Hmph, I’m Way Ahead of You!

This time, the kiss was far more intense than before. Though Kotomi instinctively followed Megumi's lead, her desire to take control—to become the "attacker"—remained. Kotomi kept trying to push forward and seize control from Megumi, but, as expected, she failed.

Even as their kiss ended, Megumi remained firmly in control.

Swallowing slightly, Kotomi murmured with a touch of dissatisfaction, "You're so mean, can't you let me lead just once?! Sometimes I want to take the initiative too…"

Megumi chuckled softly and gave Kotomi's nose a gentle nip, her voice full of affection.

"Weren't you just saying it wasn't enough, that you wanted more? If I don't make an effort, how can I satisfy this little glutton so quickly?"

"I…I am not a little glutton… Next time, I get to be the 'attacker'!" Kotomi huffed, her cheeks puffing with determination as she pushed for her demand.

"Fine, fine~ Next time, for sure. We missed the dolphin show while I was busy feeding this little glutton, so let's catch the penguin show instead."

"Penguins?!" At the sound of the word, Kotomi's eyes lit up, like she was about to see an old friend. "Let's go, let's go!"

Hand in hand, Kotomi and Megumi left the Under the Tide exhibit, completely unaware of Arisu Sakayanagi, who had appeared at the doorway and then left.

Meanwhile, in the parking lot outside Aqua Park Aquarium.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Atsuki waited patiently for Arisu Sakayanagi to finish. Typically, Arisu would spend about thirty minutes to an hour in the Under the Tide exhibit.

Just as Atsuki was about to get out and grab a drink, she raised her head and saw Arisu approaching in the rearview mirror.

"Why is Miss Sakayanagi leaving so soon today?"

Surprised, Atsuki quickly got out of the car to open the door for Arisu.

As Arisu settled into the car and placed her cane beside her, her gaze grew chilling and vacant, an unsettling quiet radiating from her that sent a shiver down anyone's spine.

Seeing her like this, Atsuki wasn't sure if she should start the car or remain still.

The silence continued for two whole hours, during which Atsuki, in her role as a maid, didn't dare make a sound or even let her movements cause the faintest noise, afraid of disturbing Arisu.

Finally, Arisu tilted her head back, looking up at the car ceiling, and spoke slowly, "Let's go home."

"Understood." Atsuki nodded and started the car, heading back toward Chiba City.

Once they had left Shinagawa, Atsuki cautiously asked, "Miss, was today's aquarium exhibit not to your liking? You left so early…"

"No, it was quite the opposite—today's exhibit was even more…unbelievable," Arisu replied, her voice trembling slightly as she ground out her words. She clasped her hands tightly, as if trying to hold onto something that was slipping away.

Oh no, she's upset. And I've never seen her this upset.

Inwardly, Atsuki sighed. Arisu was usually calm, her smile never wavering, like someone who knew she would win. But when that smile disappeared, it meant something big had happened, something that had angered her deeply.

What could have possibly happened to upset her this much? Atsuki wasn't sure, but seeing the invisible cloud of resentment surrounding her, she didn't dare to ask.

After a while, Atsuki ventured carefully, "Uh, so, Miss…are we still stopping by Burger King for dinner?"

"Of course, why wouldn't we?"

Atsuki let out a small sigh of relief. "Ah, got it."

At least she wasn't upset enough to lose her appetite. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to explain it to her father and mother back home…

Back in Chiba City, at the Izumi residence.

Izumi Aimi, who was at her desk doing homework, suddenly lifted her head, frowning with unease.

"Ugh, what's this weird feeling? Why do I feel so uneasy all of a sudden?" She clicked her tongue, feeling a strange surge of irritation. "Is it because my sister went to the aquarium with Megumi Kato? Hmph, even if I'm a bit annoyed, it's just a half-day trip, not an overnight stay. It's not like Megumi would have the time to do anything to my sister anyway!"

Toward the end, Aimi couldn't help but snicker, realizing she had a better chance of winning Kotomi's heart than Megumi ever could! She'd been living under the same roof as Kotomi for years now, and they might even already have feelings for each other without realizing it.

And on that front alone, Megumi Kato didn't stand a chance!

Thinking this, Aimi felt a sudden surge of confidence.

"Hmph, Megumi Kato, I'm way ahead of you," she muttered smugly. Even as she worked on her homework, her victorious grin refused to fade.

Back at the aquarium, applause erupted as the penguin show ended.

Before the show, Kotomi had expected something pretty standard, similar to the kinds of shows you'd see at other aquariums or zoos with only minor changes.

But after hearing the trainer's introduction, Kotomi found herself pleasantly surprised. Though the show wasn't exactly groundbreaking, it was captivating enough that she willingly put her phone down, focusing all her attention on the stage.

Kotomi, especially, couldn't take her eyes off the stage the whole time.

Except that her focus had shifted.

At first, she watched the little penguins, but gradually, her gaze shifted to the trainer herself. Because the trainer had to dive into the water as part of the performance, she was dressed in a tight wetsuit that showed off her figure.

Wetsuits were notoriously tight, and Kotomi thought they looked uncomfortable, which was why she had never wanted to try diving herself.

But while she found wearing one a hassle, watching others in wetsuits was quite different!

In fact, Kotomi loved seeing cute girls in wetsuits. She couldn't go a day without looking at some pictures of them.

Others may have been watching the penguins, but Kotomi's eyes remained fixed on the trainer. As for the penguins…she could hardly remember them.

When the show ended, she clapped along with the crowd.

"It was a great show, don't you think, darling?" Megumi, sitting next to her, said with a teasing grin as she clapped along.

"Yes, it really was a great show! Especially the part where the penguins did ballet in the water…"

"Kotomi? What are you talking about? Penguins can't do ballet. The one performing ballet underwater was the trainer."

Megumi glanced over at the stage where the trainer was finishing up. As she caught sight of the tight wetsuit that highlighted the trainer's curves, realization dawned.

With a sly smile, Megumi leaned in close to Kotomi's ear and whispered softly, "So, do you think girls in wetsuits are attractive~?"

"Yeah, yes…very," Kotomi stammered.

"Oh really? I don't see the appeal myself—maybe because we're sitting too far back. I'd love to understand what about them captivates you so much. How about I buy a wetsuit online, and you can wear it for me sometime? That way, I can really, truly appreciate the charm of a full body swimsuit~"

"C-Can I not wear it?"

Kotomi shrank back a bit, already picturing that if she didn't negotiate with Megumi, Megumi would definitely go online to buy the wetsuit, and once it arrived, would use all sorts of little tricks—both "persuasion" and "threats"—to make her put it on.

She could already imagine Megumi demanding that she undress completely in front of her before changing into the wetsuit. And if Megumi promised she wouldn't touch her while she changed, Kotomi wouldn't believe it for a second—even if Megumi put it in writing.

"What do you think?" Megumi laughed mischievously, not answering directly, but her smile was all too telling.

Argh! If I'd known, I wouldn't have kept staring at that trainer! Kotomi thought, regret building in her heart.

But regret couldn't save her now from the fate of having to wear the wetsuit for Megumi's viewing pleasure. She let out a sigh of resignation, silently hoping that the suit Megumi chose for her would be white.

"When we get home, I'll check Amazon for the perfect wetsuit~" Megumi said, still laughing as they left the penguin exhibit.

"You know, wetsuits aren't cheap at all… Even renting one for an hour by the beach is ridiculously expensive."

Kotomi sighed, still hoping Megumi might give up on her wetsuit… plan.

"No worries, it's just one wetsuit. I'm not the one who has to wear it, after all." Megumi chuckled, shrugging as if to say "it's none of my business."

Fuming, Kotomi leaned in close and gave Megumi's ear a playful nibble.

Megumi only smiled, smoothly wrapping her arms around Kotomi and whispering, "What's wrong? Couldn't wait for another kiss? This is a public hallway, not that private Under the Tide exhibit from earlier. If I kiss you here, everyone will see. Or…is that the thrill for you?"

With a smirk, Megumi lifted a lock of Kotomi's white hair and blew a gentle, warm breath against her ear, sending a shiver down Kotomi's spine.

"Of course not! I bit you just to remind you that just because I agreed to be your girlfriend, it doesn't mean you get to boss me around! And just so you know, even rabbits bite when they're cornered. I can be very fierce if I want to be!"

With her hands on her hips, Kotomi raised her chin defiantly, every part of her stance saying, "I'm super fierce!"

"Very fierce, huh?" Megumi's lips curved in a teasing smirk. "I don't believe you~"

"No, you have to believe me!"

"I don't believe you~"

"Ugh—if you keep saying that, I'm going to bite your nose next time!" Kotomi huffed, trying to sound threatening.

She'd expected Megumi to give in, but instead, Megumi's gaze was fearless, a laugh in her eyes as she said, "Go ahead and bite me! And afterward, I'll kiss you right here in front of everyone. So if you're not afraid, or if you actually want that kind of attention…then go ahead, bite me~"

Predictably, Kotomi's half-hearted threat had only managed to backfire, making her blush instead. Red-faced, she let herself be led by Megumi, following her wherever she decided to go.

After exploring every interesting corner of Aqua Park and sneaking a few more kisses in a secluded stairwell, they were finally ready to head to the aquarium's seafood buffet.

Except—

Megumi waited outside the stairwell for several minutes before Kotomi emerged, her cheeks burning and looking visibly flustered.

"Kotomi, you sure took your time~" Megumi teased with a smirk.

Scowling, Kotomi muttered, "You're one to talk! You said it'd be 'just a kiss,' but then halfway through, you took off my entire top, including my—my… everything. I need time to get dressed, don't I?"

Thankfully, Megumi had only taken a brief detour to kiss "other places" and hadn't gone any further. Otherwise, Kotomi would have been far too embarrassed, her knees too weak to even make it to lunch. Her already-hungry stomach would be empty and out of energy.

Getting more worked up the more she thought about it, Kotomi gave Megumi's leg a small, frustrated kick.

Her kicks didn't hurt at all, and if Megumi could have it her way, Kotomi would take off her shoes and kick her with her delicate feet in black stockings.

"Well, when I slipped my hand under your top, you didn't resist at all. Doesn't that mean you were okay with it?"

"Twisting my words…"

Megumi let out a giggle and continued, "Finally, I got to see up close what I've always wondered about… To think they were that…dreamy. Thank you for the treat."

"Treat, my foot!" Kotomi exclaimed, half-annoyed, half-embarrassed. Then she grumbled softly, "If you're going to do something like that, just give me some warning. It's not like I'd say no…"

Before she could finish, there was a loud beep, the end-of-recording sound on Megumi's phone.

Satisfied, Megumi saved the recording with a contented smile before slipping her phone back into her pocket.

"Aha~ recording successful. I've got your words saved now, so you can't take them back."

"You! You tricked me!"

Realizing that Megumi had recorded her confession, Kotomi flushed even redder, at a loss for words, resorting to stamping her feet in place to vent her frustration.

After a bit more playful back-and-forth, Megumi decided it was time to ease up and finally took Kotomi to lunch.

Megumi knew that if she didn't get Kotomi some food soon, her beloved would definitely get grumpy. Even though they weren't married, Megumi already thought of Kotomi as her wife. And of course, a wife is meant to be cherished and spoiled~

The seafood buffet's spacious setup and the mouthwatering aroma in the air certainly did not disappoint Kotomi.

"Hehehe! That rich smell, the tantalizing mix of spices and octopus stir-fry… Spicy octopus noodles, here I come!"

Kotomi picked up a large plate, already eyeing the spicy octopus noodles nearby. If it weren't for a basic sense of manners, she would have skipped the serving tongs and scooped up the whole dish with her plate!