All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

Whenever Shizuka Hiratsuka thought back to the summer fireworks festival she visited as a high schooler—just to pass the time—she couldn’t help but believe that maybe, just maybe, there really was a divine force that pulled the strings of fate.

If such a god did exist, Shizuka felt she would be grateful to them.

Grateful that she got to meet a little snow-white angel at that summer fireworks festival.

She only wished she could go back in time. If she could relive that day, she wouldn’t hesitate. The very first thing she’d do would be to ask that white-haired little girl: ”What’s your name?”

Shizuka had been waiting all these years, hoping to see that girl again. If she had grown up healthy, she’d probably be in high school by now.

Not that she expected the girl to fulfill a childhood proposal or anything.

After all, the girl was very young at the time—both in size and in age. What she said was likely just a child’s innocent words. She’d probably forgotten all about it by now. As for that so-called token of love—the matching pendant—who knows if she even kept it?

Don’t overthink it. She’s probably already forgotten you...

Shizuka would always say this to herself after recalling the memory.

But strangely, no matter how many years passed, she still deeply wished she could see that snow-white little angel again—the one who had gotten lost and, by pure chance, ended up beside her.

If she ever got the chance to meet her again... Shizuka didn’t even know what she’d do.

Smile, maybe. Reminisce. Talk about how the years had passed. Share stories from that summer fireworks festival.

But she definitely wouldn’t bring up that childhood proposal.

Even if it had come directly from that little angel’s mouth.

”Where is she now? Is she still just as silly as she was back then?” Shizuka sighed with a tinge of nostalgia. ”Maybe she’s still getting separated from her parents while out walking... pfft~”

She couldn’t help but laugh at the scene she imagined.

As she gently ran her fingers over the little tree pendant, she felt her mood lighten. The fatigue she’d felt was already melting away without her noticing.

Back to the point—if she really did meet that snow-white angel again, and if the girl still remembered that childhood proposal...

Would she say yes?

”Big Sister! I’ll eat well and grow up fast, so you wait for me, okay?! I’ll marry you! You can’t break your promise—you even accepted my token of love!”

That childish but bold voice echoed softly in her ears, and Shizuka smiled from the heart.

To think, in her whole life of being single from birth until now, there had been a time when someone proposed to her—earnestly declaring she would marry her.

It was just that... the person was a girl.

”Do I like girls?”

Having never been in love, and not really sure what it felt like, Shizuka murmured to herself.

She didn’t know the answer.

After thinking about it for dozens of minutes in bed, she lazily turned off the bedroom light and pulled the covers over herself.

She had work tomorrow. Better sleep early...

Ding.

Just as she was about to close her eyes, her phone chimed with a text notification. Curious, Shizuka picked it up and saw it was from a delivery service.

[You have a package from (Kyoto City) en route to (Chiba City). Please choose a convenient delivery time and location.]

After reading the message, Shizuka’s head filled with question marks.

She’d been busy lately and hadn’t ordered anything online. Not that she did much online shopping even when she had time—Shizuka preferred buying things in physical stores whenever possible.

Staring at the unexpected delivery notification, Shizuka puzzled over it for a long time, unable to recall buying anything recently.

Could it be some snacks her mom sent?

No, that didn’t make sense. If her mom sent her something, it should’ve been shipped from Tokyo—not Kyoto.

No matter how much she thought about it, Shizuka couldn’t figure out who might’ve sent her the package.

Eventually, she figured—since she’d gotten the text, it must mean the package would arrive tomorrow.

She’d find out what it was then.

That night, it wasn’t just Shizuka Hiratsuka—Megumi Kato and the others also received similar texts notifying them that a package was on its way to Chiba City.

Kotomi Izumi glanced at her phone. It was a notification from the delivery company.

[Dear customer, due to a logistics delay yesterday, your package was shipped one day late. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.]

Kotomi twitched at the corner of her mouth. No wonder she hadn’t received any calls from Megumi and the others today—it turned out the package had only just been sent.

At the earliest, it would arrive tomorrow.

Tomorrow would also be her last day in Kyoto. The three-day mini vacation had flown by.

To commemorate this meaningful trip, Kotomi had started writing a journal on the very first day.

Day One: Gion music performance (Too scared to go. Afraid Mom would spank me.)

Day Two: Kotomi, Kotomi, you can’t be such a coward! Do you really think your mom, all the way in Chiba, will somehow know you went drinking with geisha in Gion? Get it together!

(crossed out) Oh crap! Why is Mom suddenly calling me?!

Whole sentence crossed out.

Day Two: Gion music performance (Too scared to go. Afraid Mom would spank me.)

Kotomi looked at her slightly barren diary entries and gave an awkward laugh, then quietly closed the notebook and pretended like nothing happened, switching to watching TV instead.

Mashiro Shiina was still sitting on the sofa, sketching. Seeing how focused she was, Kotomi decided not to disturb her.

It was only 6 p.m.

Kotomi didn’t want to get ready for bed this early. People always said Kyoto’s nightlife was enchanting—she wanted to see for herself.

But going out alone felt a little dull.

Kotomi turned to look at Mashiro. When she was drawing, she was always hyper-focused—completely oblivious to the world around her. Her level of concentration was hard to believe.

Chihiro Sengoku often said: if Mashiro could channel even a sliver of that drawing focus into studying, she wouldn’t need make-up exams in every subject.

Kotomi hesitated, not wanting to interrupt, but still tested the waters with a soft question: ”Mashiro, wanna go for a walk? Maybe enjoy the night view from the ground level?”

”Sure.”

Of course she wouldn’t—wait, what?! Kotomi had already assumed she’d been turned down and was about to head out alone when it hit her.

Looking over, she saw Mashiro had already tossed her sketchbook aside and was staring at her with anticipation, as if silently asking: When are we heading out?

”You’re really coming with me?” Kotomi asked again in disbelief.

To her surprise, Mashiro furrowed her brows in slight annoyance, looking very much like a pouting girlfriend throwing a small tantrum.

”What? You don’t want me to come with you? Do you... do you have a secret lover in Kyoto?! Going out for a walk is just an excuse, and really you’re sneaking off to meet your mistress!”

The more Mashiro spoke, the more dramatic her voice became—until she was practically yelling. But instead of panicking, Kotomi just found it hilarious.

She walked over, lightly tapped Mashiro’s forehead, and asked with a teasing smile, ”Alright, what drama did you watch this afternoon?”

Just moments ago, Mashiro had sounded like a betrayed wife catching her unrepentant husband red-handed. But now, caught red-handed herself, her face turned a bit red.

”It was some urban romance drama... I just wanted to try it out~”

”...I figured.”

Kotomi clicked her tongue and pinched Mashiro’s smooth cheeks with mock frustration.

This little Mashiro... and she wasn’t even officially her girlfriend yet. If she were, Kotomi thought smugly, she’d toss her onto the bed and mess her up completely! Her inner seme pride flared with confidence.

Mashiro winced slightly at the cheek-pinching, but clearly enjoyed it. Her eyes shimmered a bit as she let Kotomi keep pinching her for a good while before softly murmuring, ”Be gentle, okay? That kind of hurts...”

Kotomi, satisfied like a kid teasing their crush, finally let go. ”Go change clothes. I’m taking you on a night stroll through Kyoto.”

Mashiro obediently went to change.

”Kotomi, does this outfit look good?”

”Yeah, looks great.”

”What about this one?”

”Also great. You look good in anything.”

...

It took Kotomi quite a bit of effort to finally help Mashiro settle on an outfit.

A white blouse with lace trim, paired with a skirt that reached just to her knees. Cream-colored tights softly outlined her elegant legs.

Ever since learning that Kotomi liked girls in stockings, Mashiro had started experimenting with wearing them. She was still too shy to wear thigh-high, so she started with full tights.

Of course, with the weather now fully into autumn and winter around the corner, stockings would be no match for the cold.

Japanese girls were known for choosing fashion over warmth—still wearing skirts even in winter. For those who grew up in Japan, it was just a way of life.

Kotomi would usually switch to 80D semi-sheer or 300D opaque tights in winter.

But Mashiro wasn’t used to it yet. Kotomi didn’t know what it was like back in the UK, but she suspected this would be Mashiro’s first cold-weather experience in Japan—and she’d likely catch a cold at least once.

Ever the forward-thinker, Kotomi had already mentally prepared herself to take care of Mashiro when that happened.

If Chihiro found out, she’d probably mutter bitterly in a corner: I’m the cousin, you know!

Mashiro did a shy little twirl, looking at Kotomi with a hint of nervous anticipation. She stood on her tiptoes, her cream-white tights hugging her feet, and asked, cheeks slightly flushed:

”Does it look good?”

The moment you finished putting on those tights, I already decided where I’m buying the wedding rings... Kotomi thought to herself.

She could think boldly—but what she said aloud had to be restrained. After some consideration, all she managed to blurt out was:

”You look amazing!”

”Kotomi, you’re lying,” Mashiro suddenly said.

Which startled Kotomi. She’d been a skilled fibber in the past, sure—but this time, seriously, she was telling the truth!

”I didn’t lie, okay?!” Kotomi protested, racking her brain but unable to figure out how Mashiro concluded she was lying.

Mashiro looked at her, perfectly confident as she replied, ”If you really thought I looked good, why didn’t you hug me and kiss me on the spot?”

The sudden question hit Kotomi like a hammer to the chest—not painful, but enough to send ripples through her heart. Her pulse quickened, and she felt flustered.

After calming herself down a bit, she cleared her throat and tried to speak with the tone of an older sister lecturing her younger sibling:

”Those two things have absolutely no logical connection!”

”Kotomi, in art, too much logic becomes a burden. Sometimes it’s best to let go of logic. Haven’t you heard? Reality is even more illogical than art.”

”That... actually kind of makes sense—wait no, damn it, you almost tricked me! So you’re saying that when someone compliments your outfit, they’re supposed to hug and kiss you right then and there?!”

Kotomi shot back, betting that Mashiro was just being bold with words. If the situation were reversed, she’d probably get all shy and flustered.

Kotomi grinned devilishly, looking forward to seeing that embarrassed side of Mashiro.

”How would you know unless you try?” Mashiro replied with a question of her own.

Kotomi considered that and mimicked Mashiro’s earlier twirl, flashing her a grin.

”So? How do I look?”

Mashiro’s cheeks flushed slightly.

Kotomi caught that look and silently cheered in her heart—her guess had been right. Mashiro had totally been bluffing before!

”Heh, Mashiro, now do you get it? When I asked if my new outfit looked good, you didn’t have the guts to hug me and—eh eh eh eh eh?!”

Just as Kotomi smugly puffed out her imaginary tail, Mashiro suddenly pulled her into an embrace... and kissed her cheek with her soft, rosy lips.

Kotomi froze, face flushed bright red.

Her earlier confident, older-sister-like demeanor completely disappeared.

”I only have the courage to do this with you, Kotomi. Because I like you—and I’m going to make you fall for me too,” Mashiro said with a smile that allowed no room for argument. Then, unable to resist Kotomi’s adorable expression, she kissed her again.

Kotomi let out a surprised squeak, her legs giving out as she slid to the floor. Her phone slipped from her hand and rolled away.

Mashiro stepped forward, bending down slightly, aiming for a third kiss. Flustered to the point of speechlessness, Kotomi turned her face away, ears completely red.

But Mashiro, driven by a rush of emotion, was already too far gone. The desire to kiss Kotomi again was overwhelming. She gently turned Kotomi’s face back, lifted her chin, and pressed her lips to Kotomi’s.

Kotomi, stiff and sitting on the floor, struggled at first, but soon her body softened. She lost the will to resist and gradually began to accept Mashiro’s kiss.

It was just a childish peck—lips touching lips.

Yet somehow, it made both their hearts race, flooding their chests with warmth and happiness.

Only then did Kotomi realize: Mashiro’s one-hundred-day campaign had already entered the final assault stage.

Meanwhile, Kotomi’s phone, which had rolled aside, lit up.

It was a video call from Megumi.

But because Kotomi had set her phone to silent during her nap and forgot to change it back, she didn’t hear it. And now that it was so far away—and Mashiro’s hands were gently cupping her cheeks, keeping her attention fully focused—

Kotomi completely missed Megumi’s call.

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