Izumi Kotomi returned to her bed, patting the spot next to her with a smile. "Aimi, co sit here."
"I'd rather sit facing you, sister," Izumi Aimi replied, choosing to sit in the chair Kotomi had been using earlier instead of beside her.
"So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Kotomi asked, curious.
Instead of answering directly, Aimi looked over at the laptop on the desk, where a Word docunt filled with ongoing writing was open. "Were you writing your novel just now?"
"Yes, I was. Since I've already signed with Dengeki Bunko, I need to maintain a steady pace. I want to finish the manuscript for Volu 2 before Volu 1 is published," Kotomi explained with a nod and a smile.
"You're amazing, sister. You got your first novel published on your first try. I never even knew you were interested in writing novels… I an, I didn't even know you liked reading them. It makes feel like an idiot. I should be the one who knows you best, who's closest to you, but sowhere along the way, you started to change in ways I didn't notice," Aimi said quietly, lowering her head.
"People change, you know," Kotomi responded gently.
"But why wasn't I the first to notice those changes? It's so strange, isn't it? We've lived together for so many years. We should be the closest to each other. I should be the person who occupies all of your heart," Aimi continued, her voice tinged with frustration.
"The closest…" Kotomi tilted her head, feeling a bit out of sync with Aimi's thoughts.
"The girl who goes to school with you, who eats cake with you until late, is gumi Kato… Is she a very close friend of yours, sister?" Aimi's tone shifted, becoming more urgent, almost as if she were a different person.
Hearing Aimi ntion gumi, Kotomi thought she understood. It seed Aimi wanted to know more about gumi.
In that case, she needed to explain thoroughly, as if she were well-acquainted with gumi.
Izumi Kotomi, master of high emotional intelligence and skilled conversationalist, was ready:
"A close friend? Well, I've only known Kato for a few days, so I wouldn't say we're very close yet. But who knows? Maybe in a year or three, we could beco really close friends. Kato has a great personality; even just sitting beside her without talking feels comfortable. If possible, I'd like to be friends with her for life."
As Kotomi spoke, a bright smile spread across her face, a smile so radiant that it could captivate anyone who saw it, holding their gaze until the end of ti.
Aimi's eyes narrowed slightly as she saw this smile, a sense of danger shrouding her heart. Ever since she learned that she and Kotomi weren't biologically related, a dangerous impulse had been awakened deep within her. Though she had tried to suppress these feelings, to redirect them toward a more sisterly affection, the reality of Kotomi growing closer to soone else had shattered that illusion.
She no longer wanted to be just sisters with Kotomi. She wanted sothing more.
"Do you really want to stay close to gumi Kato for the rest of your life, sister?" Aimi's expression darkened as she stood up and walked toward Kotomi.
If Kotomi wouldn't take the initiative, then Aimi would. She would be the one to break through this dangerous haze and let her true feelings co to light.
"Well… you could say that," Kotomi hesitated, sensing that sothing was off but still nodding.
"Tomorrow, you'll go to school with gumi Kato again, attend classes together, walk ho together, and maybe even go to her house again? Back in middle school, you rarely walked to school or ho with . You always left first. You couldn't do that for , but you can do it for her? Am I really less important to you than gumi Kato?" Aimi's questions ca out with an intensity that caught Kotomi off guard.
"Wait, why are you suddenly bringing this up? I've always cared about you—" Kotomi started, but Aimi cut her off with a pained cry.
"Am I less important to you than gumi Kato?!" Aimi's voice trembled with emotion as she interrupted.
"No, you're not," Kotomi replied firmly.
"Eh?" Aimi was taken aback by Kotomi's directness, but hearing those words brought so comfort to her anxious heart. The tension in her face slowly faded, replaced by a relieved smile.
Kotomi reached out to gently stroke Aimi's hair, speaking with tenderness, "You'll always be my precious little sister."
"Sister…" Aimi's eyes trembled slightly.
That wasn't the answer she wanted to hear.
Kotomi picked up her phone and opened her photo album, where the first image in her favorites was a picture of the two of them together.
Looking at the photo of the two sisters, Kotomi smiled softly. "When did it start? Probably when I entered middle school. I used to love teasing you and making you cry, but as ti went on, I began to feel more protective of you. It was then that I realized how lucky I was to have a sister. So, you've always been the most adorable and important little sis—"
"Stop!" Aimi shouted, cutting Kotomi off. She couldn't bear to hear any more. She didn't want their relationship to remain just that of sisters.
Before Kotomi could react, Aimi lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Kotomi and pushing her back onto the bed. The sudden, forceful action left Kotomi montarily stunned, her arm frozen in the air. If this had been a simple hug between sisters, she would have hugged Aimi back, but this… this was sothing else.
Was this really just a sisterly hug?
"I don't want to hear it," Aimi murmured in Kotomi's ear, her voice laced with tears as she clung to her tightly.
"Aimi?" Kotomi turned her head slightly to look at her sister, while the light from her phone screen gradually dimd, casting the room in shadows.
"Ever since I can rember, I've always looked up to you, sis. The tis we spent together, sitting side by side, walking together, sleeping in the sa bed—those were my happiest monts. I want to be your little sister forever."
Aimi's voice wavered with emotion as her heart raced. The scent of Kotomi's hair filled her senses, intoxicating her.
As if to close the distance between them, as if to make sure her sister would never leave her side, Aimi shifted slightly, pressing her body closer to Kotomi's.
"I want to be your little sister forever, so… you have to be mine forever too, okay?"
Kotomi wasn't naive; she understood Aimi's feelings at this point. She sighed deeply, realizing the situation had escalated beyond what she had expected.
"Aimi, I'm your sister. We're both Izumis—"
"It's okay. We're not really sisters," Aimi interrupted with a light laugh, tightening her grip on Kotomi. She began to move subtly against her, as if savoring the warmth and softness of Kotomi's body.
When Aimi revealed this, Kotomi's eyes widened in surprise. "You… you know about that?"
Ring, ring, ring—
At that mont, Kotomi's phone rang, cutting through the tension in the room.
On the screen, the caller ID showed the na "gumi Kato."
"Is it gumi?" Kotomi was surprised that gumi would call her so late, but she knew this wasn't the right mont to answer.
Kotomi reached out to grab her phone, intending to decline the call and explain things to gumi the next morning.
But Aimi, sensing her sister's intention, swiftly snatched the phone from her hand. Seeing gumi's na on the screen, she let out a cold laugh. "It's gumi Kato, isn't it? Go ahead, answer it."
"I don't want to," Kotomi shook her head, refusing.
She could answer gumi's call at any other ti, but not now!
"If you don't answer…" Aimi trailed off, her expression growing more mischievous.
"Wait, Aimi, what are you going to do?!"
"Don't you understand?" Aimi asked softly.
Kotomi's face paled as she realized what Aimi ant.
"Fine, I'll answer… I'll answer."
Kotomi relented, realizing she had no choice but to comply.
"You know, Kotomi, you could choose not to answer," Aimi said, a hint of disappointnt in her voice.
What's going on? This girl is getting bold… she's even calling by my na without honorifics?
"I just want to call you by your na, Kotomi. I've wanted to for a long ti," Aimi replied with a smile, then pressed the button to answer the call.
"Kotomi, good evening. You're still up, right?" gumi's calm and familiar voice ca through the phone.
User Comments
0 comments from readers