All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

”Mom, what’s for dinner?” Kotomi asked as she entered the kitchen, watching her mother, Izumi Akina, chopping vegetables.

”Your grandfather sent us a big box of lamb chops and hōtō noodles. So, tonight we’re having grilled lamb and hōtō. Oh, and he also sent a ton of grapes—I washed some and put them in a bowl on the living room table. Go on and try some,” Akina said, pointing to the lamb, which was thawing on the counter.

Hearing this, Kotomi suddenly remembered that her family was from Yamanashi Prefecture, known for its hōtō noodles, as well as the famous Shingen mochi from Kikyo-ya. And as for fruit, their local specialty was grapes.

”Did Grandpa send any Shingen mochi?”

”Of course, he did. I put it in the snack cabinet you and Aimi share. But since we’re about to eat dinner, neither of you is allowed to have any.”

”Just one piece~” Kotomi pleaded, putting on a cute voice.

”No way. Last time you said just one piece, but by the time I looked away, you’d eaten half the box and couldn’t eat even one bite of dinner! If you want any, you can have some as a snack after dinner.”

”Fine…” Kotomi had no choice but to wait until dinner was over to taste some Shingen mochi.

While filling her water glass at the cooler, Kotomi heard her mom ask, ”How’s the midterm exam going?”

”Pretty good! The questions were kind of tough, but I wrote my answers with a lot of confidence!”

”Keep it up and do well on the rest! After your exams, let’s have a family dinner out,” Akina said with a warm smile. She had called to make a reservation at Tako-nee’s Sukiyaki House for Friday night, where they could get a table for four.

Originally, Akina had tried to book Wednesday, but Tako-nee’s was so popular that they were already full that night. Even for Thursday, they only had three two-person tables and two single seats left.

So, Friday it was.

The thought of dining out as a family delighted Kotomi, and she asked excitedly, ”We’re going out to eat on Friday? Yay! Where are we going?”

Kotomi was too thrilled to notice anything suspicious.

”For now, that’s a surprise,” Akina replied with a hum and a little chuckle.

Leaving the kitchen, Kotomi headed to the living room. Since she didn’t have any homework tonight, she wasn’t in a rush to go to her room to study. Instead, she decided to snack on some grapes while watching TV and relaxing until dinner.

”By the way, Onee-chan, I called you after school this afternoon, but you didn’t pick up. I was passing by this crêpe place and thought you might want one,” Aimi said, looking a little put out.

With Aimi’s reminder, Kotomi remembered that after turning in her English exam early, she had used up most of her phone’s battery on an hour of gaming on the rooftop. Then, after the history and social studies exams, her phone finally gave up and turned off.

Let alone answering, she hadn’t even known that Aimi had tried to call.

”Oh, sorry. My phone died this afternoon.” Kotomi pulled her phone out of her bag to show her, and sure enough, it was completely out of battery.

”I don’t even have to ask. I bet you were just using your phone to game all day at school, draining it dry.”

”Guilty as charged, haha.”

”How are you even allowed to get away with that? Doesn’t your school care about phones? One of my classmates just got hers confiscated today for using it during class.”

At the mention of sneaking phones into class, Kotomi perked up. In this, she was a pro—an experienced veteran who had developed more than a few stealthy techniques back in her past life for hiding her phone from teachers. She could probably write an entire manual on the subject by now.

Any time she brought her phone to school and tried to sneak in some gaming, it was an exhilarating game of cat and mouse.

”I have my one-of-a-kind classroom phone-hiding tricks. Want me to teach you sometime?”

”No thanks!” Aimi scoffed, but then quickly added, ”So… what’s the first step?”

”I’ll definitely show you next time. But first, I have to go charge my phone.”

”Oh, come on! You’re only trying to tease me now!”

”Wow, Onee-chan, you know me so well!”

”Ugh…”

Kotomi slipped back to her room to plug her phone into the charger. Once it had enough power, she turned it back on.

As expected, she had missed calls.

Just as she was about to turn her phone off again, Kotomi noticed a red notification bubble above the message icon with a ”3” inside.

Someone had texted her?

Curious, Kotomi opened her messages and saw that Asuka Chizuru had sent her a few texts.

[Hi, Izumi-sensei! Today’s Monday, and the latest issue of Weekly Shonen Jump has been released in bookstores across Japan. Today’s also the day Chainsaw Man debuts with Chapter 1. It’s definitely a special day!

The first popularity results will be available this Friday. Please look forward to it!]

After those two texts, there was a photo attached—a picture of the new issue of Weekly Shonen Jump. The cover of the magazine was indeed the color illustration she had drawn!

Kotomi tried to keep her excitement in check. Her manga was officially serialized, and her work was on the magazine cover! How could she not be thrilled?

But Kotomi calmed herself down quickly. This was only the start of her career as a manga artist; she needed to aim even higher. She had to keep pushing until her work got collected into a tankoubon volume and—better yet—an anime adaptation!

Kotomi immediately typed out a reply to Asuka:

[Awesome! The serialization is finally here! Thank you for letting me know, Asuka-editor. By the way, does this mean the latest issue of Shonen Jump is available at bookstores in every city?]

Asuka replied quickly:

[In places like Hokkaido, it’ll arrive a day later. But yes, bookstores in Tokyo and nearby cities already have it on their shelves. I remember you’re in Chiba, so it’s available there too!

Great, I’m going to buy it right now!

Izumi-sensei, you’re definitely different from most rookie mangaka. Many first-time artists rush to the bookstore first thing to anxiously check on their work’s sales and reception.

It’s because I spent all day busy with exams, haha.]

Kotomi added a little crying emoji to her message.

[Oh, right! My apologies, I forgot that you’re still a high school freshman. I must have assumed you were older since you came to sign the contract on your own last time. If I remember correctly, this should be your first midterm? Good luck with your exams!

Thank you so much!]

After that reply, Kotomi could barely contain herself. She grabbed her wallet and headed straight to the nearest bookstore to buy the latest issue of Weekly Shonen Jump!

”Mom, I have to head out for a bit. I’ll be back soon!” Kotomi quickly threw on a jacket, dashed down to the kitchen, and called to her mother, who was still preparing dinner.

”Where are you headed?”

Though it wasn’t too late, hearing that her daughter was suddenly going out made Akina reflexively set down her knife and ask for details.

”To the bookstore. The manga I submitted to Shueisha just had its first serialization published today in Weekly Shonen Jump,” Kotomi said, a delighted smile lighting up her face as she spoke, brimming with excitement.

”Oh? Today’s the release day? That’s wonderful! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Akina laughed, delighted for her daughter’s success.

”Hehe, I only just remembered! I was busy with exams all day. But the serialization’s only the beginning—the next goal is to get it out as a standalone volume!”

”Oh-ho, I see. Just the beginning, huh? Impressive that you aren’t letting your current success go to your head. Always keeping your sights set ahead—definitely my daughter, after all!” Akina nodded approvingly, looking at Kotomi with great pride.

Not really, Mom. I thought back over my memories, and I’m pretty sure you never taught me anything like that. But you’re happy, so it’s fine.

If Mom’s happy, the whole family’s happy.

”So, Mom, I’ll go to the bookstore and grab a copy of the magazine?”

”Go ahead, but be careful, and look both ways when you cross the street. Got your phone with you?”

”No, it’s upstairs charging.”

”Then take mine for now.”

With her mother’s permission, Kotomi wasted no time. She grabbed Akina’s phone, slipped on her shoes, and headed straight to the nearest bookstore.

Once there, she went directly to the manga section. Though smaller than the bookstore she had previously visited with Utaha-senpai, this shop had a large single floor that stretched on for quite a ways, requiring a few minutes to walk from the entrance to the back wall.

As she headed toward the manga area, she passed a group of guys and girls who looked like college students out for a fun evening, holding the books they’d chosen to buy as they made their way toward the checkout.

”Hey, you’re buying Weekly Shonen Jump again?”

”Yeah.”

”You really are the definition of a die-hard manga fan. I remember you started reading it back in elementary school, and you’ve never missed an issue since.”

”Hehe, when I get my own place after graduation, I’m definitely renting somewhere big so I can set up a lot more bookshelves.”

”You’ve got a point. When I went to your place last time, those boxes piled up in your room were all manga. I’m so jealous of you! Not only does your mom let you buy so much manga, she even helps you organize it.”

”My mom’s a big manga fan herself.”

”Ugh, so jealous. My mom doesn’t even read manga. She wouldn’t even let me take art classes when I was in middle school!”

”Yeah, she was right. You’ve been trying to teach yourself for years and can’t even draw a stick figure. Better to give up.”

”Anything interesting in the latest Weekly Shonen Jump? When you picked it up just now, your eyes practically sparkled.”

”Oh, this? I haven’t read it yet, but the style and art really appeal to me. Here, this is it.”

The guy showed the cover of the latest Weekly Shonen Jump—the one with a bright red background—to the girl next to him.

”Chainsaw... Chainsaw Man? What is that? A spinoff of Saw?”

”Nah, it’s the debut of a new manga artist signed by Shueisha, a creator named Izumi Ki. For a newbie to get both the lead color page and the cover of the magazine’s issue is pretty impressive. It seems like Shueisha has a lot of faith in this series.”

”I don’t really get it, but this dog with a chainsaw on its head is so cute. Is it the main character’s weapon or something?”

”I haven’t read it yet, so I don’t know.”

”But in the chainsaw’s reflection, you can vaguely see a woman. Is it a hint for the story?”

”I doubt it. I think it’s just artistic flair. The woman’s really pretty; I bet she’s the love interest—a kind and gentle girl, right?”

Kotomi lingered nearby, pretending to browse the shelves while listening in on their conversation. Hearing them talk about Chainsaw Man made her lips curl into a satisfied little smile.

She skipped over to the manga section. Just as she was about to go to the Weekly Shonen Jump shelf, she noticed a familiar figure with short black hair standing by it. That white beret on her head was instantly recognizable.

”Megumi?!” Kotomi called out in surprise.

She hadn’t expected to run into Megumi Kato here! Was she here to buy books too?

Seeing the latest Weekly Shonen Jump in Megumi’s hand with its blood-red cover, the answer was pretty clear.

Hearing Kotomi’s voice, Megumi gave a soft, teasing smile, turned to her, and shook the Weekly Shonen Jump in her hand.

”Looks like I beat the renowned Izumi Ki-sensei to it.”

”Ugh... Please, don’t call me Izumi Ki-sensei. Just call me Kotomi.”

Kotomi felt the urge to cover her face.

In life, there are probably three moments that almost everyone, be they boy or girl, could die of embarrassment from experiencing:

First, while holding a phone or certain mature reading material in one hand and, well, using the other hand, you forget to lock the door, and your parents walk in.

Second, while talking to friends about the assets of your female teachers or classmates in explicit detail, the people you’re discussing overhear every word.

Third, the self-insert fanfic or cringe-worthy stories you wrote get exposed.

Any of these could make you want to roll on the floor in shame, searching for a crack to crawl into and blend into the ground.

These aren’t physiological deaths, but they sure feel like social death.

Though Kotomi was proud of her manga’s success, having her friends call her Izumi Ki-sensei for laughs stirred a bit of her lingering embarrassment.

And it astonished Kotomi how she could even feel such a thing.

What? Do I actually still have a sense of shame? she thought in shock.

Kotomi walked over to Megumi, took a copy of Weekly Shonen Jump from the shelf, and asked, ”Megumi, did you happen to see the new issue when you came here to buy other books?”

”Nope.” Megumi shook her head, smiling faintly. ”I came just to buy this. Remember how you told me last time that the latest issues always come out on Mondays? And you said this one was special because it would have your first chapter in it. I couldn’t miss a moment like this, could I?”

Megumi’s tone made it sound like she was saying, Anything important to you is worth me remembering.

Seeing her friend’s sincere words made Kotomi’s cheeks flush a delicate red. The warm gleam of her pink eyes beneath her soft lashes would have melted anyone’s heart.

”You remembered… If the editor hadn’t reminded me, I almost would’ve forgotten myself,” Kotomi mumbled.

With a little glint of affection, Megumi reached out and playfully tapped Kotomi on the nose.

”Of course I remembered. I’ve been looking forward to today ever since last Monday.”

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