My Cute Childhood Friend Can't Sleep Peacefully Unless She's Holding Onto My 'Thing'... ~Could My 'Thing' Be Her Secret Comfort for Peaceful Sleep!?~ - Chapter 05: I Couldn't Sleep in Peace as My Cute Childhood Friend Held "That" in Her Hands

Chapter 05: I Couldn’t Sleep in Peace as My Cute Childhood Friend Held “That” in Her Hands

…I was agonizing like crazy inside my loft bed.

“Takuya-kun’s tail is so well-behaved in Manami’s hands. As a reward, I’ll give it a little squeeze…”

Squeeze♡

Kok!? This sensation is softer than my brand-new feather comforter! This is the epitome of a feather touch… but what the hell am I doing making lame puns like that! This situation is really bad! So bad that I might just burst into tears…

“Ofuu, M-Manami!? If you squeeze it that hard, I—my tail won’t maintain its shape, my ‘that’ will—my ‘that’ will be ruined! Maybe if it had been naturalized in Japan, the tragedy in Doha could have been prevented!”

…This is bad. It’s one thing to be dominated by Manami, but to have her completely grab ahold of me, I felt like I was on the verge of shedding tears of blood.

She, Manami Ninomiya, attends Kimisarazu Minami Girls, an elite girls’ school renowned for its beauties. It’s an esteemed institution with test scores equivalent to those of the prestigious co-ed schools nearby. Moreover, they’re also dedicated to promoting sports.

Above all, the school is full of cute girls, making it the subject of constant admiration among local boys. However, the school has a strong policy against boys, making it impossible for anyone other than the faculty members and parents to enter the school. The only chance to enter is during the annual cultural festival, and even then, you need an invitation specifically from a female student…

Right now, I’m under the covers with such exceptional beauty and she’s grabbing “that” of mine.

This might seem like a fantastic situation straight out of my favorite rom-coms, one where you’d think, “Just explode with happiness already!” But don’t get me wrong.

I have a reason why I can’t simply be happy. Imagine the image of a monk striving for instant enlightenment…

My adorable childhood friend, Manami Ninomiya, had recently lost her beloved dog, Chocola.

I was shocked to learn that Manami couldn’t sleep peacefully unless she was holding Chocola’s tail, a habit she’d had since childhood.

Having lost her object of affection, Manami became emotionally unstable and roamed the nights seeking the phantom of that tail. Eventually, she found her way to my room.

I couldn’t bring myself to blame her. She used to visit my room frequently with Chocola, so my room was strongly etched into her memory. Miraculously, the size of Chocola’s tail and my “that” were eerily similar. Hence, I declared that I would be a stand-in for Chocola’s tail for her so she can sleep peacefully.

However! I mustn’t do anything that would tarnish her feelings!

“Okay, hold on! Since Chocola’s tail—no, I mean, Takuya-kun’s tail is behaving so well, Manami will give it more strokes.”

Squeeze♡

“…Kohoooo!?”

I couldn’t articulate my thoughts; a strange sigh escaped my mouth.

Just the gripping was already super risky, and now she was taking this into a whole other level! She’s thinking that she’s just walking her dog like normal!

I was completely overcome with agony, my eyes rolling back in their sockets. I might even have been foaming at the mouth a bit.

“Ma, Mana, Manami-chwan, stop that motion! My tail—my tail will lose its shape!”

It’s as if a cute toy poodle is about to morph into a ferocious Doberman.

In my mind, an image of a dark hero of yesteryear appeared, ready to fire his .44 Magnum in a blaze of fury.

“Curses! You fiend!” I yelled, tears of blood forming in my eyes.

“…I’m sorry, did that hurt? I’m still not used to how to hold Takuya-kun’s ‘tail’.”

Ah, it’s not that it hurts, but rather the exact opposite…

Manami and I lay side by side on the loft bed, facing upward. There’s no way I could fall asleep facing her, given how worked up I am.

I can see Manami’s face illuminated by the dim light, examining mine with concern. She’s incredibly cute as usual, but I can’t tell her what’s going on “down there.”

I can’t tarnish Chocola’s precious memories, after all.

What perplexes me is that no matter how much of a sheltered young lady Manami might be, there must be limits. She’s not of an age where she wouldn’t understand the meaning of holding “that,” even if its size is similar to Chocola’s tail.

Ever since we were kids, Manami has been a girl somewhat detached from the world, but that alone doesn’t explain what’s happening now.

“Manami, can I ask you something?”

I might as well ask her bluntly; there’s no point in being shy about it.

“Don’t you feel uncomfortable grabbing my, um, tail? Is it because you’re used to holding other ‘tails’?”

Why am I even asking that? I firmly believe that Manami would never do something like that.

“Oh, it’s okay because it’s you, Takuya-kun. I could never do this with anyone else.”

Her ears flush red, and she hides her face with the edge of the blanket.

Whoa! Super cute, Manami!

Not only do I want to wag my tail like Chocola, but I also feel like leaping at her. However, that would undoubtedly ruin the shape of my tail, so to suppress my worldly desires, I think of the most unsettling thing that’s recently happened to me.

(Hmm, the most recent event that cooled my jets has to be that!)

Recalling that incident alone seems sufficient to render my ‘thing’ harmless, without saying more.

To be continued in the next exciting installment!