Non-Human Girls Are Fighting Over Me ~ Do I Get to Refuse? “Nope!” “No Way!” “Not a Chance!” “Absolutely Not!” - Chapter 38 & 39

Chapter 38: Riri’s Day Off (2)

Afternoon. The movie theater.

Among the posters, Kazuto stopped, pointing.

“What should we watch? That popular anime… the one with the demons?”

Riri tilted her head.

“No, Riri wants this one.”

—It was a poster for a romance movie.

“…!”

Riri’s cheeks flushed red in an instant.

(A romance movie…!? With Onii-chan…!?)

In the darkened theater, they sat shoulder to shoulder.

Riri couldn’t focus on the movie at all.

Watching a romance movie with her boyfriend—the situation alone overwhelmed her heart.

The screen’s light illuminated Kazuto’s profile. His serious gaze.

Stealing glances at him, Riri screamed internally, (I’m so happy I might die…!)

The screening ended, and the theater brightened.

“The movie was good, huh?”

Kazuto smiled.

Riri, who hadn’t absorbed a single detail, flashed a quick smile.

“Y-Yeah! Let’s come back for another!”

She fought to keep from grinning like an idiot.

But her cheeks stayed faintly red, her lips curving upward.

But then, a casual remark from Kazuto shattered her bliss—

“Well, guess we should head home.”

—Her heart sank.

“Wha…”

A small sound escaped her throat.

Her vision swayed, cold reality crashing in.

(Home…? It’s over…? But… I want to stay with him more…)

Her chest ached.

To him, she was—just a kid.

A “little sister” figure.

Even if he took her to an adult café, an adult movie, an adult date—

In the end, she was just a child.

“Okay…”

She forced a smile, hiding her trembling voice.

But that smile was slightly strained.

(I’m his girlfriend… his wife… he said so…! But I’m still… just a kid…)

A faint crack echoed in her heart.

Riri’s first date, sweet as a dream, drew to a cruel close—

On the way back from the theater.

Streetlights lit the sidewalk as they walked side by side.

Kazuto smiled and spoke.

“Today was fun, Riri. Let’s do it again.”

But her response—

“…Yeah…”

A cold, half-hearted reply.

(It’s not like that, Kazuto… why can’t you see…? My feelings… they’re overflowing…)

Her suppressed emotions burned in her chest.

Kazuto stopped, looking at her with concern.

“Sorry. Did I do something, Riri? You seem upset… if I messed up, I’ll apologize.”

Those words.

That casual “apology” set Riri’s heart ablaze.

“Kazuto—!! You don’t understand me at all!!”

In that moment, her voice shifted from a girl’s to a sultry, mature woman’s tone.

A glimpse of the demon Lilith seeped through.

“Saying ‘sorry’… that just hurts more! I told you not to treat me like a kid. Why…? It was so, so perfect until now… why would you say that…!”

Her tearful glare mixed anger and longing.

“Sorry…”

A short word slipped from Kazuto’s lips.

But to Riri, it was another blade.

“That’s what hurts the most!”

She bit her lip tightly—and her eyes narrowed with resolve.

“Fine… if that’s how it is, I’ll take matters into my own hands.”

The next instant.

The world twisted, the scenery rewritten.

Before he knew it, Kazuto was sprawled on a bed.

Riri’s room.

Stuffed animals lined the walls, pink curtains hung, and textbooks and stationery sat on the desk.

By the pillow—a photo of Riri and Kazuto, smiling shoulder to shoulder.

“R-Riri…! You can’t do this. Especially not here… your mom might come in.”

Kazuto tried to sit up in a panic.

But Riri pinned him down, straddling his chest, and whispered in his ear.

“It’s fine… You know, Riri’s actually over twenty.”

A sweet, melting voice.

“Mental-type demons age much slower than humans. I may look like a kid, but I’m way older than you… so I’m done holding back.”

With that, Riri’s lips brushed his softly.

Light at first, then growing heated—

“…Riri…”

Kazuto called her name, hesitant yet drawn in.

Even that sound felt like proof of love to Riri.

Pulling back, she smiled.

“Mama won’t come in here. It’s a girl thing… we have an agreement.”

Riri grinned mischievously, like a little devil.

The bedside lamp’s soft light tinged her cheeks faintly red.

Outside, the night deepened quietly.

In the room, only the sound of heartbeats and uncontainable feelings intertwined—

Chapter 39: Riri’s Day Off (3)

Even that sound felt like proof of love to Riri.

Pulling back, she smiled.

“Mama won’t come in here. It’s a girl thing… we have an agreement.”

Riri grinned mischievously, like a little devil.

The bedside lamp’s soft light tinged her cheeks faintly red.

Outside, the night deepened quietly.

In the room, only the sound of heartbeats and uncontainable feelings intertwined—

※

Midnight.

Soft moonlight slipped through the curtain gap, faintly illuminating the pink bed.

Lying side by side, facing each other under the covers, they were close enough to hear each other’s heartbeats.

Sleep was far from Kazuto’s mind, and he spoke softly.

“…Why me? I’m a gloomy, unpopular guy. You’re so cute, Riri… there’ll be better guys out there, right?”

It was his honest thought.

Riri’s beauty, intelligence, and the “otherworldly power” she bore—they felt beyond him.

But her reply was clear, unwavering.

“I told you earlier, but mental-type demons grow up really slowly at first. We feed on human ‘mental energy’ to become adults, mostly from ‘dreams.’”

Riri’s eyes sparkled like stars in the moonlight.

“Why I fell for you? Easy… I was always in your dreams, Kazuto.”

“…In my dreams?”

“Yeah. It was so comforting. Wrapped in kindness, but with incredible power too. I’ve been shaped by you a lot. Demons’ abilities and personalities change based on whose energy they take… How could I not fall for you?”

Blushing, she smiled shyly.

“Even in dreams, you were so cool and kind. In reality, I struggled with school and human society… it was tough. But your dreams were always warm.”

Her voice trembled, yet brimmed with resolve.

Kazuto could say nothing—just nod.

(This girl… she really loves me, doesn’t she?)

Not as a girl, but as a “woman.”

Her confession burned into his heart like a flame lighting the night.

※

The next morning.

“Eat up. It’s Japanese-style today.”

Levi’s cheerful voice accompanied a spread of white rice, miso soup, natto, grilled salmon, and spinach ohitashi.

A perfect breakfast adorned the table.

But Kazuto and Riri, seated, kept their faces red and eyes down.

Last night’s confession still lingered, their faces flushing whenever their gazes met.

“You’re family now, Kazuto-kun. Start thinking about joining our household. I already told your mom—‘He’s our daughter’s boyfriend.’”

Levi’s innocent bombshell.

“Y-Yes…”

“M-Mama…!”

(What!? They’re already locking me in with the parents!?) Kazuto screamed internally.

“Riri, stop calling Kazuto-kun’s mom ‘Auntie.’ It’s ‘Mother-in-law’ now. It’s a bit early, but you need to start bride training. Mama’s strict~”

“Okay, Mama. I’ll be a wife worthy of Kazuto.”

Riri puffed out her chest, radiant with pride, a far cry from last night’s tears.

But her next words carried a chilling tone of control.

“Got it? Don’t forget our family creed.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s the creed, so I’ll say it now since discipline starts early—our house is matriarchal. My word is law. If I say black, even white is black. Understood?”

“…Huh…?”

“And no looking or talking to other girls in front of me! …Well, those two are unavoidable, since they’re etched into your soul.”

Riri said casually, picking up her chopsticks.

She was fully intent on stacking up faits accomplis.

“But don’t worry. In public, I’ll be the ‘good wife’ who lifts her man up. I won’t embarrass you in front of others… Mama’s the same.”

“That’s the spirit. You’re the one who’ll protect this family.”

Levi smiled, satisfied.

“Got it, Mama.”

Riri returned a smile.

(Whaaat… how did it come to this…!?)

Surrounded by the warm aroma of miso soup, Kazuto’s heart was drenched in cold sweat.

—Thus, the awkward breakfast, steeped in the afterglow of a confession and the weight of a domineering creed, came to a quiet close.