I Was a Loner Who Tried Finding an Otaku Friend on a Matching App and Ended Up Matching with the Number-One Beauty Who Won the University Miss Contest - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Heart-Pounding First Phone Call and Nerve-Wracking First Meeting?

Even though I matched with amayuuu♡—or “Amane-san”—thanks to our shared hobby of light novels, and we had our first chat…

When I asked about her favorite light novel…

‘I like the story about how after I got reincarnated in another world as a girl, my breast milk turned out to be the highest-grade potion “Elixir”!’

…No way.

The shock was so huge that my phone almost slipped right out of my hand.

TS… breast milk… wait, isn’t that straight-up hardcore erotic light novel aimed at guys!?

I shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but this series isn’t really something women tend to enjoy reading on purpose.

The story titled ‘The Case of How After I Got Reincarnated in Another World as a Girl, My Breast Milk Turned Out to Be the Highest-Grade Potion “Elixir”’ had already sold over 2.5 million copies across novels, comics, and digital formats, making it one of the most popular works in the current light novel industry, which was struggling with declining sales.

The protagonist was a female hero who had undergone TS reincarnation, and she possessed a cheat skill that let her completely heal even dead allies by splashing them with her own all-purpose breast milk. In a world where the hero’s breast milk was the only hope for peace, the Demon King’s army also came after the hero’s breasts—an utterly insane setup.

No matter how you looked at it, this was content that NHK would never be able to turn into an anime.

‘Um, Amane-san… do you really like that series? Like, you’re not joking or anything?’

I asked carefully, feeling nervous.

There was still a slim chance this was some kind of light-novel-fan-only joke or reference.

Maybe she was testing whether I was actually a real fan, and she would reply with something like ‘Just kidding〜’.

Yeah! That had to be it!

At least that’s what I desperately told myself…

‘Yes! I really love “TS Breast Milk”! Especially in volume 3, when the protagonist Undine is in a life-or-death situation, and the “Nipple Excalibur” that had never come out before suddenly bursts from her inverted right nipple and turns the whole battle around—that scene made me cry from how moved I was.’

Bad news… she was apparently super into it.

I had really hoped it was just a lie.

‘Have you read TS Breast Milk too, Kayama-san?’

Just looking at the words, what kind of question is this? But yeah, in this conversation, of course she would ask that.

Amane-san had openly shared how much she loved it, so if I acted embarrassed about the series, it would basically be like denying her feelings.

I swallowed my shame and decided to answer honestly.

‘I’ve at least read the web version. Up to the part where the Nipple Excalibur actually appears, anyway.’

Right… by some miracle, I had actually read this series before.

I mean, any guy would pick it up at least once… just because of the title.

Anyway, by some miracle, since I knew the content of this work, I could at least keep the conversation going with Amane-san.

‘Eh, really?! I’m so happy!’

Happy… huh.

Well, even with a series like that, at least we had found one common topic.

‘Um, chatting on the phone like this takes forever to type, so… would you maybe want to switch to a voice call?’

…Whattt!?!?

Just a moment ago we were talking about breast milk and stuff, and now she suddenly invited me to a voice call.

But yeah, if we were going to become friends… we should at least be able to talk on the phone.

‘Okay. Feel free to call whenever you’re ready, Amane-san.’

This is bad, this is bad.

I had carelessly started using this matching app, but I never imagined I’d end up talking on the phone with a girl so soon… even though it’s supposed to be just for making friends.

While my mind was spinning in chaos, an incoming call came through from the matching app.

“O… okay.”

It’s fine. Sure, my girlfriend-less streak equals my age, but I talk to Tamura-senpai at my part-time job all the time, so I should be used to talking with women by now.

I steeled myself and pressed the call button.

“H-hello…?”

‘Hi, nice to meet you, Kayama-san. This is Amane!’

The voice coming from the phone was bright and lively, yet somehow clear and transparent at the same time.

Just from that pure voice alone, I could tell she had a kind personality and a good upbringing—it was an incredibly pretty voice.

Wait, this is the same person who was just talking about breast milk and stuff?

This really is Amane-san, right?

‘Um, Kayama-san?’

“Uh, nice to meet you… I’m Kayama.”

‘Nice to meet you〜!’

Unlike me, who was super nervous, Amane-san sounded completely at ease.

I needed to talk properly too.

“You were really passionate earlier, weren’t you? You like that series that much?”

‘Ah… sorry! Was it creepy?’

“No, I didn’t think it was creepy at all. When it comes to light novels, I get just as carried away talking about them.”

‘Really? Phew〜’

Amane-san said it with obvious relief.

Well, pretty much every otaku gets like that when they talk about their favorites, and I’m the same, so I couldn’t really say anything.

‘I thought I could talk more on the phone, but actually saying words like “breast milk” or “nipple” out loud in conversation is still kind of embarrassing… ehehe.’

Cute—wait, no! Why only now!?

I’ve been dying of secondhand embarrassment this whole time!

‘But I’m really happy. I haven’t had anyone close to me who I could talk about light novels with—let alone someone who’s okay talking about TS Breast Milk—since high school.’

“Since high school?”

‘…Actually, from high school all the way through university, I’ve always hidden the fact that I’m a light novel otaku from my friends.’

Oh, so she’s a closet otaku… That means earlier was her finally letting out all the feelings she’d been holding back?

‘You’re a university student too, right, Kayama-san? I think that’s what your profile said.’

“Yeah. Are you in university too, Amane-san?”

‘Yes! I’m a second-year.’

“Wow… I’m only a first-year who just moved to Tokyo.”

‘Oh, then I’m one year ahead of you? Ehehe〜 A senpai, huh.’

I could hear a little pride in her voice.

Her way of talking was cute in places, but every time I thought that, the memory of TS Breast Milk flashed through my mind.

Even someone with such a bright, cute voice reads that kind of thing…

‘Anyway, getting back to light novels—’

Right after the TS Breast Milk memory flashed, the topic swung right back to it, and I couldn’t shake the bad feeling.

Of course, since we’re light novel friends, the main topic is going to be light novels… but are we really going back to that one?

‘You’ve only read up to the Nipple Excalibur part, right, Kayama-san?’

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry about that.”

‘No, no! Actually, that’s perfect!’

When I apologized, Amane-san immediately replied in her bright voice.

But… perfect how?

‘If it’s okay with you, Kayama-san, how about we do a little “recommended light novel” exchange next time?’

“Recommended light novel… exchange?”

I was surprised by the sudden suggestion.

Exchanging light novels means…

…Meeting in real life!?

‘I’ll bring volume 4 of TS Breast Milk, so if you could bring one book you like too, Kayama-san, I’d be really happy!’

“W-wait, hold on! But that means meeting in real life, right?”

‘Huh? Yeah, it does…’

This is bad, this is really bad! Amane-san is way more outgoing than I expected!

Normally, if someone was an introvert, they’d wait until they got way closer before suggesting a real-life meetup!

‘Is it about genres? Don’t worry, I read everything, so it’s fine!’

“Ah… um, okay.”

It felt kind of mean to refuse, so I ended up agreeing easily.

But… if we’re going to become friends, we’ll probably meet eventually anyway, and Amane-san seems like a nice person, and exchanging books sounds fun, so maybe I should just go for it.

‘Then let’s end the call here, and we can talk about the date and place in chat later, okay?’

“Y-yeah! Looking forward to it!”

And just like that, thanks to how the conversation flowed, I ended up agreeing to meet Amane-san in person.

Amane-san… on the phone, she sounded like a perfectly kind girl.

But in real life… what kind of person is she really?