All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

Iroha Isshiki gradually realized that at this moment, only she and her senpai were left at the table.

Four words immediately surfaced in her mind—a world for just the two of us!

Her cheeks grew warm on their own, but more than that, excitement surged in her heart.

She glanced expectantly at Kotomi beside her, just about to lean on her shoulder and tease her like usual. But then, she noticed that Kotomi wasn't even aware they were alone!

Her eyes were completely locked on the menu, studying it with an intense gaze, as if she were a hungry wolf planning its next meal.

Honestly, with the way Kotomi looked, if she slammed the menu onto the table and shouted, "Bring me everything on this menu!", it wouldn't have been surprising in the slightest.

Senpai, stop looking at the menu—look at me!

Look look me!

Iroha mumbled in her heart, pouting slightly. Her gaze subconsciously shifted to the dishes Kotomi had picked out.

Among them was ginger pork stir-fry.

It was one of Iroha's favorite dishes, but since she knew Kotomi disliked green onions, ginger, and garlic, she never ordered it whenever they ate together.

"Senpai, don't tell me you suddenly like eating ginger?" Iroha asked curiously.

Kotomi lifted her head, glanced at Iroha, and then chuckled as she shook her head.

"Of course not. The one thing I dislike the most is green onions, ginger, and garlic. Well… except for roasted garlic and the chopped green onions they put on grilled meat—I like those."

She grinned and continued flipping through the menu.

"Then why did you order…"

"Because you like it," Kotomi replied without hesitation, eyes still on the menu, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"A long time ago—don't ask me when exactly—Aimi mentioned that you love ginger pork stir-fry. So when it arrives, make sure to eat plenty. You've gotten skinnier lately, haven't you? You need to eat more."

"Senpai, you do realize telling a girl to eat more will only make her worry about keeping her figure, right~?"

Iroha tilted her head toward Kotomi, a playful smile on her lips. Her heart swelled with happiness, as if nothing in the world could ruin her mood at this moment.

Her cheeks were flushed, her thoughts filled with expectation.

Would Kotomi say next, "Even if you eat a lot, I'll still like you."

And then, naturally—a confession?!

Yes!

Aimi, thank you for telling your sister I love ginger pork stir-fry!

Iroha glanced toward Aimi, who was still waiting in line for juice, her eyes full of gratitude.

But Kotomi's response was not what Iroha had imagined.

Instead, she suddenly nodded in realization, "Ohhh, so you've been on a diet recently? Sorry, I just found out. In that case, I'll eat all the pork in the ginger stir-fry for you. You can have just the ginger. Oh, and you can give me half of your rice too.

"No need to thank me! I, Kotomi, love helping others."

"…Huh?"

Iroha stared at her, completely dumbfounded.

This… this wasn't the answer I expected!

Her cheeks puffed slightly in frustration. "Senpai, you're such an idiot. Pout pout!"

Kotomi chuckled at Iroha's reaction and handed her the menu.

"What does your dad like to eat? After lunch, let's bring him something."

The last time they met, it was at the hospital. Even though Tetsunosuke Isshiki had looked in good spirits, he had still just come out of surgery. Kotomi hadn't wanted to disturb him too much and had left quickly.

"Motokawa-san has been taking care of my dad a lot lately. She brings him breakfast, lunch, and dinner from the hospital cafeteria.

"But I heard the desserts and custard buns from this restaurant are really good. My dad loves sweets. Let's get him some after we eat."

So Isshiki-san liked sweets. Kotomi silently took note of that.

"Who's Motokawa-san?" Kotomi asked, curious.

A relative of the Isshiki family?

She had never heard Iroha mention such a person before.

"Kumi Motokawa. Senpai, you met her at the hospital last time, right? That serious and cold-looking doctor. She was my dad's classmate for both middle school and high school—six years as desk mates! Impressive, huh?" Iroha said with admiration.

Hearing this, Kotomi suddenly recalled the person in question.

Back when she had rushed to the hospital, she had indeed met that strict-looking female doctor—a woman who seemed completely devoted to her work, exuding an air of professionalism.

She had never expected such a woman to be Tetsunosuke Isshiki's old classmate, and not just any classmate, but his desk mate for six whole years.

If they had studied together for one more year, it could've been considered a seven-year itch in a different sense.

"By the way, Iroha, do you remember what I told you before?" Kotomi suddenly asked.

"Hmm? You mean the promise that we'd go out and play again when we have time?"

"Wow, you actually remembered." Kotomi was a little surprised.

Last Saturday, when they had gone to Enoshima, they hadn't been able to fully enjoy themselves due to the sudden news of the murder case. They had spent most of the time worrying about whether they could catch the last train home.

After everything had settled, Kotomi had told Iroha that she would take her out again someday.

That had become a promise between them.

She had only asked just now to test if Iroha still remembered, but hearing her response, Kotomi couldn't help but smile.

"Of course, I remember! As long as it's something Senpai told me, I'll etch every single word into my memory!"

Iroha looked at her seriously, speaking as if it was the most natural thing in the world. As if she was questioning Kotomi—how could I possibly forget?

"Hearing you say that, I'm really touched~" Kotomi exaggerated her reaction playfully. "Have you thought about where and when we should go?"

"I want us to travel together, just the two of us, for several days straight. Like, the first day we go to Yokohama, the second day to Kyoto, and then on the third day, we visit Enoshima in Fujisawa City."

Iroha spoke dreamily, laying out her ideal travel itinerary.

"…That's a bit much for a regular weekend, don't you think?" Kotomi twitched her lips slightly. "Also, isn't Yokohama really close to Fujisawa? Wouldn't it make more sense to go to Kyoto first, then spend the second and third days in Yokohama and Enoshima?"

"Ah! Why didn't I think of that?! Senpai, you're a genius!"

"That's just basic itinerary planning… But if we're traveling to all those places back to back, we'll be spending a lot of time on the road. And I doubt our families would be comfortable with that."

Iroha rested her chin on the table, sneaking glances at Kotomi's side profile. "But I want to go to all those places with you, Senpai. Speaking of which, school trips always make people think of Kyoto and Osaka, right?

"Do first-year high school students at Sobu High School get a school trip?"

For students about to graduate from middle school, it was natural to fantasize about high school life—especially school trips.

Back when Kotomi was in her third year of middle school, she had often imagined what kind of school trip she would have in high school.

That said, Iroha was seriously expecting to have a school trip right after entering high school? That was pure wishful thinking.

"You might want to drop that fantasy. High school does have school trips, but you won't get one until your third year."

"Aww, that's so lame… We have to wait until third year?"

Iroha pouted in disappointment. But then, as if she had suddenly thought of something even more exciting than a school trip, her eyes lit up.

"Oh! What about the third-year school trip? Can I go with you, Senpai? We can take pictures together at all the sightseeing spots! If we go to Kyoto in spring, we can enjoy the cherry blossoms together!"

Kotomi couldn't help but laugh.

"By the time you go on your third-year school trip, I'll have already graduated from high school and be in university."

Even though she was still a first-year, she was already talking about graduating three years later.

Was she thinking too far ahead?

Not really.

The three years of high school would pass in the blink of an eye. If one wasn't careful, they would already find themselves sitting in the auditorium for their graduation ceremony.

"But I just want to go on a school trip with you, Senpai~! There are so many places I want to visit together with you!"

Under the table, Iroha kicked her legs playfully. Her gaze, filled with an adorable mischievousness, never left Kotomi's face.

Though her words sounded like playful whining, they felt more like an unspoken promise—a vow that would never fade.

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