All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

Sometimes, Yuka Yuigahama's words could be astonishingly sharp.

Not just Yui— even their mother, Tomoka Yuigahama, would sometimes be taken aback by the unexpected wisdom that came out of the little girl's mouth.

Hearing Yuka's remark, Yui's face instantly flushed red with embarrassment, her voice stammering:

"Y-You little rascal, what are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine, how could I possibly be in love?"

"Big sis, you're so concerned about Penguin Onee-chan's feelings. Just making a cake for her and giving it to her, such a small thing, yet your heart went through so many ups and downs. I saw it on TV before—this is called the heartbeat of love!"

Yuka declared with an air of absolute confidence, as if she had grasped the universal truth of all things.

"It's not a small thing at all..." Yui mumbled, her eyes darting around evasively.

Indeed, sometimes the straightforward thoughts of a child weren't necessarily wrong. It's just that when they hit the nail on the head, adults found it too embarrassing to admit.

Like right now—

Yui suddenly picked Yuka up. However, since Yuka had grown heavier recently, Yui almost lost her balance and nearly fell over, barely steadying herself by grabbing onto the nearby wall.

"Yuka, did you gain weight again?"

"I'm just preparing for winter!" Yuka pouted.

"Alright, alright, then keep storing it up. But I'm going to make dinner now, so I can't play with you anymore. Be a good girl, okay?"

Yuka was overjoyed in her heart, but on the surface, she put on an understanding expression, acting like the perfect little sister:

"I'll be good and watch TV!"

However, Yui immediately shut that idea down.

Although Yuka's earlier words may have hit the mark, there was no way Yui would admit it. Besides, she couldn't let Yuka watch TV all the time. Not only was it bad for her eyes, but what if she stumbled upon something inappropriate for her young, innocent mind?

It definitely wasn't because Yui was embarrassed after being called out!

Yui led Yuka back to her room, sat her at the desk, and pulled out a thick workbook from her school bag—a children's arithmetic practice book she had bought earlier.

She had spotted it during a bookstore sale.

The discounts on storybooks weren't very appealing, barely saving much compared to the original price, and they even required signing up for a membership to get coupons.

They advertised discounts of up to 1,000 yen, but in reality, the real discount was only around 100 to 200 yen.

Feeling deceived by the store's marketing tactics, Yui had been about to leave in disappointment when she noticed the educational section for young children.

Japanese, math, English—everything was available! And they were on sale too!

The biggest discount was on arithmetic practice books, and since Yuka had been learning addition and subtraction recently, Yui, being the responsible big sister she was, bought a thick workbook to ensure Yuka wouldn't "fall behind at the starting line."

After buying it, Yui had left it in her school bag and forgotten about it—until now.

Yuka's earlier comment had conveniently reminded her of it.

"Here, finish at least four pages before dinner. If you slack off or make too many mistakes, say goodbye to TV for tonight, tomorrow, and the day after."

Yui smiled sweetly, delivering a terrifying ultimatum in the gentlest tone.

The scene appeared heartwarmingly sisterly—until Yuka stared at the thick workbook in front of her, her face turning pale with horror.

She didn't know how to solve a single problem.

Yuka wanted to plead for mercy, but before she could say anything, Yui had already gone downstairs, leaving her alone with the monstrous arithmetic book.

Once again, little Yuka felt the cruelty of the world pressing down on her.

The ear-piercing wail of a child filled the Yuigahama household.

However, as a mother, Tomoka Yuigahama still couldn't help but feel a tinge of concern.

Yui had always been a straightforward and somewhat naive girl. Although she was now in high school, her personality remained as innocent and sincere as ever. Tomoka worried that if Yui were to take her first steps into love with such purity, she might not be able to handle the complexities and challenges that often accompanied relationships.

And the one she had feelings for was... Kotomi Izumi.

Tomoka had seen that girl several times before. Every time Yui mentioned her at home, her eyes would light up with admiration and excitement. Kotomi Izumi was indeed an outstanding girl—beautiful, intelligent, and with a charm that naturally drew people in. It was no surprise that Yui would fall for her.

But precisely because Kotomi was so dazzling, Tomoka couldn't help but worry—would Yui really be able to win her over? What if this affection only ended in heartbreak? Would her precious daughter be able to handle the pain?

Thinking of this, Tomoka sighed lightly, her fingers gently rubbing the water cup in her hand, lost in thought.

Just then, Yui's voice sounded again from the kitchen, full of determination.

"I can't let myself get discouraged just because I'm nervous. Mom always says that courage is the first step to happiness. As long as I work hard, one day, Kotomi will notice me!"

Tomoka, standing outside the kitchen, heard these words and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

This girl… always so clumsy yet sincere.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally stepped into the kitchen and leaned against the doorway with a warm smile. "Yui, you're thinking about Kotomi again, aren't you?"

"Ah—Mom?!" Yui was startled, her hands instinctively clutching the vegetables in the sink. Her face turned red like a ripe tomato. "W-When did you get here?!"

"I've been here for a while," Tomoka smiled teasingly, walking over and ruffling Yui's hair. "I heard everything."

Yui's heart nearly stopped. "E-Everything?!"

"Mhmm. From the part where you said you wanted to 'fight for your happiness' and 'spend more time with Kotomi'… I heard it all."

"Oh no... this is so embarrassing!" Yui covered her face with both hands, wanting to disappear into the sink.

Tomoka, seeing her daughter's embarrassed reaction, didn't continue to tease her. Instead, she gently patted her shoulder and said softly, "Yui, love is something that shouldn't be rushed. You don't have to push yourself too hard. Just being your true self is already enough."

"Mom..." Yui peeked through her fingers, feeling touched and reassured by her mother's words.

"But," Tomoka's tone suddenly became mischievous, "if you ever need help with love advice, you know your mom is a romance expert, right? After all, your dad fell head over heels for me in high school."

Yui blinked, wiping her hands dry and looking at her mother in disbelief. "Really?! Dad confessed first?"

"Of course! He even wrote me a love letter full of spelling mistakes." Tomoka laughed, a nostalgic glint in her eyes.

Yui finally relaxed, her lips curling into a smile. "Then... Mom, if I want to confess to Kotomi someday, will you help me?"

Tomoka gave her an encouraging nod. "Of course, sweetheart. No matter what happens, I'll always be here to support you."

Hearing this, Yui felt a surge of confidence in her heart. "Then, I'll do my best!"

Looking at her daughter's radiant expression, Tomoka couldn't help but feel a deep sense of pride and warmth.

Love, whether successful or not, was a precious experience—one that every person should embrace wholeheartedly. And as Yui's mother, she would be there to guide and support her every step of the way.

Love brings happiness because two hearts are drawn to each other, constantly growing closer. The essence of love's happiness always lies in sincere feelings, not in gender.

Perhaps love should never be confined by rules and restrictions. Its very existence is that unwavering devotion, like a moth drawn to a flame, unregretful until the end.

This was Tomoka Yuigahama's belief about love. However, despite her open-mindedness, she couldn't help but feel genuinely surprised upon discovering that Yui had someone she liked.

It wasn't because Yui had feelings for a girl; rather, it was because the girl she liked was—Kotomi Izumi.

Images of Kotomi and Yui being together involuntarily surfaced in Tomoka's mind—how they sat so close during tutoring sessions, how Yui stayed up late into the night preparing a cake for Kotomi.

It wasn't strange at all that Yui would fall for Kotomi.

If they ended up together, perhaps it would be something Tomoka, as a mother, would be happy to see.

But...

Tomoka wasn't sure what she was feeling. Instead of joy, the first wave of emotion upon hearing the news was an inexplicable bitterness, a tinge of jealousy that wrapped tightly around her heart.

—What's wrong with me? Why am I jealous of Yui?! Damn it, Tomoka, have you been so absorbed in drawing these past few days that you've lost your mind?! How can you have thoughts about Kotomi?!

Tomoka scolded herself internally, feeling an overwhelming guilt as she looked toward the kitchen, where Yui was preparing dinner.

She had always felt that she hadn't been the best mother and had been trying her hardest to make up for it. At the very least, she wanted her daughters to be happy.

With a silent sigh, Tomoka chose not to step into the kitchen but instead quietly turned back to her bedroom.

During dinner.

"Onee-chan, why isn't Mom coming out to eat?"

Little Yuka asked while fumbling with her chopsticks, trying to pick up a piece of chicken but failing repeatedly. Though she had learned to eat by herself without needing her mother or sister to feed her, handling chopsticks was still a challenge.

"Mom said her stomach isn't feeling well, so she's skipping dinner. She told us to eat first," Yui replied while helping Yuka pick up a piece of chicken thigh, placing it in her bowl. Despite her composed tone, a trace of worry flickered in her eyes.

When she had called her mother for dinner earlier, Tomoka's expression seemed off—distant and heavy, as if something was weighing on her mind.

Was something troubling her?

Yui took small bites of her food, her thoughts drifting.

Even though dinner featured her favorite chicken, everything tasted bland to her tonight.

Meanwhile, Yuka happily cradled her bowl in one hand, eating with gusto, completely unbothered by anything else.

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