All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

After taking a shower, shortly before bedtime, Kotomi Izumi went to the small storage room on the second floor. The moment she entered, she saw the large cardboard boxes her mother had mentioned.

Just seeing those large boxes lined up so neatly made Kotomi Izumi's eyes light up, and excitement filled her voice.

"Wow—so many huge cardboard boxes! If I'd seen this many when I was little, I would've happily spent the entire day cutting them up with scissors and taping them together to build a secret base!"

Once Kotomi Izumi gradually calmed down from her excitement, she curiously examined the boxes. Even after guessing for quite some time, she still could not figure out what was inside them.

"What kind of present did Arisu prepare for me? Judging by the size of these boxes, it looks as though each one contains a top-of-the-line refrigerator. Could Arisu have bought several refrigerators for me?

"If they really are refrigerators, I'll have to put them in the kitchen. But even though our kitchen isn't small, there's nowhere to fit this many... Forget it. I'll never figure it out just by staring at the boxes. I might as well open them and see."

As Kotomi Izumi spoke, she carefully used a pair of scissors to cut through the tape sealing the top of one box. She gently opened it, and when she saw what was inside, she froze for a moment. Then her adorable eyes burst with overwhelming excitement!

Neatly arranged inside the box were Gundam model kit boxes, each wrapped in several layers of thick foam sheeting and protected by plastic corner guards!

Whether it came to books, figurines, or Gundam model kit boxes, Kotomi Izumi always insisted that their condition be flawless, with all eight corners perfectly sharp. Sometimes, even when two items were otherwise identical, she would willingly pay extra for the one with an immaculate box.

Although Kotomi Izumi still had not remembered that she and Arisu Sakayanagi had actually known each other since kindergarten, Arisu remembered every one of Kotomi's preferences with perfect clarity. Naturally, she also knew about Kotomi's insistence on pristine boxes with eight sharp corners.

That was why, when Arisu Sakayanagi had chosen the Gundam kits at the store, most of her attention had been focused on whether the packaging was perfectly intact. When she asked the owner and his wife to wrap each box, she not only demanded the highest level of protective packaging, but also insisted that they handle everything with the utmost care.

"Wow! The MGEX Strike Freedom, the MG Eclipse Gundam Maneuver Striker Pack, the Metal Build Crossbone Gundam Full Cloth, the Unicorn... This entire box is full of Gundams! Then the other boxes... Ah! They're filled with all kinds of limited-edition accessory packs, lighting kits, and weapon packs! They're all Gundams and limited accessories I've always wanted but never bought! This is amazing, amazing, amazing!"

Kotomi Izumi was so excited that she bounced around beside the large boxes, rolled back and forth across the floor, and occasionally let out strange little giggles.

Her excitement lasted for an entire half hour.

Only then did the excitement surging through Kotomi Izumi's heart calm down slightly—and only slightly.

Kotomi Izumi's childhood dream had been to pilot a Gundam.

She was grown up now, but that dream had never changed.

Kotomi Izumi wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. The moment she opened the box and saw the Gundams inside, she had fallen into a state of extreme excitement, jumping around and rolling across the floor. Even though she had only just taken a shower, she had already started sweating again.

"Whew... I thought I wouldn't get this excited over receiving a toy I loved once I grew up. But I'm still this thrilled whenever I see something I like. Does this mean—I haven't grown up at all and I'm still an innocent, adorable little angel?!"

After speaking with a hint of narcissism, Kotomi Izumi could not help shrinking her neck slightly. She still possessed at least some self-awareness. She knew perfectly well that she could hardly be called an innocent, adorable little angel now. A little scumbag who deserved to be "disciplined" would be far more accurate.

Kotomi Izumi looked through the Gundams, accessory packs, and weapon packs in the boxes again. She discovered that every accessory pack and weapon pack corresponded to one of the Gundams Arisu had bought.

"Almost every Gundam in these boxes comes with every accessory pack and weapon pack Bandai ever released for it! Arisu bought such a complete collection. Could it be that she likes Gundam too?"

Muttering to herself, Kotomi Izumi carefully cut away the thick foam sheeting and plastic corner guards with her scissors, then carried the Gundams, accessory packs, and weapon packs into her bedroom one by one.

When Aimi saw Kotomi returning with box after box of Gundam kits, she got out of bed and asked:

"Onee-chan, where did you get so many Gundams? Where are you planning to put them? I'll help you."

"I didn't buy them. They're gifts from Arisu."

Although Arisu Sakayanagi had bought a great many of them, fortunately, the display cabinet in Kotomi Izumi's bedroom was enormous. After carefully arranging the Gundam, accessory pack, and weapon pack boxes inside it, Kotomi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good thing I bought an especially large display cabinet back then. Still, once I finish assembling all these Gundams and put them inside, more than half the space will be gone. It looks like I'll have to buy another display cabinet before long," Kotomi Izumi said.

Only then did Aimi, who had been helping Kotomi carry the Gundams, ask curiously:

"So those large cardboard boxes Arisu-oneechan left here the last time she visited were all filled with Gundams. But as a gift for you, Onee-chan, isn't this... a little too much? Did Arisu-oneechan raid an entire Gundam store?"

Kotomi Izumi nodded in complete agreement and said:

"I'm very happy and excited to receive so many Gundams, along with their matching accessory packs and weapon packs, but you're right. This really is far too much. As a single gift, it's simply too generous. I'll have to find an opportunity to give her something in return. Courtesy demands reciprocity, after all."

Although Arisu Sakayanagi had never asked Kotomi Izumi to reciprocate, Kotomi had always handled social obligations and personal favors in the most appropriate manner possible.

After deciding to find an opportunity to give Arisu a return gift, Kotomi Izumi scratched her hair in frustration.

"But... I don't know what Arisu likes. I have absolutely no idea what I should give her in return."

"Huh? Aren't you and Arisu-oneechan especially close?"

Aimi Izumi looked puzzled. Perhaps because she firmly believed that Arisu Sakayanagi was a good woman who would never compete with her for Kotomi, she did not feel particularly suspicious when she learned that all the Gundams had come from Arisu. She was merely confused about whether Arisu had given Kotomi far too many.

"Arisu and I do have a pretty good relationship, but from the day we first met until now, we haven't even known each other for two full months. She suddenly gave me such an extravagant present that I don't even know how to reciprocate."

"Why not give Arisu-oneechan a limited collector's edition of a gal game?

"I happen to have bought an extra limited collector's edition of that new science-fiction gal game that came out recently. I originally intended to buy only one, but every store offered different preorder bonuses. Two stores had bonuses for the limited collector's edition that I wanted, so I simply bought two copies.

"I'll keep all the store bonuses, and I only need one physical copy of the limited collector's edition. You can take the other one and give it to Arisu-oneechan."

Seeing her older sister troubled, Aimi offered generously.

"I think we'd better not. We don't even know whether Arisu likes playing gal games. Besides, I watched the trailer for that new science-fiction gal game you mentioned, and some of the CGs were far too grotesque. I personally love that combination of grotesque horror and pure romance, but anyone who hasn't played many gal games would definitely be startled by those CGs. If I gave that game to Arisu, she might misunderstand my intentions."

Kotomi Izumi shook her head, clearly disagreeing with Aimi's suggestion.

However, the moment she finished speaking, Kotomi Izumi abruptly changed the subject and asked:

"Wait. I preordered a limited collector's edition of that science-fiction gal game too. I remember that even the cheapest version with a store bonus cost 25,617 yen. You bought two copies at once. Do you still have enough allowance left?"

"Ahaha..." Aimi Izumi laughed awkwardly.

"Tell me. How much did the two limited collector's editions cost altogether?"

"Um..."

Aimi shrank back, then embarrassedly raised five fingers.

"Including shipping, the two copies cost 53,269 yen altogether."

"Then how much of this month's allowance do you have left?"

"Th-three thousand yen... But I've been home on sick leave for the past few days, and by the time I go back to school, it'll already be the end of the month. I should be able to make it until Mom gives me next month's allowance!" Aimi said without much confidence.

Aimi actually had plenty of money in her bank account. Almost all the New Year's money she received each year had been deposited there. However, Aimi had always planned to use that money to support Kotomi once she grew up, so after all these years, she had been reluctant to spend even a single yen of it.

"Honestly... I know how hard it is to resist buying bonuses for a gal game you love, but you still need to learn to spend rationally. Spending money is easy, while earning it is difficult. You're still a student, so this is naturally the stage of life when you spend money rather than earn it. But if you don't develop proper spending habits in advance, you might become someone who spends her entire salary every month and can't save anything once you graduate from university and start working."

As Kotomi Izumi earnestly lectured Aimi, she took out her phone and transferred 200,000 yen to her without another word.

"Take it. This is some spending money from your Onee-chan. When you want something to eat or drink, just buy it. Don't spend all of it on gal games."

At this point, Kotomi Izumi could not help thinking, Fortunately, Aimi only likes gal games. She usually buys physical editions and store bonuses. They may be expensive, but ultimately, they don't cost all that much. If she liked online games or mobile games instead... Heh. A single limited gacha banner could easily cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of yen.

After receiving the 200,000 yen transfer from her older sister, Aimi Izumi froze for a moment before hurriedly saying:

"Onee-chan, I'm not short on money! I have money in my bank account!"

"I have money in my bank account too. All the New Year's money I receive every year goes into it. I feel as though I could casually buy several houses outright in Tokyo's Minato Ward by now. But you can't bear to spend the New Year's money in your account, so what good does it do no matter how much you have? You still spend the monthly allowance Mom and Dad give you, don't you? All right, just take it. Now that your Onee-chan is earning money, it's only natural for me to give you some spending money occasionally."

"All right, then. Thank you, Onee-chan."

Seeing how insistent Kotomi Izumi was, Aimi could only nod and accept it.

After transferring Aimi's allowance, Kotomi Izumi continued gazing at the unopened Gundam kits in the display cabinet.

"I feel like it'll take at least a year to finish assembling all these Gundams. After all, I still have to spend most of my time attending school, writing novels, and drawing manga. Now I finally understand why those cardboard boxes were so huge. Arisu simply bought far too many. When I return to school tomorrow, I have to find her and thank her properly. Then I'll find an opportunity to give her something in return. I can't accept someone else's gifts without reciprocating."

At this point, Kotomi Izumi let out a happy yet helpless sigh.

She was happy because she had received a pile of Gundams, accessory packs, and weapon packs that she had wanted for a long time. She was helpless because she had no idea what Arisu Sakayanagi liked. Arisu had also given her far too much. Kotomi Izumi, who had always placed great importance on properly handling social obligations, could not think of an appropriate return gift for her.

Even after thinking for a long time, she still could not decide what to give Arisu. Kotomi Izumi instinctively wanted to go downstairs and ask her father for his opinion, but then she felt that if she constantly relied on her parents, she would be no different from a little girl who had never grown up. After some thought, Kotomi decided to work out the return gift herself.

Early the next morning.

Kotomi Izumi woke up early and sat upright in bed. Before her phone alarm could ring, she turned it off.

The previous night, Aimi Izumi had stubbornly insisted on sleeping with Kotomi. Unable to dissuade her, Kotomi could only agree.

Although Aimi's fever had already subsided, she still needed several more days of rest. To avoid disturbing her sleep, Kotomi Izumi had deliberately woken before her alarm that morning and turned it off. Even while getting out of bed and putting on her school uniform, she moved with extreme care, afraid of making even the slightest sound that might wake Aimi.

After putting on her school uniform and picking up her school bag, Kotomi Izumi carefully left the bedroom, went downstairs, and headed to the kitchen for breakfast.

"After finishing your vacation, does going back to school feel terribly boring?" Akina Izumi asked as she ate breakfast with Kotomi.

"It's not too bad. We only have classes for one day today, and then we're off again on Saturday and Sunday."

As Kotomi Izumi spread butter on a slice of toast, she wondered whether she should invite Merii Hizuki to play Valorant with her after school that afternoon.

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