All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

"Getting a whole box of watermelons every year… Kotomi, you really are a little rich girl," Megumi remarked with a teasing tone.

"Hehe, it's not that big of a deal. If you ever want to eat some, you're always welcome at my house! Of course, I mean the watermelons—don't start thinking about anything else."

As she finished speaking, Kotomi's mind drifted back to the events of last night, prompting her to add the clarification.

Megumi immediately understood why Kotomi had emphasized the last part and couldn't help but laugh. "I've only been thinking about the watermelons this entire time. I haven't even had the chance to think of anything else. Could it be that you're the one who's thinking about other things? Hmm?"

"No, no! Not at all! I wasn't thinking anything weird! And definitely not about the words I just said!" Kotomi waved her hands frantically.

Megumi chuckled softly, choosing not to say more. Instead, she silently noted what Kotomi had just "accidentally" let slip.

Carrying two large bags of fruit—including a sizable watermelon—on the walk from the fruit shop to the station was no trivial task. For most girls, such a load would naturally seem heavy. Even if they didn't complain, it would still leave them a bit winded by the time they arrived.

From the start, Megumi had offered to help carry one of the bags, but Kotomi had refused. Undeterred, Megumi silently observed her, ready to step in and take over if she showed any signs of struggling.

But to her surprise, even as they walked from the store to the station and then waited for the monorail, Kotomi showed no signs of strain. She carried the two bags with an ease that made it seem as though they contained nothing but air.

Not only was there no visible fatigue on her face, but while waiting for the train, Kotomi even began to hum a tune, as carefree as ever.

Megumi, pretending to check her phone, perked her ears to listen. The more she listened, the more familiar the melody seemed. Soon, she recognized it as Sudden Love from Tokyo Love Story.

When the Tokyo Monorail finally arrived, Kotomi stopped humming.

Once they were seated, Megumi casually asked, "Was that Sudden Love you were humming earlier?"

"Yep! Both Aimi and I love that song. Wait, hold on—Megumi, you actually recognized it?!" Kotomi's face turned red in embarrassment. "Ugh, how mortifying! I thought you were busy with your phone and wouldn't notice, so I got really into it. I didn't expect you were eavesdropping the whole time!"

"We were sitting so close together; even if I really had been on my phone, I still would've heard you. But you're right—I was pretending to be on my phone so I could listen to you sing," Megumi admitted with a mischievous smile.

"From now on, I'll only sing when I'm alone and hidden away."

"But you sing so beautifully. Even if you don't want others to hear, can't you at least sing for me?" Megumi sighed dramatically, feigning disappointment.

Faced with Megumi's dejected expression, Kotomi quickly offered an explanation: "That's not what I meant! It's just that when I hum randomly, my pitch tends to go all over the place. If someone else heard, they might laugh at me."

"I think it sounds wonderful because I love you the most, Kotomi," Megumi said openly, her tone filled with affection.

Kotomi's cheeks flushed red as she shyly muttered, "You're so bad, Megumi. You find every chance to confess your love. This isn't going to work."

"Sure, I'll admit it. But this time, weren't you the one who confessed first?" Megumi asked, her expression turning innocent.

"I did not!"

"Really? Then why were you standing next to me humming Sudden Love? Were you not trying to convey your feelings to me through the song? Why else would you choose that one among all the others? Songs often express people's emotions and thoughts. I didn't believe it before, but now I do."

Kotomi felt her cheeks and palms heat up. She had just been humming the song absentmindedly, and she wasn't even sure why she chose it. She'd simply started singing it, assuming Megumi wouldn't notice.

Thank goodness there hadn't been too many people around. Otherwise, it could've turned into an impromptu concert for "Idol Kotomi" at the station.

Wait—what was with the nickname "Idol Kotomi"? She had no interest in becoming a pop idol. Her dream was to make money from her creative projects and start her own gaming company.

Although Kotomi tried to explain herself, Megumi—knowing full well that the humming had been unintentional—decided not to let her off easily. She intentionally put on an air of dominance, teasing Kotomi further.

"I'm sticking with my interpretation, so don't even try to explain your way out of it~"

"You're so mean!"

"That's because I love you, Kotomi~"

"I love you too… Wait! How does that even connect to what we're talking about?!"

"It doesn't."

"Then stop saying it so confidently!"

"Doesn't matter—give me a kiss."

"Not here, Megumi! We're on the train! If you want a kiss, wait until we're home, and I'll let you kiss me as much as you want."

"I've read plenty of doujin and seen enough videos. A kiss on a train is practically the tamest thing you can do!"

Megumi's "logical" reasoning left Kotomi speechless. Megumi continued, "Besides, do you think I picked these seats at random? It's a secluded spot with hardly anyone around."

"Even though I've probably read more doujin and watched more videos than you've had meals, this time… I'll let you win. You've convinced me. But this time, I get to take the lead!"

Kotomi, after a moment of hesitation, set her condition: she would be the one to initiate.

"Be my guest~"

Megumi closed her eyes with a soft smile.

Kotomi, struggling to suppress her excitement, glanced around to make sure no one was watching before leaning in to press her lips to Megumi's.

The kiss lasted until the train pulled into the station.

When they stepped off, Kotomi's cheeks still held a lingering flush from their moment.

Passing by a vending machine, Kotomi pulled out some coins and asked, "Megumi, do you want some juice?"

Though she was thrilled at having taken the lead for once, the kiss had left her parched. Not knowing if the next station would have vending machines, she decided to grab a drink now.

"No, I'm good," Megumi replied with a shake of her head.

"You're not thirsty?"

"Of course not. I just had a taste of freshly washed, delicious fruit on the train. How could I still be thirsty?" Megumi's laughter was full of mischief.

"When did you eat fruit on the train?" Kotomi asked, puzzled.

She stared at Megumi, trying to piece it together.

The realization hit her like a freight train. Her face turned beet red, and her trembling hands struggled to select a button for her drink.

Megumi was the absolute worst!

After boarding the Rinkai Line, the journey proceeded without a hitch. There were no early departures or delays during transfers, and soon they returned to Chiba City.

As they walked out of the station and checked the time on their phones, it was just past 1:00 PM.

"I thought we'd arrive in Chiba City a bit later, but it's only a little past 1:00. Not only did we make it back, but we'll also be home soon. Honestly, before we even left, I was thinking that maybe we left Shinagawa a bit too early. We could've stayed and played around for another hour or two," Megumi remarked.

"Not at all! If we had stayed an hour or two longer, and something unexpected happened during the transfer, we'd be in real trouble. If time got tight again and we couldn't make it home, it wouldn't just be about explaining things to your mom. It'd also be a problem if we couldn't get to school on time tomorrow," Kotomi explained.

Kotomi had learned her lesson from their previous two outings when time mismanagement caused them to miss their train twice. Determined not to repeat the mistake, she hurried Megumi to the station right after lunch and buying fruit.

Even while sitting on the train, Kotomi constantly checked her phone for text alerts, afraid she might miss an announcement about a change in the train schedule.

Last night's missed train was largely because she hadn't seen the alert about the Keiyo Line departing 45 minutes earlier than scheduled. While the timing had been tight, it still would've been possible to catch the train had they known earlier.

Hearing Kotomi's explanation, Megumi had an epiphany but couldn't help looking disappointed as she sighed:

"That's true. I completely forgot that tomorrow's Monday and we have school again. Even though my homework is all done, just realizing school starts tomorrow has totally ruined my good mood for the day."

"Weren't you the one who said last night that since today is the last day of the weekend, we should sleep in and enjoy it?"

"Did I say that? Okay, fine, I probably did. I guess I enjoyed this morning's sleep-in so much that I completely forgot tomorrow's Monday. After all, the human brain has its limits," Megumi replied nonchalantly.

This rare display of laziness toward school only happened in private. Megumi wouldn't dare say such things in front of her parents for fear of triggering her mother's nagging.

Even without expressing such sentiments, Ikemi Kato's nagging was a constant presence. Showing any resistance toward school would only make it worse, turning peaceful days into a pipe dream.

"When I talked to Aunt Kato before, I got the impression you were someone who really enjoyed going to school," Kotomi teased.

"Who actually likes school? Kotomi, do you enjoy it?"

"Of course not. Besides my grades, what about me seems like I enjoy school? During class, I'm either playing on my phone, drawing manga, or napping. When I was little, just starting kindergarten, I expressed my hatred for school loud and clear," Kotomi said with a self-deprecating laugh.

She often heard from her mom, Izumi Akina, how much of a fuss she'd make about going to kindergarten. And Kotomi herself still remembered those moments vividly.

Every morning upon waking up, the first thing out of her mouth was, "I don't want to go to kindergarten!" She had to shout it every day, as if skipping this daily proclamation would make her uneasy all day.

After shouting, she'd start crying. Kotomi was thorough about her routines even as a child.

Under the combined threat and coaxing of her mother, she'd reluctantly put on her kindergarten uniform, strap on her little yellow backpack, and head to breakfast. While eating, she'd start sniffling and sobbing. Her adorable, tear-streaked face would alternate between eating a few bites and whining about not wanting to go to kindergarten.

More often than not, she'd get so absorbed in eating that she'd forget about crying altogether. But as soon as she got on the kindergarten bus, she'd remember she hadn't finished her morning tears and start crying again: "I don't want to go to kindergarten!"

The other kids on the bus didn't particularly like going to kindergarten either, but at least they kept quiet about it, settling for pouty faces. But Kotomi's loud sobbing acted like a rallying cry, turning her into the "leader" who got all the kids on the bus crying.

At Chiba Kindergarten, Kotomi was in the Sunflower Class. Every morning, the Sunflower Class bus was the liveliest one around, and Kotomi was always the culprit.

This went on for two full years. Kotomi firmly established herself as the "strongest instigator" in Chiba Kindergarten's history—a record no child had yet broken.

Returning to the present, Kotomi's long-standing dislike of school made her deeply empathize with Megumi's feelings.

Soon, they arrived at the Kato family's house.

Megumi took out her key, unlocked the door, and led Kotomi inside.

Opening the shoe cabinet, Megumi noticed that all the guest slippers were missing.

"I think all the guest slippers were washed yesterday. Mom loves doing a deep clean on weekends. I have a spare pair of slippers, though. You can wear mine for now."

"Okay, thanks!" Kotomi said as she slipped off her shoes and put on Megumi's spare slippers.

The Kato house was quiet today, likely because Ikemi was still resting in bed to recover from her cold. After taking medicine, the best way to recover was to lie in bed, bundled up, and sweat it out.

On their way to Ikemi's bedroom, they passed the kitchen and noticed an empty bowl on the dining table that hadn't been washed yet.

"Looks like Dad made porridge for Mom."

"Does your dad cook?"

"He's not particularly good at it, but he can handle simple dishes, like egg porridge."

"Oh, I see. But it's so quiet here. Is your dad reading in the study?"

"If he were in the study, he'd have heard us unlocking the door and come out already. He's probably gone to the nearby pharmacy to buy medicine. Mom's cold came on so early this year that we didn't have any cold medicine stocked up."

After explaining, Megumi gently pushed open the bedroom door where her mother was resting.

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