All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

After finishing her conversation with Megumi Kato, Kotomi Izumi immediately opened the message sent by Iroha Isshiki. If someone had seen it, they would surely marvel: such seamless multitasking!

[Iroha Isshiki: Senpai~ Why haven't you called me today? Could it be—Senpai is waiting for me to make the first move?!]

As expected, upon checking the call log, there were several missed calls from Iroha Isshiki.

[Senpai, I called you a bunch of times. Why didn't you pick up?]

[Don't tell me, your feelings for me were just empty words, just for fun?!]

[(;'~`)]

[Ugh... I'm really upset, Senpai. I'm not sad that you didn't call me today, but that you didn't even leave me a "read" receipt.]

[Are you busy? If so, sorry to bother you. But once you're done, remember to reply to my messages, okay?]

[Rest early!]

[(> Δ <)]

Kotomi looked at Iroha Isshiki's messages and couldn't help but laugh. She had gone to bed early last night, so she really hadn't seen Iroha's messages. She had also somewhat forgotten about calling her.

Come to think of it, that little devil really loved using emoticons.

[Kotomi Izumi: Sorry, I was really tired last night and went to bed early. Just saw your messages.]

[The moment I saw them, I replied right away. Touched?]

Iroha Isshiki probably hadn't gotten out of bed yet, so Kotomi put her phone down for the moment. She was almost at school.

In the eyes of the discipline director, she was a model student who never played with her phone in class, never caused trouble, and focused solely on her studies.

That persona brought Kotomi a lot of convenience, so she had to maintain it appropriately at school.

"Not playing on your phone? It's sports day this week. Even if a teacher caught a student sneaking a peek at their phone, they'd likely turn a blind eye."

Waiting at a red light, Shizuka Hiratsuka glanced at Kotomi Izumi in the passenger seat. She thought maybe Kotomi had just remembered she was riding in her homeroom teacher's car and didn't dare touch her phone.

If it were an average student, they might have played along.

But Kotomi? She was the student Shizuka worried the least about—and also the one she worried the most.

Kotomi answered honestly, "But I heard that Class 1-B had over half their phones confiscated yesterday. And, Shizuka-sensei, you're overthinking it. I just ran out of data recently, so I'm trying to cut back on using my phone outside to save on data."

Thinking about how Kotomi always secretly used her phone during class, Shizuka couldn't help but retort:

"You call that cutting back? Every time I look your way during class—or peek through the back door window during another lesson—I always catch you sneaking a glance at your phone."

"I have no idea what the discipline director is thinking. Or maybe you just have amazing luck and never got caught. At the last meeting, the director even gave you a public commendation, saying:

'Nowadays, students are completely absorbed in the digital world, letting it steal their focus from their studies. How can anyone get good grades like that?! Here, I'd like to publicly commend Class 1-F's Kotomi Izumi. I hope every homeroom teacher encourages their students to follow her example: never using her phone in class, never goofing off, never laying her head on the desk to sleep, and always paying full attention in every lesson. It's no wonder she's ranked first in all of Tokyo twice in a row! Hard work always pays off!'"

Shizuka even mimicked the discipline director's tone when repeating the speech.

Other teachers might not know the truth, but after the director finished, they had all applauded and sung Kotomi's praises. The homeroom teachers especially envied Shizuka Hiratsuka for having such a student in her class.

Not only was Kotomi easy to manage, but just the fact that she had ranked first in Tokyo twice in a row meant Shizuka Hiratsuka would be receiving a hefty bonus by year's end.

It might even be more than what Class 1-A's Yachiyo Kuhama earned!

Jealousy—lots of it.

And yet, Shizuka had to keep a straight face, accepting the applause and praise while suppressing her laughter. Not a single trait listed by the discipline director actually applied to Kotomi!

Thankfully, Ami Koishi, who taught music for Class 1-F, wasn't present at that meeting—she had been forced to attend a matchmaking session in Tokyo by her father.

Had she been there and heard the director say Kotomi never slept in class, she would've jumped to her feet and protested with tears in her eyes!

Because the student who slept the soundest during music class was, without question, Kotomi Izumi.

It was even said that once, during music class, Kotomi had been so deeply asleep she started talking in her sleep.

Hearing that she was praised at a school-wide teacher meeting, Kotomi chuckled smugly. If she had a big fluffy tail, it would've already punched through the car roof and curled proudly into the sky.

"I think the discipline director was absolutely right. Every one of my strengths was clearly and accurately stated. Shizuka-sensei, during the next homeroom session, you must seriously praise me too!"

"Praise you? I feel more like pulling you over my knee and spanking your mischievous little butt. I have no idea how you manage to learn anything. You're either sleeping or on your phone in class. I've never seen you study seriously."

"And yet, I still ranked first in all of Tokyo. Twice." Kotomi flashed a double "V" sign with her fingers, snapping them like crab pincers.

Shizuka shrugged. Two consecutive first-place rankings—a fact that couldn't be argued. No matter how much Kotomi played with her phone or napped during class, it had never affected her grades.

Academic performance really did come down to talent.

The college entrance exams only seemed fair.

When they arrived at Sobu High, Shizuka didn't head straight to the parking lot. She first drove to the entrance of the school building and parked.

"You go on ahead. After I park, I need to stop by the office first, so I won't walk you to class. Your homeroom teacher today should be the physics teacher."

"But I wanted to walk in with you, Shizuka-sensei~"

Unable to resist Kotomi's sweet request, Shizuka gave in and drove straight to the parking lot instead.

Luckily, they were early today. The lot wasn't too crowded yet, so she snagged a prime parking spot—easy to park and easy to leave. More importantly, there were no coworkers around. Shizuka really didn't want to explain to curious colleagues why she had driven Kotomi to school.

"Finally, I get to see my beloved little schoolbag again. Even just one night apart feels like an eternity for a hardworking student like me who lives and breathes studying."

While walking up the stairs with Shizuka, Kotomi spoke with dramatic flair.

It made Shizuka twitch at the corners of her mouth. Who was it again that slapped her pocket, found her phone inside, and decided not to return to class yesterday?

"Alright, I'm heading to the office. You go to class. Today's class monitor is Seiko Kirigiri, but it's still early—she might not be here yet. I'll give you the classroom key."

Shizuka pulled out a spare key from her bag and handed it to Kotomi.

"Mm-hmm." Kotomi nodded, then twirled the key on her finger and sashayed off with a wiggle of her waist.

When she arrived at Class 1-F's classroom door, Kotomi realized the key was unnecessary—the door was already open.

Who would be here this early? Could someone have forgotten to lock up yesterday? Kotomi wondered. She pushed the door open, checking to see if the classroom had been robbed.

"Seiko?" Kotomi glanced inside and spotted Seiko Kirigiri sitting at a desk, looking a bit distracted.

Seiko was today's class monitor, but arriving this early?

Hearing someone enter, Seiko lifted her head in surprise. When she saw it was Kotomi, she said, "Kotomi? You're here early today."

"Because I suddenly felt like studying," Kotomi replied in an overly serious tone. She could tell Seiko seemed down, so she decided to play the clown to cheer her up.

"Oh, I see. Then good luck. I'm going to... do my duties."

Seiko nodded and got up to begin cleaning duties. She looked so out of it that, if Kotomi hadn't shown up, she probably would've just sat there zoning out the whole time.

Kotomi immediately sensed that Seiko had something on her mind, but it wasn't the right moment to ask.

So she simply returned to her desk, pulled out a math textbook for show, then promptly took out her phone and started playing Azur Lane.

...

Lately, her sister's attention seemed to be completely absorbed by Line.

Seiko Kirigiri noticed that ever since her sister returned from Kyoto, she'd often spend long stretches of time chatting on Line. Outwardly, it looked like the two of them had patched things up after their earlier argument—but perhaps it was just on the surface.

Though Seiko longed to return to the sweet and close bond they'd once shared, it felt as if an invisible wall had formed between them. It couldn't be seen or touched, but it undeniably existed—and over time, the distance between sisters only seemed to grow. One day, it might even solidify into an impenetrable wall.

Seiko hated that feeling. It had been a long time since she last shared a bed with Hibiki Naegi. Not that she didn't want to—every time she brought it up, Hibiki would deflect with reasons like being tired or wanting to sleep early.

After growing used to sharing a bed, returning to sleeping alone made even a modest single bed feel oppressively vast and empty.

Seiko would instinctively reach toward the other side of the bed, only to touch nothing but sheets. No warm hand from her childhood would gently clasp hers in return, no shared gaze filled with affection and promises for the future.

She often asked herself: if she hadn't found that photo back then, would her relationship with her sister still be the same as before?

Or even if she had found the photo, maybe she shouldn't have called Hibiki while she was still in Kyoto to confront her about it. Maybe she should've waited until her sister came home, and then calmly talked it out.

Seiko felt she had been too immature. No wonder Hibiki always said she was a child who never grew up. And yet, Seiko loved acting spoiled around her like a little kid.

Looking back, she realized she'd spent too much time being childish and clingy, and had rarely stopped to consider how her sister felt.

Since Hibiki returned from Kyoto, Seiko had apologized for that incident more than once. Hibiki had already forgiven her. On the surface, their relationship should have gone back to normal. But something—something subtle—had changed and refused to revert.

Now, her sister seemed genuinely obsessed with chatting on Line. Not that it distracted her from drawing—if anything, since returning from Kyoto, her dedication to art had only increased. She seemed even more focused and driven than when she had declared, "Seiko, I want to draw you in a wedding dress and marry you."

It was as if Hibiki had found new motivation during her trip to Kyoto, giving her the strength to keep pursuing art despite her ordinary talent.

Realizing this change, Seiko felt she should be happy. Her sister was more motivated. But for some reason, she couldn't shake the bitterness in her heart.

"..."

After wiping the chalkboard clean, Seiko let out a faint breath of relief. Sweeping, mopping, and cleaning the windows—all of it had been finished before she even realized. Now, with the board wiped, her morning duties as today's class monitor were complete.

She'd only have to repeat the tasks again after school.

There was one more duty—writing the class schedule—but since it was sports week, they wouldn't be spending much time in the classroom today anyway. Aside from lunch break, the entire day would be outdoors. There was no need to write a schedule.

All that remained was writing her name next to [Class Monitor:] on the far side of the chalkboard to show she'd completed her duties.

Even though her mind had been drifting the whole time, Seiko found she'd completed her tasks in less than ten minutes.

At the moment, only she and Kotomi were in the entire Class 1-F classroom.

Kotomi had claimed she was taking advantage of the morning to study—but in truth, the moment she sat down, she pulled out a textbook just for show and had been glued to her phone ever since.

Lounging leisurely at her desk, with her legs stretched straight out in white stockings, combined with her loosely tied uniform necktie, made her look less like a top student who'd ranked first in all of Tokyo twice, and more like a trendy JK wondering, "Which karaoke place should we hit after school?" or "How can I sneak beer from the convenience store?"

"Kotomi," Seiko spoke.

"Hm?"

Kotomi had just used up all her oil and was debating whether to spend diamonds for more. Normally she didn't care about conserving oil, often letting it max out and dumping it on dorm food. But now, grinding this event like crazy, she was actually starting to stress over oil for the first time.

Upon hearing Seiko's voice, Kotomi finally looked up.

"Kotomi, do you have a boyfriend?"

"Nope," Kotomi answered without hesitation.

Had Seiko asked about a girlfriend, Kotomi might have paused to consider how to respond.

One glance at Seiko's expression and Kotomi instantly understood—this was a matter of the heart. Seiko had something on her mind and was looking for someone experienced to consult.

Too bad for you, Seiko—I'm into girls. If you were asking about girlfriend troubles, we'd probably already be talking. I do have a girlfriend, but I'm not great at this romance thing. I can't give you any deep advice, but I might be able to share some small tips. Kotomi mused silently.

"I see..."

Seiko looked a bit disappointed, then gave a wry smile.

"Actually, I have this friend whose boyfriend's been chatting on Line constantly. Things feel different between them lately. And when she asks him, 'Want to sleep together tonight?' he dodges with excuses like being tired. She's really troubled, so she called to tell me about it. But I don't really know how to help..."

She had wanted to say "girlfriend," but Seiko didn't have the courage to admit to liking girls—not even through the classic "I have a friend" deflection.

That description... it felt like a plot straight out of a soap opera about a woman uncovering her cheating husband. Kotomi mentally commented.

"Well, the last part is understandable—people do get tired. If you sleep together every night, it's natural to want a break. But chatting on Line all the time? That's a bit suspicious," Kotomi said thoughtfully. Then, testing a hunch, she added a subtle prompt.

"Right? Exactly! Super suspicious! He already has a girlfriend, yet he's constantly on Line—and she doesn't even know who he's chatting with!" Seiko exclaimed.

Kotomi's subtle trap worked perfectly. Seiko took the bait instantly.

That reaction confirmed it—the "friend" Seiko mentioned was, in fact, herself.

But now Kotomi was curious. Did Hibiki Naegi even know Seiko had a boyfriend?

Knock knock knock.

Just then, someone knocked on the door to Class 1-F.

"Huh? Another early bird?" Kotomi looked toward the entrance.

It was a student—but not one from their class. It was Momoka Mito-senpai.

"Good morning, Kotomi-chan. I came to drop off the key," Momoka said, holding up the key to the second music room.

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