Equivalent Exchange

Kotomi sniffed slightly, catching an unmistakable whiff of "jealousy" lingering in the air. Even if she didn't sense the scent, Megumi's tone alone made it perfectly clear.

Carefully, Kotomi leaned close, her face a picture of uncertainty. Nervously, she asked, "Megumi, are you… maybe a little jealous?"

"What do you think, Ms. Amazing Manga Artist, Kotomi~sensei?"

Oh, if this isn't jealousy, then I'll wash up, dress nice, and deliver myself to Megumi's doorstep tonight! Kotomi thought to herself.

"Megumi, I really didn't have any plans to flirt with that girl, even though she was very pretty. I just admired her for a moment, that's all. Honestly, she looks quite a bit older than me, and I don't think I could handle it—I'd probably end up being the one that gets eaten up."

This wasn't just a line to appease Megumi; it was genuinely how Kotomi felt. Even though she had joked about getting the woman's number, she had no real intention of it—at least not much more than a tiny bit.

Whether Kotomi's explanation helped calm Megumi down or not, it seemed to do the trick. Megumi lowered her hand, which had been poised and ready to squeeze Kotomi's backside again. Her irritation was fading, though she felt a hint of regret at losing the excuse to give Kotomi's adorable tush a few more squeezes.

Seriously, why did you have to explain yourself so quickly, babe? Now I don't even have a reason to pinch you! Megumi huffed to herself.

Seeing that Megumi hadn't responded, Kotomi grew nervous. She leaned in again, more cautiously, and asked, "Megumi… Are you still mad at me?"

Seeing Kotomi's timid expression, Megumi's lips curled into a mischievous smile. Adjusting her expression to maintain her "annoyed" façade, she said, "Oh, I'm definitely still mad. But if you want me to let it go, you'll have to agree to one condition."

Kotomi's shoulders tensed at that, her instincts telling her that whatever this condition was, it was likely a bad idea. What if she asks me to buy her a new purse?! A chill ran down Kotomi's spine. Although she had over a million yen in savings, the thought of dropping 200,000 yen on a designer purse made her want to grab her wallet and flee.

Spotting the "money crisis" panic on Kotomi's face, Megumi couldn't help but laugh. This silly girl—she's totally thinking this has something to do with money, isn't she?

"Oh, don't worry, Kotomi; it's not something that'll cost you money…"

"Huh? Not about money? Oh, that's fine, then. Alright, what is it? Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it!" Relieved that she wouldn't be spending money, Kotomi sat up straighter, her confidence fully restored.

Megumi gave her a faint smile, her voice soft but intent. "Well, I happen to really like your penguin pajamas…"

"Eh? You want my penguin pajamas? Sure! I have a few of the same pair back home." Kotomi answered readily, her tone generous.

Hearing this, Megumi felt she'd stumbled upon a new opportunity. That's right—Kotomi's pajamas! If I could go to sleep holding the pajamas she wore, it'd almost be like having her in my arms… Wait, no! I can't settle for a small victory like that!

Clearing her throat, Megumi continued, "Ahem. Actually, it's not that. After you sent that selfie in your pajamas yesterday, I thought you looked adorable in them. But one photo wasn't enough, so when you get home, could you send me a few more selfies in those penguin pajamas?"

Megumi tried her best to seem focused on the pajamas themselves, rather than the wearer. She emphasized "penguin pajamas" to mask her true intentions, even though it was Kotomi herself she wanted to see.

Selfies? Of me… in pajamas?

Kotomi blinked, a little taken aback by the request. But after thinking it over, she nodded, agreeing to Megumi's condition.

Seeing Kotomi's agreement, a satisfied smile crept onto Megumi's lips as she said, "Of course, I wouldn't ask you to fulfill my condition without giving you something in return. As an equivalent exchange, since you're doing something for me, I'll grant you one request as well."

"Huh? I get to make a request too?"

"That's right."

"Oh… well, let me think about it…" Kotomi murmured. Knowing how rare this opportunity was, she wanted to be careful, pondering her request for quite a while.

Megumi didn't rush her, patiently waiting for Kotomi to make her decision.

As they finally exited the Tokyo Monorail station, Kotomi turned to Megumi, her expression serious.

"Megumi, I thought of my request."

"Alright, what would you like me to do?"

"Whatever I do in the future, you have to forgive me." Kotomi stated firmly.

She had spent the last leg of the journey on the monorail considering this. After much thought, Kotomi realized that this was the one thing she truly wanted from Megumi.

Hearing this, Megumi paused for a moment, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"I promise~"

Kotomi let out a sigh of relief, flagging down a nearby taxi to take them to Aqua Park.

Though the walk wasn't very long, Kotomi's current "low-energy" state, thanks to her period, made it wiser to pay for a taxi.

In Chiba City, Higashigawa Apartments, Building B, 29th Floor—

Arisu Sakayanagi was getting dressed with her maid's help.

Though "help" was a loose term, as all the maid could really do these days was hand Arisu her clothes.

Arisu's maid, Atsuki, had been with the Sakayanagi family for 23 years.

She'd practically raised Arisu, having served the family for as long as she had.

When Arisu started high school, she decided to rent a place in Chiba City to make her commute easier, and her parents, trusting Atsuki, had sent her to accompany Arisu in Chiba City.

"Atsuki, this outfit you picked out for me today looks lovely," Arisu said, propping herself on her cane as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror.

It felt nice to wear a fresh outfit.

"It's all because you look so lovely, Miss Arisu. You make anything you wear look perfect~" Atsuki replied with a warm smile.

"I'm going to grab the aquarium tickets; have you got the car keys ready?"

"Of course."

Arisu hobbled over to her desk, pulling out a ticket for Aqua Park from the drawer. Inside the drawer lay two tickets, one of which she had initially intended to give to Kotomi.

She had hoped Kotomi would go with her to the aquarium. But her invitation had been politely turned down.

So, now the extra ticket remained in her drawer, tucked away as a keepsake.

"Miss, why are you only taking one ticket? Wasn't the other one especially prepared for Miss Izumi?" Atsuki asked in surprise upon seeing Arisu take only one aquarium ticket. She had purchased both tickets on Sakayanagi's behalf and was aware that the second ticket was specifically meant for Kotomi.

At the mention of this, Sakayanagi shook her head with a hint of sadness, saying softly, "Ah, I forgot to tell you. Kotomi declined my invitation."

"What?! Miss Izumi actually turned down your invitation!" Atsuki was shocked and found the idea unfathomable. To her, the chance to go somewhere with Arisu was an unimaginable honor. Being invited by Sakayanagi was practically a dream come true.

But it really had happened—Arisu had personally extended an invitation. And yet, Kotomi had refused.

If she could, Atsuki would have immediately tracked down this "Miss Izumi," grabbed her by the shoulders, and shaken her, demanding to know why she would refuse her mistress.

"It's understandable," Arisu said gently, a slight smile on her lips. "Everyone has their own plans on the weekend. Kotomi turned me down because she was already busy. If she had been free, I'm sure she would have agreed to come to the aquarium with me. In fact, she'd only go to the aquarium with me." She spoke with unwavering confidence.

"What makes you so certain, Miss?" Atsuki asked, curious.

"Because it's our promise," Arisu replied with a soft laugh, her gaze growing tender as if lost in memories.

Ever since the moment you kissed me, I've been in love with you, Kotomi. You must feel the same, don't you? I can't wait for you to become my girlfriend someday, Arisu thought, her eyes sparkling.

Once she had her beret in place, Arisu and Atsuki left the apartment and headed to the underground parking lot.

After they were on the road, Atsuki spoke to Sakayanagi, seated in the back, "Miss, we're lucky to have missed the rush hour. Once we get on the expressway, we should be at Aqua Park in Shinagawa in about an hour and ten minutes."

"Alright. Once we're there, I'd like to go in and look around on my own. You're welcome to explore elsewhere, or simply wait outside for me."

Atsuki chuckled. "I've been to Shinagawa plenty of times since I used to skip classes and wander around here. I'll just wait in the aquarium parking lot. If anything comes up, don't hesitate to call me."

"That works too. By the way, could you find a good restaurant in Shinagawa for lunch? There's a seafood restaurant inside Aqua Park, but since I had paella last night, I'm not in the mood for seafood today."

Pondering her request, Atsuki responded thoughtfully, "A lot of Western-style restaurants in Shinagawa have chains elsewhere, so it's hard to find anything particularly unique. Why not try some traditional Japanese cuisine for lunch?"

"Japanese cuisine sounds like a nice change. Let's go with that. And for dinner… I feel like having a burger, fries, and maybe some fried chicken. Do you think we could swing by Burger King on the way home?"

"Well… Miss, burgers and fast food really aren't the healthiest choices. Wouldn't you rather have a homemade burger instead?"

"Burgers and hamburger steaks aren't the same, you know. It's decided, then. Tonight, I'll have a Double Cheeseburger and a Whopper."

"Alright, alright. There's actually a Burger King here in Shinagawa, and I think they're running some kind of promotion right now."

"But I like the one in Chiba City better."

"Understood. On the way home, we'll take a slight detour to Burger King. By the way, Miss, Japan has plenty of burger chains, so why are you so loyal to Burger King?"

"Oh, that has to do with Kotomi."

"Huh? Miss Izumi again?" Atsuki's curiosity piqued. She had met Kotomi once years ago, and she vividly remembered that meeting.

"Yes, it was Kotomi. I remember one time I dragged her to the park to play, and I completely exhausted her and made her cry. Do you know why she was crying? It wasn't because she was tired but because she was starving. The two jelly cups I had weren't enough to fill her up. Watching her cry more and more pitifully, I decided to take her to the Burger King near the park since I had some pocket money."

"Crying because she was hungry… Miss Izumi really is full of surprises. Even though I only met her once, she seemed like a girl who wouldn't have a huge appetite."

"No one knows Kotomi's appetite better than I do. Back then, Burger King had this limited-edition Whopper with seven layers of beef, and Kotomi ate ten of those on her own. She even stole my fries!"

"Pardon my asking, but how old was Miss Izumi at the time?"

"She's the same age as me. That year, she was six. She ate so much she couldn't walk afterward, so I had to find a cardboard box, put her in it, and drag it behind my scooter to take her back home."

"Miss, you're truly remarkable."

Elsewhere, Kotomi and Megumi stepped out of their taxi and could already see Aqua Park in the distance. They'd gotten out a few blocks away because—

Since they were already in Shinagawa, they could afford to relax a bit. Before heading to the aquarium, they decided to stop by a bubble tea shop.

Near Aqua Park, right by their drop-off point, was a popular bubble tea shop with a long line out front, even on weekdays.

"Hi there! I'll have an iced orange yogurt tea!" Kotomi announced eagerly.

Megumi quickly covered Kotomi's mouth, intercepting her order, "Hi, I'll order for both of us. Her orange yogurt tea, no ice—room temperature, please. And I'll have a thick taro milk tea. Thanks."

After paying, Megumi finally released Kotomi's mouth and leaned close, whispering, "You really want to risk adding ice while you're on your period? Do you want to end up bleeding out in the bubble tea shop?"

"Oh… I almost forgot." Kotomi's cheeks flushed.

When she had covered Kotomi's mouth, Megumi's fingers had…

It was as if they'd slipped slightly into her mouth...

Surely it wasn't on purpose, right? Kotomi wondered, feeling her face flush.

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