All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

”Here’s the menu. Just call me over whenever you’re ready to order,” the waitress said cheerfully.

”Let’s order now, I’m starving. Senpai, what kind of beef do you want?” Iroha asked, flipping through the menu eagerly.

”Beef, huh? I’ll go with the fatty beef,” Kotomi replied.

The waitress noted it down, then asked, ”Will you both be having raw egg with your sukiyaki?”

With sukiyaki, the traditional way to eat it is to dip the meat in raw egg, but some people can’t quite get used to it, so restaurants often ask ahead of time.

”Yep! And you, Senpai?”

”Raw egg? Sure, I’m all for it,” Kotomi replied as she looked up from the menu, face full of resolve.

They ordered a beef sukiyaki set along with vegetables like carrots, shiitake mushrooms, grilled tofu, enoki mushrooms, chrysanthemum greens, napa cabbage, sliced onions, and scallions.

”What would you like for your main? We have steamed rice, fried rice, rice balls, and yakisoba noodles,” the waitress offered.

”I’ll take a bowl of steamed rice,” Iroha said.

Kotomi nodded. ”And I’ll have two bowls of rice and one plate of fried rice, please. Just go light on the scallions for the fried rice.”

”Senpai, you’re really going to eat two bowls of rice and fried rice? You can’t waste food, you know,” Iroha said, eyes narrowing with mock judgment.

”Don’t worry; I can handle it,” Kotomi said confidently.

When it came to eating, Kotomi was unmatched—a mini legend at the local food stalls. All the vendors knew her by name within a month of her first visit.

The waitress with the octopus hat chuckled knowingly. ”I guess you’d need that energy boost, huh?”

Iroha’s eyes darted to Kotomi’s chest, and she instantly got the hint.

”Indeed, Senpai, keep eating well for the sake of, well, your future kids,” Iroha said with an exaggerated wink.

”Wh-Why is that even your concern…” Kotomi’s face blushed furiously, her composure crumbling.

Seeing the blush spread across Kotomi’s cheeks, the waitress seemed to pick up on an unspoken understanding between the two.

The food arrived soon, and the fragrant pot of sukiyaki was brimming with tender beef, grilled tofu, and fresh vegetables, all simmering invitingly in bubbling broth.

Kotomi had been eyeing the pot since it arrived, almost ready to grab it herself.

”Senpai, this beef is amazing! We must thank this cow for its ultimate sacrifice!” Iroha exclaimed.

”See? Fatty beef was the right choice,” Kotomi said, proud of herself.

”Here, Senpai, you try some!” Iroha picked up a piece of beef with her chopsticks and held it out for Kotomi to eat.

”Ah… I…” Kotomi hesitated, unsure how to react.

”Senpai, don’t you like beef?”

”It’s not that I don’t like it… I just don’t like scallions that much,” Kotomi admitted in a low voice, embarrassed by her picky eating habits.

”So, you don’t like scallions, Senpai,” Iroha mused, realizing she had grabbed a piece with scallions attached. She quickly popped the scallion into her own mouth, then held out the plain beef for Kotomi once more.

”Come on, say ’Ahhh,’ Senpai.”

”I can get my own, really—”

”Ahhh~!”

”There’s plenty more beef in the pot. I’ll just—”

”Ahhhhhh~!”

Surrendering to Iroha’s persistence, Kotomi finally opened her mouth, accepting the beef and savoring its rich, savory flavor. It was incredible.

”Thank you, dear cow,” she thought as she chewed with satisfaction, her cheeks puffed out adorably like a little hamster.

The chopsticks that had fed Kotomi gleamed with tiny beads of moisture, the aftermath of their sweet little moment.

”How is it, Senpai?”

”It’s delicious!” Kotomi’s eyes shone with delight as she savored the sukiyaki.

”Congratulations!” came an unexpected clap. Out of the crowd popped… an octopus-headed waitress.

”H-Huh? Congratulations for what?” Kotomi looked bewildered.

”Congratulations on being the 100th couple to dine with us! To celebrate, you get a 20% discount and a complimentary deluxe fruit carnival dessert!”

”U-Uh, we’re not actually…”

”That’s right, we’re a couple! In fact, we’re heading to the registry soon!” Iroha declared with excitement, cutting off Kotomi’s protest entirely.

The waitress seemed genuinely surprised, as if meeting a female couple wasn’t shocking enough. But now, she had the honor of serving a couple who would soon be married—a beautiful union that deserved to be celebrated!

”That’s wonderful! To commemorate this moment, may we snap a quick photo for our promotional wall? I hope you have a blissful marriage from all of us here at Tako-nee’s Sukiyaki House!”

”Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!”

”Two girls getting married? That’s unique and romantic!”

”Oh wow! Novels don’t lie—true love can exist between girls! Reiko, I think I like you!”

”Blessings!”

With Iroha’s declaration and the waitress’s heartfelt well-wishes, the entire restaurant was now convinced that Kotomi and Iroha were an actual couple on the verge of matrimony. Everyone, from staff to other customers, applauded and showered them with well-wishes.

Kotomi, unable to refuse the photo after hearing Iroha’s puppy-eyed plea for the fruit carnival, found herself agreeing despite her instincts. After all, if anyone they knew saw it…

But Iroha’s hopeful, pleading gaze was too cute to deny.

There’s no way I’m agreeing to this just for a dessert! Kotomi thought to herself.

Two minutes later…

”Now, can you both move just a bit closer? That’s perfect! On three… one, two, three, say ’Cheese!’”

”Cheeeese~”

”Chee-cheese,” Kotomi murmured.

The instant photo from the waitress’s camera developed quickly, and she handed two copies to Kotomi.

”Here are two prints! One for you to keep as a memory, and the other one will go on our wall here,” she explained.

Kotomi took the photo and looked at it.

In the picture, she and Iroha were pressed close together, holding up peace signs, and their faces were so close they were almost touching. Iroha’s mischievous lips gently brushed Kotomi’s cheek, making them look like a couple blissfully in love.

The sweetness captured in that single photo was absolutely explosive.

After finishing the sukiyaki, the extravagant fruit carnival they’d earned by pretending to be a couple was finally brought out. It came in a hollowed-out pineapple half, filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with beautifully arranged fruit.

”Wow! This looks delicious! I’m digging in!” Iroha’s eyes sparkled as she grabbed a spoon, seemingly unaffected by the hearty sukiyaki meal she’d just eaten.

Look at her, getting so excited over a free ice cream. She’s such an easy-to-please kid compared to a mature, sensible adult like me, Kotomi thought smugly.

Moments later…

”Senpai, mind your manners! You’ve got ice cream all over your mouth. Are you a child?” Iroha teased as she dabbed a napkin against Kotomi’s mouth, gently wiping away a bit of melted ice cream.

”Oops… eheh~” Kotomi let out a sheepish chuckle.

She had only meant to taste it… truly! But who could have known the dessert would taste so amazing? She’d ended up enjoying it even more than Iroha.

Once they’d polished off the fruit carnival, Kotomi headed to the register to pay. Although Iroha had suggested they split the bill, Kotomi insisted on covering the entire meal. This was her first time hanging out with her sister’s friend, and as both Aimi’s big sister and Iroha’s senpai, it seemed only right to treat her.

”Thanks for the meal, Senpai!” Iroha patted her satisfied stomach as they walked out of the restaurant.

”Don’t mention it. I’ll be heading home soon—what about you?”

”I’d like to hang out longer, but since you’re going back, I guess I’ll head home too.” Iroha let out a small sigh, then added, ”There’s always something gloomy about Sundays. Just knowing school starts tomorrow is such a downer.”

”You didn’t seem so down while eating.”

They hopped on a bus back to the park, where they’d originally met up. After a quick farewell, Kotomi picked up her pace, heading straight home.

”Oh, right!”

Halfway there, Kotomi suddenly remembered her conversation with Aimi that morning. As far as her sister was concerned, Kotomi was supposed to be at the library working on her new novel.

Taking a moment, Kotomi opened up WPS on her phone and typed a short passage:

”To put it plainly would be a disservice to us.

I truly do want to eat your pancreas.”

After finishing, she saved and closed the document. If Aimi asked her about her progress, she could just show this. Today’s schedule was absolutely flawless, Kotomi thought proudly, nearly bursting with self-satisfaction.

She had balanced both her plans with Aimi and Iroha, sidestepping any potential awkwardness between the two. All she had to do now was take Aimi to dinner for their pork cutlet night, and the day would be perfect.

”I’m home!” Kotomi called out as she stepped into the entryway.

”Kotomi! How was your time at the library? I ate every bit of that breakfast you made; you really have a knack for it! It reminded me of my own cooking when I was first learning,” her mother, Akina, praised with a proud smile that felt as much self-complimentary as it did complimentary to Kotomi.

”Well, as long as it tasted good. Oh, Mom, I should mention—Aimi and I are probably going to eat dinner out tonight. We planned to go out for pork cutlets.”

”Pork cutlets? Mmm, sounds so good!” Akina’s eyes gleamed with longing before she sighed dramatically. ”Too bad I’m on a diet, or I’d join you in a heartbeat.”

A diet?

Kotomi held back a smile. Akina certainly didn’t need to diet—her mother was in incredible shape, hardly looking like a woman in her forties. She could easily pass for Kotomi’s older sister.

This was probably another one of her ”spur-of-the-moment” health kicks inspired by some fitness show. Three days, tops, and her mom would forget all about dieting. She always did.

Kotomi leaned over the back of the couch and whispered to Aimi, ”Did Mom watch one of those diet shows again?”

”Yep. She watched some exercise program for women last night, and I guess that gave her the idea to diet again,” Aimi replied, keeping her voice low.

”How long do you think she’ll keep it up this time?”

”I give it three days before she forgets all about it.”

”You’re too generous; two days tops.”

”Alright, deal! If you lose, you have to drink Coke for a whole day.”

”Ugh, harsh! And if you lose, you’re going to drink Pepsi with me. Deal!”

Thunk! Thunk!

As soon as they shook on the deal, a heavy smack landed on each of their heads. Akina stood over them, her hands on her hips, feigning outrage.

”Seriously! I can’t even decide to diet without you two doubting me? A little faith in your mother, please!”

”Oww…”

”That hurt…”

With heads bowed in defeat, Kotomi and Aimi braced themselves under their mother’s stern gaze.

Yawning, Akina headed toward her room. ”I’m feeling sleepy; I think I’ll take a nap. You two keep the TV down, okay?”

Once she’d left, Kotomi slouched back on the sofa, picking up a pre-washed apple and taking a bite. The sukiyaki and ice cream had been delicious, but all that food had left her feeling full and a little heavy. A crisp apple was perfect for that refreshing, post-meal kick.

As Aimi noticed the clock, she turned to Kotomi, eyes twinkling with curiosity. ”So, Senpai, you spent all morning at the library?”

Kotomi had expected this question and was fully prepared. Without missing a beat, she replied, ”Yep, the second floor has the nicest view. You can see the lake through the window, and there’s always this nice breeze wafting in, carrying the scent of flowers and birdsong.”

”Oh~ Sounds like an amazing atmosphere for a writer like you to brainstorm a novel. So… how’s the new story coming along?” Aimi’s smile was as sweet as it was sly, her eyes narrowing just a bit as she awaited her sister’s answer.