Chapter 17: Love Declaration

It’s been one intense week since Kurokawa-senpai cursed me.

Honestly, it feels more like a year has passed. If I do the math, it’s like my life has been running at fifty times the density of a normal person’s.

I mean, I’d never even held a girl’s hand before—kindergarten doesn’t count, of course. Even the folk dance at the sports festival doesn’t count. Obviously.

And yet, I received a love letter from a gorgeous senpai. She asked me to go out with her, with marriage in mind. She even hinted at being willing to engage in premarital relations.

After that, I started going to school hand in hand and arm in arm with my childhood friend. It feels like I’m living some dream scenario, right? Waking up to find my childhood friend straddling me—that’s the kind of thing I thought only happened in gal games or light novels.

Then there’s the stunning gal who sits next to me, making me lunch, with my childhood friend joining in too. Three of my classmates even helped me put on a diaper. An unassuming beauty whose name I don’t even know flashed me, and I’ve even shared a kiss on the street…

Hold on. I’m still in the middle of recalling everything, but my experiences this week are piling up like a traffic jam.

This isn’t a normal week, not by any stretch. And let’s not even talk about the diaper situation.

Then there’s Toumei-senpai coming closer—like something out of a horror story.

I got drenched by a gal’s “accident,” bathed together with someone…

Am I blessed? Or am I cursed?

If I look at each event in isolation, I’m winning big time. But if I take a step back and see the whole picture, I feel painfully unlucky.

“Hey, Sakamoto? Kaede’s clothes are pretty small. Our heights aren’t that different, though.”

“That’s so mean! I lent them to you, you know?”

“I might not be able to return these panties. There’s a huge difference in our hips.”

“You’re impossible, Momo-chan.”

One thing I’m fortunate about is that the yanderes actually get along surprisingly well.

I expected them to be at each other’s throats, fighting to the death over me, but they’re apparently close enough to lend each other clothes. That’s a relief.

…Though, on second thought, it might also mean they’re teaming up against me.

No, this is fine. For my own safety, I’d rather they clash and cancel each other out, but considering they’re also victims, I guess having them not hurt each other and work with me to lift the curse is best.

Wait, what happens when the curse is lifted?

We just bathed together, but if their affection drops back down afterward, won’t they just kill me?

Kaede supposedly liked me since middle school, but what about Kumanokyo?

Wouldn’t she just kick me to death along with Sasaki?

“Hey, Sakamoto? Do Kaede’s clothes look good on me?”

“…The print on the shirt is stretched. It’s kind of hilarious.”

The animal design has gone all pixelated because of her huge chest.

Is she trying to have a staring contest with me?

Also, did she really need to borrow the shirt, too? I thought only her bottoms were ruined. My entire outfit got trashed, though.

“Kogoro, are you calling me flat-chested? You were staring at my chest in the bath earlier, weren’t you? Were you mocking me with that look?”

Kaede’s been kind of negative lately.

But I doubt it’s just because of the curse. She’s always lacked self-confidence. Even though she now chants sutras, it’s not like her personality has completely changed.

“Nah, I was just thinking they had a nice shape…”

And come on, she’s not even flat-chested. It’s just that Kumanokyo is huge.

“Oh, Kogoro~”

I really want to lift this curse as soon as possible, but I can’t say everything about it is bad.

After all, it feels really good when she nuzzles against me like this.

“But mine were better, right? You got pretty hard, didn’t you?”

Stop poking my junior partner down there. You’ll make it hard again.

Damn it, can’t I just have a free harem like in those modern light novels?

I’m insanely popular, but actually making a move is game over—this is torture.

Wait, hold on. Would it really be game over?

They get along so well, maybe a threesome or even a foursome—no, no! Calm down. Resist.

If I gave in, I’d be nothing but a beast. I’d lose my humanity.

“Come on, say mine had a nice shape too!”

Kumanokyo suddenly seems timid.

Don’t look at me like that with those soft eyes—you’ll make me want to say whatever you want.

“…Why?”

“You can measure size, but not shape, right? Just one reassuring word from you is all I need. Please?”

Before the curse, I never realized it, but Kumanokyo isn’t as confident as she seems. She’s kind of clingy… or at least, she really relies on me.

I have to admit, when a bold girl suddenly looks up at me with pleading eyes, it’s… well, adorable.

“They were beautiful. And soft, too.”

Yeah, I touched them.

Well, “touched” is putting it mildly—I had to wash them. Damn it, now I’m remembering…

“Oh, so that’s how it is? You’re into me, then!”

I never said that, but I can’t deny that I don’t dislike her.

Last year, I found her annoying—just a bothersome gal who picked on this introverted guy.

But in reality, she’s just a needy girl who wants attention. And I’m weak against that.

I mean, back then, I got along with Kaede because I liked her mellow, friendly personality—

No, “liked” might be misleading.

It’s more that we just clicked, two introverts who happened to be on the same wavelength.

“Hey! Pay more attention to me, will you? I’m your childhood friend, you know!”

Kaede clung to me like a koala. Somehow, it felt nostalgic.

Now that I think about it, she used to be like this back in elementary school.

Around sixth grade, we started to drift apart a little, but in the lower grades, we were always stuck together.

I wonder, though… If I hadn’t left her behind that day in middle school, what would have happened?

I didn’t think much of it at the time; I’d just gotten to school a little earlier out of whim. But for Kaede, that was an act of betrayal, wasn’t it? If that hadn’t happened, maybe we’d have ended up as a couple by now.

“Kaede, listen—when guys grow up, they tend to start liking gals.”

Where are you even getting this information?

A gal-targeted fashion magazine? Don’t trust those.

There are plenty of people who really don’t like gals, you know?

“Should I dye my hair blonde too?”

Don’t do that. It wouldn’t suit you at all.

Besides, Kumanokyo’s hair isn’t even blonde to begin with.

“Now that you mention it, Kumanokyo’s hair looks kind of brown. Isn’t that against school rules?”

“It’s my natural color.”

“Oh, really? That’s pretty impressive for natural hair.”

Natural hair, huh? That must be tough in Japan.

Though maybe it’s not as bad for girls? At least while they’re students?

For guys with naturally brown hair, I hear it becomes a pain once they enter the workforce.

“My hair’s pretty too, isn’t it? Come on, praise me!”

Stop rubbing your head against me!

Don’t come crying to me when you go bald one day.

“Now that I think about it, you’ve always had that hairstyle. Semi-long, right? Have you ever thought about growing it out or cutting it short? Trying different styles while you still can?”

Girls’ hairstyle rules are way more relaxed compared to guys’. They should take advantage of it while they’re still young.

Once you’re an adult, people will start saying stuff about “common sense” and “appropriate appearance.”

Honestly, this country is so boring sometimes. As long as you’re not hurting anyone, who cares?

What’s wrong with a thirty-something rocking twin-tails? If she thinks it’s cute, it’s nobody else’s business.

“What are you talking about? Don’t you remember? Back in elementary school, you said you liked this length. Oh, you’re pretending you don’t remember now? Boys are always like that, aren’t they? I wouldn’t know about anyone else, but at least you’re hopeless, Kogoro. When I asked what hairstyle you liked, you said ‘something in between long and short.’ So, I cut off my precious long hair just to match your taste! It was a big deal for me—I used to enjoy growing it out, you know? But I cut it, just for you. And you didn’t even compliment me. On top of that, you—”

Uh-oh. I stepped on a landmine.

How did we go from happy conversation to this? If there are this many traps lying around, casual small talk is basically impossible.

Wait… Hold on. She changed her hairstyle just because I said that back in elementary school?

It’s one thing to tie your hair differently, but to cut it? That’s a bit extreme, isn’t it?

“Wait, wait, I wasn’t criticizing your hairstyle or anything…”

“I think I’ll go semi-long too,” Kumanokyo muttered as she played with her hair.

Don’t say unnecessary things like that—it just makes this mess even more complicated.

…Although, now that she mentions it, I kind of want to see it.

“Kogoro, you’re always like this, you know? Back then, you said you liked ‘mature’ girls, so I tried holding back from clinging to you. But then, when that tomboyish girl put her arm around your shoulder, you looked so smitten. You tried to act like, ‘Oh, I’m not paying attention,’ but it was obvious to anyone watching. You were totally thinking dirty thoughts.

And do you know what else? That girl had ‘that’ look on her face—a woman’s face. She was acting all buddy-buddy like she was just a guy friend, but she was clearly after you. I know it. Well, we ended up in different middle schools, so I’d like to believe she’s forgotten all about you by now.

But still, it makes me just a little uneasy. Even now… I feel like tracking her down and ambushing her…”

“You’ve been watching me closely, huh?”

The “woman’s face” thing she brought up is probably a misunderstanding, but thinking pervy thoughts? Yeah, I’ll admit that’s accurate.

Wait… Did she just say something about an ambush? Stop that right now!

“Kaede!”

“I think that girl’s house was… Hm? What is it?”

“I don’t remember a single other classmate besides you!”

That’s a lie.

The girl Kaede is talking about must be the one who always hung out with the boys.

To be honest, I was pretty interested in her at the time. I still sometimes think about her face when I… you know.

She was active, so there were plenty of panty shots. By sixth grade, she’d even started to develop a little…

“But you didn’t compliment my haircut… I cut it just for you…”

“I was embarrassed, okay? I was just an elementary school boy—I couldn’t say stuff like ‘cute’ back then!”

That’s… technically not a lie. Probably.

Even if I thought Kaede was cute back then, no elementary school boy would say it out loud, right? You don’t say stuff like “cute” or “I like you” at that age.

At least, I think that’s true. It’s just my guess.

Honestly, I probably just gave a random answer when she asked about my favorite hairstyle. I don’t even remember her cutting her hair.

I don’t know what my younger self thought about it. There’s no way I’d remember.

“Thanks for cutting it for me. You look cute.”

“Kogorooo…”

I’m getting better at handling this.

Ironically, this curse might actually be teaching me how to understand wome

“Sakamoto, hand me some scissors.”

Uh-oh. What am I supposed to do when there’s more than one girl?

If I make one happy, the other one gets upset. This is impossible.

“So you got hard because of Kaede’s semi-long hair, huh? Hold on, I’ll fix that right now.”

No, no, my preferences aren’t that extreme.

If I’m getting turned on by just hair, that’s some next-level kink.

“No, I was getting hard because of your… you know, naked body…”

“Wait, you were looking at me? I thought you were just happy about finally getting to bathe with your childhood friend. Your first time and all…”

“No, of course I was looking at you too…”

“Wait a second! I worked really hard, you know? Didn’t I tell you before? Just loosening my neckline made my heart race. Do you think I’m some kind of slut? I couldn’t even look at that part of you without blushing, you know?”

What am I supposed to do?!

I don’t favor one over the other, okay?! It’s both. No high school boy could survive this situation.

I’m practically a saint for not making a move!

“Anyway, don’t cut your hair. I like it the way it is.”

“Really? Isn’t long hair annoying? And doesn’t the perm bother you?”

Wait, so it is permed? Seriously, school rules for girls are way too lenient.

But that’s not the point right now. I need to quickly follow up with Kaede too, or I’m dead meat.

“Hair length depends on the person, doesn’t it? What matters is whether it suits you or not. You’re both cute the way you are.”

“So, which one of us were you looking at when you… you know…?”

“Both of you! I’m holding myself back even now. Don’t make me say it out loud—it’s embarrassing.”

Is this the right answer?

I don’t know, but I don’t have any other options. I can’t pick just one of them.

“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s play a game or something. You’re here, so let’s just have fun!”

I say that as quickly as I can—faster than Kaede’s sutras—to change the subject.

This is the only way.

If I let myself get swept up in this kind of conversation, I might actually lose my virginity before I even notice.

“Hey, are you trying to change the subject?”

“Wait, so you do want to do it, don’t you? Come on… hurry up…”

Crap. I had a feeling, but Kaede’s thoughts are way pinker than I expected.

Look, this is just biology, okay? I’ll have you know this happens even with someone you don’t like.

“We’re still second-years in high school. I want to take my time with you—slowly, and properly. I want to fall in love.”

“Love? Did you just say love?”

“So you’re saying you like us, right? You’re really serious about us, right?”

“Yeah, of course I am! That’s why, for now, let’s just hang out as friends!”

What happens when the curse gets lifted…?

What’ll happen to their memories and feelings? Will their affection carry over?

If it does, won’t they team up and stab me as a cheater?

At this point, maybe I should just marry into the Kurokawa family, lock myself away, and never leave the house again.