Hiiragi Apartments, Building B, 29th Floor.
Arisu Sakayanagi sat in front of her mirror, humming a cheerful tune as Atsuki helped brush her hair.
It was rare to see Arisu this happy so early in the morning. Usually, she only showed such joy after seeing Kotomi.
If she didn't see Kotomi for a day, Arisu wouldn't throw unreasonable tantrums. Although she wasn't fit to inherit the Sakayanagi conglomerate, she had still received the finest education since childhood. The wealthier a family, the more they valued the education and refinement of their heirs. In the Sakayanagi family, it was impossible to act like a spoiled, unruly rich kid.
When she was alone, Arisu would become extremely silent, surrounding herself with an icy aura like the heart of winter. Only when she saw Kotomi did spring seem to return.
A few days ago, Atsuki had felt the house unusually cold—without the air conditioning even turned on. Upon asking around, she realized: Kotomi had gone to Kyoto and would be there for at least three days.
No wonder the young lady had been so gloomy. For Arisu, not seeing Kotomi for three days was a form of torment.
As a result, Atsuki had spent the past two days tiptoeing around, afraid that mentioning Kotomi might trigger even more depression.
Finally, the atmosphere changed last night.
The reason? Arisu received a text message—not sweet words from Kotomi, but a logistics notification from a delivery company saying a package from Kyoto was on its way to Chiba.
After seeing that message, Arisu's icy mood melted instantly. Atsuki initially didn't understand why just a text could lift her spirits so dramatically.
As a maid, Atsuki knew better than to pry. But after thinking it over, she realized: Kotomi had gone to Kyoto, and Arisu hadn't recently ordered anything online. If a package from Kyoto was arriving without any online purchases, who else but Kotomi could have sent it?
Even Atsuki could figure it out—of course Arisu would know instantly.
At the moment she received the message, Arisu's heart, weighed down by three Kotomi-less days, felt a bit lighter.
Of course, if the package turned out not to be from Kotomi, her mood would plummet to new lows—so much that even blasting warm air from the heater wouldn't dispel the resulting chill.
Last night, Atsuki even burned incense, praying that the package was indeed from Kotomi.
After putting down the comb, Atsuki smiled and said, "My lady, the weather is wonderful today. When I woke up, it almost felt like spring had arrived."
"Today is the best day I've had in three days. Hmph, Kotomi went to Kyoto but still didn't forget to buy me a gift. She even arranged a delivery so I could receive it quickly. Someone out there must be dying of envy over Kotomi's love for me!"
"Achoo!"
The "someone" Arisu was talking about—Megumi Kato, sitting at her desk doing homework—suddenly sneezed. She rubbed her nose and muttered:
"An unexpected sneeze... Hehehe, Kotomi must be thinking of me~ How adorable she is!!"
Arisu stretched lazily. Her delicate, beautiful face radiated a confident brilliance, though her gaze soon softened. Her petite, white feet wrapped in pink-and-white silk stockings tapped rhythmically on the floor, as if dancing.
"Since Kotomi sent me a gift, I should reward her too~ But what experience should I give her? Like when we were little? No... she hasn't remembered me yet, and there's no way she recalls our childhood memories."
If she rewarded Kotomi like she did when they were kids, she would probably scare her. Although she could force it by brute strength, Arisu wanted Kotomi to love her sincerely, not through coercion.
Sigh... so frustrating! Arisu thought. We have so many beautiful memories together. Why did Kotomi forget about me? Hmph! It must be Megumi Kato's fault! That wretched woman even pointed a stun gun at me—definitely a bad apple through and through!
A grudge over a stolen bride shall never be forgiven! Right now, Arisu couldn't see Megumi Kato in a positive light at all. She blamed her for everything.
Lost a game? Damn Megumi!
Bad mood while doing homework? Must be Megumi's fault!
The food tasted a little off today? Megumi's heinous crime!
Honestly, if Arisu and Aimi ever had a conversation, they might find themselves with a lot in common—until they quickly declared each other rivals and their temporary camaraderie shattered instantly.
Hearing her young lady rant about Megumi Kato again, Atsuki said nothing and quietly continued doing the chores, mentally pretending she hadn't heard a thing.
Ding-a-ling!
Arisu's phone suddenly rang. Seeing an unfamiliar number, she didn't even have to speak—Atsuki promptly picked it up, switched to speakerphone, and answered.
"Hello, this is the delivery company..."
The moment she heard the voice, Atsuki darted to the window to check the entrance to the apartment. Sure enough, there was a delivery van.
Atsuki turned back to Arisu. Normally, Arisu's deliveries were left at the pickup counter, and Atsuki would retrieve them.
"Ask if the package is from Kyoto," Arisu instructed calmly.
"Is the package from Kyoto?" Atsuki asked as instructed.
"Yes, yes, it's from Kyoto," the courier confirmed.
Upon hearing that, Arisu's eyes lit up with a dazzling smile. She gave Atsuki a look signaling that she would go personally.
Atsuki had no choice but to reply, "Please wait a moment; I'll come down to get it."
"You'll come down? Alright, understood."
After hanging up, Atsuki asked, "My lady, it's just a delivery. I can bring it up for you. There's no need for you to personally go down. Besides, even though the sky is clear, it's still quite chilly."
Arisu shook her head dismissively.
"This is a gift from Kotomi. Of course, I want to be the first to personally hold it! Besides, I'm not a porcelain doll on display in a shop window. What's the big deal about going down to pick up a package? It's not like I'm hobbling over with a cane—you'll be pushing my wheelchair."
Hearing the unmistakable finality in Arisu's tone, Atsuki could only nod in resignation. She fetched a warm coat for Arisu, helped her into the wheelchair, and took the elevator down to retrieve the package.
The moment they stepped outside, a gust of cold wind brushed against their cheeks. While it wasn't as brutally cold as midwinter, it was enough to make people instinctively shrink their necks and pull their clothes tighter. It didn't feel like crisp autumn—it felt more like a prelude to winter.
"Before school tomorrow, I'll pick out a few thicker outfits for you to wear over your uniform, my lady. Your body hasn't fully recovered yet; you're not immune to the cold. Now that the temperature's dropping, we need to take extra care with keeping you warm. Maybe I should dig out your scarf and gloves too."
"It's not even properly autumn yet, and you're already bundling me up like it's winter. Atsuki, just how fragile do you think I am?" Arisu said helplessly.
Whenever winter came, even if nothing was wrong, Atsuki would always get extra busy like she was preparing for a major battle.
"Better to be cautious," Atsuki said, as was her habit.
On their way to the delivery van, Atsuki and Arisu passed a girl with long black hair holding a package. She had an icy, refined aura and a delicate, striking face that naturally drew people's attention.
Arisu only gave her a quick glance before urging Atsuki to speed up the wheelchair. Right now, she cared about nothing except getting her hands on the gift Kotomi had sent her.
Arriving at the delivery van, Arisu said, "Hello, I'm here to pick up a package for Arisu Sakayanagi."
"Of course, one moment please," the delivery worker said, then quickly found her package. "Here you go, please take it."
The moment Arisu saw Kotomi Izumi's name in the sender field on the delivery slip, her face blossomed into a true springtime smile. All the gloom she had felt from not seeing Kotomi for three days instantly vanished.
As Atsuki pushed her wheelchair back toward the apartment, they happened to see the black-haired girl entering Building A.
"So she's a resident of Building A," Atsuki commented.
Arisu glanced up and took another look at the girl's back. She hadn't paid attention earlier, but now she felt like the girl looked somewhat familiar.
"Atsuki, do you know who she is?" Arisu asked.
Hearing the question, Atsuki's curiosity was piqued. "Eh? My lady, you don't recognize her? That's Yukino Yukinoshita, the second daughter of the Yukinoshita family. Her elder sister is Haruno."
Upon hearing the name, Arisu gradually recalled. Whenever she had visited Class 1-F before, her entire attention had been on Kotomi. She only ever spoke with Kotomi.
Who else in Class 1-F did Arisu know besides Kotomi? Only Megumi Kato—because Megumi was a rival she absolutely had to defeat.
Every time Arisu remembered Kotomi and Megumi kissing at Aqua Park's aquarium, it felt like a chunk had been carved out of her heart—painful enough to bleed.
Back to the point: even though her mind was always on Kotomi, visiting so many times had given Arisu a vague impression of the other girls around Kotomi.
"Oh, so it was her. Now that I think about it, I've seen her a few times before, but we never spoke, so I didn't ask her name. She's in the same class as Kotomi. I was too focused on getting my package just now and didn't think about it," Arisu said nonchalantly.
"The second daughter of the Yukinoshita family, classmates with Miss Izumi? How surprising," Atsuki sighed sincerely. She hadn't realized how many well-off students attended Sobu High School.
As for Yukino living at Hiiragi Apartments, it wasn't surprising at all. After all, everyone who lived there either came from wealth, power, or both.
"Alright, let's hurry back. I want to open this package and see what Kotomi sent me!" Arisu urged.
As they returned, Arisu couldn't help but think back to the moment she passed Yukino and had glimpsed the package she was holding.
Arisu's memory was excellent. Even just a glance was enough for her to remember details. Comparing Yukino's package with her own now...
Her elegant brows furrowed slightly. Why did Yukino's package look so much like hers?
The details had been unclear, but the outer box and size were almost identical—as if they contained the same thing.
Am I overthinking it...? Arisu wondered, her feelings growing complicated.
Could it be that Kotomi hadn't only sent a gift to her, but also to Yukino?
The moment that thought surfaced, Arisu forcefully rejected it. Even if she had no solid evidence, she desperately hoped it was just her imagination.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven