Looking down at her own T-shirt, dampened to a faintly see-through light blue, Kotomi found herself in a bind.
Leaving ho that morning, she hadn't felt rushed at all, but in one of those rare monts of lapse, she'd left with only a T-shirt, forgetting to grab her jacket. Thankfully, Sobu High School was lenient about uniform regulations; as long as students wore the designated school clothes, they didn't enforce the layering rules too strictly. So long as you didn't push the limits, no one would bat an eye.
And in Kotomi's case, a forgotten jacket was the last thing anyone would fret about. With her exam scores placing her at the very top in Tokyo, they probably wouldn't care if she skipped the whole uniform altogether.
The school's flexibility, plus the mild weather today, ant Kotomi hadn't noticed anything amiss without her jacket. She even found herself thinking the single-layer T-shirt was so refreshingly comfortable that maybe she'd skip the jacket tomorrow as well.
But now…she had a problem. How was she supposed to get ho like this? With her shirt soaked and clinging to her in a particularly inconvenient spot...
Kotomi stifled a curse, giving herself an inward thumbs-down.
There was no way she was walking down a busy street like this! The thought alone, paired with the attention it might attract, was enough to make her want to disappear.
Seeing Kotomi's face growing redder by the second, gumi stepped forward and calmly removed her own jacket, draping it over Kotomi's shoulders with a gentle touch. She smiled and said, "Button it up. Or there's no way you're getting ho like this unless you enjoy walking around with a see-through shirt."
"Of course, I don't! I haven't awakened to any weird hobbies."
Blushing, Kotomi quickly fastened the buttons, her mind now even more self-conscious as she imagined gumi's teasing words coming to life. Watching her friend buttoning up the jacket with a few struggled tugs around her chest, gumi observed with a satisfied smile, clearly chard by her flustered friend.
Once the jacket was buttoned up, Kotomi found that while the size fit, it was slightly tight at the chest. She took a deep breath and, with a bit of effort, fastened the top buttons. However, as soon as she took a step, it felt precariously taut, like the buttons at any mont might burst open.
Seeing this, gumi couldn't resist teasing her, "Watching you put on my jacket must be a blow to all of us with…lesser figures."
"Oh, co on. That's an exaggeration. I feel like most girls around have great figures," Kotomi replied with an awkward laugh.
Though it was a casual remark, gumi caught onto a particular word, and her curiosity sparked as she asked, "Girls around you? There are that many?"
"Not really, no," Kotomi replied, then added gratefully, "But thanks, gumi. Without your jacket, I'd have no idea how to get ho like this. It's just that…well, with my sweat, I probably got your jacket dirty. If it's okay with you, I could wash it for you and return it tomorrow."
"No need, honestly. I was planning to wash it once I got ho anyway," gumi said easily.
"Alright then, thank you, gumi."
"If you keep saying thank you, you're going to make it seem like we're strangers. Do you thank Arisu like that too?"
The sudden ntion of Arisu Sakayanagi caught Kotomi by surprise, but she replied, "Of course! Besides, Arisu and I just t—barely a week ago. More specifically, we only t on the last day of the midterm exams."
"So you've only known her for a few days? And yet you're already comfortable calling her by her first na? Plus, she acts around you like an old friend. It doesn't feel like you two only t days ago."
Is that…jealousy I sll?
Kotomi sniffed the air, smiling to herself before saying, "gumi…are you jealous?"
"I won't deny it."
So she is jealous!
Kotomi felt a burst of happiness from within. Is there really soone who would get jealous because of ?
After an inner cheer, Kotomi continued, "Technically speaking, Tuesday was the first ti I t Arisu, in the afternoon after the last exam. But…"
"But what?" gumi prodded, curious.
"The way she spoke made it feel as if she'd known for a long ti, like we were old friends."
"Could it be that you two were childhood friends~?"
"But I've thought about it again and again and can't recall eting her before high school. And I definitely don't rember getting along so well with her. Unless I've sohow lost my mory, there's no way I'd forget a beauty like her." Kotomi replied matter-of-factly.
Pfft—
Hearing Kotomi's words, gumi couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "As long as they're a pretty girl, they're unforgettable to you? You sound like a total womanizer!"
Bullseye, thought Kotomi, hiding her surprise.
"So you're saying that Arisu seems very familiar with you, like you two go way back, while, to you, this Tuesday was your first ti eting her? Did I get that right?" gumi summarized.
Kotomi nodded seriously, her face sincere and unbothered. Seeing this, gumi sighed, then reached over and placed a hand on Kotomi's head, as if trying to sense sothing.
After a few monts, Kotomi couldn't help but ask, "Um, gumi…what are you doing?"
"Hmm, just trying to see if you have amnesia," gumi replied.
"Did you figure anything out? I an, can you even detect amnesia by doing this?"
"Clearly not. This technique is from so terrible movie, so no, it doesn't work. I just wanted an excuse to touch your hair. It's so soft and smooth, I can't resist."
gumi stated her intention with an air of total honesty.
Kotomi chuckled wryly. "You're not the only one—Aimi loves playing with my hair too. Since she was little, she's always enjoyed tugging on it. I rember back when she was still a baby, whenever she started crying, Mom would place her near , and as soon as she grabbed a handful of my hair, she'd calm right down. It was like my hair had so magical power."
No, I think your little sister was just…a bit too quick to understand things. gumi thought, silently chuckling to herself.
Little Sister-in-Law Aimi, already a natural born sis-con? Back then, she was addicted to Kotomi's hair. Now, she's eyeing her entire being!
"I think I'll end up with much more ti petting your head than Aimi ever has," gumi said confidently, almost as if it were inevitable.
"Why's that?"
"You'll understand when we go to the aquarium this Saturday."
Leaving her words laced with hints of deeper aning, gumi reached over to gently ruffle Kotomi's snowy hair once again.
So I'll know when we go to the aquarium on Saturday?
Was gumi planning so kind of surprise for her?
What kind of surprise could it be?
It's not even my birthday.
Letting gumi continue to tousle her hair, Kotomi pondered with a slight confusion. gumi caught her puzzled gaze, smiled faintly, and ruffled her hair with a bit more enthusiasm.
The snow-white strands were silky smooth and addictively soft to the touch. If she ever shared a bed with Kotomi, whether that was to "extend the line of life" or just to roll over, she'd have to be extra careful not to accidentally tug on those delicate locks.
After they reached Kotomi's house, she shrugged off gumi's jacket and handed it back.
"Your jacket really saved ," Kotomi said gratefully.
"No problem, see you tomorrow!" gumi waved with a gentle smile.
Watching Kotomi step inside, gumi hugged the jacket to her chest and quickened her pace on her way ho.
As she unlocked the door, Ikemi Kato heard her enter and called from the other room, "Welco back, gumi! Did you get your test scores today?"
Expecting this question, gumi had already taken her report card out and folded it into her skirt pocket before leaving school. Not wanting to waste even a second, she handed the report card to Ikemi with a quick summary:
"I scored 797 points this ti."
Ikemi's face lit up as she saw the score, her pride evident. "797?! That's wonderful! You'd been hovering between 580 and 630 throughout middle school, and now, you've not only broken 700, but you're just three points away from 800. Keep that up, and you'll have no problem getting into a top university!"
"It's just that the students in my class are smart, so I've been a little motivated to study more," gumi said casually.
"I heard Sobu High School lets students apply to switch classes based on their scores, right? Why don't you talk to your horoom teacher about moving up to Class A tomorrow?"
At this, gumi's eyes narrowed slightly, and her voice grew firm. "I actually like being in Class F. I've made so good friends there. And didn't you and Dad always say that academic success cos from individual effort? I think if I study hard, it shouldn't matter which class I'm in."
"I don't an anything by it," Ikemi replied, a bit taken aback, "But you know high school is a crucial period. Having a good study environnt can make all the difference. Class 1-A is supposed to be excellent. If you can, try talking to your horoom teacher about it tomorrow."
gumi sighed. Her mother always insisted on pushing her to achieve the best. She rembered the start of sumr vacation when she'd received her acceptance letter to Sobu High School, and Ikemi had grumbled for days over her being placed in Class F, rather than one of the advanced classes.
If it weren't for Kotomi's presence in Class F, Ikemi would likely have started nagging about transferring her weeks ago. gumi had thought her mother was finally over it. But it seed that the re completion of the midterms was enough to rekindle her interest in switching classes.
As long as Kotomi doesn't transfer, neither will I, gumi resolved silently.
"Mom, do you think just anyone can get into Class A? A score of 797 might look good, but it's nothing special for them. To even try for Class A, I'd have to be soone like Kotomi! My horoom teacher wouldn't even agree, and even if she did, I still wouldn't pass the review. So while I'll keep studying hard, you can drop the class transfer idea."
gumi's reply was thorough and intentionally dramatic, intending to squash her mom's hopes of a transfer. She'd also hoped to discreetly complint Kotomi, slipping in a good word for her "dear wife," all with the ultimate goal of boosting Kotomi's image in her mother's eyes.
If she could set things up just right, her mom might even be more accepting of her and Kotomi's relationship later. That was gumi's plan.
Either her words worked, or her mom sensed her irritation because Ikemi quickly dropped the subject. Smiling as she held the report card, Ikemi said, "Let's consider this a promising start. I hope your scores will only improve from here, gumi."
"I'll try my best."
Ikemi paused, her curiosity piqued as she thought of the na that ca up often in their conversations. "So how did Kotomi do this ti?"
Since Kotomi's na ca up so often, Ikemi had grown increasingly curious and admiring of this Izumi Kotomi, the friend her daughter kept ntioning.
"1,047 points. She got first in the entire grade and topped Tokyo's rankings too. Today, teachers from other classes kept approaching her, trying to get her to transfer. Even the Class A teacher ca over to talk to her."
ntioning Kotomi's achievents, gumi's tone softened with pride, as if Kotomi's accomplishnts made her happier than anyone else's, including her own. Ikemi couldn't help but find it curious—her daughter seed almost…too proud, almost as though she were talking about her girlfriend. But she brushed the thought off as an indication of their close friendship.
Knowing her daughter had a strong connection with such an outstanding friend, Ikemi felt pleased. After all, she had always wanted her daughter to have high-quality friends. And Kotomi's achievents topped the Tokyo rankings, a feat that left Ikemi completely awestruck.
"First in Tokyo?! gumi, are you serious?"
gumi pulled out her phone, showing her mom the saved list of the top 50 scores from this exam.
Kotomi Izumi, 1,047 points.
In bold red font beside her na, the school had proudly marked her ranking as "Tokyo's No. 1."
The title itself had an almost imposing presence. For a student from any school to top Tokyo's rankings would be an unparalleled honor worthy of great acclaim.
"Oh my! She's incredible! Over a thousand points—is that even possible? And look, the second place also broke a thousand. Sobu High School must be filled with exceptional students! I wonder what her mother did to raise such a remarkable daughter? So did Kotomi end up accepting Class A's invitation?"
"Nope, she turned down all the transfer offers. She said Class F has the best learning environnt for her," gumi replied.
"That's a pity," Ikemi said with a slight frown.
"Maybe Kotomi also believes that personal effort matters more than what class you're in. Anyway, I'm heading up to my room," gumi replied, holding her jacket close, anxious to retreat to her room.
"Oh, but since you've improved so much, we should definitely celebrate! Your father's coming ho from work on Friday. How about we all go out for dinner Friday night? I heard a bunch of new restaurants have opened in Chiba City with so grand opening deals."
"Dinner out on Friday? Sure," gumi nodded.
"Anything you'd like to eat?"
"Anything's fine, as long as there's at."
With that, gumi headed upstairs.
"Oh, gumi, wait!" Ikemi called just as she reached the staircase, "Can you give your jacket? I'll throw it in the wash."
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