Chastity Reversed: Part-Time Life by the All-Girls High School - Chapter 78: I Am an Adult, and You Are a Child

A long, long reminiscence.  

So much had happened when I thought back on it.  

There was still more to recall, but the taxi had already arrived.  

“We’re here, Manager.”  

“Ah, dear customer, do you need a receipt—”  

“Is she working even in her dreams…? (What the hell…)”  

Was she okay? I couldn’t help but worry at this point.  

While she continued mumbling in her sleep, I carried her over my shoulder and climbed the stairs of her apartment complex.  

Her room was 203.  

This wasn’t my first time carrying the Manager home—this made it the third, if I was keeping track.  

[Ah, Sato-kun, I’ll handle the register!]

The Manager didn’t really approve of me working at the cash register.  

Getting attention from girls didn’t particularly bother me, but in this world, it seemed to be different.  

It was because I was a “boy”.

Heavy lifting, physical tasks—those were things the girls here took on willingly, often with enthusiasm.  

It went against everything I considered normal.  

Still, I had decided early on to never take advantage of that mindset.

I remained resolute.  

I aimed to stay the same “man” that I’d been in my previous world, even if that was seen as strange in this one.  

“Which is why I have to step up in times like this… Manager, where’s your key?”

“…Mmm…”  

“Well, I have a good idea where it might be. Excuse me for a moment.”  

Still carrying her on my back, I rummaged through her shoulder bag and found the key. I was getting pretty used to this. 

“Coming in now~”  

“…Zzz…”  

“Alright, we’re almost there~”  

The Manager began snoring softly.  

I carefully removed her shoes, while still supporting her, and took off my own.  

Smooth progress, if I do say so myself.  

Not to brag, but I’d had plenty of practice removing—ah, never mind. Better not let my “slut skills” show here.  

“Excuse me~”  

“Zzz…”  

The scene inside was… well, messy.  

Two dirty plates sat in the sink alongside an empty beer can. Clothes from what I assumed was last night’s mixer were strewn across the floor.  

Sorry, Manager, but your place is kind of a disaster.  

Nevertheless, I stepped carefully through the room and gently laid her onto the bed.  

“Heavy… (quietly).”  

Man, that was tiring.  

Despite being a “lady”, the unconscious Manager was quite hefty. (Again, sorry, Manager.)  

That said, telling women they were “heavy” didn’t seem to have the same sting here as it did in my old world. Back then, those words were landmines.  

This world really was strange sometimes.  

“Mmm…”  

What should I do now?  

I could leave the key in her mailbox and head home, but I risked running into the police and getting detained.  

The last thing I wanted was to cause trouble for my “parents” in this world.  

Staying the night here seemed like the safer option.  

“…Sato-kun…”  

“Haha. You’re pretty defenseless, Manager.”  

“…Zzz…”  

She mumbled in her sleep.  

Her jacket was half-off, and her chest was exposed in an unseemly manner. Honestly, she had no decorum.  

…The Manager actually had a surprisingly nice figure.  

Her stomach was a bit soft, but she exuded a mature charm that was undeniably attractive.  

But this was where self-control came into play.  

I gently removed her glasses and covered her with the blanket, making sure not to wake her up.  

“…”  

Her peaceful expression as she slept made me think back to the past.  

Back to memories that now felt distant but were still vivid.  

The Manager had done so much for me.  

I owed her more than I could ever repay.  

[You can use the eat-in space if you want… not that I care.]

That time.  

[So… why don’t you try working here?]

And that time, too.  

She had helped me during my loneliest moments.  

She had changed my world.  

Thanks to her, I could go to school again.  

She had given me a “place to belong”.

Because of her, I had stopped fearing the stares of other boys as much.  

Family.  

Clubs.  

Male friends.  

I had lost all of those to the world I came from.  

But she had given me something just as valuable.  

That’s why…  

If there was something I could do for her…  

For her, I’d do anything—  

“…Sato-kun’s here…?”  

“Ah! Manager, you’re awake—”  

“Is this… a dream? Wait… huh?”  

She seemed confused.  

It was amusing, so I decided to play along.  

“Yep, you’re dreaming.”  

“Oh… if Sato-kun says so, it must be true…”  

“That’s right (total lie).”  

Still half-asleep, she shuffled closer to me.  

“In that case… hehe, your cheeks are so soft…”  

“…”  

She started poking at my face, playing with my cheeks like a kid.  

“This is… really a dream, right?”  

Still drowsy, she spoke softly.  

“Of course. In dreams, you can do whatever you want.”  

Finally, I had a chance to repay her kindness.  

I whispered, almost invitingly.  

“If it’s a dream, Manager, you can do… anything you want.”  

But instead of what I’d imagined, I received a gentle embrace.  

“Thank you, Sato-kun… for always working so hard…”  

“…”  

“For always helping me out… and being so kind…”  

In that moment, I couldn’t say or do anything.  

“…Thank you.”  

Her soothing voice melted into the air, warm and soft.  

In her arms, I stayed still, taking it all in.  

“But you know? Sometimes, I’d like it if… you could lean on me instead.”  

She held me close, her voice enveloping me in kindness.  

“After all… I’m the adult, and you’re still just a kid.”  

Seriously, that line was unfair.  

Hearing her say those words, I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around her in return.  

For several minutes, I let myself sink into the warmth of her “adult” embrace.  

“Mmm… goodnight… zzz…”  

“Goodnight, Manager.”  

She drifted back into her dreams, still holding me.  

I stayed within her arms, motionless.  

“…I guess I’m the one who’s still a kid.”  

It was warm. Comfortable.  

Staying like this, I leaned back onto the bed with her still holding me.  

“If you say so… then I’ll let myself depend on you.”  

Recently, fragments of my old world had been resurfacing.  

Memories I’d tried to forget.  

A profound loneliness.  

The feeling that everyone but me belonged to a different world.  

It was pathetic, but… I was lonely.  

“I’m a guy.”  

That was something I couldn’t admit to anyone, but it weighed on me nonetheless.  

“I really do take too much from you, Manager…”  

Sinking into the warmth and the pull of sleep, I closed my eyes.  

Once again, I’d failed.  

I still couldn’t return her kindness—not yet.