Chapter 3: I'm Torn Between Quality Over Quantity Or Quality Over Quantity, But I Want Both

I wrote a rather long post about the character settings in the afterword, so I hope you'll take a look if you're interested (there are some character settings that seem like spoilers for the next episode, so be careful if you don't like that).

I'm Torn Between Quality Over Quantity Or Quality Over Quantity, But I Want Both

"You guys are noisy." said Kikka, the girl glaring down at us as we sat in our classroom chairs. Her long black hair reaching down to her waist and fierce eyes are the classic Japanese class president style, and they are my favorite attributes.　

By the way, she is also Karen and I's second childhood friend.

"Huh? Shut up, seriously."

Well, just because we're childhood friends doesn't mean we're close.　

Karen, who didn't like the position she was in, stood up immediately with a thud and aimed her eyes at our childhood friend number two, Kikka.

But even after standing up, Kikka was still slightly taller than her, so Karen still need to look up at her, which was a little comical from a third-person perspective.

It was a sight I really liked. Being awkward is sexy, after all ♡

"Sigh... Yuri, you spoil Karen too much just because she's your childhood friend. That's why she gets so cocky."

"What? I'm not getting carried away. Isn't it you who's getting carried away?"

Yep, it was a tit for tat ♡　

For some reason, or rather, it's only natural. They don't get along at all. Well, that makes sense.

It's not that the two of them don't get along well. Well,... actually, the two of them don't get along well at all, do they?　

It's not a matter of compatibility, but rather that this relationship is inevitable, since there are no humans in the world who can get along with Karen-chan.

Karen-chan, the humanoid monster I raised with great care, completely can't get along with anyone.　

We met around the time we started elementary school, but she started to dislike Kikka-chan after about a week. Karen-chan was a bit of a bully even back then, although it wasn't as bad as it is now.

So, things gradually got worse between the two of them in middle school, and now it's safe to call it a bad relationship.

Repairing it is impossible. And I don't have any intention of doing so.

My relationship with either of them isn't bad, so the current relationship chart isn't a triangle but rather a single line with me in the middle.

"Even though you're in high school, you think studying is pointless. But your dream for the future is to become a doctor and get married. What a childish rambling."

"But I'm definitely more adorable and better some busybody who belittle other people's dreams!"

Karen-chan made a grunting noise as she tried to bite into the throat like an animal, while Kikka-chan looked down at her with cold eyes. And I, Yuri, was watching from my chair.

It's very satisfying to watch the two of them on the brink of war, or rather, the war has already broken out. In war, it is true that third parties profit more than the parties involved.　

By the way, although I'm a third party, but I'm also a person with good common sense, so I'm definitely on Kikka's side on this.

I thought the same thing when Karen was spewing her delusions in front of me earlier, but seriously, her dreams are just garbage.　

Kikka-chan's opinion, which hasn't been educated to be a selfish monster like Karen-chan's, is one that caters to the masses, which means she is the same as me. It's the opinion of a person of common sense.　

This girl has a keen sense or is just smart, but she's been keeping a strange distance from me ever since we first met. She must have realized that if she gets too involved with me, I'll turn her into trash like Karen. She doesn't need to be that wary; I'll just turn you into a bit of a quick-witted scumbag..., um, I mean, I want you to trust your childhood friend more.　

Anyway, Kikka-chan grew up without falling into my clutches, and unlike Karen-chan, she grew up to be a serious and strict person ♡ When I first met her, I had thought of her as a backup plan in case I failed to raise Karen-chan. What a shame.　

...Well, she's growing in her own way, so that's fine ♡　

"Oh no, this is the worst! I feel so sick."　

Karen seems to have grown tired of glaring at each other and sits back down in her chair. Her face clearly says, "I'm in a bad mood."　

In response, Kikka-chan remains silent and simply glares at Karen-chan in a sullen mood.

She is aware that she is interrupting the conversation and finding fault with it, so she can't say anything more. She rationally decides that pursuing the matter further would put her at a disadvantage, so she backs off.

She's always been strong in that area, which is why she can't become another Karen. If Karen were in the opposite position, she wouldn't stop there, but would keep moving forward, stepping on every landmines.

Stupid Karen doesn't notice pain.

However, this idiot, or rather Karen, seems to be unusually smart today.

As if the sulky look she had had earlier was a lie, she suddenly looked at Kikka with a nasty grin.

Naturally, Kikka noticed the change immediately and muttered uncomfortably, "What's with that, all of a sudden..."　

"Oh, it's nothing? It's really no big deal, you know?"

...Ah, this face~

I don't know what came to her mind, but it must be something terrible. In one word, she has a trashy face. She has a good-looking face, so why did she grow up to have such a vulgar expression?　

Of course, that was also my fault. Karen-chan's Mom and Dad, I'm sorry ♡

"Hey Kikka? Studying at school is important to you, right?"

"...Well, of course. As a student, your main duty is to study."　

"Right, right? I don't understand that feeling at all, but that's how Kikka feels, right? That's why you study late into the night and spend a lot of money to go to cram school on the weekends, right?"

"...That's right, but... Hey, what do you want to say?"

"Hmm, there's nothing in particular I want to say. I'm just praising you for studying and saying how important it is to work hard at it. It's great, you know? It's very great."　

"Really, what is it...?"　

While Kikka-chan has a look on her face that says she doesn't understand what's going on, Karen-chan is pleased with each of Kikka-chan's replies and her smile deepens. Her smile is now so big it looks like it's about to spill off her face. Her bad personality is on full display. It's disgusting, honestly. But she's cute, so it's okay ♡

A moment of silence fell between the three of us.

The questions that had been flying around came to a halt, and no one said anything.　

And in that silence, I naturally sensed that what Karen-chan was going to say next was crucial. An arrow was added to the strong bow.　

Then, with all her might, Karen pulls the strings with malice, spite, and more malice.

"...So, in that important study, has Kikka ever been able to beat Yuri even once?"

What was the result? Did they manage to hit their target?

"..... the worst."　

The conclusion was indicated by a short but definite murmur.　

With a bullet piercing its heart, the beast has no way to escape. It can only crouch down and passively accept the hunter's advance.　

"Hahaha, don't make such a displeased face, Kikka! It ruins your cute face! Isn't that fine?! You love studying so much! You always work hard and it's worth it, you're second in your class! It's been that way since elementary school! You can't beat Yuri though! But you're above everyone else! Have more confidence! Right?!"

Wow. It's stirring up, stirring it up more.

It's rare for her to think she can win an argument with Kikka, but she has no mercy whatsoever, and is simply serious about belittling her.

This is the true nature of a monster at its finest. A Monster who is obsessed with tearing apart the other person's heart.　

Karen-chan looked like she was having a blast, while Kikka-chan looked sour. I was just watching them from the sidelines. It was so much fun watching from a third party, but inside Kikka-chan was probably raging as she was being mocked.

Knowing her pride, it must be humiliating for her to be so unilaterally criticized by Karen, whom she unconsciously looks down on. And what's more, the content of the criticism is what's happening in reality.

Her biggest weakness is being criticized by the worst person in the room. Of course, it's hard to stay calm inside.

Wow, I'm really looking forward to what happens next ♡

Karen-chan is also useful sometimes, I'm surprised, mama is proud of you ♡

"What a shameful person to use Yuri's grades as an excuse..."

"Hmm? Did I say something weird? I was just stating the fact that Kikka has always loved studying and worked hard, but has always lost to Yuri, who isn't so keen on it. Don't get so worked up over it~♪"　

The outcome was already set. Kikka-chan had no way to turn things around in this situation.

She seemed to have realized this as well, as she left the classroom with a frustrated look on her face.

Her footsteps were completely different to when she came in, and were rough, somehow reminiscent of a wounded beast.　

"Ahh, I feel so good! Kikka is always acting all cocky and mighty, but now she's got that red face! It's so lame!"　

And as soon as the winner sees the loser running away, she immediately lets out a victory cry.

Her smile is bright and bright, making it hard to believe she had looked so grumpy just a moment ago.

"What's with studying?! You can only say stuff like that once you're number one, don't act all high and mighty! Right, Yuri?"　

"Hahaha. Sounds fun, doesn't it, Karen-chan?"　

"Of course, this might be the best feeling I've had this month!!"　

Karen couldn't stop laughing ahahahaha.

Her appearance was so hilarious and delightful that it was almost evil, even when combined with her actions. If she wasn't good-looking, everyone would be put off by her. It's a good thing she's good-looking.　

"Ah, I feel great! At times like these, you know! I just need to sing! Let's go to karaoke, Yuri! I'll let you hear my favorite song!"　

"Um, karaoke?"

It's rare to see Karen in such a good mood, so I'd love to go, but...

I think I'll hold off today.

Because if Karen is in such a good mood, then someone somewhere is in a really bad mood. That's something we've never seen before ♡　

"……Yeah?"　

(Here it comes♡)　

As if in response to my thoughts, I feel a faint vibration from my right pocket. There's no need to find out the reason. I already know the subject.

Yeah, that's why. I don't have time to go to karaoke.

Fortunately, or perhaps it was inevitable. Karen is in a really good mood right now. This makes it easy to escape.

"Sorry, Karen? I'm not sure I can handle it today."

"Huh?! Why? I invited you, so you should come! You're just Yuri, but you're so cheeky!"　

Karen glared at me with a stern look. Seeing her, I realized once again that she was in a good mood.

Because normally, Karen-chan would reach out and do something before I even have a chance to say this ♡　

"Sorry, but how about this instead? I'll pay for it."　

With that, I took out three of the smallest bills from my wallet and handed them over to her. It was a fair bit of expense for a student, but there was no other way. It was a necessary expense. I had no choice but to miss today.

In other words, I was essentially going to a sex shop, so you could say that this amount of expense was essentially zero. Raw creampie, no prom, and three mouths. Something like that, right?

"...Well, if you say so, that's fine."　

Karen said, snatching the bill from my hand without any hesitation.　

I really love that there is absolutely no hesitation, reluctance, or guilt here. Mama's raised you so well ♡

"Well, I'm off to karaoke now. See you tomorrow."　

Karen stood up while casually putting the bills in her back pocket, and I replied, "See you later," and watched her back.

She really has grown into my ideal girl ♡

The more we talked, the more her monstrous qualities emerged, her words and actions made me wonder if she was deluded into thinking she was a god, and her indifference made her think that it was natural for me to do everything for her. Everything was just as I expected.

My 'daughter' has become like a source of food waste ♡ She's the kind of girl who produces an infinite amount ♡

...But actually, I'm a bit greedy and a bit of a gourmet.

Sometimes you want quality over quantity.　

I'm just an ordinary girl who not only loves junky hamburgers but also fancy French food ♡

Quantity over quality? Quality over quantity? It's an age-old question, but I can answer it with confidence. I have an answer.　

Shut up and let me eat both ♡

I'm not sure if I'll write this in the story, so here's a brief introduction to the characters (there may be some spoilers) :

Yuri

The main character we should look down on.

Reincarnated as a TS girl, it feels like a bonus stage after the main story ends. Out of sexual preference and curiosity, she trained, or rather educated, her childhood friend Karen-chan into a monster. Karen-chan is her favorite, and she's the only one who can win (she refuses to have the same favorite as someone else). However, if she gets bored of her or thinks she's not cute anymore, she's ready to throw her away.

Also, like Kikka, she sometimes makes a move on other girls, and she plans to continue doing so in the future. She's both a sadist and a masochist, so she gets excited both by treating Karen-chan like trash and by being beaten up by Kikka-chan.

Karen

A lovable, sad monster.

The peak of her life is now, but her prime was only in the short period between her birth and meeting Yuri. A girl who had everything stolen from her by Yuri, including opportunities to learn and rehabilitate.

Everyone who meets her questions her and her parents' upbringing, but the only reason is Yuri. People who don't know her story look down on this poor girl, so I hope readers will pity her.

Kikka

Yuri's second childhood friend, whom she met a few years after meeting Karen.

She had grown up to a certain extent and was born with a high level of humanity, so she viewed Yuri's presence as dangerous and kept a certain distance. As a result, she didn't become like Karen. She still believes Yuri's words and actions are well-meaning, so they remain friends

However, meeting Yuri was the turning point in her life. Yuri was the one who was turning her into a monster in a different way. No matter how hard she tried since elementary school, she continued to lose grades to Yuri, who was obsessed with Karen, and this caused her to become resentful, which is when she was noticed by Yuri and the seed of her sadistic tendencies was planted in her.

By the time she became a high school student, the seed had been carefully nurtured and is now a beautiful bud, about to bloom. When this flower blooms, she will be a monster who will immediately raise her hand if something doesn't please her.

Of course, it's none of Yuri's business if it ends up in criminal proceedings.