In a World of Reversed Chastity, I’m Rumored to Be an Easy Bitch (♂) Among Lustful Girls - 63

Chapter 63: Riddle me this : What Do Lewd Temptations and Dominion Have in Common? They Both Make You Burn With Desire

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“So yeah. That’s why we’ve landed ourselves in a concept café where you can play board games.”

“I’m not entirely sure how we got here, but… It does look kind of fun.”

After school, we decided to check out the board game café that Tokiwa-san had told us about. Hinayo had been nervous at first, but once we stepped inside and saw customers and the café’s “young lord” cast members all energetically engaged in board games, she seemed to relax a bit.

“When you said ‘concept café,’ I was picturing some loud, overly assertive guys oozing party energy, but… It’s not like that at all.”

“Yeah, same here. If anything, there seem to be more chill, intellectual types here than flashy, over-the-top ones.”

At a glance, the cast looked like a bunch of science majors from a university. Still, it was a service job, so they were all decently groomed. No gloomy otaku vibes or disheveled looks—just a clean-cut, fresh image all around. As a guy who blended into the classroom background, I found myself thinking.

Man, it’d be nice to be one of these guys someday.

“Welcome! Just the two of you?”

“Y-Yes! Um… We’re, uh, first-timers…”

“Fufu… No problem at all. I’ll show you around.”

As we stood at the entrance, one of the cast members approached and spoke to Hinayo. He was a bit shorter than me, with a slightly androgynous face and glasses. His outfit was simple—something you could put together at stores like Mu○ji or Uniq○—but he made it work.

He had a refreshing aura, like the kind of guy who low-key had a ton of admirers. He didn’t come on strong or pushy, but he also wasn’t overly formal like some “sir, right this way” kind of host. His vibe was so natural, it felt like we already knew him beforehand. The dude had smoothness down to a science.

“This café lets you play as many board and card games as you want. Even if you come alone, you can still have fun with the cast. So don’t worry about which game you choose. We’ll make it work.”

“R-Right! There’s… There’s so many board games here…”

“Yeah, when I first started working here, there were only about twenty games. But before we knew it, the whole wall was covered with board games. We’ve probably got around two hundred now.”

“Wow, that’s amazing…”

“We’ve got everything from the classics to the obscure, so take your pick. …Oh, right, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Gaku, one of the cast members here. And you are?”

“H-Hinayo… I’m Hinayo…!”

“Hinayo-chan, huh? That’s a cute name. But honestly, with how graceful and traditional you look, the juxtaposition is a bit surprising. It’s a charming twist though—definitely made my heart skip a beat.”

“H-hauu…”

Yikes. This guy is so smooth. The way he sweet-talks female customers is practically weaponized.

And yet, even though she was usually shy to the max, Hinayo wasn’t shrinking away at all. In fact, after that compliment about her name and appearance, she didn’t seem entirely displeased.

What the heck, Hinayo? You fall for this way too easily. Please don’t get taken in by some sketchy guy, okay? No lending money to random dudes or signing off on loans as a guarantor, okay?

“And your companion here is…?”

“Ah, um… Well…”

“Could it be that he’s your—”

“F-Friend! He’s just a friend!”

Hinayo blurted it out like her life depended on it, but her voice cracked right at the important part. Classic her. Anyway, I should make sure it was actually okay for me, a guy, to be here.

“Excuse me, is it alright if I tag along, even though I’m a guy?”

“No problem at all. We get a fair number of men coming in solo just to play games. Who knows, if you’ve got potential, we might even scout you to become cast members.”

“Ah-ha-ha-ha…”

Gaku-san said it with a breezy, businesslike smile, but his eyes had the glint of a seasoned talent scout. And for some reason, he smelled kind of… Nice? I feel like I had smelled that scent somewhere before… Oh well.

I remembered Tokiwa-san had suggested I should try working at a concept café too. It made me wonder… Why did everyone want me to be a cast member? I had never worked in a customer service business before and I wasn’t exactly a smooth talker. If I could be blunt, I wasn’t even the least attractive. 

But whatever. The board games seemed fun, and today was about having a good time.

“—I-I won again…!”

“Wow, Hinayo-chan, you’re on a roll!”

“N-No, this game depends a lot on luck. It was just a coincidence…”

“Well sure, drawing the cards is luck, but how you use them is all skill, right? You wouldn’t win three times in a row otherwise. You’re super sharp, Hinayo-chan.”

“H-hauu…”

We started off with a card game called Dominion, and Hinayo pulled off a triple win right out the gate. Even Gaku-san was impressed. Sure, part of it might’ve been the usual flattery, but the praise felt sincere. To explain the game quickly, it was all about cycling your hand efficiently to stock up on gold and victory point cards. And Hinayo seemed to have a knack for that kind of efficiency.

I knew it. She looked like the type who would be good at this kind of stuff.…Me? Oh, total wipeout. I couldn’t draw anything but copper cards no matter how many times I shuffled.

Still, the game was fun, so you should give it a shot sometime!

Eventually, the time we’d requested finally came to an end. I wanted to stay longer, but I didn’t want my wallet to suffer either. 

“Thanks for coming. Here. This is my business card. I’d love it if you asked for me next time.”

“Y-Yes! I’ll definitely come back!”

Looks like Hinayo had officially fallen for the board game café life. She even took the business card with a pleased little smile. She and Gaku-san actually seemed to click pretty well—he knew exactly how to guide her through the experience.

“…That was so much fun. Playing games with people like this… It’s more exciting than I expected.”

“I’m glad you had fun, Nishimeya-san.”

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Hirakawa-kun. I feel a lot better now.”

“Wait… Hang on… I feel like I’m forgetting something important…”

I mentally replayed everything that led us here. Right—why did I end up coming to a concept café with Hinayo in the first place…?

“By the way, Hirakawa-kun… Have you been keeping up with your chemistry studies?”

“—THAT’S IT!!! I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT IT!!!!”

Right. I was supposed to be studying chemistry. …In the end, I got dragged to the library on the way home and had chemistry force-fed to me by Hinayo. Thinking back, had we just gone to the library in the first place, I could’ve avoided all the… Tempting distractions. 

Oh well. Hinayo seemed to have found something new she enjoyed and she looked so cute while she was having fun… I guess I could let it all slide.

Still, Gaku-san… That scent he had… Where have I smelled it before? I felt like I had truly smelled it before…. Hmm… 

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー