I didn’t expect you’d remember every little detail from when we first started dating, just like I do. I’m really happy.”

“Wife, don’t be silly—of course I remember. Now, enough reminiscing. Let’s treat today like a trip back to our school days and enjoy the festival properly.”

“You’re right! Oh, look—yakisoba bread! The line’s long though. Come on, let’s hurry before they sell out!”

“Haha, alright, alright.”

…

Meanwhile…

At the school gate.

Mashiro Shiina had arrived. The moment she saw Kotomi, she couldn’t contain herself and ran straight toward her. Without a word, she threw her arms around Kotomi in a big hug—in full view of Aimi, Iroha, and the others.

“Eh?”

Iroha blinked in confusion. She had no idea who this girl was or why she was suddenly hugging Kotomi so tightly. The blonde girl seemed to block out everyone else around her; in her eyes, there was only Kotomi.

Aimi, though she recognized Mashiro Shiina, froze for a second in disbelief. In her mind, Mashiro had always been one of the good women—someone who wouldn’t try to steal Kotomi from her. So what was this supposed to mean?!

Did this mean the only one left on her “won’t-steal-Kotomi” list was Arisu Sakayanagi?

“M-Mashiro-senpai, what are you doing?” Aimi asked in a trembling voice, hardly believing what she was seeing.

“Hugging Kotomi,” Mashiro replied flatly. After answering, her dazed, sleepy eyes looked up at Kotomi again, and she tightened her embrace even more.

“Good morning, every—eh?”

Just then, Megumi Kato arrived. She had just stepped through the gate and hadn’t even finished her greeting before being greeted by that surprising scene.

—

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep