All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

Chapter 789: Kotomi — Yukino, I Want to Kiss You

Yukino Yukinoshita lowered her head so much that, if there had been even the slightest crack in the tatami, she would have dived into it without hesitation—

even if that crack led straight to the center of the earth.

Seeing Yukino’s flushed face, Kotomi Izumi—who had originally only intended to tease her a little—suddenly froze. It felt as though a flame had ignited in her mouth, leaving her parched and restless.

An idea abruptly surfaced in her mind:

If I can’t find satisfaction with Yui... then... Yukino should be able to satisfy me, right?!

The moment this thought emerged, it surged like a broken dam, flooding through Kotomi’s heart with increasing intensity. The urge to turn it into action grew stronger and stronger.

At this moment, in Kotomi’s eyes, Yukino Yukinoshita was no longer just an icy beauty—she had become something that could quench the thirst caused by the side effects of the Queen of All Females constitution—

water.

Kotomi swallowed. The strange thirst she had suppressed earlier with oranges resurfaced once again.

"K-Kotomi?"

Yukino suddenly felt Kotomi’s presence drawing closer. Her breathing grew heavier, as if she were struggling to suppress something within.

Facing Kotomi like this, Yukino didn’t know how to describe what she was feeling. There was confusion, curiosity, and a trace of fear... yet deep inside, there also seemed to be a strong sense of anticipation.

Kotomi said nothing. She silently closed the distance between them—more precisely, she no longer had the energy to speak. All her focus was fixed on what she wanted to do right now.

Faintly, she could hear the sound of Yui Yuigahama showering in the bathroom just beyond the wall.

Driven by nervousness, Yukino instinctively tried to lean back. But when she saw the hazy look in Kotomi’s eyes, she stopped.

She remained seated, staring blankly as Kotomi’s face drew closer... feeling her breath approach... slowly, slowly...

the distance between them shrinking bit by bit.

Just as Yukino was about to close her eyes and let Kotomi take control of whatever came next—

she suddenly felt a faint gust of air, as if one of the two people who had been drawing closer had abruptly pulled away.

Confused, Yukino opened her eyes.

What she saw was Kotomi, now retreating from her.

Looking at Kotomi’s expression—one that clearly said ’That was close, I almost kissed her’—Yukino felt an indescribable bitterness well up inside her.

Before, Yukino had always thought that, even if her writing skills weren’t exceptional, her extensive reading should at least have given her a rich vocabulary.

But now, faced with this bitterness in her heart, she found herself desperately searching through every sentence and scene she had ever read, trying to find a fitting way to describe it.

Yet no matter how long she searched, nothing seemed right.

As she continued trying, she suddenly paused.

Why was she so determined to find the perfect way to describe this feeling?

Was it unwillingness?

Or...

Yukino rubbed her head.

Ever since learning about Kotomi and Yui’s relationship, her heart had been twisting uncontrollably. Sometimes, she didn’t even know what she truly wanted.

Or perhaps she knew very well—but simply didn’t dare to admit it.

Not even to herself.

Kotomi, meanwhile, had no idea what was happening in Yukino’s mind. After pulling away, she could only take small, shallow breaths.

Even as a self-proclaimed "benevolent girl"... ahem... seasoned flirt, Kotomi couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat when she thought about what she had almost done.

If she hadn’t forced herself to pull away at the last moment—

she might have already kissed Yukino’s lips.

And once it started with a kiss, it definitely wouldn’t have stopped there.

Kotomi knew this clearly.

If she had really kissed Yukino just now, the side effects of the Queen of All Females constitution would have erupted instantly. That single kiss would have become the fuse, pushing everything toward an uncontrollable situation.

At the very least, nothing would have stopped before Yui came out of the bathroom.

To suppress the side effects, they had to fully erupt first—then gradually subside. And that process would take a long time.

Kotomi didn’t know exactly how long it would take, but judging from the intensity this time, one thing was certain:

it definitely wouldn’t be resolved in just a few hours.

Yui will take at most twenty minutes to shower. If I had lost control and kissed Yukino, I would’ve completely lost my mind. I’d only think about venting all the accumulated side effects on her... that process would take at least ten hours. No matter what, Yui would definitely find out...

At this thought, even more cold sweat broke out across Kotomi’s back.

No matter how easy Yui was to coax, if she saw her girlfriend and her best friend doing something like that while she was in the bath... it would be incredibly hard to smooth things over.

Good thing I managed to stop myself in time.

Kotomi steadied her breathing, then couldn’t help but feel a bit smug.

At least she had successfully restrained her impulse to "quench her thirst."

After briefly imagining what would have happened if she had gone through with it, Kotomi realized she wouldn’t even be able to come up with a single excuse.

Because of that brief incident, an awkward silence fell between the two of them.

Kotomi occasionally glanced around, as if thinking about how to start speaking again.

Yukino, meanwhile, sat with her head lowered and cheeks flushed, as though she were still searching for a crack in the ground to escape into.

In the end, Kotomi was the one who broke the silence.

"S-Sorry, Yukino... did I scare you just now?"

A little... but rather than being scared, it felt more like an indescribable tension. And compared to that tension... when I saw you getting closer to me just now... I felt happy. Very happy. I even wished you would come closer...

Even though I know that having such thoughts is a betrayal of Yui, who treats me as her closest friend, that was truly what I felt just now!

Yukino thought this to herself. She desperately wanted to say these words out loud to Kotomi.

But when she heard the sound of Yui showering in the bathroom, she hesitated.

Her lips parted slightly, yet she could never muster the courage to say it. In the end, as always, she chose the cowardly path of letting it go.

"I-It startled me a little... What were you trying to do just now?"

Having given up on voicing her true feelings, Yukino slowly spoke, using an excuse she had just made up. A trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes—she knew she had missed another perfect opportunity.

Even if that opportunity might have shattered her friendship with Yui in an instant.

There was a reason Yukino asked this.

She wasn’t stupid. Of course she knew what Kotomi had been about to do when she suddenly leaned in.

But even if she knew, if she didn’t want things to become awkward, she had to pretend she didn’t.

Like now—asking Kotomi what she had been trying to do wasn’t playing dumb. It was quietly offering her a way out.

With that question, Kotomi could easily come up with an excuse and step down gracefully.

Yukino might not talk much, but she certainly wasn’t lacking in emotional intelligence. After all, being quiet didn’t mean being socially inept.

Of course... if Kotomi chose not to take that way out, and instead admitted what she had really wanted to do—

that she had wanted to kiss Yukino—

then Yukino might very well have cried tears of joy.

In fact, after offering that escape, Yukino found herself secretly hoping that Kotomi wouldn’t take it...

Unfortunately, given the option, Kotomi naturally chose the easier path.

"Ahahaha... The last time I came to Kyoto, it was to attend the first exhibition of the National Youth Art Awards at the University of Tokyo. Thinking about that reminded me of someone—a professor in the Fine Arts Department at Kyoto University named Eiren Kanagawa.

"Once, during a casual chat, she told me that painting requires eyes that are good at discovering beauty—and willing to observe it up close at all times.

"When she first started learning art, she spent several hours sitting in front of a single rose just to sketch it. During that time, her eyes were practically pressed against the petals.

"At first, she did it just to complete her assignment. But as time passed, she became captivated by that rose. She felt it was the most beautiful one she had ever seen in her life.

"Gradually, she went from standing, to squatting, to sitting in front of it.

"Maybe it was because of that experience that she always emphasized observing beauty up close when talking about art."

As she spoke, Kotomi subtly shot Yukino a playful, well-measured wink.

It was just enough to let Yukino feel the teasing behind it—without making her blush too much.

Of course, Yukino noticed the wink. For a moment, she even felt a trace of regret—regret that she hadn’t taken out her phone earlier to capture that beautiful expression.

"...And what does that have to do with what you just did?"

Yukino steadied the ripples in her heart caused by that wink, trying to suppress the fluttering feeling. She forced her tone to sound as calm and indifferent as usual.

"Of course it’s related!"

Kotomi replied confidently.

"Professor Kanagawa once said that painting requires eyes that can discover beauty—and the willingness to observe it up close. Even though I haven’t been admitted to Kyoto University yet, I found her words very useful, so I started practicing in advance.

"After trying it out, I realized she was absolutely right. So without even noticing, I developed a habit of observing beautiful things up close.

"So what I did just now definitely didn’t involve any improper thoughts. My eyes simply discovered something beautiful, and I instinctively wanted to take a closer look."

When it came to charming girls, Kotomi had always been skilled.

Hearing this, Yukino seemed to accept the explanation.

"So... you’re saying you thought I was beautiful, so you wanted to take a closer look?"

As soon as she said it, her cheeks began to heat up. She loved being praised by Kotomi—but praising herself like this was something she wasn’t used to at all.

"Mm-hmm!" Kotomi nodded vigorously.

"Then why do you only think I’m beautiful now? We’ve met before—why didn’t you observe me up close back then?" Yukino suddenly asked.

Kotomi’s lips twitched slightly.

As expected of a literary girl. In situations like this, most girls would simply immerse themselves in the praise without paying attention to details.

But Yukino was different. She immersed herself in the praise while also noticing every detail.

Fortunately, Kotomi was very experienced in handling situations like this.

"No, no, that’s not quite right. When encountering something beautiful, it’s not always love at first sight. More often, beauty is discovered gradually over time.

Yukino, from the very first moment we met, my eyes were completely captivated by you. Your presence left a deep imprint on my heart.

But just now, I suddenly discovered a kind of beauty I hadn’t noticed before. I don’t quite know how to describe it in words.

If I had to put it into words... it would be that I couldn’t help but want to slowly draw closer to you."

Kotomi answered gently, a soft smile resting on her lips.

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