Chapter 33: The Condom

A week had passed since our trip to the hot springs.

The five workdays that followed had been rough—made worse by how fun that trip had been—but somehow, I made it through. Now that Saturday had finally come, I was just relaxing at home.

As I was zoning out, watching TV, Kana-chan started cleaning.

"Oh, let me help."

Honestly, “helping” isn’t the right word. After all, this is my house.

"It’s fine! I’ll take care of it," she said cheerfully.

"Eh, but—"

"Senpai, you just stay there and relax."

"Really?"

"Yup."

Well then…

I went right back to lazing around, doing absolutely nothing. Felt like a male lion. Even though I’m a girl…

"Senpai, can I ask you something?"

While I was sprawled out watching TV, Kana-chan poked her head out from the bedroom and motioned me over.

"What is it?"

I got up from the sofa and headed to the bedroom. She was holding the vacuum cleaner, staring at the bed.

"What’s up?"

I asked, wrapping my arms around her from behind.

"Geez! Senpai, you always cling to me! That’s not it—I just wanted to clean under the bed!"

Ah. So that’s all it was. Calling me into the bedroom—I thought she was inviting me to something else.

"You’re cleaning?"

"Yes. I haven’t done it at all, so please grab that side for me."

Kana-chan pointed at the foot of the bed while she took the head side.

"Got it."

I grabbed the frame.

"Okay, ready? One, two—heave!"

Together, we lifted the bed and slid it aside.

"Ahh, that was heavy."

"Sure was."

If it were the old me, I could’ve handled that a lot easier—but now, in this weak, petite loli body, it was a real challenge.

"Call me when you’re ready to move it back."

"Okay. Thanks... huh?"

Kana-chan tilted her head, staring at the spot where the bed had been.

"What is it?"

"Something’s here… um…"

She bent down and picked up a small box from the floor.

"Oh, that…"

What she was holding was the condom I’d bought at the convenience store the day we started dating.

So that’s where it ended up…

"Uh, this is… huh? Wait, what?"

Hm? Something was off about her.

"Kana-chan?"

"Um, I remember… that day, you went to the convenience store and bought this… and when I saw it, I… wait, what?"

So she had seen me secretly buying it back then.

"K-Kana-chan, let’s calm down, okay?"

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gently sat her down on the bed. She was frozen, staring at the box.

"A condom… staying over… but Senpai, you…"

Crap. This was bad. The contradiction caused by the memory rewrite was seriously confusing her.

"Let me have that for a sec."

I took the condom from her hands and slipped it into the pocket of a suit hanging in the closet. Then I sat back beside her and put an arm around her again.

"S-Senpai… I feel… weird," she murmured, covering her mouth with one hand.

Yeah, that definitely wasn’t a good sign.

"Kana-chan, lie down for a bit."

I helped her lie on the bed.

"Senpai… you’re still… Senpai, right?"

"Yeah, of course. See?"

I held her hand.

"Senpai… please… hold me. I don’t know what’s happening to me."

"Okay…"

I lay down beside her and pulled her close, gently rubbing her back.

Then, Kana-chan suddenly leaned in—
and kissed me.

I was shaken awake. My eyes fluttered open.

"Senpai, Senpai."

"Hmm? Kana-chan?"

"Yes."

Kana-chan was sitting up beside me—completely naked—looking down at me.

"What’s wrong?"

"Looks like we fell asleep. It’s already evening."

When I glanced at the clock, it was just past 4 p.m.

"I see... Wait—Kana-chan, are you feeling okay?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Didn’t you say you weren’t feeling well and wanted to lie down?"

"Eh? What are you talking about? You were the one who suddenly started being clingy while I was cleaning."

What?

What does she mean by that?

"Was I?"

"Of course! You hugged me from behind and pulled me onto the bed, remember? I was still in the middle of cleaning…"

...Hold on.

What happened?

Are my memories wrong?

Was I half-asleep?

Or could it be—

"I see... Sorry. I guess I just couldn’t resist after watching you clean like that."

"Honestly, Senpai, you’re such a spoiled one," Kana-chan said, wrapping my head in her arms.

Something soft and warm pressed gently against my face.

"Kana-chan, you’re so soft…"

"You really do love this, don’t you? But that’s enough. I need to start making dinner."

"Yeah, you’re right."

Once we finished getting dressed, we pushed the bed back into place. Then Kana-chan headed back toward the living room.

When I was alone again, I opened the closet and reached into the pocket of my suit.

"...So it’s not that my memory’s wrong, or that I was dreaming."

I took out the small box inside.

The same small box I’d bought from the convenience store before—
a condom.

"Common sense distortion, huh…"

This is… way worse than I thought.