Although Aimi had felt a surge of jealousy at noon when she overheard in the teacher's office that her sister and Iroha would be going to Enoshima together on Saturday, even wanting to drag Iroha aside right then and there to demand an explanation—
Thankfully, Kotomi and Iroha's reasonable explanation made perfect sense, so Aimi no longer had any doubts. She figured that girl who had been hit must have deliberately exaggerated and added fuel to the fire.
Tch! Trying to stir up trouble between , my sister, and Iroha? That girl's mouth is as foul as ever! If she dares to spread more nonsense, I'll make sure to slap both sides of her face swollen! Aimi thought viciously to herself.
"Aimi, do you want to eat cheese sausages tomorrow?"
This afternoon, as Iroha Isshiki was heading ho, she happened to run into Kumi Motokawa, who was also on her way to Iroha's house.
Upon seeing Iroha, Kumi Motokawa handed over the cardboard box she had been carrying in her arms.
"I was planning to wait at your door and give this to you when you got ho, but I happened to catch you just as you were coming back. This whole box is filled with sausages—you can eat them straight away, though they taste even better if you bake them in the oven.
I heard you like cheese sausages, so I got you so extra. But… you really shouldn't eat too much cheese. I also got a variety of other flavors—try them when you have ti and see if they suit your taste."
Iroha was montarily stunned, then broke into a bright smile as she accepted the gift and invited Kumi Motokawa inside.
Kumi Motokawa glanced at Iroha's front door, then at Iroha herself. After hesitating for a mont, her cheeks slightly flushed, she finally mustered the courage to nod—stepping into Iroha's ho for the first ti.
Before leaving, she insisted on cooking dinner for Iroha—a simple yet hearty al that was absolutely appetizing.
After dinner, she even washed all the dishes by herself. Only after tidying up the kitchen to her satisfaction did Kumi Motokawa finally leave.
Once Kumi Motokawa was gone, Iroha opened the box filled with sausages. Even though she had ntally prepared herself, she hadn't expected there to be this many.
Thinking back on how much Kumi Motokawa had taken care of her recently, Iroha couldn't help but feel that she had been a bit too generous.
Returning her attention to the sausages, she realized that the sheer quantity was too much—even if she stored them in the fridge, they would take up an entire shelf. Moreover, while sausages didn't have an extrely short shelf life, they weren't exactly long-lasting either.
And to ensure the best taste, they needed to be eaten as soon as possible.
So, Iroha decided to have grilled sausages for breakfast tomorrow and pack so of Aimi's favorite flavors to bring to school for her.
"Of course! I also want corn sausages!" Aimi agreed without hesitation the mont she heard Iroha was bringing her food.
"Ugh… I really don't get what's so good about corn sausages. But if you like them, I'll bring you all the corn sausages I have."
Iroha wasn't a picky eater, but everyone had foods they didn't like. For her, that happened to be corn sausages.
Kotomi was the sa—she also really disliked corn sausages. Every ti Aimi wanted corn sausage fried rice, Kotomi would make two portions: one using corn sausages for Aimi and another using regular or other flavored sausages for herself.
"Yay!"
Aimi cheered. She loved corn sausages the most!
After chatting for a while, Isshiki checked the ti and said:
"It's already almost 10 o'clock… I'm so sleepy… We have school tomorrow, so you should go to bed early too, Aimi."
"Mm-hmm, okay! Good night!"
"Good night," Iroha replied before hanging up the call.
As usual, after checking that all the doors and windows were securely locked, Iroha returned to her bedroom and lay under the covers.
With her father still in the hospital, the once lively three-person household now felt unusually quiet.
However, Iroha didn't feel particularly lonely, because she believed that her father and Kumi Honkawa would soon form a new family. When that ti ca, she was sure she would receive care and love from both a mother and a father—just like any other daughter in a normal household.
Thinking of this, a soft smile appeared on Iroha's lips, filled with hope.
Almost unconsciously, she picked up her phone and scrolled to Kotomi's contact.
In the dimly lit bedroom, the phone screen's glow was sowhat harsh against Iroha's face—a face that was usually animated and loud, never one to settle down. But at this mont, she seed peacefully serene.
"Senpai…"
Iroha murmured softly, and before she even realized it, she had already dialed Kotomi's number.
"Eh?!"
Even Iroha herself was startled. She quickly tried to hang up before disturbing Kotomi, but before she could act, the call had already been answered.
"Ugh… my gems… my 10,000 gems…"
At that mont, Kotomi was completely wrapped up in her blanket, sprawled lifelessly on the bed, her phone tossed to the side.
After using up the 5,000 free jewels from Princess Connect, Kotomi refused to accept defeat. She was convinced that tonight, she had to summon Princess Kokkoro!
Fueled by determination, she impulsively opened the recharge screen and bought another 5,000 jewels.
The result?
Even now, not a single Princess Kokkoro had appeared!
"Ughhh, Kokkoro, my Kokkoro… why is your princess form so hard to summon?!"
Completely cocooned in her blanket, Kotomi flailed around on the bed like a wriggling caterpillar.
Since it was a double-sized bed, she didn't have to worry about rolling off—no matter how much she flailed…
"Ah—!"
Just as Kotomi had that thought, she tumbled off the bed, blanket and all, landing so hard she almost knocked the wind out of herself.
"Oh god… Thank goodness I was wrapped in the blanket. If I had fallen straight onto the floor, I'd have had to lie there in pain for a while. Ugh… my butt hurts… The last ti it hurt this much was when I agreed to gumi's confession and… spent our first night at a hotel…"
Still clutching her blanket with one hand and rubbing her sore backside with the other, Kotomi was about to climb back into bed when her phone suddenly started ringing.
Seeing that the incoming call was from Iroha Isshiki, Kotomi didn't even hesitate—she pressed the answer button the very next second after the ringtone started.
Hearing that Kotomi was still awake after the call unexpectedly connected, Iroha quickly adjusted her emotions and, deliberately using her usual playful tone, cheerfully said:
"Senpai, good evening~ You suddenly called —were you missing ?"
"You're the one who called ."
"Uh… Can't you just play along for a bit?"
"Heh heh~" Kotomi let out a smug chuckle, feeling triumphant that she had finally turned the tables on this little devil.
"Alright, alright, what's up? Calling this late at night all of a sudden—it's already 10:30, you know? This is bedti for good kids."
"Do I look like a good kid to you?" Iroha countered.
"You're a little devil."
Being called a "little devil" by Kotomi yet again, Iroha didn't get mad. Instead, she softly chuckled and said sweetly:
"That's right, I am a little devil. On the night of the full moon, the little devil will spread her dark purple wings, descend on you, and sink her fangs into Senpai's neck—draining your blood properly!"
"Aren't you supposed to be a little devil? Why are you suddenly a vampire now?"
"A girl's face is ever-changing~"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon/DaoOfHeaven
User Comments
0 comments from readers