"Izumi, see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
After saying goodbye to the girls from the art club at the school gate, Izumi Kotomi started walking ho alone.
It was 5 PM, and walking alone on the street made her feel a bit lonely.
"Has Kato already gotten ho by now?" she wondered aloud halfway through her walk.
"Not yet~"
Almost as if in response to her thoughts, gumi Kato's voice suddenly sounded from behind, startling Izumi Kotomi.
Izumi Kotomi jumped in surprise, like a startled little penguin, before turning around with wide eyes to see the short-haired girl who had suddenly appeared behind her.
It was none other than gumi Kato, who had left school with Yui Yuigahama an hour ago.
"Kato?" Izumi Kotomi asked, puzzled. She couldn't understand why gumi Kato, who had left school an hour earlier, was now appearing at the school gate.
gumi Kato smiled slightly, indicating the cake shop bag in her hand. She then pulled out a bottle of ramune soda and handed it to Izumi Kotomi.
"Thirsty? Here, have so soda to quench your thirst. Those cute lips shouldn't go dry, you know."
Izumi Kotomi, feeling a bit thirsty, accepted the ramune soda from gumi Kato without questioning why she had co back.
She eagerly drank more than half of the bottle in one go.
The refreshing taste of the original ramune soda was incredibly satisfying!
Whether in her previous life or now, her love for the taste of original ramune soda had never changed. It was one of those small, simple joys.
As they walked, gumi Kato casually ntioned, "Yuigahama and I went to a cake shop she ntioned. Do you know what the shop is called?"
"What's it called?"
"The cake shop has a cute na—Dango Cake Shop."
"Oh," Izumi Kotomi nodded, responding simply.
For so reason, she still felt a bit of a sour emotion in her heart.
gumi Kato had noticed Izumi Kotomi's expression from the start; her gaze never left Kotomi's face as she observed her closely.
"Did sothing at the art club make you unhappy?"
gumi Kato's words were indirect, but Izumi Kotomi understood that she was being asked if she was feeling upset.
Izumi Kotomi bit her soft, pink lips and softly admitted, "Just a little. I don't know why, but… I just feel a bit uncomfortable…"
Seeing Izumi Kotomi's cute response, gumi Kato's smile deepened, and she reached out as if she had been planning this all along.
"Does it hurt around your chest? Want to massage it for you?"
Izumi Kotomi, about to nod and agree out of instinct, suddenly realized what gumi Kato was suggesting and quickly shook her head, her face turning red.
"N-No, that's okay!"
"Haha." gumi Kato couldn't help but laugh at the cute, flustered expression on the little "penguin" in front of her. "Do you know who owns Dango Cake Shop?"
"Who?"
"Yuigahama's mother."
"What? Yuigahama's mother owns it?"
"Yeah, that's why she invited us so eagerly after school. I noticed that and decided to go with her. I also bought you a delicious cake. I had just enough ti to get to the shop, co back, and wait for you at the school gate."
gumi Kato said this while showing off the cake shop bag she was holding.
After hearing this, the sour feeling in Izumi Kotomi's heart disappeared.
But wait, was that feeling… jealousy?
No way, was I really jealous just now?
"Did you enjoy the art club today?" gumi Kato asked again.
This ti, Izumi Kotomi finally smiled and answered, "Yes!"
gumi Kato wasn't really asking about the art club, and Izumi Kotomi wasn't really answering about the art club either.
"Kato, your way of asking if soone is happy is pretty unique…" Izumi Kotomi couldn't help but comnt.
"Is it? I don't know what you're talking about~" gumi Kato replied, dragging out her words and pretending not to understand.
As they neared her ho, gumi Kato suddenly rembered, "Oh, I just realized we haven't eaten the cake I bought. But I won't be able to finish this mille-feuille alone. If I put it in the fridge, it won't taste as good later. Kotomi, do you have ti? Would you like to co to my place to share the cake?"
"Go to your house? Is it okay to bother you now?"
"It's fine. My parents are at a reunion and won't be ho until at least nine o'clock. It's only five now, so we still have four hours."
gumi Kato said this while casually reminding Izumi of the ti, though her true intentions were unclear.
Izumi Kotomi didn't think much of it. She knew she needed to be ho by six-thirty, but there was still more than an hour left. That should be enough ti to eat the cake.
If it got late, she could always call her mom and let her know she'd be ho a little later.
With that thought, Izumi Kotomi nodded and said, "Sure, that sounds nice."
"I'm glad you're coming."
The two of them headed to gumi Kato's house. Like the Izumi residence, gumi Kato's ho was a detached house with its own yard.
While the Izumi house had two floors, the Kato house had three, with a small attic on the third floor.
gumi Kato unlocked the door and stepped inside, changing into indoor shoes at the entrance.
"Your garden is lovely," Izumi Kotomi said as she removed her brown leather shoes. Her petite feet, wrapped in delicate white pantyhose, peeked out like playful little rabbits.
She had noticed the beautiful flowers in the front yard as they walked in.
"My mom doesn't have many hobbies, but she loves gardening," gumi Kato replied as she neatly placed her shoes by the door.
"My mom tried gardening once too, but she didn't have the patience for it. After a few days, she handed the responsibility over to my sister."
Izumi Akina wasn't generally an impatient person, but when it ca to gardening, she had no patience at all.
She'd be all excited about planting flowers, but after a few days, she'd lose interest and leave the work to Aimi.
"Maybe gardening just isn't for your mom," gumi Kato said softly as she led Izumi Kotomi upstairs to the second floor.
Her bedroom was on the second floor, and as soon as they entered, the soft scent of cherry blossoms filled the air.
The fragrance was delicate, much like the petals of the cherry blossom themselves. It was light and airy, and when noticed, it brought a refreshing and serene feeling.
gumi Kato's room was just like that of any other girl.
The walls were adorned with pink and white wallpaper, and a study desk was placed near the balcony. A single bed was set against the wall, not too big, not too small, with a cute hamster plushie sitting on top.
The round little hamster clutched a seed, looking adorably silly and cute.
In the middle of the room was a large mat with a low square table on top of it. According to gumi Kato, once autumn arrived, she would put a quilt over the table to turn it into a kotatsu. That way, she could snuggle under it for warmth.
In the kotatsu, with an orange in hand and watching sothing on a tablet, that was the epito of comfort during autumn and winter.
But since it was still technically sumr, they'd have to wait a bit longer to enjoy the kotatsu.
gumi Kato placed the cake on the table, and it was only then that Izumi Kotomi noticed the shop's logo.
Two round dango, one big and one small.
The baumkuchen she had eaten yesterday had the sa logo on its box.
"So, the baumkuchen my sister bought yesterday was from Dango Cake Shop," Izumi Kotomi remarked.
"Oh? You've already tried their baumkuchen?"
"Yes, my sister bought it for yesterday. It was really delicious. If you go there again, I recomnd trying it."
"I'll definitely try it next ti," gumi Kato said with a smile as she stood up. "I'll go downstairs and prepare a drink to go with the cake. Would you like so tea, lemon tea, or hot cocoa?"
"I'd like so tea."
"Got it. I'll be right back." With that, gumi Kato left the room.
Izumi Kotomi sat on the mat, her smooth, fair legs wrapped in sheer white pantyhose that shimred enticingly. Her dainty feet, elegantly arched, peeked out from under her skirt as she adjusted her seating position, revealing the delicate curves of her legs.
She casually shifted her legs under her, only her toes peeking out, curling slightly with the movent. The pale soles of her feet, adorned with soft little wrinkles, looked impossibly tender.
She continued to play her mobile ga, "Azur Lane," while waiting for gumi Kato to return.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! I made so lemon tea. I noticed we were out of lemons, so I took a bit longer."
Soon, gumi Kato returned with two cups of freshly brewed tea.
gumi Kato had also removed her black knee socks, revealing her bare feet, which looked like delicate flowers with each toe perfectly shaped.
"Lemon tea? Yay, I love lemon tea!"
"The sugar cubes are right here. Add as much as you like to suit your taste," gumi Kato said as she opened the packaging of the mille-feuille cake.
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