All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

”Eh?” Kazumi blinked in surprise. The Queen of All Females trait was clearly still active—why did Kotomi suddenly look like she was running out of stamina?

A glance at the system interface gave Kazumi the answer. With a wry look, she said, ”Kotomi... there’s a server bug. The stamina boost from the Queen of All Females trait... only has one minute left.”

”And after one minute...?” Kotomi swallowed nervously, a little flustered.

”The stamina buff disappears...” Even though Kotomi was still running, Kazumi had already raised both hands to shield her head—afraid that Kotomi would get so mad she’d stop mid-run just to whack her.

”Kazumi, I swear I want to supermarket you!” Kotomi roared internally, gritting her teeth as she charged toward the finish line.

Shizuka Hiratsuka, standing nearby and watching Kotomi run, was just about to cheer her on. But before she could call out, she noticed something was off—Kotomi’s face looked strained, like she was on the verge of collapsing.

Shizuka didn’t have time to think. Catching up to Kotomi was impossible now, as she was getting closer and closer to the finish line. The best move was to head there first and wait.

”What the heck is going on with this little witch?!” Shizuka sprinted toward the finish line using the shortest possible path—thankfully, she’d worn sneakers today.

If I run this hard and just collapse the moment I cross the finish line, people are definitely going to suspect something. I need a believable reason for falling right after the race ends. Kotomi thought frantically. But even as she approached the finish line—just one step away—she still hadn’t come up with anything.

In the end, she gritted her teeth and made a snap decision.

Screw it!

The moment she crossed the finish line, she twisted her left foot sideways—crack! A sharp sound followed. She had deliberately sprained her own ankle. The intense pain hit her instantly, and yet Kotomi still managed a small smile as she collapsed sideways.

Ugh... the stamina boost is gone. Thank goodness I made it across the finish line in time. Ran too fast and accidentally sprained my ankle, then fell—sounds like a perfect excuse, Kotomi told herself. She figured she would now hit the ground hard. Even though it was a rubber track, it would definitely hurt.

Thump.

But she didn’t feel any pain. Nor did she feel the cold, hard ground. All she felt...

Was a warm embrace that filled her with comfort.

The stamina buff had vanished, and fatigue swept over her. Struggling to stay conscious, Kotomi looked up, only to find herself not on the ground—but in Shizuka Hiratsuka’s arms.

”Shi... Shizuka-sensei...” Her vision started to blur. Was it just her imagination? Kotomi felt like Shizuka’s face was slowly morphing, becoming more and more like another person.

That summer fireworks festival...

”Onee-san... are you the one who found me...? I missed you so much... I really did eat well and grow up just like I promised...”

In a voice so weak only she could hear it, Kotomi whispered the words—and then blacked out from exhaustion, fainting in Shizuka Hiratsuka’s arms.

...

A beauty in one’s arms—the sensation like soft jade—makes it hard not to hold her tightly.

Especially when locking eyes with Kotomi, seeing those beautiful eyes tinged with weakness, and the blush on her face—whether from shyness or from physical exertion—that perfect blend of cute and stunning... it was like a glass of intoxicating wine. You knew one sip would leave you dizzy, and yet you drank it anyway, completely enraptured.

A gentle breeze stirred, lightly lifting Kotomi’s hair, and Shizuka Hiratsuka’s heart was anything but calm.

”What happened?” the referee asked, rushing over at the sight of an incident.

”Looks like a twisted ankle. I’ll take her to the infirmary,” Shizuka replied.

”O-Oh, alright.”

Seeing that it wasn’t anything serious, the referee didn’t press further. He simply recorded Kotomi’s time and turned to leave.

Shizuka was just about to lift Kotomi up, planning to carry her like one would a child, but the moment she moved, Kotomi frowned. Shizuka assumed she disliked physical contact and loosened her grip slightly.

But the moment she did, even while still unconscious, Kotomi leaned in closer again, leaving Shizuka speechless.

”You really are one troublesome little witch.”

In the end, Shizuka opted for a princess carry, scooping Kotomi up horizontally in her arms. Just as she was about to leave, she saw Megumi Kato and the others running toward her.