All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

Still, no matter what, being able to help Tomoka Yuigahama was a good thing!

With that thought, the worry over her own embarrassing social blunders suddenly vanished from Kotomi’s mind.

She had already suffered several moments of public embarrassment—one more didn’t make a difference.

There was nothing left to fear.

Facing Tomoka Yuigahama’s gratitude, Kotomi didn’t reject it. Accepting thanks naturally was often better than humbly pushing it away.

Of course, from Kotomi’s perspective, she had only retweeted something—it didn’t feel like she had done anything significant. If Tomoka Yuigahama planned to go overboard in expressing her gratitude, that would be a bit too much.

So, before Tomoka could mention how she wanted to thank her, Kotomi quickly spoke first:

”Aunt Yuigahama, I helped you out big time this time! How are you planning to thank me?”

Before the words had even fully left her mouth, Kotomi snapped her fingers as if she had just come up with the perfect idea.

”Oh! I know! I want to eat maple syrup toast! I’ve had plenty before, but the ones from Dango Cake Shop are the best. The problem is that each piece costs 262 yen, so I always hesitate before buying it because it’s too expensive.”

Yuigahama’s family wasn’t particularly wealthy—raising two daughters was already a huge financial burden. Kotomi had only given a small helping hand, so expecting some grand, extravagant thanks would make her feel like she had lost her way.

However, for a fleeting moment, when Tomoka Yuigahama had unknowingly wrapped her hands around Kotomi’s, she found herself unable to look away.

Truly unable to look away.

Once Kotomi snapped out of it, she wasn’t sure what had come over her. She had been utterly mesmerized by looking at Yui’s mother.

If Yui found out, Kotomi wouldn’t know how to face her.

Back to the matter at hand—by mentioning maple syrup toast as her thank-you gift before Tomoka Yuigahama could suggest anything too elaborate, Kotomi ensured that she wouldn’t feel pressured into giving her an expensive gift.

Kotomi didn’t bother to conceal her true intentions. She spoke indirectly, but any adult could easily understand what she was doing. In her view, doing good deeds without acknowledgment felt like a wasted effort—possibly even leading to unnecessary misunderstandings.

She had no interest in playing the role of a silent hero.

Kotomi could never understand the male leads in some romance comedies who insisted on hiding their good deeds from the heroine, only to create ridiculous misunderstandings in the process.

If the heroine was a twin-tailed tsundere, it was even worse.

At first, these scenarios seemed fine, but after watching a few series with the same trope, Kotomi had grown tired of it. They were called ”stomachache-inducing” stories, but they didn’t make her stomach hurt—just her head.

Wouldn’t it be better to take this opportunity to raise her favorability in Tomoka’s eyes? Kotomi half-jokingly mused to herself.

As she had anticipated, Tomoka immediately understood Kotomi’s intentions. She was touched that Kotomi always considered her feelings and circumstances so carefully. Facing Kotomi, she suddenly felt at a loss—how exactly was she supposed to repay such kindness?

She had initially wanted to ”call out” Kotomi’s true motives, but if she did, wouldn’t that just undermine Kotomi’s goodwill?

”Do you want to eat maple syrup toast? No problem! If you like it, you can come to my shop anytime to have some! No matter how many times you visit, it’s always on the house!” Tomoka Yuigahama raised a finger with a warm smile, making a firm promise.

Kotomi’s favor was not something that could be repaid just by treating her to sweets—Tomoka Yuigahama understood that well. So she decided that after fulfilling Kotomi’s request, she would find other opportunities in daily life to repay all the help she had received from her.

A favor owed must always be returned—this was a principle she had always taught her daughters.

While Tomoka Yuigahama was deep in thought, contemplating how to repay Kotomi’s kindness, she hadn’t realized that she was still holding up her finger.

By the time she did—

Kotomi had already instinctively reached out and gently held it.

”Ah!” Tomoka Yuigahama let out a small surprised noise as she felt Kotomi’s warmth at her fingertips. A faint blush spread across her mature yet playful face.

She quickly recovered and looked toward Kotomi, only to meet the girl’s pure, innocent smile.

”Holding pinkies means our promise is sealed!”