Chapter 44: Childhood Friend Chips, A (Plain) Flavor That Will Destroy Your Humble Boyish Dignity

Childhood Friend Chips, A (Plain) Flavor That Will Destroy Your Humble Boyish Dignity

Here's the question: What should a TS girl do when she goes out with a boy she's interested in (in a slightly unusual way)?

Yes, the correct answer is to dress up in order to make him think she's cute, while making some excuse like, "This isn't for him..."

It's a TS girl staple: pretending to be a boy, but thinking about the person she loves, she becomes a slut all by herself. When a TS reincarnated person says they're a boy, it translates to "I'm a slut♡." It's like the apple falling from the tree.

Now, according to the rules for a TS girl becoming a slut, I should also blush while dressing up, but sadly, I'm already a girl, inside and out.

Because I was dysfunctional to begin with, I didn't have a masculine identity, and I was dyed like a slut within a year of being born.

And yet, you say I like girls? Before you even consider whether you can look at me with eyes like that, isn't it natural to like cute things? Boys can admire Pretty Cure, too.

That's what modern gender theorists are like.

They're linking personal preferences to gender identity!

She expresses her anger over something completely unrelated, while smiling in a cute, frilly outfit.

She's a TS girl who doesn't know what to do with herself, so she doesn't like TS girl behavior.

It's okay, just dress cute. It's nice to be complimented on how cute I am.

Even my former partner, Miho-san, didn't realize how girlish I was until she saw the real thing.

I wasn't even trying to act, I was just acting naturally and showing my girlish side. I sometimes wonder if my former self is still there. If he wasn't, such a beautiful girl wouldn't have such a fetish.

I dress cutely and get Mama's approval, saying, "You're cute today too!"  

I checked Mama's fashion back after she'd checked me, and then I decided she was cute too, and the two of us squealed and giggling.

I wanted my little sister to join in the fun, but since it's before exams, I had to hold back and not get in the way. I just hoped the exams would be over soon so we could play together.

Having given up on enjoying my little sister, I was now able to pray purely for success, and headed out the door. I'd gone out on a day off, and dressed cute from the morning.

If you compare it to what's happened recently, you'll probably understand why I went out.

Yes, to appeal to the clever Satoshi-kun by showing off my charms on our date.

...Isn't that the normal reason to go out? If you've already decided on who you're aiming for and have a clear idea of ​​how to achieve it, there's no way you wouldn't do it. If you think about it logically, there's no other choice.

Unfortunately, however, I'm a TS reincarnated person. I have a background that's far from ordinary.

So the reason I'm going out today isn't to woo Satoshi-kun, but to get a taste of Tomohiro-kun.

...Why would I risk my life for something like a snack, not realizing that if things went awry, my favorite, Satoshi-kun-kun, could be completely destroyed? Obviously, I knew that, but I just couldn't stand the hunger. 

When I'm completely preoccupied with the big shot Satoshi-kun, it becomes difficult to fill my stomach with small items nearby.

Even searching for sparkling candidates online, which I've always taken for granted, might not be possible depending on my future career.

My main source of sustenance is the dazzling light that shines when something valuable is lost, and if I can't get it, I have to replenish it elsewhere. And Tomohiro-kun is convenient for that.

So, you already know what I'm going to do. 

I've made a long-winded excuse, but the bottom line is, I can't resist, so I'm making a move on Tomohiro-kun.

That's all there is to it.

Even if Satoshi-kun says something, I can make excuses to a certain extent, saying that we're childhood friends and that's how it's always been, and if he still says that he doesn't like it even after my excuses, then deliberately distancing myself from him will also show that I'm serious.

If things go well, Satoshi-kun might even become jealous.

On the other hand, if things don't work out, it could cause him to distance himself, so basically it's best to just enjoy the relationship little by little without making it obvious.

We haven't even confirmed our feelings yet, so no one should blame us (Hikari and Tomohiro) for being close in secret.

Of course, if we (Hikari and Satoshi) were to start dating, that's a different story.

So, unless Tomohiro makes some moves and wins me over, he'll be kept at a distance as a close childhood friend. A boy who has had his first love and life plans ruined, and is set free.

I feel a bit sorry for him, but that's just how life is.

Everything in my life is supposed to go according to plan, though. 

Thinking it would be fun to decide in advance on the date I'd confess my feelings to Satoshi-kun, or have him confess to me, and then call my Snack-kun, who'd have his heart broken in XX days, I rang the neighbor intercom and dragged Tomohiro-kun, who seemed to be studying, out.

Without even a moment's thought about which came first—studies or his beautiful childhood friend who suddenly showed up dressed up on a day off and said, "Let's go out now!"—Tomohiro-kun ended up being dragged out in almost the clothes he was wearing.

He spends all his time playing like this, so his grades aren't improving. At this rate, he'll never be the right person for me.

"...Hikari-chan, where are we going today? Depending on where we're going, I'd like to go home and change."

Tomohiro-kun, tugging at the edge of his tracksuit, confirms this, surely remembering his previous mistake. If he'd been invited out after being told that anything was fine and then suddenly being dragged off to an art gallery, he'd probably start to care about dress codes. The last place I took him to was a place where casual clothes were acceptable, but he still looked a little out of place.

Now, when he asks me what I'm going to do today, I start thinking. I'm generally a person who plans things out, but I'm also the type who doesn't make plans that don't need to be made. And going out with Tomohiro-kun isn't important enough to warrant planning, so I haven't thought about anything.

...Where did all the planning go? It's just lost somewhere.

On a positive note, that means I'm not being reserved or considerate around Tomohiro-kun...

I thought to myself, a comfort that wasn't really comforting, but I looked at Tomohiro-kun with pitying eyes, and the poor boy looked away, embarrassed. It's not a situation to be embarrassed about, so that reaction is wrong; he should calm down.

Even though Tomohiro-kun isn't someone I have to worry about, it would be a shame to use him as a scouting spot for a date with Satoshi-kun, so I decided not to go to the poison exhibition at the museum.

You should either go with someone who's interested, or go alone. If you go in a group and even one person isn't interested, you won't be able to enjoy the exhibits properly.

Exhibits are meant to be enjoyed slowly.  I learned that in my previous life. Back when I was still a student and believed in science. After receiving this revelation, I didn't have time to indulge in such things.

But then, there's really nowhere for me to go with Tomohiro-kun.

If there's somewhere I want to go, I basically go alone, and there aren't many places I want to go to anyway.

...So why did I drag Tomohiro-kun out?

"It's so sudden, but Hiro-chan can go home now."

If I said something like that, he would question my character, so I somehow narrow down where to go out.

Should we go shopping, or just go out for a meal?

...It's too much trouble, so shopping will be fine.

I'm running low on wood, so let's go buy some. Do I need to take Tomohiro-kun with me? No.

It's a boy's honor to put up with the whims of his cute childhood friend!

Thinking these things, I got on the shuttle bus to the shopping center and chatted for a while with Tomohiro-kun, who still didn't understand anything.  

…I said he didn't really understand, but now that I think about it, it's something my childhood friend from my past life told me. Basically, I'm just repeating what Miho-san said. If Miho-san said it was so, then it must be so. If it's not, it's all her fault.

It feels a bit lonely to come shopping and then accomplish my goal right away, so I window shop to kill time.

Since I'd taken him out, it's the kind of childhood friend I am, wanting to make sure he has at least a little fun.

I wonder if childhood friend can be parents?

Waking him up in the morning, helping him with his studies, influencing his personality development—it's not an exaggeration to say I'm his parent.

I raised Tomohiro-kun.

I'll stick a sticker of mine on his forehead—a sticker of the face of everyone's favorite producer.

Acting on impulse, I took a Purikura photo with Tomohiro-kun to prepare the sticker, but since his forehead would be too noticeable, I stuck it on his phone.

There's no way Tomohiro-kun would peel off my cute sticker.  

I'll just leave it on and hopefully the neighbor mom will give him a lukewarm look. It'll be fine, I'm sure she'll be happy. She'll have no idea that her son was almost been thrown away.

After finishing up my service for Tomohiro-kun, I also make him choose some loungewear for me to reinforce his misconception that I like him.

Look, this one is fluffy too. This one is soft too. Which do you like, Hiro-chan? 

....The fluffy one? Then Hikari will take this one. Thank you for choosing!

The smiling shop assistant seemed to wonder if I was crazy to buy such fluffy pajamas in such hot weather, and I paid, and had Tomohiro-kun carry my bags.

Since I often stay indoors working on my projects, I have the air conditioner on in my room to prevent heatstroke. I always keep the room temperature at 20 degrees, so I can wear fluffy pajamas even in the hot summer. Fluffy pajamas are cute, after all. I guess there's no other way.

Looking at the clock, I realized that almost no time had passed, so we headed to the cinema to do something a little more. I grabbed Tomohiro-kun's hand, who was trembling with fear after watching a horror movie that was about to start.

...Me? I thought ghosts were naughty. Why are ghosts so naughty? They're so pale and lifeless, aren't they? They say a pale complexion hides many flaws, so a little lifelessness wouldn't bother you. Don't you think so? Please think so.

We went to a random family restaurant to discuss the movie with Tomohiro-kun, who was still scared.

By the way, Tomohiro-kun was dragged out before he had time to pick up his wallet, so I've been paying for everything up to this point.

Having a girl pay for everything, and then being seen frightened by the horror, it's like his dignity as a boy is completely shattered.

I brought him here today because I wanted to see the sour look on his face when he's worried about it.

It's a little bland, but it's a flavor that you never get tired of, no matter how much you eat.