I Just Wanted a Peaceful Life After Transferring, but I Fell into a Rom-Com Trap and a Hidden Battlefield No One Knows About

Chapter 41: A Night Alone with Tsunekawa Momiji (Part 2)

Tsunekawa and I were both sitting on our respective beds, quietly reading.

Well, mine was a manga, but calling it a “book” isn’t entirely wrong, right? It just has a slightly different meaning from what most people consider a “book.”

At around 11:30 PM, I finally finished reading the story. I was still immersed in its world—the romance was truly captivating. Even as a guy, I found myself drawn to these kinds of rom-coms.

Unfortunately, in reality, kind and caring women like that don’t exist. And a completely average guy like me—neither particularly bad nor exceptionally good—would never have someone fall for him. Love is nothing more than a dream.

That’s why rom-coms are impossible!

I closed my manga. Just then, Tsunekawa stepped out of the bathroom, towel-drying her hair. She was wearing a camisole and a pair of shorts that reached just to her thighs.

I mean, I’m a guy. If she’s dressed like that in the same room as me, is she trying to tempt me or something!?

“Uh… can I ask you something? Do you always wear that to bed?”

“Yeah, why? It’s hot, isn’t it? No way I’m wearing long-sleeved pajamas in this weather.”

“No, that’s not what I meant… You’re a girl. Isn’t it a little inappropriate to walk around like that in front of me?”

Tsunekawa glanced down at her own outfit, then smirked and shot me a teasing look.

She slowly approached my bed and, in the end, sat down right next to me. Then, she spoke.

“Huh? But you’ve already seen me in just my underwear before, haven’t you?”

“T-That was an accident! I had no idea you guys were changing in there! And I got punched by Satohama right after! No matter how you look at it, I was the one who got screwed over!”

“Oh, I see. But this time, Ayana isn’t around to see, is she? If you’re interested, you can…”

“W-Wait! Don’t come any closer!”

“Wanna try touching? They’re not big, but they’ve got some shape to them, you know~?”

“Cut it out! We’re not in that kind of relationship!”

Damn it, I’m still a virgin! Is she some kind of perverted, shameless woman? Otherwise, she wouldn’t be doing this, right!?

Crap, I finally get it now. This is the kind of person she is…

“Tch… You really don’t get jokes, do you? What a boring guy geh.”

Tsunekawa looked a little disappointed, then went back to her bed and started messing with her phone.

What the hell…? Seriously, stop messing with me like that!

And what was that “geh” just now? Kansai dialect?

“Don’t joke about stuff like that! And wait, you seriously didn’t expect me to take you up on it?”

Hearing that, Tsunekawa let out a small chuckle and said:

“Of course not. I know for a fact you wouldn’t lay a hand on me… No, to be precise, I know you don’t have the guts to.”

“That may be true, but… Why are you so sure? What if—just what if—I actually tried something?”

Sure, I like girls, but I would never do something like that without being in a confirmed relationship. And honestly, my relationship with Tsunekawa was no more than just friends. There’s no way we’re at that stage.

“If you ever did, I’d render you completely powerless… especially that part of you.”

H-Huh!? What the hell is she talking about!? She’d seriously crush that!?

“S-Stop it, that’s terrifying…!”

“Besides, even if I didn’t do anything, if Ayana found out, you’d be dead. And you know full well that if you tried something, rumors would spread all over school, right?”

“Yeah… I get it. That’s why I didn’t do anything in the first place.”

“Exactly. That’s why I know you won’t try anything. Even if you wanted to, you wouldn’t have the courage to go through with it.”

Tsunekawa declared it with absolute confidence.

And honestly, she wasn’t wrong. The last time that DEMON member—Tsukikawa—spread a strange rumor about me and those three girls, I was bombarded with nasty remarks from everyone at school. If Sasaki-sensei hadn’t helped me, things might have ended terribly. Even my little sister would’ve looked down on me.

That would’ve been social death! I’m not an idiot—I know exactly what kind of consequences that would bring.

Not that I ever intended to do anything in the first place. Even if I had seen that outcome coming, I still wouldn’t have done a thing.

The power of rumors is terrifying.

“You’re absolutely right…”

I nodded, conceding to Tsunekawa’s unwavering confidence. Though, I’ll admit, it kind of pissed me off.

After that, I packed my manga into my bag and grabbed some clothes to take a shower. Just as I was about to head to the bathroom, there was a sudden knock at the door.

I had no choice but to go open it.

“Umika?”

Standing there was Umika, holding a milk tea in one hand and a bag in the other.

“Onii-chan, here.”

She handed me the bag she was holding.

“What’s this?”

“A bento. I bought it from the convenience store nearby just now.”

“A bento?”

I opened the bag and saw a convenience store-bought unadon inside. She went out of her way to buy a bento for me—just as expected of my beloved little sister!

I was feeling a bit hungry since dinner wasn’t very filling.

“Misaki-kun, your dinner portion was small, so Umika-chan went out of her way to buy you some unadon.”

I heard Nakano’s voice from outside, and soon after, she stepped into the room. She was holding a milk tea, just like Umika.

“Huh? Why do you have a milk tea too?”

“Eh? You didn’t know? Sasaki-sensei treated everyone to milk tea earlier.”

…Wait, what?! Sensei treated everyone?! When did that happen? Why didn’t anyone tell me?!

“When did you guys go out? Why didn’t you call me?!”

“We did call you. But you were too busy reading manga, giggling like an idiot every now and then. You didn’t notice at all.”

Tsunekawa got off the bed and walked over to the doorway, sighing in exasperation.

I… I didn’t notice at all?! Did she really call me? I was so immersed in the manga’s story that I wasn’t paying attention!

“I-I didn’t notice… not at all…”

“Jeez, Onii-chan, you were probably reading another rom-com manga and indulging in some unrealistic fantasy, right?”

“N-No… That’s not…”

“Ehh~? Misaki-kun, you were laughing like an idiot reading a rom-com. That means… maybe you actually want a girlfriend?”

The moment Tsunekawa heard from Umika that I was reading a rom-com manga, she immediately shot me a teasing look.

What does reading a rom-com manga have to do with wanting a girlfriend?!

“That’s not it! The story was just funny, so I laughed! Besides, just because I enjoy this kind of manga doesn’t mean I actually want to be in a relationship! I don’t want to fall in love!”

I was just caught up in the story! I still firmly believe that rom-com scenarios don’t exist in real life!

Manga, at the end of the day, is just a form of entertainment. That’s why the stories in them are unrealistic.

And rom-coms are no exception.

People who feel disappointed with reality have two choices: either they waste away completely, or they search for another path.

And I chose the latter! That’s why I immerse myself in manga and games as an otaku. Of course, this choice is, without a doubt, a form of escape from reality.

But finding solace in the fictional world of manga—well, for me, that’s a kind of liberation. At least, that’s what I believe.

If escaping from reality means accepting a fictional world and finding happiness there, then so be it.

After all, humans are born from nothing and ultimately return to nothing.

In the grand scheme of the universe, which has existed for billions of years, the time we spend alive is but a fleeting moment. Instead of suffering in reality, it’s better to find my own happiness in a virtual world and enjoy this short life.

“So… was it an ecchi manga?”

All of a sudden, Kotone jumped into the conversation from the side—wait, hey! I wasn’t reading anything ecchi! I swear I wasn’t!

“Ah, Onii-chan’s face is turning red. Looks like Onee-chan was right!”

“Shut up! My face isn’t red! And even if it was, it’s because you two keep messing with me! And I wasn’t reading anything ecchi! Don’t just assume things!”

“Aww~ Misaki-kun, no need to be embarrassed. Almost everyone has read that kind of manga at least once. Even if you have, we won’t laugh at you.”

“Shut up! You guys, get back to your own rooms already!”

I forcibly pushed all three of them out of my doorway and slammed the door shut behind me.

Damn it… I just want to die right now…

“Oh~? So Misaki-kun was reading that kind of manga, huh? Next time, tell me about the plot, will you?”

“I beg you… just stop talking to me… No—actually, from now on, don’t even talk to me at all!”

Grabbing my clothes, I rushed into the bathroom, completely ignoring whatever reaction Tsunekawa had afterward.

Anyway… tonight was way too embarrassing…

Ahhh! I wanna die, I wanna die, I wanna die, I wanna die! I can’t believe my own sister and stepsister said such cruel things to me…