Yuigahama Household.
After finishing her bath, Tomoka Yuigahama wrapped herself in a robe that barely concealed her mature figure. Since it was just a casual bathrobe for home use, its coverage was quite limited.
"Mom, you were in the bathroom for such a long time," Yui Yuigahama commented absentmindedly upon seeing her mother step out.
Normally, her mother took quick showers, rarely exceeding twenty-five minutes. But today, she had been in there for nearly an hour.
Perhaps due to the lingering warmth from the hot bath, a faint blush dusted Tomoka's elegant yet slightly playful face. Her gaze unconsciously flickered away.
"Mom was just a bit tired today. When you're exhausted, a hot bath feels extra comforting, but it also makes you a little lazy. If I weren't worried about catching a cold, I might've just stayed soaking in there all night."
"If you did that, you'd definitely end up with a serious cold—just like when Yuka snuck into the fridge dressed as a penguin while we weren't paying attention and ended up sick that same night," Yui quipped, taking the opportunity to tease her mischievous little sister.
Chasing after Kotomi Izumi and calling her "Little Penguin" wasn't enough for Yuka; she had to take it a step further and pretend to be a penguin herself. After getting her a penguin onesie, Yui had thought that would satisfy her. But while Yui was helping their mom move some things, Yuka had already put on the onesie and climbed into the fridge, proudly declaring that she was "a penguin from the Arctic."
They had hurried to pull her out, but by nighttime, she had still come down with a cold.
Yuka, as usual, had a comment that came out of nowhere: "Mom didn't drown in the spring water, did she?"
Yui: "Silly girl, the water in the bath is called bathwater, not spring water."
Yuka had been watching a lot of fantasy anime lately. In those shows, elves often bathed in mystical springs, and whenever that scene appeared, she would watch with great concentration—not because of the elves themselves, but because of the ornate platters of exotic fruits floating on the water.
Her full attention was on those fruits, and she would often beg to eat them. Of course, the fantastical fruits from Western fantasy anime were purely fictional, something that obviously didn't exist in real life.
Thinking about it now, it was probably those anime that made Yuka mix up bathwater with "spring water."
Hearing Yui's correction, Yuka didn't argue. Instead, she obediently curled up on her sister's lap and continued watching her show.
"Yuka, you shouldn't lie on the couch while watching TV," Tomoka reminded, feeling like she had been too busy this past month and had been neglecting her youngest daughter's discipline.
"I'm not lying on the couch; I'm lying on Onee-chan's lap! Right, Onee-chan?" Yuka declared confidently, completely self-assured.
"Onee-chan can't feel her legs anymore..."
Yui slumped against the sofa like a dried-up fish. She was absolutely certain—Yuka had gained weight recently. And not just a little.
At the beginning of the year, Yuka could rest on her lap with no issue. But today, the moment she plopped down, Yui immediately felt the added weight.
After just ten minutes, Yui's legs no longer felt like they belonged to her—they were completely numb, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
"Mom, if you still want your eldest daughter to be able to walk normally in the future, please take this tiny troublemaker off my legs. I... I can't hold on much longer..."
Yui weakly groaned. Seeing her daughter's state, Tomoka finally realized that Yuka had gained some weight recently. If she continued flopping onto people's laps like before, the experience for the person underneath would no longer be pleasant!
Quickly, Tomoka lifted Yuka off Yui's legs. Yui let out a sharp breath as the weight was lifted, needing a long moment before she regained feeling in her legs.
"Yuka, you shouldn't always lie on your sister's lap."
"Then how about Mom's lap?"
"Mom's lap isn't an option either! You need to start being aware of your own weight!" Tomoka scolded lightly, pinching Yuka's chubby cheeks.
Sure enough, she was at the age where baby fat was at its peak. Her little cheeks had gotten even rounder lately, and pinching both sides at once felt almost like squeezing a hamster's tiny face.
Still, it was proof that Yuka was growing up healthily. Thinking about how both of her daughters were growing strong, Tomoka couldn't help but smile.
Her daughters were the sole reason she tirelessly balanced her illustration work and managing the cake shop. Without them, the strong woman she was today would likely crumble in an instant.
Now deprived of both her mother's and sister's laps, Yuka pouted in displeasure.
"Next time I see Little Penguin-nee, I'm going to lie on her lap! It's the comfiest place in the whole world!"
"Absolutely not! Kotomi likes you a lot, but when she visits, she's a guest. You can't just push your luck like that!" Tomoka quickly reprimanded the moment she heard Yuka mention Kotomi.
"Oh—so that's how it is? But the solution is simple! If Little Penguin-nee becomes family, then it won't be a problem! Onee-chan, you should just marry Little Penguin-nee!"
"Eh?! W-What nonsense are you spouting?!"
Yuka's innocent yet sharp remark struck directly at Yui's true feelings. Flustered, Yui's face turned red as she quickly avoided eye contact, pretending not to hear.
Tomoka took note of her eldest daughter's reaction, and her gaze darkened slightly as she recalled overhearing Yui's mutterings from before. Her emotions swirled into a complicated storm.
If she had learned at the very beginning that Yui had feelings for Kotomi, she would have simply been happy. She was an open-minded mother, after all.
As long as the other person was a good girl, she wouldn't mind if Yui had a relationship early, nor would it matter that they were both girls. As Yui's mother, she would have sincerely given them her blessing. After all, love doesn't follow a set schedule, nor does it concern itself with what's considered "right" or "wrong."
But now that she truly understood Yui's feelings, Tomoka felt conflicted. It was as if a dozen different emotions had been thrown into a jar and shaken together—impossible to describe.
Yuka, noticing the odd atmosphere, glanced between her sister and mother before bluntly stating:
"Sigh... Onee-chan, you're such a coward. You like Little Penguin-nee so much it's obvious. Why not just say it outright? She's not even here right now, so what's there to be embarrassed about? "
"Or do we need Mom to be the one to marry Little Penguin-nee instead? Go for it, Mom!"
Tomoka's face turned bright red, as if Yuka's words had struck a nerve. Flustered, she quickly said, "K-Yuka! You can't joke about Mom like that!"
"Yeah, yeah, Yuka, you shouldn't say such things," Yui added, her tone unusually serious. "And you absolutely can't say that to Kotomi either! What if she hears it and gets upset? Do you want Little Penguin-nee to be so angry that she never talks to you again, never visits, and never buys you snacks ever again?"
Hearing the combined scolding from both her mother and sister, Yuka pouted, her small face full of confusion. She could tell that both her mom and sister liked Little Penguin-nee—it was so obvious! So why wouldn't they just admit it? Didn't Mom always say that lying was bad?
Because of Yuka's comment, Tomoka suddenly felt too self-conscious to stay in front of Yui any longer. Clearing her throat, she set Yuka down beside Yui and said,
"Yui, I'm heading to bed first. Make sure Yuka takes a bath and goes to sleep on time."
"Got it, Mom!" Yui immediately agreed. This was part of her daily routine anyway.
Tomoka had originally planned to sit and chat with her daughters a little longer, but Yuka's remark had instantly reminded her of what the bookstore owner had said to her that afternoon. Her cheeks burned slightly, and when she accidentally met Yui's gaze, she felt so flustered that she wanted to disappear. She didn't dare stay another second, afraid that if she lingered, Yui might notice something.
Quickening her pace, she returned to her bedroom. Only after shutting the door did she finally let out a long breath and lean against it.
Tomoka, didn't you notice? That girl, Kotomi, likes you.
Recalling what the bookstore owner had said, Tomoka had initially taken it as a joke. She had been about to laugh it off when she noticed the serious look in the woman's eyes.
"Wait... You're seriously asking me this?" Tomoka had shrunk back slightly.
"Of course. I may be a lifelong single, but I've weathered the ups and downs of life for years. If nothing else, I'm good at reading people—especially someone like Kotomi, who acts mature but is, at the end of the day, still just a high school girl. Seeing through her little thoughts is practically effortless."
"The way she behaved when she was sitting with you earlier? Her small, subconscious actions and expressions? They all give away the truth."
"At her age, kids still think they can hide their emotions, that they're more mature than they actually are. And sure, they can fool most people. But to someone like me, who specialized in psychology, it's easy to see what she's really thinking—even if she hasn't realized it herself yet."
"Maybe you're just overthinking it?" Tomoka had retorted, her cheeks heating up. Why did it feel like the bookstore owner was describing her, too?
Though the woman now ran a bookstore café, she had specialized in psychology during her university years, graduating with a doctorate and easily earning a certified psychologist's license. Her future had been nothing but bright. Her professors had placed high expectations on her, believing she was a rising star in the field of psychology.
After graduating from university, she had immediately taken a job at an internet company... and never looked back.
For eight years, she lived frugally, saving up every yen. Then, she finally returned to her hometown of Chiba City and fulfilled her dream of opening her own café bookstore.
When her former university professor heard about it, he was so furious that he couldn't eat for two days.
But no matter what, the foundation of psychology she had built in university remained. The bookstore owner simply shrugged and continued,
"A person's subconscious feelings—the ones they themselves haven't even noticed—are the most direct and genuine. There's no room for pretense because they aren't even aware of them in the first place. In other words, these subconscious reactions are a person's purest emotions. Since they haven't recognized them yet, how could they possibly disguise or modify them?"
Tomoka sat there, stunned, completely at a loss. She didn't even notice how long she had been gripping her hot coffee cup until she realized her palms were turning red from the heat. Fortunately, it wasn't enough to burn her—if she injured her hands, she wouldn't be able to draw for a while, and right now, her illustration career was on the rise. She couldn't afford to take a break.
Thinking back to her conversation at the café bookstore, Tomoka sat at her computer, hoping to distract herself by drawing so she wouldn't dwell on it too much.
But it was a hopeless loop—the more she tried to ignore it, the more it occupied her mind. She sat in front of her computer for what felt like ages, not even realizing when she had turned on her tablet. Yet, she hadn't drawn a single stroke.
Tomoka ran a hand through her hair, absentmindedly tapping her stylus against the desk as memories of Kotomi Izumi replayed in her mind.
"Does Kotomi... really like me?"
If that was true...
"Ugh, if she really does like me, then what am I supposed to do? Could it be that she never liked Yui, but instead... she's liked me this whole time?! Ughhh... AHHH... WHY DID I NEVER NOTICE?!"
The stylus slipped from her fingers and fell onto the tatami mat. Tomoka slumped back into her chair, completely drained. Despite the ridiculousness of sitting there in her pajamas, clutching her head in despair, her thoughts were so chaotic that she couldn't bring herself to care. If it weren't so late at night, she might have stormed over to Kotomi's place that very second, grabbed her by the shoulders, and demanded an explanation.
"She likes me, not Yui?! Why in the world would Kotomi fall for an old lady like me?!"
...
After Sword Art Online Volume 1 was released, Kotomi Izumi had fantasized about a future where she could live off her writing without needing to work too hard.
She imagined herself leisurely playing video games all day, never having to work overtime, and still earning a high income—more specifically, never having to rush her manuscripts while still making enough to reach the billion-yen mark effortlessly. No more stressing over ridiculous housing prices. Every day, she could eat the best food imaginable.
That was Kotomi Izumi's ultimate dream.
Saturday.
This morning, Kotomi had miraculously eaten only five bowls of ramen before feeling full. She then sprinted back to her bedroom and sat anxiously in her chair, waiting for Haruno Yukinoshita's call.
They had agreed beforehand—since Volume 1 of her novel hit the shelves on the 15th, the first-day sales numbers would be available on the 16th.
And today was the 16th!
No matter how confident Kotomi had been before, at this moment, she was too nervous to even open the Dengeki Bunko website. Instead, she fidgeted in her seat, anxiously waiting for Haruno's call to give her the results from the first day of sales.
With the amount of hype her book had generated, the numbers shouldn't be bad.
Would this be the day she ascended—or the day she crashed and burned?
Everything depended on the sales report today!
Ring Ring Ring!
Haruno's call came in abruptly, making Kotomi jump. In an instant, she snatched her phone from the desk, not wanting to waste even a second before answering.
"H-Haruno! Good morning!"
"K-Kotomi! Good morning! Are you feeling pumped up?!"
Haruno's voice carried just as much tension as Kotomi's.
"Whether I'm energized or utterly crushed depends on the sales numbers," Kotomi said seriously, clenching her small fists tightly.
Hearing how prepared Kotomi sounded, Haruno took a deep breath and spoke carefully, word by word:
"Kotomi, the sales figures are in. I'm about to tell you exactly how many copies Sword Art Online Volume 1 sold on its first day."
"Haruno... are your teeth chattering? Are you nervous?"
"Y-you're the one whose teeth are chattering! And louder than mine, too!"
"Ugh... this feels just like checking my college entrance exam scores."
"What are you talking about? You're only a first-year in high school! You haven't even taken the exams yet! If anyone should be reminiscing about that, it's me!"
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