All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

”Yukino can play the piano?!”

Kotomi Izumi instantly understood how Shizuka Hiratsuka must’ve felt earlier upon hearing that she could play the guitar. When a close friend, who usually keeps such things under wraps, suddenly reveals a talent for a musical instrument, it’s natural to feel surprised—or even find it hard to believe.

”Don’t be fooled by how Yukino never performs during music class and spends most of her time reading. She’s actually been practicing piano since she was a child.”

”It’s probably a talent she inherited from her mother. Her mother was once a somewhat famous pianist a long time ago. After marrying into the Yukinoshita family, she changed her name to Chiaki Yukinoshita and almost completely stopped performing, instead becoming a strong-handed politician.”

”But it looks like she still teaches Yukino piano in private.”

At this, Shizuka let out a chuckle. ”Or maybe in Lady Yukinoshita’s eyes, it would be too shameful for her daughter, the eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family, to lack any artistic skill or not be able to play an instrument.”

”Shizuka-sensei, you know Yukino’s mother?”

”Mm, the Hiratsuka and Yukinoshita families have long kept in touch. Back when I was little, Yukino wasn’t born yet, so the one I knew was her older sister, Haruno Yukinoshita. We used to play together a lot. But now, if she hears my name, she probably wouldn’t recognize me. After all, when we were kids, I thought it was cool to act mysterious, so I never told her my real name and used a fake one instead.”

At that, Shizuka gave an embarrassed smile. Like many girls, she had wanted to be pretty and dainty as a child—a little princess. But Shizuka preferred to act cool and aloof. So when Haruno once asked, ”What’s your name?” she answered with a fake name she had spent a long time thinking up—one she thought was super cool at the time, but now found incredibly cringeworthy.

Kotomi let out a wow. So Shizuka actually knew Haruno! But if Haruno didn’t recognize Shizuka now, then the fake name she used back then must’ve left a stronger impression than her real one. Even if Haruno heard the name ”Shizuka Hiratsuka” now, it probably wouldn’t ring any bells.

Of course, if she mentioned the fake name, Haruno would likely remember instantly.

”Shizuka-sensei, what fake name did you tell Haruno back then?”

Shizuka wasn’t surprised that Kotomi spoke of Haruno so familiarly—Kotomi was close with Yukino, so it made sense she’d know her sister as well.

”It was a bit too chuuni. I thought it was cool back then, but now I just find it embarrassing. I’d rather not say...” Shizuka tugged at the corner of her mouth, trying to dodge the question.

Sometimes she really wanted to crack open her younger self’s head and ask: why did you think that name was cool?

”No way! I want to hear it!” Kotomi insisted.

”Even if you want to—”

”If you don’t tell me, I won’t run the 800-meter girls’ race this afternoon! And I won’t perform at the cultural festival either!” Kotomi brought out the ultimate threat.

”Tch—fine, you win! But you can’t laugh when you hear it!” Shizuka gave in, hesitating a bit before finally blurting out the name she had once thought so cool and had presented as her real name to Haruno: ”Shijin... Shijin Shuaiqi...”

”Eh?”

Kotomi froze for a moment, then took a deep breath. Her adorable face puffed up like she was trying hard to hold back laughter.

”Ahhh! Didn’t I just say no laughing?! What did you promise me just now?! Ugh... This is exactly why I didn’t want to say it. It’s too mortifying. Why did I ever come up with such a name and think it was cool?!”

If she could, Shizuka really wished she had a spaceship to escape Earth right now.

”I never actually promised not to laugh just now... pfft pfft pfft! Hahahahahahaha!!! Shijin, Shijin Shuaiqi!” The little witch Kotomi was now laughing so hard she couldn’t even straighten her back.

”Stop laughing, stop laughing! I’m still your teacher, give me some dignity—at least laugh a bit quieter…” Shizuka Hiratsuka quickly surrendered.

”No wonder Haruno-san didn’t recognize the name Shizuka Hiratsuka. The fake name you told her as a kid left such a strong impression! Aside from both having ’Sh’ in them, the two names have nothing in common. No wonder she couldn’t make the connection.”

Kotomi was laughing so hard she nearly collapsed. People were starting to worry whether she’d be able to catch her breath.