All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

Kotomi sat in her seat at school today, rocking left and right, clearly uninterested in class.

Not that she usually paid much attention in class anyway…

She had miscalculated. She had planned everything so well, yet somehow overlooked one crucial detail—October 15th was a Friday. Sure, she would be free in the afternoon, but she couldn’t wait anymore. She wanted to rush to the bookstore immediately and see how many people were buying Sword Art Online Volume 1!

As she sat restlessly, frequently glancing out the window and then suddenly lowering her head, anyone unaware might have thought she was just impatiently waiting for the class to end so she could rush to the restroom.

”Kotomi, do you need to go to the bathroom?” Megumi Kato, who had long since noticed Kotomi’s odd behavior, decided to take the initiative and ask.

”Eh?”

Kotomi was momentarily stunned—why was Megumi asking if she needed the restroom?

But she wasn’t foolish. She quickly realized what was going on.

Her anxious, eager-to-leave expression turned slightly red, her ears glowing bright pink. Megumi, you could’ve just asked normally! Did you really have to make it sound so embarrassing? Her lips trembled slightly as she stammered:

”N-no, I just really want school to end already…”

Smack!

Kotomi lightly smacked Megumi’s hand, which had been resting on her thigh. Megumi’s hands were getting more and more mischievous—it was about time she put a stop to it!

Megumi Kato lifted her chin slightly, enjoying how flustered Kotomi got whenever she teased her. Seeing Kotomi’s blushing face and her shy retaliation, Megumi playfully whistled in her mind.

So cute. I’ll have to tease her again next time.

Of course, knowing where to draw the line was important. Megumi withdrew her hand and casually asked, ”Why are you so eager to leave? Are you meeting someone?”

”I just want to see my novel.” Kotomi sighed weakly, lying face-down on her desk.

”Your novel?”

”The one I wrote—it got published as a single volume. Today’s the release day.”

After speaking, Kotomi let out another sigh. She desperately wanted to visit a bookstore to see how Sword Art Online Volume 1 was displayed. How was the bookshelf arranged? How many people were buying it?

Although the actual sales numbers would come from the publisher, Kotomi wanted to witness it firsthand—to see customers pick up her book, flip through a few pages, and then take it to the register.

If they came with friends, maybe they’d even recommend it to them.

Just imagining that scene gave her a deep sense of accomplishment.

She had already planned it out: The moment the bookstore opened, she’d be the first one in. She would locate the Sword Art Online display and find the perfect spot to observe throughout the day, counting how many people bought her novel.

But then, this morning, she had woken up and realized—today wasn’t Saturday. It was Friday.

She still had to attend school…

With that thought, Kotomi sighed heavily once again, thinking, Why won’t class end already?!

She looked up—only 20 minutes had passed!

It was still the first period.

Forget waiting for the end of school, even just making it to the first break felt like an eternity away.

Kotomi now had a whole new appreciation for the phrase ”every second feels like a year.”

Megumi Kato glanced at the weary Kotomi sprawled on her desk, a small smirk forming on her lips. She reached into her bag, took out a book, and gently pressed it against Kotomi’s cheek.

”Is this the one~?”

In Japan, most paperback books don’t come with plastic wrapping, so when the novel’s cover touched Kotomi’s cheek, a slight chill ran through her. It was autumn now, and books stored in bookstores tended to be a bit cool to the touch. The sensation made her snap to attention, sitting up straight.

”Mmm!”

Kotomi had just been about to turn to Megumi Kato and playfully complain about the cold surprise, but before she could open her mouth, she noticed Megumi holding up Sword Art Online Volume 1 and lightly waving it.

”Wait!” Kotomi suddenly realized she had spoken too loudly and quickly lowered her voice, whispering, ”Megumi, isn’t this my novel’s paperback edition?”

”Ever since I found out your novel at Dengeki Bunko was called Sword Art Online, I’ve been keeping an eye on its release date. I got up early today and went to the bookstore near my house. I managed to buy two first-edition limited copies~” Megumi said with a smile. Then, she pulled another copy out of her bag and pressed both books against her cheeks, looking at Kotomi with playful amusement.

”I’m 1000% ready—sign them anytime.”

Kotomi patted her chest and, with a flourish, took out a pen she had been keeping in her pocket for over a month, just for this moment. She had practiced her signature for so long, yet she hadn’t expected the first person to ask for her autograph to be Megumi Kato.

Realizing this, Kotomi couldn’t help but grin stupidly.

With a smooth motion, she signed her pen name, Izumi Ki, on the blank page of the first volume. Unlike some authors whose signatures were wild and extravagant, hers was neat, elegant, and just the right amount of stylish—pleasing to the eye without being overly formal.

After signing the first copy, she handed it back to Megumi and picked up the second one.

Kotomi was extremely particular about book quality. She always insisted on buying pristine copies with perfectly sharp corners, free of any imperfections. Naturally, as she picked up Sword Art Online Volume 1, she instinctively inspected it. Spotting a slightly compressed corner, she frowned slightly, her mood dipping.

Even though she knew minor flaws like this were normal, she couldn’t stand it when book corners weren’t perfectly sharp.

If she ever bought a book with even the slightest flaw, she would not hesitate to tear it apart and buy a new one.

Kotomi clenched her teeth slightly. She wasn’t sure why, but whenever she saw imperfections in books, she felt an inexplicable layer of frustration clouding her mind. Just as she was about to rip the book apart, she suddenly snapped back to her senses, breaking into a cold sweat as she paused mid-motion.

What was she about to do?

If she had realized a second later, she might have torn the book in front of Megumi!

Thankfully, she caught herself in time. Kotomi discreetly let out a sigh of relief, feeling a few beads of sweat form on her forehead. She was genuinely happy that Megumi had remembered her novel’s release date and gone out of her way to buy a copy for her.

But… the slightly dented corner was making her unreasonably uncomfortable.

I’ll just buy another copy after school, Kotomi told herself. One with perfectly sharp corners.

”Kotomi, your face suddenly looks so pale.”

Megumi noticed the instant Kotomi’s expression changed after picking up the book, and she asked with concern.

Then, following Kotomi’s gaze to the book corner, she suddenly understood and quickly said:

”Sorry, I was in a hurry when I bought the book this morning and didn’t notice the flaw. Mine has perfectly sharp corners—let’s swap.”

Megumi Kato had unknowingly discovered Kotomi’s high standards for physical books—whether novels, manga, or art books. One day, when they visited a bookstore together, Megumi had observed how most people simply grabbed a copy of their desired book and headed to the register.

Kotomi, however, was different.

She would stand in front of the shelf, pick up multiple copies of the same book, and carefully inspect each one to ensure all corners were flawless. If even the slightest imperfection was found, she would put it back and select another until she found a perfect copy.

Only books with sharp corners were worthy of being purchased by Kotomi.

Kotomi waved a hand and smiled nonchalantly. ”It’s fine. No matter what, I’m just happy that you remembered my book release date, Megumi.”

”Is that so…”

Megumi looked at Kotomi and felt a tinge of regret for her morning mistake. If only she had checked more carefully at the bookstore, perhaps Kotomi would have been even happier.

Seeing the faint self-blame on Megumi’s face, Kotomi gently smiled and rested her head on Megumi’s shoulder.

”Kotomi, we’re still in class.” Megumi shivered slightly at the unexpected contact and whispered a reminder.

”No one’s looking~ It’s fine to stay like this for a while.” Kotomi, who had been flustered earlier, suddenly became bold. Under the desk, her fingers intertwined with Megumi’s.

”If someone sees us, I won’t be responsible.” Normally the more assertive one, Megumi found herself at a loss as Kotomi unexpectedly took the initiative. Her face flushed bright red.

”Even though I plan to buy another copy after school, I’ll treasure this one from you. After all, you woke up early just to buy it for me! Thank you, Megumi~”

”Izumi-sensei, hurry up and write Volume 2.”

”Ugh… Don’t ruin the moment by rushing me.”

Don’t rush me—kiss me instead.

If they were alone right now, Kotomi wouldn’t hesitate to say that to Megumi.

Finally, the first period ended.

One step closer to the end of the school day.

Kotomi planned to flip through Sword Art Online Volume 1 with Megumi. After all, it was her first novel to be published as a standalone book!

She had to admit—Haruno Yukinoshita, despite being a first-time lead editor, had made no mistakes. On the contrary, the cover typography and book jacket design were incredibly stylish.

”This might be a game, but it’s not something you play.”

The iconic Sword Art Online quote was boldly printed on the book jacket.

So cool!

Thank you, Haruno Onee-chan.

Megumi Kato: ”Kotomi, the illustrations in your novel are kind of… spicy.”

Kotomi Izumi: ”No spice, no viewership.”

The artwork by Hanayui was… exquisite, to say the least!

As the two were engrossed in flipping through the book, Arisu Sakayanagi entered Class 1-F, gracefully leaning on her cane as she made her way toward Kotomi’s seat.

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