Chapter 7: Before Being Cursed

I don’t cook, so I don’t know the details, but suddenly increasing the number of dishes for dinner must be pretty tough.

Because of my spur-of-the-moment decision, Kaede ended up staying over tonight…

“Is today some kind of special occasion?”

Dinner tonight is unusually extravagant—no, there’s just way too much food.

What’s going on, Mom? Normally, dinner is so simple that Dad complains, “There’s barely any side dishes.” But today, the table is full of plates. Come on, when was the last time I saw small bowls for side dishes?

For the record, Dad, who once complained about the food, was mysteriously “dried out” the next day. He went to work while clutching his back and wincing from back pain. I don’t know what happened to him, but I’m not going to ask.

“Sorry, I couldn’t make red rice to celebrate the occasion.”

“Oh no, maybe it’s my age. My hearing must be going.”

Ouch!

“Kogoro, you can’t say things like that to your mother-in-law!”

Kaede pulled at my cheek, taking my sarcasm a little too seriously.

This back-and-forth with a childhood friend might seem like a classic cute moment, but then it happened again. The words appeared before me—literal, visualized words.

“Kaede-chan, make sure you remember the taste of our cooking.”

No, no, no. Our family’s recipes are a top-secret, classified matter. I won’t allow anyone to take them out.

So please, don’t try to memorize them. I’m begging you.

“Onii-chan, when’s the wedding?”

Sis, could you please not say unnecessary things?

This is bad. If Mom and my sister are won over, Dad is next to fall. If Mom and my sister say something is white, Dad will agree and call it white too. He’s a weak-willed pushover.

“Here you go, Kogoro.”

“I can eat by myself.”

Why do I have to act like a lovey-dovey couple in front of my mom and sister?

Also, embarrassment aside, being hand-fed freshly fried karaage is just plain difficult. It’s too hot!

“Onii-chan, you’re blushing~.”

“Ah, to be young.”

I really hope this curse ends soon…

How can I not even relax at home? I’m going to die from stress at this rate.

I want to finish eating and run back to my room as quickly as possible, but there’s just too much food. And the rice bowl is a literal mountain.

I already ate two servings of lunch, so I was hoping to cut back tonight…

“Here, say ahh~.”

“No, I said I’m fine.”

Girls who try to feed you by hand might seem cute or popular, but for the person involved, it’s pure suffering.

Just let me eat at my own pace.

“Kogoro, are you even a man?”

“Onii-chan, don’t embarrass a girl like that.”

Damn it, I’m the away team in my own house. Stop it with the support fire, will you?

…You all say this so casually, but you don’t know anything.

This is a curse, you know? If we’re being honest, it’s basically brainwashing.

How am I supposed to accept someone’s affection in this kind of situation?

Without the curse, of course I’d accept it.

Even the class rep’s “baby play”—I would’ve accepted that too.

She offered to let me suckle, after all, so naturally I wouldn’t have hesitated…

“Kogoro? Do you… hate me?”

Stop with that face and voice.

It makes me feel terrible.

“Of course I don’t hate you.”

I don’t want her to cry, so I reluctantly take a bite of the karaage she offers.

Yeah, as I thought, eating a whole piece of fried chicken at once is rough.

Hey, little sister, what’s with that reaction? You’re acting like a pure maiden watching a kiss scene in a romance drama. Well, I guess you are a pure maiden.

And Mom, you need to stop. You’re too old to be reacting like that.

“Kogoro, I love you too~.”

Wait! I didn’t say I love you!

Ah, jeez! Even though the two of them are silent, their reactions are so loud!

“Thank you very much.”

I brush it off and shovel rice into my mouth at a pace that won’t choke me.

I need to finish eating and escape to my room as soon as possible. That’s my only option.

“Kogoro, feed me too~.”

Kaede turns toward me and opens her mouth like a baby bird.

I can’t tell if this is supposed to be sexy or just embarrassing.

And Mom, stop looking at me like a coach who believes in their star player. Don’t cross your arms at the dinner table.

“Stop being spoiled.”

I ignore her and focus on eating my meal.

It’s not like feeding her would be a big deal, but if I do it once, she’ll just escalate.

Do you hate me? Me.”

“Alright, alright.”

You’re being unfair, you know.

“Hot!?”

Yeah, it’s hot—the fried chicken is hot. That’s why I refused it.

“Sizzle, sizzle.”

Hey, don’t stick out your tongue like that.

“You’ve turned a girl into a ruined person, Onii-chan.”

“If you’re a man, you should take responsibility.”

Why are these guys trying to pair me up with Kaede?

I get that they love talking about romance, but don’t make me the subject of their stories. Just watch your low-budget dramas or something.

“Here, some tea.”

“Thanks.”

…It’s exhausting, just utterly tiring.

I want a more exciting kind of romance… something that makes my heart race.

I’m not interested in things like sorcerers, invisible people, or self-proclaimed mamas.

Relatively speaking, seeing Tohru Senpai as the most normal is what’s really tough.

“Thanks for the meal…”

Not only is the portion bigger than usual, but I also had to eat faster, so it’s tough…

What am I really going to do? I can’t keep this up.

I quit halfway through a dating sim, and it’s been bugging me ever since.

But I can’t just start it up again now. I never know when they’re going to come into my room.

Still, it’s only been one day since the curse activated.

It’s so intense, it’s giving me heartburn. I’m actually getting heartburn from eating too much. My body and mind are burning up. It’s like a hot salon… Yeah, boring.

“Kogoro.”

Yes, here it comes. The cause of my heartburn.

But I knew they were coming to my room.

“Go ahead.”

I reluctantly allow entry. I don’t want to have sutras chanted in front of my room door.

“Sorry for interrupting your post-meal break.”

“No need to apologize.”

“Kogoro!”

I’m so happy—getting hugged by my cute childhood friend.

If only her strength wasn’t so unlike a high school girl’s!

Wh-what is this ridiculous strength… Does the tennis club really build muscles like this?

I can’t just gaze at the tennis club girl’s butt with pure feelings anymore. Though, to be honest, maybe I was never that pure.

“Ka-Kaede…”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

It’s not “What’s wrong?”, you know! Tell me in a voice that shows you’re struggling!

Don’t you feel chest pain too? If I hug you with this strength.

“A girl… shouldn’t be hugging me so recklessly…”

It’s presumptuous to call her a girl with such strength.

The proper term is Mountain Gorilla.

“If you’re childhood friends, it’s normal.”

“Y-you haven’t been doing that until now, have you…”

Breath, I can barely breathe…

It’s like a mouse right before being crushed by a snake…

“Yeah, sorry.”

Did you understand? You saved me…

**“I’m sorry I couldn’t hug you before, right? It was tough, wasn’t it? I get it. Because I was struggling too. I was always regretting, you know? If we had hugged, that day we wouldn’t have been betrayed. We used to walk to school together all the time, but one day you suddenly betrayed me. Who could have predicted that? I really started to hate myself. If I had been beautiful, if I had had a great figure, you wouldn’t have abandoned me. I was actually planning to go to a high school with a strong tennis program, but I changed my path to match yours. I didn’t have the chance in middle school, but I thought I’d have the chance in high school, like a hero waiting patiently for a one-hit KO opportunity. But in my first year, we ended up in different classes. When the class assignments were announced, well, I threw up, didn’t I? Needless to say, I even peed my pants. Even just the larger ones didn’t leak, it was a miracle. That was how shocked I was. I couldn’t stop worrying that there might be females targeting you, Kogoro. Well, in the end, it seems there weren’t any like that, which was sad in its own way. It felt like my man had been humiliated.”

“That’s why I’m scared!”

Wait, what did you say?

You said you matched your path? You threw up? You peed?

Wait a minute, those things aren’t related to the curse, right?

Also, the hugs are getting stronger and stronger…

“W-wait, it’s not like I abandoned you…”

“Then why? Why did you start going to school earlier than me that day?”

That question is a problem.

I have no memory of it, none at all.

“It was just whim… sob…”

“Whim? You destroyed my emotions on a whim? Because of your whim, Kogoro, I peed my pants? If that’s the case, it’s beyond sinful. I was lonely and lonely, and I comforted myself with your ballpoint pen…”

“Kaede-neechan! The bath is ready!”

Ah, I’m saved… Sis, great timing! I’ll buy you ice cream next time!

“Since it’s a good opportunity, why not go in with your brother?”

“Yeah, we’re childhood friends after all, that’s good.”

I will never buy it! I’ll never buy you ice cream again!

I thought I’d buy you cosmetics with my first salary when I get a job, but I won’t even buy you a bottle of juice!

“Y-you two, go take a bath together. You have girl-girl conversations, don’t you?”

“Onii-chan, did you chicken out?”

I will absolutely never buy you anything! I won’t even give you New Year’s money!

“Kaede, getting back to how we used to be is what we’re talking about today, right? I want to take my time to deepen our relationship a little more. Understand me, I want to slowly regain four years’ worth of youth.”

“Kogoro… I’m so happy! You really care about me!”

It hurts… but for now, I’m saved…

…I’ve again resorted to a temporary fix… In the end, it’s just procrastination, so the consequences will come later.

…Well, what’s important is that it’s not a lie…