Striving to Become the Ideal Man in a World of Reversed Chastity

That night, it was already past 9 PM.

“…Huh? You’re coming over now? Why?”

“Why? Am I not allowed to?”

Out of nowhere, I got a call from Himeko. I answered, and for some reason, she suddenly said she was coming to my place.

“I mean, I didn’t say you couldn’t, but… it’s already pretty late, you know? Isn’t it dangerous for you to be walking alone at this hour?”

Himeko was (technically) a girl, after all. Walking alone at night could be risky—there were creeps out there.

“Ahaha, what are you talking about? Unlike you, I’m a girl, so nothing’s gonna happen to me walking around at this time.”

“Huh? …Oh, right.”

Oh yeah, things were flipped in this world. I remembered hearing about a suspicious person before, but it wasn’t a guy harassing women—it was a woman harassing men. If that was the case, I guess it was not really a problem for Himeko to be out late at night.

“What do you mean, ‘Oh, right’?”

“Ah, no, nothing. Well, if that’s the case, I guess I don’t mind if you come over. But why so late? Did something happen?”

I asked the question that was bugging me the most. Did something serious happen?

“Oh, uh, well… my mom told me to bring you some fresh vegetables. My relatives who own a farm just sent us a bunch, so she said I should share some with you. You’re good at cooking, right? You can use them when you make something.”

“Wait, really? That’s awesome!”

As someone who cooked for myself, getting free ingredients was a huge plus. Himeko’s parents were originally from Hokkaido, and a lot of their relatives were farmers. They’d sent me vegetables and rice before, and every time, it was all seriously delicious. So yeah, I had high expectations for this batch too. But…

“Still, if that’s all it is, you don’t have to bring them tonight, right? Aren’t they heavy? I could just come pick them up on the weekend.”

“What are you talking about? They’re fresh, so you have to eat them as soon as possible. It’d be a waste otherwise. And they’re not that heavy—it’s fine. So yeah, I’m coming over now.”

“Well… if you’re that set on it, I guess it’s fine.”

When Himeko got like this, there was no changing her mind. Arguing would be pointless, so I just gave in. That was the easiest way to keep the peace.

(Come to think of it, isn’t this the first time Himeko’s coming over this late?)

Back in my original world, this kind of situation would’ve been impossible. No way would a girl be out this late on her own. But now that I thought about it… wasn’t this a perfect chance to get closer to Himeko? If I was aiming for something with her, I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. Alright, in that case…

“Oh, but hey—if you come over now, won’t it be pretty late by the time you go home?”

“Huh? Well… yeah, I guess it might be a little late… but it’s not a big deal, right?”

“You never know. What if the trains stop running or something?”

“I-I don’t think that’s gonna happen…”

“Hey, just hear me out. Besides, carrying a big load all the way here is already tiring, right? And then going back home after that would be even more exhausting.”

“U-uh… well, I guess you have a point…?”

“Right? So, in that case… why don’t you just stay over?”

“Wha—?! W-what are you saying?!”

When I suggested she stay the night, Himeko let out a loud, shocked yell. It had been a while since I’d seen—or rather, heard—her react like this.

“Huh? Why are you shouting like that?”

I asked in a deliberately confused tone. Then, Himiko replied with a trembling voice, “Y-You… don’t you even realize what you’re saying!?”

(Well, of course I know what I’m saying. But so what??)

As usual, I tried to flip the situation around. If this were the original world, it would be like my childhood friend, a girl living alone with a super sexy body, telling me to stay over because it was late at night, right? There was no way I wouldn’t panic in that situation.

But also, wasn’t it possible that Himiko was kind of trying to make a move on me by showing up at my place late at night? …It could totally be the case, right?? Hmm, if that was the case, then I had to make her understand, right??

“Huh? I don’t understand at all, what’s going on?”

“N-No! You… I’m a girl, you know?? And you’re a guy, right!”

“Yeah, I know. So what?”

“Wh-What do you mean, so what… If I were to stay over at your place, and something went wrong… what would we do?”

“Huh!? Himiko, are you trying to do something with me!?”

“Eh? Wha—!?”

When I raised my voice dramatically and said that, Himeko shouted back at me even louder.

“No! It’s just a hypothetical! I-I would never feel anything for you, you pervert!”

“Oh, I see. I almost misunderstood. So you’re saying you’d never do anything sexual with someone like me, right?”

“Y-Yes! Of course not! I-I’ve never seen you like that, not even once!”

Well, to be honest, I’d thought about Himeko in a perverted way plenty of times. If I could have sex with her, I totally would. After all, if there was an opportunity, it was a man’s duty to take it.

“Hmm, so it’s fine, then! Since you’re saying that, it’s definitely okay, right? Plus, your school is closer to my place, so if you’re already coming this way, staying over would be more convenient, wouldn’t it?”

“Ugh… Well, I guess that’s true…”

“Right? You agree, don’t you? So, if there’s no problem, just come over already. Or… is it that you’re actually embarrassed about staying over?”

“Huh!?”

“Ah, I see, I hit the nail on the head, huh? Haha, so you’re worried about me seeing you sleep or something? That’s so cute.”

“What!? No way! It’s not like that! I wouldn’t be embarrassed for you, my childhood friend, to see me in such a state!”

“Oh, I see, I see—looks like I misunderstood again. My bad! But then, if that’s the case, staying at my place shouldn’t be a problem, right? After all, you’re saying nothing will happen with me and you’re not embarrassed about it, right?? Right?”

“Ugh… Ah… Fine, fine! I’ll stay over! It’s really okay, right??”

“Of course it’s fine! I’ll clean up the room and wait for you. See you later!”

“Yeah, see you soon…”

—Beep (The call with Himiko has ended.)

I hung up the phone after that.

(…Just as planned!!)

I thought to myself, smiling. The result was even better than I expected. I managed to convince Himiko to stay over at my place. In just a few minutes, Himiko would be here. Alright, I should clean my room first.

(Hmm, but…)

As I was thinking, something struck me during our conversation… Was it just me, or did she really seem to be thinking about me a lot? If the roles were reversed, I’d definitely be trying to make a move, so honestly, I felt like Himeko was trying to do the same. At this rate, I felt like Himiko was way easier to manipulate than someone like Kashima.

(Hmm… well, still, I won’t make a move first!)

Yeah, I decided that I would never make the first move with Himiko. It was like a sense of pride as a childhood friend… When it came to childhood friends, there was a weird feeling that the one who made the first move lost, you know? So when it came to Himiko, I’d never make the first move. I’d keep setting it up so she made a move on me instead.

Oh, by the way, when it came to Kashima or Sakurai, I was totally planning on going all out with them, though.