All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

Ruriya Hojo's voice was soft and sweet, but to Ruka Ishikawa, the words she spoke felt heavy and cutting.

The moment Ruriya finished speaking, a clatter echoed through the art club classroom. Following the sound, they saw that Ruka's paintbrushes had all fallen to the floor.

"Ah… honestly, Ruka, you're in high school now—how can you still be so careless?"

Ruriya sighed helplessly. She had known Ruka since kindergarten. Although they'd spent three years in different elementary schools, they ended up in the same junior high and had been together ever since.

From childhood, Ruka had always been a bit scatterbrained, often knocking things over. She wasn't a mischievous child, yet trouble seemed to find her.

Ruriya walked over in small steps, crouched down, and began picking up Ruka's scattered brushes. But there was another kind of "thing" Ruka had dropped—something Ruriya didn't notice and therefore didn't pick up.

"Th-thank you…" Ruka said, glancing down at Ruriya, who was crouched beside her. Her heart was in turmoil. After a pause, she forced the words out: "Ruriya, what exactly did you mean by what you just said?"

"What I just said? Oh, that. Isn't it obvious? But before that—Ruka, Emi, Shiina-san, please don't tell anyone about this, and definitely don't let Izumi-san know. Thanks."

The frank smile on Ruriya's face only confirmed Ruka's suspicion. Her pupils contracted sharply, and it felt as though someone had squeezed her heart tight.

"What's the big secret? Don't keep us guessing. If you keep it up, you owe us ramen after school," Emi Tsujimoto joked.

"If it works out, I'll treat you to ramen for a whole year."

Still picking up brushes, Ruriya tucked her hair behind her ear. From Ruka's angle, her bright smile was perfectly visible.

"I… like Izumi-san. Not in a 'just friends' way, but the kind where I want to be her lover. That's why I want to know if Izumi-san has a partner—and honestly, I wish she liked girls."

Ruka saw it all—the unmistakable brightness in Ruriya's smile as she said those words.

You're lying… Ruka repeated silently to herself, unwilling to believe it was true. Even though she knew Ruriya spoke only truth when wearing that expression, she still refused to accept it.

Because she had always liked Ruriya Hojo herself.

When had it started? Ruka wasn't sure. She only knew that by the second year of elementary school, her gaze toward Ruriya had already begun to change.

She had always believed Ruriya could never develop feelings for another girl. In junior high, Ruriya had even joked: "If only you were a boy, Ruka." That convinced Ruka her orientation was straight.

Yet now, right in front of her, Ruriya was openly admitting—without a hint of hesitation—that she liked Kotomi Izumi, another girl.

Ruka had always loved Ruriya's smile, thinking it was the most beautiful in the world. Every time she saw it, she couldn't help but drift away.

Ruriya Hojo's smile was still as beautiful as ever, but to Ruka Ishikawa, it now looked painfully blinding.

I'm a girl too! Ruka cried out in her heart, the pain almost unbearable.

When Ruriya finally said out loud that she liked Kotomi Izumi, Mashiro Shiina froze mid-brushstroke. Her eyes turned cold as she lifted her gaze. Even with the easel blocking her, it felt as though her sharp glare could pierce straight through it and into Ruriya.

Emi Tsujimoto glanced awkwardly left and right, wondering why the atmosphere in the art room had suddenly turned so strange.

"Ruriya, you… really like Izumi-san?" Emi asked curiously.

"If I said I just fell for her recently, would you believe me?"

Ruriya chuckled playfully as she finished picking up the last of the scattered brushes, placing them into Ruka's palm.

"Here, hold onto these—don't drop them again. Didn't we just buy these together the other day? They weren't cheap, you know. I'd feel bad if they got ruined."

"Thanks…" Ruka's voice was hoarse.

"Drink more water," Ruriya reminded gently, then stood and returned to her seat.

She didn't notice how, the moment she turned away, Ruka's expression dimmed sharply.

"Just fell for her, huh? Was it because Izumi-san put her arm around you earlier to help you steady the guitar? Seriously? That's way too much of a love-struck reaction," Emi said, incredulous.

Heroically saving someone and falling in love at first sight—sure, that she could understand. But that earlier scene? Was it even close to that?

"You worry about me?" Ruriya replied with a smile, then looked toward Mashiro with genuine curiosity. "Shiina-san, you're in the same class as Izumi-san. Do you know if she has someone she likes? Or at least, what kind of person she's into?"

Mashiro clicked her tongue softly, biting down on her silver-white teeth. Slowly, she lifted her head, ready to glare at Ruriya in warning—don't you dare set your sights on Kotomi.

Clatter.

The art room door opened.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late today. Huh? You guys haven't started drawing yet?"

Hibiki Naegi stepped into the room, apologizing as she looked around. It seemed Mashiro was the only one actually painting—the others were all chatting. For a second, Hibiki thought she'd walked into the wrong clubroom.

Where were the usual members who would, at the sound of the bell, take their seats and start painting quietly?

"Naegi-senpai, we were talking about romance. Ruriya here's got a crush—want to join the discussion?" Emi teased.

"If you want to talk about romance, do it after class or after school. But check the time—club activities have already started. Right now, only Shiina-san is working seriously. You're disturbing her," Hibiki said firmly.

"Oh, sorry, Shiina-san. You've been sitting behind the easel, so I couldn't tell if you were painting or spacing out," Ruriya said with a quick apology, putting her hands together before hurrying back to her seat.

If Hibiki hadn't returned just then, they might have continued chatting about romance. But with her back, that was out of the question. Though she was their age, Hibiki could be quite strict when she got serious.

As both their senpai and the art club president, Hibiki was usually very kind—especially in the early days when the first-years had just joined. She had taken great care of them.

In return, during club hours, they all listened to her and caused no trouble. Even during the three days Hibiki was away in Kyoto, they had still come to the art room on time to paint quietly.

Other club leaders envied her for it. Compared side-by-side, the art club was clearly the easiest to manage. Many had even asked Hibiki for advice on how to run a club so smoothly.

Whenever she was asked, Hibiki could only shrug and say, "Don't ask me—I have no idea."

Second Music Room.

"Ugh… Kotomi's guitar is really heavy! Are all guitars this heavy? If you play guitar often, do you end up building muscles?"

Yui Yuigahama hugged Kotomi Izumi's guitar with both arms. She often helped her mom move ingredients from the storage room to the kitchen at the dango cake shop, so she was confident she had decent strength. But the first time she held Kotomi's guitar, she was shocked by its weight, gripping it tightly as if afraid it might slip and crash to the floor. Only after a while did she slowly adapt to the weight and manage to hold it more naturally.

"Not every guitar is this heavy. Mine is actually an outlier—heavier than most. Playing often does improve your stamina and strength a little, but if you're counting on that for fitness, you'd be better off spending the guitar money on a gym membership."

Kotomi joked lightly as she took the guitar back from Yui, fingers easily strumming a soft melody.

"When I first got this guitar, I had trouble adjusting too. But once I got used to it, I realized its weight perfectly suits my playing style. Different guitar weights can slightly change the playing effect. The right weight varies for each person—it's like switching to a new mouse in e-sports. It affects your feel and can lead to mistakes until you adapt."

Kotomi was repeating what she'd heard yesterday from the guitar shop owner, but spoke as if she were a seasoned guitarist. She'd bragged enough now that everyone believed she'd been playing since childhood. If anyone knew she'd only bought it yesterday, it would ruin her image.

"Have you finished writing the songs for the cultural festival performance?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked.

Yui, hearing Yukino's question, turned a concerned gaze to Kotomi as well.

This was only their second rehearsal together, but they still hadn't decided which two songs they'd perform. With less than two weeks left before the festival, delaying would cut into precious practice time and might even affect their onstage performance. Even though there would be festivals in their second and third years, the chance for all three of them to perform together might come only this once.

Though Kotomi hadn't even written the first word of the songs yet, she answered confidently, "I've finished one song already. Give me two more days and I'll have both done."

"Eh? You've finished one already? I really want to hear it!"

Yui believed her without a shred of doubt, as she always did. Her bright, expectant eyes sparkled as she looked at Kotomi.

"Haha, I'll sing them for you both once they're done. When I finish, I'll make a digital copy and email it to you so you can download it on your phones. That way you can check it anytime. Then I'll print three paper copies for us to use during rehearsal."

"OK! I can't wait to see the songs you've written, Kotomi!"

"I'm fine with anything," Yukino Yukinoshita said softly, then glanced at Kotomi and added, almost casually, "Just don't push yourself. We're only performing at the cultural festival, not in a professional concert. It's not like we need to spend money on song rights."

Kotomi gave a thumbs-up, assuring them she could write the songs.

Seeing Kotomi's determination to compose them herself, Yukino didn't press further. She simply waited quietly to see what kind of songs Kotomi would create.

I really need to focus on songwriting tonight… Kotomi told herself. She had planned to start yesterday, but ended up sleeping with Aimi by her side and completely forgot about it.

It wasn't until she saw Yukino and Yui this morning that the thought returned—Oh right, I said I'd write two songs.

"Since the songs aren't done yet, let's just keep playing other pieces today to build up our rhythm and chemistry," Yukino said, taking her place at the piano. "Yui, did you practice the singing technique I taught you yesterday?"

"Mm! I've mostly got it, though I'm still a little shaky," Yui admitted.

"Don't rush. Rushing only backfires. You didn't have any singing foundation before, and learning a technique now is like putting a feast in front of someone starving—they'll just gobble it down too quickly. You need to take it slowly, bite by bite, so it digests well. Besides, you're actually quite talented for someone just starting out.

"When you sing, stay calm and use the method I taught you. Adjust according to your own feeling. You don't need to match us—we're matching you. You're the lead vocalist; during the performance, we're here to support you."

"Yui." Kotomi clapped Yui's shoulder firmly. "The heart that believes is your magic!"

Compared to Yukino's lecture, Kotomi's words were pure encouragement. Yui nodded vigorously.

"Got it!"

Yukino sat at the piano, glancing at Kotomi and Yui as if she wanted to say something. But in the end, she turned her gaze back to the black-and-white keys.

After getting into the right mindset, the three also confirmed their standing positions for both rehearsal and the final performance—Yui in the center, Kotomi and Yukino on either side.

"What are we singing today?"

"Have you seen Tokyo Love Story—the 1991 version?"

"I have."

"I think I saw an episode or two on Fuji TV when I was little."

As a classic drama almost impossible to surpass, few people hadn't seen Tokyo Love Story. Even if they hadn't watched it all, most had caught at least a few episodes. And even for those who hadn't seen any, the name was far from unfamiliar.

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