Chapter 6: Sleepover

Is this some university research or something?

I don’t really care, so I don’t remember the details, but I once heard that using rewards as incentives for education isn’t exactly recommended.

I wonder how true that is. Right now, I feel unbelievably motivated, though.

“Yes, yes, good job! You’re such a good boy!”

Even solving a basic problem earns me generous nuzzles and affectionate pats from the class president.

Ahh… studying is fun… I can’t sit through our boring teachers’ lessons anymore…

Wait!?

I get it now.

Once you experience the sweet fruit of rewards, you lose the will to make efforts without compensation. That must be the truth discovered by whatever research I heard about.

“Alright, Kogoro-chan. If you solve this problem, your reward will be oppa—”

“Class President! That’s not okay! You’re about to—”

“Mom!”

“…Mom, can we not? We’re at school, you know?”

At this rate, I might cross a line I can’t come back from.

Sucking on a classmate’s chest—that’s just a responsibility issue, right?

What’s worse, with the class president, I’m honestly terrified she might actually produce milk. It shouldn’t be possible, but it feels possible. I’m on the verge of witnessing a biological miracle, and it’s too much for me to handle.

“Kogoro-chan, I’m sorry…”

Ugh, there she goes again. This “Mom” cries way too easily.

My handkerchief is already useless. It’s completely soaked and can’t absorb anything else.

“It’s because Mommy’s chest is small…”

“…………”

What am I even supposed to say here? I just want to go home.

I have to leave before Kaede finishes her club practice.

“Sorry… I’ll work hard to make them bigger…”

Please, I beg you, don’t say stuff like that while crying.

If anyone saw this scene, they’d think I’m some trashy guy who insulted her body and made her cry.

“D-Don’t cry.”

“Sorry… I’ll use pliers to stretch them and make them bigger…”

She reached the worst possible conclusion.

That’s not even an improvement—it’s torture. It’s straight out of a sadistic medieval horror scene.

I have to stop her. This woman is serious. She’ll do it without hesitation.

If this keeps up, the class president’s nipples are going to end up stretched out like meat sticks. I have to protect her.

“Class pres… Mom!”

“Y-Yes? What is it, Kogoro-chan?”

“I like you the way you are right now!”

In the dead silence of the classroom, my embarrassing declaration echoed.

You sports club guys, shout louder, damn it. Yell so loud that your voices shake the school or something!

I’m drowning in shame here.

“Kogoro-chan!”

“Guh, I can’t… breathe…!”

This isn’t a hug—it’s a bear hug. Stop converting your emotions into brute strength!

And the cheek rubbing—it’s intense. Sparks are going to fly at this rate.

“M-Mom, let’s just go home, okay? Yeah?”

“Alright then, let’s hold hands.”

“O-Okay!”

In some ways, she might be the scariest woman I’ve ever met.

And honestly, does this even count as being popular? I feel like our relationship has transcended anything normal.

Today felt so long… This school day was ridiculously long.

Even saying goodbye to the class president on the way home was a struggle.

She practically tried to follow me all the way to my house.

For the record, I didn’t get in trouble for my torn-up pants.

At first, they thought I was getting bullied, which was a pain, but at least I avoided any consequences like a cut to my allowance.

“Let’s enjoy this brief moment of peace…”

I already finished my homework with Mom… I mean, the class president, so maybe I’ll play some games.

I’m tired enough to pass out, but if I nap now, I won’t be able to sleep at night.

And if I struggle to wake up in the morning, there’s no telling what’ll happen to me.

Alright, what should I do…? You know what? I’ll play a dating sim for a change.

People say dating sims are unrealistic, but this is my reality.

Dating sims are closer to the real world than this nonsense. I’m not escaping reality—I’m escaping to reality.

“Huh? Did I just click that?”

A misclick? Or maybe it’s what they call chattering?

Of all things, I ended up choosing the option that lowers the affection score. Damn it.

“This mouse is brand new, though…”

Oh well. If it happens too often, I’ll just look for some anti-chattering software. There’s probably a free tool for that or something.

“Huh, again…?”

…This is weird.

It only happens when I’m choosing options. And only for the bad ones.

…

“Transparent-senpai? Is that you?”

She responds by patting my head.

I wonder how this looks to anyone else. Indoors, my hair would appear to be swaying on its own.

“Senpai, coming into my house is a bit much, don’t you thi—ugh.”

Is she… nuzzling me? I can’t see her, so I can’t tell for sure.

“…Were you watching me with the class president?”

No response. Not that I’d know even if she was.

“Are you jealous?”

She grabs my head and shakes it up and down.

So that’s how she communicates.

Honestly, I feel sorry for her. First, she’s cursed to be unrecognizable by others, and now she’s reacting to my own curse and falling for me.

“Senpai, please, coming inside my house is too much. You’re overdoing it.”

She shakes my head side to side.

What am I supposed to do here? Based on the others, convincing them is impossible.

And with her, I can’t even hear her voice to negotiate.

“I have my own private life, you know. I’ll meet you after school tomorrow, so please, just go home for today.”

No reaction.

Is she hesitating? Or is she angry?

Calm down. If I say the wrong thing, it could get dangerous. If an invisible person freaks out, there’s nothing I can do about it. And if something happens, I’m the one who’ll get blamed.

“I really am grateful to you. I’ll go to the etiquette room tomorrow. I promise.”

After about a minute, my head finally nods.

That surprised me a bit.

Good, it seems like she’s satisfied.

…She really left, right?

To check, I played the gal game for a bit. No interference.

Even when a slightly ecchi scene popped up, nothing happened.

…Maybe she really did leave? Or is she standing there, watching with her arms crossed?

I guess I’ll just have to trust her.

Hm? There’s someone coming up the stairs… I’d better close the game.

“Kogoro! Is it true you got hurt!?”

No way… She’s coming over after school too?

“Even if you’re my childhood friend, you should still knock, Kaede.”

“Where? Where are you hurt?”

She’s not listening. I knew it.

“Just a cut on my hand and foot. I disinfected it, so it’s fine.”

The trauma I suffered is much deeper than the wound, though.

That baby roleplay was far too much for me. Fifteen years too soon.

“That looks painful…”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“I’m not exaggerating! Do you have any idea how I felt hearing about your clothes being torn and you getting into a fight? How worried I was!?”

Is it the curse’s influence that makes her care this much?

I can’t help but wonder—if I hadn’t been cursed, how would things have turned out?

Would my estranged childhood friend have worried about me after all these years and sparked a reconciliation? Or would we have continued our silent distance, never reconnecting?

“Sorry for worrying you. And… thanks.”

I’m honestly happy.

For this, at least, I’m grateful for the curse.

“…I’m quitting the club.”

As she stared intently at my wounds, Kaede suddenly declared her intent to leave her club.

“What? Did something happen?”

I don’t know much about Kaede’s club life, but I always imagined her doing well.

She doesn’t seem like the type to get bullied, nor would she throw in the towel so easily.

What in the world…

“The one something happened to is you, Kogoro.”

“Huh?”

“I took my eyes off you, and you got hurt, didn’t you? You say it was a fight, but it was bullying, wasn’t it? You’ve always been unreliable, Kogoro. I can’t forgive them for hurting you. I’ll make them regret it. By the way, why do you smell like a girl? Who treated your wounds? Knowing you, there’s no way you’d go to the nurse’s office. Oh, I know. It was Sumire, wasn’t it? I can tell by the scent. So, why do you smell like her? What kind of treatment was it? Don’t bother lying; I know. A boy and a girl alone in the nurse’s office—there’s only one thing that could happen. While I was chasing balls at club, Sumire was—”

“Kaede! Stay! Stay!”

I want to go home. This is my house, and yet I want to go home.

What’s this talk about smells? I remember as a kid she once said, “My dream is to become your bride.” With her nose, she’s better suited to be a hunting dog. She could make a living off that nose alone.

“She disinfected me, okay? Smell it—it’s just antiseptic.”

“I don’t smell anything like that.”

Why not?! Antiseptic smells way stronger than whatever she thinks Sumire smells like!

“Did she really use antiseptic? Or did she lick it clean?”

“She used red medicine.”

“Red medicine!? She did that to you!?”

What does that even mean, “did that”?

Sumire said something about red medicine earlier too, but is there some hidden meaning I don’t know about?

“She just applied red medicine to my cuts, that’s all.”

“I see… Well, Sumire-chan doesn’t wear lipstick, so I guess it makes sense.”

…?

“I’m glad that misunderstanding is cleared up.”

“But wait, that’s not all. She treated your foot, too, didn’t she? Did you strip in front of her? That’s basically indecent, you know? Why her? If you’d just called me, I would’ve thrown my club advisor and everything else aside to come treat you. Fixing up Kogoro-maru is my destiny, you know? Fine, I’ll just cut the same place again. If I treat it this time, history will be corrected. I’ll go borrow a fruit knife from your mom, so stay right—”

“K-Kaede!”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Why don’t you… uh… stay over tonight? It’s been a while, right?”

“Ha-wa-wa… Kogoro just invited me to stay over… Okay! I’ll go get my things!”

Phew, that should buy me some time.