Kotomi Izumi was dumbfounded.
She had known from the beginning that the Queen of All Females came with side effects. But because nothing had ever happened before—and the side effect only supposedly triggered when she went too long without physical affection from girls—she hadn't taken it seriously.
And when it came to physical affection with girls... well, Kotomi was confident. With Megumi Kato alone, they were practically cuddling every week. Keeping the side effects at bay should've been no problem.
But now, despite all that high-frequency cuddling, the side effect had suddenly erupted.
Quietly—but catastrophically.
If she hadn't popped a mint, and the chill hadn't snapped her out of it, she might've still been caught in that first outbreak without knowing it.
Thankfully it had only gone as far as kissing. If she had lost control and taken things further, Kotomi honestly didn't know how she'd face Megumi or Mashiro again.
Should she try saying something like, "You're both my wings" and hope for the best?
Wiping sweat from her brow, Kotomi felt extremely frustrated. Why had the side effect gone off despite her cuddles with Megumi? Could it be that Kazumi had been lying when she said affection could suppress it?
Just thinking about it made Kotomi's fists clench.
Kazumi, sensing the danger, instantly shielded her head like it was muscle memory.
"Uwah—why do you always try to hit me the second something goes wrong?! Kotobaby, do you just like looking for reasons to thump me?!"
"Nope. Just trying to get a little closer to you. After all, didn't you say physical affection with girls helps ease the side effects of the Queen Physique~?"
Kazumi caught on immediately. "Well, that's true! But ever since your reincarnation, you haven't had any real affection!"
"Impossible! Megumi and I cuddle at least two or three times a week. Sometimes four or five."
At this point, Kotomi didn't care about embarrassment anymore. There was zero pressure revealing this to Kazumi. Besides, she was pretty sure Kazumi had peeked inside plenty during those moments anyway.
Kazumi pouted, her jealousy flaring again. "If you didn't eat the main course, it doesn't count! Don't go calling that real affection, you fraud!"
Then, with a glint of mischief, Kazumi added:
"But seriously—after all that with Megumi, and you've still never gone all the way. You're still a first-timer. That's weird. If it were me, we'd be talking about baby names by now. Hmph."
"Could it be... Megumi's just not up for it? How tragic. Let's hope she finds her confidence someday~"
Kotomi instantly grasped the meaning behind Kazumi's snide remark. Thankfully Megumi wasn't around—otherwise it would've turned into a full-blown catfight. And if Aimi were present too, she'd probably join in and take Kazumi's side.
That thought alone gave Kotomi a headache.
Megumi and Aimi's relationship hadn't improved in the slightest. Every time they saw each other, it was guaranteed to end in an argument.
And it was always Aimi who started it—playful but brash, provoking Megumi until she got steamrolled, then sulking as she ran back to Kotomi with teary eyes to complain:
"Onee-chan, Megumi's such a meanie, she bullied me again!"
With Megumi on one side and Aimi on the other, Kotomi always felt like she was stuck in a pincer attack.
Kotomi shook her head and firmly rejected Kazumi's speculation—she knew perfectly well whether Megumi Kato was "capable" or not. Every time, she practically shook the bed apart.
The reason they hadn't gone all the way with the "main dish" was because Megumi didn't want to rush it; she wanted it to have significance.
Meaningful, huh... Kotomi thought, her cheeks involuntarily flushing red.
Kazumi saw the look and pouted again, then interrupted Kotomi's reverie and continued:
"Anyway, even though you and Megumi have 'stuck close' a lot, none of those times count because you never got to the 'main dish.' Even when Mashiro pinned you down and kissed you, that didn't count either."
"In other words, since your reincarnation, nearly two months have passed, and you haven't 'stuck close' even once. Yet you've been constantly using the Queen of All Females constitution. The accumulated side effects are already like an ocean!"
"If the balance tips and everything explodes, it won't be as easy as it was today."
After hearing Kazumi's warning, Kotomi broke out in a cold sweat. It wasn't that she was terribly afraid of the Queen of All Females' side effects—it was the uncertainty of when it would explode that terrified her.
It could be tomorrow, the day after, or even the very next second.
It was basically a ticking time bomb.
Kotomi sighed with a complicated expression and said with difficulty:
"I feel like Shinji Ikari standing by Asuka's hospital bed—caught between charging forward and holding back. Actually, charging is wrong, and not charging is also wrong."
Kazumi stared at Kotomi, dumbfounded. Kotomi was definitely Kotomi.
Kazumi had come out using Time Stop just to tell Kotomi that the accumulated side effects of the Queen of All Females were getting dangerous, and if she didn't find a way to relieve them, it might fully explode.
But how exactly was she supposed to relieve it?
Kotomi and Kazumi looked at each other in silence, neither able to come up with a good idea. They could only take things step by step and hope the problem would resolve itself naturally.
Kazumi hugged Kotomi tightly, their noses touching as she dissolved back into Kotomi's body. Just before disappearing, she whispered into Kotomi's ear:
"I don't really get it, but if you want... I can help you relieve it too."
With that, Kazumi returned to Kotomi's body.
Time resumed.
The once frozen, bustling nighttime traffic flowed once more.
"Professor Kanagawa," Kotomi suddenly spoke.
"Hm? What is it?"
"This box of mints—where did you buy it? It's really good."
"Oh, it's just a regular box of mints. If you like it, you can keep that one. I'll send you the Amazon purchase link on Line later."
Eiren Kanagawa didn't think much of why Kotomi suddenly asked about the mints. She had plenty of them anyway and handed the box over.
Moments later, the car stopped in front of the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art.
Tonight, the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art was livelier than usual. However, the moment Kotomi saw where the closing ceremony was being held, she couldn't help but frown slightly and mutter under her breath:
"Damn."
Kotomi had thought the ceremony would take place inside the museum. Who would have expected that, against all logic, it was being held outside? Were they not worried about students catching colds?
"As expected of the two prestigious universities~ Even the closing ceremony is held outside the museum," Kotomi muttered sarcastically.
Eiren Kanagawa awkwardly tugged at the corners of her mouth. Venue arrangements like this were usually handled by designated staff. Given her full class schedule—especially yesterday, which was packed—she hadn't had the time or energy to keep tabs on every event detail.
She had assumed nothing major would go wrong. But seeing the ceremony being held outdoors in this cold? This was a first, even for a teacher with years of experience.
How stingy!
Eiren Kanagawa silently cursed the female relatives of the event organizers, furious at their incompetence. She had hoped to use this opportunity to further boost Kotomi's impression of Kyoto University and nudge her toward applying. But now, at this critical moment, things had fallen apart.
It had to be Tokyo University's doing! Damn Tokyo University!
She cursed inwardly, rubbing her temples as the headache intensified. Then, glancing apologetically at Kotomi, she said,
"I didn't expect those idiots to do something so absurd, holding a closing ceremony outside in the freezing cold."
Kotomi just smiled wordlessly and said nothing more. Then, she took off her coat and naturally draped it over Mashiro Shiina.
"Kotomi, aren't you cold?"
"I eat a lot, so I'm not afraid of the cold. Your coat looks a bit thin. Did you not bring a thicker one?" Kotomi asked with concern. She wasn't some creep who went through Mashiro's suitcase, so of course, she didn't know what Mashiro had packed.
"Before we left, the weather forecast said it wouldn't be too cold these days, so I didn't bring a thick coat."
Mashiro shrank her neck slightly, her cute nose turning a bit red from the cold. Having grown up in the UK, this was her first time experiencing a Japanese winter, so naturally, she was not used to it.
After all, girls in the UK rarely wear skirts during winter.
"Weather forecasts aren't always reliable," Kotomi said, reaching out to gently cup Mashiro's nose, letting her warm palm transfer some heat.
"Kotomi!"
Mashiro was flustered by the sudden gesture, like a startled kitten about to puff up, but when she saw it was Kotomi who touched her, she quickly calmed down. Mashiro really liked being touched by Kotomi like this.
Sometimes, she even wished she could become Kotomi's phone, so Kotomi could touch her every day.
Eiren Kanagawa happened to glance over and immediately felt like a stray dog lying in the street, suddenly kicked for no reason. It was already cold, and after seeing that scene, she felt even colder, shivering from the chill.
Why did she have to be force-fed dog food like this? Who could stand it?
She quickly turned around and went off to find another place to stand, pretending she hadn't seen anything. Still, when she called Chihiro Sengoku tonight to report in, she planned to spill every juicy detail.
While wandering around, she spotted Hibiki Naegi standing at a distance, seemingly arguing with someone on the phone. Eiren was a little surprised. She had always thought Hibiki was a gentle girl, but this was the first time she had seen her this angry.
The distance was too far to hear what Hibiki Naegi was arguing about on the phone, and though Eiren Kanagawa was curious and wanted to eavesdrop, she ultimately held herself back—such behavior was unbefitting of an art professor.
She stood upright and looked toward the stage where the closing ceremony was being held, assuming the posture of a teacher who just happened to be standing around.
About twenty minutes after the closing ceremony had begun, Hibiki Naegi ended her call and returned to her previous position. She looked around but didn't see Kotomi and Mashiro anywhere. Just as she was about to message Kotomi to ask where they were, she caught sight of a figure in a brown coat nearby from the corner of her eye.
"Kanagawa-sensei..."
Hibiki softly muttered to herself. She hadn't expected that the previously unresponsive Eiren Kanagawa would suddenly appear to have keen hearing—she turned her head even before Hibiki finished speaking and gave her a gentle smile.
It felt like a greeting.
Hibiki couldn't help but approach. Remembering how cold and indifferent Kanagawa had been to her before, she nervously greeted her:
"G-Good evening, Kanagawa-sensei."
"Haha, relax a bit. I'm not some youkai that's going to eat you. Are you really so nervous to talk to me that you're stammering? Remember, you're the president of the Sobu High School Art Club. No matter who you're in front of, as long as you hold that title, you need to always carry yourself with confidence."
Kanagawa, who had barely exchanged more than ten words with Hibiki before, now spoke freely, as if she had countless things she wanted to say to her.
"Yes, I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Kanagawa-sensei." Hibiki nodded, inexplicably touched. After the argument with Seiko Kirigiri earlier, her gloomy mood began to lift.
After standing beside Hibiki for a while, Kanagawa took off the brown coat she was wearing and draped it over Hibiki's shoulders.
"Eh?! Kanagawa-sensei, it's fine, I'm not cold!" Hibiki was flustered and tried to decline repeatedly.
But she was cut off rather forcefully as Kanagawa waved her off:
"This closing ceremony is way too boring. I'm a teacher—leaving midway isn't an issue. I'm heading back to the car; the heater's on and it's super comfortable in there. But you, as a student... you have to wait until the speeches are over. Who knows how many pages of speech they've prepared. Just wear the coat, and give it back after the ceremony."
After settling the coat on her, Kanagawa turned and left in a hurry.
Hibiki stood frozen, watching the departing figure in disbelief. The brown coat Kanagawa had personally draped over her carried the faint scent of a mature woman's perfume.
As the closing ceremony wrapped up, Kotomi exclaimed with dramatic emotion: "NMB!"
Though the ceremony only lasted an hour, in such freezing weather, even standing outside for ten minutes would get on anyone's nerves.
Kotomi decided that once she returned to the hotel for the post-exhibition banquet, she was definitely going to eat a lot!
After all, Kotomi wasn't someone who took losses lying down.
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