After Aimi finished her bath, Kotomi Izumi didn't waste any time. While Aimi was still wrapped in a towel, blow-drying her hair, Kotomi pushed the bathroom door open and walked in.

"Onee-chan?!"

Kotomi's sudden entrance gave Aimi quite a shock. Her whole body jolted, her face flushed red, and her arms instinctively crossed over her chest.

"Oh, I figured I'd hop in too while the water's still hot," Kotomi said casually, explaining her reason as she began stripping off her clothes one by one like she was alone in the room. Her pale, tender skin was instantly exposed to the warm, moist air.

Because Aimi had just finished her bath, the bathroom was filled with steam. She liked the water temperature high, believing it made for a more comfortable soak. As a result, the bathroom wasn't cold at all.

"I'm still in here! Don't just start undressing so casually!!"

Watching Kotomi undress in front of her, Aimi looked completely flustered. Even though she'd snuck into Kotomi's bed plenty of times while she was asleep, doing this and that…

This time, Kotomi was awake!

Naturally, Aimi didn't have the courage now. She stood there nervously, like a total novice seeing her girlfriend undress for the first time.

She couldn't help feeling a little regret—if only she'd waited, they could've bathed together.

"Onee-chan, next time… can we bathe together?" Aimi gathered her courage and asked softly, her voice tinged with anxious vulnerability as she feared being rejected.

Kotomi paused while unfastening her undergarments, surprised by the question. Silly girl—of course:

"Sure. If you want, we can bathe together every day."

Pomf!

Aimi's cheeks turned crimson, and it looked like steam was puffing out from the top of her head. Her thoughts had clearly gone far beyond just "bathing together." In her mind, the not-so-spacious bathroom was now filled with... all sorts of imaginative scenarios.

After undressing completely and placing her clothes in her blue laundry basket, Kotomi walked into the shower without hesitation.

Her discarded clothes sat unguarded in the open basket.

Aimi stood there blankly, staring at the basket. Her thoughts began to stir again. Faced with temptation so close at hand, she subconsciously swallowed.

"If I miss this chance, it might never come again... So why am I hesitating?"

"No! Kotomi took off her clothes right in front of me and went to shower because she trusts me! How could I betray that trust by picking up her worn clothes and sniffing them like crazy? I never used to have such thoughts—why am I thinking like this now? It must be Megumi Kato's bad influence! Yes, that's it!"

"You become who you surround yourself with. I need to keep my distance from her—and remind Onee-chan to do the same!"

Aimi took a deep breath, standing in front of the blue basket, trying to calm herself down. She even mentally shifted the blame onto Megumi. She quickly finished drying her hair, cast one last reluctant glance at Kotomi's clothes, then made up her mind and left the bathroom in her pajamas.

What Aimi didn't realize was—

Behind the bathroom door, Kotomi had been standing there the whole time.

She'd heard every single word.

Kotomi wasn't stupid. After hearing it all, she could easily piece together what Aimi had been thinking after she placed her clothes in the basket. Aimi's words sounded like a last-minute change of heart—but Kotomi had clearly heard the deep breath she took.

"That silly girl…" Kotomi murmured.

Kotomi let out a helpless chuckle and ran her fingers through her snow-white hair. Even if Aimi had actually taken her worn underwear from the blue laundry basket just now, Kotomi would've just pretended not to notice.

As long as Aimi washed them properly and put them back afterward, Kotomi would turn a blind eye and act like nothing happened.

However… judging by Aimi's later mutterings…

It was clear that Aimi and Megumi Kato's relationship was still quite hostile. Give them each a knife and they might actually go at each other for real.

Kotomi even suspected that if Megumi ever came over to their place for a day, the moment she wasn't watching, Megumi and Aimi might end up hacking away at each other with hatchets.

"Ugh… they really might start fighting. Next time I invite Megumi over, I'd better put away all the knives first."

Aimi and Megumi were like fire and water—totally incompatible. To put it bluntly, it was a matter of life and death.

Although Megumi had tried to ease tensions once by bringing back a souvenir for Aimi from her trip to Hokkaido—a glowing melon ornament—Aimi actually liked it quite a bit. She still kept it on her desk.

Turn on the lights, and the green glow made the whole setup look like a full Razer RGB gear layout.

Clearly, there was still a long road ahead if they were ever going to become friends.

After finishing her bath, Kotomi quickly blow-dried her hair and gave it a quick comb. Then she realized her pajamas needed washing too, but she was too lazy to go back upstairs to get another pair. Since it was just her and Aimi at home, Kotomi casually tossed her pajamas into the washer, set the cycle, and walked upstairs to her bedroom stark naked.

Aimi, who was lying on Kotomi's bed playing on her phone, looked up at the sound of the door opening—and instantly froze.

She immediately buried her face into Kotomi's pillow, pretending she hadn't seen anything, and swallowed nervously. "O-Onee-chan! Why'd you come up without any pajamas on? Aren't you cold?"

"I tossed them in the wash. It's just a short walk from the bathroom to my room. A few quick steps and I'm here," Kotomi replied nonchalantly.

"Then hurry and put something on!"

Since Kotomi was awake, Aimi didn't have the nerve to sneak into bed and get handsy like she usually did when Kotomi was asleep.

"I'm already in the bedroom. Why bother putting clothes on? I can just hop under the blanket, right?" Kotomi teased, amused by how flustered Aimi was. Still, she opened the closet and put on a rarely worn sheer nightgown.

She knew that if she really got into bed without anything on, Aimi wouldn't be able to sleep at all tonight.

After changing into the nightgown, Kotomi slid into the inner side of the bed—the side closest to the wall. When sharing a bed with Aimi, she liked sleeping on that side.

"Alright, I've got my nightgown on now. Stop burying your head in my pillow," Kotomi said with a laugh as she gave Aimi's butt a playful pat.

Aimi looked up to find Kotomi now dressed in a sheer white nightgown adorned with countless golden iris patterns. The length was just right, revealing her shapely legs, her delicate feet, and her crystal-like toes.

Aimi wasn't sure if it was just all the gal games she'd been playing lately—but Kotomi in that nightgown looked even more tempting than usual!

"Is it okay… if we share the same blanket tonight?"

"Of course. Come on, get in. I forgot to turn on the heater, so it's a bit chilly. Hand me the remote, will you?"

Faced with Aimi's small request, Kotomi agreed without hesitation. The comforter she had laid out on the bed was large enough to cover a full double bed.

With room for not just her and Aimi—

Even if Megumi Kato joined them, the blanket would still be big enough for three.

"Onee-chan, when is your school's culture festival supposed to start?"

Though the lights had been turned off early, neither Kotomi nor Aimi was sleepy enough to drift off the moment they closed their eyes.

If anything, compared to usual, they had gone to bed unusually early tonight. But that couldn't be helped—Kotomi had to make breakfast the next morning, and to avoid running late, she'd set her alarm early and planned to be asleep before eleven.

Still not too tired, the two of them lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, chatting idly.

"Starting from today... probably about two weeks from now. Wait, no—it's already been a few days. There should be twelve days left until the culture festival."

"Are you nervous about performing on stage, Onee-chan?"

"Not really. I wasn't that enthusiastic when I first signed up, but after I found people to perform with me, I started to enjoy it. Signing up for the festival turned out to be a pretty good decision."

Kotomi smiled. After school today, she had practiced with Yukino and Yui. The sense of accomplishment and happiness that surged at the end of the performance was something few other things could match.

"You already found everyone?" Aimi was surprised. Just at lunchtime, her sister had been complaining over Line about how hard it was to find members for the three-person band and how she was still missing the last one.

Yet in just half a day, Kotomi had already filled the last spot—and from the look on her face, she was clearly satisfied with her two bandmates.

Aimi was now very curious—who was the final member Kotomi had recruited for their trio?

"Onee-chan, who did you get as the last member?"

"Yui Yuigahama. She's been to our place before—you should remember her. Her family runs Dango Cake Shop. You really liked their fruit cakes."

"Ohh—I remember now! Wait… she can sing too?"

"Yui is the same age as me, so when you see her, be polite and call her 'Yuigahama-oneesan.'"

"Got it… but seriously, has she studied singing before? I thought she only knew how to make desserts."

"She hasn't studied formally. I just happened to hear her singing once and thought her voice was really beautiful, so I invited her. She agreed and is now the lead vocalist of our trio. When we perform at the culture festival, she'll be center stage."

"Huh?! You're not the center? Why not?!"

Aimi threw off the blanket and sat up, staring at Kotomi in disbelief. She hadn't overthought it—she just always believed her sister was the most beautiful and talented person in the world. Of course the center position should belong to her!

Now suddenly hearing that Kotomi wouldn't be standing in the center—Aimi couldn't accept it. To her, no one was better than her sister!

Seeing how strongly Aimi reacted to that, Kotomi was momentarily stunned. Aimi's indignant expression, full of disbelief and ready to fight on her behalf, made a soft smile tug at Kotomi's lips.

This girl really was protective of her.

In the next moment, Kotomi reached out, grabbed Aimi's arm, and yanked her tightly into her embrace.

"O-Onee-chan?!"

Caught off guard, Aimi let out a startled cry. Her soft body was pressed up against Kotomi's chest. Her long hair cascaded over her back and shoulders, and in the dim glow of a small nightlight, Kotomi saw her blushing, tender face—like a dewy apple ripened to perfect sweetness.

The faint scent of laundry detergent from Aimi's pajamas drifted into Kotomi's nose, and her heart began to race. This all-too-familiar scent, mixed with Aimi's unique aroma, felt like an invisible pair of hands—gentle yet compelling—that held Kotomi fast, making her reluctant to let go.

Just like Aimi in the bathroom earlier, Kotomi took a deep breath, silently telling herself to calm down, then began to speak slowly:

"Silly girl, you don't have to get upset for my sake. I'm the guitarist. In a band, the vocalist usually takes center stage. Guitarists and keyboardists stand to the sides. That's perfectly normal."

Kotomi paused for a moment, then added with mock pride, "But someone as stunningly beautiful as me—who can leave a lasting impression with just one glance—even if I'm sitting in the audience instead of on stage, I'd still steal the spotlight and make everyone fall for me."

A glimmer of amusement flickered in Aimi's eyes. She turned her face to the side and muttered softly, "Onee-chan, you're way too full of yourself..."

Kotomi smiled. Just as she was about to release Aimi, the girl leaned in even closer, resting her full weight against Kotomi—not that it was heavy. Her head nestled on Kotomi's shoulder, and her silky hair brushed lightly against Kotomi's neck, making her feel a gentle, comfortable tickle.

With the distance between them now practically zero, the earlier faint scent of shampoo became much more intense, drawing Kotomi into another deep breath.

Was it because Aimi had just bathed?

Or maybe they were simply too close?

At this moment, Kotomi felt like every part of Aimi's body was exuding a scent that stirred her thoughts and tempted her heart.

"Kotomi, why do you keep sniffing me like that?" Aimi asked, blushing.

Aimi usually called her "Onee-chan," but only in moments like this would she switch to "Kotomi."

"No reason. I just think you smell really good. Even though we both use the same body wash."

"R-Really? I think... you smell even better," Aimi murmured shyly.

Kotomi looked down at the girl in her arms. From this angle, she could clearly see Aimi's beautiful eyes beneath her long lashes, her soft pink lips, the delicate white collarbones peeking through the neckline of her pajamas... and the top two buttons, left unfastened, that offered just the faintest glimpse of...

Kotomi let out a long, quiet sigh. "Aimi's really growing up."

Aimi looked puzzled. "Why does that sound like you've been abroad for years, and you just came back to find I've gone from a little girl to a young woman?"

"Hmph. You'll always be a little girl in my eyes."

Kotomi made a defiant noise, but as she thought about how Aimi was blossoming into a graceful, beautiful young lady, she tightened her arms around Aimi's slender waist.

—Aimi, I want to kiss you.

Kotomi said nothing aloud. If it were already February next year—after Aimi's entrance exams—she wouldn't hesitate to speak those words out loud. But for now, she could only keep them buried in her heart.

Was it some kind of unspoken connection?

Because at that moment, the Aimi in her arms gently turned around to face her. Her eyes locked onto Kotomi's.

"Kotomi…"

Again, she called her "Kotomi."

"Hm?"

Kotomi thought maybe she was holding too tightly and that Aimi was uncomfortable. She was just about to loosen her embrace when she heard Aimi whisper:

"From now on, every second we spend together—please, look into my eyes."

Look into her eyes?

Kotomi didn't quite understand, but she did as told.

Aimi's eyes were beautiful. The blue-violet irises sparkled like spring water, and in them was Kotomi's own reflection—so mesmerizing, Kotomi felt herself leaning in.

But before she could move any closer, the reflection in Aimi's eyes grew larger… and then—

Kotomi had always believed the Queen of All Females constitution enhanced her reflexes. That improved reaction speed had certainly come in handy countless times.

Yet right now, Kotomi questioned if it had failed her.

Because before she could react—

Aimi's lips were already pressed against hers…

—

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