Capítulo 241: Yui, Open Your Mouth
"Ki-Kotomi actually brought a bento box?!"
Yui's eyes widened in disbelief, trembling as if the very foundations of her world had crumbled. She clasped her hands over her mouth as if trying to stifle a scream.
If her dramatic tendencies were turned up just a notch, she might've shrieked like the heroine in a suspense movie discovering a dead body.
"What's with that look? Is it really that shocking for me to bring a bento?" Kotomi asked, tugging at the corner of her mouth in exasperation.
"But you promised!" Yui wailed, her voice filled with grievance. "We swore we wouldn't bring bentos and that we'd always go to the school store for lunch together! We made a solemn vow to stick to that for the rest of our lives, and now you've gone and betrayed me! Were you lying to me back then?!"
She dramatically pretended to wipe away imaginary tears as she spoke, her voice trembling with fake sorrow.
"That so-called vow never even happened."
Kotomi's blunt response immediately broke Yui's theatrical momentum.
"Ah… it didn't?"
A seasoned actor, Yui was not.
Megumi chimed in, her tone lighthearted. "Kotomi brought a bento today? No wonder I noticed your bag seemed heavier than usual this morning when I saw you leaving your house."
Yukino nodded thoughtfully. "With a bento box that large, it's no wonder your bag felt heavy."
Mashiro tilted her head, her expression as blank as ever. "Did Kotomi accidentally bring her dad's or mom's bento instead of her own?"
Megumi laughed. "It looks more like one of those food boxes used to serve dishes at New Year's dinner! My whole family's bento boxes combined wouldn't be as big as this one."
As the comments rolled in, Kotomi's cheeks grew redder and redder.
"It-it's not as exaggerated as you're making it sound!" she protested, her voice faltering. "Sure, the box looks big, but it doesn't hold that much food…"
She hastily tossed out a lie and turned her head away, avoiding their gazes. All morning, she'd been preoccupied with thoughts of the stir-fried lamb in her bento and had completely overlooked how much attention such a large bento box would draw in class.
At least Yukino and the others were the only ones fixating on it—for now.
Megumi smiled gently and patted Kotomi on the head. "Don't worry. No one's going to tease you about how much you eat. At least, I won't. It's good to have a healthy appetite. Besides, weren't you eating just as much when we went to Shinagawa over the weekend?"
Kotomi relaxed slightly at Megumi's reassuring words, her face still tinged with embarrassment. "Y-you're right. Thanks."
With that, she removed the lid from her bento box.
Moments earlier, Kotomi had lied about the bento being deceptively large. In truth, it was not only large in appearance but also packed to the brim with food. As soon as the lid came off, the rich aroma of stir-fried lamb wafted through the air.
The sight of the generously portioned lamb, side dishes, and rice—enough to overwhelm anyone with a smaller appetite—left Kotomi feeling even more self-conscious.
As her earlier fib unraveled before everyone's eyes, she could only muster an awkward laugh.
"Hahaha…"
It was all she could do as her face flushed even redder.
Girls like Kotomi, who had large appetites, dreaded having their eating habits exposed—even among friends. It was a source of deep embarrassment.
Megumi, noticing Kotomi's discomfort, stepped in to save her from the awkward situation.
"It looks delicious! Kotomi, can I try some?" Megumi asked with a warm smile.
"Of course! Help yourself," Kotomi replied, visibly relieved.
Megumi had already witnessed Kotomi's formidable appetite before. She knew full well that, despite the bento's generous size, it was probably just enough to satisfy Kotomi for one meal.
Her request to taste the food was more about easing Kotomi's embarrassment than satisfying her own curiosity. Megumi carefully picked up a small piece of lamb, deliberately leaving the larger portions untouched to ensure Kotomi would have enough.
Knowing that Kotomi disliked green onions, Megumi also made sure to scoop up a portion of the onions along with her lamb, helping to lighten Kotomi's plate.
Kotomi's heart swelled with gratitude as she watched Megumi. She had fully intended to offload all the onions onto Yui instead.
As if sensing Kotomi's intentions, Yui suddenly shivered and instinctively pulled her shoulders in. The chilling sense of being surrounded by green onions was one she had come to associate with Kotomi's meals.
Even Yukino, who had her own bento, couldn't help but feel her stomach rumble at the sight of Kotomi's stir-fried lamb. Despite herself, she blushed slightly and hesitantly asked, "May I have a taste as well?"
"Of course! My mom's cooking is amazing—you'll see," Kotomi replied, her voice brimming with pride.
Yukino clasped her hands together politely, holding her silver chopsticks—elegant and clearly expensive—between her fingers. Her pale, delicate hands gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the window.
"Thank you for the meal," she said softly, closing her eyes briefly in gratitude before taking a piece of lamb.
Like Megumi, Yukino made a point of removing some green onions before eating the lamb, knowing full well that Kotomi despised them.
As she savored the rich and flavorful lamb, Yukino's expression softened. "Your mother's cooking is exceptional. This stir-fried lamb might be the best I've ever had."
Mashiro, her eyes sparkling with excitement, chimed in. "Kotomi, lamb—want to eat."
"Go ahead, Mashiro. Don't hold back."
Mashiro took a piece and immediately brightened. "Delicious!"
"I want some too!" Yui exclaimed, finally giving in to her cravings. Thoughts of rushing to the school store for lunch were long forgotten.
"Alright, open wide," Kotomi said, holding a piece of lamb up with her chopsticks.
"Ahh~"
Yui obediently opened her mouth, her face lighting up as she tasted the lamb's rich, savory flavor.
"More, please!" Kotomi offered with a mischievous grin.
Another piece? Yui couldn't believe her luck. Overjoyed, she opened her mouth again, not bothering to check what was on the chopsticks this time.
But the smile on her face quickly froze.
The piece Kotomi fed her this time was a mound of green onions.
Caught off guard, Yui's expression turned to one of pure anguish as she forced herself to chew and swallow the onions, breaking out in a light sweat from the ordeal.
"Ugh… green onions are the worst! Kotomi, you're so mean! At least warn me when you're feeding me something like that!" she protested, panting.
"Green onions are good for you. Don't be picky," Kotomi replied with an air of exaggerated seriousness.
Megumi, meanwhile, glanced at the clock and reminded Yui, "By the way, don't you need to grab lunch? Did you bring a bento today?"
The realization hit Yui like a bolt of lightning. Unlike Kotomi, she hadn't brought a bento.
"Ah! I almost forgot! Oh no, I wasted so much time—I hope there's still food left at the store. I've got to go!"
"Better run!" Kotomi called after her, cheerfully adding a bit of motivation.
Thanks to Yukino, Megumi, and Yui's help, Kotomi's bento was now free of green onions. Internally, she cheered.
Although she knew stir-fried lamb wasn't the same without green onions, she couldn't stand eating them herself.
With her obstacles out of the way, Kotomi dug in with gusto. "Itadakimasu!"
When Yui returned, carrying two custard buns and a strawberry yogurt, Kotomi was already halfway through her massive bento.
Now it wasn't just Megumi who knew about Kotomi's impressive appetite. Yukino, Yui, and Mashiro were all well aware of it too.
After swallowing the last bite of rice, Kotomi Izumi let out a satisfied burp. Originally, she had planned to eat a little less so that her appetite wouldn't seem so excessive in front of her friends.
But before she realized it, she had polished off every last morsel.
Fortunately, her friends tactfully avoided mentioning her impressive appetite, quickly changing the subject to other topics.
Following lunch, the students still had a significant amount of time to rest. Those brimming with energy and unable to nap could choose to play on the field, so long as they didn't disturb classmates resting in the school building.
Yui , brimming with energy as usual, was eager to drag everyone to the field.
But before she could get up, Kotomi firmly pressed her back into her seat, commanding her, "Stay put and take a nap."
"Uh…"
Yui pouted.
Every day after school, Yui had to help her mother bake cakes and take care of her younger sister, Yuka.
Although Yui didn't currently have to help out at the bakery since her mother had closed it temporarily to focus on illustrating the first volume of Sword Art Online, just taking care of her little sister was exhausting.
Not to mention preparing dinner and tidying up the house—if Yuka couldn't fall asleep, Yui, as the elder sister, had no choice but to stay up and lull her to sleep.
Getting a child to sleep was a task that could feel like a hellish ordeal, even if the child was well-behaved.
No matter how sleepy Yui felt, she couldn't allow herself to doze off while Yuka stared at her with wide, alert eyes. If something happened while Yui was asleep, she wouldn't forgive herself.
It often felt like an excruciating test of willpower, akin to ancient scholars tying their hair to the ceiling or stabbing themselves with needles to stay awake.
Yui had once shared this experience with Kotomi, explaining with a bitter smile that, although Yuka was an obedient child, bedtime could still be torturous.
Even though Yuka lay quietly under her blanket, her bright, energetic eyes made it impossible for Yui to relax and sleep first.
From Yui's description, it was clear that taking care of a younger sibling—even one who behaved—was no easy feat.
To help Yui catch up on some rest, Kotomi decided to enforce a bit of discipline, at least until Yui developed the habit of napping daily.
Thinking back to her own childhood, Kotomi realized she had rarely been responsible for looking after a younger sibling like Yui was.
Because—more often than not—it was her younger sister who took care of her!
Hah!
Thinking of this, Kotomi felt a swell of pride and metaphorically placed her hands on her hips.
In most sibling dynamics, the older sister typically took care of the younger one—a common societal expectation. But in the Izumi household, the roles were reversed. It was Aimi who often ended up looking after Kotomi.
Take the matter of lulling a sibling to sleep, for instance. Kotomi had no experience with that. On the contrary, Aimi had, more than once, found herself tasked with putting her older sister to bed.
Sometimes, people couldn't help but wonder who was really the elder sibling and who was the younger one.
Meanwhile, in middle school...
Aimi had just arrived at her classroom and taken her seat when she noticed Iroha Isshiki walking in.
"Good morning, Aimi!" Iroha greeted warmly as she approached Aimi's desk.
"...Good morning." Aimi responded coolly, her voice soft and detached.
Seeing Iroha's cheerful face immediately brought back memories of Friday evening at the Tako-nee's Sukiyaki restaurant—specifically, the "couples photo" of Iroha and her older sister.
The moment she had seen that photo, a sharp, aching sensation had pierced her chest, and the feeling hadn't gone away.
I've always thought of you as my best friend, so why are you being so close to my sister? Not only did you sneak out to meet her behind my back, but you even took such an intimate picture together?!
Aimi clenched her fists at the thought.
Iroha was her best friend, and if possible, Aimi would've liked to pretend she hadn't seen anything—no cozy photos of her sister and Iroha, no playful kiss on her sister's cheek.
Who gave you permission to kiss my sister?!
Iroha, sensing Aimi's uncharacteristically short response, tilted her head in confusion. "What's wrong? What's wrong? You sound a bit down today. Did something happen?"
Aimi took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. She forced a smile and replied, "It's nothing. I just went to bed a little late last night, so I didn't sleep well."
"Ah, I see. That's a relief!" Iroha said with a grin as she pulled out her books. "I thought you were in a bad mood. For a second there, I thought you and your sister might've had an argument. But if you're ever feeling down or upset, you can always talk to me. After all, I, Iroha Isshiki, am your happy pill!"
My happy pill?
Aimi let out a cold laugh in her heart.
"Do I look like the kind of person who would sulk all day after arguing with my sister?" Aimi asked, flicking her hair with a haughty air.
If Kotomi had been present, she would've struggled not to laugh. Aimi always struck such a high-and-mighty pose when she wanted to act tough.
"You totally do. Isn't your dear sister the most important person in the world to you?" Iroha teased, her voice dripping with exaggerated sweetness.
"Hmph. If you know that, then stop cozying up to her every chance you get, calling her 'Senpai' in that syrupy tone like you're guaranteed to get into Sobu High School."
Aimi shot back, her tone sharp.
At that, Iroha's playful demeanor faded, and her expression turned serious. "I am serious about that."
"...Huh?"
"We're still in the first semester, but it's already our final year in middle school. Next year, we'll be taking the entrance exams and heading to high school."
Iroha pulled a thick guidebook from her bag, its pages marked with sticky notes and annotations.
"Next semester, we'll have to start filling out our high school preferences. It's better to prepare early. Do you want to borrow this? I'm done with it."
"You're done with it? Don't you need it anymore?"
Shaking her head, Iroha chuckled. "I don't. I've already decided which high school I'm going to apply to. Flip to the folded page."
Below the name were details about past admission scores and a school introduction.
Next to the school's name, Iroha had written three lines in italic, enthusiastic handwriting:
Victory!
I will get into Sobu High School!
Hehe~
Seeing Aimi's reaction, Iroha beamed with pride. "I hadn't been sure where I wanted to go at first. But then I met your sister. I can't explain it, but suddenly, I really wanted to go to Sobu High School and study alongside her!"
Her smile grew mischievous as she added, "I heard your sister is in the art club. Maybe I should start learning how to draw so I can join too?"
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