After Kotomi Izumi felt that her emotions had mostly settled down, she slowly stood up and casually wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Seeing Kotomi looking as though she had just walked out of a haunted house, Ayani Kika couldn't help but laugh.
"Looks like I came down at just the right time. When I saw you enter the apartment building earlier, I kept waiting for you to come upstairs. But no matter how long I waited, I never heard you knock. I started worrying something might have happened to you, so I came down to check. Before I even left the stairwell, I could clearly hear your tap-tap-tap footsteps running farther and farther away~"
As she said this, as if she felt the blush on Kotomi's face wasn't red enough yet, Ayani Kika added with a teasing smile,
"Sure enough, when a cute girl walks, even the sound of her footsteps is so adorable it makes your heart melt."
Kotomi Izumi loved being praised. But if the praise was too intense, or if a particular phrase happened to hit the deepest corner of her heart, then narcissistic little Kotomi would instantly transform into shy little Kotomi.
And Ayani Kika seemed to know exactly what tone Kotomi liked. Nearly every word she said struck straight into Kotomi's heart. Before little Kotomi even had time to start showing off, her adorable face had already flushed bright red.
She had just managed to stand up, but after hearing Ayani Kika's words, her legs went weak again and she nearly squatted back down. This time, however, it wasn't fear. It was because the praise had come too fiercely. Her emotions surged, and her legs simply couldn't hold her up.
Seeing this, Ayani Kika quickly stepped forward and gently supported her, smiling as she said,
"But your personality really does make me treat you like a two-year-old sometimes. You were too scared of the dark stairwell to go upstairs? You're already this grown and still afraid of the dark? Besides, there's an elevator in the building. If you didn't dare take the stairs, you could've taken the elevator. The building isn't that tall. Even if the elevator wasn't on the first floor, you could've just waited a little while."
When Kotomi heard this, the little heart that had just been racing from all the praise suddenly cooled down. The happiness and excitement from before gradually turned into a faint sense of grievance and displeasure. The little tsundere streak buried deep inside her naturally emerged.
"Hmph!"
She let out a displeased snort. Yet the expression on her flushed face didn't look like pure anger. It looked more like she was acting spoiled, silently telling Ayani Kika in tsundere language: That comment made me a little unhappy. Hurry up and coax me.
Kotomi wasn't the type to get moody over just a few words. Though her personality did carry a bit of tsundere pride and stubbornness...
But the main reason was the sentence Ayani Kika had just said—"Your personality really does make me treat you like a two-year-old sometimes."
The moment she heard that, Kotomi immediately thought of the nickname she had given Kazumi—"Three-Year-Old Kami."
It meant that Kazumi sometimes behaved as childishly and unreliably as a three-year-old.
Yet now, she herself had been called a two-year-old.
It would've been fine without comparison. But once compared, she was a whole year younger than Three-Year-Old Kami?!
In other words, didn't that mean she was even more childish than Three-Year-Old Kami?!
Always competitive and naturally tsundere, Two-Year-Old Kotomi couldn't help feeling a little unhappy when she heard that.
Ayani Kika had no idea Kotomi was upset because she had called her a two-year-old. She thought Kotomi was just having a small mood because she had mentioned being afraid of the dark.
Looking at Kotomi's flushed face and puffed cheeks, Ayani Kika smiled gently and said in a tolerant tone,
"Your personality really is still so quick to get moody... Alright, let me rub your cheeks. Don't be mad anymore~ Didn't I come down to pick you up? It's a bit chilly at night. Let's head home first. Do you want to take the stairs, or the elevator?"
As she spoke, she gently rubbed Kotomi's cheeks. In her tender gaze, there was a trace of complicated nostalgia hidden deep within.
Kotomi knew she couldn't keep sulking. It was already very late. Even if Ayani Kika claimed she had insomnia, it was still better to go back upstairs sooner.
However, one sentence from earlier lingered in Kotomi's mind—"Your personality really is still so quick to get moody."
It sounded like such an ordinary sentence. But to Kotomi, it felt strange. The tone had clearly carried a sense of reminiscence, as though Ayani Kika had seen her throw little fits many times before.
Yet no matter how hard Kotomi searched her memory, she was certain this was the first time she had ever shown a little mood in front of Ayani Kika.
Which made that sentence feel somewhat odd...
Well, forget it. She decided not to think about it. It was probably just an offhand joke.
After all, even in the comment sections under random otaku dance videos on YouTube, people would often imitate an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend's tone and write things like, "She still loves wearing black stockings," "She still loves wearing sailor uniforms," or "She still loves dancing."
Maybe Ayani Kika had happened to see a similar comment somewhere, thought it was interesting, remembered it, and the atmosphere just now happened to fit, so she casually imitated it.
Kotomi thought this to herself and didn't dwell on it or ask.
At the same time, she said somewhat helplessly,
"I'd love to choose the elevator, but... the current situation doesn't really allow it."
"Hm? Why not?" Ayani Kika asked in confusion.
Holding Kotomi's small hand, she led her back into the apartment building and stopped in front of the elevator doors. Kotomi pointed at the maintenance notice placed there and said,
"Now do you see why I was too scared to walk into the pitch-black stairwell but also couldn't just take the elevator upstairs? I want to use the elevator, but I can't! Who knows why it needs maintenance in the middle of the night?"
Ayani Kika looked at the notice and slightly furrowed her brows. It seemed as if she were recalling something, or perhaps thinking.
"Strange. When you came out of Kansai International Airport earlier, didn't we have a phone call? At that time, you said you'd already left the airport and were heading toward Kyoto. While we were on the phone, I happened to step out to throw away a garbage bag, and the elevator was still working normally then. That means the elevator broke down within this less-than-an-hour window..."
Before Ayani Kika could finish speaking, she saw Kotomi's expression gradually turn pale. She quickly asked,
"Kotomi, what's wrong?"
"K-Kika... C-can you repeat what you just said?" Kotomi's voice trembled for some reason, as though fear was creeping back in.
Although Ayani Kika didn't understand why Kotomi was asking that, she still repeated what she had said.
"When you left Kansai International Airport earlier, didn't we have a phone call? At that time..."
"Stop! Right there!"
Kotomi's growing tension made it hard for her to even control the volume of her voice.
"Kika, from the moment I boarded the plane in Chiba until now, I never called you at all! Y-you're sure you received a call from me? You're sure the person on the other end of the phone... was really me?!"
In that instant, even though she was standing on the brightly lit first floor, Kotomi suddenly felt no sense of safety whatsoever. The lights seemed to grow cold and eerie, and the shadows in the corners made her instinctively feel as though something dangerous were brewing within them.
When Ayani Kika heard this, her pupils trembled faintly. She kept telling herself over and over, Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm! Though tension began creeping into her heart, with her formidable self-control, she did not allow even the slightest trace of panic or fear to surface on her face.
Half a minute later, looking at Kotomi's little face filled with anxiety and fear, Ayani Kika curled her lips into a reassuring smile and suddenly let out a light laugh, as if teasing.
"Pfft—sorry, sorry. I just had a sudden urge to scare you a little. You read The Kindaichi Case Files so often, I thought you weren't that timid. After all, leaving aside the various cases in the manga, just the very first anime arc, The Seven Mysteries of the School Murder Case—the horror atmosphere and suspense alone would make anyone without some courage unable to continue watching."
"Most of the time, I watched it with my mom and dad beside me..."
Kotomi explained quietly. But once she realized that Ayani Kika had been deliberately trying to scare her, she immediately felt annoyed—not only because it was embarrassing, but because she had genuinely been frightened just now.
"Can you not make jokes like that?! Would you be happy if you scared me into tears?!" Kotomi growled in a low voice, her tone laced with anger.
After saying that, she tried to shake off Ayani Kika's grip on her wrist and turn to leave.
Seeing this, Ayani Kika quickly tightened her hold, afraid that if she relaxed even slightly, Kotomi would break free. She was wearing a kimono tonight. If Kotomi suddenly turned and ran, she wouldn't be able to catch up.
Kotomi struggled several times but failed to free her small hand. In the end, she could only give up and glare at Ayani Kika with an angry look.
Ayani Kika sighed helplessly, the complexity in her eyes fading. She tugged gently but firmly on Kotomi's wrist. With her naturally soft and full figure, Kotomi was pulled straight into Ayani Kika's embrace without resistance.
Before Kotomi could react, she was tightly wrapped in Ayani Kika's arms.
"Mmph... you're such a bully. Scaring me like that in the middle of the night—were you worried I wouldn't have nightmares later?"
After instinctively struggling a few times, Kotomi gradually quieted down in Ayani Kika's embrace. Her small mouth continued murmuring words filled with grievance and complaint, while her little fists lightly thumped against Ayani Kika's shoulder.
"I'm sorry... I won't scare you like that again."
Ayani Kika held Kotomi close, her slender hand gently stroking Kotomi's snowy white hair, as if soothing a startled little animal.
"I'm not this angry just because you scared me. If you'd only tried to frighten me with a horror movie, I wouldn't have been this upset. It's the story you made up just now. When you said you received a strange phone call, my heart jumped to my throat. It wasn't because I was afraid... it was because I was worried about you."
Resting against Ayani Kika's chest, Kotomi kept repeating those words.
As Ayani Kika listened, the trembling deep within her eyes seemed to be calmed by Kotomi's voice. The tension and unease hidden there gradually settled, as if courage had once again returned to her body, driving away the anxiety.
Like a stubborn hammer striking a nail again and again into cold, unyielding stone, a certain thought in Ayani Kika's heart continued inching toward something called "decision."
Though the progress was slow, it was still moving forward.
Ayani Kika tightened her embrace around Kotomi, as if trying to restore her sense of security through sheer warmth. And in that very moment, she made a vow to Kotomi.
"Kotomi, don't be afraid. I promise you—if there truly are any monsters or lurking evils that wish to harm you, I will shield you behind me and protect you with everything I have. I won't let you suffer even the slightest harm. Even if it means... paying with my life."
After saying that, as if whispering a secret, Ayani Kika slowly leaned her face closer.
She pressed her lips against Kotomi's.
The sweet fragrance drifting from her black hair teased Kotomi's nose like mischievous little spirits, making it itch faintly.
Yet this time was different from before. When Kotomi responded to Ayani Kika's kiss, she was open and unreserved. In that moment, it was as though she had temporarily and completely entrusted her entire heart to Ayani Kika.
"Kotomi..." Ayani Kika whispered by her ear, her breathing uneven. "Let's... go home."
"Okay..."
Kotomi lifted her misty gaze to look at Ayani Kika, as if ready to receive her next kiss at any moment.
Their lips hovered so close that the distance was almost nonexistent. It looked as though every passing second was another kiss.
"I have three wishes. Right now, I feel like one of them is already close to coming true."
Ayani Kika smiled as she spoke. Whether her unsteady breathing was from the cold night air or the excitement surging in her heart, even she could not tell.
"What wish?"
"That is—" she paused softly, "I want to give you a home where you can be sheltered from the wind and rain."
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven