All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

A few minutes later, Kotomi finally put down her paintbrush, letting out a breath as she wiped the light sheen of sweat from her forehead. She hadn’t even realized she’d been sweating—completely immersed in her work, she’d been oblivious to everything else.

It felt like she’d just finished running laps on the field rather than sitting in the art room.

Despite the lack of air conditioning, the small fridge Chihiro had brought in recently was a lifesaver. It allowed club members to grab a cold drink after a long session.

Packing up her supplies, Kotomi walked over to the fridge and crouched down to open it.

”Hmm, I’ll have a Coke today… huh?”

To her shock, the fridge was stocked entirely with Coca-Cola.

Where was the Pepsi?

Her beloved Pepsi?!

Defeated, she reached for a can of Sprite instead.

The first sip of Sprite brought instant relief, cooling the heat that had built up during her painting session. Standing by the open window, she let the gentle breeze wash over her.

”How’s your progress?” asked Hibiki Naegi, walking over.

”Not bad,” Kotomi replied. ”I was worried skipping a day would throw me off, but my strokes felt unusually smooth today. Before I knew it, the dismissal bell rang, and I’d even gotten ahead of schedule.”

”Sounds like you’re in the zone,” Hibiki said with a grin. ”Keep it up. When I win the art prize, I’ll treat you and Mashiro to a big meal!”

Kotomi chuckled. ”Careful. My appetite’s no joke. You might need more than that prize money to cover it. Tell you what—when I win, I’ll take you and Mashiro out instead.”

Hibiki raised an eyebrow. ”You’re exaggerating. How big could your appetite possibly be? Three bowls of rice instead of one?”

Kotomi laughed but then noticed something odd. ”By the way, Hibiki-senpai, your voice sounds a little hoarse. Are you feeling okay?”

Caught off guard, Hibiki felt her face flush slightly. Damn it, it’s all Seiko’s fault!

Clearing her throat, she replied, ”It’s just the weather. My throat always acts up when it gets chilly. Thanks for noticing.”

Checking the time on her phone, she added, ”Anyway, my sister’s still at the Mystery Club playing D&D (Dungeons & Dragons). I need to pick her up. See you tomorrow!”

”See you!” Kotomi and the others waved goodbye as Hibiki left.

With everyone else gone, only Mashiro remained, slowly tidying her station. Since Kotomi had no urgent plans, she decided to wait, sipping her Sprite and cooling off by the window.

Once Mashiro finished packing up, she walked over.

”Thanks for waiting, Kotomi. Let’s go.”

”Yeah.”

As the last two to leave the art room, it was their job to lock up and return the key to the advisor’s office.

”Hey, Mashiro, how much did you get done today?” Kotomi asked casually.

Mashiro froze. She had spent the entire session stealing glances at Kotomi, barely putting brush to canvas.

Blushing slightly, she averted her gaze and murmured, ”I wasn’t in great shape today, so I didn’t paint much. I just focused on some touch-ups.”

”Oh, got it.”

Kotomi nodded, not pressing further.

After all, Mashiro was a world-class genius in art. She didn’t need Kotomi to keep tabs on her progress. It was like a newbie worrying about a veteran—a complete mismatch.

In Kotomi’s eyes, she was the newbie, and Mashiro was the master.

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