Chapter 75: Complexes

Kaede, once her switch is flipped, becomes an unapproachable oddball. However, she should still be able to communicate. Although she had been acting strangely even before she was cursed, she can get along with Shiro and her little sister—both unaffected by the curse—so talking things out should work.

Remember this well. In the beginning, she was at odds with Shiro, but in the end, they became friends with just the right distance, didn’t they? Most likely, I will initially clash with Ryu-san too, but by the time I head home, we’ll be friends.

That’s right—she’s not a beast. She’s just a sweet, laid-back childhood friend with a slight habit of wetting herself. Clumsy as she may be, she’s an earnest girl who throws herself into tennis with all her might. Lately, though, she’s been slacking off, and she’s planning to quit the club.

I just had a brief phone call with her, and she was calm, so I’m sure everything will work out. I must trust in my own conversational skills, in the tolerance of my childhood friend, and in Ryu-san’s quick wit. No, I must not merely trust them—I have to be unwavering in my belief. If everything falls into place, it will surely work out.

“I’m home, Kaede. Is it all right if I let this person into the house? I want to introduce them…”

“Huh? Wait a minute, wait a minute. ‘Let them into the house?’ Hold on. More like, why did you think that was okay? Hehe, I can’t help but laugh. Hey, could you put yourself in my shoes for a moment? What would happen if your husband said, ‘This is my new mistress, so take care of her’? Yeah, that’d be like a double suicide pact. A man who cheats once will cheat again and again. Sumire-chan’s actions were purely driven by maternal instinct, and I hear Momiji-chan has liked him since freshman year—so, I’ll let that slide. Shiro-chan is a good girl, and it’s obvious that Kogoro isn’t really into it, so I’ll barely let that slide. I mean, none of those three even have any chance against a childhood friend like me, so I really don’t care. But that girl? No way. I mean, that girl is from the Board Game Club, right? Do you really think it’s okay for some random girl to cross the threshold? A white gal like her is totally Kogoro’s type. Hey, you’re not saying she’s the main one, are you? You’re not planning on ditching your old wife and switching to a new woman, are you? …I mean, you two are already that kind of couple, right? You were even sneaking off together since this morning, weren’t you? Ignoring your wife’s calls and getting it on, right? There’s no use trying to cover it up. I can smell excrement coming from Kogoro’s feet. I don’t know whose it is, but I know it sure isn’t his. Hey, what kind of play were you engaging in? Why are you wallowing in another woman’s filth besides me? You’re not going to say you just happened to step on it by the roadside, are you? There’s no way human excrement would just lie on the roadside, and it’s hard to imagine someone stepping on it in such bright daylight. …It was forced, wasn’t it? Don’t play dumb; you wanted to see the white gal humiliated, didn’t you? You forced her to defecate outdoors, didn’t you? Even though she refused when it was with me, why did you force that on her? Why did you abandon me? I have nothing but Kogoro…”

Calm down, me. This rant is relatively decent this time. I even figured out why Shiro and the others are safe, and if I think about it, it’s a pretty good event. I mean, you can actually get a white gal rating in this outfit, huh.

“Hold on, hold on. Sure, it smells like excrement, but that smell isn’t coming from this person.”

“You made another woman defecate during your rendezvous? Huh, so you ended up cheating with two at the same time?”

This is bad—I’ve let slip the existence of a second person. In many ways, I’ve given it away. But that’s important; I can’t pin the defecation false charge on Ryu-san.

And seriously, why on earth has defecation turned into a sexual act among these folks? Excretion is something one must do to live—it should be nothing more than a negative event.

“Was it Hiiragi? This happened because one of my friends had an accident from shock. It wasn’t marking or anything, so don’t worry about it.”

Why can she remain so calm in a situation like this, I wonder. Is it thanks to having cried her eyes out?

“Why is it on Kogoro’s foot? That means Kogoro, being so close, was shocked, right? Hey, what kind of shock was it? What did you fiddle with?”

I don’t have that kind of skill! I don’t have the ability to induce excretion! Humans don’t have any such secret acupoints!

“She only had an accident from the shock of being toyed with by Saka-chan. So, rest assured.”

Ryu-san? The way you put it makes it sound like I’m the perpetrator—what exactly do you have in mind? Are you trying to set me up?

No, that’s not it. In Ryu-san’s eyes, it’s probably the truth. I haven’t toyed with anyone, but among these people…

“So you did toy with her after all—another woman during your rendezvous. A three-way from morning? Typical of a boy in puberty who has energy to spare, huh?”

This isn’t the time for cool-headed analysis. At this rate, a strangulation incident is bound to happen.

I should have coordinated a bit more with Ryu-san. I never expected Ryu-san to regain her composure like this, so I ended up heading home without much conversation so as not to provoke her.

“C-could you at least let me into the house for now?”

Why are we talking at the entrance of my own house? It’s already odd that this guy has a spare key, and now he’s acting as a checkpoint too.

“…Alright. I need to have a thorough talk with that person anyway.”

“Oh, she actually seems talkative. I thought she was a crazy woman who couldn’t communicate.”

Words don’t get through, including yours.

…It’s good that I got into the house, but will it actually turn into a discussion? Probably not. I just hope it doesn’t escalate into a stabbing incident. That’s all I can do at this point.

After the fountain contamination incident, I finally managed to wash the dirt off my feet. I tried not to think about it too much, but it was so disgusting that I feel reborn.

…I hope everything’s okay. I wonder if a murder spree broke out while I was away? There wasn’t any sound, so I want to believe everything’s fine.

“Kyah!”

A typical trope moment is happening!

That scream just now was Ryu-san’s, wasn’t it? It was a scream completely out of character, but judging by the volume, something utterly huge must have happened…!

“W-what happened?!”

Suppressing my urge to run away, I burst into the room.

Please, I just hope there’s no bloodshed…

“W-wow… it’s so smooth…”

“There’s even an angle from behind!”

Huh? They seem to be watching something together like old friends?

…Wait, hold on. What do you mean by “smooth”? And that album…?

“Hey, Kaede.”

“Oh, Kogoro. What’s up?”

“What about you? Why are you showing that to Ryu-san? That top-grade cursed object.”

“Saka-chan, you guys are really crazy. I can’t believe you made an album like this…”

“I did protest, you know.”

I want to die… I got caught looking at the observation diary from after the hair-shaving play…

“It’s a shame I saw the photos before seeing you in person…”

It’s cute how she blushes and keeps sneaking glances instead of looking directly, but still, I wish she’d just go home. And honestly, it’s about time this album got disposed of.

“Huh? Ryu-chan, you haven’t looked at it yet?”

What happened in such a short time? While I was washing my feet and socks, how close did you two get in just a few minutes?

“The last time I saw my father’s was about ten years ago.”

You’re so cute. But don’t look any further. I don’t want you to see these super smooth photos. I wouldn’t mind if they weren’t smooth, but still. Besides, I hate the fact that there’s a photo album of my own private parts on my bookshelf.

By the way, there’s one for everyone.

…I’ll take the photos of Shiro and Momiji that I’ve masturbated to a few times all the way to the grave.

“Heh? So Ryu-chan really doesn’t know any men, huh?”

Even though the tension was easing and it seemed like we might avoid a stabbing incident, don’t go egging us on. I feel like this situation is even worse than a stabbing incident.

Besides, you don’t really know any men, do you? Just knowing me is enough.

“Listen, I don’t sell my body… if I wanted, I could make as many men as I wanted. And stop calling me Ryu.”

You’re lying. You can’t even hold hands with a man. Even borrowing the curse’s power, you can’t properly make an approach.

“Then what should I call you?”

“…Isshiki Isshiki.”

Oh, so that’s your name. It’s a surname… right?

“And your given name? Is it okay if I just call you Ryu as it is?”

You really love getting close, don’t you? It feels like the hierarchy is set in stone, as if there’s no need for hostility.

By the way, how did we even end up looking at a private parts album? It was such an antagonistic atmosphere before.

……

Why are you silent? Now that I think about it, I don’t even know your full name. Is it that embarrassing of a name?

“Sorry, but I don’t plan on getting chummy with anyone outside the Board Game Club. Saka-chan is the exception.”

You’re putting on a lone wolf act, but you’re probably just socially awkward. Maybe you even have a little rivalry going on.

“Alright then. The album is confiscated…”

“Green, Midori! Isshiki Midori!”

Eh… You flip-flopped so easily. Do you really want to see my private parts that badly?

By the way, “Midori”? There’s no “Ryu” in there, is there?

“Is it okay if I call you Midori? And why did you choose Ryu-chan?”

“…Call me Isshiki.”

Do you hate being called by your given name that much? I feel like you have a complex about your given name—not because you’re Kaede, but because you wouldn’t even tell me your given name until I used your private parts as bait, and then you just gave it away.

“Why? ‘Midori’ is a cute name. Mine is cuter, though.”

Hey, don’t open the album. Don’t compare someone’s name to someone’s private parts.

“Sure, Saka-chan’s thing is cute, but my name isn’t cute, is it?”

What? So according to you, my private parts are inferior? The person who named me would cry!

Ah, I see. You act like a rogue gambler, but you’re insecure because your name is cute.

I don’t really understand, but does the atmosphere feel good? It seems like there won’t be any battles for a while, so for now, that’s a relief…

“So? Why were Kogoro and Isshiki-san on a date? Even ignoring my wife’s calls?”

…Yeah, right.