Catnip

After pondering for a while, Izumi Kotomi finally decided to take out a box of band-aids from her desk drawer and applied one to the hickey on her neck. She also stuck another band-aid on the back of her hand for good measure.

This way, if her classmates asked, she could say she got scratched by a cat while petting it last night. If her parents asked, she could claim she scratched herself in her sleep.

Satisfied that the hickey was covered, Kotomi grabbed her school bag and headed downstairs.

Izumi Akina had already prepared breakfast and was waiting for Kotomi and Aimi to join her.

As Kotomi entered the kitchen, she noticed that Aimi was already sitting at the table, eating breakfast. When Aimi heard Kotomi's footsteps, she looked up with a smile and greeted her, "Good morning, Onee-chan."

"Good morning," Kotomi replied, slightly nervously as she sat down.

After last night's events, seeing Aimi again brought back memories of what had happened, making Kotomi a bit uneasy. She focused on eating her breakfast, which was a delicious beef stir-fried noodle dish prepared by her mother. However, perhaps due to her anxiety, she didn't really taste the food and just wanted to finish quickly and head to school.

Aimi glanced at Kotomi, who was eating like a nervous little penguin, and then turned to their mother, saying, "Mom, do we have any vinegar? I'd like to add some to my noodles."

"Vinegar? Sure, just a moment. That's unusual; I remember you didn't like vinegar before," Akina remarked as she walked over to the cupboard.

"Sometimes I feel like trying something new," Aimi replied with a smile.

Akina opened the cupboard but frowned slightly in confusion. "That's strange. I used this vinegar just the other day when cooking, and there was plenty left. How did it run out so quickly?"

Looking at the empty vinegar bottle, she tried to recall if she had used that much vinegar recently, but nothing came to mind.

"Mom, check the second drawer in the cupboard. I remember seeing a vinegar packet there," Aimi suggested.

"A vinegar packet? When did we have that?" Akina asked as she opened the drawer. To her surprise, there really was a vinegar packet inside.

"Oh, there actually is one here!"

"I kept it after I didn't use it with instant cold noodles. I thought it would be a waste to throw it away, so I put it aside," Aimi explained as she took the vinegar packet from her mother.

"I see. I looked in this drawer yesterday and didn't notice it. Maybe I just missed it," Akina mused, wondering if her memory was starting to fade with age.

Aimi tore open the vinegar packet with a bit of force.

Sss—!

A few drops of vinegar splashed out, landing right on Kotomi's face.

Kotomi looked puzzled, wondering how she had gotten caught in the crossfire.

"Sorry, Onee-chan!" Aimi quickly apologized, putting down the vinegar packet.

"It's fine," Kotomi waved it off, thinking it was no big deal. She could just wipe it off with a tissue later.

"It's not fine! What if it got on your uniform? You're too careless, Onee-chan. Come with me!" Aimi insisted, not giving Kotomi a chance to protest as she pulled her towards the bathroom.

"Aimi, I can just wipe it off with a tissue… Mmph! Mmph…"

Before Kotomi could finish speaking, Aimi pressed her lips against Kotomi's in a forceful kiss, her movements filled with a possessive intensity.

After what felt like an eternity, Aimi finally released Kotomi, leaving her breathless.

"I've cleaned up the vinegar on your lips, Onee-chan," Aimi said with a satisfied smile, licking her lips as if savoring the taste.

"Aimi, you're being ridiculous," Kotomi scolded, her face flushed as she spoke in a hushed, embarrassed tone.

Aimi didn't reply, only smiling before turning and leaving the bathroom.

Kotomi gazed at her reflection in the mirror, her cheeks still burning with embarrassment. She sighed deeply, splashing her face with cold water to cool down her flushed skin.

Returning to the dining table, Kotomi quickly finished the rest of her noodles and stood up, announcing, "Mom, Aimi, I'm heading to school now."

"Take care."

"Be careful on your way, Onee-chan~"

Kotomi nodded, grabbed her school bag, and left the house.

The moment she stepped outside, she saw Megumi Kato standing under a streetlamp, crouched down and petting a small cat.

"Kato-san!" Kotomi hurried over, wondering how Megumi always managed to arrive earlier than her, even when she tried to leave the house extra early to meet her at the gate. What time did Megumi leave her house each day?

"Good morning, Izumi-san," Megumi greeted her as she stood up and picked up her school bag.

"Aww, what a cute little orange cat," Kotomi cooed, crouching down to pet the small orange kitten.

The kitten, small and fluffy, looked like it was only a few months old, but it already showed the characteristic chubby body of an orange cat.

The kitten responded warmly to Kotomi, nuzzling her hand with its fluffy head and meowing softly.

After petting the kitten, Kotomi and Megumi began walking toward their school together.

As they walked, Megumi smiled and remarked, "The stray cats around this area aren't usually so friendly. Take that orange kitten, for example. I had to feed it small fish treats for a long time before it warmed up to me. But Izumi-san, you managed to get close to it right away. Could it be that you're like a walking catnip?"

"I've loved cats ever since I was little. I just can't resist any plump, round cats. As for why they seem to like me, I'm not really sure. Maybe it's just that people have different auras," Kotomi responded.

Megumi suddenly noticed the band-aid on Kotomi's neck. Her eyes briefly narrowed before she composed herself and asked in a concerned tone, "Izumi-san, what happened to your neck? Did you get hurt?"

When Kotomi heard Megumi ask about the band-aid on her neck, she tensed up for a moment before smiling wryly and waving her hand, "Oh, this? Last night, I tried to pet a stray white cat on my way home, but as soon as I picked it up, it scratched me. It got my neck and my hand too. But don't worry, I've already had it treated at the hospital. The band-aid is just to cover the scratches until they heal, which will take a few days."

Feeling proud of her quick thinking, Kotomi couldn't help but mentally congratulate herself on her cleverness.

I, Izumi Kotomi, am a genius!

"A cat scratch, huh?" Megumi repeated, looking at Kotomi thoughtfully before her smile grew wider. "Izumi-san, you really are like a piece of walking catnip."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Because cats love to bite catnip~" Megumi teased with a soft laugh.