All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

"You're back?" Izumi Akina asked as she noticed Kotomi returning, not inquiring about what she had done in Tokyo.

"Yeah, Mom, when's dinner? I'm starving."

"Once I finish preparing the hot pot broth, we can start eating. Your dad doesn't have to work overtime today, so he should be home soon. He called earlier and mentioned he bought strawberry cakes for you and Aimi, your favorite dessert."

"He must have also bought a Black Forest cake for you, right?" Kotomi replied.

Just as she and her sister loved strawberry cakes, Akina's favorite cake was Black Forest. However, Akina didn't like the cherries on top, so she always gave them to Kotomi to eat.

"Oh my, how did you guess that, you little girl?"

"If Dad didn't buy you a Black Forest cake, you wouldn't be this happy," Kotomi said as she helped place the plates of lamb on the dining table.

"You guessed right. I'll reward you by letting you have the cherries when I eat the cake later," Akina teased.

"That's just because you don't like cherries..." Kotomi muttered under her breath.

"You said I look happy, but don't you look the same?" Akina glanced at Kotomi with a knowing smile and added, "I'm excited because I'll get to eat the Black Forest cake soon. But what about you? Did something good happen in Tokyo that made you this happy?"

"Of course, something good happened. I feel like I've taken another step closer to my goal."

"Is it about your hobby?"

Kotomi nodded without hiding anything. She planned to tell her family about her light novel writing once she received the payment for the first manuscript. Although her family would support her hobby even if she hadn't earned anything yet, Kotomi wanted to share her achievements with them after having some success.

Yes, her family.

It's been a few days since she was reborn. Although it hasn't been long, during this time, Kotomi had already come to regard the Izumi family as her own.

Every day had been filled with joy. Even at night, when she shed tears for no apparent reason, she found herself smiling. After all these years, she finally had a complete and warm family again.

Who would have known that, in her previous life, what Kotomi longed for the most was a family?

"Can you tell Mom what your hobby is now?" Akina asked with a smile.

Kotomi shook her head. "I plan to officially tell Dad, Mom, and Aimi in a few days."

"Officially?" Akina raised an eyebrow, then teased, "Hearing you say that, I'm starting to worry that you're secretly building a rocket to land on Mars."

"Mom, you're really overestimating me if you think my hobby is building rockets and landing on Mars..." Kotomi laughed awkwardly.

But Akina, as if convinced, said, "How can you talk about yourself like that? I've always believed my daughter is capable of great things! There's a saying, isn't there? 'A tiger mother has no weak daughters!' I'm always confident in my two precious girls."

Then Akina added, "Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't do great things. Whether you aim high or just enjoy a peaceful life, as long as you stay within the law, that's fine. If turning your hobby into a career is truly what you want, Dad and I will support you. Parents don't bring children into this world to make them do something for them; they want to do something for their children."

Kotomi smiled softly and nodded.

"Did Mom's words touch your heart?" Akina asked, noticing Kotomi's reaction.

Facing her mom's playful inquiry, Kotomi turned slightly, cleared her throat, and said, "Mom, the saying is 'A tiger father has no weak sons,' not 'A tiger mother has no weak daughters.'"

Though she said this, the smile on Kotomi's face remained one of pure happiness.

"Well... it's been years since I graduated, so it's understandable that I might not remember it exactly. As long as you understand the meaning," Akina retorted, but the look in her eyes was full of affection.

She couldn't help but think that her child was growing up fast. Before she knew it, Kotomi would be getting married. Akina wondered what kind of person Kotomi would want to marry in the future.

In the days that followed, Kotomi spent her time at home, enjoying the last days of summer vacation.

She stayed in her room, enjoying the air conditioning, drinking soda, eating snacks, watching anime, playing Azur Lane, and occasionally going to her sister's room to 'gleefully' ask if she'd finished her summer homework.

Kotomi felt this was the best way to spend her summer vacation.

Of course, even though it seemed like she was spending her days lazily, she still set aside one or two hours every afternoon to practice drawing manga.

Although she had the God-Level Heroine System's drawing skills to help her, creating manga wasn't just about having good drawing skills. There were many aspects to learn and consider.

For example, color, design ideas for the visuals, panel composition, and more. Kotomi even bought a basic manga tutorial book set from the bookstore to help her learn.

She spent her afternoons drawing and her evenings studying the basics of manga creation.

In this mix of laziness and diligence, Kotomi spent the last few days of summer vacation.

The alarm she had set on her phone rang, and Kotomi furrowed her brows as she reached out to turn it off.

If it had been any other day, she would have chosen to stay in bed for a while longer, especially since the bed felt so warm and comfortable in the morning.

But today, Kotomi didn't linger. She quickly opened her eyes, sat up in bed, and swiftly changed out of her blue and white penguin pajamas, putting on the school uniform she had prepared the night before.

No longer the middle school uniform, but the high school uniform.

As she dressed, Kotomi murmured to herself, "It's finally the day to start at Sobu High School. It's strange, really—I've already been through high school once, so why am I so excited this time?"

Yes, summer vacation had ended.

And today marked the first day of her new life at Sobu High School after being reborn.