After All I'm a Lolicon Really Sorry Chapter 18-24

「Mom, didn’t you tell Utsukushi-chan that I’m coming back?」

Right now the family dining table I haven’t seen for so long is filled with people. Utsukushi-chan’s look of shock when she saw me come home before was clearly because my family didn’t tell her the news of my return.

「Ara, I wanted to give Utsukushi-chan a surprise.」

「You’re not giving her a surprise, I’d say you’re giving me a surprise.」

「Oku-kun this child has been away for so long, you won’t even pass on being witty with your mother? Sigh, you children must have it hard being together with Oku-kun.」

「Ah, exactly, this junior doesn’t respect us seniors at all!」

「If you want me to respect you Akiha-senpai, then please bring out the mannerisms a senior should have!」

A senior who gives his junior a pair of underwear early morning on the way to school, exactly what sort of respect do you want me to give you?

「Sigh, Obasan you really are amazing for being able to raise Lo-kun… Aoba-kouhai so big.」

「You really are right you pretty young lady, know that Oku-kun has always been a loner since he was little. I spent a lot of effort to make him have more contact with other people.」

「What kind of effort did you spend, you just thought I was troublesome!」

In the past, Mom would regularly kick me over to Awayume’s house for dinner after school because she was too lazy to cook for me.

「Oku-kun, I did everything for your own good. Look, Awayume’s relationship with you is already so good, sooner or later you’ll have to go meet her parents. I’m helping you prepare in advance.」

「Is Awayume the other girl who came together with you to the concert hall Lo-kun…. Aoba-kouhai? So you guys knew each other since you were little kids, how’s the feeling of growing up with a pretty girl since you were little?」

「Ah… Um, Mom, let me introduce her to you. Her name is Kamina Eno, she’s the granddaughter of Ando-sensei who taught me to draw in elementary school.」

I hurriedly change the subject. Mom looks towards Kamina Eno who is sitting at the side and eating with small bites, her eyes are filled with little stars.

「Ando-sensei’s granddaughter is actually a foreigner? I wanted to say before how is this child so beautiful!」

「Beautiful?」

Kamina Eno puts down the chopsticks in her hand and looks at my mom.

「That’s right, what a beautiful girl you are.」

「Mom, your image, moreover I think our Utsukushi-chan doesn’t lose to anyone else!」

「You truly are a siscon...」

Three people simultaneously say this line. Speaking of it, how come you’re also calling me a sison Amamiya Kotosuzu… But I don’t dare to ask her, otherwise I won’t be able to finish this meal today.

「Onii-chan, thank you.」

Utsukushi-chan smiles softly at me and my HP instantly recovers. Even if I was called a siscon it’s worth it!

「Oh right Mom, where’s Dad?」

「You’re actually just mentioning him, he’ll definitely be very sad if he knows.」

「What can I do, it’s not my fault Dad has never had much of a presence...」

「True, so until now have you still not noticed that he’s actually also sitting at the dinner table?」

「......」

I scan all of the people at the dinner table and sure enough, beside Akiha-senpai I discover a familiar figure.

「Dad… If you’re here then say something!」

「Listening to you guys speak, is enough.」

This father of mine has always had a weak presence, there was even a time where when we were taking a family photo, I looked around for him for a long time and in the end discovered that he was sitting on the chair of the shooting location the entire time. (TL: He also used to be a basketball player...)

「Huh, so someone was sitting beside me.」

「Enough Akiha-senpai! You’ll make my dad cry!」

But father still has no expression on his face. Speaking of it, since I was young I’ve never seen him have much expression, but in reality I know that he really is a good father. You can say that he is the role model among good fathers of silently caring for his children while not making the children feel constrained. The paternal ideology I believe one must possess to become a lolicon was learned precisely from him.

After finishing this meal, I help wash the dishes together with mother, with me is also Utsukushi-chan. Originally Amamiya Kotosuzu and Asakusa Murasaki also wanted to help, but they were all rejected by my mother.

「Oku-kun, hurry up and tell Mom which of these girls is it you like?」

「Onii-chan...already has a girl he likes?」

Utsukushi-chan speaks even before me.

「No I don’t! They’re all friends from my club, it’s not like you think!」

Hearing my words Utsukushi-chan sets her heart down, but Mother looks at me with a grin.

「You really do like that child Awayume, if it’s Awayume you have my full approval. After all she’s even run over to Tokyo to go to school for you Oku-kun.」

「Awayume...」

I don’t know how to refute Mother, even I don’t really know how I see Awayume, I know that right now I still don’t have any feelings of love for her, but to me she is also a very important person.

「Young people need to deal with their own problems themselves.」

After washing the dishes I give to Utsukushi-chan the gift I bought in Tokyo before. After opening it Utsukushi-chan is very happy.

「What a pretty bracelet! Thank you Onii-chan.」

「As long as you like it, hurry up and wear it.」

Sure enough other girls will all like what a girl chooses… I still can’t tell what’s so pretty about this one.

「Onii-chan, can you put it on for me?」

Utsukushi-chan sticks out her left hand and looks at me in anticipation. I of course won’t reject her and gently grasp her white wrist with one hand, my other hand places the bracelet over from her palm.

「Utsukushi-chan is so pretty wearing this bracelet, I should say it’s because Utsukushi-chan is pretty.」

「Really? Onii-chan, I’m so happy!」

Utsukushi-chan’s healing rate has always been 100%!

Afterwards because it’s a training camp, I still have to go back with them to Tamaki. Mother, Father and Utsukushi-chan see me off to the house entrance.

「You guys are welcome back, don’t be shy at all.」

「Onii-chan, I will go over to see you guys.」

「Okay, we’re going then.」

After saying goodbye to my family, we return to Tamaki. At this time everybody decides to go soak in the hot spring.

「Junior, Junior...」

Akiha-senpai calls to me quietly. Looking at the smile on his face I know that’s it’s definitely nothing good.

「At this sort of moment, isn’t the usual routine that the boys should go borrow the underwear of the girls, when do we strike?」

「Asakusa-senpai, Akiha-senpai asks when can he go steal you guys’ underwear!」

I directly yell to Asakusa-senpai, with a terrifying smile Asakusa-senpai drags away Akiha-senpai saying they’re going to have a talk.

「Aoba-kouhai! You actually betrayed your senior!」

「Sorry, I’ve never heard of this sort of routine, so please take action yourself Senpai.」

Not long later I hear Senpai release a shrill scream, but I’ve already entered the hot spring. The steam is dense in the hot spring and the water temperature is perfect, at this moment a day of weary travel obtains great relief.

It’s that time again to imagine the wonderful figure of little lolis! A body is slowly outlined in the steam, a tall stature and curvy figure, inviting imagination.

Huh? Curvy figure?

Why would I imagine this sort of thing? I was clearly thinking of little lolis! Hurry up and disperse! Disperse!

But no matter how much I want it to disperse, the supposedly imagined figure in front of me is still vaguely advancing forward in the steam. I can faintly see a head of long hair as beautiful as cherry blossoms.

「Miss, Kamina… Eno?」

「Ya.」

「This isn’t a “Ya”! This is the male bath! Male bath! Can you please tell me why you’re in here!」

「Felt like, this place would be better.」

「This isn’t a problem that can be decided by your feeling!」

It’s over, it’s definitely that Kamina Eno who was alone was staring at the male and female bath unsure of which to choose, and then based on her feeling entered the male bath with me in it...

「Miss Kamina Eno, do you know that our situation right now is very serious?」

「Serious?」

Let it be known that even though the bathing time is relatively early and there aren’t any other customers, but in a bit Akiha-senpai will definitely come in.

「Overall, hurry up and leave right now. Go to that hot spring next door, understand?」

「Okay.」

Kamina Eno turns around about to leave.

「Aoba-kouhai I’m coming! I say, aren’t you a little too mean, originally I even planned on giving you a pair of underwear!」

Pu! Why did Akiha-senpai come so quickly at this sort of moment? I can sense that soon he will see a person standing in the steam who shouldn’t be here.

「Ah, screw it, come into the hot spring for now!」

I quietly call Kamina Eno into the water, after entering the hot spring she sits beside me.

「Aoba-kouhai? Are you not here?」

「Ah, I am, I am! You’ve come Senpai.」

「And I thought you left after just soaking up in here for so little time, then I’ll go shower off first and then come in.」

Hearing that Senpai won’t be coming in right away, I let out a slight breath of relief. This means I still have a chance to struggle.

「Miss Kamina Eno, our situation right now is very bad, do you understand?」

「Understand… Don’t understand?」

「Say you understand!」

「Umderstand.」

「Excellent, then this is my plan. In a bit I’ll go wash Senpai’s hair and I’ll purposely get soap bubbles in his eyes. Then you’ll take the chance to run out, got it? Say got it! 」

「Got it.」

Right now I’ll just do whatever I can. Me and Kamina Eno get out of the water together and then walk over to Akiha-senpai.

「Akiha-senpai, let me wash your hair for you.」

「You’ve actually got such a good heart Aoba-kouhai?」

「Just treat this as my thank you gift for taking care of me all this time Senpai.」

「Hahaha, okay.」

I squeeze a pile of shampoo onto my hand and rapidly rub Senpai’s hair. In a bit a large amount of soap bubbles are created and I take the opportunity to pretend to accidentally get soap in Senpai’s eyes.

「Ah, it hurts, it hurts!」

「I’m sorry Senpai, I’ll go right away to find clear water for you to rinse your eyes!」

I rub even more soap into his eyes while I’m at it and then run back into the hot spring, pulling Kamina Eno who doesn’t understand what’s going on and running towards the entrance of the hot spring. But as I pull her I feel that something is a bit off, where’s… her towel?

「Ah!!!!!」

This is of course my screaming, Miss Kamina Eno doesn’t even care that her towel has already dropped.

「So noisy.」

「This isn’t a problem of noisy or not noisy, where’s your towel?」

I turn my head around not daring to look at that body of hers that will make my blood pump.

「When I ran, it dropped.」

「You’ve got to hurry up and say this sort of thing!」

「Aoba-kouhai? You still haven’t found clean water yet?」

「Wait a bit Senpai! The tap here is broken!」

「Hurry up! It hurts!」

I loudly comfort Senpai’s emotions and then look all over the ground for her lost towel.

「Don’t you know where you lost your towel?」

「In the water.」

「.....」

I’m screwed, I’ll definitely die, absolutely will die, must die!

「Aoba-kouhai… Are you still not done? I think it doesn’t hurt so much anymore.」

Over at Akiha-senpai’s side it seems like he’s already about to finish clearing up the soap bubbles, and over on my side we’re still in the danger zone.

「Ah!!! I don’t care anymore!」

With my back to Kamina Eno, I rip off the towel on my body and hand it over to her.

「Hurry up and wear it and go change into your own clothes!」

Exactly who is it whom bestowed upon me this courage? The God of Hot Springs?

Kamina Eno receives that towel I hand over to her and wraps up her devilish body. She walks out of the male bath while I stand naked in the hazy steam.

「Aoba-kouhai...」

「Oh, I found clean water.」

I absentmindedly open that tap that wasn’t broken in the first place and get a bucket of water, washing off all of the shampoo on Senpai’s head.

「Ah… Much better, Aoba-kouhai why’d it take you so long… Why are you naked!?」

「I threw away the towel, bathing like this is much more sincere, maybe I can move the God of Hot Springs.」

「Huh? Is it like that?」

Akiha-senpai also takes off his towel.

「Hahaha, it truly is a lot more comfortable! The method you mentioned really isn’t bad Junior!」

「Hehe, is that so.」

I chuckle helplessly, and so me and Senpai soak naked in the hot spring together. The only thing worth rejoicing is that I found the towel Kamina Eno used to wrap around her body before, so I don’t have to go as far as walking into the changing room naked.

「Ah… Soaking in a hot spring really is comfortable, if I can borrow the underwear of the girls it’ll be even better.」

Akiha-senpai looks to be in high-spirits after changing into a bathrobe, while I look even more tired than before soaking in the hot spring.

After we walk out of the male bath we just so happen to encounter Asakusa-senpai and the girls who are drinking milk. I notice that Asakusa-senpai’s gaze looking at me is filled with a playful look.

「How was it Lo-kun?」

「The hot spring here is pretty good, I had a very nice bath.」

「No no no, I’m asking you...」

Senpai reveals a devilish smile.

「How’s Eno’s body?」

「... Please let me forget this.」

==

After soaking in the hot springs, drinking a bottle of milk and playing ping pong has always been the routine. Right now Akiha-senpai is in the middle of a fierce battle with Asakusa-senpai, originally the scene should have been a very harmonious scene of teens releasing their youthful sweat, but their expressions were each less youthful than the other’s. I should say that they’re quite savage.

「Hehehe, another two points and your underwear is mine.」

Akiha-senpai smiles grimly.

「He, until now you haven’t even beaten me once. You probably don’t have more than two pairs of pants you can wear right now, don’t you?」

With the absolute advantage, Asakusa-senpai looks at Akiha-senpai with disdain.

Their ping pong skills are both quite superb, originally this should have been a wonderful match, but before the match they made a bet that made this ping pong table covered in shame.

Three points for one match, currently Akiha-senpai has already lost four pairs of pants, another two losses and he’ll really be only be able to walk on the streets in his underwear...

With a ball that grazes the edge of the table, Senpai once again loses a pair of pants. He only has the last pair of pants he can wear in this training camp.

「I think you should stop it, right now you’ve only got the uniform pants that you can lose to me.」

Asakusa-senpai purposely angers Akiha-senpai, Akiha-senpai looks at her while grinding his teeth.

「I’ll definitely win your underwear today!」

I honestly can’t watch anymore and go drag down Akiha-senpai.

「Enough Akiha-senpai… You’ve got the classic gambler's mentality right now.」

「No! I can definitely win!」

「Fine fine fine, we’re going back first...」

I drag back to the room Akiha-senpai who is shouting and clamouring. Upon returning to the room his originally angered appearance immediately becomes pitiful.

「Junior… Please do lend me a pair of pants!」

Senpai definitely can’t stand having only one pair of pants to wear for so many days without changing, I pull out two pairs of pants from my luggage and give them to him. At this moment, from his perspective I’m probably covered in light.

「Senpai, I’m going to go out for a walk, wanna come?」

「It’s okay, I plan on resting a bit in the room. I still haven’t communicated yet today with the underwear my little sister personally gave to me before I left.」

「Are you sure she personally gave it to you?」

「Absolutely positively sure, I ran for over two hours before she agreed.」

「....」

Does this person really have a bottom line?

I walk out of Tamaki. Even though I want to go out for a walk, there isn’t some place I want to go in particular. I walk in the direction opposite to home, passing through some familiar streets I walk to the shopping street.

The setup of the shopping street is almost identical to the past, there aren’t any new stores. After all I’ve only just left home for not even two months, it’s just because this is my first time going far away that I’ve got nostalgia.

I see a familiar ramen store at the side of the street, this place has a past experience with me and Awayume. I remember that day my mom had kicked me over to Awayume’s home again because she didn’t want to cook for me, and then with a feeling like I was homeless I went to Awayume’s home. Yet, at that time I just so happened to see Awayume run out of the house crying, not knowing what the situation was I immediately reacted and chased over. Awayume had run out crying because she had gotten into an argument with her stepmother.

Awayume’s biological mother had passed away already when she was very young, her father brought Awayume and married another woman. Originally when Awayume was still very little her stepmother had taken relatively good care of her, but after the first child between her father and stepmother was born, her stepmother pretty much gave all of her love to that child and no longer cared at all about Awayume. Awayume didn’t actually care about this, but what made her bitterly disappointed was that even her father also gave the majority of his love to his second child. Awayume was gradually isolated in the family.

That day was the first time she had gotten into an argument with her stepmother, because Awayume honestly couldn’t bear the favoritism her family gave to the other child. Not only her stepmother, even her biological father didn’t stand on her side.

I chased Awayume for a long time, that day, Awayume whose stamina was clearly never good ran for a long time. In the end Awayume collapsed on the ground completely exhausted and I finally caught up to her. When I was young I didn’t know how to comfort girls, I just let Awayume bury her head in my young chest and cry after she saw me. That day she cried out all of the grievances that she had borne, crying to the point where she could only twitch her body but there were no tears that could flow out.

Awayume gradually stopped shaking, and then her stomach started grumbling. She looked at me with an embarrassed face, at this time we just happened to be at the entrance of this ramen store in the shopping street. I walked inside with Awayume, I had just enough money on me to buy a bowl of the cheapest vegetarian ramen.

That bowl of ramen was very warm, Awayume’s cold body was healed by the ramen. After she ate a few bites she suddenly thought of asking me if I was hungry. Originally I wanted to say very coolly that I wasn’t hungry, but my stomach spoke before me very honestly. Awayume got close to me and lifted up the noodles covered in soup. She fed me, and then ate a small bite herself, and then fed me again. That was how we shared and finished that bowl of ramen, not even the soup remained.

Afterwards I brought Awayume to my home and told Mother I hoped to let Awayume stay for a few days. Even though Mother saw that something was wrong, she didn’t say anything and agreed to my request.

After Awayume stayed with me for about a week, her parents came to my home and picked her up, promising that this sort of thing absolutely wouldn’t happen again.

Afterwards Awayume’s parents did indeed take good care of her, but Awayume already had a strong aversion towards the family. She regularly told me she wanted to live by herself sooner and move out from this house.

Going to high school now, Awayume really did it. She usually does some part-time jobs, and with some financial support from her family she can already live well in Tokyo.

Remembering the past, I really am filled with emotion. I follow the shopping street and continue wandering aimlessly, here I see an arcade. This was a place I came to play all the time when I was young, of course it was always me alone… You know, because I didn’t have any friends to come with me to play at the arcade.

Awayume and Utsukushi-chan both didn’t like coming to the arcade to play, they didn’t like the stuffy air and noisy sounds in the arcade.

「You’re… Aoba Oku, right?」

While I’m standing at the entrance of the arcade, I suddenly hear a girl call my name. I turn my head looking over and three fashionably dressed girls are observing me. I do have a bit of an impression of them, after all they were all the leading girls of the riajuu group in class in middle school. (TL: Raijuu, life winners, winners in life, blah blah blah)

「Ya.」

「It really is Classmate Aoba, if I remember correctly aren’t you going to school in Tokyo, why would you come back to this small county town?」

「Maybe he couldn’t survive any longer in the Tokyo high school and ran back, haha.」

「Mai, how can you say that about Classmate Aoba.」

「I also think that maybe Mai’s right, after all he was already a gloomy person in class before, in high school he’s definitely still like that. It’s very normal that he can’t survive there any longer.」

「It’s very rude of you to say that about Classmate Aoba.」

「Then why don’t we ask gloomy Classmate Aoba? Hey, Aoba, were you ostracized in the Tokyo high school which is why you ran back to this small county town with your tail between your legs?」

I look calmly at the girls who clearly want to poke fun at me, even in high school they’re still so immature.

「I’m here right now because I joined a club in the Tokyo high school and right now is training camp week for the school. Even though the majority of clubs have their training camps in Tokyo, there’s also a small number of clubs going to other places. And the club I joined just so happens to be having training camp around here.」

「Aoba is actually able to speak properly...」

I don’t think that’s the main point, exactly how inept am I in your heart?

「So that’s how it is, looks like high school life in Tokyo is very interesting.」

The girl that called me at the beginning seems to yearn for the Tokyo high school life.

「Che, even if that’s so, even if Aoba’s entered a club he’s definitely that kind of ghost member who has no communication with the other club members. Or should I say he doesn’t even have a normal friend in school?」

「Mai, I don’t think you should say that about Classmate Aoba...」

「What’s the problem, look, him coming out by himself can prove this.」

「Exactly, I think Aoba must have been ostracized by the other club members which is why he came out alone, poor soul.」

The two girls mock me in different ways but I am unmoved by it. In middle school I already didn’t care about these immature actions of theirs.

「Just think of it like that then, can I go now?」

「Just leaving like that? Wanna come play with us, if we’re happy we might even give you a bit of a reward.」

「Reward?」

At this time, a voice with a tone of inquiry not belonging to the four people here suddenly inserts into our conversation. We four look towards the person who spoke but only I recognize who she is.

At this time Asakusa-senpai is with Kamina Eno and Amamiya Kotosuzu and coming out from the door of the arcade. In their hands they’re all holding all kinds of trophies.

「Asakusa-senpai, did you guys go rob the arcade?」

「What can I say, the difficulty setting of the games here is honestly too low and I accidentally won so many trophies. If it wasn’t for the fact that I couldn’t stand the manager constantly begging us to leave we could have probably gotten more.」

… You actually pushed the manager to this level?

「Speaking of it, you’re amazing Lo-kun, hitting it up with three girls in such a short period of time. She even said she’s going to give you a reward.」

Asakusa-senpai’s face has a grin like a little fox’s.

「Don’t speak nonsense Senpai, they’re all my classmates from the same class in middle school.」

「So she’s your senpai?」

A girl beside me asks me.

「Ya, she’s also my club’s president.」

「Well well well, to think that you’ve actually got a girl who you can talk to Aoba. And I though you definitely couldn’t have any contact with any girls.」

「You’re wrong Mai, in middle school didn’t Aoba still have Sakurada Awayume this only female friend?」

When speaking she puts heavy emphasis on the word “only”, her goal is still to mock me.

「So you had it that bad in middle school Lo-kun.」

Asakusa-senpai seems to be very sympathetic towards me, at this time the three girls beside me start talking with Asakusa-senpai.

「Hey! Is Aoba still a very gloomy person in school!」

Hearing this, Asakusa-senpai reveals a smile I’m familiar with. It was precisely with this smile that she made Akiha-senpai lose all his pants… These three girls still haven’t realized that the person they’re talking with isn’t a girl but a female demon!

「Gloomy? Not at all, from a certain perspective Lo-kun can be considered ver~y famous.」

Hearing Asakusa-senpai’s words the three girls are all in disbelief.

「Huh! No way! Speaking of it, why do you call Aoba Lo-kun Senpai? He doesn’t have this character in his name I think.」

「Oh, this, is my lover’s~name for Aoba!」

Her words once again make the three girls shocked.

「No way, do you actually like that gloomy Aoba Senpai?」

「Like? No no no, this is a one-sided love.」

Asakusa-senpai’s smile makes me feel chills. At this moment she just happens to look at me and my body involuntarily trembles.

「Hey, darling, it’s my turn today~」

Her tone is the perfect interpretation of the image of a girl who can’t obtain the boy’s love, but still perseveres in an effort to make the guy fall in love with her.

「D… Darling? And what do you mean your turn...」

Them three are already shocked speechless.

「Aiya, you girls really don’t know, my darling has too many admirers in school, to be together with him now is honestly way too hard!」

Asakusa-senpai’s eyes are filled with bitterness.

「School has opened for so long now, only until the training camp this time did we three have the chance to take turns accompanying darling, and today is my turn~」

「Huh…?」

Not only are they speechless, I’ve also been impressed by Senpai’s acting.

At this time Asakusa-senpai holds the hands of Amamiya Kotosuzu and Kamina Eno and stands in a line.

「We three love darling the most!」

Regardless of whether it’s mature Asakusa Murasaki, stunning Kamina Eno, or dainty Amamiya Kotosuzu, in real life they are all rare beauties.

Now with Asakusa-senpai’s nonsensical talk, my three middle school classmates are already in full belief.

「So Aoba he… is actually this popular in high school?」

They’ve already been tricked by the illusion Asakusa-senpai randomly made up, they think I’m already a winner in life with a massive bishoujo harem in school.

「Could you three also like my darling? Then you guys will have to line up behind us.」

「No no no… We don’t dare to fight over him with you guys.」

Is it actually already this messed up...

「Then I’ll be taking away darling, I’ve still got to take~good~care~of~him at night.」

Asakusa-senpai walks to my side and holds my hand. She leans against my shoulder like cute little girl, but only she can feel that my body is constantly shaking…

After leaving the entrance of the arcade, Senpai lets go of me and I release a sigh.

「What’s wrong Lo-kun, could it be that me letting go of you made you disappointed? If you want I don’t mind hugging you for a big longer.」

「Enough Senpai… With what you’ve done, my original image in middle school will probably be completely overturned now.」

「What’s wrong with that, like this they’ll know that you’re a very popular winner in life Lo-kun.」

「I’m not some life winner, I’m clearly a scumbag who toys with the feelings of girls!」

「So you still have this awareness?」

Asakusa-senpai seems to think that I can’t tell.

「Senpai you...」

I sigh again.

「It’s okay, at any rate it’s just classmates from your middle school time. What I’m more curious about is exactly what were you like in middle school for you to be a gloomy boy in their eyes Lo-kun.」

「......」

「Could it be that they all don’t know you’re actually a lolicon?」

「After all I don’t have a reason to randomly tell them.」

「They why did you so bravely declare your fetish in high school?」

「This isn’t a fetish! This is my faith!」

「Okay, okay.」

「All in all, in middle school I was a gloomy person in their eyes okay, after all I don’t have much friends.」

「That’s the past, Lo-kun.」

Asakusa-senpai has a sincere smile, her smile no longer has any teasing elements mixed inside.

I look at the three girls circled around me and think of Akiha-senpai who is at Tamaki communicating with his little sister’s underwear. In this club I originally thought would make my life a mess.

I found friends.

==

Our training camp passed very quickly with a bunch of people with nothing to do messing around, it was mostly me taking them around to different places. In between Utusukushi-chan would also regularly come looking for me after school, and I of course was very happy to walk with her down streets we’re both very familiar with, looking for the memory footprints we left behind together.

In the turn of an eye only the last day remained. This day Kamina Eno surprisingly made a request. She wanted to go see her grandfather, Ando-sensei. Where Ando-sensei lives is around the location my family lived before we moved. It’s a relatively long distance from here.

Even though Kamina Eno made this request, she doesn’t know where Ando-sensei’s home is. Thus the task of taking her to see Ando-sensei fell upon me. So at the night of this day, me and Kamina Eno set foot on the journey towards the home of her grandfather, Ando-sensei, but the mode of transportation is...

「Senpai, even though I don’t know where you got this bicycle from, I think it was already banned a long time ago to carry another person on a bike?」

「So what, it’s not like this place has anyone who will care about this, right?」

「Senpai… I’ve already said this isn’t some backwater place, and even if it was, Japan’s laws would still take effect.」

「Don’t worry about this sort of unimportant thing, bring out your boldness as a lolicon!」

「What is this so-called boldness of a lolicon? It’s the boldness you're talking about that’s dangerous isn’t it? That so many lolicons would commit crimes is because of this boldness of yours, right?」

「If you have the time to shoot off tsukkomis here it would be better for you to go there earlier.」

I finally understand that objecting now is useless, I can only choose to let Kamina Eno sit on the back seat of this old style bicycle.

「Sit tight.」

I won’t ask her “Are you good”, this is completely pointless, I can only directly tell her to sit tight.

「After I get on remember to hold onto me.」

I get onto the seat and then step hard on the pedal. The bicycle starts moving steadily.

「Hurry up and go find pok*mon!」

「Akiha-senpai, no matter what shouldn’t you be saying go find One Piece?」

I gradually move further away, wonder if Akiha-senpai heard my tsukkomi. Kamina Eno sits quietly behind me, her hand grabbing my shirt. She’s not holding on very tightly so it looks like sitting at the back is very safe.

At this time the sky has already gradually darkened, dusk is about to be swallowed by the dark night.

The street lamps by the two sides of the street have already lit up, this ensures the safety of bicycling. After riding for a very long distance I suddenly feel Kamina Eno sticking to my back behind me. The soft touch stimulates my heart, if it was under normal circumstances maybe I could have a good feel of it, but right now I’m riding a bike.

「Hey, don’t sleep! If you fall asleep you might fall off the bike!」

「Mm… Sleepy.」

「No matter how sleepy you are you can’t fall asleep on the back seat of the bike!」

「Good night.」

「Listen to me!」

I slowly stop the bicycle, Kamina Eno is leaning against my back and about to fall. After approximately estimating the distance I discover that we’re basically about to arrive at our destination. I decide to first stop and leave the bicycle around here and carry sleepy Kamina Eno over to Ando-sensei’s home.

It’s difficult for me to carry Kamina Eno who has a tall figure, but she is sleeping very peacefully on my back. Traversing the streets illuminated by the street lamps, not long later I arrive at Ando-sensei’s home. This place is also my childhood art studio.

「Hey, hey, we’re here, don’t sleep anymore.」

Slowly putting down Kamina Eno, I shake her body. Only after shaking for a long while does she wake up.

「Sleepy...」

「No matter how sleepy you are you’ve got to go in! After all we’ve already arrive at the destination, you go in by yourself then, I won’t be going in.」

「Okay...」

「Are you going to be sleeping here at Ando-sensei’s place tonight?」

「Sleep… Don’t sleep?」

「Forget it… Just sleep here for a night, I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning, okay? Say okay.」

「Okay.」

After watching Kamina Eno enter the house, I’m about to go back to retrieve the bicycle and return to the inn. At this time I notice the starry sky above my head, the scattered stars are bright and dazzling. This place is very close to that park, I suddenly want to go see that park.

Traversing the crisscrossing streets, my vision opens up. It was precisely here that the childhood me holding a drawing pencil and blank paper saw that figure.

Right now the night wind is whispering and the bright moon hangs in the middle of the sky, the sound of flapping leaves rustle in the air.

And just like that night, her head is slightly raised, dots of starlight are reflected in her clear pupils.

「Impossible...」

I mutter in a daze, even though my voice is very soft she still hears it.

「I was betting...」

Her cold voice is as though it travelled from across time, bringing up the emotions I’ve suppressed for so many years.

「Betting whether or not you would come here tonight.」

She slowly approaches me, the glow of the moon shines on her pure white face, making her beautiful and enchanting.

「If you didn’t come, we wouldn’t cross paths again in the future, but you came.」

I don’t know how to describe my current feelings. If a heart as still as water describes calm, then right now my heart is like boiling water.

「Could it be that you still remember me...」

「That sketch is very pretty.」

「Is that so.」

Me and her both fall into silence, I absolutely couldn’t have thought that my sudden whim tonight would actually let me see her.

「After I knew your training camp location, I thought for a few days and returned to this place, just this one night.」

「Didn’t you say that night that to you, I was just like a shooting star?」

「I once thought so.」

「And now?」

「I don’t understand.」

Right there is a voice in my heart constantly shouting to me, “Add colour to the sketch for her”, but I can’t say it.

「I’ve always remembered you, because to me you were also a shooting star, but where you fell was in my heart.」

「It’s very rare for me to do something of unknown significance like today.」

The impression she’s given me has always been rational.

「I’ve also never thought of what to do when meeting you again.」

「Maybe you don’t need to think too much, after all it was just a chance encounter in childhood.」

Yoruhisa Shikuyuki’s voice starts becoming firm.

「Is that so, I once thought I liked you.」

「Your feelings to me definitely wouldn’t be love.」

Only towards this matter is her attitude very resolute.

「Because I am also in that sketch, to you I’m just a part of a beautiful scenery, not a special, independent existence.」

So is that how it is… She is indeed also drawn in the sketch I drew, my impression of her has also always stayed at “The girl under the starry sky”. Because to me, the starry sky and her are both scenery?

「Your appearance changed me.」

「Why do you say so?」

「I became a lolicon.」

It isn’t something that I would be mocked for. I truthfully tell her about my change, this is a change that was made because of her.

「You really did say a very amazing thing, it’s because of me?」

「I’ve always been unable to forget your beauty under the starry sky that night.」

「So for you, will the current me disappoint you?」

「Yes, because the you of right now is no longer the you of the past. My impression of you has always remained in the past.」

She softly arranges her black hair that was ruffled by the night wind.

「So your “Loliconism” was born from being unable to forget the me of the past?」

「You are the cause.」

I shamelessly push all of the blame to her as though shirking responsibility.

「I understand, I will take responsibility.」

Facing my unreasonable behaviour, she does not care.

「Responsibility.」

「I will do my best to help you get together with Hatsuyuki, the me of the past in your heart is very similar to her right.」

「Just looking at appearances, yes.」

「Regardless of for her or for you, going out with her is meaningful, is it not?」

「If that’s how you think.」

Slowly what I say no longer passes through my mind, the voice produced from air passing through the vibrating vocal cords, with their sound determined by the curve of the tongue mechanically produces insincere words using this sort of process as though on an assembly line.

「I’m leaving now, let’s treat today as putting an end to our chance encounter in the past, is that okay?」

I absolutely can’t say okay, this definitely isn’t the best ending.

I slowly take back control of my mind and smash to pieces the factory producing meaningless words.

「I feel like I should make one think clear.」

I don’t directly respond to her.

「I am a lolicon, you are also indeed the cause, but… All you brought to me was endless confusion.」

This is a line of unknown significance to her, but she still silently listens to me speak.

「After you left that night, every time I thought of you I would feel confused. I clearly like the you under that night sky, but when I think of you what I feel even more is confusion. Your appearance was without warning, your departure severed hope, what you gave to me only remained uncertainty.

「But I still couldn’t help thinking about you, I don’t understand what kind of person you are, so all I had left was the memory of your appearance. I wanted to search for existences similar to you, wanted to make up for the confusion you brought to me through them.」

「Luckily I encountered existences who have the same appearance as you. Different from you is that I have the chance to explore their inner self, their thoughts are mysterious but worth longing for. Their emotions easily tug at my heartstrings, their every smile and frown, their every movement makes me deeply captivated!」

「So I became a lolicon! A lolicon who felt confused because of you and ultimately obtained salvation, finding my faith!」

「Maybe I do care a lot about your little sister Yoruhisa Hatsuyuki, and I also initially noticed her because I saw your shadow in her. But if I like her, the reason is definitely not because I want her to become your replacement. She is an independent existence, absolutely not your shadow. Yoruhisa Shikuyuki, you are the snow and ice that befell too early before midwinter, you took away my freedom too early, making me live my days in confusion while constantly thinking of you. While your little sister Yoruhisa Hatsuyuki, she is that first snow that should appear in the middle of the cold winter. Her appearance symbolizes the beginning, maybe I will be able to let everything restart because of her, walking out of the cage called “Yoruhisa Shikuyuki” because of her and not searching for your shadow in her.」

「I am a lolicon, I like little lolis who can heal me. I will cherish and protect them with my all, because I love them. Not the feeling of love towards you who briefly appeared, but the “love” of being willing to devote all of my feelings. These are the thoughts in the heart of a lolicon called “Aoba Oku”, do you understand!?」

My throat starts feeling dry due to saying too much and lacking water, but I feel very relaxed. I’ve already said everything that I need to say to this person who had always left a shadow in my heart.

Yoruhisa Shikuyuki slightly opens her pink lips but doesn’t speak. Her eyes are filled with confusion, my words make her fall into deep thought.

「Sorry.」

Is this her answer after thinking for so long?

「I don’t need your apology, this is just me acting on my own and getting lost in confusion because of you, it has nothing to do with you. Maybe I even need to thank you, it’s precisely because of you that I could find an existence truly worthy of my love.」

「Is that so? Then have you ever thought that I have also always been thinking about the starry sky that night, thinking of the words we exchanged, thinking of the serious expression on your face when drawing.」

「.....」

This times it’s my turn to not know what to say. Yoruhisa Shikuyuki slowly tells me her feelings.

「I didn’t want our paths to intersect gain, didn’t want to think of you again. But the more I didn’t want, the deeper I got caught up within. I would regret, regret parting ways without even telling you my name. I would also be thankful, thankful I once met you who would work hard so draw for me.」

「I’m just a completely normal girl, even more so after I lost my parents. I would feel scared. When we were young, me and Hatsuyuki were both raised by our maternal grandmother in Kandatsu. When Hatsuyuki went to elementary school we returned to our home in Tokyo. That year I was in the fourth grade, grandmother died of sickness. The grandmother who had watched me grow up, my most beloved grandmother would leave me. Her departure would make me sorrowful, make me pained. I’m just a normal girl, I’m scared of the sadness brought about when saying farewell to the people I care about.」

「That night, when I came out of grandmother’s mourning hall for a walk I met you. I couldn’t have not cared about what you did for me, but I was afraid of coming in contact with you, because I wasn’t a person who belonged to this land. I firmly believed we wouldn’t meet again, so I wasn’t willing to tell you my name. I thought in my heart that if it was like this, I wouldn’t feel sad about parting ways, because it was just the farewell of two strangers with brief contact.」

I’ve never before seen this sort of lonely and helpless expression on Yoruhisa Shikuyuki’s face. The cold expression this girl has always maintained was shred apart by me.

「Sorry.」

「I also don’t need your apology, this is also the consequence wrought by my self-assertion. Not only does it affect me, it has also affected you.」

So this was all our own sins.

「Yoruhisa Shikuyuki, forget everything in the past, let’s settle things today. Only doing so after knowing the other person's true thoughts does it have meaning.」

「That’s also what I was thinking, I brought the drawing over.」

Yoruhisa Shikuyuki takes out the folded sketch, on the drawing is only a black and white starry sky and  a girl. I walk up to her and twist a corner of the drawing, she twists the other corner and we pull in opposite directions. With the light sound released from the wood fibres of the paper being ripped, the girl and the starry sky fall to pieces.

We rip the entire drawing into countless pieces and throw them in the air. The scraps of paper drift away with the night wind.

「I will help you cure your sister’s androphobia, but it’s not for you.」

「It’s because the lolicon Aoba Oku likes Hatsuyuki, is this the reason.」

「Who knows?」

I raise my head looking at that boundless, dazzling starry sky.

「I am a lolicon, I will devote my everything for lolis, they are my faith.」

Taking in the beautiful scenery before me, I then look at that stunningly beautiful girl, looking at her deep eyes.

「Aoba Oku, is no longer a lolicon because of Yoruhisa Shikuyuki, but a lolicon due to love from the bottom of his heart towards little lolis.」

「Aoba Oku, is no longer a lolicon because of me, but because of love.」

The girl dwells on my words while I turn around leaving this park. This time it’s me leaving without saying goodbye.

Accompanying me is only the night wind and the stars.

==

Departing from that park and saying goodbye to my past, the memory I originally thought would remain entwined in my heart forever has now also been tagged as a thing of the past.

Passing through the twisting alley, I find that old bike of mine parked in the grass. Looks like there weren’t any passerbys in the middle of this night who decided to ride it away. Speaking of it, it’d be strange if someone would set their sights on this bike, right?

I lift out the bicycle from the grass. Right when I’m about to leave, I faintly hear some sort of sound in the grass. Could it be a dog or something sleeping in the grass and being awoken by my actions just now? Or could it be some wild beast…

I remember when I was young an extremely fierce wild boar somehow appeared around my home. At night time it knocked over a bunch of pedestrians, the person who had it the worst even had their arm fractured after suffering the wild boar’s trampling. In the end we found a bunch of strong-bodied men amongst the surrounding neighbours and used tools before finally subduing it.

I’m not that unlucky right? Not only am I not some strong guy, I don’t even have a tool!

I carefully push the bicycle, if the situation is bad I can only depend on this only pal of mine to have a race against death with the fierce wild boar.

I cautiously watch the grass, if things are bad I’ll immediately ride the bike and flee. But the entire time nothing charges out from the grass, could it really just be a wild dog sleeping in the grass?

「Whimper...」

Don’t be mistaken, this isn’t the noise I made because I’m scared! This sound was emitted from within the grass, even though sometimes wild dogs will also release a low grumble similar to a whimper to warn animals stepping into their territory, isn’t this low grumble a bit too weak?

Could it be a female dog?

I make a bold decision and take out my cellphone. Using the flashlight function I slowly approach the grass, searching inch by inch and in the end, in the corner I really do discover a… little loli.

「You… You… How did you still discover me!」

Right now, this little loli in front of me who looks like she should still be in elementary school is curled into a ball under the bright white light of my cellphone, similar to an ostrich burying its head into the ground when in danger.

Both methods won’t change the dangerous situation at the slightest… Wait, I’m not some dangerous situation!

「Go away go away go away go away go away go away go away go away!!!」

Right now she is lying on the ground with her two little legs constantly kicking at me, but with her height of less than 140 cm lying on the ground how could she possible kick me?

「Ouch.. It hurts!」

She kicked my calf.

「Are you scared now? Then hurry up and leave!  Otherwise I’ll show you who’s boss!」

Her false bravado is honestly too obvious, I even feel bad to expose her.

「You win… I’ll leave right away, before leaving can I ask why you’re here?」

「Hmph, as long as you know who’s boss, why should I tell you why I’m here!」

With me seemingly retreating in “fear”, she isn’t so nervous anymore and slowly stands up from the ground, patting her red dress.

「Not even telling me why you’re here, you must have gotten lost from your family. Then doesn’t that mean I can, hehehe.」

Facing a person like her who gets full of herself if you show her a bit of kindness, I can only use this sort of method. Sure enough she falls onto the ground and watches with a frightened expression as I approach her.

「Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-You, what do you want to do!!!」

「What do I want to do? Of course it’s...」

I walk over to her while she is constantly struggling on the ground and pick her up, patting off the dirt sticking to her dress.

「How can a girl randomly lie on the ground and get her clothes dirty, now can you tell me why you’re here?」

I do my best to squeeze out the friendliest smile, her guard against me seems to weaken a bit.

「So, why should I tell you, who knows if you’re a bad guy or not...」

Her tone of voice is no longer as sharp, looks like as long as I comfort her a bit more she’ll put down her guard against me.

「I’m really not a bad guy, don’t be afraid little girl, Big Brother is a lolicon!」

With a “Slap” her little hand slaps my face. While I’m shocked she struggles free of my hands and runs away.

Huh? Why’d she hit me? Why is she running? Aren’t these the most reassuring words in the world towards a little loli?

But before I even start to chase after her, she accidentally steps on the long skirt of her red dress and falls flat on the ground. I helplessly walk over, but she seems to be even more scared of me than before. Even after falling onto the ground she’s still looking at me in fear while using her hands and feet to retreat backwards while sitting on the ground.

Isn’t this scene completely making me look like a bad guy laying my hands on a little loli without any ability to fight back?

「Little girl, I’m really not a bad guy! I’m a lolicon!」

「Sob… Sob… So… So scary… Sob sob sob sob.」

She seems to be becoming more and more frightened? But why? Clearly she should feel reassured after knowing I’m a lolicon!

「Don’t be scared, didn’t I already say that I’m a lolicon!」

「It… It’s because you’re a lolicon that it’s the scariest!」

「Huh? Why?」

Aren’t lolicons the most loyal and reliable group of people in the world towards little lolis?

「Still… Still asking me why… Lolicons will definitely do… do… do bad things to me!」

「Impossible! Lolicons are the people who are truly the safest people in the world for little lolis!」

「Nonsense! Lolicons are clearly all creeps! You guys absolutely won’t spare me!」

「What? Exactly what misunderstanding do you have? Lolicons are absolutely the most loyal protectors of lolis, lolicons will use their all to protect the little lolis they love, how could they commit criminal acts against little lolis!」

Maybe it’s because of my overzealous righteousness, she is staring at me stunned with her little mouth slightly agape.

「Then… You really aren’t a bad guy?」

「Not only am I not, all lolicons in the world who exist with the purpose of loving and protecting little lolis aren’t bad guys!」

「Is that… how it is?」

「That’s right, that’s how it is.」

She finally isn’t so opposed against me, I walk over to her side wanting to help her up.

「Ng… Ouch...」

She tries standing up with my help but discovers a wave of pain coming from her ankle. Unable to apply strength she falls back onto the ground.

「Did you twist your ankle?」

I crouch down lifting up her injured leg, gently pressing her ankle.

「Ouch ouch ouch...」

Some tears are already seeping out from her eyes, her appearance of biting her lips and furrowing her brow makes her look very upset.

「Sorry, it’s all my fault for scaring you.」

「Ya, it’s all your fault.」

Huh? Isn’t she supposed to be a bit polite at this sort of time?

「Can you first tell me why you’re here?」

「I came down from the mountain and got lost.」

From the mountain? Does her family live on the mountain?

「Why did you come down so late at night?」

「I came down during the day, it’s just I’ve been lost until now and still haven’t found the way home.」

「In any case you’re lost.」

I could actually still meet a lost little loli in the middle of the night, but as a lolicon I naturally have to send her back home.

「Which mountain does your family live on.」

「I think it’s… Mount Nishin?」

Mount Nishin, it’s not that far from here. But I’ve never heard of other people living on this mountain, I only know that there’s a very powerful family that built a house on it, could it be...

「Could your family name be Natsukawa?」

She seems be be very surprised.

「How do you know my surname is Natsukawa? My name is Natsukawa Yu.」

… So she really is from that family? I’ve heard Mother mention before there is a villa belonging to a family called Natsukawa on Mount Nishin in Kandatsu. This is a place they occasionally come to for vacation.

And she’s actually a child of the Natsukawa family who came here for vacation and in the end got lost after coming down the mountain?

「Okay, I understand, I’ll bring you back.」

「Really?」

「Ya,」

「But I can’t walk right now...」

「No problem, I can take you back on my bicycle.」

I go push the bicycle to her front, easily placing her on the back seat of the bicycle and then I also get on.

「Sit tight, if you feel unsteady hold onto me.」

「Okay.」

I slowly step on the pedal and the bicycle starts shakingly moving. This place is not too far from Mount Nishin, furthermore based on my prediction, since this little loli behind me is a Natsukawa, then she’s a full-fledged little princess.

Right now Miss Natsukawa is hugging my waist. She’s probably never ridden on the back seat of a bicycle before, of course she’ll be a bit nervous.

After riding for twenty minutes, when I’m about to reach Mount Nishin I notice a flush of black cars in front of me, and numerous people wearing black suits are running around everywhere. Needless to say, they’re definitely the people searching for Natsukawa Yu.

When I ride near them, they also discover Natsukawa Yu sitting on the back seat of the bicycle.

「Found The Young Misses!」

With a loud shout I am quickly surrounded by a human wall

Chapter end