All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

A promise?

Kotomi pondered the meaning behind Iroha's words. But no matter how she tried to guess, only Iroha herself truly understood the emotions she felt when she said them.

Regardless of the deeper meaning, Kotomi already knew how she wanted to respond.

She unconsciously leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between herself and Iroha.

"If it's something you love, then I'd be happy to travel with you and see all the mountains and rivers of the world. It might take a long time, though."

"If it's with you, Senpai… then that's fine~ I want the time we spend together to be long—very long—just like an endless road stretching into eternity." Iroha murmured, her cheeks tinged with red.

Their gazes met, and for a moment, both of them smiled at the same time.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Aimi had finally gotten the juice. She hadn't realized how light the empty pitcher was, but now that it was full, its weight suddenly became very apparent.

Even though the handle seemed sturdy, she didn't quite trust it. One hand gripped the handle tightly while the other carefully supported the base, afraid it might slip and fall.

"Why is this thing so heavy?!" Aimi muttered. If she had known, she wouldn't have been so "greedy" and filled it to the brim.

It was a little tiring, but thinking about how her mom, her sister, and Iroha were waiting for her, Aimi took a deep breath, gathered her strength, and steadily carried the full pitcher back to the table.

As she got closer, she noticed Kotomi and Iroha's backs.

"What are they talking about?" Aimi mumbled to herself, unconsciously slowing her steps and sneaking up behind them.

What she heard was—

"Iroha, in the chicken wing hot pot, do you prefer yuba or fish tofu?"

"I like both, so let's add them all in."

"Good idea!"

Kotomi then naturally wrote under the "How many bowls of rice?" section—10.

"Senpai, ten bowls of rice? There's no way the four of us can finish that, right?"

"No, no, these ten bowls are just for me. You guys can write down how much you want when Mom and Aimi get back."

"One bowl is enough for me…" Iroha laughed awkwardly.

Recalling the night they had eaten tonkatsu together, she had decided that no matter how outrageous Kotomi's appetite seemed, she would never be surprised again.

Sister, you're so embarrassing! At least pretend to have a normal appetite in front of my friend!

Standing behind them, Aimi heard their conversation and would have buried her face in her hands out of sheer embarrassment—if only she weren't holding a full pitcher of juice.

The last time Kotomi had embarrassed Aimi this much was back in elementary school. That day, Kotomi had shown up at the school gate wearing a Kamen Rider Kuuga suit to pick Aimi up.

Aimi would never forget that day.

She had just walked out of the school gate, carrying her little backpack, when she saw a tiny, chubby figure standing amidst a crowd of stunned onlookers—a mini Kotomi, dressed in a full-body Kamen Rider Kuuga suit.

And not just any Kuuga—Ultimate Rising Form!

Kotomi had pointed at the TV, eyes sparkling, and told their grandmother, "Grandma, I want that!"

Somehow, one month later, she had received a massive box containing a custom-made Ultimate Rising Kuuga suit tailored to her exact height at the time.

Back to the present—

Hearing Kotomi casually tell Iroha that she was going to eat ten bowls of rice, Aimi felt secondhand embarrassment again. But deep inside, she also felt a sense of relief.

At least they were just talking about food and nothing else.

Even though Aimi trusted that what that girl had said was false, and that her sister and Iroha really had just coincidentally gone to Enoshima to buy a phone together, a small, indescribable worry had still lingered in her heart.

But now that she saw her sister and Iroha, even when alone together, were only talking about food, she finally felt at ease.

"Sis, Iroha, I'm back! Where's Mom?"

Aimi pretended as if she had just arrived, placing the pitcher of juice onto the table before wiping her forehead—where there was no actual sweat—with the back of her hand.

"Mom went to the restroom. Aimi, check the menu and see if there's anything else you want to eat." Kotomi handed the menu to her as she spoke.

"Let's get extra chicken thighs. This fried noodle dish looks really good. I won't eat rice, I'll just have fried noodles."

Aimi lowered her head, focused intently on the menu.

When it came to food, her level of concentration was just as intense as Kotomi's.

Truly, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Under the table, Isshiki Iroha took the opportunity to trace words into Kotomi's palm with her fingertip:

That was close, Senpai. Luckily, I heard Aimi's footsteps in advance and quickly changed the topic. We almost got misunderstood by Aimi.

The two exchanged a glance, both letting out a silent sigh of relief in their hearts.

Pretending not to notice Aimi while calmly shifting the conversation had been far more nerve-wracking than they expected!

When Akina returned to the table, she sat down and gave Kotomi and Iroha a casual glance. Her calm expression concealed a deeper understanding, and she mused to herself:

It feels like something between them has progressed a little while I was gone… but also, not really.

Oh well, no need to rush. You can't eat tofu when it's too hot. As their mother, I'll just give them a gentle push at the right moment.

After finishing their meal, Iroha went to order a portion of sweet porridge and custard buns to take to the hospital.

"I'm heading to the hospital to deliver these. Aimi, you should head back to school first."

Stepping out of the restaurant, Iroha lifted the bag with the packed food.

"I'll go with you," Kotomi said instinctively, only to suddenly realize—Mom is still here!

Saying something like this so naturally in front of her mother was definitely going to seem suspicious!

After all, she had never told her parents about getting involved in the serial murder case over the weekend.

Kotomi glanced at her mother awkwardly, expecting an interrogation.

But to her surprise, Akina nodded without hesitation.

"Sure, go ahead. Be careful on the way."

"Eh?" Kotomi was utterly dumbfounded.

Why did Mom agree so easily?

Just as she was questioning this in her heart, Akina pulled her aside, giving her a knowing smile.

"Kotomi~ You don't actually think you can hide something like this from your parents, do you? You got caught up in that serial murder case over the weekend, didn't you?"

Cold sweat immediately formed on Kotomi's back.

"Mom… how do you know…?"

"Heh, did you really think your dad and I wouldn't find out? We've actually known for a while now, but since you didn't bring it up yourself, we decided not to ask."

Akina let out a sigh and flicked Kotomi's forehead with her finger.

"But seriously, even if your dad and I figured it out, that was after everything was already over. You're still just a kid, yet you had the guts to keep something like this from us. What do you think you are, Kindaichi? At least he has an IQ of 180! If you ever try to act tough like this again, I'll personally throw you into Ijinkan Village!"

Kotomi shrank back slightly, meekly replying, "I'm sorry, Mom. I won't do it again."

"Good, then let's just drop it. Go ahead and help Iroha deliver the food. Oh, and when you see Isshiki-san and his wife, send them my regards."

"Wait… Isshiki who?"

Wasn't Yuuha already dead?

Then… who exactly was she supposed to be greeting?

The thought sent chills down Kotomi's spine.

Akina easily saw through her daughter's thoughts, chuckled, and shook her head.

"I told you to stop reading so much horror manga. What are you imagining? I meant Dr. Motokawa—isn't she practically 'Mrs. Isshiki' at this point? If not now, then soon enough."

During their meal earlier, Iroha had mentioned that Dr. Motokawa Kumei had been taking care of her father. With just that bit of information, Akina had already deduced quite a bit.

"No way, Dr. Motokawa is just Isshiki-san's former classmate from middle and high school."

"Oh, silly girl. Now do you understand why they say ginger gets spicier with age? I haven't even met her, but from the way Iroha described her, I can already tell. Give it some time, and I bet you'll be calling her 'Aunt Motokawa' before you know it."

Mom, your imagination is way too powerful!

Kotomi internally grumbled, skeptical about her mother's prediction but choosing not to argue.

Just as Kotomi and Iroha were about to leave together, Aimi, looking somewhat uneasy, insisted on tagging along.

But before she could even take a step forward—

Akina grabbed the back of her collar.

"Aimi, go back to school. I'll drop you off at the school gate before I head home."

With that, she effortlessly dragged Aimi away.

Aimi, dangling in her mother's grip, had a face full of silent despair.

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