All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

Desperate, she resorted to every comforting tactic she had ever used when Aimi was younger. But nothing seemed to work. Finally, with no other options, Kotomi hugged Aimi tightly, holding her like a baby. Gently swaying her back and forth, she began to hum a lullaby, just like a mother soothing a fussy infant.

Aimi, petite as she was, didn’t weigh much. And with Kotomi’s naturally robust physique, holding her sister like this was no trouble at all. She cradled Aimi easily, rocking her gently.

Aimi was startled. She hadn’t expected her crying fit to end with her being scooped up like a baby. What was more, her sister had begun humming, ”Sleep, sleep, my dear little baby…”

”Onee-chan, do you think I’m a child or something? I’m in my third year of middle school, and you’re holding me like this and singing a lullaby?!” Aimi’s tone was one of disbelief, her expression bordering on exasperation.

Her sister always had a way of making her both angry and laugh at the same time.

”Are you still mad? Will you let me explain now?” Kotomi asked, her tone firm but with a hint of gentleness.

Though her irritation hadn’t entirely dissipated, Aimi was curious enough to hear her sister’s explanation. She nodded reluctantly.

Just as Kotomi was about to put her down, Aimi wrapped her arms tightly around her sister’s neck, showing no intention of letting go.

”Aimi… Get down so I can explain properly,” Kotomi said, now cradling her sister in an awkward princess carry. The scene between them was strange, to say the least.

It looked more like a heartwarming moment than the lead-up to an explanation.

Aimi, however, had no plans to make it easy. Clinging firmly, she continued, ”Explain like this. Since you’re always boasting about how strong you are, carrying your adorable little sister while explaining shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Resigned to the fact that Aimi wouldn’t calm down unless she played along, Kotomi sighed and did as she was told. Holding her sister close, she began to explain.

What followed was a detailed recounting that took nearly half an hour.

Kotomi shared everything with Aimi: from being targeted and followed by Yuuha Isshiki the previous day, to her experience as the last person to encounter the murderer, and how Officer Hidari had picked her up in a sedan. She left nothing out.

After hesitating for a moment, Kotomi also revealed that Iroha Isshiki’s mother was the murderer. Though she knew it might cause tension between Aimi and Iroha, keeping it a secret wasn’t a sustainable option.

Initially, Aimi listened to Kotomi’s explanation with an accusatory attitude, but as the story unfolded, she became more and more stunned. The sheer amount of shocking information left her dazed. By the time Kotomi finished, Aimi had even forgotten to breathe.

Noticing something was wrong, Kotomi slapped Aimi lightly to snap her out of it.

”Aimi, wake up! Don’t zone out so much that you forget to breathe!”

When Aimi came back to her senses, her cheeks were already streaked with tears. She cried for her sister, who had faced danger, and for her best friend Iroha, whose world was about to crumble.

Something so terrible had happened, and Aimi was only finding out about it now. If she hadn’t pressed Kotomi earlier, would her sister have kept it from her forever?

Aimi had met Iroha’s mother a few times before. While Yuuha Isshiki had seemed somewhat distant, there was nothing about her that hinted at the monstrous acts she had committed. The revelation was utterly incomprehensible.

Choking on her tears, Aimi sobbed, ”Iroha doesn’t deserve this. How is she supposed to face something like this? Why would her mother do something so awful? Onee-chan, how can we help her?”

Kotomi didn’t answer immediately. After all she had experienced, she found herself recalling something Officer Hidari had said earlier:

’Sometimes, the darkness in people’s hearts has no reason. It’s like a black flower blooming out of nowhere. And the police are like gardeners standing at the border of light and shadow, always watching for that black flower and cutting it down as soon as it appears.’

”Do you still want to consider Iroha your friend? After all, her mother is a murderer,” Kotomi asked, mimicking the officer’s tone from the café.

Just as Kotomi had responded resolutely earlier, Aimi shouted without hesitation:

”Of course I do! What did Iroha do wrong? She’s done nothing wrong! Why wouldn’t I consider her my friend? She’s not just my friend—she’s my lifelong best friend!!!”