I Was Proposed To!

After admiring herself in the mirror for a while, Kotomi turned to open her wardrobe.

It wasn't to pick out clothes—what she wore yesterday had been washed last night and was already dry after being brought in from the balcony this morning. Kotomi opened the wardrobe mainly to pick out new socks—specifically, stockings.

For some reason, she just hadn't fully adjusted yet. Yesterday, when she was out in short socks, every breeze on her exposed legs gave her a slight, chilly sensation.

Not exactly cold, but just… mortifying!

"Looks like I'll wear stockings today after all. Not that I like them, but it feels safer wearing them out," she muttered to herself, almost like a tsundere pep talk.

The white pantyhose she usually… well, preferred to wear were being washed by Aimi, so she had to choose a different pair today.

"Now that I think about it, ever since the end of summer break, Aimi's been washing her clothes every Friday. She even takes mine and washes them too. My little sister is such a thoughtful and well-behaved girl~"

Kotomi smiled, oblivious to the fact that Aimi's actions might carry a hidden motive.

After some deliberation, Kotomi finally settled on which stockings to wear.

Alright, let's go with thigh-high black stockings!

If the beauty of black thigh-high lay in the alluring "absolute territory" between the stockings and the hem of a skirt, then white thigh-high stockings' charm was in the soft pressure against the thighs, presenting a perfect view of delicately compressed skin.

Such a sight couldn't be achieved with slim legs alone; only a figure like Kotomi's, with curves in all the right places, could do them justice.

In fact, at school, countless girls envied Kotomi's legs.

Even Utaha Kasumigaoka wanted to touch them—how could anyone not be in awe?

After dressing, Kotomi headed downstairs and immediately saw her father, Izumi Kaneyoshi, in a suit, preparing to leave.

"Dad, heading to work?"

A bit drowsy, Kaneyoshi perked up instantly upon seeing Kotomi descending the stairs, lifting his spirits and exclaiming cheerfully, "Yes, I'm meeting a very important client today. Oh, by the way, your mom went to bed pretty late last night, so she might not be up in time to make breakfast."

As a parent, he never wanted to show exhaustion in front of his kids.

"Are you going without breakfast?" Kotomi asked.

"No worries—I'll just grab some bread and milk coffee at the station."

"That sounds rough, especially since it's Sunday…"

Seeing Kotomi's concern, Kaneyoshi offered a reassuring smile, warm and steady: "An adult's life is often spent side-by-side with 'hard work.' Kotomi, you're dressed so nicely—are you going out today?"

"Yes! I'm meeting Aimi to hang out."

"Today's the last day of the weekend; enjoy yourselves. I think you all have your first monthly exam when you're back, right? Are you feeling prepared?"

"Completely!" Kotomi responded, brimming with confidence.

"Then that's all that matters," Kaneyoshi nodded confidently.

Kotomi was puzzled; her confidence came from her God-Level Heroine System and its academic perks, but why was her father so certain?

She'd kept her recent academic improvement quiet, hoping to surprise her family with her upcoming scores.

Curious, she asked him directly, "Dad, are you really that sure about my grades?"

"Absolutely," Kaneyoshi replied without a second of hesitation.

"But… my high school entrance exam results were just awful," Kotomi sighed, remembering them with a touch of embarrassment.

Hadn't it been for sheer luck and a generous handful of multiple-choice questions she'd guessed correctly, she wouldn't have squeaked past the admissions line. Her score was barely a sliver higher than Yui's—not enough to brag about.

Kaneyoshi, sensing her doubt, gave her a kind smile, saying, "Just do your best. Both your mom and I have faith in you and Aimi."

"Why?"

"Because you're our daughters. It's perfectly natural for parents to believe in their children, right?" Kaneyoshi's gentle smile conveyed his sincere affection.

Glancing at his watch, Kaneyoshi picked up his worn briefcase. "Kotomi, I need to head out. Be safe when you and Aimi go out, and make sure to watch the lights when crossing."

"Got it, Dad. I'm not a kid anymore. Good luck at work!"

"Will do!" he replied, waving as he stepped out the door.

Once he was gone, Kotomi headed for the kitchen.

Mom was still asleep, so she figured she'd take the opportunity to cook breakfast herself.

It had been a while since she last put her cooking skills to the test.

Her last time in the kitchen had been at Yui's house, cooking dinner for her and her mother.

"Let's make breakfast!"

With her level-3 cooking skill, she could prepare a variety of dishes, but for breakfast, there was no need for anything overly complex.

The motto: simple, delicious, filling, done.

She cracked three eggs into a sizzling skillet. Since it was a skill she'd upgraded with her hard-earned points, she might as well use it.

The eggs smoothly slid from their shells into the pan, where they began transforming from raw to delicious.

Anyone observing her fluid handling of the pan and spatula would find it hard to believe she was only sixteen.

While the eggs cooked, Kotomi set the oven to toast three slices of bread.

Soon, the aroma of eggs mingled with the rich scent of toasted bread.

Since the Izumi family liked soft-cooked eggs, she plated the sunny-side-up eggs while the yolks were still runny and added a touch of freshly ground black pepper.

Next, she put a few German-style sausages on the stove. As they sizzled, Kotomi took ketchup from the fridge and added a little to her plate.

Although everyone in the family enjoyed runny eggs, she was the only one who liked dipping hers in ketchup.

Just then, Aimi walked downstairs in her pajamas. Hearing noises in the kitchen, she'd assumed it was their mom cooking, but instead, she saw her sister at the stove, in an apron, radiating a warm, serene energy.

She looked like the perfect, graceful wife.

Unable to hold back, Aimi wrapped her arms around Kotomi from behind, exclaiming loudly,

"I can't stand it anymore! Please marry me!!!"

Startled by Aimi's sudden "marriage proposal," Kotomi nearly dropped the spatula she was holding.

There was still a bit of hot oil on it, so if it had landed on her foot…

Ouch. Just thinking about it made her foot hurt.

"Good grief! Are you still half-asleep? Why would you just blurt out something like…"

"I'm fully awake!" Aimi said confidently, hands on her hips and chest puffed out, trying her best to look assertive in front of her sister.

Before she could say anything more, Kotomi pinched her cheeks and wiped at the corner of her eyes with her other hand.

Letting go, Kotomi then adopted the tone of a sisterly lecture: "You're already in your third year of junior high, you know! Haven't you learned to wash your face first thing after waking up? Go wash up; breakfast will take a bit longer."

"Onee-chan, I really think you're becoming more and more of a perfect wife," Aimi replied dreamily.

"Huh? Really?" Kotomi looked down at herself, but didn't notice any difference.

Aimi seized the opportunity to hug her from the front, pressing her head firmly against Kotomi's chest, rubbing her face into it affectionately.

"Definitely! So, let's get married! I'll handle making money and taking care of everything, while you stay home and be beautiful, cooking for me every day!"

"So I'm the stay-at-home wife now, huh?"

Kotomi tapped Aimi lightly on the head, mildly amused.

"Should we go straight to the municipal office to register? Actually, no, we shouldn't rush; we should fill out the marriage application first."

This doesn't count as rushing?!

"Why don't you think about our ages first?"

Aimi paused, her expression quickly falling as disappointment dawned on her face.

"Argh! Darn it! We have to wait years! They really need to update Japan's marriage laws!"

"Why are you so confident I'll marry you anyway?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Even if you refuse now, I'll start courting you from this moment on. You'll be my wife eventually!"

"Alright, alright~ I like the spirit. Now go wash up. Breakfast will be ready soon. I heard from Mom you've been skipping breakfast lately, and that's not a habit I want you picking up. Breakfast is essential," Kotomi coaxed, humoring her like a child.

After nudging Aimi to the bathroom, Kotomi quickly turned off the stove. She'd nearly burnt the sausages while distracted.

She poked one with her chopsticks. Luckily, they'd only crisped up a bit more than usual and hadn't quite burned.

Recalling what Aimi had just said and done, Kotomi sighed helplessly.

"This girl is getting… bolder every day."

Did she just get proposed to?

Though Aimi's words were so straightforward that she could dismiss them as a joke, Kotomi couldn't deny she'd been blushing.

"My cheeks feel so hot," Kotomi murmured, touching the side of her face.

By the time Aimi finished washing up and changed clothes, the toasted bread was ready. Alongside the eggs and German Nürnberger sausages, it made for a simple breakfast.

If they hadn't run out of peanut butter, Kotomi would have loved to spread some on the toast.

The crispy bread, with a smear of peanut butter, would've been the perfect combination.

For Kotomi, peanut butter on toast was far superior to the usual fruit jam.

"Wow! Did you make all this, Onee-chan? When did you learn to cook? Did you learn from Mom?" Aimi asked in amazement.

"I watch a lot of cooking videos. I woke up early today and thought I'd try it myself. Haven't tasted it yet, but it looks good," Kotomi replied.

After setting the pan and spatula aside, she opened the fridge, looking for a drink to go with breakfast.

"Hehehe, a perfect housewife~" Aimi's smile widened, clearly lost in her own thoughts.

"Less talking and more eating. Which juice do you want? Tomato or orange?"

"Orange, with ice!"

"Who drinks ice-cold juice first thing in the morning? And orange juice is already cold from being in the fridge. Why add ice?"

"Onee-chan, you don't get it. The joy of drinking juice, then crunching on the leftover ice cubes? It's next-level!"

"Yeah, no, I don't get it."

Because of her recent stomach issues, Kotomi had stayed away from cold drinks for a while—even the cola she'd had last night was room temperature.

"Pleeease, just one ice cube?"

Unable to resist Aimi's pleading, Kotomi feigned helplessness and agreed. "Fine, just one."

"Thanks, Onee-chan! You're the best! The ice is in the second-to-last freezer shelf. I froze it yesterday."

After giving Aimi her orange juice with ice, Kotomi poured herself some tomato juice and joined Aimi at the table for breakfast.

"Onee-chan, do you have any plans today?" Aimi asked, blinking expectantly.

Seeing Aimi's eager expression, Kotomi knew what she was getting at; today she'd promised to go out with Aimi for katsu.

However, she also had plans with Iroha Isshiki to go out for sukiyaki.

She'd need to divide her time well.

Following the schedule she'd worked out last night before bed, she'd have sukiyaki with Iroha in the morning and then meet Aimi for katsu in the afternoon.

This way, she could fulfill both promises in one day without them bumping into each other. Perfect plan!

Thinking about it, Kotomi smiled at Aimi and said, "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten my promise to take you for katsu today. I've turned down all other invitations! Today, even if someone asked me to save the world, I'd refuse. Nothing's more important than our plans."

Hearing this, Aimi's cheeks reddened, her eyes shining with joy.

"Gosh, Onee-chan… it's not like I'm so attached that I'm grinning over this or anything… Hehehe… So, when are we heading out?"

"Five in the afternoon, just in time for dinner," Kotomi replied.

"Afternoon, huh? That's fine… but why not go in the morning?"

Anticipating this, Kotomi had her answer ready.

"I'm experiencing a bit of writer's block with my novel, so I thought I'd spend the morning at the library to get some inspiration."

A simple excuse, yet flawless in its logic.

Since both her parents and Aimi knew about her work as a writer, writer's block was a common enough issue to justify needing time away.

Writer's block and hair loss were every author's nightmares.

In fact, there's a saying among authors:

A cup of tea, a pack of smokes, two thousand words takes all day.

"I see… Are you coming home for lunch?"

"I'm not sure how long I'll be at the library, so don't worry about me. I'll just grab something nearby."

"Alright then~ Good luck writing! By the way, when you start on a new story, could you put me in it? I'd love to be a character in one of your novels," Aimi suggested with a mischievous smile.

Putting Aimi in one of her stories?

Kotomi took a thoughtful bite of her toast.

"Let me think about it," she said after a moment of consideration.

"Yay~ When you decide what kind of story to put me in, let me know, okay?"

"No problem."

"Oh, by the way, Onee-chan…"

"Hm?"

"If you're just going to the library to work on your novel, why did you put on makeup? And why go so heavy?"

Aimi narrowed her eyes slightly, noticing something didn't add up.

Danger!

In that moment, Kotomi felt as if a huge, red "DANGER" sign had appeared over her head.

And that danger sign was very big!

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