The words Kotomi Izumi had just spoken were, to put it mildly, rather arrogant.
If the ever-bold Haruno Yukinoshita had been present, she would probably have gasped inwardly: She's even more outrageous than I am? This girl is truly terrifying!
Originally, the jealousy in Yui Yuigahama's heart had been surging uncontrollably. But the moment she heard Kotomi say, "Yui, massage my shoulder,"
—Even though the jealousy was still bubbling inside her—Yui immediately padded over with quick little steps, knelt beside Kotomi, and reached out both hands to massage her right shoulder.
Since she often massaged her mother's shoulders at home, Yui was quite skilled at it. The only difference was that the recipient had changed from her mother to Kotomi.
She controlled her strength carefully. Even though she was still feeling jealous, the instant Kotomi said she needed her, Yui pushed all her unhappiness to the back of her mind. Right now, there was only one thing in her head—to help Kotomi relax and feel comfortable.
Because she frequently helped her mother bake cakes, Yui's strength was slightly greater than that of most girls her age.
Afraid she might accidentally hurt Kotomi if she applied too much pressure, she focused intently on controlling her force.
From time to time, she secretly glanced at Kotomi's expression. If Kotomi showed even the slightest sign of enjoyment, Yui would be overjoyed inside. And if, after she finished massaging her shoulders, Kotomi rewarded her with a gentle pat on the head, then Yui would surely fall asleep that night with a happy smile.
Less than a minute into the massage, Yui suddenly felt that something was off. She glanced to the side and recalled what Kotomi had said earlier. It dawned on her why it felt strange.
She could not quite apply her strength properly.
Because she was not massaging both of Kotomi's shoulders at the same time.
Kotomi had only told her to massage the right shoulder. The left one had been assigned to Yukino Yukinoshita.
In the past, whether she was massaging her mother or Kotomi, Yui had always worked on both shoulders simultaneously. Suddenly focusing on only one naturally felt awkward.
She had been so absorbed in massaging Kotomi that she had not even realized she was only doing the right side.
The reason she had followed Kotomi's instruction without hesitation was simple—"listen to Kotomi" had already become an instinctive reaction for Yui.
Just like when a person feels hungry and the brain automatically produces the thought, I want to eat.
Whatever Kotomi said, Yui would subconsciously do, without even thinking.
Back to the point.
Now that she had realized Kotomi had only assigned her the right shoulder, Yui puffed out her cheeks again.
She was jealous all over again.
Earlier, she had been jealous of Kotomi and Shizuka Hiratsuka.
Now, she was not only jealous of Kotomi and Shizuka—but also jealous of Kotomi and Yukino Yukinoshita.
In Yui's mind, massaging Kotomi's shoulders should have been something that belonged exclusively to her!
But Kotomi had given the task of the left shoulder to Yukino. To Yui, it felt as if there had been two pieces of her favorite candy in front of her—and Yukino had snatched one away!
Even if that "candy" had technically been given to Yukino by Kotomi herself, in Yui's heart, it was still Yukino who had stolen her candy!!!
Hmph—!
The little dumpling, now sulking with jealousy again, lowered her head slightly. She thought that if she did this, Kotomi and Yukino would not notice her mood.
But the silly dumpling did not realize that when someone was emotional, it was not just their expression or tone that changed—their entire aura shifted.
For example, whenever Megumi Kato grew angry in her heart because Kotomi had acted too intimate with another girl, Kotomi would almost hallucinate, as if she could see pitch-black flames from hell burning around Megumi.
And now, the sulking dumpling gave off the feeling of a vinegar jar filled to the brim, its lid tightly sealed, placed over a flame and slowly heated.
Even with the lid on, one could almost hear the faint glug glug of jealousy boiling inside.
Kotomi had long since sensed that Yui was sulking with jealousy.
Yukino had sensed it too.
At first, Yukino Yukinoshita had planned to pretend she had not heard Kotomi's request at all. That way, Yui would get her wish and massage both of Kotomi's shoulders by herself.
That had been the plan.
But when it came to actually doing it?
Yukino found it difficult to describe her true feelings at that moment. Deep down, she felt like a child who had just entered her rebellious phase—the more she was not supposed to do something, the more she wanted to do it.
She told herself in her heart: If Yui wants to handle massaging Kotomi's shoulders all by herself, then all I have to do is pretend I didn't hear Kotomi's words. If I ignore it deliberately, Yui will get what she wants.
Yet not long after telling herself that—after sensing Yui's jealousy—something inside Yukino, which had been inclined to yield, snapped back violently.
It was like a rebellious child who refused to be disciplined.
Or like a beast ramming its head against the bars of a cage, willing to smash itself bloody just to break free.
—I don't want to yield. I want to take it. If she wants to have Kotomi's shoulders all to herself, then I absolutely refuse to let her have her way! I need to be a little more selfish!
Driven by that impulse, Yukino still chose to ignore something—but the target of her indifference had changed.
Earlier, she had wanted to ignore Kotomi's request.
Now, she chose to ignore Yui's sulking jealousy.
Yukino sat down beside Kotomi and reached out her hand, massaging the left shoulder just as instructed.
Wait. Make the movements a bit bigger. Deliberately draw Yui's attention. I'd like to see how long she can keep her head down like an ostrich. Didn't she want to do this alone? Then I'll make her watch me massage Kotomi's left shoulder… Yukino thought to herself.
Meanwhile, Kotomi—the one being massaged by both of them—wore an expression of pure enjoyment.
It was not even that the massage itself felt extraordinarily comfortable. Rather, the mere thought of the situation made her feel immensely satisfied.
And having Yui and Yukino massage her shoulders served another primary purpose—dividing their firepower.
Even though the two of them had not discussed it, the moment they heard Saori say, "Kotomi is Shizuka Hiratsuka's girlfriend," their battle lines had instantly united into a temporary alliance.
Once Saori and Saaki had left and the three of them were alone in the room, Yukino and Yui would inevitably have joined forces to question her.
"What exactly is your relationship with Shizuka Hiratsuka?"
But with one simple sentence—"Yukino, massage my left shoulder. Yui, massage my right."—
Kotomi effortlessly dismantled their temporary alliance.
At this very moment, neither Yui Yuigahama nor Yukino Yukinoshita had even realized that they had already lost to Kotomi Izumi.
But losing to Kotomi was only natural.
After all, Kotomi Izumi was like a little fox on the verge of becoming a spirit.
When it came to scheming, even if Yui and Yukino combined their tiny bits of cleverness and multiplied them a thousandfold, it would not amount to more than the tip of Kotomi's iceberg.
By the time Yukino Yukinoshita snapped back to her senses, she and Yui Yuigahama had been massaging Kotomi's shoulders for nearly twenty minutes.
Kotomi Izumi had almost finished an entire pot of tea.
Kotomi had actually considered calling out to them—perhaps telling them to stop and sit down for some tea instead.
Tea was good. Tea helped calm the heart.
If it could calm the two of you enough to agree to me having a harem right now, that would be even better… Kotomi could not help but chuckle inwardly at the thought.
But with two beautiful girls massaging her shoulders, the situation felt far too wonderful. Kotomi became completely absorbed in enjoying herself and soon forgot all about inviting them over for tea.
Only now did Yukino finally realize that she and Yui had been completely played by Kotomi.
She had originally planned to form a temporary alliance with Yui and press Kotomi together: What exactly is going on between you and Shizuka Hiratsuka? What is your relationship?
Yet before their cooperation had even begun, Kotomi had effortlessly dismantled it.
As easily as a single wave flattening a sandcastle on the shore.
Yukino drew in a deep breath. She had not even gotten started before she had already lost to Kotomi. She had intended to seize the opportunity to resolve the matter swiftly.
Glancing at Yui, who was still intently focused on massaging Kotomi's shoulder, Yukino let out a helpless sigh.
At least she herself had realized midway through Kotomi's "cunning scheme."
But Yui?
Not only had she failed to notice, she had grown increasingly enthusiastic.
That focused gaze of hers made it seem as though she was not massaging a shoulder at all, but fantasizing about what kind of reward Kotomi might give her afterward.
What kind of love potion has Kotomi been feeding Yui all this time? Yukino grumbled inwardly.
Now that she had come to her senses, how could Yukino possibly continue massaging Kotomi's shoulder?
If it were just the two of them alone, Yukino would actually have been quite willing to keep going.
But there just had to be that third wheel—Yui Yuigahama.
Yukino did not want to massage Kotomi's shoulders together with Yui. It felt as though she and Yui were both Kotomi's wives.
A moment later, however, a bitter thought surfaced in her heart.
Yui is Kotomi's official girlfriend. And just now, I was actually thinking that Yui was the third wheel between Kotomi and me. If anyone is the third wheel… it should be me.
Heh. Since when did my skin grow this thick?
It had been nearly an hour since she finished her iced coffee at Burger King. Yet Yukino still felt as though both her mouth and her heart were soaked in that coffee's bitterness.
Had the flavor changed—or had her feelings?
In the past, when she drank iced coffee, the first sip might taste bitter. But halfway through—or after finishing—it would reveal a faint thread of sweetness wrapped within layers of bitterness.
But today's iced coffee had seemed to contain nothing but bitterness.
Yukino had always liked coffee. When she grew drowsy while reading, a cup of coffee sharpened her focus. She also enjoyed taking a sip while immersed in a book, savoring the lingering taste as she continued to read.
A sip of coffee could be bitter, or it could be sweet. But if you never drank it, you would never know which it was.
But now… Yukino felt a faint aversion toward coffee.
Especially iced coffee.
Unless it was iced coffee made by Kotomi herself.
Yukino told herself this quietly in her heart, fervently wishing she had the courage to say those words aloud to Kotomi—regardless of whether Yui was by her side.
In the end, she did not muster that courage.
She could only mock herself inwardly once again. She had lost count of how many times she had done so lately.
After taking a slow breath to steady her emotions, Yukino abruptly stopped massaging Kotomi's shoulder.
Then, as swiftly as one might reach out to catch a book falling from a shelf before it hit the ground, she extended her hand without hesitation and grabbed Kotomi by the neck.
A moment later, she released her just as quickly and withdrew her hand.
"Cough—cough! Yu-Yukino, were you just trying to assassinate me?"
Kotomi coughed a few times. Yukino had not used any strength at all—it was simply the suddenness that startled her. It felt like stepping barefoot onto a bathroom floor after a shower and nearly slipping.
In fact, Kotomi had not even had time to register what it felt like to be held by the neck before Yukino had already let go.
"The two of us are massaging your shoulders while you sit there leisurely sipping tea. You're quite good at enjoying yourself," Yukino said coolly. "Should we ask Grandma Funamoto to find you a geisha to stand in front of you and sing as well?"
Coincidentally, I happen to know the number one courtesan of Gion… Kotomi thought to herself. Out loud, however, she responded righteously,
"What kind of room are we staying in right now?"
"A guest room at Harugamo Inn."
"There are a few more words before that."
"A Japanese-style luxury guest room."
"Exactly! We're staying in a Japanese-style luxury guest room. Staying at Harugamo Inn for even one night is expensive—let alone the Japanese-style luxury room. Why spend so much money on this room?
"To enjoy ourselves, of course!
"If we stay in such a wonderful luxury room and don't know how to enjoy it, wouldn't that be wasting Shizuka's kindness? Her wallet would cry too."
Kotomi felt her reasoning was impeccable. She was just about to follow up with, "Yukino, may I lie on your lap and enjoy a lap pillow?"
But the moment she once again referred to Shizuka Hiratsuka as "Shizuka," Yukino's expression turned icy.
The room had heating. The kotatsu was warm.
Yet in that instant, Kotomi suddenly felt cold.
Yui, who had been diligently massaging Kotomi's shoulder the entire time, finally stopped.
Her small hands tightened slowly around Kotomi's shoulders.
After a long pause, when she finally spoke, her voice carried a tremor she could not suppress.
"Shizuka again… always Shizuka…"
"Kotomi, why do you always call her so intimately? What exactly is your relationship with her?!"
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven