As Kotomi Izumi sat on her lap, much of gumi Kato's earlier irritation instantly lted away. At the sa ti, she reached out and gently wrapped her arms around Kotomi's enchanting, irresistible waist.
Whenever gumi saw Kotomi walking, the way her slender waist swayed would always make her want to reach out and hold her close.
Kotomi had many alluring qualities—her breathtaking beauty that made one willing to plunge into the flas like a moth, her full chest, her shapely, plump legs, her delicate little feet that seed like sweet candies begging to be teased, her fair and tender skin… and of course, this waist that haunted gumi's every thought.
"I have to stay after school for rehearsal. Since I'm working so hard, when I'm on stage, Little gumi, you must cheer on with all your heart~"
Leaning against gumi Kato, Kotomi spoke in a coquettish tone, like a young bride, yet still keeping the gestures within the bounds that would make outsiders think they were simply two close girls clinging together.
"When your performance ends, I'll give you a big hug!" gumi smiled happily, then leaned close to Kotomi's ear and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, whispered with a laugh: "And a deep kiss."
"How embarrassing~"
What Kotomi said wasn't only to ask gumi to cheer her on, but mainly to let gumi know what she had been doing during the last class, and that she would be staying after school to rehearse.
Last ti, when she went to karaoke with Yui Yuigahama without telling gumi, it led to gumi blackening, killing Kotomi, and then committing suicide in front of her. Even now, recalling it left Kotomi shaken.
People die when they are killed. If not for Kazumi successfully activating Soul Retention at the last mont, preserving their souls and using ti reversal to resurrect them, then when gumi's parents ca ho to see two corpses brutally slain in the bedroom…
The grief of that scene, Kotomi couldn't imagine. Nor could she imagine what her father, mother, and younger sister would feel upon seeing her body. Would they collapse in despair?
Being able to revive was truly fortunate… Since resurrection, Kotomi had always thought this way.
But their revival ca at the price of Kazumi falling into a deep slumber, with no telling when she might awaken. Every ti Kotomi thought of Kazumi still asleep, her heart ached as though pierced by a thorn.
Cherishing this second chance at life, Kotomi was extrely cautious, doing everything she could to avoid any situation that might lead to gumi's blackening.
The gentler Little gumi usually was, the more terrifying she beca when she blackened.
Hearing Kotomi's words, gumi's expression finally softened completely. She hugged Kotomi close, gently inhaling her fragrance.
At that mont, gumi felt she was the happiest woman in the world.
Sitting behind them, Mashiro Shiina silently watched, her face expressionless, as she idly scraped her fingernail across her sketchbook.
Although Kotomi and gumi had spoken quietly, so that only they should have heard, they had underestimated Mashiro's hearing.
Sitting alone behind them, Mashiro had heard every single word, clear and complete.
Their sweet words of love sounded to Mashiro like the most piercing noise.
Rip—
With a faint tearing sound, the paper of her sketchbook split under Mashiro's fingernail.
Her nails weren't long, but the paper could not withstand constant scraping.
"..."
Mashiro lowered her gaze, her emotionless eyes glancing at the torn page. On it was a sketch—of Kotomi and gumi, leaning against each other just as they were now.
"If the paper is ruined, it must be torn out and replaced with a new one…"
She murmured softly to herself, then tore the page from her sketchbook with rough hands, shredding it into pieces.
Rising, she walked to the trash can and threw the fragnts inside.
At all tis, shredding into fragnts was the most efficient way to clear and put away…
After discarding the scraps, a faint smile finally returned to Mashiro Shiina's face.
...
Afternoon.
Before the last class, which was self-study—
"I rember that at Sobu High School, during parent-teacher etings, students don't have to co to school. So… that ans tomorrow morning we don't need to wake up early!"
For tomorrow's parent-teacher eting, the students who had done well on exams were happy, while those who had perford poorly felt uneasy, only able to pray that the teacher would say more good things in front of their parents.
Kotomi, however, imdiately rembered that during tomorrow morning's eting, students didn't have to attend.
She could sleep in comfortably tomorrow morning~ She only had to co to school at two in the afternoon. And even then, the two afternoon classes for Class 1-F were both self-study.
Self-study?
For Kotomi, self-study classes were ant for playing on her phone and napping.
She had already decided which movies she was going to secretly watch on her phone during today's and tomorrow's self-study periods.
After realizing she wouldn't need to wake up early tomorrow, Kotomi quickly opened Line and sent a ssage to Kiyoko Matsumatsu.
Kotomi Izumi: [Tomorrow is the parent-teacher eting. Students don't have to co, right?]
Kiyoko Matsumatsu: [Yes! Tonight~ see you on Steam!]
Kotomi Izumi: [No problem!]
Kiyoko Matsumatsu: [Ah! The discipline director ca to our class to confiscate phones again! This is already the third ti today!]
Yui Yuigahama said with a relaxed expression:
"In the past, after exams, when it was ti for the parent-teacher eting, I always tried my best not to tell Mom. Of course, Mom would still get the notice from the teacher, and when she realized I hadn't told her, she'd scold even more fiercely…
But this ti, my grades have improved again, so I don't have to worry about hiding the parent-teacher eting from Mom. I even hope she'll co to school earlier tomorrow~
This is the first ti I can proudly let Mom attend the post-exam parent-teacher eting! And it's all thanks to Kotomi!"
Yui said proudly, her every word tied back to Kotomi.
"Keep working hard."
Kotomi nodded with satisfaction, speaking little, like a mother who wasn't good with words, earnestly praising a daughter who had made progress in her studies, but still worried that too much praise might make her proud and complacent.
It wasn't that Kotomi was really not good with words—if she wasn't, then no one in the world could be said to be good at speaking.
It was just that, at that mont, most of her attention was caught in her thoughts. After hearing Yui's words, Kotomi couldn't help but imagine Mrs. Yuigahama, usually gentle and playful, scolding Yui fiercely.
As the thought crossed her mind, the corners of Kotomi's lips curled into a sweet smile.
—
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