All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

”Mm, that’s about what I mean.”

Kotomi Izumi nodded. She didn’t have any particularly profound insight into it, she was simply voicing what she thought.

”Trying to find a flower that can represent yourself... it feels like that process could take a very long time, or it could be extremely short. Whether long or short, who can really say for sure...”

Yukino Yukinoshita let out a soft sigh.

”That’s life, I guess~”

Kotomi Izumi casually echoed with a sigh of her own.

But after she said it, Yukino couldn’t help but laugh.

”That’s so strange. We’re not even sixteen or seventeen yet, and you’re already sighing, ’That’s life.’ The key point is, when you said it, there wasn’t the slightest sense of awkwardness. It’s like you’re not a sixteen-year-old high school girl at all, but more like an old grandmother who has lived through a hundred years and seen all the ups and downs of human nature.”

Kotomi froze for a moment after hearing that, then smiled in both surprise and helplessness.

”You must have read too many novels to come up with a character setting like that for me. If I really were that kind of old grandmother, able to live for a hundred years while keeping a youthful body and appearance, then the most fitting description would probably be some old monster who drinks human blood to cultivate and seek immortality.”

”Maybe you really are an old monster~ Hehe, just kidding.” Yukino Yukinoshita made a rare joke.

”Honestly, if you’re going to classify me as a monster, at least give me a nicer description. ’Old monster’ doesn’t sound good. Change it to something like a beautiful fox spirit who has cultivated for a thousand years, then I might accept it.”

”Wouldn’t that basically mean you’re a fox seductress?” Yukino asked with a faint smile.

Only then did Kotomi realize—right, a fox spirit was essentially that.

After realizing it, Kotomi met Yukino’s gaze, looking straight into her eyes.

Neither of them knew how long they stared at each other, but in the end, they both smiled at the same time, as if by mutual understanding.

Just as Kotomi was about to continue chatting with Yukino, Yui Yuigahama came running back with drinks in hand.

To avoid triggering any kind of awkward love triangle situation, Kotomi had been casually chatting with Yukino while also keeping an eye on Yui at the vending machine out of the corner of her eye—watching her take out coins and buy the drinks.

That was why she reacted so quickly the moment Yui finished and turned back.

”Slow down, there’s no rush to drink it.”

Kotomi stood up, reached out, and took the Pepsi and mineral water from Yui’s hands, then handed the mineral water to Yukino.

”Thank you.” Yukino nodded, then said to Yui, ”Yui, thank you. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”

”You don’t have to be so polite, Yukinon.”

”Not treating me?”

Kotomi unscrewed the cap of her Pepsi, and after hearing their conversation, she asked with a teasing grin.

”Treat you? I’d like to, but I’m afraid I don’t have the means. If I treated you to dinner, I’d probably have to walk all the way back from Kyoto to Chiba afterward.”

Yukino rolled her eyes at Kotomi, her tone carrying a hint of grievance, as if complaining about her enormous appetite.

Every time she watched Kotomi eat, Yukino couldn’t help but think more than once: With how much Kotomi eats, how would I even manage to prepare three meals a day to satisfy her in the future?

Because this thought always surfaced in the deepest part of Yukino’s heart, she never consciously realized it. Naturally, she also failed to realize that this was exactly the kind of thought a girl would have when preparing to live together with, or even marry, her lover.

Kotomi shrugged and continued.

”Anyway, you should save that idea of treating Yui for later. Once we’re back in Chiba, it won’t be too late to treat her then. Didn’t we already agree before coming here? All the expenses for this Kyoto trip are covered by me—Miss Izumi!”

As she said that, Kotomi made an exaggerated, chuunibyou-like gesture of pulling out a bank card from her wallet. The pose and flair made it seem as if what she was holding wasn’t an ordinary card at all, but a black card.

Sensing her theatrics, Yukino chuckled lightly.

”With the way you’re acting, anyone who didn’t know better would think you’re about to pull out a black card from your pocket next.”

Kotomi just smiled.