Megumi’s Little Schemer

As Kotomi and Megumi entered the living room, Izumi Aimi, who was sitting on the sofa with her back to them, heard footsteps and assumed her sister had returned.

A delighted smile appeared on her face as she happily turned around, saying, "Onee-chan, welcome ba—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the smile froze on her face. Standing beside her sister was Megumi Kato.

'Tch, why is she here again?! Ahhh! Stupid sister, stop standing so close to her!'

Aimi clicked her tongue in frustration inwardly. Seeing Kotomi and Megumi together made her feel annoyed, and she even began to wonder if a metaphorical field of green grass had started growing on her head.

"Aimi, is there anything to eat? I feel like my stomach has turned into a void and needs a snack to save me!" Kotomi flopped onto the sofa, asking hopefully, with a bit of urgency in her tone.

"Nope, the snacks are all gone. I forgot to buy more. You'll have to wait for dinner," Aimi replied, sounding a bit grumpy.

"Eh... don't you usually restock the snacks before they run out?" Upon hearing that there were no more snacks, Kotomi's cute little face deflated like a punctured balloon.

"Sis... do you think I get enough allowance to keep buying snacks every month?" Aimi sighed. Her allowance was limited, and Kotomi seemed to think it was enough to splurge on snacks every month.

Though, if Kotomi were a bit more obedient... maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

At that moment, Megumi spoke up, "Hungry? How about this? I bought a few things when we passed the convenience store earlier."

With that, Megumi reached into her backpack and pulled out a small paper bag, revealing three boxes of caramel orange pudding inside.

The sight of the caramel orange pudding left Aimi stunned.

It was her favorite flavor! How did Megumi know to buy her favorite pudding, and why did she even bring pudding today?

Aimi's thoughts raced in confusion. She was convinced that, just like on Sunday, Megumi had come prepared!

"I usually like to have some sweets around when I do my homework. When we passed the convenience store, I remembered that I had run out, so I bought a few more. But since today's homework is just prep work, I don't need snacks while studying. Let's share these," Megumi explained smoothly.

Everyone knew that prep work homework was basically optional, so Megumi's explanation was impeccable.

"Oh! So that's what you were buying at the convenience store. Well, I won't say no to pudding," Kotomi said as she hurried to the kitchen, returning with three small plates. She carefully opened one of the puddings, inverted it onto a plate, and started eating with a plastic spoon.

For Kotomi, the most enjoyable part of eating pudding wasn't the taste but the moment when she peeled back the lid and successfully flipped the pudding onto the plate—pure satisfaction!

That single moment brought her a deep sense of contentment.

Taking a bite, her puffed-up cheeks looked so soft and adorable that it made people want to reach out and pinch them just for fun.

Even the system spirit, Kazumi, would sometimes tease Kotomi, saying, "The way you eat looks just like Nadeshiko from Laid-Back Camp."

As Megumi sat nearby, watching Kotomi eat, her eyes held a deep sense of fulfillment, as if seeing Kotomi enjoy the food was far more satisfying than eating it herself.

Aimi hesitated, staring at the caramel orange pudding on the table, unsure whether to reach for it or withdraw her hand.

"Would you like some, little sister?" Megumi asked kindly, picking up a pudding and offering it to her with a gentle smile.

To Aimi, Megumi's seemingly gentle smile felt more like a victorious smirk, full of pride!

This woman's skill level is way too high!

Aimi instinctively swallowed, then muttered in a defiant voice, "Don't call me 'little sister'... I'm already in my third year of middle school!"

Reluctantly, she took the pudding from Megumi's hand.

'Ugh, why does she always bring out my favorite caramel orange flavor? It's so delicious... but I'm not happy about it!' Aimi thought to herself as she ate, silently vowing to win next time.

Megumi's smile deepened as she too began to enjoy her pudding.

Meanwhile, Kotomi, who was sitting between them, was completely absorbed in her pudding, oblivious to the tension that had been brewing around her.

After finishing the pudding, Megumi stayed for another half hour before preparing to leave.

Just as she was about to stand up, Megumi suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, right, Kotomi, didn't I say I wanted to borrow a manga from you? Could you lend me one now? I'll try to finish it tonight and return it to you at school tomorrow."

Kotomi, recalling the conversation they had at school, remembered how Megumi had brought up manga out of nowhere, which had led to an animated discussion. Kotomi had eagerly shared several of her favorite manga titles.

Megumi had expressed interest in the ones Kotomi mentioned and asked to borrow them. Naturally, Kotomi had agreed without hesitation.

"Wait here for a moment, I'll go get it from upstairs," Kotomi said as she left the living room to fetch the manga from her room on the second floor.

"I'll wait by the front door," Megumi said, grabbing her backpack and standing up.

With Kotomi gone, the living room was left with just Megumi and Aimi.

"I'll take my leave now," Megumi said softly.

"Goodbye, then~" Aimi waved dismissively.

On the surface, she appeared calm, but inside she was ecstatic: Yes! She's finally leaving!

At that moment, Megumi suddenly spoke, as if casually remembering something. "Oh, by the way, last Sunday I left in such a hurry that I forgot to tell you something."

"Huh? What is it?" Aimi asked, puzzled.

Megumi gently covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes narrowing playfully as she smiled. "Your sister's expression when she sleeps is just so cute. When I looked down at Kotomi sleeping in my arms, her face was adorable—so sweet and lovely. I felt like, if I could hold her every night while sleeping, I'd have sweet dreams all the time~"

As soon as Megumi uttered those words, Aimi froze, completely stunned.

Seeing Aimi's reaction, Megumi let a sly smile slip before turning and heading toward the entryway.

Just then, Kotomi came downstairs with a manga in hand, which she passed to Megumi.

"Here's the manga. Don't worry about returning it tomorrow—whenever you finish it is fine."

"Thank you, Kotomi," Megumi said as she accepted the manga with both hands.

After sending Megumi off, Kotomi returned to the living room and glanced at Aimi, who was still sitting on the sofa. She assumed Aimi was waiting to watch TV, so she didn't say anything, heading back to her room to continue working on her Chainsaw Man illustrations.

Meanwhile, Aimi, still sitting alone on the sofa, stared up at the ceiling, unable to calm down as Megumi's words echoed in her mind.

If this were a battlefield, then what Megumi had said to her...

—would be nothing less than a declaration of war!