All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

Class 1-A.

Arisu Sakayanagi sat with a group of girls she got along well with, chatting as the final moments of the break ticked away. Although they were supposedly chatting together, most of the time, it was the other girls talking while Sakayanagi listened, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

After all, sitting at her desk reading for too long could get dull. A bit of casual conversation with her peers was a nice change of pace.

If only Kotomi were here too, Sakayanagi thought wistfully.

She understood perfectly well why Kotomi didn't like coming to Class 1-A. It wasn't due to any complicated reasons—just the inconvenience of stricter leave policies and the limited number of allowed absences. For those reasons alone, Kotomi had no hesitation in declining invitations to visit A-Class.

Sakayanagi knew Kotomi's personality well. Kotomi was the kind of girl who enjoyed taking days off. While she might restrain herself during the first month of school, Sakayanagi was almost certain that once next month rolled around—or once Kotomi secured her recommendation to university—she would start using every excuse she could to ask her homeroom teacher for time off.

Though she understood Kotomi's perspective, it still left Sakayanagi feeling a little down. The thought of not seeing Kotomi in class every day made her heart ache. Deep down, she wished Kotomi could transfer to Class 1-A—better yet, become her seatmate.

Sakayanagi sometimes dreamed about Kotomi joining A-Class and the two of them becoming desk mates for three whole years.

In her dreams, after high school graduation, they would meet each other's families and, amidst the blessings of everyone around them, walk hand-in-hand into wedded bliss.

But just as the dream reached the scene of their wedding night, her alarm clock always interrupted.

In frustration, she had already broken ten alarm clocks in a row!

Even her housekeeper, Atsuki, couldn't keep up with repairs, so she ended up discarding all the broken clocks and buying new ones.

"I'm back with drinks!"

One of the girls, who had gone out earlier, returned to the classroom carrying a bag of canned and bottled beverages.

Don't be fooled into thinking that Class 1-A was filled with socially awkward bookworms who only knew how to study. On the contrary, anyone who only excelled academically without any social skills wouldn't survive in A-Class. Even if someone managed to pass the entrance exam by sheer luck, they would eventually be weeded out by the true geniuses in the class.

"Sakayanagi-san, what would you like to drink?"

"Soda water is fine."

Sakayanagi took a can of soda water from the girl and offered a polite "thank you."

She wasn't particularly interested in beverages, usually sticking to soda water. She would only occasionally drink soda or fruit juice when she was with Kotomi.

Once everyone had chosen their drinks, the group resumed chatting. This time, however, Sakayanagi didn't feel like joining in. Instead, she planned to listen for a bit longer before reviewing the material for the afternoon classes.

Even in Class 1-A, the students couldn't escape the irresistible allure of juicy gossip during their adolescence!

A group of girls gathered together, chattering away about rumors they'd just heard that morning.

"Hey, hey, did you guys hear? That couple in Class C who loves showing off their relationship broke up right after having lunch on the rooftop today."

"Eh? Why? This morning, I saw them acting all lovey-dovey at the school gate, making the student council discipline officer so mad their blood pressure probably skyrocketed."

"Hmph, you don't know the half of it. Apparently, during lunch, they were on the rooftop, and so were Izumi-senpai and another girl. You know how guys are—when they see a girl with a figure like Izumi-senpai's, they can't help but stare. And Izumi-senpai's proportions? Absolute perfection! Like, ultimate weapon-level perfection!"

"It's not just guys; even us girls are mesmerized! The other day after school, I was lucky enough to see Izumi-senpai, and I just stood there in awe for the longest time. I still regret my phone was out of battery then!"

"Can you stop interrupting? So, did the girl break up with her boyfriend because he stared at Izumi-senpai a few times and made her jealous?"

These girls had all been captivated by Izumi Kotomi's charm since the midterm exams. Every time they mentioned her, they'd eagerly call her 'Senpai.'

"Of course, it wasn't that simple. The girl got jealous and asked him about it, as you'd expect. But the more the guy explained, the worse it got. Somehow, the argument spiraled out of control until she accused him of liking guys—specifically her brother! She got so mad that she broke up with him right there on the rooftop!"

"Horrifying…"

"Truly, he has the makings of an emperor."

"Uh, what…"

"Is this a midnight drama series?"

"Well, I can't say I didn't see it coming. That Class C couple was always showing off. It was getting on everyone's nerves. Honestly, it's better this way—finally gives the students at Sobu High School a break from all that PDA."

"Can we please focus? You're getting distracted by small stuff! What I'm about to say next is the real headline."

The girl who had started the rumor theatrically tapped her pencil case on the table like a storyteller setting the stage.

"Spit it out! Is there something juicier than this?"

"Aren't you curious why a girl got to have lunch with Izumi-senpai on the rooftop? The rooftop, of all places! That's not somewhere singles dare to tread; it's reserved for couples."

"Maybe it's just someone Izumi-senpai is close friends with? She has such a great personality and is so good at studying—it's hard not to want to be her friend. Honestly, this is a little embarrassing to say, but I kind of want her to be my girlfriend. Or, like, I wouldn't mind being her girlfriend, either!"

"Put a jacket on, will you! And stop interrupting! Here's the kicker: I heard from a friend in Class F that the girl who had lunch with Izumi-senpai was none other than Mashiro Shiina!"

"Shiina-san? You mean the world-class genius artist who transferred here from England?!"

"How do you have a friend in every class?"

"Shut up and listen! Apparently, Mashiro and Izumi-senpai are super close. Rumor has it that they hug each other every single day—like, bear hug level!"

"Well, duh, everyone knows that. Izumi-senpai hugs either Mashiro or Yui every day. At this point, it's not even news at Sobu High School anymore."

Hearing the ongoing chatter among the girls, Arisu Sakayanagi couldn't help but furrow her elegant brows slightly. Her face darkened, and her entire demeanor suddenly turned icy.

Kotomi hugs those two girls every single day—actual bear hugs?

And they went to the rooftop to eat together!

Kotomi has never gone to the rooftop to eat with me. What right does Mashiro Shiina have?

What's even more infuriating is that she only found out about this now!

Am I the outsider in my own world?

Thinking about it, it made sense. She had never cared much about the gossip and rumors floating around among Sobu High School students. But to think that the moment she decided to pay attention, she heard a rumor that practically screamed homewrecker alert!

...

"If hugging one person isn't surprising, then let me tell you this—today, Kotomi hugged both Mashiro and Yui at the same time!" one of the girls announced dramatically.

"Whaaat?! That's so wild! So Kotomi and Yui are for real, huh? I've always suspected something was going on between them. They say Kotomi played a huge role in Yui's dramatic improvement during the midterms."

"A genius ranked first in all of Tokyo and a world-class artist—it's the classic case of one running while the other chases. But really, it's mutual. Every encounter is a peak moment, and every meeting is a long-awaited reunion. Kotomi and Mashiro are even sweeter!"

"Well, we don't need to 'ship' anymore, do we? It's no surprise that Kotomi, who's sworn to conquer all the girls in the world, wouldn't choose just one. Only kids make choices—she wants them all!"

While the girls next to her continued their animated chatter about Kotomi, Arisu Sakayanagi sipped her soda water, her expression dark and frighteningly cold.

When she finally put the can down, it was so crushed and misshapen that it could no longer be recognized as a can. Its description had gone from "a can" to "a stick."

...

Meanwhile, in Class F, Kotomi, who was earnestly helping Megumi with her math problems, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She instinctively hunched her shoulders, sensing that something wasn't quite right.

At that moment, her peripheral vision caught sight of the school's disciplinary director standing at the back doorway of the classroom, peering inside. As usual, he was patrolling to ensure no one was secretly playing with their phones during class.

Kotomi quickly straightened her posture, fixed her gaze on the paper in front of her, and assumed an expression of utmost seriousness as she explained the math problem to Megumi.

This sudden shift left Megumi completely bewildered.

The disciplinary director, however, noticed Kotomi's focused attitude and nodded in satisfaction. Smiling to himself, he muttered:

"After ranking first in all of Tokyo, she hasn't grown arrogant at all. Instead, she remains diligent in her studies and willingly helps her classmates with difficult questions. She walks the precarious road of using education to change her destiny!

"Ah, it reminds me of my own student days, decades ago—burning the midnight oil, striving to excel in my studies.

"She listens attentively in class, answers questions confidently and accurately, and never once plays with her phone during lessons. Students like Kotomi, so single-mindedly devoted to learning, are truly rare these days.

"Keep it up, Kotomi! The future you will surely thank the present you for your hard work!"

With that sentimental thought, the disciplinary director left the back doorway of Class 1-F and descended the stairs. Upon arriving at Class 1-B, he promptly confiscated 15 phones during his spot check.

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