How About I Give You a Princess Carry?

When Aimi got off her lap, Izumi Kotomi felt an intense soreness in her legs, as if they no longer belonged to her.

"This pain... it's like my soul is ascending..." Kotomi groaned, rubbing her legs.

When she watched anime, the girls in those shows could give lap pillows for hours without breaking a sweat, making Kotomi think it wouldn't be a big deal.

But now, after having Aimi lie on her lap for an hour, Kotomi could only say that the girls in anime must be monsters!

Because she was absorbed in Azur Lane earlier, she didn't notice the discomfort. But once Aimi woke up and got off her lap, Kotomi was hit by a wave of pain that took over her senses.

Numb...

Her legs were numb.

They had fallen asleep from being under pressure for too long.

"Onee-chan... are you okay?" Aimi asked apologetically, seeing the pained expression on Kotomi's face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't underestimate your Onee-chan! A mere hour of giving a lap pillow is nothing—ahhh! Don't massage it, it hurts!"

"Sorry, Onee-chan, I just thought you looked unwell, so I wanted to help by massaging your legs."

"Well, thank you so much, but your massage almost sent me to heaven..." Kotomi said, tears welling up in her eyes from the pain.

It hurt too much!

It took Kotomi more than twenty minutes for the feeling to return to her legs.

She finally managed to get off the bed with great effort, holding her legs as she walked. She sighed and said to Aimi, "Aimi, my arms and legs are just too fragile for this..."

"Don't worry, Onee-chan! I'll be gentler next time!"

Though Aimi's words sounded sincere, Kotomi couldn't help but feel that there was some hidden meaning behind them.

After asking Aimi to step out, Kotomi changed out of her school uniform, opting for a casual brown pullover and a pair of denim shorts that weren't too short but not too long either. She slipped on a pair of white cotton socks, preparing to wear her sneakers when they headed out.

Perhaps due to her habits from her past life, Kotomi still preferred wearing sneakers.

"Onee-chan, why are you changing clothes? Is this our date~?" Aimi's eyes lit up when she saw Kotomi come out in a different outfit, snapping sneaky pictures with her phone.

Not bad, not bad—Onee-chan looks great in sporty casual wear too!

"My school uniform was just washed, and if I wear it to eat yakiniku, I'll have to wash it again afterward. Too much hassle. It's easier to wear this pullover since I was planning to wash it after dinner anyway," Kotomi explained while tying her shoelaces, completely unaware that Aimi was secretly taking photos of her.

If someone were to check Aimi's phone gallery, they would find over a thousand photos of Kotomi—pictures of Kotomi eating, napping, focusing on her writing at the computer, and even... bathing.

Aimi had even snuck into Kotomi's room at night to take special keepsake photos while her defenseless sister slept.

"The sun's already set," Aimi said as they walked down the street, looking at the cool, moonlit sky.

"Do you think we can still get a table? I wanted to go earlier, but you slept until now," Kotomi said, checking the location of Anjima Yakiniku on her phone.

Her legs still felt sore.

Looks like I should never offer anyone a lap pillow again.

Without the strength for it, I shouldn't be taking on such tasks!

"Onee-chan, should I carry you on my back?" Aimi suggested, noticing Kotomi's discomfort and forming a plan in her mind.

"No need, I can walk just fine!" Kotomi wasn't a fool—she knew that if she let Aimi carry her, they might end up spending hours on the road.

As for why it would take hours and what would happen during that time...

Use your imagination.

"How about I carry you princess-style then?"

"No way!"

Kotomi absolutely refused to be princess-carried by her little sister in public.

"You're so shy, even though you called me 'Onee-sama' just a little while ago~" Aimi teased, mimicking Kotomi's tone from earlier, making Kotomi's face flush red with embarrassment as she angrily, but gently, pounded her small fists on Aimi.

Kotomi didn't use much force, so it didn't hurt at all. In fact, Aimi found it quite enjoyable.

After their playful banter, they finally arrived at Anjima Yakiniku, the restaurant Megumi Kato had recommended.

Seeing that the restaurant wasn't too crowded from outside, Kotomi let out a sigh of relief.

"Whew... thank goodness it's not too busy."

"Well, not everyone wants to eat yakiniku every day. Besides, it's still Friday, so even though students are on break, that doesn't mean adults have the day off. Most students probably wait until Saturday or Sunday to have dinner with their families," Aimi noted.

"Oh? So does that mean we're not like most students, and are instead unique 'bad students'?" Kotomi teased.

Aimi had always been a model student, both in elementary and junior high—good grades, pretty, popular among her classmates, the quintessential "ideal child" that parents dreamed of.

Kotomi was certain that Aimi would become a school idol in high school as well.

"If being a bad student lets me have my way with you, then I'd gladly become a delinquent, or even a bad girl~" Aimi boldly declared, stepping closer to Kotomi.

"I was just joking! You better focus on your studies!" Kotomi firmly grasped Aimi's shoulders, speaking seriously.

"Don't worry, my little marshmallow Onee-chan~"

Kotomi took Aimi's words lightly, assuming Aimi was craving some marshmallows.

"Marshmallows? Are you craving marshmallows? But it's hard to find those in Chiba. I'll look for some when I go to Tokyo this weekend."

"The marshmallow I want to eat isn't just any marshmallow, it's a special one~" Aimi replied with a hint of mischief in her voice, then continued, "But are you really going to Tokyo again? And both tomorrow and the day after? That means you'll be spending the whole weekend in Tokyo?!"

Aimi's mood quickly soured at the thought of her sister being away for the entire weekend.