Hanging Out with Another Woman?!
Izumi Kotomi wasn't sure whether Megumi Kato was joking or being serious with her last statement.
"When you're walking alone at night and suddenly hear someone call your name, even if it's a familiar voice, it's only natural to get startled, right?"
After realizing it was Megumi Kato and not some lurking monster ready to gobble her up, Kotomi felt a wave of relief wash over her. Recently, she'd been reading a lot of urban legends online, and while in her previous life, she would have dismissed them as mere fiction, her experience of reincarnation had given her a new respect for supernatural occurrences.
Of course, part of the reason was that she'd turned into a girl, and that had made her especially sensitive to ghost stories and creepy topics.
To put it bluntly—she was a little scared.
"Are you nervous walking alone at night?" Megumi asked.
"I guess you could say that... I've been reading too many urban legends lately, so now I get a bit spooked when walking at night," Kotomi admitted.
There was nothing embarrassing about admitting something like this. After all, everyone had things they were afraid of, right?
Some people were afraid of bugs, some feared the ocean, some dreaded heights, and others were terrified of ghosts.
It was completely normal.
In her previous life, Kotomi had been absolutely terrified of insects, especially spiders. Every time she saw one, it would make her skin crawl.
Thinking about it now, she was incredibly thankful she hadn't reincarnated as a spider, like in that other story. With her extreme fear of spiders, she would have probably chosen to restart her life immediately.
"Oh, so Kotomi is scared of ghosts?" Megumi's eyes lit up mischievously, clearly amused by this new discovery.
"Just a little bit," Kotomi replied, trying to downplay it.
"In that case, why don't you come over to my house this weekend? I have a collection of horror movies we could watch," Megumi said with a sweet smile, her tone gentle but the suggestion terrifying.
"Please spare me!" Kotomi nearly whimpered.
"Haha, I'm just joking. But if walking alone at night makes you so anxious, worrying about something like a slit-mouthed woman popping out, why don't I walk you home from now on?" Megumi suggested calmly.
"Eh?"
"If you're going to be tutoring Yui after school, and it gets too late, just give me a call. I'll come pick you up, and we can walk together, just like tonight."
Megumi gently took Kotomi's hand as she spoke. Whether it was the comfort of Megumi's presence or simply the act of holding hands, Kotomi felt the tension she usually associated with walking alone at night melt away in an instant.
"But isn't that too much trouble for you? I'm only a little nervous—it's not like I'm terribly afraid of walking alone," Kotomi said quickly, feeling flustered by how serious Megumi seemed.
"It's no trouble at all. I usually go for a walk after dinner anyway. So, if you ever feel anxious or scared, just give me a call. If not, that's fine too," Megumi said, her tone casual but offering a sense of reliability that Kotomi found hard to resist.
Every time Megumi spoke like this, Kotomi felt an almost irresistible urge to lean on her for support.
Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts, Kotomi sighed softly and said, "Megumi, you sound like you've got a lot of free time on your hands."
"Well, since I usually finish my homework in the library before you finish tutoring Yui, I do end up with plenty of free time in the evenings," Megumi admitted with a light smile.
"Doesn't your mom nag you about it? I remember you mentioning before that she's really strict about your grades," Kotomi asked.
"Yeah, she nags me sometimes, but I've learned to let it go in one ear and out the other. She can talk all she wants, but it doesn't bother me if I don't take it to heart."
Megumi's smile grew playful as she added, "Still, I'll need to do well on next week's exams to keep her off my back for a while. Last time, my good grades bought me a month of peace and quiet. I'm hoping this time I can make it last until the midterms."
"You seem pretty confident about your grades, Megumi."
"And what about you, the teachers' star student, Izumi Kotomi? You aren't worried about your grades?"
"Well, the exams haven't started yet."
"But once they're over, you'll feel confident?"
"I only feel confident in the results after I've actually finished something," Kotomi said earnestly.
Saying something so grounded made her feel incredibly cool and composed—like she was a pillar of rationality.
However, Megumi's lips curled into a sly smile, one Kotomi didn't notice. "Oh~? Is that so? Well, there's one thing I could help you with that would make you feel very confident."
"What is it?"
"Hehe, that's a secret~ I'm not telling you."
"Stop teasing me!"
"Guess you'll just have to figure it out," Megumi giggled.
The two of them continued talking and laughing as they walked. Soon, they reached Kotomi's house, and after saying their goodbyes at the door, Kotomi stepped inside.
As soon as she opened the door, the first thing she saw was her sister, Aimi Izumi, standing in the entryway, arms crossed over her chest. Dressed in a pair of casual shorts, her slender legs were on full display, and her cute, pale feet were tapping impatiently on the floor, clearly annoyed.
Her expression screamed "I'm not happy," and it seemed like she'd been waiting for quite a while.
Seeing this, Kotomi tried to act as if she hadn't noticed and greeted her sister as usual. "I'm home, Aimi."
"Do you know what time it is?" Aimi asked coldly.
"Um... around 7:30?"
Aimi took a deep breath, then whipped out her phone and pointed at the screen, shouting, "It's almost 8! Were you really tutoring a classmate, or were you out hanging around with another woman?!"
Her loud voice immediately drew the attention of their mother, Akina Izumi, who poked her head out from the living room and gave Kotomi a thumbs-up.
"Whoa, nice! Already found yourself a girlfriend, huh? I was going to teach you how to date soon, but you've already mastered it! Impressive! And with a girlfriend no less! Now that's what I call genetic talent. It runs in the family—you must've inherited it from your dad and me. We started dating in high school too!"
Akina's cheerful praise only made Aimi stomp her foot in frustration.
"Mom! Shouldn't you be scolding her for coming home late instead?!"
"If she was out on a date with her girlfriend, then there's no problem! Oh, and by the way, watch your language—it's not called 'hanging out,' it's called 'dating.' It's perfectly normal for young couples to go on dates, hold hands, maybe even share a kiss or two. Back in my high school days, your dad and I used to go on dates that lasted all night~" Akina said with a fond, nostalgic smile.
Before Kotomi could escape, Akina wrapped her arm around her daughter, full of excitement at the idea of becoming a future mother-in-law. "Kotomi, tell me all about your girlfriend! What's her name? What does she look like? Does she go to your school? Is it Megumi Kato? Or maybe Yui Yuigahama? When can you bring her over to meet us?"
"Uh... it's not like that..." Kotomi stammered, sweating nervously. She hadn't even started dating anyone yet!
Just as she was about to deny it, Akina's eyes widened in shock. "Wait a second—don't tell me you've already won over that ice queen beauty you were talking about, Yukino Yukinoshita?!"
Why are we talking about Yukino now?!
"Mom, you've got it all wrong! None of that is happening. I was just tutoring Yui, and I came home a little late, that's all!"
Hearing this, Akina paused for a moment before asking, "Really?"
"Really."
With that, Akina let go of Kotomi and clicked her tongue in disappointment. "Tch, boring. Here I was, thinking I'd finally reached the age where I'd be planning my daughter's wedding. Guess I got excited for nothing."
After muttering that, Akina disappeared back into the living room.
Why does it have to be me getting married off?!
Is this really my own mother?! Even if I had a girlfriend, does she just assume I'm the one being married off? Couldn't I be the one bringing someone else into our family instead? Have some faith in me, Mom! Kotomi silently screamed in her heart.
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