Why Do You Smell Like Another Woman?!

As Kotomi stood at the entrance of the Dango Cake Shop, holding a neatly packaged baumkuchen, she smiled and waved goodbye.

"Take care on your way home, and come by anytime. Little Yuka would love to play with you again," Yui Yuigahama said, hoisting Yuka onto her back.

"Bye-bye, Kotomi-neechan! I'll protect the little penguin!" Yuka chirped, waving enthusiastically, her small hand tightly clutching the penguin charm Kotomi had given her.

Kotomi knelt down and ruffled Yuka's hair, unable to resist pinching her chubby cheeks again. "Take good care of that penguin, okay?"

"Hehe, I will~" Yuka giggled, clearly loving the attention.

"Hey! How come you never let me pinch your cheeks like that? You always complain when I do it," Yui pouted, pretending to be upset.

Yuka immediately went limp in her sister's arms, pretending to sleep. "Zzz... I'm asleep now, nee-chan."

Yui could only shake her head, both amused and exasperated. "This cheeky little brat..."

Kotomi laughed. "Yuka must be tired. You should take her home and let her rest. I'll head off too. See you tomorrow, Yui!"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow... Kotomi!" Yui called out, catching herself before she reverted to calling her "Izumi-san." There was a slight blush on her cheeks as she realized how much she liked using Kotomi's first name now—it made her feel closer to her.

Kotomi smiled knowingly and waved goodbye. Yui would get used to it soon enough.

When Kotomi finally returned home, barely forty minutes had passed since school ended. Normally, she would still be at the art club during this time, painting or sketching. The satisfaction of having taken a break and indulging in a little "me time" was immeasurable. Nothing compared to the joy of slacking off every now and then!

As she entered the living room, her younger sister, Aimi, who had been lounging on the sofa, turned around, surprised to see Kotomi back so early.

"Whoa, you're back already, Onee-chan? What happened?"

"Art club finished early today," Kotomi lied smoothly, holding up the box of baumkuchen. "Since I had some extra time, I dropped by the Dango Cake Shop and picked up some of my favorite cake. Want some?"

Aimi raised an eyebrow. "Again with the baumkuchen? You really like that stuff, don't you?"

"Hehe, I love all desserts that aren't chocolate~" Kotomi teased as she prepared to dig in.

Aimi sighed, sitting up and rolling her eyes. "Wait, wait! Save me a piece, and don't just start eating it with your hands like some barbarian!"

Kotomi grinned mischievously, but as Aimi approached her, she suddenly stopped short, sniffing the air suspiciously. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Wait... why do you smell like... baby powder?"

Kotomi froze, caught off guard. What kind of nose does she have?! She had only held Yuka for a little while, yet Aimi had noticed the lingering scent.

"Are you a bloodhound or something?" Kotomi tried to deflect.

"Don't change the subject! Who did you hug?!" Aimi demanded, eyes glinting with suspicion.

Seeing no way out, Kotomi sighed. "Alright, alright. I stopped by Yui Yuigahama's place to pick up her little sister, Yuka. She's just a kid, so I gave her a hug. She's adorable, and that's where the baby smell came from. Happy now?"

Aimi blinked, piecing the story together. "Wait... you went to pick up Yui's little sister? And who's this Yui anyway?"

"She's just a classmate of mine," Kotomi explained, realizing why Aimi was starting to get jealous. "Yuka is still in kindergarten, in the toddler class."

Aimi visibly relaxed, the tension leaving her shoulders. "Oh, I see... a kid, huh? Well, as long as she's not competition... You do smell pretty nice with that baby powder scent, though. Maybe you should start drinking baby formula, Onee-chan!" Aimi teased.

Kotomi rolled her eyes, raising her hand in mock warning. "Watch it, or I'll smack you!"

After sharing the baumkuchen, Kotomi leaned back, satisfied. She had already eaten takoyaki, a slice of taro cream cake, French butter biscuits, and now the baumkuchen. Her stomach felt pleasantly full, but maybe... just a bit too full.

"Mom, what's for dinner tonight?" Kotomi called, peeking into the kitchen where her mother, Akina, was preparing vegetables.

"Beef curry, cream stew, and fried chicken—your favorites!" Akina replied, smiling.

"Ugh... Thanks, Mom..." Kotomi groaned, rubbing her belly. She loved cream stew, but after all the snacking, she wasn't sure she'd be able to eat dinner.

She knew she needed to work off some of the food before dinner, so she decided the best way was to go for a run.

"Alright, time to change into my workout clothes and go for a couple of laps around the block!" she declared with newfound resolve.

However, no sooner had she sat down on her bed to change, Kotomi's phone buzzed with a notification.

"Oh, the new event in Azur Lane just started! I'll just... check it out for a few minutes..." Kotomi thought as she opened the app.

A minute later, her workout clothes lay abandoned on the bed, and Kotomi was sprawled comfortably, engrossed in her game.

"Who has time to run when there's an event to grind? Priorities!" Kotomi murmured as she began strategizing how to clear the event shop.

Her goal was simple—move at her own pace and completely clear out the shop.

For now, running could wait.