All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

In any case, no matter what, she absolutely could not let them find out about the gifts!

Kotomi Izumi thought this to herself. The hands covering Yui’s mouth tightened instinctively, afraid that if she relaxed even slightly, Yui would blurt out something about the Kiyomizu ware and the letter.

Fortunately, Yui Yuigahama had not been speaking very loudly. Kotomi reacted in time and clamped a hand over her mouth. Moreover, Yukino Yukinoshita was sitting a short distance away watching television, so she had not heard anything.

Even so, a thin layer of cold sweat broke out across Kotomi’s back.

That had been close. Yui had almost exposed the matter of the Kiyomizu ware and the letters!

Phew... that was close to flipping the car. Good thing I reacted fast. Otherwise, if Yui and Yukino found out that I gave them the exact same Kiyomizu ware—and that the letters I wrote were both love letters... Yukino wouldn’t tolerate it. Yui wouldn’t tolerate it either. And if the two of them compared notes afterward and let Megumi Kato and the others know...

Good grief. At that point, it wouldn’t even be about a love triangle anymore. It would be a full-on explosion. After all, every single girl received the same Kiyomizu ware. The letters had different wording, sure, but they were all ambiguous love letters.

And when the time came, if they took out the pottery and the letters and compared them... tch. Just imagining it makes my abdomen, limbs, and neck start aching faintly again.

My reaction just now was amazing. Not only did I steady the steering wheel right before the crash, I even got to touch Yui’s little mouth. I really am born to be the king of love triangles!

Kotomi applauded herself inwardly, feeling invincible.

With her mouth covered, Yui was a little confused, not understanding what Kotomi was doing. Still, she obediently stayed quiet. At the same time, she felt the warmth of Kotomi’s small hand against her lips... and a tempting blush spread across her pretty face at a visible speed.

Yukino Yukinoshita, who was sitting not far away watching television, heard the commotion and turned her head to glance over.

Even before that, she had repeatedly told herself that no matter what she heard, she should not look toward Kotomi and Yui. She was afraid that if she accidentally glanced over, she might see the two of them in the middle of something...

But when she heard the noise—especially since Yui had just seemed to say something softly before being abruptly cut off by Kotomi—Yukino’s curiosity flared.

Though she had not caught what Yui was about to say, that only made her more curious. In the end, Yukino Yukinoshita could not resist and turned her head.

What she saw was Kotomi practically pouncing onto Yui to cover her mouth, while Yui, cheeks faintly flushed, allowed it without resistance.

Yukino instantly snapped her head back around, afraid that if she were even a second slower, she would witness something she should not and become an unwelcome third wheel.

Her movements were so swift that neither Kotomi nor Yui noticed she had looked over.

Before letting go, Kotomi still felt uneasy. She leaned close to Yui’s ear, gently nibbled it, and whispered,

”You’re not allowed to mention the gift to anyone. Got it?”

Yui looked at her with puzzled eyes, as if she did not understand why even something like that had to be kept secret. But since Kotomi had asked, even though she still felt confused inside, Yui obediently nodded.

At the same time, she could not help feeling a little jealous, overthinking as she wondered why Kotomi would not let her talk about the Kiyomizu ware and the letter.

Kotomi could tell at a glance that Yui was starting to spiral slightly, wondering why she was forbidden from mentioning it.

She definitely could not tell her the real reason.

So Kotomi quickly fabricated an explanation in her mind.

It did not have to be clever. Even if there were minor loopholes, the silly Yui would not notice. She might as well invent something simple and logically passable. It would save time and effort.

When it came to making up excuses to coax Yui, Kotomi could not merely be described as experienced. She was so practiced she could do it effortlessly.

Of course, that was mostly because it was so easy. She barely even had to use her brain. Inventing excuses had become like muscle memory. She could produce several versions the moment she opened her mouth.

If she were trying to fabricate something to fool Megumi Kato, on the other hand, her brain’s CPU would have to spin at full speed.

After all, if there were even the slightest flaw, Megumi’s gleaming kitchen knife might come swinging.

In less than a minute, at least a dozen versions of excuses had flashed through Kotomi’s mind. She selected a few relatively polished ones, stitched them together, and leaned toward Yui’s ear again.

”Hey, dummy bun. Do you know why I won’t let you say anything?

”It’s simple. When I came to Kyoto last time, I only bought a gift for you.

”The Kiyomizu ware was specially chosen for you. And the letter was written just for you.

”After I went back from Kyoto last time, it’s a good thing Yukino didn’t ask whether I brought back any souvenirs. Otherwise, it would’ve been really awkward. If you say it now and Yukino finds out, wouldn’t the atmosphere turn awkward instantly?”

Hearing this, Yui immediately understood why Kotomi had stopped her. So that was the reason—Kotomi had only bought a gift for her.

She had been about to complain that Kotomi was a bit careless, but the moment she realized she had been the only one to receive a gift, joy bubbled up uncontrollably inside her.

”I see... Then, Kotomi, should we buy Yukino a gift this time?” Yui asked softly.

Kotomi shook her head.

”Let’s not. Buying something is easy. But what excuse would you use when giving it? Have you thought of one? If you have, then go ahead and give it.”

Caught off guard by the question, Yui thought it over in her heart and realized she really could not come up with a suitable reason.

After all, this time Yukino Yukinoshita had come to Kyoto with them.

There truly was no fitting excuse.

In this situation, suddenly giving Yukino a present would only confuse her.

”I can’t think of a reason,” Yui admitted, shrinking her neck in surrender.

Kotomi let out a theatrical sigh and continued in a low voice,

”Actually, this is my fault too. Even out of courtesy, I should’ve bought a few ordinary souvenirs. But back then my mind was full of you. I didn’t have the spare energy to think about anyone else, so I completely forgot about buying gifts for others. I only bought Kiyomizu ware for you and wrote you a letter.

”Anyway, let’s just let the gift matter drop. Just remember—don’t bring it up in front of Yukino, okay?

”When there’s a chance in the future, I’ll find an opportunity to buy something separately and give it to Yukino as a gift.”

As Kotomi finished speaking in a low voice, she deliberately emphasized the last part, whether consciously or not.

There was not much scheming behind it. After all, natural airheads were immune to subtle cunning. With Yui Yuigahama’s innocent personality, if Kotomi made the implication too obscure, Yui might not notice it at all—or might not understand it even if she did. So Kotomi chose to stress the ending slightly, as if giving Yui advance notice:

I might give Yukino a gift in the future. When that time comes, don’t get jealous, okay?

Yui nodded. She did not catch the implied warning not to be jealous, but she did understand that Kotomi might someday find an opportunity to give Yukino a present.

”Achoo!”

Yukino Yukinoshita, who was sitting not far away watching television, suddenly sneezed, instantly drawing the attention of Kotomi and Yui.

”Yukino, did you catch a chill? Or did you get so moved by the drama that you accidentally sneezed while crying?” Kotomi asked with a half-teasing smile.

”Here, Yukino. Tissues.”

Yui quickly pulled several sheets from the box on the table and handed them over.

After taking the tissues and thanking Yui, Yukino launched her counterattack at Kotomi.

”Compared to Yui, you’re practically a witch who brews evil potions while letting out eerie laughter.”

And a bewitching witch at that. My heart was stolen by you before I even realized it...

The second half of that sentence, Yukino Yukinoshita only dared to say in her heart. She did not have the courage to voice it aloud.

It was not because Yui was present. Even if it were just the two of them alone, Yukino was not certain she would have enough courage to say it.

Some words have to be spoken. If they are never said, the other person will never know.

Just like now. Yukino did not dare confess those feelings to Kotomi, so Kotomi naturally had no idea. She simply thought it was Yukino’s habitual ”counterattack” and played along with it, flashing her trademark laugh.

”Kehehehe!”

At the same time, Kotomi thought smugly to herself:

Little Yukino, little Yukino. What you might not know is that in Little Shizu’s heart, I’m practically a little angel~

She’s been unable to forget me for so many years, constantly thinking about me, unable to let go.

You could say that once she met Kotomi, her whole life was misled.

Though, that was her impression of me when I was a child...

Still, no matter what, at least I do have a side that can be seen as angelic!

”Achoo!”

Hiratsuka Shizuka, who was pouring hot water into a cup of instant noodles, suddenly felt her nose itch and sneezed.

She almost spilled the freshly boiled water.

”That was close.”

She steadied the kettle in her hand and let out a small sigh of relief. If the sneeze had been any stronger, the hot water would have splashed out.

This was freshly boiled water meant for instant noodles. If it had spilled and burned her...

Just imagining it made Hiratsuka Shizuka shrink her neck in lingering fear. She even began thinking that maybe tomorrow night she should just eat a convenience store bento instead. At least that could be heated in the microwave.

After filling the noodle cup with hot water, before sealing it and securing it with a plastic fork, she added two sausages and a braised egg.

Two cumin-flavored sausages and one braised egg—her standard configuration for instant noodles.

If she had not already finished the flatbread she bought some time ago, she would have heated up two pieces in the air fryer to eat together with the noodles.

Carrying the noodles with both hands, Hiratsuka Shizuka placed them on the low table beside the bed. She then poured herself a cup of hot water, finished all her busywork, and finally returned to the kotatsu, stretching lazily.

”Out of nowhere I sneeze like that. The temperature’s dropped way too fast in just a few days. It’s practically winter already. I’ll just order takeout for lunch tomorrow. I was feeling a bit inspired to cook something myself, but forget it. Cooking alone in weather this cold is just miserable.”

Anyone who has cooked knows that the actual cooking time is not long. The longest parts are the preparation beforehand and the cleanup afterward.

When the weather was mild, Hiratsuka Shizuka was already too lazy to cook. Now that the temperature had dropped so sharply, she was even less inclined to do so.

In the past, she could use it as an excuse to visit her parents and mooch a meal.

But ever since her parents began urging her to get married, forget about freeloading meals—now whenever she suddenly received a call from them, her heart would speed up involuntarily. She was afraid that the moment she answered, she would be met with a barrage of marriage pressure.

Under those circumstances, she naturally did not dare go to their house for dinner anymore.

While waiting for the noodles to finish soaking, Hiratsuka Shizuka idly scrolled through her phone, looking for a good drama to watch with her meal.

Just like how Kotomi Izumi always liked to watch Crayon Shin-chan or Doraemon while eating, Hiratsuka Shizuka also enjoyed watching something entertaining alongside her food.

After browsing for a long time, she still found nothing that interested her. The show she had been following was already caught up to the latest episode, and there were no new updates yet.

Before she realized it, she had opened LINE and started scrolling through her chat history with Kotomi.

Kotomi Izumi: [Little Shizu, we’ve arrived at Harugamo Inn. Now that you’ve already resigned from Sobu High School, why not pack your suitcase and come soak in the hot springs with me~? I miss you so much~]

[Sticker: (A pink little monster hugging and kissing an orange little monster)]

When she received that message, Hiratsuka Shizuka’s gaze had practically been locked onto the five words ”I miss you so much,” unable to move away. Even though she knew it was the little trashy witch’s temptation, her heartbeat still could not stop accelerating.

For a moment, she had even considered not packing at all—just grabbing her wallet, boarding the nearest shinkansen, rushing to Kyoto, heading straight to Harugamo Inn, and soaking in the hot springs with Kotomi!

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