Faced with Megumi Kato's smiling inquiry, Kotomi wasn't backing down out of guilt—she simply didn't want to keep secrets from Megumi.
Besides, what was there to hide? It was just an agreement with Kisara Tendo to be a backup member for the Kendo Club. Once the Six-School Tournament was over, she could not only get an honorary club president title but also earn some money.
Why shouldn't she talk about it?
Kotomi had always looked down on those protagonists in novels, games, and manga who made a big deal out of nothing, refused to speak plainly, and constantly acted like enigmatic figures lost in their own self-induced drama.
"It's actually not what you think. Tendo-senpai's words earlier were indeed quite misleading—I would've misunderstood too—but in reality, this has nothing to do with anything romantic. She just wants me to be a backup member."
Kotomi explained the situation in one breath. When Megumi Kato heard that Kisara Tendo wanted to recruit Kotomi into the Kendo Club, she furrowed her delicate brows slightly and asked skeptically:
"Can you really determine someone's aptitude for kendo just by looking at their artwork? I don't know much about kendo, but if that's Tendo-senpai's reasoning for inviting you, doesn't it sound a bit far-fetched?"
"It's hard not to suspect she has other motives for inviting you."
"What ulterior motives could she possibly have? I'm a girl, and so is Tendo-senpai. What, do you think she's going to lure me into a dark room and devour me?"
Halfway through her sentence, Kotomi glanced at Megumi's expression.
"Hey, Megumi, don't look like you just had a sudden realization! That wasn't meant to give you ideas!"
"So, what's the verdict? Did Tendo-senpai misjudge you? When you went to the Kendo Club earlier, did you really have a talent for kendo?"
"Not just talent—I'm practically starting at max level!" Kotomi boasted. "I swung a bamboo sword at a training dummy in the dojo and dented its head with a single strike. Luckily, I didn't have to pay for damages."
After finishing her sentence, Kotomi worried that Megumi wouldn't believe her, so she reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope that Kisara Tendo had secretly slipped inside earlier.
Opening it, she revealed a thick stack of 10,000-yen bills.
"Tendo-senpai gave this to you?"
"Yeah… I mean, she's trying to recruit me as a backup and lure me away from the Art Club. Giving me some money is pretty reasonable, don't you think?" Kotomi remained calm. After all, the balance in her bank account had been steadily growing.
It might not be enough to start a company, but at the very least, she no longer had to worry about running out of funds when playing gacha games.
Wanting a character badly, only for it to be locked in a limited-time event… Knowing that before the event ended, the only way to obtain it was through sheer spending power… Clicking on the recharge button, only to be met with an "Insufficient Balance" message…
Who could understand the pain of that?
Seeing that Kisara Tendo was even willing to offer money, Megumi Kato finally felt reassured—it seemed like she was genuinely trying to recruit Kotomi as a backup.
"By the way, how did you end up meeting Senior Sakurajima?" Megumi asked in a neutral tone.
But this was actually one of the questions she was most concerned about.
To put it bluntly, she didn't want Kotomi running into Mai Sakurajima at school.
After all, the cardboard box in Kotomi's bedroom was filled with magazines featuring Mai Sakurajima on the cover.
Moreover, the reason Megumi Kato had recently transitioned from wearing ankle socks to thigh high stockings and even full pantyhose was because she had noticed how carefully Kotomi preserved a particular magazine cover—one featuring Mai Sakurajima in a black dress, her legs wrapped in black stockings.
Megumi had a feeling that Kotomi might like that look, and she was unwilling to lose to a mere magazine cover featuring Mai.
Was Kotomi's admiration for Mai Sakurajima purely that of a fan for her favorite actress? Or was it something more…?
Megumi couldn't stop thinking about it.
"Sakurajima-senpai and Tendo-senpai were about to leave school together when they happened to run into me in the hallway, so the three of us went to the Kendo Club together. And then, everything unfolded just like I explained earlier."
"That really was quite the coincidence."
"Well, the two of them, along with Utaha-senpai and Naegi-senpai, are all classmates. It's normal for them to walk home together sometimes—just like how we walk home together almost every day."
Hearing this, the smile on Megumi Kato's lips deepened. She gently traced her fingers along Kotomi's palm and said with a soft chuckle:
"But you can't compare them to us. They're just classmates—it's not the same. After all, our relationship is—"
"A couple!"
Perhaps true telepathy did exist, because at that moment, without any prior agreement, both Kotomi Izumi and Megumi Kato said the word in perfect unison.
Even with such an incredible level of mutual understanding, there were still times when they accidentally ended up wearing each other's "intimate clothing."
"Kotomi, we said it together."
"It looks like we're perfectly in sync. Come on, give me a kiss." Kotomi beamed sweetly, tilting her face towards Megumi's lips, her entire expression wordlessly saying: Don't just stand there—kiss me!
Megumi's cheeks flushed, and she pretended to be reserved, refusing to comply.
Kotomi pouted, as if scolding Megumi for not kissing her already. Then, after giving Megumi a playful glare, she wrapped her arms around her neck and leaned in, offering her lips.
After returning home, Kotomi decided that today was the day she would tell her parents and younger sister about her decision to join the Kendo Club.
Although she was already this close to joining, there was still one last step—waiting for Hibiki Naegi's response tomorrow. Technically, it was a bit early to announce it.
But Kotomi felt that today was the perfect time to say it.
Unlike the Art Club, where most of the time was spent sitting in front of an easel and painting, the Kendo Club required daily training. Even though Kisara Tendo had assured Kotomi that she wouldn't have to participate in regular practice, the month leading up to the Six-School Tournament would, as per tradition, involve an intensive off-campus training camp.
Not to mention, injuries—even minor ones—were always a possibility during kendo training, let alone in an actual match.
So before officially joining, she needed to inform her parents and get their approval.
If her parents didn't agree to her joining the Kendo Club, Kotomi didn't want to make them worry over the matter. She would simply apologize to Kisara Tendo at school the next day, explain her refusal, and return the money.
The off-campus training camp was held at a traditional Japanese courtyard in Osaka, specifically designated for Sobu High School's Kendo Club. Though she wouldn't have to attend school during the training, Kotomi wasn't particularly looking forward to it—after all, it wasn't a vacation. On the contrary, she would have to wake up early every day and train until late at night.
Once the initial novelty wore off after the first few days, that was when the training would become truly grueling.
However, for those with the strength and talent to be selected for the Six-School Tournament, enduring a month of intensive training shouldn't be a problem. For skilled individuals, daily kendo practice was as much a mental and physical discipline as it was an enjoyment.
As for Kotomi herself… she had already planned to bring an extra suitcase just for her laptop.
Would Aimi lend her the laptop? If she asked, Aimi would definitely send it over right away. But as it happened, Kotomi had been planning to buy a new one anyway.
Last night, while browsing Amazon before bed, she came across a gaming laptop that caught her eye. Compared to her current one, it had a significantly larger screen—and a 4K display.
She was instantly tempted.
Of course, whenever she considered purchasing an expensive item, she would always hesitate for a while before actually making the decision. She knew she would end up buying it eventually, but she would first spend some time—maybe an hour or two, or even a few days—going back and forth in her mind.
And then, when she finally clenched her teeth and pressed the purchase button—
That moment, filled with heartache, relief, and eager anticipation for the delivery, was such a contradiction.
And yet, it was precisely this twisted contradiction that made Kotomi feel… incredibly satisfied.
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