My Ex-Girlfriend’s Sister Ran Away to My Room, and We Can’t Stop Making Mistakes. - Chapter 18: I Want to Be a Beast.

I Want to Be a Beast.

When I got home from my shift, the room had been rearranged slightly again. A small bookshelf had appeared, and the bedsheets had been swapped for a cute polka-dot pattern.

“Welcome back,” Mii said. She was busy setting plates of stir-fried eggs and wood ear mushrooms on the table.

“Did you buy new sheets?”

“The general store in the shopping district was having a clearance sale.”

“They’re nice. Cute.”

“It’s thanks for the clothes yesterday.”

“You didn’t have to go to the trouble.”

“No, it was nothing special. So… how did it go?”

Mii popped open a can of beer and began to sip at it slowly.

“Do you think I can work there?”

“Yeah, probably. They want you to come in for an interview.”

“Yes! It’s near your place, right? We can go grab lunch together and everything.”

“Actually, they said that’s a no-go.”

“Eh?”

“The manager said the regulars would skin me alive.”

“What’s that about? How disappointing.”

Mii’s shoulders slumped in mock dejection. She scooped some rice she’d cooked in a pot into a bowl and pushed it toward me. “Give it a try.”

The stir-fried eggs and wood ear mushrooms were salty and delicious.

“The eggs are great.”

“Right? I add them at the very end so they stay soft-boiled and creamy.”

“The seasoning is perfect. Aren’t you eating?”

“Nah. I’m not really hungry.”

A bit of white foam clung to the corner of Mii’s mouth as she spoke.

“I’ve been tasting it as I go, so I’m full. Besides, I haven’t moved much during the day.”

She added that she’d been sleeping all day like a lazy cat. In the end, I finished all the rice and the side dishes by myself.

“That was delicious. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And Saki-nii… thank you for asking about the job for me.”

“Don’t worry about it. Vanilla-san is the assistant manager and had the authority to make it happen. I just got lucky.”

At the mention of the name, Mii tilted her head with a blank look.

“Vanilla-san?”

“Ah, right. The person who set things up. Her name is Vanilla-san.”

“What’s your relationship?”

“Huh?”

“Where did you meet her?”

“Her shop is next door. She’s usually in the back alley smoking. We talk sometimes.”

“Hmm.”

Mii touched her bangs, looking restless.

“Do you like her, Saki-nii?”

“Who?”

“Vanilla-san.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Suddenly, the scent of Vanilla from when she embraced me today drifted through my mind. Her body had been soft and warm as she whispered those gentle words of apology. It felt like it had been a very long time since anyone had spoken to me with such kindness.

“You just thought about her, didn’t you?”

Mii was peering into my face.

“Did something happen?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

“What is she like?”

“Blonde. Not very tall.”

“Is she pretty?”

“I suppose she is.”

She was the assistant manager of a cosplay cafe, after all; I’d heard she had her own devoted fans. Though she acted world-weary behind the scenes, I remembered how surprisingly beautiful she looked whenever I caught a glimpse of her professional smile.

“You always did prefer older women, didn’t you, Saki-nii? You used to say that back in the day.”

“How long ago was that? Besides, there’s nothing going on between us.”

“I see. I guess so.”

She pulled her knees to her chest and looked down.

“It’s not like we’re exactly ‘lovers’ either.”

She said it with a forced air of depression before reaching for her beer again. She began pouring the alcohol down her throat as if it didn’t even taste good.

“Hey, Mii.”

“What is it?”

“Do you really intend to stay here forever?”

“Is that not okay?”

“It’s not that it’s not okay. It’s just… not good.”

You have to ask her, Vanilla’s voice echoed in my head.

“Something bad happened at school, didn’t it?”

“Nothing but bad things happened.”

“Correspondence school, night school—whatever it is, you should go back. Just contact home once.”

“I don’t want to.”

She cut me off, shaking her head violently.

“I absolutely won’t.”

“Saying ‘I don’t want to’ over and over won’t solve anything.”

“I don’t care if it’s solved.”

She spoke sharply, slamming her can onto the table.

“Because even if things are solved, it doesn’t lead to anything.”

“That’s not true. I’m sure it…”

“There’s nothing! It leads to nothing!”

“But still…”

“Then… if you’re saying that will make me happy, why don’t you prove it, Saki-nii?”

I had no rebuttal for the words she spat out. I hadn’t tasted an emotion like ‘happiness’ in years. It was pathetic of me to try to persuade someone when I didn’t even know the right way to live myself.

“Is there… anything you want to do?”

A hollow question. I was disgusted with myself.

Mii stared at the condensation on the beer can. The letters on the label seemed to warp and float. 7% alcohol. I no longer knew exactly how much she had been drinking lately.

She shifted her body and wrapped her arms around my back.

“If I’m ever reborn, I want to be a beast.”

Mii climbed on top of me. Pressing her body close, she forced her tongue into my mouth.

Our tongues tangled repeatedly as she guided my hands toward her body.

“A beast that’s lost its reason.”

“That’s just called falling into ruin.”

“I don’t care. That’s fine.”

A sweet breath escaped her lips. Pulling down the zipper of her hoodie, Mii stripped down to her underwear.

“Take it off.”

The eyes looking back at me were dark and clouded.

The abyss was staring right at me.

I looked away and began to have sex with her. I unhooked her bra, revealing her beautifully shaped breasts. We clung to each other in the nude, embracing as much as we desired, and eventually fell into a beast-like sleep.