All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

Chapter 788: Be Careful or I Might Fall in Love with You~

Listening to what Yui Yuigahama said, Yukino Yukinoshita’s beautiful brows furrowed slightly without her even realizing it.

When Yui spoke those words, she hadn’t meant anything by them. She was simply informing Yukino that Kotomi would wake up soon.

Yet for some reason, such an ordinary, harmless remark sounded unbearably grating to Yukino at this very moment. It was as if a defeated loser, disheveled and kneeling on the ground, were listening to the victor calmly and loftily recount her triumph.

Words that felt like boasting highlighted the loser’s misery and ignited the deepest embers of jealousy within her heart.

—If one day, because of Kotomi, you and Yui can no longer remain friends, would you feel the urge to kill her?

"Little Yukino’s" voice echoed like a nightmare in her ears once more. Yukino unconsciously clenched her hands, as though she were gripping "Little Yukino’s" throat right now. With just a little more force, she could snap it.

But was the neck she truly wanted to break really only that of "Little Yukino"?

"Is that so? I didn’t know about these little habits of Kotomi’s. Even though the three of us are good friends, hearing you say this now makes it feel like you and Kotomi are very close—like you understand each other deeply. Compared to you, I almost feel as though I don’t know Kotomi at all."

Yukino spoke in an even, gentle tone. Her gaze toward Yui gradually became complicated. But the airheaded Yui Yuigahama noticed none of it, nor did she catch the hidden meaning beneath Yukino’s words. She simply took it as a casual response.

Of course. I’m Kotomi’s girlfriend, after all! Yui snorted proudly to herself. If Kotomi hadn’t repeatedly emphasized it beforehand, she might have blurted out the fact that they were dating right here and now.

Fortunately, Kotomi Izumi had already taken precautions and stressed many times that their relationship must not be revealed to anyone.

Yui was obedient. If Kotomi forbade something, she would never do it. So she quietly took a subtle deep breath, pretending it was nothing, and smiled naturally at Yukino.

"Haha, maybe it’s because Kotomi really likes coming over to my house to eat cake. When we’re eating cake, we always end up chatting. And once we start talking, it’s easy to talk about all sorts of things."

At that, Yui added with a faintly aggrieved tone:

"Speaking of which, Yukino, you really are something. I invited you and Kotomi to my house for cake so many times before, but you never came. I wanted to eat cake and chat with you too, but I never got the chance."

Yukino froze for a moment when she heard that.

After thinking back carefully, she realized it was true. There had indeed been several times when Yui invited both her and Kotomi over for cake, and she hadn’t gone even once.

The reason was simple. Kotomi Izumi was a member of Sobu High School’s art club, and she had at least an hour of club activities every day after school. If Yui wanted to invite Kotomi over for cake after school, she would have to stay behind at school and wait for her.

Yukino was someone who valued her time greatly. When she had free time, she preferred to use it to go home and read. So back then, she had declined Yui’s invitations.

Recalling this now, Yukino suddenly felt the urge to beat herself up. Was I an idiot? An absolute blockhead?

Wasn’t she basically handing Kotomi and Yui opportunities to be alone together?

No wonder their relationship had progressed so quickly. It turned out that Kotomi often went to Yui’s house...

As the thought settled in her mind, Yukino suddenly understood why Yui had managed to become Kotomi’s girlfriend before she did. It wasn’t just courage—confessing without hesitation when the time came—but also seizing every opportunity.

And realizing that at least half of those opportunities had been created unintentionally by herself left Yukino feeling utterly helpless.

What made it worse was that she could have seized those same chances—but she had wasted them simply because she had "wanted to go home early to read novels."

Rubbing the corner of her eye, Yukino suddenly found herself somewhat agreeing with her foolish sister’s shameless claim that she was a foolish little sister.

She did seem a little stupid...

Of course, even if she admitted it in her heart, she would never say it out loud—nor would she ever admit that her sister was right.

"I’m sorry. I set a rule for myself before—I practice piano for three hours every day after school. That’s why I declined your invitations at the time. Next time, I won’t refuse."

Yukino’s cheeks felt faintly warm. She knew lying was wrong, yet she forced herself to tell one anyway in front of Yui.

Although both explanations addressed why she had refused before, in Yukino’s view, declining because she needed to practice piano sounded far more respectable than declining because she wanted to hurry home and read novels.

Yukino was terrible at lying. If she had said this to Kotomi instead of Yui, Kotomi Izumi would have seen through it immediately.

After all, Yukino hardly seemed like the type who would voluntarily practice piano for three hours a day.

But Yui believed her. Being naturally simple-minded, she didn’t question the truthfulness of Yukino’s words. Instead, she simply admired her discipline.

"Three hours of piano practice every day? Just hearing that sounds exhausting. Have you really kept it up all this time?"

"Mm... Since I started learning piano, I’ve kept the habit. Come to think of it, it’s almost been ten years. Humans really are strange creatures. Even without much interest in the piano, I still managed to stick to practicing three hours a day for an entire decade."

Yukino spoke calmly. Though she had been forcing herself ever since uttering that first lie, she maintained a composed expression, as if discussing something trivial.

"Yukino, that’s amazing!" Yui praised sincerely.

"I-It’s nothing..." Yukino looked away guiltily.

She truly was awful at lying.

"Mmm..."

At that moment, Kotomi Izumi stirred from her light sleep. She shifted slightly and let out a comfortable murmur.

Sure enough, sleeping under a heated table was the most comfortable thing in the world.

Yukino Yukinoshita, who had just been telling Yui about how diligently she practiced piano every day, instinctively felt a jolt of alarm the moment she saw Kotomi Izumi wake up.

There was no special reason—only that Kotomi knew very well that Yukino didn’t like practicing piano at all, let alone practicing three hours every day.

If Kotomi had heard what she’d just said, Yukino could already imagine exactly how she would tease and mock her.

Kotomi slowly sat up. After stretching lazily, she rubbed her sleepy eyes and greeted Yukino and Yui, planning to chat for a bit before heading to the bathroom for a bath.

The moment she saw the table piled with peeled oranges—each segment carefully stripped of its pith—she immediately became much more alert. Like rewarding a well-behaved puppy, she reached out and kneaded Yui’s soft cheeks, praising her:

"Not bad, not bad. Your orange-peeling skills are getting better and better. From now on, if you didn’t peel it, I won’t eat it!"

At the end, she even swore it with complete seriousness.

One of the essential skills of a seasoned flirt—occasionally giving your girlfriend harmless little vows. They don’t really cost anything, but they provide a certain sense of security.

Of course, Kotomi Izumi never thought of herself as a scumbag or a playgirl. In her mind, she was simply a pure and kind girl with a very big heart.

A very big heart—so loving one girl with each piece of it was perfectly reasonable, right?

As expected, after being praised like that, Yui Yuigahama’s cheeks flushed red. If not for the fact that all the oranges in the fruit plate had already been peeled, just that single sentence from Kotomi would have been enough for Yui to stay up all night peeling oranges for her.

Sitting to the side, Yukino watched the two of them flirting. The sight stirred a sour jealousy within her chest.

After chatting casually for a while, Kotomi patted Yui’s head and told her to go take a bath first.

Kotomi planned to go last, because she felt that her bath might take a little longer.

She didn’t want Yui to wait too long, so she sent her ahead.

It wasn’t that Kotomi liked taking long baths. Rather, after her short nap, although the thirst caused by the side effects had subsided, that didn’t mean the side effects themselves had disappeared.

On the contrary, she could clearly feel that the intensity of the side effects had become even stronger than before she fell asleep.

The side effects of the Queen of All Females constitution are getting more and more terrifying. I only took a short nap, and the intensity has already increased this much. If I don’t deal with it soon... by tomorrow morning, the bedsheets probably won’t be usable anymore...

Kotomi thought to herself, deciding to take care of it a bit when she bathed later.

Like a cup of overly sweet juice—maybe she couldn’t drink it all at once, but she could dilute it little by little with water.

Yui obediently went to take her bath.

After she entered the bathroom, Yukino—who had previously seemed uninterested in talking—suddenly spoke up on her own initiative:

"Yui really listens to you. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think you were her mother."

I wouldn’t mind if Yui took the initiative to call me ’Mom’... Kotomi thought to herself. Of course, that kind of thought could only remain in her head for now.

Setting aside what Yukino might think if she heard it—if Yui heard it, she would definitely start overthinking and spiraling.

I haven’t even won over Yui’s mother yet. Until I completely succeed, I absolutely cannot let my feelings toward Mrs. Yuigahama slip—especially not in front of Yui! Kotomi reminded herself internally.

Outwardly, however, she simply shrugged and said with a cheerful smile:

"When I used to visit my hometown as a child, my relatives’ kids all loved sticking to me. Maybe I just naturally have this maternal aura that makes people want to rely on me and act spoiled~"

"Then why don’t I feel any desire to rely on you or act spoiled in front of you?" Yukino retorted instinctively.

Seems like it’s not just Kotomi who’s stubborn—little Yukino is too.

No, you do. It’s just that you’re a cold and tsundere little tigress, so there’s no way you’d admit it out loud right now. But that’s fine. Sooner or later, I’ll make you open your heart and throw yourself into my arms...

Kotomi thought to herself, while outwardly grinning as she said:

"Maybe it’s because all your thoughts are occupied with practicing piano for three hours every day~"

!!!

Yukino’s heart jolted violently. Her pupils trembled as she stared at Kotomi, her expression filled with the embarrassment of having her black history exposed. She wished she could flee the planet overnight.

"Y-You... you were eavesdropping on me?!"

She stammered for a long moment before finally managing to get the words out.

"I wasn’t eavesdropping. I just happened to wake up right when you were bragging to Yui about practicing piano for at least three hours a day."

At that, Kotomi clasped her hands together like a devout nun, her tone full of exaggerated admiration:

"Wow~ Yukino, that’s amazing. Practicing piano for three hours every day—no wonder your playing is so good. Hard work really does pay off! I like diligent girls the most. At this rate, I might fall hopelessly in love with you~"

Every word—every pause—in Kotomi’s teasing felt like soft feathers brushing against Yukino’s heart. The faint tickling sensation brought not only a strange sense of pleasure, but also overwhelming embarrassment.

Yukino’s body trembled slightly. Her usually icy expression melted like thawing snow, a charming blush blooming across her cheeks.

Seeing that fruit-like redness, Kotomi couldn’t help but wonder—

Would it taste just as sweet?

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