Capítulo 42: Uncontrollable Love, Expressed Through Actions
At that moment, Izumi Kotomi had no inkling of the deeper intentions hidden within her sister's heart; she merely believed that Izumi Aimi's goal was to get into Sobu High School.
"Even though it's not a school in Tokyo, getting into Sobu High School is no easy feat. You'll need to work hard, but when you do get in, you can ask for any reward you want, and I'll make sure you get it," Kotomi encouraged her.
Upon hearing this, Aimi's eyes lit up with excitement, unable to suppress her joy as she asked, "A reward? If I get into Sobu High School, no matter what I ask for, you'll give it to me, right?"
Kotomi was taken aback by her sister's sudden excitement. Though she didn't quite understand why Aimi was so thrilled, she figured her little sister couldn't have any bad intentions. So, without much thought, she nodded and agreed:
"Deal. As long as you get into Sobu High School, no matter what reward you want, I'll make sure you get it—except for something impossible, like fetching the moon from the sky."
Kotomi added a playful jest at the end.
"Don't worry, sister, it's nothing like fetching the moon. It's just that I want…" Aimi trailed off, quickly covering her mouth with her hand before she could finish. "I'll tell you what it is after I get into Sobu High School next year."
"I'll be looking forward to that day," Kotomi said, affectionately ruffling Aimi's hair. This time, Aimi didn't shy away from her sister's touch; instead, she enjoyed the moment, savoring the affection.
After dinner, Aimi returned upstairs to finish her homework, while Kotomi lay on the couch, watching TV.
What about writing?
Well, she had eaten a bit too much, felt full, and was a bit tired. Just a little rest before getting back to writing wouldn't hurt.
Two hours later, the sound of keys turning in the lock signaled that her parents had returned home. Hearing their familiar voices, Kotomi sat up from the couch.
"Dad, Mom, did you get the suits and dresses for the wedding?" Kotomi asked as she greeted them.
Izumi Kaneyoshi, while loosening his tie, replied wearily, "We found what we needed as soon as we got to the store, but your mom insisted on doing a bit more shopping. So, we ended up walking around for two hours! By the time we left the mall, my legs were shaking. I've never been so tired—not even after a full day of showing clients around the company."
Wow, shopping for two hours—no wonder even a workhorse might drop from exhaustion!
"Kaneyoshi, are you getting weaker?" Izumi Akina teased as she put down the shopping bags.
"Even if I worked out every day, I couldn't keep up with three hours of shopping without a single sip of water! By the time we finally ate, I not only finished a huge bowl of ramen but also drank all the soup."
With that, Kaneyoshi set a cake box on the coffee table. "I bought your and Aimi's favorite cream puffs. Do you want one?"
"I'll have some later. I'm still too full from dinner to eat anything else right now."
"That's fine. We'll wait for Aimi to finish her homework, and then you two can enjoy them together. What did you have for dinner?"
"Yoshinoya's beef bowl, teriyaki chicken bowl, and a soft-boiled egg."
"Yoshinoya, huh? Now I'm craving it," Kaneyoshi said, sounding a bit envious.
Kaneyoshi wasn't someone who lacked stamina. Even though he was a salaryman, he had a pretty regular workout routine, spending a couple of hours at the gym on weekends. But shopping at his wife's pace was a whole different challenge.
Kotomi, too, couldn't handle long shopping trips. She'd rather do anything else than spend two hours shopping.
After putting the new clothes away in the bedroom closet, Akina Izumi passed through the kitchen, grabbing a can of soda from the fridge and placing it in front of Kaneyoshi.
"Here you go, dear."
"Thanks," Kaneyoshi said, taking a sip.
Unlike most middle-aged men who preferred a cold beer in the summer, Kaneyoshi was a strict teetotaler. The only stereotypically middle-aged habit he had was smoking, usually limiting himself to one cigarette a day.
"Is Aimi still doing her homework?" Akina asked.
"Yeah, she went back to work on it after dinner. The workload for third-year middle schoolers is intense," Kotomi said with a hint of smugness. If she had a tail, it would surely be wagging high.
"If you want to keep gloating about having less homework than your sister, you better enjoy it while you can. Once she's done with her high school entrance exams and you're in your second year, you won't have any room to brag," Akina said, tapping Kotomi on the head to remind her.
"Got it," Kotomi said, rubbing her head with both hands.
A while later, Aimi finally finished her homework and came downstairs. Upon seeing the cream puffs her parents had brought, she immediately sat next to Kotomi and began eating.
The cream puffs were a treat mainly for Kotomi and Aimi, as their parents didn't particularly care for them.
By the time Aimi had finished her third cream puff, Kotomi had just finished her first. She wiped her mouth and hands with a napkin as if she were full.
Akina noticed and asked, "Kotomi, are you not feeling well today? You usually eat the most cream puffs, but today you only had one."
"I stopped by a friend's house after school and had a slice of mille-feuille there. I think I had a bit too much cream," Kotomi explained. If it weren't for the cake at Megumi's house, she could have easily eaten three more cream puffs.
The moment Kotomi mentioned this, Aimi's eyes narrowed slightly, and her grip on the cream puff tightened, almost crushing it. Fortunately, her movements were subtle, so no one noticed.
"A friend? Which one?" Akina asked.
Unaware of her sister's reaction and the potential consequences, Kotomi answered honestly:
"My classmate, Megumi Kato. She's the first friend I made at Sobu High School. We went to school together this morning, and after school, she invited me to her house for cake."
"Megumi Kato? Isn't she your seatmate? She sounds like a nice girl. You should invite her over sometime. She treated you to cake, so it's only fair to reciprocate," Akina said with interest.
Akina was pleased to hear that her daughter had already made a good friend, someone close enough to spend time with after school. It piqued her curiosity to meet Megumi in person.
"I think there's a Kato family that lives nearby," Kaneyoshi recalled.
"Yes, that's her family. Their house is close to ours, and we're on the same route," Kotomi confirmed.
Morning walks to school together… classmates… friends… walking home together…
These words swirled in Aimi's mind, driving home the reality she most dreaded.
When Aimi had seen her sister walking with an unfamiliar girl this morning, laughing and chatting so closely, she had held onto a glimmer of hope. Deep down, she had told herself that this short-haired girl was just a random classmate, someone who happened to be on the same route to school.
But Kotomi's words had shattered that fragile hope, revealing a harsh truth.
Her sister had grown close to a girl named Megumi Kato without her even noticing.
They walked to school together, walked home together, and Kotomi even went to her house to eat cake. And after that, who knows what else might happen…!!!
Aimi clenched her teeth, unwilling to think any further, but she realized one thing—if she didn't take action, her sister might drift further and further away from her.
No! I can't let that happen! Aimi screamed internally.
So the short-haired girl from this morning is named Megumi Kato, huh?
It looks like… I definitely need to get into Sobu High School.
That's the only way I can stay close to my sister…
"Aimi? Aimi?" Kotomi's voice cut through her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. Kotomi's face was tinged with concern as she asked, "I called you several times, but you didn't respond. Are you feeling unwell?"
Aimi quickly shook her head and explained, "I just got a little sleepy. Sister, Mom, Dad, I think I'll go to bed now."
"Okay, goodnight."
Aimi left the living room and returned to her bedroom.
The claim of being sleepy was a lie. She just wanted to retreat to her room and calm her turbulent emotions.
But every time she thought about Kotomi, the fire in her heart, which had just settled down, flared up again as if someone had thrown gasoline on it. It was as if this flame, fueled by her overwhelming feelings, would never truly die out.
Unless it was doused by the "spring water" she so deeply desired.
When had she first realized these feelings toward Kotomi?
It was a late summer night when she had been staying up late to finish her homework. Feeling thirsty, Aimi had put down her pen and gone downstairs to get a drink of water.
It was already very late, and her parents had gone to bed.
As Aimi finished her drink and prepared to return upstairs, she passed by her parents' bedroom door and heard them talking inside.
Driven by curiosity, Aimi had lowered her footsteps and carefully listened to the conversation through the door.
"Kaneyoshi, Kotomi's school year starts in a few days. I don't know why, but I'm feeling a bit nervous and worried about her starting high school."
"Nervous? Just take it easy, like me."
"You're just pretending not to be worried. Don't think I can't tell! You're nervous too, aren't you?" Akina playfully retorted.
Kaneyoshi could only chuckle, admitting, "Alright, I won't lie to you. I'm a little bit nervous too. Kotomi's starting high school, and before we know it, she'll be 18 and graduating. But what really keeps me up at night is thinking about her maybe getting a boyfriend in high school. Ever since I realized that could happen, I haven't been able to sleep."
"Wow, Kaneyoshi, you're taking this really seriously! I just started worrying today, and I thought I was ahead of the game. But you've been worrying since two days ago?!"
"I can't help it. Once I thought about Kotomi getting to that age, my mind went straight to thoughts of her getting married someday. And from marriage, I started thinking about her having kids."
"Your thoughts are all over the place! But you're right, though. After all, we met in high school, didn't we? By our third year, we were already serious."
"Exactly…" Akina realized the gravity of the situation.
Even though it seemed a bit early to be concerned, what if their daughter took after them? What if she found a serious relationship in high school…
After a long silence, Akina couldn't stay calm. "Kaneya, have you picked out names for our future grandchildren? And what about Kotomi's wedding? Will she wear a wedding dress or a shiromuku?"
"She should definitely wear a shiromuku! No, wait, we're getting ahead of ourselves here. Kotomi hasn't even started high school yet, and we're already talking about grandkids?"
"Well, let's leave that discussion for when the time comes. Haha! You know, after talking with you, I'm not feeling as nervous anymore." Akina laughed. "Remember when we first brought little Kotomi home from the park? She was so tiny. It feels like just a blink of an eye, and now she's grown into such a beautiful young woman."
"Yeah, it feels like only yesterday that we brought little Kotomi home. I used to think about finding her biological parents, but after a year of searching with no results, I stopped worrying about it. If we can't find them, then so be it. She's our daughter now."
"Let's make sure Aimi never finds out about this."
"Of course."
As the voices from her parents' bedroom quieted down, it seemed they had finally gone to sleep.
Outside, Aimi stood frozen, processing the shocking information she had just overheard.
Her sister Kotomi had been adopted from a park by her parents, meaning they weren't biologically related.
"I'm not related to my sister…"
Unwittingly, the long-hidden truth had been revealed to Aimi.
The memory pulled back into the present.
Aimi sat up in her bed, replaying the conversation she had overheard that night.
The sister she had grown up with wasn't her biological sister after all.
"Not related by blood… That's great. That means no matter what kind of feelings I have for my sister, Mom and Dad will accept them in the end."
Aimi whispered, a smile as pure and radiant as a blooming lily spreading across her face. Her eyes gleamed with a desire fueled by love.
Slowly, Aimi got out of bed. In the darkness of her room, illuminated only by the moonlight streaming through the window, she glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already eleven at night.
No matter what kind of feelings I have for my sister, they'll be accepted.
No matter what I do to her, it doesn't matter.
After all… we're not really sisters.
This thought propelled her forward, guiding her steps as she left her room and made her way to Kotomi's bedroom door.
Knock, knock.
She rapped on the door.
"Who is it?" Kotomi, busy typing away at her computer, paused and walked over to the door, opening it to find Aimi standing there.
"Aimi? Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"Sis…" Aimi slowly raised her head, allowing the desire in her eyes to show through as she softly asked, "There's something I want to discuss with you. Can we talk?"
"Now?" Kotomi was a bit surprised.
"Yes, now." Aimi nodded.
What could it be?
Could she be troubled by something and need her sister's gentle comfort and guidance?
At that thought, Kotomi's sisterly instincts kicked in, and she nodded, a warm smile spreading across her face as she said, "Sure, come in. No matter what's bothering you, you can always talk to me."
This was her chance to offer her sisterly warmth and understanding, and Kotomi was eager to help.
Aimi stepped into Kotomi's room, a satisfied smile curling on her lips as she said, "Thank you, sister."
She walked into the room, then subtly closed the door behind her. As Kotomi turned away, Aimi quietly twisted the lock, securing the door shut.
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