Isn't This the Princess Carry Aimi Always Wanted?

So, Megumi meant we'd go out and eat first…

After realizing this, Kotomi couldn't quite say she felt relieved; instead, there was a tinge of disappointment, like she was saddened that something she had secretly hoped for would not come to pass.

Is something wrong with me? Am I really starting to crave... those sorts of things with a cute girl?

That's… that's way too indecent!

Kotomi, how can you fall so low?!

Scolding herself inwardly, Kotomi rinsed off the body wash with the showerhead, shut it off, and adjusted the water temperature to the perfect warmth for Megumi to use afterward.

Automatically reaching out for her robe on the rack, her hand came up empty. Looking to the side, Kotomi remembered—this was a hotel, not home. The robes were stored outside the bathroom in the wardrobe.

It wasn't like Kotomi didn't know this; she'd simply been so flustered when Megumi teased her that she had rushed into the bathroom without even grabbing a robe. Now she was finished and only just realizing her oversight.

Standing there with nothing on, she felt a faint chill against her skin. She'd have to use the blow dryer for her hair; she couldn't just let it air dry or blow it out a little.

Back in her previous life, she'd often gone to bed with her hair partially wet, thinking it felt cool. But now, one cold-shivering morning was all it took to convince her otherwise. After that, she always made sure to dry her hair thoroughly.

Thankfully, she had strong, naturally beautiful hair that didn't require much care otherwise. Many other girls had to spend a lot of time on post-wash hair routines, but Kotomi was lucky in that regard.

But even so, drying hair still took time, and standing in the bathroom without a stitch on…

A cold breeze passed by, making Kotomi instinctively squeeze her legs together and hunch her shoulders slightly.

Sighing, she took the towel from the rack and wrapped it around herself.

But this regular-sized towel barely managed to cover her chest. She took a deep breath, clenched her teeth, and finally managed to get it snug. Even so, it was like a bowstring drawn to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.

Too much pressure can make anything snap!

Tugging on the towel to keep it secure, Kotomi stood there blow-drying her hair, glancing at her chest with a smug grin.

"This... this is something that the likes of Little Miss Javelin or Type 45 could never understand, could they?"

Speaking in a tone both smug and brave, Kotomi chuckled, feeling pleased with herself as she finished drying her hair. She admired her radiant reflection in the mirror for a moment before preparing to leave and let Megumi use the bathroom.

Outside, Megumi was waiting by the bathroom door, eager to surprise Kotomi. A patient hunter has the gift of patience, and Megumi was ready to ambush Kotomi as soon as she opened the door.

Crash!

Bang!

"Ah—!"

Instead of the sound of a lock turning, Megumi heard a loud, heavy thud. She couldn't help but worry—had the bathroom floor tiles cracked?

Then Kotomi let out a pained cry.

"Kotomi, what happened?" Hearing the noise and Kotomi's shout, Megumi's heart leapt as she pounded on the door, calling her name urgently.

Desperately worried, Megumi even raised her foot, preparing to kick down the bathroom door.

Just as she was about to act, she heard a click, and the door opened. Kotomi stepped out, holding her sore nose and hunched over slightly.

Megumi was momentarily taken aback by the sight. Trying to suppress a smirk, she quipped, "Kotomi, were you off fighting some godly battle? Did you come back injured?"

"I just turned and slipped, and I fell... right onto my face. My poor nose…" Kotomi's beautiful pink eyes sparkled with tears, making her look pitiful.

Not tears from sadness or sentimentality, just the kind that come from plain old pain.

Just moments earlier, she'd felt smug and secure. But with one slippery turn, she had made sudden, harsh contact with the floor, which responded by critting her with full force.

"Let me see—take your hands away."

Megumi asked in concern. Falling face-first could be serious; even a slight bump on the nose could mean a trip to the hospital.

Reluctantly, Kotomi took her hands away from her nose under Megumi's gentle urging.

Nothing seemed wrong.

There was only a slight blush at the tip of her nose.

"Is my nose okay? The bridge isn't damaged, right?"

After laughing at Miss Javelin and Type 45, Kotomi now felt a pang of worry.

"Looks fine. If you'd waited just a few more minutes to show me, I wouldn't have even been able to tell you'd fallen at all," Megumi said with a grin.

Hearing Megumi's reassurance, Kotomi let out a breath of relief and stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Phew, thank goodness my nose is okay."

What seemed like a harmless gesture to Kotomi felt like pure temptation to Megumi. Seeing her wrapped in nothing but a towel, looking so innocent and tempting with her tongue out, Megumi couldn't resist reaching out to pinch that little tongue.

At that moment, the towel that was already barely holding on finally surrendered to the pressure.

It fell to the floor.

The towel that had been her last line of cover now gone, Kotomi stood there, fully exposed in front of Megumi.

"M-My towel…" she stammered, looking helplessly at it on the floor, resigned to the fact that it had failed her. Too embarrassed to feel any other way, she bent to retrieve it, wanting to cover herself up and make a beeline for the wardrobe.

But before she could do so, Megumi took her wrist and pulled her into a firm embrace.

"Mm!"

Under Megumi's unexpected assertiveness, a shiver ran through Kotomi's whole body, and a soft sigh slipped from her lips, echoing the sensations spreading through her.

"M-Megumi, wait, stop, don't..." she stammered, trying to resist. But was she really resisting?

"Oh? Then why do you sound like you're enjoying yourself?" Megumi whispered with a playful smile, before lifting Kotomi in a bridal carry.

Aimi had always dreamed of Kotomi carrying her this way, but now Kotomi was the one in Megumi's arms.

"At least let me put on some clothes first!"

"No need; you won't need them."

Ignoring her request, Megumi carried her to the bed, setting her down on the left side.

"Megumi, weren't you going to shower?!" Kotomi asked in a panic, sensing the direction this was heading in and searching for anything that might delay Megumi.

But it was no use.

Megumi dropped her dress to the floor, leaned down close to Kotomi's ear, and whispered, "I can't hold back anymore..."

"H-Hold back anymore?!"

Kotomi curled up, clutching the blanket and scooting toward the far side of the bed. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink, but her eyes betrayed a hint of expectancy.

"M-Megumi! Are you really going to do that with me?"

"What else?" Megumi replied with her usual soft tone, but it held an unmistakable firmness this time.

"But... that sort of thing, isn't that... impossible?"

"You're my girlfriend. Why wouldn't it be?"

And Kotomi knew that in times like these, there was no talking Megumi down.

But in her excitement, Megumi had overlooked one very important detail.

With sudden urgency, Kotomi raised her voice, helping to jog Megumi's memory.

"At the very least, not tonight! Don't you remember that it's that time of the month?!"

That... time of the month.

In an instant, the words hit Megumi like a splash of cold water. In the rush of adrenaline, she'd completely forgotten that vital fact.

The monthly visitor—both an obstacle and a savior.

In this case, it was Kotomi's savior and Megumi's obstacle.

Of course, if Kotomi were to be completely honest, that monthly visitor was as much an obstacle for her as it was for Megumi.

Megumi leaned back against the pillows, looking deflated as she muttered quietly to herself, "I can't believe I forgot... I spent the whole day reminding you not to eat spicy foods or drink cold things because of it, and yet I forgot it myself. Now I finally understand why people call it a roadblock."

Watching the disappointment on Megumi's face, Kotomi felt a bit sorry. After all, this monthly greeting was something she, too, had to endure.

After a pause, her cheeks a rosy red, Kotomi sat up in front of Megumi and gently set the blanket aside.

"Megumi, if you really want to..."

"I could… help you with my hands."

As she finished, she brushed a stray lock of snowy-white hair behind her ear and began to lower her head…

Forty minutes later.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Kotomi wiped her mouth with a tissue and began picking up her white stockings from the floor to put them back on. As she got dressed, she glanced over at Megumi, who was lying on her side on the bed, resting her chin on one hand and watching Kotomi.

"I—I'm going downstairs to the convenience store to buy something to drink. Do you want anything?"

"Do you really need to go down there?" Megumi asked with a warm concern, her cheeks looking a little flushed. "There's already plenty of drinks in the fridge. You've been through so much, Kotomi. Aren't you tired?"

Kotomi shot her a playful glare and retorted in a teasing voice, "You don't look like someone who's afraid I'll get tired. You're so naughty! Why didn't I see it in you before? You're downright devious, even worse than me."

"Just following my wife's lead~" Megumi sighed contentedly.

"Well, I'm going to grab drinks anyway," Kotomi announced.

"Even though the convenience store isn't far, isn't it kind of inconvenient?"

"Of course, it's inconvenient, but one look at the prices of those drinks in the mini-fridge, and I'd rather walk all the way to the next block if I have to," Kotomi replied firmly.

She had actually thought about just taking one from the fridge despite the cost. How bad could it be? But once she glanced at the price list on the desk, she immediately changed her mind and decided to go downstairs herself.

"You really are a diligent and frugal wife~ Anyone who ends up with you must have saved an entire galaxy in their past life," Megumi chuckled.

"Are you trying to compliment yourself?"

"Well, yes, I am. But maybe I was also complimenting others, too~ Want me to come with you?"

"No need. It's just a few steps away. And after working me so "hard" just now, you must be exhausted yourself~ I'll let someone as energetic as me handle it."

Kotomi made sure her words sounded just pointed enough, knowing she was letting off some steam over Megumi's "naughty behavior" from earlier. Since she couldn't get even in action, she'd just have to settle for verbal payback.

Seeing Kotomi in her usual sassy element, Megumi couldn't resist pretending not to notice. After all, she knew Kotomi loved this back-and-forth.

However, calling out Megumi's "lack of energy" was something she couldn't let slide. As soon as Kotomi finished putting on her stockings, Megumi moved in. Before Kotomi could stand up, Megumi slipped her arms around her from behind.

"K-Kotomi? What's wrong?" Megumi asked, suddenly a little flustered.

"I was wondering if they had grape juice. I could really go for some right now."

Relaxing slightly at the question, Kotomi exhaled. "Oh, you mean your usual brand? I noticed it on the price list earlier. They do have it, but it costs twice as much! It's the same kind you can get at the convenience store, so I'll go get it for you. How about that?"

At this, Megumi's lips curled up slightly. "Twice as much, huh? True, that is a bit expensive. But you know, a lovely and long night is worth a fortune. I'm happy to treat you to a drink from the mini-fridge. Wouldn't it be a waste to miss even a few minutes of tonight?"

Kotomi opened her mouth to reply but realized she'd walked right into Megumi's trap. Before she could fully react, Megumi had maneuvered her into her arms, gently lowering her onto the bed.

"Hey! Megumi, I just—didn't I just help you with that…"

"My mind is always full of ideas when it comes to you. And now that I see you wearing those white stockings, I have a few more ideas," Megumi murmured, keeping a firm hold on Kotomi's wrists.

"I-I'm on my period!" Kotomi blurted, trying to bring out her "stop signal" again.

Only, this time, Megumi was ready for it. She spoke softly, "I promise, tonight's just appetizers, no main course. Something like that deserves to be done in a special setting. Aren't you just a little disappointed by that?"

"N-no way…" Kotomi stammered, her face flushed as she turned away, feeling as if she'd been exposed.

Seeing her, Megumi just smiled and pressed her down gently. "As for when we do have our first 'main course,' I'm keeping it a surprise. I want it to be memorable, so you'd better start looking forward to it."

In her heart, Kotomi was very much looking forward to it. But she still couldn't resist adding, "And what makes you so sure you'll be the first one to have me? Better hope no one else beats you to it."

This little quip, meant to be playful, had actually touched on a very real concern for Megumi. Her smile took on a slightly more mischievous gleam.

"You've got a point. I should really thank you for the reminder. After all, you're so popular. If only I could have a fast-forward button to just skip to win—"

Her voice trailed off for a moment before she continued, "Kotomi, I'm going to kiss you now."

There was something about the way she said it that made Kotomi feel like she'd been enchanted. She closed her eyes slowly, letting Megumi's lips meet hers…

Late at night.

In Kotomi's room back at the Izumi household, Aimi lay in her sister's bed, hugging Kotomi's pajamas, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

"Just thinking of Onee-chan and Megumi spending the night in a hotel together makes me so annoyed! That big dummy promised she'd come home tonight! Is she really so distracted when she's with Megumi that she loses all track of time? My mood is ruined…there's no way Megumi would try anything with her…right?"

After saying this, she sighed in relief, though the uneasy thought kept her awake.

"It's all Megumi's fault! One day, I'll lock Kotomi up in a basement and tickle her with a cat toy! … Wait…we don't have a basement."

Shouting her frustration into the air, she did feel a little better, though the night sky outside was darkening further. The thought that she was lying here alone, unable to sleep while her sister and Megumi shared the same room made her feel even more restless.

After two hours of sleeplessness, Aimi finally reached for her laptop, pulled it onto her lap, and settled into the pillows as she turned it on. She opened her current save file in FLOWERS - Le Volume sur Printemps.

[Nerine: "To put it simply, ballet can be divided into classical ballet and contemporary ballet. Here, we're only taught classical ballet."]

[Nerine: "The purpose of offering this course is to cultivate refinement in our students."]

[Suoh: "With my height, I wouldn't suit it…"]

[Though ballet leotards are something that every girl dreams of...]

Upon reading that line, Aimi looked up at the ceiling, speaking to herself, "A ballet leotard, huh? I wonder…what Kotomi would look like in one of those? Heh, that would be amazing."

And with that, she spent the night playing FLOWERS - Le Volume sur Printemps, her mind wandering to how Kotomi might look in a ballet leotard.

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