"Here... here are your at buns."
The store clerk's hands trembled as they carefully placed 20 large at buns into two kraft paper bags—one filled with pork-and-scallion buns and the other with pork-and-celery buns. They also handed over a cup of sweetened soy milk.
Kotomi accepted the bags, initially planning to find a seat and enjoy her al. However, seeing that the convenience store had no seating, she decided to leave, eating as she walked.
To savor the buns, Kotomi walked extrely slowly, practically inching forward step by step.
By the ti she exited the bookstore, the sky had begun to brighten. Now, it was fully light out, though the overcast clouds made the morning feel a bit gloomy.
Taking a big bite out of half a at bun, Kotomi pulled out her phone to check the ti. As she glanced up at the sky, she predicted rain later in the day.
"It's probably going to rain tonight," she murmured. "But the weather report said it'll only last for half an hour, and after that, we might see a rare blood moon."
She chewed thoughtfully. "So today's the 23rd... the blood moon... I wonder what it'll look like?"
Kotomi recalled reading about the event on Saturday. Initially, she had miscalculated the date, thinking it was tomorrow. It wasn't until she checked her calendar that she realized her mistake—tonight was the night.
"No wonder last night's moon looked so normal."
As Kotomi walked back toward her house, carrying two paper bags in one hand and munching on a bun with the other, she noticed gumi waiting at her door.
Normally, at this ti, she would still be in bed.
gumi always claid she hadn't waited long, but Kotomi knew better—gumi always arrived early.
What a silly girl. Does she think if she cos a bit later, soone else will snatch away?
Feeling a pang of warmth, Kotomi quickened her pace, forgetting her at bun for a mont.
"gumi!"
Her voice startled gumi, who turned around in mild surprise.
There she saw Kotomi, carrying two kraft paper bags, holding a steaming half-eaten at bun in her other hand. Her lips glistened faintly with grease, and a tiny speck of pork filling clung to the corner of her mouth.
Bathed in the soft hues of dawn's light, her beautiful face wore an expression of heartfelt concern as she jogged over.
"You're here way too early, gumi!" Kotomi exclaid as she ca to a stop. After steadying herself, she popped the rest of the bun into her mouth.
Her lips—now sared with pork from both corners—shone like rose petals in the morning light. Greasy, but endearing.
Having been too engrossed in her al to notice her ssy appearance, Kotomi had unknowingly transford into a little "at bun cat."
The ntal image alone was enough to send gumi into peals of laughter.
She tried to stifle her giggles, but once she started, the laughter only grew.
"Hahaha! Kotomi, why couldn't you just sit down and finish your buns before walking? Look at you! Your face... your face..." gumi could hardly breathe between bouts of laughter. "You've practically turned into a little at bun cat! Hahaha!"
Her laughter left her nearly gasping for air.
Kotomi, who had initially felt a surge of affection for gumi for waiting outside her house so early, suddenly felt her goodwill evaporate.
She had been planning to give gumi a big hug after finishing her al, maybe even a kiss. But now? Watching gumi laugh herself breathless over her ssy appearance, Kotomi's mood soured instantly.
You didn't even get this winded after what you put through Saturday night!
Her frustration bubbled up, and Kotomi playfully stomped her foot in protest. Holding one bag of buns and her last bite of breakfast, she used her free foot to lightly kick gumi on the backside.
Of course, the kick was gentle—barely a tap that wasn't the least bit painful. If anything, soone with certain inclinations might even find it enjoyable.
"Don't kick , wifey," gumi teased, her grin widening. "The more you kick, the more shaless I feel like being!"
Kotomi froze for a mont, then shot her a playful glare, puffing out her cheeks indignantly. Taking an exaggerated bite of her bun, she muttered, "Wait until I finish my breakfast, and then I'll deal with you!"
"Oh no, I'm so scared~" gumi teased, though her tone betrayed nothing but amusent.
In truth, by the ti Kotomi finished all 20 at buns, she had completely forgotten her earlier threat.
If asked about it now, she would likely tilt her head in confusion. Huh? When did I say that?
It wasn't an act—she genuinely forgot.
When it ca to certain things, Kotomi had an incredible mory that bordered on photographic. But at other tis, her recollection could rival that of a goldfish.
After tossing her empty bags and cup into a nearby trash can, gumi handed her two wet wipes.
"Here, wipe your hands and face. No wonder your lips were so greasy after eating 20 buns!"
"Thanks~" Kotomi chirped, accepting the wipes. She had been about to ask if gumi had any tissues, but it turned out gumi had anticipated her needs and offered sothing even better.
Once Kotomi had cleaned her hands and face, gumi finally asked the question that had been on her mind:
"Kotomi, why were you up so early today? Usually, you wouldn't get out of bed until your alarm forces you to. Don't tell you woke up just to eat at buns!"
"Of course not! at buns are always available; I could have just bought them after school if I wanted. The real reason I got up early today was for this!"
Kotomi pulled the latest issue of Weekly Shonen Jump out of her bag.
"I was so busy yesterday that I forgot it was release day. This week features the second chapter of Chainsaw Man! I had to get my hands on it first thing this morning!"
"Oh, so you woke up early to grab a copy? But still... was there really a need to be in such a rush? Surely they wouldn't sell out that quickly."
"Y-you never know! What if every copy in Chiba sold out before school ended? Then what?" Kotomi declared with exaggerated seriousness.
gumi chuckled at her dramatic response and said, "You don't need to worry about that. Yesterday, after walking you ho, I rembered it was release day too. So, I went to the bookstore and bought two copies myself."
She smiled slyly. "Even if the bookstores ran out, you could've just borrowed one of mine."
"Whoa! Two copies?!"
Kotomi was already surprised that gumi rembered Monday was the release day for Weekly Shonen Jump. But buying two copies? That was next-level dedication.
"Of course! Look here," gumi said, unlocking her phone and opening her photo album.
The newest photo was of the two copies of Weekly Shonen Jump neatly placed on her desk. She had even angled the shot perfectly for a pleasing composition.
Glancing at the picture, gumi chuckled and added, "If I weren't following my family on Twitter, I would've posted this and captioned it: 'This week's Weekly Shonen Jump features my wife's manga, Chainsaw Man, Chapter 2!'"
"Please don't post that! At least not right now," Kotomi said, her cheeks flushing red.
"Don't worry, I know better. If my mom found out about us right now, with her temperant, she'd probably stress herself into another cold."
Kotomi nodded, fully aware of how traditional Ikemi Kato was. Revealing their relationship at this point could easily upset her.
Naturally, Kotomi would never consider doing such a thing. She found it immature—extrely immature—to spring such news on parents without giving them any ntal preparation and then expecting imdiate acceptance.
To put it bluntly, if parents responded with a slap or a scolding, that would still be considered lenient! Why should they be expected to understand imdiately without being given ti to process?
"So, we'll take it slow. No rush."
"Yep! On this matter, we're totally on the sa page," gumi said with a grin, pinching Kotomi's small nose affectionately.
It wasn't just Kotomi's face that felt irresistibly soft to gumi; even her nose had a unique charm that begged to be pinched—or bitten.
Naturally, Kotomi wasn't one to just let it slide. She always protested—sotis loudly—whenever gumi "attacked."
But no matter how much Kotomi complained, it didn't seem to deter gumi. Next ti, the pinching, biting, or teasing would happen again as if nothing had been said.
After a while, Kotomi noticed that gumi actually seed to enjoy her flustered protests. The more Kotomi pouted and scolded, the happier gumi seed.
Realizing this, Kotomi decided she wasn't going to be the only one on the receiving end.
Walking to school, she waited for monts when no one was around and gumi wasn't paying attention. Seizing her chances, she leaned in and stole kisses—once on gumi's cheek and then another ti on her lips.
The surprise on gumi's face was priceless, and Kotomi couldn't help but smirk smugly.
Now I've got the upper hand! she thought triumphantly.
Unbeknownst to Kotomi, gumi had indeed been startled the first ti. But after that, she quickly caught on to Kotomi's little ga.
Instead of exposing Kotomi, gumi played along.
If my darling wife wants to offer herself up on a silver platter, how could I say no?
And so, the second ti Kotomi "sneak attacked" her, gumi feigned shock, putting on an act that left Kotomi beaming with pride.
Gotcha, gumi thought, barely suppressing a grin.
For gumi, this wasn't just about "taking what's offered"; it was about pampering Kotomi. Letting her feel victorious made her even more endearing.
"Kotomi, you're so naughty, stealing kisses like that," gumi said, pretending to be flustered.
Her faux embarrassnt had the desired effect. Kotomi was over the moon, basking in her small triumph.
If I keep up with little kisses like these, she'll be putty in my hands soon enough! Kotomi thought, practically skipping with glee.
Even as she entered the classroom, Kotomi couldn't hide her joy. She humd a happy tune under her breath, her mind already planning more "sneak attacks."
After finishing four morning classes, Kotomi—who had spent most of them hunched over her desk secretly playing Azur Lane—perked up when the lunch bell rang. She stood up, ready to dash to the school store.
Her excitent was short-lived, however.
"Yui, let's hit the store together!"
"Eh? But I brought a lunch today. It's braised pork! Oh, and Kotomi, I made an extra portion just for you. If you don't mind, why not skip the store and eat this instead?"
Yui's voice was soft, tinged with embarrassnt.
The night before, she had watched a cooking video featuring braised pork. Despite having eaten a big dinner, her mouth had watered as her stomach growled uncontrollably.
That morning, she woke up earlier than usual, even earlier than Kotomi—who had left to buy her manga.
Cooking was no problem for Yui, especially since the kitchen was well-stocked. In less than an hour, she had a pot of rich, glistening braised pork simring on the stove.
The aroma alone was enough to wake her little sister, Yuka, who ca toddling into the kitchen with wide, hungry eyes.
Feeling proud of her culinary success, Yui couldn't resist showing off a bit, marveling at her newfound talent.
Of course, braised pork wasn't suitable for breakfast—it was far too heavy. But Yui had prepared lunchboxes for Kotomi, Yuka, and herself, packing the pork neatly with fluffy white rice.
When she opened Kotomi's lunchbox to show her, the glossy, succulent pieces of pork imdiately caught her attention.
Her mouth watered.
Yui had intentionally packed Kotomi's box generously, stuffing it with as much pork and rice as it could hold. Sealing the lid had been a challenge, requiring considerable effort to snap it shut.
Kotomi, utterly captivated by the sight and sll, could only nod dumbly in agreent, forgetting all about her earlier plans to rush to the school store.
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