Chapter 17: Now Delicious and Renewed! Brain-Destroying Childhood Friend Chips, Featuring a Hand-Knitted Glove Given to You by Your First Love Being Untied Right in Front of You (Seaweed Salt) Flavor

Now Delicious and Renewed! Brain-Destroying Childhood Friend Chips, Featuring a Hand-Knitted Glove Given to You by Your First Love Being Untied Right in Front of You (Seaweed Salt) Flavor

A few months have passed since a beautiful drawing was hung in my room. It's already winter according to the calendar, and the actual temperature is already winter.

Basically, it's just winter. What's with this useless long line? 

Speaking of winter, it's cold, so we need to keep our precious things from shriveling. Be careful of the light!

Now, I'll put that useless line in the trash. It's cold outside. Our house is warm.

That's all that matters.

If it were snowing, things would be a little more charming, but it's not that cold yet, so the only thing resembling charm is the leaves on the trees that had been fighting the cold wind but have finally fallen and are being used for leaf burning.

Yay, I love light bonfires! It's surprisingly charming, good job, fallen leaves.

I head to pick up Tomohiro-kun, wondering what kind of look the boy will make if I put my wooden craft among those fallen leaves.

It's every man's dream to head to school in the morning and find his beautiful childhood friend lounging in the living room.

For the past month, I've been wasting about 20 minutes every day just to make that dream come true.

Hikari, such a brave soul.

When I ring the intercom and introduce myself, the neighbor mom tells me the front door is open and asks me to come in.

You might think she has no sense of security at all, not locking the door, but in reality, the neighbor dad just goes to work early in the morning, so it's locked properly at night.

Well, I have a spare key, so I can get in whenever I want, though. 

Maybe she really doesn't have much of a sense of security after all? I'll just think of it as her trusting her son's beautiful childhood friend.

"Come in, Hikari-chan. You don't have to ring the intercom, you can just come in on your own."

It's become commonplace these days to hear this being said while being welcomed.

I'm sorry, neighbor mom, for causing you so much trouble every day. But there is one good thing about associating the intercom with my visits.

And just then, Tomohiro-kun came downstairs, his footsteps thumping noisily. Not wanting to keep me, his beloved, waiting, he jumped out and quickly started getting ready.

Tomohiro-kun has trouble waking up, so the neighbor mom complained that it was such a pain to wake him up before coming to pick him up.

I started this experiment thinking that if it was that hard, I would wake him up myself, but it seems that seeing Tomohiro-kun in such a lively state in the morning when he was just waking up was traumatizing, and now he wakes up just from the intercom.

Tomohiro-kun is happy because he wakes up more easily, the neighbor mom is happy because she has less work to do in the morning, and I'm happy because I don't have to wake him up.

Everyone is happy, it's all happiness!

 ...Tomohiro-kun's privacy, with its tender adolescent heart broken?

Haha, there's no way that could be true for a domestic pet.

While I was enjoying tea with the neighbor mom, I prepared a steamed towel in the microwave for Tomohiro, who had quickly brushed his teeth and eaten his meal, and pressed the piping hot towel against his bedhead. Tomohiro complained that it was hot, but I was holding it with my bare hands, so I asked him to bear with it.

My superior physical strength made me casually mischievous. To put it mildly, I was pretty awful.

I also straightened out his tie, which was as crooked as my personality, and the neighbor mom commented, "My, my, you two look just like newlyweds." 

...Huh? No matter how you look at it, we're pet and owner, or at best mother and son, but it seems my beautiful looks made us look like newlyweds.

Are her eyes rotten?

Oh right, I was the one who clouded her vision.

Once Tomohiro-kun was ready, I put on the hand-knitted scarf and gloves given to me by my Mama and transformed into my fluffy Hikari form.  

Before leaving the house, I look in the mirror and see a fluffy, beautiful girl. She's cute no matter what she wears, and beauty is justice after all.

My heart flutters at the overwhelming power of my face, as I look back at Tomohiro-kun, who is rubbing his hands and complaining that he's cold.

He's wearing a coat that complies with school regulations, and a scarf around his neck. It's something I gave him as a gift about two or three years ago.

An Aran honeycomb, knitted with gratitude?

I explained that it was a reward for passing a tiring entrance exam, but in reality, I was thinking, "You'll always be my delicious honey snack!" as I made it.

Do I have no heart? If it wasn't there, I would be dead, you know.

Incidentally, Mama, who was knitting the scarf for me with me, had failed in her attempt to make a diamond pattern.

You're so cute, Mama.

I'll always cherish the scarf that you couldn't make very well.

"If it's that cold, why don't you just wear those gloves? They're so warm."

I open my hands in front of Tomohiro-kun, wearing handmade gloves that make me feel my Mama's love just by wearing them, to show him how warm they are.

Even though Hikari did it herself, she's so sly. But she's so cute, he needs to forgive her. That's just how the world works.

"I don't really like wearing gloves..."

You're lying.

You wore the gloves I gave you about three years ago every day. You're underestimating Hikari's excellent memory...

Ah, I see.

I get it. 

So, the gloves I made for you a few years ago have grown too much for Tomohiro-kun.

By the way, around that time, I remembered a time when we played a slightly heavy game of pretending to be girls. Even though Hikari gave Tomohiro-kun something different from the one I gave him...

He gave me a resentful look. Why were you still taking that old game so seriously? You're so innocent, silly, and adorable.

I never thought that even after I'd stopped playing. He would continue to roll around in the palm of my hand by himself...

You can't do anything to this sleazy reincarnated person though.

Yeah, this is a bit of a problem.

I'm sorry.

Even I, a human child, sometimes feel sorry.

I know this isn't important, but a human child means a human being's child, right? If the child of a human raised by a monster is the child of a monster, then all living things raised by humans should become human children.

In other words, being raised by Mama-sama, I am undoubtedly a human child. By this logic, even the average dog would become a human child.

It must be hard for the superior being, the fox loli-baba god, to be surrounded by so many human children.

I forgot my guilt in an instant and made a note in the back of my mind to do something about it when I got home.

My high-spec brain is excellent, so just leaving it in the back will remind me when I need it.

A reminder function, perhaps? It's convenient.

Thanks to that handy brain, I was able to understand the lesson perfectly, and time flew by on my way home from school.

The only notable thing about school life was the conversations with Satoshi-kun, who would always greet me in a silly way, so it can't be helped.

My walk home with Tomohiro-kun was just another mundane, everyday scene, but I was excited because I had something to look forward to later today.

Reincarnators are no good after all!

Before going inside my own house, I said hello to the neighbor mom and entered the home of someone I know well.

Tomohiro-kun was surprised that I'd followed him inside, even though we usually part ways in front of his house, but when I asked him if he didn't like me being with him, he enthusiastically denied it, saying, "No way!"

He was so brave, unaware of what was about to happen. So funny.

"Hiro-chan, you're not wearing gloves because it's already too small, right? I thought I'd like to see them if they're still there."

I followed Tomohiro-kun to his room, acting like it was the most natural thing in the world, and helped him hang his coat.  

After all that, Tomohiro-kun finally noticed something strange about me being in his room, and when he asked me why I was in there, this was my answer. Yeah, that doesn't really explain anything.

Tomohiro-kun looked at me like he was like, "How the hell do you know that!?" I repeated that I'd like to see them again, and the boy, looking embarrassed, took out a pair of gloves from the locked drawer.

Which should I value more: his strong attachment to keeping them in a locked place, or his carelessness in revealing the hiding place of the keys containing such precious items right in front of me?

I'll just say that he trusts me, that's what I'll do.

"I've always wanted to use these, but they've grown too small now. But they're precious treasures to me. That's why they're like a good luck charm."

Tomohiro-kun became overly talkative, as if making an excuse for something.

Maybe he was trying to hide his embarrassment, but that wasn't what I needed to think about right now.

It would have been impossible for Tomohiro-kun, who trusts me so completely, but showing me something so precious would be like running naked before a hungry lion.

"I see. So you treasured it."

I gently took the precious thing, as if touching it, and lightly stroked the surface. Oh, I've found the perfect knot. I'll start from here.

Swirl, swirl, swirl!

With a gusto, I pulled out the yarn from the gloves. Yes, after all, the most satisfying part of knitting is the moment you unravel the finished product.

This is why I learned to knit.

Pull, pull, spin, spin.

Oh no, Tomohiro-kun's precious treasure has become just yarn.

"...Heh? Um... Wha–... Why?!"

It was a cruel act that was suddenly and effortlessly carried out right in front of him. It was as if he'd been suddenly punched by someone he trusted completely, and his brain refused to comprehend it.

For a moment, Tomohiro-kun just watched me unravel the yarn by myself, enjoying the sensation.

After a moment, Tomohiro-kun shook his head from side to side, as if denying reality.

He must have been extremely shocked. It's just too cute. Sorry, just kidding, I'm the cutest, and tied for first place with Mama and Little Sister. 

Maybe saying he's the cutest is an exaggeration, but well, he's cute.

"Why? I made it because I wanted Hiro-chan to use it, so if you can't use it, it's no good. In that case, wouldn't it be better to unravel it and reuse it?"

Reuse, reuse.

"You learned that in school, right?" I say, as if admonishing a child, checking the condition of the yarn. It's a little worn, but still fine for reuse. I still have some spare yarn of the same color, so I think it won't be a problem if I mix it in with that.

I find the look of despair on Tomohiro-kun's face delightful, enjoying it without him noticing.

His childhood friend, whom he trusted, destroyed his treasure, and his head was torn to pieces.

Please stop, looking at me like that makes me look like the bad guy. Well, indeed, I am the bad guy, after all.

That said, of course I follow the rules. Laws are important, so destroying something I gave him as a gift is considered vandalism.

But it's okay!

Clever Hikari was thinking of taking it back, so I told him that yarn is meant to be reused, and I didn't call it a gift at that time; I just gave it to him, saying, "I hope you'll use this." 

Tomohiro-kun probably thinks he's received a gift, but my stance is that it's only a loan. This creates room for leniency. Promises really do matter, don't they? Contracts are the basis of everything.

After committing such atrocities on Tomohiro-kun that would have me bursting into tears without any shame or dignity if they had happened to me, I retreat now that I've retrieved my target.

I wonder how Tomohiro-kun sees me doing this and then saying goodbye with a "See you tomorrow!" as if it's nothing special.

Well, whatever the way he sees me, it's not a big deal. I raised him so that he wouldn't be able to leave me over something like this, and I'll provide proper aftercare.

I am a reincarnated person, after all.

.... Eh, what does aftercare have to do with reincarnation?

With the ball of yarn in my hand, I return to the house next door. A home filled with happiness, with a kind Mama waiting for me.

It's a world apart from Tomohiro-kun's room, which is currently in the midst of a storm.

If I, the cause of it all, can feel this happy, then the world truly is the best.

While enjoying the cupcakes Mama made for me as a snack, I get to work on my knitting. I went to the trouble of collecting the yarn from Tomohiro-kun, so I better get started early.

When I get home, I'm happy to be a student with five hours until I have to go to bed at 9, and I make good use of that time to continue knitting.

Ideally, I should check the hand size of the person who will actually use it while knitting, but my high-spec brain knows the size of my precious snack perfectly.

I hurry a little, making sure the stitches are just right—neither too loose nor too tight—and put it in my bag so I don't forget. It's better to follow up quickly, after all.

I'm a monster that devours Tomohiro-kun's emotions, but I don't want to suck them all dry. Rather, I want to squeeze out as much as possible without killing him, so care is important.

And the next day.

While enjoying tea with the neighbor mom with my usual expression, I hear her say that for some reason Tomohiro-kun was feeling down yesterday and had a hard time.

I asked her if she knew anything, but it was definitely my fault. In fact, there's hardly anyone other than me who could hurt Tomohiro-kun, and even if there was, I wouldn't forgive them. I'm a very possessive person, so I want to keep all my toys to myself.

...You said I don't need to monopolize people for something like this? Hey, don't you realize that monopolizing someone is extremely arrogant? You have human rights that need to be protected, so you should understand that.

After a while, Tomohiro-kun comes downstairs. Just as the neighbor mom said, he must have been feeling really down. The bags under his eyes are pretty bad, poor thing.

The neighbor mom and I worry about the staggering boy.

If he's not feeling well, maybe he should take the day off? I'll let the school know, and I'll explain the contents of his lessons, you know?

...How dare this girl pretend to be so concerned when she was the one who sowed the seeds.

I'm horrified, even though it's me.

Perhaps he shared my impression, Tomohiro-kun looked at me for a moment as if he was looking at something he couldn't understand, but then he acted brave and said everything was fine so as not to worry the neighbor mom.

That look is no good, I could get addicted to it.

Starting to feel good, I wait for Tomohiro-kun and we leave the house together.

Then it's finally time to clear up the misunderstanding. I could have done it in front of the neighbor mom, but wouldn't it feel more like bittersweet youth if we did it just the two of us?

Eh, it isn't? Shut up, I think it's good.

"...That's right, Hiro-chan, I almost forgot. Your hands are cold, aren't they? Use this?"

The incomprehensible look is delicious, but it gets boring if it's the same all the time, so I'm slowly changing the flavor. Adding a little love and sweetness to it softens the saltiness that was there just before.

"These... could it be for this?"

Are you giving me these gloves?

Could it be that (you took off my gloves yesterday to make new ones from the ones that were too small to wear)?

Yes, to expand on Tomohiro-kun's inarticulate commentary, it's something like this.

Accurate communication isn't possible unless you read between the words, not just between the lines. We're childhood friends, so I understand, but everyone else, be careful when you talk.

Tomohiro-kun's feelings of not being able to understand me just a moment ago are being reframed.

From "not being able to understand" to "suddenly understand."

If it turns out to be a misunderstanding, all that's left for him is the guilt of having misinterpreted my kindness and assumed I'd done something terrible.

Damn! This bitterness is addictive! 

"That's right. Otherwise I'd look like a terrible person who takes off your gloves for no reason. ...Or do I seem like that to you?"

In reality, I was just trying to have fun by making him think I was that kind of person, so it would be much better if he did think that, but Tomohiro shook his head vigorously and said, "That's not true!"

"I'm sorry, it's my fault for trying to create a misunderstanding. I thought I'd misled you by suddenly taking them off, but I'm sorry."

Tomohiro-kun replied, "I didn't misunderstand, so it's okay!"

Okay, I've got Tomohiro-kun's assurance that he's innocent. 

Of course, when the girl you like says, "I'm sorry for making you think I'm a scumbag," you want to pretend there was no misunderstanding. I cleverly invite forgiveness. That's the trick of a villain.

And so, all that's left is me, who's been found not guilty, and Tomohiro-kun, who has no choice but to forgive me, naturally feeling guilty for his terrible misunderstanding and suspicion.

"That's great. Well then, Hiro-chan, let's go to school quickly."

I wait for Tomohiro-kun to put on his gloves, then grab my fluffy, gloved hand.

As expected, snacks are delicious and the best.