All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

After parting ways with Mashiro outside the teacher's office, Kotomi instinctively walked toward the main entrance of the school. She stood there for a few minutes, waiting as usual, before realizing something crucial.

"Uh, I'm so dumb. Of course, Megumi went home early today to pack. How could I forget?" Kotomi sighed, rubbing her temples in frustration. Picking up her bag, she left the school grounds.

Meanwhile, Mashiro stood silently by the teacher's office window, watching Kotomi's every move. Seeing Kotomi linger at the gate before leaving alone, her tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.

"Was Kotomi waiting for Megumi just now? No... maybe she was just looking at her phone," Mashiro murmured under her breath, though the doubt in her tone lingered.

Since their very first parting after school, Mashiro had taken up the habit of watching Kotomi from the window as she left. Today was no exception.

The difference today? Megumi wasn't with Kotomi.

Mashiro couldn't quite put her feelings into words. All she knew was that every time she saw Kotomi walking alongside Megumi, it felt like a thorn lodged in her heart.

Today, however, watching Kotomi wait briefly before walking away alone, Mashiro felt as if a hand gripping her chest had finally let go.

Why do I feel this way? Mashiro wondered.

As Kotomi's solitary figure disappeared into the distance, Mashiro's heart fluttered with an inexplicable joy.

It was like watching a B-movie where you loved the heroine but couldn't stand another character hogging the screen. Whenever that unnecessary character shared scenes with the heroine, it was frustrating. You found yourself wanting to fast-forward to moments where the heroine was alone—or, better yet, erase that character entirely.

If life were a movie, Kotomi was undoubtedly the heroine of Mashiro's B-movie.

"Ugh! This report is killing me!" Chihiro Sengoku, her hand poised over the keyboard, groaned loudly.

As the art teacher, she had far fewer classes to handle compared to other subjects. Yet the monthly teacher summary report requirements loomed over her like an impossible obstacle.

"What do they expect me to write about? My class time is mostly taken over by other teachers. How am I supposed to write a thousand words when I barely have anything to report?" she complained, slumping back in her chair.

She slammed her hand against her desk in frustration, narrowly avoiding tipping over her mug of water.

"Phew, that was close. I really don't need water spilling all over tomorrow's meeting documents." Chihiro quickly tucked the documents into her desk drawer, muttering, "Forget it. I'll just crib something from the music teacher's report tomorrow."

Stretching and groaning, she glanced toward the window. There, Mashiro stood, motionless as a statue, her gaze fixed outside like a silent guardian.

"Oi, Mashiro!" Chihiro called out, snapping her fingers. "Time to go home! How about some fried squid for dinner? Or maybe dumplings and rice?"

Only then did Mashiro stir, her expression unreadable as she nodded faintly.

Chihiro had grown used to Mashiro's lack of enthusiasm when it came to food. But something about her demeanor today felt... off. Following her line of sight, Chihiro looked out the window to see Kotomi, head down, leaving the school gates.

"Oh boy," Chihiro muttered under her breath.

She couldn't pinpoint when it had started, but she'd begun noticing subtle changes in her cousin. Mashiro was usually so composed, yet lately...

"Alright, let's head home," Chihiro said with a sigh.

As they walked down the hallway, the setting sun casting long shadows through the windows, Chihiro suddenly asked, "Mashiro, do you like someone?"

Mashiro stiffened ever so slightly, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks. "No," she replied coolly, averting her gaze.

Chihiro raised an eyebrow, her years of experience dealing with teenage drama giving her insight into the unspoken truth.

"Look, I get it. Kotomi is easy to like," Chihiro began, deliberately keeping her tone casual. "Honestly, if I weren't a teacher, I might have a crush on her myself. You know how many students have confessed to her? Boys, girls—doesn't matter. She's turned them all down."

Mashiro remained silent, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Chihiro scratched her head awkwardly. "I'm not trying to pry or judge. Love is love, you know? But..." She hesitated, then decided to be frank. "Mashiro, you're leaving Japan soon."

Mashiro's head snapped up, her pale face betraying her shock. "What?"

"Your parents called me yesterday," Chihiro explained with a sigh. "They're planning to bring you back to England after your spring break in sophomore year."

Mashiro's eyes trembled as she whispered, "I didn't know..."

"They asked me not to tell you yet—said they wanted to wait until after winter break," Chihiro continued, her voice softening. "But seeing the way you've been looking at Kotomi lately... I figured it'd be better to give you a heads-up. For your sake and hers."

Mashiro lowered her head, her voice barely audible. "How long until spring break?"

"Less than a year and a half," Chihiro replied. "High school flies by, Mashiro. Before you know it, you'll be looking back, wondering where the time went."

Mashiro clenched her fists, her words faltering. "I've only just arrived in Japan... It hasn't even been a month."

Chihiro nodded sympathetically. "Your parents probably didn't anticipate letting you stay this long. Look, I'm not here to lecture you, Mashiro. I just want you to think carefully about what you want—and what your relationship with Kotomi means to you."

"Thank you, Chihiro-nee," Mashiro murmured, her voice calm but laced with something deeper.

Chihiro studied her cousin carefully, sensing the weight of unspoken emotions. "Make the most of the time you have, okay? Whether it's as friends or... something else, create memories you can hold onto."

Mashiro didn't respond, her gaze fixed on the floor as they walked.

Chihiro sighed again, her heart heavy with unspoken worries. Mashiro, I hope you know what you're getting into.

As Kotomi walked home from school, the notification chime of a message suddenly broke the silence. Taking out her phone, she saw a text from Haruno Yukinoshita.

It had been a while since they'd last chatted—Kotomi scrolled through their chat history and realized their previous exchange was about the second volume manuscript two weeks ago.

[Haruno Yukinoshita: Kotomi-sensei, do you have a moment?]

[Kotomi: Of course. What's up?]

Adding a touch of playfulness, she followed up with another message:

[Kotomi: Editor Haruno, you've been such a busy bee lately. We haven't chatted in ages!]

Though it had only been two weeks, Kotomi decided to tease her a little.

She hadn't received a text back yet when her phone began to ring. Seeing Haruno's name on the screen, she smiled and answered.

"Ahahaha! Kotomi-sensei, your message just now gave me the image of a pouting little wife waiting for her husband to come home. Has it been so long since you heard my voice that your body and soul feel hollow without it?" Haruno's teasing voice came through the line.

Kotomi sighed, already accustomed to Haruno's sharp contrast to her sister, Yukino. "No, I was actually wondering why you haven't updated me on the progress of the first volume's release. By the way, with a comment like that, aren't you afraid your colleagues might overhear? You are still at the office, right?"

"Relax, I just slipped out to the convenience store downstairs to grab a snack after a meeting. Speaking of which, that meeting was about the promotional resource allocation for the first volume of Sword Art Online. Oh, Kotomi-sensei, can you open the Dengeki Bunko website right now?"

"Sure, give me a moment."

Switching to speakerphone, Kotomi exited the call screen and launched her browser, navigating to the Dengeki Bunko website.

Before she could ask what Haruno wanted her to see, a dynamic splash screen immediately filled her phone.

Accompanied by a hymn-like chant, the screen depicted a war-ravaged landscape littered with countless battle-worn swords. The camera panned toward a massive floating castle of steel and stone suspended in the infinite expanse of the sky.

After a few seconds, the clear blue sky abruptly transformed into a blood-red chessboard pattern, and a single phrase appeared on the screen:

["This may be a game, but it's not something you play."]

"Whoa… that's amazing," Kotomi couldn't help but marvel.

"Pretty cool, huh? That's a new animated splash screen for the Dengeki Bunko website that just went live this afternoon," Haruno said smugly. "Originally, we planned to make a full promotional video to post on social media and YouTube, but since the first volume hasn't hit the shelves yet, the final sales are still an unknown. So, we had to cut it down to just this short animation."

Haruno explained, gauging Kotomi's reaction carefully. The editing team had worried that Kotomi might feel disappointed about the decision to trim the promotion.

Currently, Sword Art Online was the hottest topic on Dengeki Bunko's platform. Despite the first volume not yet being released, its potential was clear enough to make other publishers green with envy.

The editing team had wanted to give Kotomi the highest level of promotional treatment, with full confidence that Sword Art Online would achieve extraordinary sales and influence upon release. Haruno had even prepared a proposal to request additional initial print runs for the limited edition release.

But just as Editor-in-Chief Hiratsuka was about to approve it, another author's tenth volume manuscript and accompanying illustrations were submitted—this author being none other than Kotoki Rento, the creator of The Girl Who Won't Smile Inside a Mecha.

Kotoki's series was a mainstay in Dengeki Bunko's top ten bestsellers. Since its debut, every volume had remained a hit, and its manga adaptation consistently ranked in the top twenty.

On one side was Kotoki, a veteran powerhouse with a proven track record. On the other was Kotomi, a fresh rising star whose debut novel had the potential to revolutionize the genre and attract poaching offers from rival publishers.

Both authors were highly valuable to Dengeki Bunko, but with their respective volumes scheduled for release in the same month, the editing team was forced to prioritize based on seniority.

Thus, while Kotomi's series would still receive the coveted animated splash screen promotion, the full promotional video was delayed until after the sales figures came in.

After Haruno explained the situation, Kotomi's response was calm and understanding:

"I see. Thanks for working so hard on getting approval for the additional prints, Haruno-san."

"Eh?" Haruno was momentarily stunned. She had expected some disappointment or frustration, not this easy acceptance.

Kotomi chuckled. "I mean, getting a dynamic splash screen at this stage already feels like a huge deal. I was expecting just a static poster. After all, I'm a total newcomer, right? This is more than I could've asked for."

Haruno blinked in surprise. "Really? You're not upset?"

"Nope. It makes sense to prioritize a veteran like Kotoki-sensei, especially since my sales numbers are still unproven. Once my first volume is out and the sales come in, I'll have the stats to back me up. Until then, I'll just focus on doing my best."

Haruno sighed in relief. "You're really something, Kotomi-sensei. Most authors would've thrown a fit."

"Well, it's only fair. Besides, I trust that when my sales speak for themselves, you'll have my back."

"You bet I will!" Haruno's tone grew playful again. "Let's work hard together and rake in those profits! Oh, by the way, how are you getting along with my sister?"

"Yukino? She's great. She may seem cold, but she's actually very warm-hearted. The other day, she even shared half her steak with me at lunch."

"Wait, what?!" Haruno practically shrieked.

"What's wrong?" Kotomi asked, startled by her reaction.

"Yukino shared food? That's unheard of! I've never seen her do that, not even once!"

"Maybe it's because you two don't spend enough time together?" Kotomi suggested, recalling how Yukino had mentioned their limited interactions.

"Maybe…" Haruno sounded genuinely dejected. Then, with a playful huff, she added, "Honestly, I'm starting to suspect you're going to become my 'brother-in-law' at this rate."

Kotomi burst into laughter. "Jealous much?"

"No, just... conflicted," Haruno muttered. After a pause, her voice turned teasing again. "Hey, Kotomi… just hypothetically, if Yukino confessed to you, would you accept her feelings?"

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