"Uh, S-Senpai… wait a mont…" Kotomi's ears turned red, and she fidgeted nervously.
Every ti a girl touched her, Kotomi would gradually feel a warmth spread through her, awakening a sensation that was hard to describe. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable; in fact, there was a strange comfort to it. But she didn't dare linger in the feeling too long, sensing that if she indulged too much, she might undergo a change in her personality—one she couldn't quite imagine but felt a bit curious about nonetheless.
Utaha noticed Kotomi's shy reaction and found it irresistibly cute. However, knowing when to stop, she released her grip. Better not to overdo it; after all, she didn't want to give Kotomi any "psychological scars" that would make it hard to create more opportunities in the future. As the saying goes, a al that satisfies is nothing compared to one that you can savor over and over.
"So, Kotomi-chan, you're friends with Kisara Tendo too? I thought you two were just classmates."
"Yes, Senpai, we've known each other for a while. Kisara-senpai once asked if I wanted to join the Kendo Club."
"Kendo? I thought you were with the Art Club. Why is Kisara recruiting from there? They may be short-staffed, but not as badly as the Art Club, I'd think."
"Kisara-senpai said I have hands that seem fit for kendo."
"What? She just walked right up and checked your hands? I must formally condemn such behavior!" Utaha said, feigning moral indignation.
Kotomi barely managed to suppress a laugh before continuing, "She also said I could just observe for a few days if I wanted. I haven't made a decision yet."
"Not interested in kendo?"
"Oh no, I am. I was actually curious about it because I'd read a few manga on kendo when I was younger."
"Oh! I get it. My little cousin was like that after watching Demon Slayer. She was practically begging to start kendo."
Kotomi smiled, adding, "Maybe I'll check it out after I'm done with the art competition. I still haven't decided to join yet, though."
Honestly, Kotomi thought that Art Club's lighter commitnt suited her better than Kendo's daily training. But seeing "Kendo Lv. 4" on her system panel made her wonder just how skilled she might actually be. What would happen if she maxed it out with experience points? A vision flashed in her mind of standing on a mountain, her blade raised, ready to ascend to the realm of "Sword Immortal." Smiling to herself, she thought, No way it's that dramatic.
The taxi finally arrived at Adshima Yakiniku, and once Kotomi paid, the faint ache in her stomach seed to intensify as if it sensed that a al was imminent. They stepped into the bustling restaurant, happy to find a few open seats despite the crowd.
A waitress ca up to greet them and imdiately recognized Kotomi. "Ah, welco back! You're the one from last ti, right?"
Kotomi nodded and smiled, "Yes, it was so good last ti I had to co back."
"Oh, thank you! We're glad to have you back. How many today?"
"Just the two of us."
"Right this way; we've got a table for two that just opened up."
After they were seated, Kotomi quickly ordered her usual from last ti, adding grilled pancreas as an extra. She'd enjoyed the flavor and texture last ti and wanted more. "What about you, Senpai?"
"Hm… I'll have a plate of lamb, codfish, and so snowflake beef cubes. And a large, ice-cold Pepsi."
The waitress chuckled lightly, "Well, we recomnd Coke here, but of course, Pepsi it is!"
"Pepsi!" both Kotomi and Utaha declared in unison, grinning.
The waitress left with their orders, and Utaha propped her head on one hand, looking faintly exhausted. "I'm starving. I didn't even have breakfast, thinking it would be easy to find food near the theater, but both places were packed. Good thing we took the taxi, or this place might have been full too."
"Yeah, it's Saturday, after all. I imagine a lot of people are out dining today."
Utaha sighed. "I'm envious of you getting Sunday off. Tomorrow morning, us second and third-years have to be back at school."
Kotomi raised an eyebrow, feeling a twinge of dread. "Is Sunday school going to be a weekly thing?"
"No, thank goodness. Just a few tis here and there," Utaha reassured her.
Kotomi breathed a sigh of relief. "Just as long as it's not every Sunday!"
By then, Utaha's attention was drawn back to the waitress. "So, you must co here often, huh?"
"This is only my second ti, actually. I think my hair color made an impression."
"Oh? Then who did you co with the first ti?"
Kotomi almost misunderstood but quickly clarified, "Ah, with my little sister, Aimi."
"Ah, I see! So Izumi-chan has a little sister. Is she a little sis-con?"
Utaha's question took Kotomi by surprise, and she nearly choked on her barley tea, barely managing to hold it back.
"Cough, cough! Who just asks that sort of question out of the blue?" Kotomi wiped her mouth, hiding a bit of embarrassnt.
"Curiosity! I've been watching all kinds of shows lately, mainly for inspiration, but then I ended up binge-watching them and, uh, completely forgot about my deadlines."
"Maybe you never planned to write in the first place," Kotomi teased.
"Don't point out the obvious."
Kotomi tactfully sidestepped the topic, avoiding a direct answer. Unlike the thick-headed protagonists in romance shows, she had long suspected Aimi's true feelings for her and had already decided how to respond when the ti was right.
Soon, the dishes started arriving—plate after plate of fresh pork, beef, lamb, and chicken, beautifully marbled and calling out to be grilled. She could practically hear the sizzle already.
"Here's everything you ordered, including the lettuce wraps. The rice will be brought over shortly, and after that, you can help yourself at the station," the waitress explained, adjusting the grill's heat to the perfect temperature before stepping back to let them enjoy their al.
"Unlimited rice? Then I won't hold back!" Utaha eagerly grabbed her chopsticks, setting a slice of lamb onto the grill. The mont the at hit the hot surface, a satisfying sizzle filled the air, and the savory aroma began wafting up.
When it ca to yakiniku, there was nothing quite like that sizzle to get the appetite going. Kotomi picked up a thick slice of rib-eye, deciding to start with beef while Utaha started with lamb.
As the al progressed, they both fell silent, fully imrsed in their al. Each bite took them further into savoring the al, with only occasional breaks to fetch more rice, asking each other if they wanted a bowl as well.
Their drinks were refilled three tis, and they polished off three or four bowls of rice. Soon, only empty plates remained.
"Phew… I thought I could eat forever. I actually ordered extra grilled chicken skewers because I was worried we wouldn't have enough, but I could barely finish three-quarters of it," Kotomi chuckled, patting her belly as if she'd truly eaten to her limit.
She felt comfortably full but knew she could probably have eaten a bit more if she hadn't wanted to look too ravenous.
"I think I overate, too. You really surprised , Kotomi. I thought you'd have a smaller appetite, but you've got quite a capacity," Utaha said, glancing toward Kotomi's chest with an understanding nod. "Then again, I suppose it makes sense—you'd need plenty of nutrients to develop like that."
Despite being proud of her own figure, Utaha couldn't deny her surprise at Kotomi's impressive proportions.
Hearing Utaha's teasing, Kotomi pretended she hadn't understood and finished the last piece of lettuce on her plate.
But then, just as Utaha thought they were wrapping up, Kotomi casually reached for the nu again, causing Utaha to start in surprise.
It wasn't the cost that concerned her; Utaha's royalties were more than enough to treat Kotomi whenever she wanted. She was just worried—could Kotomi actually still be hungry?
"Are…are you not full?" Utaha asked.
Kotomi looked up, grinning. "Oh, I'm full from the at, but there's still a bit of room for dessert."
"Dessert? Does a yakiniku restaurant even serve that?"
"They do! Adshima is famous for their desserts, and you can even take so to-go. The last two pages of the nu are the dessert options."
Kotomi flipped the nu around to show Utaha, who was indeed surprised to see a range of dessert items and their prices listed on the final pages.
"You should try one, too, Senpai. They're really good!"
Utaha thought about turning her down, but the dessert options tempted her enough to change her mind. She nodded, and after a mont, she chose a praline cake while Kotomi ordered a mango crepe.
Once they finished dessert, they felt completely satisfied. It was the perfect cap to a hearty al. Ready to take a break, they decided to head to a nearby bookstore to stroll around for a while.
"Looking for sothing in particular, Kotomi-chan?" Utaha asked as they entered the store.
"I don't know yet—just browsing, and I'll buy anything that catches my eye."
"Oh, so you're the type to shop as you browse?"
"Aren't you?"
"Usually, I decide on the books I want to buy beforehand. Got any cash on you? If not, I could get them for you."
"Oh, no, no—I'm fine. You already treated to a movie," Kotomi quickly replied, thinking back to The Ring, which had practically made her want to crawl under her seat.
"Books aren't exactly cheap, you know."
"Well, I don't have much cash on , but I can pay with my phone… Oh?"
Kotomi took her phone out, only to see that it had powered down due to a low battery.
"Wait, didn't I just charge this? That was fast…" Kotomi muttered.
It suddenly hit her that this phone was close to three years old now. She liked the brand, but one problem with it was the battery's tendency to drain quickly after a year and a half. It was annoying, especially in winter, when it seed to lose power even faster.
"Oho~ So your phone's out of juice? That ans no mobile paynts either, right? When you pick out so books, just let know," Utaha said, smirking.
"I really need to decide if I should replace the battery or get a new phone entirely…" Kotomi sighed, glancing toward the store's front desk.
This store happened to offer a charging service for 500 yen, letting you charge your phone while browsing.
"Alright, I'll et up with you in a bit once I grab so books I've been aning to get."
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