All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

In the art club room, a group of girls had gathered around a long-haired upperclassman, their voices filled with admiration and awe as they watched her paint. "Senpai, you're amazing!" "How do you create such a detailed background?" were just a few of the praises that echoed in the room.

This wasn't unusual for Japanese high school art clubs, where the ratio of girls to boys often leaned heavily towards the girls. Boys in these clubs had become something of a rarity. The fact that so many girls were crowded around this one upperclassman indicated that she was likely the best artist in the club, possibly a second or third-year student.

Kotomi Izumi didn't want to interrupt the scene, so she took the opportunity to familiarize herself with the art club's environment. After all, this would be one of the places she would frequent regularly from now on.

The art room was marked by a creative mess—paint splatters on the floor, walls, and the seemingly disorganized yet perfectly placed oak easels scattered around. These paint stains had become a natural part of the room's aesthetic, adding a unique charm to the space.

Kotomi soon found an easel marked with her name. In the art club, each member had their own designated easel, personalized with their name. The morning had been busy with the teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka, sending in the list of club members from Class 1-F, and by the afternoon, Kotomi's easel was already prepared.

This was one of the perks of being in an official school-recognized club. Requests for art supplies and tools were handled quickly, with members often receiving what they needed in a timely manner.

Kotomi chose a spot by the window, where she could enjoy the view outside while painting. After moving her easel to the desired location, she found a small stool and sat down, her feet propped up on a paint-splattered board that bore the marks of countless projects.

The paint-splattered board was covered in layers of colors, a testament to its long history of use. Over time, as artists used it to mix and adjust their colors, the original surface had become a canvas of its own, telling the story of all the work that had been done on it.

Picking up the board, Kotomi commented with a hint of amusement, "This board has quite a history, doesn't it?"

[So, Kotomi, what are you planning to paint today?] asked the God-Level Heroine System.

Kotomi glanced at the art supplies the club had prepared for her. Everything she needed was there, even a water bucket for cleaning her brushes. With her Level 5 painting skills, setting up her materials was second nature. She quickly prepared the canvas, adjusted her colors, and then confidently replied, "I have no idea what to paint."

[What?! I thought you were all set to create something amazing with how seriously you were preparing!], the system exclaimed, surprised.

"Painting can be complicated, so I need to give it some thought," Kotomi explained.

[True. How about this—when you think of painting, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Whatever that is, you should paint it first.]

"Oh! That actually sounds like a good idea!" Kotomi agreed.

[So, start thinking! What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think about painting?]

Kotomi gazed seriously at the blank canvas before her and slowly said, "Lewd art."

[What?!]

"I said, when I think about painting, the first thing that comes to mind is lewd art."

[...You know what? Just pretend I never said anything.]

While Kotomi and the system were busy debating whether or not to paint lewd art, something else was happening on the other side of town.

Megumi Kato and Yui Yuigahama had arrived at the cake shop that Yui had mentioned.

"This is a nice little cake shop," Megumi remarked as she stepped inside, taking in the cozy atmosphere. Despite its small size, the warm-colored decor and the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread created a welcoming and homey feel.

Yui beamed with pride at Megumi's compliment.

"Yui, are you done with school for the day?" A woman emerged from the kitchen, having just put a tray of bread in the oven. She wore a white baker's uniform and had a gentle smile on her face.

The woman looked strikingly similar to Yui—so much so that it was easy to tell they were mother and daughter. The only noticeable difference was that Yui's mother had orange hair and a more mature, nurturing appearance.

"Oh my, is this a friend from school, Yui?" Yui's mother asked with pleasant surprise when she saw Megumi.

Yui nodded and introduced them, "Mom, this is my friend, Megumi Kato. Megumi, this is my mom."

"Hello, Mrs. Yuigahama," Megumi greeted politely, bowing slightly. She then looked at Yui and added, "I had a feeling this cake shop might be run by your family, Yui. That's why you were so eager to recommend it after school."

"Welcome to Dango Cake Shop," Mrs. Yuigahama said warmly, clearly pleased to have one of Yui's friends visit their family business.

Mrs. Yuigahama's smile was so warm and inviting that it made everyone feel at ease.

"Hehehe... So you figured it out, huh?" Yui admitted with a shy smile, rubbing the side of her face as she confessed that this was indeed her family's shop.

When Yui had been so enthusiastic about recommending the cake shop, and after seeing the disappointment in her eyes when Kotomi and Yukino had to decline, Megumi had suspected that this shop might belong to Yui's family. Realizing this, Megumi had changed her mind and agreed to come along, wanting to support Yui.

"Yui, why don't you keep Megumi company while I finish baking the bread?" Mrs. Yuigahama suggested after serving them both a glass of juice. She then returned to the kitchen to check on the oven.

Once her mother had left, Yui turned to Megumi, a bit embarrassed. "Megumi, what kind of cake would you like? It's on me. Consider it my treat for dragging you here. If I hadn't insisted, you'd probably be at school right now, waiting for Kotomi so you could walk home together."

Yui had noticed the small gestures and exchanges between Megumi and Kotomi, which made her realize that the two of them were quite close.

Megumi shook her head and replied, "It's completely fine, Yui. You were just trying to get more customers for your family's shop. And thanks to you, I've discovered this charming little cake shop. Dango Cake Shop is such a cute name."

With that, Megumi walked over to the display case and admired the cakes inside. "Wow, these cakes look so cute and delicious."

"My mom would be so happy to hear that," Yui said, stepping up beside Megumi. "Thank you, Megumi."

Megumi simply smiled and pointed to one of the cakes. "Is this a baumkuchen?"

"Yup, that's a baumkuchen. Are you going to get one? If you ask me, I'd recommend it too. Our shop's baumkuchen is really delicious."

Yui handed Megumi a plastic tray and a pair of cake tongs.

"Oh, is that so?" Megumi mused. She had initially planned to get the baumkuchen, but she paused for a moment, then reached for a slice of mango mille-feuille instead.

"I prefer mille-feuille," Megumi said with a smile as she placed the slice onto the tray.

"Mille-feuille, huh? That's one of our most popular cakes too. But I'm not a big fan of too much cream, so my favorite is the taro cake."

As she packed the mille-feuille into a box, Yui asked, "Anything else you'd like, Megumi?"

"Hmm... How about two bottles of chilled ramune soda?" Megumi replied.

"Ramune, huh? Sure thing," Yui said without asking why Megumi wanted two bottles. She figured maybe Megumi just liked the drink.

By the way, the cake shop's logo was a pair of dango, one large and one small, nestled together like a mother and child. The larger dango was orange, while the smaller one was a soft peach color. The two round, squishy dango looked absolutely adorable.

Even though Yui had offered to treat her, Megumi insisted on paying for the mango mille-feuille, saying, "If you really want to treat me, Yui, you can treat me to the ramune."

Reluctantly, Yui accepted the payment for the cake.

After walking Megumi to the door, Megumi gave the bag a gentle shake and said, "Yui, your family's cakes are really adorable. I'm sure they taste just as good."

"I'll be sure to tell my mom what you said. She'll be so happy. Bye, Megumi."

"See you tomorrow," Megumi replied as she walked off in the direction they had come from.

Taking out her phone, Megumi checked the time. Kotomi's club activities were almost over.

"Perfect timing," Megumi murmured to herself as she made her way back toward Soubu High.

By the time she arrived, there were about ten minutes left before the club activities ended. Instead of waiting at the school gate, Megumi went to the side entrance, where she had a clear view of the art room on the fourth floor.

Megumi hummed a soft, unfamiliar tune as her sharp eyes scanned the windows, searching for someone. When she spotted Kotomi sitting by the window, fully absorbed in her painting, Megumi's smile grew.

She glanced down at the cake bag in her hand, staring at the mille-feuille inside, and whispered, "Yui's family's cakes are really adorable. I bet they're delicious too. Just like Kotomi—so cute that I just want to eat her up~"

Meanwhile, Kotomi, who was still sitting on her little stool, put down her paintbrush and checked the time on her phone.

Seeing that there were still ten minutes left before the club ended, Kotomi pouted, sticking out her soft, pink tongue in frustration.

"Why do I have to wait another ten minutes? My mouth is so dry... I really want a bottle of ramune soda."