In the bedroom where only she and Aimi Izumi were present, the atmosphere felt especially quiet.

There seemed to be a thump-thump sound echoing in her ears, and Kotomi Izumi soon realized—it was the sound of her own and Aimi's heartbeat.

A very simple, very pure kiss.

But it was exactly that simplicity that made it addictive.

Kotomi didn't take the initiative. Instead, she let Aimi kiss her. Because she was afraid that if she took the lead, Aimi would discover just how experienced Kotomi was when it came to kissing.

Who knew how much time passed, but even though Kotomi was reluctant to part, she eventually reached out to gently grasp Aimi's shoulders and softly pushed her away, creating distance between them.

"You little brat... were you just trying to see me lose my composure?" Kotomi panted slightly, deliberately making her voice sound irritated. But the expression on her face was clearly forced calmness.

Just a moment ago, the instant Aimi kissed her lips, desire had surged up like a wildfire on a barren field, uncontrollable and blazing through Kotomi's mind, devouring her reason.

Had she delayed pushing Aimi away even a second longer, Kotomi wouldn't have had to push at all—she would've flipped Aimi under her and pressed her down right then and there. Who cared about exams in February? She wanted to give Aimi the answer right now.

Aimi Izumi didn't seem to realize her adorable little face was so hot it could probably give off steam. Put a cup of ice water on her cheek, and it might turn lukewarm. She buried her face under the blanket, refusing to let Kotomi see her expression, and muttered in a small voice:

"It was just a simple kiss. I didn't even move my tongue. I was totally well-behaved."

When Kotomi heard that, the corner of her mouth twitched. If she ever found out that all these little nuggets of knowledge in Aimi's brain came from the gal games saved in the D-drive of Kotomi's old laptop, her emotions would be all over the place.

First and foremost—how big of an idiot had she been back then, not wiping the D-drive clean before giving the laptop to Aimi?

"Let's sleep early," Kotomi said after glancing at her phone. It was already past 10 p.m.—definitely bedtime.

She had set her alarm for 5 a.m. to get up and make breakfast.

After a moment of silence, Aimi spoke up again:

"Onee-chan, when October ends, there'll only be two more months left in the year, right?"

"Mm… During New Year's, we'll visit our hometown for a few days and get red envelopes. You can think about what to buy after getting your New Year's gift money."

"I'll give all my red envelopes to you, Onee-chan," Aimi said, like it was something she'd already decided long ago.

"Dummy. How could I possibly take your gift money? Are you still planning for me to save it as your college fund?" Kotomi said half-jokingly.

"No I'm not! Do you still think I'm a kid?" Aimi huffed, eyes slightly misty, her expression like a spoiled kitten frustrated at not catching the teasing toy. She turned around in a small pout, now facing away from Kotomi.

"Sorry, sorry," Kotomi said, gently patting Aimi's hair. Her voice softened, coaxing, "But why do you want to give me your gift money?"

"Mm… I just thought about it and realized I don't really want to buy anything. Holding onto the money feels pointless, so I figured I'd just give it to you. You can use it for Azur Lane. Didn't you used to get all indecisive during the New Year event, wanting every new outfit for your ship girls but never having enough money? If I give you my gift money, you'll be able to buy more outfits, right?"

Aimi said it so naturally, like she'd always believed her New Year's gift money was meant for her Onee-chan to spend.

Kotomi blinked. Yep, definitely her real little sister!

"You little rascal, how are you so lovable? I really appreciate the thought, but I'm a novelist and manga artist, remember? Just the manuscript royalties I get each month are enough to last me several months of spending."

"Eh? Onee-chan, you really make that much money from writing novels and drawing manga? But I've seen you sometimes frowning at your bank card, calculating how much to spend for the month."

Kotomi chuckled at that. "Pffft—so you noticed, huh? Don't worry. I was just figuring out how much of my monthly royalties I should spend and how much to save. I was thinking, if I start saving now and keep it up until I graduate college, how much could I accumulate?"

"Saving money? Why the sudden interest, Onee-chan?" Aimi asked curiously. She'd always thought her sister spent freely, never looking like someone who worried about saving.

What Aimi didn't realize was that Kotomi's seemingly lavish spending wasn't reckless—it was just that the portion of her royalties she allowed herself to spend each month looked extravagant to others.

"Mm... I just want to save up and hopefully buy a place after college."

She had seen a short video once, explaining how houses and cars were symbols of a person's core strength.

Kotomi thought that made a lot of sense. So now, at sixteen and just starting her first year of high school, she was already thinking: which city should she buy property in?

Even if looking at the housing prices was enough to send chills down her spine, she figured—at the very least, she could start saving. If she couldn't buy a house yet, she could at least afford a car.

After entering college, she could rent an apartment and commute by car. That sounded pretty nice.

Of course, if she simply asked her grandparents, she could pick any property in Japan. Want a car? "Sweetie, here's a helicopter—no need to worry about traffic!"

And if her university didn't have a helipad? Grandpa could just invest in the school and have one built!

Kotomi only had to ask, and she could become a pampered rich girl without lifting a finger.

But she still wanted to earn her own money—buy her own car, her own big house. Especially the bedroom—she wanted it extra-large, because it would need a very, very big bed.

"Why the sudden urge to buy a house, Onee-chan?"

Aimi was confused. Her sister had only just started high school. Wasn't that a bit too far into the future?

"I was just thinking, since housing prices are so high, maybe I should start saving for a down payment—if not the full price."

"Your ambitions are huge, Onee-chan... Hey, will your house have a room for me too?"

"Of course it will. Once I start renovating, you can pick any room you like. Choose the one you want, and we'll decorate it however you like."

Kotomi agreed without hesitation, because this had always been part of her plan—buying a big house that would always have rooms for her parents and sister.

"Hehe, hearing that makes me so happy. When we visit our hometown during New Year's, should we ask Grandpa, Grandma, and the others to sponsor you a bit for the house?"

"I told you—I want to earn it myself. If I relied on Grandpa, Grandma, and the others, that'd be way too easy."

"True enough." Aimi laughed along, then after a short silence, added, "Onee-chan... when you do buy a house, I don't want my own room. Can I just sleep with you every night instead?"

Kotomi nodded without hesitation. "Then we better think of a good reason to convince Mom and Dad to let you sleep with me every night."

"Why would that be a problem? It's perfectly natural for sisters to sleep together!" Aimi said confidently.

"Alright, alright—perfectly natural, perfectly natural. Now go to sleep. I still have to get up early to make your breakfast tomorrow," Kotomi said, eyes full of warmth as she reached out and pinched Aimi's soft cheek.

"Good night, Onee-chan!"

"Good night~"

...

The sky outside was just starting to brighten. As sleep receded like the tide, Kotomi opened her eyes. Instinctively, she picked up her phone—three minutes remained before her alarm was set to go off.

"Woke up right before the alarm. Good, now I won't wake Aimi. Let her sleep a little longer," Kotomi murmured with a soft smile as she looked at Aimi snuggled beside her. She promptly turned off the alarm.

She had woken up early today, likely because she was excited about bringing her guitar to school. That excitement probably helped her wake up on time. Still, it wasn't like the first time she went on a school trip in elementary school, where she was too excited to sleep at all.

Moving carefully, Kotomi got out of bed and, so as not to disturb Aimi, quietly changed clothes. She grabbed her schoolbag and guitar case to bring downstairs and leave in the living room ahead of time—better than making another trip upstairs later.

As for washing up, she chose the downstairs bathroom. The one in her room wasn't soundproof, and running the tap for face-washing and tooth-brushing would definitely wake Aimi.

Once done washing up, she tied on her apron and began rummaging through the fridge. What should she make for breakfast?

There were a few fish in the fridge—she could grill them, make some miso soup, a couple of side dishes, and white rice. A traditional Japanese breakfast, maybe?

But Aimi was always slow and leisurely in the mornings. If she served grilled fish, Aimi might spend half an hour just picking out the bones. Unlike Kotomi, Aimi wasn't good at eating fish. No matter how delicious, if it had bones, it lost all appeal for her.

Of all the tasty fish in the world, Aimi only liked basa fish. Why? Because it was the only one she'd ever eaten without small bones. She didn't have to worry while eating—just dig in without caution.

"One of these days I'll make Aimi a hot stone pot of basa fish with savory sauce. Last time I made it, she loved it—ate three bowls of rice with it."

Kotomi gave up on grilling fish. Even though the fish in the fridge had been cleaned, there were still bones, which meant Aimi would take forever to eat them. Give her two grilled fish and she'd probably sit with a cup of tea, picking bones all day.

She settled on something simpler: fried noodles.

There was a pack of noodles in the fridge. As for soup, she hadn't yet decided on a flavor, and there weren't any good ingredients in the fridge either. So instead, she opted to make stir-fried noodles with egg, bacon, and vegetables—then topped it all with a layer of cheese.

Cheese is power.

Among the many foods both Kotomi and Aimi liked, cheese was one of their favorites.

"Cooking is going so smoothly today. Is this the bonus from the system's cooking skill level?"

As Kotomi stir-fried the noodles and added the ingredients at the right moments, she found cooking more and more addictive.

Fifty minutes later, the dining table held not only two plates of cheesy fried noodles but also two freshly packed bento boxes.

After making two servings of stir-fried noodles, Kotomi still hadn't had her fill of cooking. So she pulled out her and Aimi's bento boxes and made two lunches to bring to school.

"Looks like Aimi and I won't need to spend money on lunch today."

Kotomi smiled with pride. She wondered if Aimi would show off her lunch at school, telling her classmates, "Look! My Onee-chan made this for me!"

"Heh… yeah, not likely. Aimi's not a kindergartener anymore. No way she'd brag to her friends that her 'Onee-chan made her bento.' Now, if I made one for Yuka to take to kindergarten, then sure—she'd definitely show it off."

Kotomi chuckled to herself.

Come to think of it, it had been a while since she last saw Yuka. She wondered if the little one missed her beloved Penguin Onee-chan.

In a few days, Kotomi was scheduled to meet with Mrs. Yuigahama to discuss the illustration plans for Volume 1 of Redo of Healer. She figured—why not just meet at the Yuigahama house? That way, she could also bring some gifts for little Yuka.

Kotomi truly adored Yuka from the bottom of her heart. She couldn't even explain why she felt so strongly toward her. Was it Yuka's heartbreaking maturity?

Yuka's father had passed away early. Watching her mother work hard to support a household of just the three women, Yuka understood she couldn't help her mom like her older sister could. So, she focused on being obedient, not giving her mom or sister anything to worry about.

Yui Yuigahama had once told Kotomi that when Yuka was younger, she had been a spoiled and bratty child. But after her father passed, even though she could barely speak clearly, Yuka seemed to understand that she would never see her dad again.

Over time, Yuka matured. Even when faced with her favorite cookies, she'd only eat one and save the rest for her mom and sister. Only after they both said they didn't want any would she carefully stash them away, eating one every few days.

She behaved impeccably in kindergarten. Knowing she couldn't help much yet, she focused on being a well-behaved, worry-free child.

Children who are too mature often tug at the heartstrings.

That was why Kotomi had brought her so many boxes of those expensive cookies during her last visit to the Yuigahama house.

Yuka loved that brand of cookies. But knowing their family budget was tight, she never once asked for them. Just being able to eat them twice a year was enough to make her happy.

In Kotomi's heart, she had unconsciously begun treating Yuka like her own little sister.

"She probably hasn't finished those cookies yet... Next time I go, I'll buy her some new toys."

During her last visit to Yuka's room, Kotomi noticed the toys were quite worn. After some careful probing, she learned that the last time Yuka got new toys was three years ago.

Even though her mom and sister wanted to buy her new ones, Yuka always refused, saying: "I haven't finished playing with the ones I have. If I get new toys, won't they fight for space with my current toy friends? No way—I have to protect them!"

Childish words, but what they really meant was that Yuka didn't want her family spending money on her.

What kid doesn't want new toys? When Yuka saw her kindergarten classmates holding shiny new toys their parents had bought them, of course she was envious.

More than the toys, she envied the fact that other kids had both parents giving them presents—parents who played with them at sports festivals. But her mom was always busy with the bakery and couldn't come.

And Yui, being a junior high student preparing for entrance exams, also couldn't take time off to be there.

So in past school events, Yuka never told her mom or sister. She knew they were busy and didn't want to trouble them.

Miss Shiro, her kindergarten teacher, was somewhat aware of the Yuigahama family's circumstances. So during every sports day, she made sure to accompany Yuka.

Kotomi thought about all this while scrubbing the pan clean.

"Guess who~"

Suddenly, she was hugged from behind. But Kotomi didn't panic—she just smiled calmly.

"Awake already? Hurry and go wash up. Why didn't you change out of your pajamas before coming down? Honestly… Don't dawdle during breakfast. After you eat, go back and change quickly so you're not late."

Still in her pajamas, Aimi hugged Kotomi from behind and rested her head on Kotomi's shoulder, mimicking the pose Kotomi had used to hug her the night before.

"Hehe, thanks for making breakfast, Onee-chan~ Eh? These two bento boxes look really familiar."

"Because they're ours. While cooking, I got into the groove and made our lunches too. No need to buy anything at school today."

"A bento made by Kotomi for me… Could it be—the legendary Beloved Wife Bento?!" Aimi shouted with glee, her tone full of excitement. Not only had her way of addressing Kotomi changed, but she was treating the lunch like a romantic gesture.

From the look on Aimi's face, she clearly wanted to march straight up to Megumi Kato and flaunt her lunch: "Has your sister ever cooked for you? No? Jealous? Envious? Let me see your twisted face full of jealousy!"

—

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