The Carnivorous Maidens Living with Me - Chapter 14 & 15

Chapter 14: Commotion, Cause, and Allies ~ The Day Before the Decisive Battle

The rumor of a person lasts for seventy-five days.

This proverb suggests that time resolves things.

In other words, it could mean being forgotten.

However, if a faint ember is fanned with a bit of wind and fed with kindling, it quickly turns into a blazing flame.

The rumors about Sofia Kisaragi are the same.

A fire on the verge of dying out was turned into a flame by someone with malicious intent.

And it became a hellfire that consumed her.

※

The time is 11 a.m.

The classroom during the lesson was utterly silent.

The students, the teacher—everyone was quiet.

The reason was all because of one thing.

All eyes were on us, standing at the classroom entrance with our arms crossed.

The math teacher, in his late forties, stood out with his sharp seven-three parting.

He’s strictly by-the-book, not well-liked by students because he’s inflexible.

But I know something about him.

He’s a devoted husband and totally smitten with his daughter.

“Kamizuki-kun, Kisaragi-san, you’re late. What’s the reason?”

Here it comes! The question I was waiting for.

I pulled Sofia close by the shoulder and answered.

“Well, you see, we were having such a wild time all morning that we overslept. Haha, sorry about that!”

“Huh?”

“What?”

The class would naturally react like that.

“Wild time?”

“Are they dating?”

“No way, that girl?”

“Sofia-taaan!”

Everyone starts buzzing, whispering to those around them.

“Ahem! Quiet down! The reason for your tardiness… I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it. Hurry and take your seats.”

“Yes, sir!”

We respond and head to our seats.

“Catch you later,” I whisper in Sofia’s ear.

The lesson continues without incident, but there’s a restless vibe in the air.

The chime signals the start of lunch break.

“What’s that about, Kamizuki?!”

“Explain yourself!”

Some guys from the class corner me.

Exactly as I expected.

I keep my cool and answer lightly.

“You heard me earlier, right? Figure it out.”

I say it with a challenging tone, but the verbal attacks don’t stop.

“No, we don’t get it!”

Then, I spot one of the sources of the rumors.

“Why’re you with someone like Kisaragi?! She’s just some girl who spreads her legs for—”

This guy’s the class’s self-proclaimed leader.

The classic tall, handsome type.

He’s got absolute confidence in his looks, thinking any girl he hits on will fall for him.

A delusional jerk.

Apparently, he confessed to Sofia last year and got rejected.

This morning, Sofia told me he’s one of the causes of the rumors.

“…Hey.”

I grabbed the guy’s head.

More precisely, I had him in an iron claw.

“Ow… owowowow!”

The handsome guy and everyone around him are thrown off, confused by the sudden move.

“You… don’t you dare talk crap about my girlfriend. I’ll crush you.”

I pull his face close, glaring into his eyes through my fingers.

The entire class gasps at the sight.

Some girls even fall back, trembling.

No surprise there.

I’m usually the chubby guy who never gets mad.

The class probably just sees me as the guy who gets teased for his size and pigs out on homemade snacks.

When a guy who’s usually calm snaps, it’s terrifying.

It’s that gap-moe thing.

Not exactly moe, but my heart’s burning.

“Got it?”

The guy nods frantically, tears in his eyes.

I don’t ease up.

Man, I’m way more pissed about Sofia’s situation than I realized.

At that moment, I started to understand my own feelings a bit better.

As I tightened my grip, ready to go harder, someone intervened (or rather, saved him).

“Shoma, that’s enough! Any more, and… it’s not gonna be a joke.”

It’s my best friend, Haruki.

He’s one of the few who knows what I’m like when I get like this.

That’s why he stepped in at just the right moment.

“Tch!”

I let out a loud tongue-click and reluctantly released the guy.

He collapsed to the floor with a gatan, his pants… wet.

Guess he’s all talk after all.

Because of jerks like him, Sofia…

I wanted to swing a punch, but I held back and walked away.

“Haruki, thanks. Also… we need to talk.”

“Yeah.”

I went to Sofia, suggested we move somewhere else, and the three of us left the classroom.

In the cooking club’s room—the prep kitchen—four of us sat: me, Sofia, Haruki, and Haruki’s girlfriend, Ai.

Well, technically there’s only the three of them sitting.

“Haruki, Ai, please help us! I’m begging you!”

I bowed deeply to them, pouring my heart into it.

Next to me, Sofia froze, eyes wide, stunned.

As for the two of them?

“Got it!”

“You can count on us!”

They answered in a split second, without even hearing the details.

“Wait, I haven’t even said—”

Even I was shocked.

“If it’s a favor from you, Shoma, I’m in!”

“Exactly! For Shoma-kun, it’s an automatic yes!”

“Haha…”

All I could do was laugh awkwardly.

Come on, guys, be a little skeptical.

“So? What do we need to do?”

Haruki asked with a slight smile.

I glanced at Sofia.

She seemed to catch my intent and nodded slightly.

I explained the situation about Sofia, avoiding the gritty details of the bullying but covering the basics.

When I finished, Ai was crying for some reason.

She went to Sofia and gently hugged her.

“!?”

Sofia looked startled by the sudden embrace but didn’t seem to mind.

“Hic… you… gusu… you’ve been so strong…”

She’s full-on sobbing.

Seeing that, Sofia’s profile, with slightly teary eyes, looked like a weight had been lifted off her.

Chapter 15: A Single Will Ripples Everywhere ~ The Day Before the Decisive Battle

“What I want to ask Haruki and Ai to do is…”

I explained the outline of the strategy.

And the roles for the two of them.

“Pfft… Hahahaha!”

“Shoma-kun, are you serious?”

“Yeah, dead serious.”

Haruki burst out laughing, while Ai looked worried.

Well, that’s a normal reaction.

“But, heh, it’s so like you, Shoma!”

“Well, the plan’s a bit wild, but if it works, it’ll be pretty fun.”

Ai seemed a bit anxious but was getting on board.

“Right? If it works, a queen will be born in this school by tomorrow.”

“Heh, that’s gonna be a sight!”

“So, I need you two to spread a certain rumor today. With your connections, it should be a piece of cake, right?”

The two are part of the soccer club and its manager.

In a huge school like this, clubs are a big deal.

As major sports clubs have a lot of members.

“Well… it’s not impossible, but are you sure about that rumor?”

“Yeah, it’s a stepping stone for tomorrow. The vaguer the rumor’s credibility, the bigger the shock when the truth comes out, right? Fufufu.”

“Shoma… you’re turning into a devil.”

Haruki was put off by my laugh, but I didn’t care.

“And tomorrow, I’m counting on you for stirring things up and securing people!”

I bowed my head again.

“P-Please, I’m begging you too.”

Sofia, next to me, bowed as well.

Seeing her, Ai smiled gently and asked.

“Sofia-chan, until now… I was a little scared of you.”

“You kept everyone at a distance, never connecting with anyone.”

Ai continued, her voice kind but tinged with guilt.

“But after learning the truth today… and seeing you with Shoma-kun, I want to know more about you.”

“It’s not my place to say as someone who just stood by, but… when your heart finally finds peace.”

Ai took Sofia’s hand, smiling with a tender, caring expression.

“I want you to be my friend.”

“…F-Friend…”

Sofia covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide with shock.

She must have been waiting for those words for so long.

Her expression said it all.

“I-I… want to be friends too!”

She was trying to face forward.

“Yeah! But you don’t have to rush. Let’s become friends slowly, after you’re ready.”

“For that, we’ll make sure tomorrow succeeds no matter what!”

Ai’s eyes blazed with determination.

It seems a fire was lit in her too.

Seeing them, Haruki and I grinned at each other.

“You gonna reach out to the others?”

Haruki’s question prompted me to nod and list the allies.

“Yeah, there are a few. Let’s see… the drama club, the broadcasting club, the student council president, Hazuki and her friends, I guess…”

As I spoke, Haruki and Ai jumped in with support.

“I know some people in the drama club, so I’ll talk to them! The costumes are gonna be… well, you know.”

“I’ll handle the broadcasting club! I’ll use the president’s dark secrets to snag their equipment.”

Their reliable words made me smirk naturally.

“You’re a beast, Ai-san! That’s insane! Glad you’re on our side!”

Then I moved to the final details.

“I’ve already contacted the president and Hazuki to some extent, so it should go smoothly. Though I’ll probably get roped into helping the student council or making cakes afterward…”

“Well, if that’s all it takes, that’s fine, right? The president can’t ignore human drama like this, just like you.”

“I’m not like that…”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Haruki grinned smugly.

“All I want is to help my girlfriend!”

I glanced at Sofia.

Her face was bright red.

“…Jeez.”

Haruki and Ai grinned even wider.

“Thanks for the meal!”

With that, they left the prep kitchen.

Afterward, I told Sofia to head home early to prepare for tomorrow.

She looked reluctant to leave, but staying at school would just expose her to curious stares and stress.

I took a deep breath to psych myself up.

It was time to face one of our allies—and the biggest hurdle.

My cooking club junior, Hazuki Shirasaki.

I bowed so low my head practically fused with the floor.

Hazuki-san was totally freaked out but agreed to help.

The student council president, being understanding, gave her approval… or rather, turned a blind eye.

After all, what we’re planning tomorrow isn’t exactly something the student council can officially condone.

I also secured more people through deals (mostly involving sweets) and kept preparing for tomorrow.

The decisive battle is tomorrow.

Get ready to witness the birth of a queen!

“Fuhahahaha!”