All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

”No, I haven’t changed them yet. Why? I’ve only had this guitar for, what, less than two weeks? It shouldn’t need new strings already, right?”

Kotomi tilted her head, puzzled. She knew guitars needed regular string changes, but hers was practically new—surely it wasn’t time yet?

Yukino stepped closer and held out her hand.

”Let me see your guitar for a moment.”

”Sure.”

Kotomi carefully handed over her beloved Yui Hirasawa-model guitar. Before taking it, Yukino adjusted her grip, then received it with both hands.

After all, Kotomi’s guitar was a Gibson Les Paul Standard Plain Top.

Compared to regular guitars, it was noticeably heavier. For girls with less arm strength—or beginners—it could be difficult to hold for long.

This model was considered a classic not only because of its iconic, beautiful finish and design but also because of its distinctive weight distribution. Many guitar veterans owned one, but few actually used it for live playing.

Most of the time, they kept it safely stored away—as a collector’s piece rather than a performance instrument.

After carefully adjusting her grip, Yukino Yukinoshita began to strum a few guitar chords—melodies she still vaguely remembered. Compared to her mastery of the piano, her skill with the guitar was noticeably raw and hesitant.

Of course, Yukino wasn’t planning to actually perform with it. She was simply checking whether Kotomi’s guitar truly needed its strings replaced.

During their earlier rehearsal, when they had been playing Re:TrymenT, the guitar’s sound had suddenly shifted ever so slightly during the chorus.

The difference was minuscule—something an untrained ear would never notice. But for someone who had studied music since childhood, even the faintest tonal change stood out instantly. To such ears, the sound didn’t even need to fade completely before the difference was detected.

That was why Yukino had immediately realized that something was off with Kotomi’s guitar.

She stopped playing, her fingers pausing over the strings. The cause of the change was clear—it was time to replace the strings.

”As I thought, the strings do need to be changed,” Yukino said, handing the guitar back to Kotomi. ”Good thing I caught it now. If the sound changed even more noticeably during your stage performance, people in the audience might realize something’s off, and it could hurt our overall presentation.”

Kotomi took the guitar back, nodding with curiosity. ”So it really does need new strings, huh? I knew they had to be replaced periodically, but I’ve only had this guitar for about two weeks. I didn’t think it’d be that soon.”

Yukino shook her head slightly. ”Instruments aren’t cold, lifeless tools. They’re more like silent living beings—you need to always pay attention to their condition and plan regular maintenance for them. Theoretically, if you only play for about two hours a day, replacing the strings once a month should be enough. But that’s only theory. In reality, it depends entirely on how the instrument is used.”

Then she added pointedly, ”It’s like what you said earlier when you complimented Ruriya Hojo’s cooking—you mentioned that everyone has their own unique cooking style, right? The same goes for instruments. Everyone’s playing habits are different. Some people buy a guitar on a whim, play it a few times, then leave it collecting dust. Others play for hours every single day.”

She paused for emphasis. ”The difference between those two kinds of players is huge. The first might not need to change strings for a year because they hardly play at all—the guitar just sits there, forgotten in a corner. But for the second type, new strings might be needed in less than a month.”

”So that means I’m the second type—the one who needs to change strings every few weeks?” Kotomi asked.

”Exactly,” Yukino confirmed with a small nod.

Kotomi understood perfectly. But as she listened, she couldn’t help feeling that something about Yukino’s explanation had a faint, unexpected flavor to it.

It might’ve just been her imagination… but when Yukino had mentioned her complimenting Ruriya’s cooking, the air suddenly seemed to thicken with a distinct hint of jealousy.

Even without paying close attention, Kotomi could swear—the ”vinegar” in the air had just gotten a lot stronger.

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