All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

And Kotomi must have missed it too—because she had stayed with her.

The thought filled Mashiro’s heart with both warmth and guilt. For her, missing the closing ceremony wasn’t a big deal. After all, she was a world-class painting prodigy. Even if she skipped the ceremony, no one would dare say anything.

In fact, her very participation in the National Youth Art Awards hosted by Tokyo National University was already an honor. Breaking a few formalities wouldn’t be held against her.

But Kotomi was different.

Even if Kotomi’s artistic talent was exceptional, in the eyes of the judges, she was still just a newcomer. Talented or not, she was expected to follow the rules. Some of the younger judges might be flexible, but the older, more traditional ones?

They loved nothing more than talking about rules and decorum.

If a student violated those rules, they’d likely go out of their way to find reasons to criticize them. Out of bias or spite, they might even eliminate them from the competition.

Even the most talented could be written off as arrogant and disrespectful, lacking the temperament to go far in the world of art.

The art world wasn’t all about dramatic clashes—it was about navigating complex social relationships. And sometimes, those were more dangerous than any swordfight.

Mashiro glanced at Kotomi.

She didn’t know what time it was, but if Kotomi had really missed the closing ceremony for her...

Then she had already made up her mind.

Even if it meant withdrawing herself, she would make sure Kotomi remained in the competition.

Did she want the award?

Of course.

Even after winning countless honors, Mashiro still took pride in every recognition tied to her art. If it was a painting award, she wanted it.

But for someone like Kotomi—someone who would do this much for her—Mashiro was willing to step back. She would take a loss if it meant Kotomi could continue.

So what if the world called her a genius?

Only Mashiro herself truly understood: her world wasn’t that big. It was small enough to fit in the palms of her hands. But if Kotomi wanted it—she’d share every bit of it with her.

Because for this girl, hailed since childhood as a world-class prodigy, her beloved in white was her everything.

Mashiro leaned forward and gently wrapped her arms around Kotomi’s waist.

She wanted to tell her:

The title of the painting she submitted to the National Youth Art Awards was—The Abyss Egg: Dedicated to My Snow-White Beloved.

”Mashiro?”

Suddenly being hugged caught Kotomi off guard. She didn’t quite understand what was happening.

”Kotomi...” Mashiro murmured softly, burying her face deep in Kotomi’s arms. ”I don’t want to participate in the National Youth Art Awards anymore.”

”Huh?!”

That sentence startled Kotomi to the core. Why would Mashiro suddenly say she wanted to drop out of the competition?

To be honest, Kotomi didn’t have absolute confidence she would win the award herself. But when it came to Mashiro—she was at least 99% sure of her chances.

Ever since the news came out that Mashiro would be participating in the Tokyo National University National Youth Art Awards, people had already begun saying the award was practically in her pocket.

But now, just after the conclusion of the first round of the exhibition, Mashiro was saying she wanted to quit?!

What was going on?

Kotomi stood there stunned, unsure of what to say. She knew Mashiro had her own strong personality, the kind of girl who seemed completely absorbed in her art and indifferent to everything else around her—but she was still very obedient and never caused unnecessary trouble.

And compared to Kotomi, who was just a newcomer participating in an art competition for the first time, Mashiro had already taken part in several contests, big and small. If anyone knew the consequences of withdrawing midway through an award, it would be Mashiro.

Forget about fines—the very act of withdrawing would be enough fuel for countless people to criticize her.

The saying ”peers are rivals” was incredibly fitting here. The art world was no different.

Mashiro had grown up surrounded by praise, blessed by the goddess of art herself. Her brilliance had long overshadowed many others’ hard work.

Losing to her was one thing—it was natural to feel frustration and defeat—but some people never learned to deal with that, and instead grew jealous of her.

And what did those people want more than anything?

To see Mashiro fail.

There were countless people eager to see her falter.