Too Young for Forbidden Truths

With a meat bun still in her mouth, Izumi Kotomi froze for a moment, her mind processing Megumi Kato's words. She absentmindedly chewed and swallowed the bun first—no matter how shocking the news, she had to finish her meal before reacting.

Once the bun was fully consumed, Kotomi's face finally registered the shock she felt. She turned to Megumi, her expression filled with disbelief.

Seeing Kotomi's "food first, emotions later" attitude, Megumi couldn't help but laugh.

"You're just too cute!" she exclaimed, then clarified, "I'm just teasing you. My mom didn't really say that. She just asked when I was going to invite you over for dinner."

Relieved, Kotomi let out a sigh. "So that's what it was… an invitation for dinner."

But then a thought occurred to her—why did it seem like both her own mother and Megumi's mother had the same way of doing things? Both of them inviting each other over for meals. Were they secretly conspiring together?

"Would you like to come over?" Megumi asked again.

"Sure," Kotomi replied without much thought, nodding in agreement.

And just like that, the arrangement for Kotomi to visit Megumi's home for dinner was settled. As for when, Megumi said she'd check with her mom and let Kotomi know.

After finishing their meal, Megumi took care of the checkout, and the two of them left the hotel together.

Kotomi walked Megumi to the entrance of the train station.

"I'll stop here. Megumi, send me a message when you get home, okay?"

"Will do. See you on Monday!"

"See you."

After saying goodbye to Megumi, Kotomi decided to wander around the streets for a bit. She came across a bookstore that looked interesting and decided to pass some time there before lunch.

The bookstore had a nice feature: after purchasing a book, you could head to the second floor to sit and read in a quiet lounge area. Kotomi picked out a few manga that piqued her interest and was heading to the checkout when she noticed something curious—a section of the store was blocked off by a black curtain.

On the curtain was a bold, red circle with a large "18" in the middle.

As someone well-versed in certain "genres," Kotomi instantly knew what the "18" signified.

Aha! So this is one of those forbidden sections… the ones that sell things not for the eyes of young boys and girls. She thought, her curiosity piqued.

Though she now appeared to be a 16-year-old high school girl, in her previous life, she had already been 17. With her current age and her past life combined, that made her effectively 33! That's totally adult enough! she reasoned.

"Ahh, it's time to lift the veil and reveal the forbidden truth!" Kotomi thought mischievously, stepping forward to part the black curtain and enter the restricted area.

But just before she could step inside, a store employee appeared and gently steered her away.

"Alright, young lady," the staff member said kindly, "you're a bit too early to be exploring this section. Maybe come back in another eight years, okay?"

Kotomi stood there dumbfounded, her stack of manga still in her arms as the employee smiled and returned to her duties. The employee's words echoed in Kotomi's mind for a few moments before she finally snapped back to reality.

"What… what do you mean eight years?! I'm 16! It should only be two years, not eight!" Kotomi fumed, stamping her feet in frustration.

Did the staff think she looked like a 10-year-old?

Sure, she knew she had a youthful appearance, but there was no way she looked that young! Huffing with indignation, Kotomi resigned herself to paying for her regular, all-ages manga and left the checkout counter feeling a bit deflated.

She went upstairs to the lounge area and settled in with her new books, planning to pass a couple of hours before lunch.

While she was halfway through one of the manga volumes, her phone buzzed with a message from Megumi, letting her know she had arrived home safely. Kotomi replied briefly, then went back to reading.

Before she knew it, three hours had passed. Realizing it was time for lunch, Kotomi decided to grab a quick bite at a burger shop before heading to an internet café. She rented a private booth, locked the door, and took a refreshing nap.

Later in the afternoon, her alarm rang, waking her up just in time for her meeting. She left the café, making sure to grab a bottle of Sprite on her way out, planning to sip it on the way to Dengeki Bunko.

The train ride into Tokyo's central district didn't take long, and she arrived at the Dengeki Bunko office building with three minutes to spare.

As she walked into the building, she noticed that the receptionist on duty was once again Saka Sakura.

Kotomi greeted her with a bright smile and handed over the bottle of Sprite she had just purchased, still unopened.

Seeing the gesture, Sakura was momentarily taken aback but soon burst into laughter.

"Kotomi-chan, you're just too sweet! Thank you for the drink," Sakura said, patting Kotomi's head affectionately.

Kotomi smiled sheepishly. She had already learned from Yukino about the receptionist's role, and this small gift was her way of fostering a good relationship. It was a little gesture, but to Kotomi, every detail mattered.

Although Kotomi no longer had to fill out visitor forms every time she came, she still made a point of stopping by to chat with Sakura before heading upstairs. Building rapport was important, and giving back—even if it was just a small soda—was her way of showing gratitude.

After chatting for a few minutes, Kotomi bid Sakura farewell and took the elevator up to the second floor.

As the elevator doors opened, Kotomi immediately spotted Yukinoshita Haruno waiting for her nearby.

The moment she stepped out, Haruno noticed her and waved. Walking over, she greeted Kotomi with a smile.

"Good afternoon, Kotomi-sensei. Hanayui-sensei is running a bit late, so why don't I take you to the conference room to rest for a bit?" Haruno suggested.

"Sure," Kotomi agreed, following Haruno to the meeting room.