The Villainous Uncle in the Adult Game Gets Unusually High Praise from the Heroines - Chapter 14

Fantasy was wonderful. Its unrealistic nature was appealing. Since it’s a different world with different rules and laws, any amount of unreasonableness or convenience was permissible.

I think that’s fantasy’s greatest charm. Yeah, that’s probably why the works I write tend toward fantasy.

I think it’s a rather shallow reason, even by my own standards. I often wonder if creating works to vent things we can’t do in reality might be sacrilege to the creative act itself. But, still. I still find myself disappointed that this world isn’t fantasy.

◆

“Senpai~”

“What is it~?”

I turned my attention to Asahi, my junior who sprawled lazily across the desk. This is unusual for her. Asahi was usually full of energy, and my image of her was someone who’s always bustling around busily when I see her.

“I’m bored~”

“Well, telling me that doesn’t help…”

“Do some kind of performance~”

“That’s asking too much…”

“Chugging cola would be fine too?”

“No, that’s impossible. Besides, there’s no cola here.”

“Then go buy some.”

“Don’t try to make your senpai run errands.”

“Ow!”

I poked her head. Then, I thought that she did have a point. It’s lunch break, and there’s nothing to do. We did our short story reading and feedback session last week, and now we have no text on hand.

If Yozuki were here, she might suggest something good while shrugging her shoulders saying “good grief”– no, considering her personality.

When bored, she was the type to start reading a book she brought in the corner of the room.

[Our time is finite, there’s no such thing as boredom. For example, I have tons of books piled up to read. Besides, couldn’t you just study if you have nothing to do?]

That’s the kind of thing she’d say.

…She’d definitely say that.

If nothing else, Kongou Yoruzki was someone who knew better than anyone how to kill time.

“Come to think of it, where is Yozuki?”

“Yo-chan has a library committee meeting. Since Yo-chan is the secretary despite being a first-year, she can’t skip it.”

“Ah, right, she mentioned that before.”

“More importantly, senpai~”

“What? I’m not going to chug cola?”

“Not that, senpai. Has anything changed recently?”

“Changed? Why do you think that?”

“Well, you came here earlier than usual today, didn’t you? So I wondered if something happened~”

“Well, about that…”

I recall what happened during lunch break. I was surprised when Sakurako took out a lunchbox from her bag.

“Oh? Did you make lunch?”

When I asked that, she seemed flustered and said, “N-never mind that. I’m eating alone today, so Shou, you should go to your club activities.”

…

The reason I ate lunch with her was my mother’s instruction.

“That child has a habit of being alone if left to herself, so you should stay with her,” she said.

Even without that, she has zero friends and needs looking after in various ways.

Thinking that, I ended up spending many lunch breaks with her, but this was the first time she clearly told me something like that.

Hmm…

“Nothing really happened.”

“Well, I guess you could say you came early because nothing happened.”

Asahi nodded to herself in understanding.

Then, the classroom door opened with a clatter. Thinking it might be Yozuki, I looked over, but surprisingly it was Hinomoto Tomoe.

“Hinomoto?”

“Hey everyone~ How’re you doing?”

She comes over to us with a smile, holding a file in her hand.

What could it be?

Probably the reason she came here, I think.

“What brings you here, Hinomoto-senpai?”

Asahi asks in a somewhat irritated tone, but Hinomoto maintains her cheerful manner and says,

“I finished the rough draft for the club magazine cover, thought I’d show you.”

“Oh, it’s done already? Isn’t that a bit early?”

“Well, I got really fired up this time~”

Saying this, she takes out some printer paper from the file and shows it to us. What was drawn there was– without flattery, quite a skilled illustration.

No, really skilled.

Was she always this good?

Wait, is this digital art?

I thought Hinomoto usually did analog illustrations…

“How is it?”

“Hmm, personally I like the second one better.”

“Ah, I thought so too. What about you, Sho-kun?”

When I look at Hinomoto asking me this, I think “Huh?”

Is she wearing makeup?

That’s rare.

I had the impression Hinomoto didn’t do that sort of thing, but it’s obvious enough that even someone as clueless about makeup as me can tell she’s wearing it.

Her cheeks seem to have a slight redness, and her lips are glossy.

“Sho-kun?”

“Ah. Um, I think the second one is good too.”

“I see. Well then, I’ll go with the second one for the final version. Well, adieu~”

As she left the classroom simply like that, Asahi watched her back with what seemed like resentment.

Then, maintaining that gaze, she looked at me.

“That was something, wasn’t it?”

“What was?”

“Senpai. Your gaze was something else?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“…Never mind.”

After that, I ended up having to buy cola from the vending machine and chug it to improve her mood, which had somehow turned sour.