After returning to Class 1-F's classroom and finalizing the band member list with Shizuka Hiratsuka—not to mention planning for next month's family meeting—quite a bit of time had passed. By the time Kotomi Izumi came back, the first afternoon class was already halfway through.

"Sorry to interrupt," Kotomi said as she opened the door and gave an apologetic smile to Tsumugi Nomura, who was at the podium.

"It's fine. Hurry back to your seat. There's not much key content this period—just some checkmarks in the book. As long as you review it a bit, you'll get it. Borrow someone's notes after class."

Tsumugi gave her a gentle smile and waved her back to her seat.

Since Kotomi had been called away by their homeroom teacher, even missing half a class was no big deal—and Tsumugi, though generally strict, had always been relatively lenient with Kotomi.

For example, when Kotomi felt her mouth was a little empty during English class and quietly took out a piece of bread from her desk to nibble on, Tsumugi would just clear her throat softly as a hint—if you're hungry, eat quickly and quietly so you don't disturb others.

Kotomi always played along. If she snacked in class, she'd do it quickly and avoid anything noisy like potato chips.

During the midterm exams, she got a perfect score in English, and whenever Tsumugi asked her to answer in class, her pronunciation was flawless. With a student like that, Tsumugi was happy to offer a few small indulgences.

In fact, she had tried more than once to make Kotomi the English class representative—but every time, Kotomi came up with some excuse to refuse.

Some of the excuses were so bizarre that Tsumugi was left completely baffled: That's your reason?! How did you even come up with that?!

At first, Tsumugi was disappointed, thinking Kotomi might have some issue with her as a teacher. But after chatting with Shizuka Hiratsuka, she learned that Kotomi hadn't just refused her—she'd also turned down class rep roles in other subjects.

Even Shizuka, as the homeroom teacher, had once tried to make Kotomi the class president after the first monthly exam. Kotomi played dumb: "I don't even know what a class president does. I'd definitely do a bad job. Better not."

Most students want to be class officers. It builds leadership skills and helps with future college applications. Plus, it gives them visibility with teachers—better to be remembered than forgotten.

That's especially true in college, where being noticed by instructors can be important.

But Kotomi? The teachers offered, and she rejected—all of them.

It made people wonder—if you gave her the choice between a slice of cake and a class officer title, Kotomi would pick the cake without hesitation.

Once back in her seat, Kotomi gently poked Megumi Kato next to her. "Megumi, let me borrow your English textbook and notebook after class."

"No problem."

Megumi smiled softly. There weren't many notes this lesson, yet she added with a meaningful tone:

"There are sooo many important points and notes from this class. I doubt you'll have enough time during break to copy them. Why don't you come over after school and take your time~"

Kotomi wasn't an idiot—how could she not pick up on the implication?

Normally, she'd pretend to be clueless, act innocent, and go along with Megumi to her house… only to end up being pushed down and thoroughly devoured.

But today, Kotomi had to sneak over to the Yuigahama house without Yui or Yuka knowing—to meet privately with Mrs. Yuigahama, hiding away in the bedroom… to discuss illustrations.

Before heading there, she needed to stop by home and grab a USB drive. On it were the outlines and character settings for Redo of Healer, Mushoku Tensei, and The Testament of Sister New Devil. All three new works required thorough discussion with Mrs. Yuigahama regarding their illustrations and character designs.

After all, the person who understood Kotomi Izumi's XP system best was Mrs. Yuigahama!

There was no way she could go to Megumi's house today—she'd definitely be devoured if she did.

Kotomi picked up Megumi Kato's notebook and textbook and began copying notes. While writing, she said:

"As much as I want to hang out at your place today, I've got a few things to take care of this afternoon. Work-related stuff."

"Are you busy with author work, Izumi-sensei?" Megumi asked with a smile.

Kotomi paused for a moment. Discussing illustration details with Mrs. Yuigahama… yeah, that counted as creative work!

So she nodded without hesitation:

"Yup. Not just Sword Art Online—I'm also working on three future titles."

Hearing about new projects made Megumi's eyes light up. Normally, she wasn't all that interested in light novels, but if they were written by Kotomi, she was all in.

She'd already read Volume 1 of Sword Art Online several times.

It wasn't just the plot that captivated her—it was imagining Kotomi's expressions while writing each scene, picturing her face at the keyboard… wondering what she was thinking and feeling in those moments.

Little by little, that thought became addicting. Megumi just wanted to see more and more of Kotomi's expressions and moods~

"When the new manuscript is done, can I read it first?"

"Of course! I'll send it to you the moment it's done. You'll be the first person to read a new draft by the super popular light novel author, Izumi-sensei!"

"Yay!" Megumi whispered happily. Since it was still English class, the two of them kept their voices low enough that only they could hear.

...

After school.

Kotomi still went with Yui Yuigahama and Yukino Yukinoshita to the second music room for practice, though their session was a bit shorter than usual.

It was Friday, and with winter approaching, practically no clubs stayed late today. The school gate would close 30 minutes earlier than usual.

So after running through their songs three times, they wrapped up for the day.

After locking up the music room, the three of them left the building together.

"Kotomi, can you finish writing the two songs we're performing at the culture festival by next week?" Yukino asked. A whole week had passed, and they still hadn't officially started rehearsing the actual setlist for their stage performance. Learning the melody and lyrics would take time.

Thankfully, after a week of working together, the three had developed great chemistry. They weren't quite at a professional band's level, but among high schoolers, their quality would absolutely impress.

"The first song is basically done. The second only needs the last two lines of lyrics. I'll send you both—earliest today, latest tomorrow."

This wasn't Kotomi's first time composing. With Fly Me to the Star as prior experience, these two songs came together with ease.

Of course, it helped that her music proficiency stat was maxed out!

"I really can't wait to hear the song Kotomi wrote," said Yui Yuigahama, brimming with anticipation. She'd been a little nervous before, but the thought of standing on stage and singing a song composed by Kotomi Izumi wiped that all away. Nervous? Not at all—Dango-chan wished the culture festival were tomorrow!

Even Yukino Yukinoshita, though silent as always, couldn't hide the quiet look of expectation on her cool face when she heard that Kotomi had finished the song.

"Izumi-san."

A clear voice called out. Kotomi turned reflexively—and was a little surprised by who she saw.

Ruriya Hojo?

Though Kotomi hadn't been practicing long with Yukino and Yui today, it was already well past dismissal. In another hour, the school gates would be locked.

Seeing Ruriya still in the academic building this late was unexpected.

"Hojo-san, what are you doing here?"

It wouldn't be odd if this were a Monday through Thursday, but it was Friday, and the art club didn't meet today.

Art Club President Hibiki Naegi had rushed out as soon as the bell rang—unusual, since she normally took her time cleaning the art room before leaving. Today, she passed the duty off to Chihiro Sengoku.

Poor Chihiro finished up alone, wondering: Isn't this backwards? Am I the art teacher and she the student?

With the president absent, the rest of the art club left right after school too. It was finally Friday—time to enjoy some freedom!

But Ruriya Hojo, who usually loved hanging out with friends after school, had made an excuse, saying she had something to ask a teacher.

Though puzzled, the others chalked it up to her slipping grades lately and said nothing. After a round of goodbyes, they left.

But Ruriya didn't go to the faculty office like she said. Instead, she went up to the fifth floor of the academic building, keeping a distance from the second music room, and sat quietly on the stairs. Hands on her knees, chin resting in one palm, she listened to the ensemble music drifting from the nearby classroom.

The distance between the stairwell and the second music room wasn't far, but to Ruriya, it felt miles away…

Faced with Kotomi's question, the former middle school cheer captain flashed her usual confident smile.

"I bombed the midterms. My parents flipped out. They said if I fall any further on the finals, my allowance gets cut in half. Show some pity—my allowance isn't enough as it is. If they cut it, I'll be eating dirt by the first of every month. So I went to a teacher after school today to ask about a few questions I lost points on."

In the same breath, she changed the subject and lifted a transparent plastic bag she'd been holding the whole time.

Inside were four bottles of cola.

"After I finished talking to the teacher, I just happened to pass by the second music room and heard you all singing," Ruriya Hojo explained with a grin. "A private concert just for me—probably the only time I'll ever get something like that. So these three colas are my ticket fee. Don't be shy."

She pulled a bottle of Pepsi from the plastic bag and handed it to Kotomi.

Though all four bottles in the bag were soda, there was something deliberate about the selection: three bottles were Coca-Cola, and one was Pepsi.

No need to guess—Pepsi was specifically for Kotomi. Not just her classmates in 1-F, even the art club knew Kotomi preferred Pepsi.

If she was drinking soda, it was always a blue-labeled Pepsi. Otherwise, she simply didn't drink it.

"Thanks," Kotomi replied, accepting it without hesitation.

They'd been in the same art club long enough—if she acted overly polite now, it would only create distance, not courtesy.

Kotomi had always been good at accepting kindness with just the right amount of grace—and even better at subtly returning the favor.

"You two are Kotomi's classmates, right? Nice to meet you. I'm Ruriya Hojo," she said.

"I'm Yui Yuigahama. Kotomi likes to call me Dango."

"Yukino Yukinoshita."

Ruriya had, of course, already noticed the two girls beside Kotomi and introduced herself naturally. She then handed them the remaining two bottles of Coca-Cola.

Yukino wasn't a big fan of soda, but since Ruriya had made the effort—and for Kotomi's sake—she accepted it and thanked her.

"You know, it's been nearly two weeks since Kotomi's been to the art club. I was starting to wonder if I should secretly grind away and surpass you in art."

"I'm not someone who enjoys rivalry," Kotomi replied with a smile, "but if a beautiful girl challenges me, I'd be more than happy to accept."

Her words were flirty, but her expression was calmly unreadable, with just enough ambiguity to stir curiosity—like a brush of velvet against your heart.

Swear to the heavens, Kotomi hadn't meant to flirt. After all, our Kotomi was a one-heart, one-love type of girl.

It was just that even without trying, her words always came across as subtly seductive.

Temptation is a deliberate act—Kotomi's allure, however, was something innate.

Sure, it had something to do with her Queen of All Females constitution and maybe some ties to the succubus race. But the most important thing was—she was just that gorgeous!

Still, Ruriya wasn't clueless. While her attention was clearly on Kotomi, she knew that anyone chosen to perform on stage with Kotomi must be close to her.

Out of all the girls in Class 1-F, why did Kotomi choose Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama?

Ruriya was smart enough not to ignore them—ever since she arrived, she had made sure not to leave Yukino and Yui out. Even when she bought the sodas, she'd included them in her calculations.

From an outsider's perspective, it looked like a perfectly casual visit.

Unfortunately, Ruriya miscalculated one thing: the feelings Yukino and Yui had for Kotomi weren't just friendly.

Yui, in particular, couldn't help feeling a little jealous seeing such a pretty, curvy, charming girl walk up to Kotomi on her own.

Ruriya had been a cheer captain in middle school, wearing a tight pink cotton tank top that clung to her budding figure, cheering her classmates with rainbow-colored pom-poms—an unforgettable sight burned into everyone's memory.

Her pink and white short skirt, the gleam of sweat on her fair skin after a vigorous cheer routine, and her bright, extroverted personality had made many a confused, puberty-stricken teen blush in silence.

After three years as cheer captain in middle school, Ruriya Hojo's aura of confidence had only grown stronger.

That vibrant, radiant energy made Yui Yuigahama feel a faint pang of inferiority the moment she saw her.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yui didn't speak further. Holding her bottle of Coca-Cola, she simply trailed behind Kotomi, sipping quietly now and then. Her head hung low, eyes on the floor, she instinctively wanted to kick a small stone—only to remember this was a school hallway. There were no stones here.

Maybe I should go grab some from the flowerbeds by the field… Yui thought distractedly.

Yukino Yukinoshita could also tell that the sodas weren't just a friendly gesture. The fact that Ruriya had specifically brought Pepsi for Kotomi made it clear—her attention was centered on Kotomi.

And once Yukino learned that Ruriya was from the art club and knew Kotomi from there, her suspicions were confirmed.

Whatever, she thought. It's just a free drink. Even though she didn't like soda, she couldn't exactly refuse in front of Kotomi. But the idea that yet another girl was interested in Kotomi made Yukino's expression darken. She held the Coke tightly but didn't take a single sip.

If Yukino and Yui were just casual friends of Kotomi, Ruriya's approach would have been flawless.

She managed to start a conversation with Kotomi, bridged the social gap, and didn't neglect the girls by her side. She had even factored them in when buying drinks.

But the problem was…

Yukino and Yui had no intention of remaining just "friends" with Kotomi.

Yukino hadn't fully realized the depth of her feelings yet.

But Yui? Yui already knew. She had her heart set, and was just waiting for the right time to confess.

So, in a way, Ruriya's carefully thought-out Coke diplomacy had hit and missed at the same time.

"You don't seem like the type to charm girls so easily, Kotomi. I never noticed it in the art club."

"Haha, maybe it's because we're usually focused on drawing during club hours," Kotomi replied.

"If that's true, maybe all that time I spent seriously painting was a waste. I should've just spent it talking with you. Would've been way more fun."

Kotomi smiled. "Club time is meant for focused drawing."

Ruriya stuck out her tongue playfully. The gesture was undeniably cute.

"I never got the chance to add your LINE before. Can I now?"

"Sure." Kotomi nodded and readily pulled out her phone. They exchanged contacts and added each other.

Back when they'd first met in the art club, they were still strangers, so they had only exchanged basic info—not messaging apps.

By the time the four of them reached the school building's entrance and started changing shoes, Ruriya spoke again:

"Want to hang out this weekend?"

Kotomi gave a soft smile. "I'm pretty busy this weekend."

It wasn't an excuse—she really was busy.

Saturday was for Megumi Kato.

Sunday was for Yui Yuigahama. This content belongs to nοvelfire.net

And next weekend? That was reserved for Shizuka Hiratsuka.

While bending down to change shoes, Yui overheard Kotomi's reply. The trace of jealousy that had lingered on her face slowly faded, replaced by a small, warm smile. She really wanted to throw herself at Kotomi and snuggle in her arms.

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