Izumi Kotomi Wants to Rest

Since Yui Yuigahama had finished her homework the day before, she didn't need to rush to finish it in the morning. As soon as she arrived at school and was about to turn around to chat with Izumi Kotomi, she noticed Kotomi had already laid her head down on the desk, dozing off.

Yukino Yukinoshita, who had just entered the classroom, was equally surprised by the scene. "Oh, this is rare—Kotomi is actually sleeping in class."

"Kotomi, class is starting soon," Kato Megumi whispered softly into Kotomi's ear.

Her gentle voice seemed as though she didn't really want Kotomi to wake up but rather wished for her to continue sleeping peacefully by her side.

Kotomi wasn't in a deep sleep, and her small, delicate ears twitched when she heard Megumi's voice. Slowly, she sat up.

"Hmm... Is it time for class already?"

As she rubbed her eyes, she stretched comfortably, but her sleepy expression hadn't changed much.

"Didn't sleep well last night?" Yukinoshita asked.

"Yeah, I guess I overdid it yesterday. I just couldn't wake up this morning," Kotomi said with an awkward smile.

She had actually gone to bed at 11 p.m., but right as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't finished the event tasks in Azur Lane.

The moment she thought of that, Kotomi was wide awake again. She quickly grabbed her phone and started grinding through the event!

Before she knew it, she had been playing until 2 a.m.

Since she had school the next day, she had to drag herself out of bed at 7 a.m., unwillingly leaving the warmth of her blankets.

That's why she was so exhausted now, barely managing to stay awake at school.

I'm so tired, but staying up late for gaming is just too fun! Kotomi thought with a wry smile.

At breakfast that morning, seeing how sleep-deprived Kotomi looked, her mother Akina assumed her daughter had stayed up watching... certain movies. Akina even gave Kotomi a knowing smile, as if saying, My dear daughter, I understand everything.

My little girl is growing up!

When Yui heard that Kotomi was tired because of how hard she had worked yesterday, she immediately thought about the tutoring session.

Could it be that Kotomi exhausted herself just to help me study...?

This thought touched Yui deeply, filling her heart with overwhelming gratitude.

She had no idea that Kotomi had stayed up late gaming.

"Thank you so much, Kotomi! I won't let you down!" Yui said earnestly, gripping Kotomi's hand with determination.

She silently swore that she would do her absolute best on the upcoming exams—and in all future ones—to ensure that Kotomi's efforts wouldn't go to waste.

"Huh?" Kotomi was utterly confused by Yui's sudden heartfelt gesture.

What's going on?

All I did was stay up late playing games, and now Yui looks so moved...

Even though Kotomi didn't fully understand Yui's thoughts, seeing her newfound determination made Kotomi nod approvingly. She cleared her throat, trying to match Yui's intensity, and said, "I'm glad you feel that way. My efforts haven't been in vain. Do your best on the exams next week, Yui!"

Yui, now even more convinced of her touching assumptions, nodded vigorously. "Yes! I'll do my best! But Kotomi, you also need to take care of yourself!"

Wait, what? How did Yui find out I stayed up late playing games? Did I make it too obvious?

Oh no, if Yui finds out that I often stay up late gaming, that's not going to set a good example...

Kotomi quickly tried to explain. "Don't worry. I usually stick to a regular sleep schedule. Last night was just an exception. No need to worry."

Normally, Kotomi was diligent about logging into Azur Lane and completing her daily missions early. But last night, it had slipped her mind until right before bed. Missing a daily login wouldn't be the end of the world, but missing event progress? That would've been a disaster!

The final event rewards included materials she desperately needed.

Missing those would've been devastating!

Sleep can wait, but event progress can't fall behind!

This was the code Kotomi lived by as an "easygoing" Azur Lane player.

While Kotomi was lost in thoughts of her rewards, she didn't realize that her words had only deepened Yui's emotional response.

Throughout the day, Yui paid close attention in class, not dozing off once. In fact, she even raised her hand to answer several simple questions!

Their homeroom teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka, was shocked, as were the other teachers, who were left questioning whether they were in the right classroom. Was this really Class 1-F?

English teacher Tsumimi Nomura was nearly moved to tears.

The girl who usually slept through class, Yui Yuigahama, was alert and engaged!

Meanwhile, Kotomi looked half-asleep throughout the entire day, barely keeping her eyes open.

Maybe she's stressed about the Tokyo University National Youth Art Competition, Hiratsuka-sensei thought. So, during literature class, when she saw Kotomi nodding off at her desk, Hiratsuka didn't say anything and let it slide.

Having not pulled an all-nighter in a while, Kotomi spent the entire day in a daze. Even after napping for an hour during lunch, she still felt drowsy.

In short, she had no energy.

Finally, the last bell rang at the end of the day.

Kotomi perked up instantly.

Truly, the sound of the final bell is one of the best pick-me-ups in the world.

Although the last class had been history, Kotomi had already gathered all the homework assignments from her class reps in advance and finished them, half-awake, during class. This way, she could go home and get some much-needed rest.

As she packed her things, Kato Megumi sighed softly after reading a message on her phone. "Kotomi, I'm sorry, but I can't walk home with you today. My grandparents came to visit, and we're going out to dinner with them tonight."

She showed Kotomi the message her mother, Ikemi Kato, had sent her:

[Your grandparents are here. Don't go to the library to study after school. Come home early so we can all have dinner together.]

"Oh, that's fine. Go ahead, Megumi. See you tomorrow," Kotomi replied.

After finishing packing her bag, Kotomi left Class 1-F and headed toward the art club.

"Kotomi."

Mashiro Shiina, who had left the classroom a bit later, called out to her.

"Mashiro? How's Volume 2 of your manga coming along?" Kotomi slowed her pace so Mashiro could catch up and asked curiously.

She assumed that Mashiro was still working on it, but to her surprise, Mashiro said, "It's finished."

Already?!

Kotomi was shocked but quickly recalled seeing Mashiro draw in the art club, her hand steady and confident, her speed unmatched. It made sense that Mashiro had finished Volume 2 so quickly.

Still, Kotomi wondered what the plot of the second volume would be like.

At the very least, she was certain that the art quality would be just as impressive as it had been in the first volume.

"You've finished it already? That's amazing. Mashiro, you're really skilled at drawing."

"I hope that one day, you'll praise me for being skilled at drawing manga," Mashiro whispered in her usual soft voice, but this time, there was a rare seriousness in her tone.

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