All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

The daytime hours quickly passed. As night fell, Kotomi Izumi put down the phone in her hand and stretched her wrist.

It looks like telling Editor Asuka in advance that I'd be late with the manuscript was the right decision. During lunch, I'd originally planned to spend the afternoon drawing the manuscript for Chapter 8 of Chainsaw Man after waking up from my nap. I never expected to spend the entire afternoon chatting with Megumi and the others on LINE instead...

Kotomi Izumi thought as she leaned back in her chair. Even though she had only spent the afternoon casually chatting with Megumi and the others on LINE, her mind felt utterly exhausted.

Kotomi Izumi sighed helplessly. She had a fairly good idea why she was so tired. While chatting with Megumi Kato and Yui Yuigahama, she had also needed to talk with several other girls who shared an ambiguous relationship with her. Every message she sent them had to be different.

She needed to think carefully about every sentence. After typing each message, she also had to repeatedly check both its contents and intended recipient. She absolutely had to avoid accidentally sending a message to the wrong person!

If she accidentally sent a message intended for Yui to Megumi Kato, there was a very real possibility that a terrifying romantic confrontation would erupt.

When she had to be this meticulous throughout nearly half a day of conversation, even casual chatting could hardly be considered relaxing.

Fortunately, this was not Kotomi Izumi's first time chatting with several girls simultaneously. Although spending half a day doing so was still exhausting, her previous experiences allowed her to handle the conversations with slightly greater ease.

After doing it a few more times, she would probably become even more proficient.

Kotomi Izumi stretched, took a deep breath, and rose from her chair. Only when she turned around did she notice that Aimi, who appeared to have spent the entire afternoon sitting on the bed playing a gal game, had not been paying attention to the screen at all. Instead, she had been staring at Kotomi's back the entire time.

When Kotomi stood up, Aimi hurriedly looked away. However, her reaction was still slightly too slow, and Kotomi had already sensed her gaze.

"It's rare for you to have enough free time to fully enjoy a gal game, yet instead of appreciating its charm, you've spent most of the afternoon staring at my back. Is the gal game you're playing really that boring, or has my charm defeated even gal games?"

Kotomi Izumi teased her half-jokingly as she walked to the bedside, bent down, and gently kissed Aimi's cheek.

That morning, Kotomi had taken the initiative to kiss Aimi on the lips, and she had maintained control from beginning to end instead of allowing Aimi to seize the initiative midway through. As the more dominant Kotomi, she now felt increasingly assertive, and her heart brimmed with confidence.

That confidence was like playing Apex Legends after usually missing every shot so badly that even after emptying an entire magazine into an opponent, you still had no idea what color their armor was. Then, in one particular match, everything suddenly clicked. Your thoughts became exceptionally clear, you scored over twenty kills, dealt more than four thousand damage, and earned both the Double Hammer and Twenty-Kill badges in one fell swoop.

When the next match began, both your playstyle and chosen landing spot would naturally become extremely aggressive.

Kotomi Izumi's current state was more or less the same.

After Kotomi suddenly kissed her cheek, Aimi first blushed with delight, then thought with a trace of regret, It would have been even better if Kotomi had kissed me on the lips just now...

Immediately afterward, she encouraged and comforted herself inwardly:

No matter what, the fact that Kotomi took the initiative to kiss me symbolizes a tremendous leap forward in our relationship! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I'm already at least ten streets ahead of Megumi Kato. No matter how hard she pursues Kotomi, their relationship is probably still stuck at the point where they occasionally hold hands...

Tsk, no. Just imagining Megumi Kato holding Kotomi's hand fills me with so much rage that I want to cut her into a thousand pieces!

Whew—deep breaths, deep breaths. I need to be more magnanimous. No matter what petty tricks Megumi Kato tries, before someone like me, who possesses an absolute advantage, she's nothing more than a ridiculous clown attempting to stop a chariot with her bare arms. Once Kotomi falls completely in love with me, Megumi Kato won't merely lose the chance to hold Kotomi's hand. Even seeing Kotomi again will probably become impossibly difficult for her.

When that happens, she'll only be able to stare at Kotomi's photograph and regret ever provoking an overwhelmingly powerful opponent like me!

After indulging in her fantasies for a while, Aimi Izumi could barely suppress the somewhat arrogant smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Kotomi Izumi watched Aimi alternate between blushing shyly and struggling to restrain a grin as though she wanted to burst into maniacal laughter. Confusion and concern filled her heart. Had Aimi's fever genuinely damaged her brain?

"Maybe I should take your temperature again. I can't shake the feeling that your fever affected your brain a little. In a few days, when Yui and I go to the hospital for our physical examinations, you should come with us and have a neurologist check whether there's anything wrong with your head."

As her esteemed older sister, Kotomi Izumi could not help speaking worriedly.

Only then did Aimi realize that while indulging in her fantasies, she had once again failed to control her facial expressions, causing her Onee-chan to worry that something might be wrong with her brain.

Aimi Izumi hurriedly shook her head and explained:

"In my heart, even the most entertaining gal game could never compare to you, Onee-chan! You were away in Kyoto for so many days and finally came home, so I wanted to act spoiled with you a little longer.

"But ever since lunch ended, you've been sitting in front of the computer playing with your phone, as though you were chatting with someone. I was curious and wanted to take a look, but I was afraid of disturbing you, so I could only secretly stare at your back for a while.

"So, Onee-chan, there is nothing wrong with my head!"

So Aimi was watching me use my phone the entire time! A bead of cold sweat formed on Kotomi Izumi's forehead, and lingering fear rose within her heart. If Aimi had been unable to contain her curiosity while observing Kotomi that afternoon and walked over to take a look, she might very well have seen Kotomi's conversations with Megumi Kato and the others!

The chat histories Kotomi Izumi currently feared Aimi or any of the other girls seeing most were her conversations with Megumi Kato and Yui Yuigahama.

Likewise, Kotomi was also afraid that Megumi Kato might see her conversations with Yui Yuigahama, or that Yui Yuigahama might see her conversations with Megumi Kato.

Because both of them were her girlfriends, Kotomi Izumi often exchanged blush-inducing and provocative messages with Megumi or Yui. Every line seemed saturated with a rosy, flirtatious atmosphere. Sometimes, even a single punctuation mark could inspire all kinds of suggestive imaginings.

If any beautiful girl who shared an ambiguous relationship with her saw those messages, an utterly terrifying romantic confrontation could easily erupt.

When Kotomi remembered that she had been so preoccupied with chatting with Megumi Kato and the others that she had barely noticed Aimi staring at her all afternoon, her hand trembled instinctively. She felt the relief of someone who had narrowly survived a catastrophe. Fortunately, Aimi had obediently remained where she was instead of coming over to look.

After all, even a single glance at Kotomi's conversations with Megumi Kato and the others that afternoon would have made Aimi explode with rage!

If she saw what Megumi and I were talking about, Aimi would definitely grab a knife and go after Megumi Kato! Kotomi Izumi thought. Her entire back felt drenched in cold sweat.

However, a little scumbag needed acting skills worthy of a veteran actress. Although Kotomi Izumi was panicking inwardly, she worked hard to prevent any of it from showing on her face. She gave an apologetic laugh and explained:

"Ah... So that's what it was. Sorry, sorry. I was rather busy during the days I spent in Kyoto, so I didn't check Twitter very often. My readers left me quite a lot of comments and private messages. I thought I should reply to a few more of them, but once I started, I became completely absorbed. Before I knew it, the entire afternoon had passed."

Without blushing or missing a beat, Kotomi Izumi told Aimi a small lie, claiming that she had been replying to readers' comments on Twitter rather than chatting. Kotomi had not logged into Twitter at all over the past several days. If she remained logged out for a few more days, she might nearly forget her password.

"Oh... So you were looking at Twitter. I thought you were chatting with someone on LINE," Aimi Izumi said with sudden understanding.

"If one of my classmates messaged me, I would open LINE and reply to them too."

Kotomi Izumi spoke with a soft laugh, continuously adding details to make her fabricated lie sound more convincing.

"Oh, I see."

Aimi nodded, but instead of relaxing, her expression became even more serious.

Seeing this, Kotomi Izumi could not help panicking slightly. Had Aimi already seen her conversations with Megumi Kato and the others? Did she also know Kotomi had just lied?!

The moment this possibility occurred to her, Kotomi Izumi's mind began racing. In a matter of moments, she constructed dozens of relevant explanations and prepared corresponding follow-up excuses for each one.

While Kotomi Izumi was still deciding whether to take the initiative or remain still and observe, Aimi Izumi slowly asked:

"Onee-chan, why are you bringing Yui with you when you go to the hospital for your physical examination? Are the two of you really that close?"

Aimi was clearly beginning to suspect the nature of Kotomi and Yui's relationship.

Previously, Aimi had always regarded Yui as a woman who would not compete with her for Kotomi, so when she learned that Yui would be accompanying Kotomi to Kyoto, she had felt perfectly reassured.

However, after hearing Kotomi casually reveal that Yui would also accompany her to a physical examination, suspicion immediately arose in Aimi's heart. Perhaps Kotomi and Yui's relationship was not as innocent as she had assumed.

After all, even close friends did not normally need to accompany one another to the hospital for a physical examination.

Generally speaking, a person either went to a physical examination alone or was accompanied by a family member.

Who brought a friend along?

After Aimi finished speaking, Kotomi Izumi froze briefly before secretly releasing a breath of relief without allowing it to show.

Kotomi could also tell that Aimi was questioning the nature of her relationship with Yui.

Under ordinary circumstances, Aimi's sudden suspicion might have made Kotomi somewhat nervous. In the current situation, however, Kotomi did not feel nervous at all. Instead, she was relieved.

Being suspected of having a relationship with Yui is still far better than letting Aimi see my conversations with Megumi Kato and the others! Kotomi Izumi thought contentedly.

After relaxing inwardly, Kotomi Izumi laughed softly and replied in an exceptionally calm tone:

"What is this? You suddenly put on such a serious expression that I thought you were about to say something important. So you only wanted to ask about that. I already told Mom and Dad about it when I came home this morning and explained the reason. I forgot to tell you. Sorry.

"There really isn't any special reason. While Yui and I were chatting during our hot-spring trip in Kyoto, I casually mentioned something like, 'After I return from Kyoto, I'm planning to go to the hospital for a physical examination.' Then I casually asked whether Yui had undergone one before. She said it had been a long time since her last examination.

"Her family's financial situation isn't particularly good, after all. The cost of a hospital physical examination can't exactly be called expensive, but families with lower incomes probably wouldn't choose to have one every year.

"I thought going alone would be rather boring anyway, so I asked Yui to come with me. I'll pay for her examination when we get there. Besides, the hospital isn't far away. It's Chiba Municipal Hospital, where Aunt Motokawa works... Ah, no. I should call her Aunt Isshiki now."

After hearing Kotomi Izumi's explanation, Aimi Izumi understood, and her suspicions toward Yui gradually disappeared.

So that's all it was. I thought Kotomi and Yui's relationship might have gone slightly beyond friendship. It seems I was overthinking things... Aimi thought.

"Oh, I understand now, Onee-chan. When are you planning to go for the examination?"

"Today is Thursday, and tomorrow is Friday, when school starts again. Then we have another break on Saturday and Sunday. Classes won't properly resume until next Monday. Hmm... Let's simply choose either Saturday or Sunday and go for the examination on one of those days." As Kotomi Izumi muttered to herself, she quickly arranged the time for her and Yui to visit the hospital together.

"Do you need me to come with you?" asked Aimi, who loved clinging to Kotomi's side.

Kotomi Izumi smiled helplessly, gently pushed Aimi's forehead, and said:

"You silly girl, why would you come along? Haven't you already completed your physical examination?"

"But..."

"All right. It's only an examination, so it should take no more than half a day. When I come back, I'll buy you some caramel orange pudding."

"Yay! Wait, why are you soothing me like a little kid again, Onee-chan?"

Aimi had only just cheered happily at the mention of caramel orange pudding when she suddenly realized that she had behaved rather like a child. Blushing with embarrassment, she spoke to Kotomi.

"Hahaha~ Am I?"

Kotomi Izumi shrugged, then rubbed Aimi's hair as though pacifying a small child once again.

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