If There Were a Tail

Because she'd been so focused on her grades, the garlic minced eggplant in the pot had nearly burned, but her father had noticed just in time and took it out.

By now, the fish was also prepped and ready for soup.

As she mixed in the seasoning and began simmering the broth, Akina sighed and said, "Even now, it's a little surprising to think about Kotomi actually ranking first in all of Tokyo."

"Guess that means your daughter isn't so clueless," said Kotomi, striking a triumphant pose with her hands on her hips.

"Remember when I asked Kotomi which college she wanted to go to a little while ago? She said she wanted to try for the University of Tokyo or Kyoto University," Kaneyoshi added. "I was really surprised at the time, but I guess it makes sense now—our daughter really has what it takes."

"Hmph! I already said that if I put my mind to it, I could get into Todai or Hokkaido in no time!" Kotomi grew more and more smug.

If she had a tail, it might have been wagging sky-high by now.

"Oh, you little brat—this is only your first high school midterm, and you're already so cocky! If we don't rein you in a little, you'll be soaring off somewhere before the three years are up!" Akina said with both exasperation and amusement, flicking Kotomi lightly on the nose.

"We're not going to pressure you to be number one every time you take a test. It's just not realistic," Kaneyoshi said earnestly. "As long as you're studying well and keeping steady, that's all we could ask for."

Even though Kotomi's top ranking made him incredibly proud, as a father, he also worried that such a label might start to weigh on her.

"Exactly. Even if you don't score as well in future exams, as long as you try your best, we'll be happy," Akina chimed in, trying to soften the conversation. "Just don't pressure yourself to come out on top every time. What's important is that you're enjoying yourself. Your dad and I will support you either way."

The Izumis' educational philosophy was mostly aligned that way.

"Don't worry, Mom, Dad—I'm not a kid anymore, and I know what I'm doing. One thing's for sure: I don't force myself to do anything I don't want to," Kotomi said, growing a bit more boastful as she went on.

After all, if there was one thing she excelled at, it wasn't creating or studying, but goofing off. A day without some good relaxation felt incomplete.

With dinner still a ways off, Kotomi settled in with Aimi in the living room. No sooner had she sat down than she noticed Aimi looking at her intently.

Remembering what Aimi had done that night, Kotomi instinctively drew back a little.

To this day, she still found that memory vivid and surreal.

Running her fingers over her cheek, Kotomi ventured softly, "Is there something you want to ask me, Aimi?"

"Nope," Aimi replied, though her gaze didn't waver.

Stare—

The longer Aimi stared, the more nervous Kotomi felt, until her cheeks grew warm.

After a few minutes of this, Kotomi finally surrendered, face flushed, and said, "Alright! If there's something you want to know, just ask, okay? I promise I won't hide anything!"

It was as if Aimi had been waiting for this cue. At last, she looked away, then asked, "Onee-chan, your scent was a little different when you got home today."

Kotomi's heart skipped a beat. She had only borrowed Kato Megumi's jacket on her way home. It hadn't even been that long.

Could a little time like that really make her smell like Megumi?

Kotomi sniffed at her sleeve, finding nothing unusual, and said, "What…? You're imagining things."

"No, Onee-chan—your scent is definitely different today." Aimi's voice was adamant.

"Uh… maybe it's because I switched perfumes recently," Kotomi said, coming up with an excuse on the spot. "I've been using tulip-scented perfume the last few days. You probably noticed because of that."

"Funny you say that, since I was the one who recommended that tulip perfume. I'd know the smell, Sis," Aimi replied confidently. "No, this scent is from another girl—and not just any girl. I recognize this scent and hate it. It's Kato Megumi's!"

And she'd hit the nail on the head.

"Another girl's…" Kotomi instinctively took a step back. Just how sharp was Aimi's nose? All she'd done was borrow Megumi's jacket for a few minutes!

Of course, she wasn't about to come out and say it. If Aimi knew she'd worn Megumi's jacket, she'd be jealous in no time—and possibly start asking why she'd needed it in the first place.

Just thinking about why she'd borrowed it made her face redden. There was no way she'd admit that to her sister!

Quick-thinking Kotomi's brain worked overtime, and just as Aimi was about to speak again, she interrupted, "Oh! That. Well, you know, we sit next to each other, and sometimes we chat. And since my seatmate is a girl who also likes wearing perfume, it's not so strange that I'd pick up a little of her scent too, right?"

"You two must be sitting awfully close for that to happen," Aimi said, her eyes turning sharp.

"Well, what choice do we have? Classrooms aren't exactly spacious," Kotomi said, improvising as she went.

Of course, high school was hardly as cramped as elementary school, especially not at Sobu High, where the classrooms were quite large and left plenty of personal space. There wasn't any real crowding.

But right now, keeping Aimi content with a reasonable-sounding excuse was the priority.

Aimi wasn't completely convinced but, not knowing exactly how large the classrooms were, eventually relented. Still, she extended a hand towards Kotomi and said, "Kotomi, take off your clothes. I'm going to wash them for you."

"Show me some respect and call me 'Onee-chan'!"

...

Having lost the battle with Aimi, Kotomi could only helplessly prepare to take off her clothes. After undoing two buttons on her shirt, however, she suddenly realized something was off. With only a T-shirt on her upper body, taking it off would mean she'd only be left with her "underwear" beneath… and the same applied to her bottom half.

Kotomi's face flushed as she stammered, "Um… Aimi, could I, um, go back to my room to take it off?"

Standing here in the living room, if she actually stripped down and handed her clothes over, walking back to her room afterward would feel… a bit too exposed.

"Why? Is there a problem?" Aimi replied, her tone playful as she tilted Kotomi's chin up with a smirk. "Here I was, not even thinking anything strange, and yet here you are, already getting ideas. You're way too H, Onee-chan! Both your body… and your personality, huh?"

"You… Just say whatever you want! I'll be changing in my room…" Kotomi murmured, her cheeks red as she tried to maintain some dignity.

"Not so fast! If you leave now, I just might ignore you for three whole days."

"Fine, go ahead!" she shot back, still stubborn but clearly flustered.

Three minutes later...

Under Aimi's relentless teasing, Kotomi finally gave in and stripped off her clothes, leaving her fair skin and exquisite figure wrapped in only two pieces of light blue "underwear." Her delicate features flushed with shyness, she threw the clothes, skirt, and black stockings she'd removed directly at Aimi's face.

With her face puffed in frustration, she bolted toward her room in embarrassment, her bare feet moving as fast as possible. Aimi sat on the sofa, watching her flee with a mischievous smile.

"She's just too cute~," Aimi whispered to herself with a chuckle.

Afterward, she carefully gathered up Kotomi's skirt and T-shirt, placing the black stockings separately and taking them all to the bathroom in two trips.

After putting the T-shirt and skirt in the washing machine, Aimi picked up Kotomi's black stockings in both hands and, with a devout tone and a hint of excitement, murmured: "Bon appétit."

…

After dinner, Kotomi felt pleasantly full and began to grow drowsy—a surprise, given that she normally didn't feel sleepy so early.

After finishing her meal, Aimi eagerly pulled out her deck of Yu-Gi-Oh cards, ready for a dramatic game of Shadow Duel.

"Onee-chan, want to play a game of cards? A Shadow Duel, where the loser…"

Before Aimi could finish, Kotomi, visibly tired, cut in: "Sorry, Aimi, but I'm actually really sleepy tonight and was thinking of heading to bed early."

"Aw… going to bed already, Kotomi? I was hoping to win at least one game against you…" Aimi muttered in disappointment.

Only recently had Aimi learned the rules and strategies of Yu-Gi-Oh, and she'd enthusiastically challenged Kotomi to a Shadow Duel.

Unsurprisingly, Kotomi—who'd had plenty of experience with card games in her past life—had annihilated her, winning a hefty 10,000 yen from Aimi's savings.

That money, incidentally, had already gone into Kotomi's Steam wallet to buy some games.

While Aimi had intended her savings to one day support Kotomi, she'd never imagined that her sister would end up using them to make money herself. Not only was Kotomi not the "freeloading sister" Aimi had dreamed of, but her monthly royalties also exceeded Aimi's own savings many times over.

All of this left Aimi feeling very unsatisfied. The money was a minor issue, but the principle mattered. She was determined to challenge her sister again to regain the upper hand.

And now, after finally securing another chance to duel, her sister had gone and thrown in the towel, choosing sleep instead.

"Maybe it's because I didn't take a nap at lunch today. I'm just… really tired. Good night, Aimi," Kotomi yawned, rubbing her eyes. She finished her glass of water and headed to her room, leaving Aimi standing with her deck in hand, unsure what to do next.

"Wait… Where'd Kotomi go? I thought I just saw her here," her mother, Akina, asked as she walked in.

"Onee-chan just went to bed early. She's too tired," Aimi explained with a sigh.

"Already asleep? That's unusual for her… well, all right. In that case, Aimi, would you mind helping out by washing the dishes? Dad and I are heading out for a walk."

Akina left the room with Kenya, leaving Aimi standing alone, looking between her deck and the sink full of dishes.

"Really?" Aimi muttered, sighing again as she put down her cards and resigned herself to doing the dishes.

…

The moment Kotomi entered her room, she fought to stay awake just long enough to switch off the light. Barely had she fallen onto the bed, not even pulling up her covers, before she was fast asleep.

She couldn't remember when she actually drifted off. She only knew she'd had a familiar dream.

In the dream, she was still Izumi Kotomi—but for some reason, she was wearing her junior high school uniform.

The sight puzzled her. After all, she'd reincarnated as a high school student, and the timing of her reincarnation had been during summer break. Even if she were dreaming about school, she should have been in her high school uniform.

"Could this be… part of Kotomi's memories from before my reincarnation? Memories I don't know about?"

The thought struck her hard. She had always assumed she had inherited all of Kotomi's memories.

It wasn't until her first meeting with Arisu Sakayanagi that she'd begun to suspect otherwise. Was it possible that she hadn't inherited everything? Could there be a gap she didn't know about?

Watching the scenes play out before her, Kotomi felt her certainty grow. Taking a deep breath, she decided to keep watching.

…

In the dream...

It was a rainy day, and Kotomi, dressed in her junior high uniform, was leaving her classroom after the end of classes.

Because she was in her third year of middle school, she got out of school about twenty minutes later than her younger sister. Not wanting Aimi to have to wait around for her, Kotomi had told her sister to go home right away after school.

Since Kotomi started middle school, the two sisters hadn't gone home together after classes. Aimi always arrived home first, with Kotomi following shortly after.

Twenty minutes wasn't much, but it could change a lot—like, for instance, the weather.

What had been a clear sky earlier was now heavy with dark clouds, rumbling with distant thunder.

Kotomi left the classroom in a hurry and exited the school building just as the first drops of rain began to fall, soon turning into a steady downpour.

Fortunately, Kotomi had made it downstairs quickly, and most other students were still gathering their things. She spotted the emergency umbrellas the school kept at the ready and was relieved to see a few were left.

She grabbed the sturdiest-looking one, opened it, and stepped out into the rain.

The downpour grew heavier, accompanied by gusts of wind.

As she waited at the crosswalk, she gripped the umbrella tightly with both hands to keep it from being blown away.

The school's emergency umbrellas weren't particularly sturdy, and the wear and tear from so many students had left their quality questionable at best.

When the light turned green, Kotomi stepped onto the crosswalk, not noticing the sudden blaring of a horn to her right.

The urgent honking cut through the rain, but it was too late. By the time Kotomi registered the sound, the pain had already shot through her body. She was struck by the massive impact of the truck, the force hurling her into the air.

The umbrella slipped from her grasp, its bones cracking and twisting under the wheels.

Her body was thrown a great distance, finally stopping only when she slammed into a lamppost, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. She felt like a shattered eggshell, as thick blood began to pool beneath her broken form.

The rain poured down on the empty street, drowning out the world around her. Pain and terror engulfed her senses, though she found herself unable to call out for help.

It's said that one of the most hopeless deaths is to be swallowed by quicksand, where you cannot scream, and even if you do, it's unlikely anyone will come to help. In the final moments, all you can do is surrender to the inevitable.

She wondered if this was what it felt like to be trapped in quicksand—unable to scream, unable to move, aware only of the silence and darkness that pressed down on her as her consciousness slowly faded away.

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