"A broad-minded good girl..."

Kotomi Izumi savored the nickname Yuyu had just given her. After thinking it over, she felt it actually suited her quite well. She patted Yuyu on the head in approval and said with a smile,

"Wow, Yuyu, that wasn’t easy. I never expected you to finally learn how to make something sound nice. The title you gave me this time is pretty good."

"Sis, you’re wrong. It’s not that I finally learned how to make things sound nice. I still don’t know how. I was just telling the truth. Mom has always taught me to be an honest and trustworthy child!"

Faced with the temptation of Kotomi Izumi’s computer, Yuyu Izumi decisively chose to throw her arm around Kotomi—the so-called ’dark force.’

"Mm, true, true. The first time I saw you as a child, I could tell at a glance that you were an honest and good kid."

A gratified smile appeared on Kotomi’s face, but inwardly she thought, Looks like it’s not that Yuyu lacks vocabulary or doesn’t know how to phrase things nicely. Sometimes she just says harsh things on purpose.

After exchanging a few rounds of mutual flattery in sisterly harmony, Yuyu once again voiced her curiosity.

"Sis, since Sister-in-law Kato and Sister-in-law Yui know each other and are even classmates... then... have they ever fought?"

As a third-year middle school honor student who loved watching melodramatic urban romance dramas, Yuyu had already constructed a vivid scene in her mind.

Megumi Kato: "You shameless woman, how dare you steal my girlfriend! I treated you as a good friend before, always thinking of you first whenever there was something good to eat or drink. And this is how you repay me?"

Yui Yuigahama: "In love, there is no right or wrong, no first come, first served. There is only love or no love.

"I’m sorry, Megumi Kato. You are my good friend, and I treasure our friendship. If possible, I truly wish we could be best friends for a lifetime...

"But no matter what, I like Kotomi. Even knowing she is your girlfriend, I still want to pursue her, because I have the right to pursue happiness! Kotomi accepted my confession. That proves she has me in her heart, proves she loves me, proves that—you lost to me."

Megumi Kato: "You despicable third party who ruined my relationship with Kotomi!"

Imagining the dialogue alone wasn’t enough. In Yuyu’s ears, a painfully familiar melody had already begun to play.

For all the pain endured in love, for all the wounds borne for hatred, I can no longer tell love from hate. Is this how it ends? Blood and tears sliding down together. My heart shatters and withers. My trembling hands cannot stop, cannot forgive.

Just as Kotomi was about to speak, she glanced at Yuyu’s current expression and immediately fell speechless. She waved a hand in front of her face, then flicked her forehead hard with a finger.

"Come back to earth, come back to earth. Who asks a question and then immediately zones out on their own?"

After being flicked on the forehead, Yuyu finally snapped back to reality. She gave an awkward laugh and said,

"Hehehe, I was just momentarily mesmerized by your beauty. Don’t mind me. Go ahead."

Kotomi, who had always been narcissistic, felt satisfied when she heard Yuyu praise her beauty. Though she had heard countless compliments about her looks since childhood, she still felt delighted every single time. It could brighten her entire day.

If someone wanted to make Kotomi happy, the simplest method was to directly praise her appearance.

"I get what you mean. You thought the two of them would grab each other’s hair and scratch each other’s faces in a fight, right?"

Yuyu nodded. "I love watching women fight."

"I get it. I like watching women fight too. Speaking of which, I’m your enlightenment teacher in that regard. When we were little, we once saw several women fighting across the street. I brought you to sit on a bench nearby, and we watched from beginning to end."

"That memory is way too vivid. That’s when young me finally understood why you always carry a handful of sunflower seeds in your pocket."

"Of course. When watching women fight, if you don’t have some sunflower seeds, peanuts, or pistachios to snack on, it’s practically a waste of heaven’s gift."

Kotomi said with a grin. From childhood until now, every time she went out, she would habitually stuff a handful of sunflower seeds, peanuts, pistachios, or sometimes milk candies into her pocket—just some kind of snack.

It wasn’t only because she was greedy. It was also because she thought, What if I run into a woman fight on the road and it’s fascinating to watch? Wouldn’t it be boring without snacks in hand?

After briefly reminiscing about childhood memories with Yuyu, Kotomi continued.

"But unfortunately, Megumi and Yui have never fought. Rather, whenever they meet and talk, they’re very friendly—like friends who’ve known each other for a long time."

Yuyu froze upon hearing this, and she stayed frozen for quite a while.

Kotomi didn’t rush her. After all, her little sister’s entire understanding of romance came from the melodramatic urban romance dramas she had watched growing up, or from angsty youth novels where pregnancies and car accidents happened at the drop of a hat.

When watching love triangles on TV or in novels, Yuyu would be completely absorbed, utterly fascinated.

But now, placing a real-life love triangle in front of her—one in which her own cousin sister was the center—combined with all that information overload, Yuyu’s brain... crashed.

Kotomi wasn’t in a hurry. She noticed a box of chestnut pastries on Yuyu’s desk. Taking advantage of Yuyu’s frozen state, she opened the box and began eating them one by one.

Back in middle school, whenever there was free time after class, Kotomi loved buying a box of chestnut pastries from the school shop. Even though every time she ate them she would complain internally, Why the hell are these stupid chestnut pastries so dry? Water, give me water! I’m choking to death! Next time I absolutely won’t buy them again.

But after going a while without eating them, she would start craving them again.

Come to think of it, the last time she ate chestnut pastries was the last time.

At the very least, it had been two weeks. Kotomi had been wanting some for a while.

Just then, Yuyu snapped out of her mental crash. Seeing Kotomi eating the chestnut pastries, she initially didn’t think much of it. As Kotomi’s cousin, Yuyu naturally knew how much she liked them.

But after glancing at the box on the table, Yuyu immediately lost her composure and hurriedly asked,

"Sis, did you eat all those chestnut pastries?"

Yuyu stared at Kotomi in shock, her voice trembling slightly.

It wasn’t that Yuyu was reluctant to part with the box of chestnut pastries. What shocked her was that Kotomi had eaten an entire box in one go without drinking a single sip of water.

Still not fully aware that she had just finished the whole box, Kotomi froze at Yuyu’s exclamation, then complained,

"Yeah, I just ate a few of your chestnut pastries. If you think there’s not enough left, I’ll take you to the snack shop later and buy a few more boxes."

"It’s not about whether there’s enough! Sis, I’m not upset about missing out on the pastries. It’s just... you ate the entire box without drinking any water. Are you trying to invent a new extreme sport?"

Yuyu sighed in amazement. At the same time, a mischievous thought crept into her mind: There was no water in her bedroom. If Kotomi wanted a drink, she would have to go to the living room or kitchen. If she blocked the bedroom door right now and refused to let Kotomi out, what kind of reaction would she show?

Of course, Yuyu only entertained the thought and didn’t actually act on it. After all, she had grown up fighting with Kotomi. It was like playing a game—after enough matches, you learned the mechanics. Yuyu knew very well that if Kotomi got anxious, she wouldn’t hold back at all.

If she really dared to block the door when Kotomi rushed out for water, she might be tossed aside before even finishing her sentence.

After hearing Yuyu’s words, Kotomi glanced at the now-empty pastry box and suddenly realized that she had actually eaten the entire thing without drinking any water.

Just moments ago, she had been too busy enjoying the taste to notice her thirst. But once Yuyu mentioned it, the dryness hit her all at once. Even when she usually drank water while eating chestnut pastries, she still found them dry. Eating a whole box without a single sip left her mouth feeling like she had wandered into a desert.

"What the hell? Why didn’t you tell me?"

"You were eating so focused. Even if I had told you, you probably wouldn’t have heard me," Yuyu couldn’t help laughing. Then she added, "There’s cola in the fridge. Pepsi."

"Putting Pepsi in the fridge is the most correct thing you’ve done all day!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Kotomi dashed out of the bedroom. She really was parched.

A while later, after downing two full bottles of ice-cold Pepsi in one breath, Kotomi finally subdued the dryness left behind by the pastries. She let out a long sigh.

"That was close. If I’d been one second later, I feel like I would’ve died of thirst from chestnut pastries."

"Sis, next time pay attention when you eat. Who accidentally finishes an entire box like that? Even the snack shop owner would shake his head at you."

"Ahem..." Kotomi coughed awkwardly, then pretended nothing had happened and continued, "Has your little crashed brain resumed operation?"

"Yeah, it just rebooted. Every time I think about how you’re so openly two-timing—ugh, I mean, so wholeheartedly loving two girls at once, my brain fills up with question marks. There’s no storage space left. Of course it crashes," Yuyu said. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"I might be a bit sentimental, but I’m never promiscuous. As long as I like someone, no matter how many girlfriends I already have, I’ll pursue her. And if I don’t like someone, no matter how beautiful she is, I’ll reject her. From that perspective, I’m actually a very devoted person, right?"

"Ah yes, yes, you’re unbelievably devoted. A truly unparalleled good girl."

Yuyu chimed in obediently. There was nothing she could do—she still wanted that computer. Then she asked,

"So Sister-in-law Kato and Sister-in-law Yui get along so harmoniously because they were moved by your devotion? They don’t fight for your attention like palace drama rivals or pull each other’s hair?"

Kotomi shook her head and said in a tone of exasperation, "Are you stupid? If I told Megumi about Yui, or told Yui about Megumi, do you think I’d still be sitting here in front of you alive and energetic, chatting like this?"

Yuyu shook her head. In the eyes of both girls, each believed she was Kotomi’s legitimate girlfriend. Naturally, they would consider the other a homewrecker.

When the rightful partner meets the so-called third party, if they don’t grab each other’s hair and fight, it almost wouldn’t make sense.

Seeing Yuyu shake her head, Kotomi continued,

"Exactly. I haven’t told either of them. Megumi thinks I’m only dating her. Yui thinks I’m only dating her. See? As long as I don’t say anything, both sides stay harmonious. Isn’t it simple?"

After hearing this, Yuyu was dumbfounded for a long time again before slowly saying,

"I really want to refute that, but I can’t find a reason. But even if I could, I wouldn’t argue. I still want a computer."

"Good. Very enlightened. As long as you behave, I won’t harm your computer. You wouldn’t want it to vanish into smoke before you even get it, would you?" Kotomi grinned.

After eating and drinking her fill and resting for a bit, Kotomi Izumi and Yui Yuigahama prepared to leave.

Third Uncle and Third Aunt wanted them to stay for dinner, but Kotomi refused. If she stayed too long, she didn’t know exactly what Yukino would think, but she understood one thing—once she officially started pursuing Yukino, it would become somewhat more difficult.

Before leaving, Kotomi also swiped another box of chestnut pastries from Yuyu. The expression on Yuyu’s face was wonderfully dramatic. She thought her sister had become addicted to challenging herself to eat an entire box without water.

Of course, Kotomi had no intention of repeating that challenge. She hadn’t meant to challenge herself in the first place. This box was for Yukino.

They took a taxi from Sakyo Ward back to Harugamo Inn.

After returning to the room, Yukino Yukinoshita was lying under the kotatsu, wearing silver-rimmed glasses and browsing Soushuba. A bag of honey butter-flavored potato chips rested beside her.

Yukino Yukinoshita looked up, adjusted her silver-rimmed glasses, giving off a quiet yet slightly languid air, and said softly,

"You’re back? I thought the two of you would return after dinner."

"Heh, how could we wait until after dinner? I can’t even go an hour without seeing you without missing you terribly." Kotomi spoke in a deeply affectionate tone to Yukino, right in front of Yui.

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