Life In The Reverse World

…

“Why I’m keeping my hands to myself? Hah? What kind of random question is that?”

Harutaki rinsed off the foam from his face wash and dabbed his cheeks with a towel. Just when he thought Shihou had finally calmed down for a while, she suddenly dropped that question on him.

What a strange girl, he thought. She’d been crying and begging him not to take her first time just moments ago, and now she was asking why he hadn’t touched her?

“I told you already, someone like me is a good man you can’t get so easily~”

“That’s not the kind of boring joke I want.”

A boring joke, huh?

A question like this, heavy, serious, completely out of nowhere, wasn’t something he could answer instantly. And even if he gave an answer, would it even be the right one?

What a troublesome girl, he thought with a sigh. So casually throwing a weight like this at him, then refusing to let him dodge with a joke.

It was like shoving him in a volleyball match and forcing him to take a full-power spike, using his face.

Unreasonable…

“Shihou-san, don’t you think chatting in the bath is a little inappropriate?”

“What’s so inappropriate? I know plenty of people who like to sit in hot springs and chat.”

Chatting in a hot spring, what are you, a middle-aged uncle?!

“Should I bring you a cold bottle of milk? Make sure you drink it with your hands on your hips for the full effect.”

“Stop nagging…”

“I don’t know about you, but listening to a beautiful girl splashing hot water around right behind the door, any guy would start imagining the scene on the other side…”

Please, just give me a little time to think, he thought, hiding behind a playful tone.

“Just those mental images are enough for me to scarf down another midnight snack.”

“G-gh… Y-you get out first. I need to put on clothes…”

“As you command~”

Running away was shameful, but it worked. Still, there were things in life you couldn’t run from.

And he, Hoshikawa Harutaki, wasn’t the type to avoid hard questions forever.

He just needed a moment to choose his words.

…

“Haaah…”

After washing himself thoroughly from head to toe, Harutaki sank completely into the steaming bathwater. The bathroom was barely ten square meters, cramped and foggy with steam, but resting his head on the soft cushion and letting the heat lift and cradle him,

That airy, weightless feeling made everything seem to relax, as if all his stress and fatigue could dissolve straight into the water.

Bathing, he decided, was one of life’s great joys.

If you had a girl bathing with you, then it would be double the joy.

That thought made him jolt upward.

Just earlier, Shihou, his gorgeous classmate, had been soaking naked in this exact water.

A beautiful girl from his class. Same school. Same year.

Bubbles bloomed across the surface as he sank lower in disbelief.

Even though she had left a while ago, the scent of her shampoo and body wash still clung to the air, exactly the same fragrance he caught whenever they passed each other in the hallway.

The shampoo was Ayaka’s citrus scent. The body wash was his Biore.

Thinking about it that way… it almost felt like they’d bathed together.

Splash.

He scooped up a handful of water and stared at the blurred reflection in it before letting out a long sigh.

He wasn’t some creep like Du Xiao Shuai, he wasn’t about to drink the bathwater a girl had soaked in. That was disgusting on every level.

He was only imagining, imagining what kind of feelings Shihou had been holding when she asked that question, submerged in this very tub.

Was it something she mentioned casually?

Or something that had been building up for a long time… finally overflowing?

He rested his head again and retraced everything since early April, analyzing how tonight had unfolded.

At first, he had been completely determined to pursue Shihou. He had no intention of getting involved with Nogami.

But Nogami changed. And the softness she later revealed, the vulnerable, earnest part buried under her thorns, was impossible not to feel drawn to.

A fierce, arrogant, cold beauty who showed gentleness only to him… That was straight-up cheating. His iron resolve shattered like glass.

Then came Shirasagi Miyabi, descending into his life like an angel, moving with grace and a chilling clarity. Her calm elegance, her perceptiveness, that gentle, sisterly warmth that contrasted with her icy appearance…

Shirasagi-senpai was a goddess.

With her guidance, he’d finally understood his feelings toward Nogami. He could shout it out loud without hesitation.

Thinking about that, Harutaki let out a self-mocking laugh.

He really was a textbook scumbag.

His feelings for Nogami were born from dislike, turning to affection, from becoming someone special in her eyes, being treated differently.

His feelings for Shirasagi-senpai were admiration, longing, yearning… like chasing the cold, distant moon hanging in the night sky.

He was technically the older one, but in front of Shirasagi-senpai, he always fell short.

He could never be as thoughtful and considerate as she was–

Recalling her ice-calm gaze, those unfathomably still thoughts, he couldn’t help wondering,

Was there anything in the world that could confuse someone like Shirasagi-senpai?

If it were her, she would handle the situation perfectly, wouldn’t she?

As for Shihou, there was no doubt that he liked her.

Compared to Nogami, who was basically a walking catastrophe, Shihou was elegant and composed on the outside, yet secretly mischievous and sensual on the inside, a landslide victory.

And Shirasagi-senpai, that unreachable moon… was he really going to chase something so far away and ignore the girl right beside him?

Logically, Shihou was the best choice.

But that was just him, Hoshikawa Harutaki, thinking from his side.

And love… was something between two people.

“I love you.”

“I like you.”

“I’m doing this for your own good.”

How many mistakes, how many wounds, have been committed under the banner of love?

He was obviously the kind of scumbag whose heart fluttered at the sight of any pretty girl. Even so, he still wanted to be the kind of scumbag who didn’t hurt girls.

“A world where no one gets hurt.”

Harutaki couldn’t help thinking of his former dorm mate, the hardcore otaku who decorated his bed curtain with cardboard standees of anime girls. That guy would often ramble on with all sorts of nonsense.

Things like “Always keep a reserve of strength, always be graceful,” and “A person who can’t give anything up can’t change anything at all.” Those he could agree with; they were good warnings to live by. But occasionally the roommate would also say strange lines like “Tatakae, drive them all out,” or “There will always be a creature of the earth willing to face the thunder’s radiance.” Baffling stuff.

Hmm… that roommate also kept recommending him some game with a really long intro, something he forgot the beginning of, forgot the middle of, and then forgot the ending too.

Anyway, if there really existed a world where nobody ever got hurt… then he hoped it was the world he had been reborn into now.

But comforting himself with pretty delusions was one thing. In the end, he had to stand in front of the problem and answer it head-on.

Just speak honestly, he told himself. Spin too many sweet lies, and eventually you’ll fool even yourself. And Shihou wasn’t an idiot. The only thing that could win genuine feelings was genuine feelings.

And he did genuinely like Shihou.

Once he made up his mind, he stood up decisively, hopped out of bed, and changed into his pajamas, ready for “battle.”

…

“Ahem… don’t mind that. It’s just some kid’s prank.”

Harutaki snatched the box of Okamoto 0.01 from Chouko’s hands with lightning speed, desperately trying to change the subject.

This wasn’t the kind of “battle” he meant!

“Where did you… uh… find this?”

“By the door.”

“Hold on a second…”

He tiptoed to the entrance, trying his best not to make a sound. Then, in one abrupt motion, he yanked open the door and poked half his body into the dim hallway.

Not sleeping at night, huh?

No wonder you’re not growing. Short and flat as a washboard.

Without hesitation, he flung the rectangular box into the darkness.

“Ow! That hurt…”

…

With the ceiling light switched off, the room was pitch black, sleep-inducing, and terrible for conversation. So Harutaki dragged the desk lamp over to the bedside, turned it to warm mode, dialed the brightness to the lowest setting, and created a cozy atmosphere reminiscent of late-night fireside talks.

Chirp, chirp.

Chirp, chirp.

Outside, the crickets played their monotonous symphony. Occasionally, a nightingale’s song threaded through the night, smooth and liquid, calming the breath and gently slowing the heartbeat.

“Shihou-san, do you remember the question I asked you on the train this evening?”

His sudden voice broke the harmony like a clueless audience member coughing in the middle of a performance.

“Um… the train this evening…?”

“Isn’t it exhausting, having to put on that noble young-lady act all the time?”

“Wear a mask long enough, and you start feeling like you can’t breathe. Like you’re not yourself anymore. Keep pushing down your heart and your emotions, and eventually you’ll just snap back like a spring, the harder it’s pressed, the harder it rebounds. So you made a secret alt account to vent, and even exchanged explicit selfies with me…”

He hadn’t expected an answer from her. He was simply voicing his own thoughts.

“…The girl ‘Shihou Chouko’ suppressed by the noble lady ‘Shihou Chouko’, that girl was expressing her protest like this.”

“I, I never…”

Harutaki rolled over, eyes fixed on the girl hiding her face in her hands.

She definitely had. He exhaled sharply from his nose and let out two quiet, smug chuckles.

“If you ask what I think of you… I like you. One hundred percent.”

“Even if it’s one hundred thousand percent, I won’t agree.”

“But I don’t need your permission to like you, do I?”

“Well… that’s true, but, Hoshikawa-kun… I…” Latest content publıshed on novel fire.net

Bathed in the dim amber glow of the bedside lamp, Chouko’s lips trembled as she fumbled for words.

If she rejected too harshly, she’d hurt him. That wasn’t what she wanted. But if she softened too much and gave him hope, that wouldn’t match her intention of a straightforward refusal either.

The one she liked was Onii.

And Harutaki…

If only they could be the best of friends, she thought. Such a greedy, selfish idea, wanting all the benefits for herself.

“We’ve only known each other for less than a month. It’s not like we’re deeply familiar with one another. Honestly speaking, the initial attraction was because of your appearance. Obvious enough, right?”

“Of course I understand.”

So Hoshikawa liked the “Shihou Chouko” on the surface. That made her both relieved and quietly disappointed.

“But I’m the kind of guy who overestimates himself. I believe I caught a glimpse of the side of you you’ve been hiding, ” he continued, “the lively, mischievous side…”

“Hoshikawa-kun, you’re awfully full of yourself.”

Her voice quivered faintly.

“…The you who wants to be treated as someone special, just like ‘Shihou Chouko.’”

“I-I don’t want any special treatment!”

She regained her courage and pushed back.

“What would you know?!”

That distant politeness when they first met, the flawless etiquette, the way she responded to classmates with polite but detached agreement,

Even her hostility toward Nogami went beyond the usual Kyoto–Tokyo, noble-versus-common tension.

Chouko was jealous, he guessed. Jealous of Nogami, who could ignore rules, act freely, and show her true self without restraint.

“You want to be treated as someone ‘ordinary,’ don’t you?”

Harutaki watched the beautiful girl press her lips together tightly and close her eyes. He continued.

“So what’s wrong with me pursuing you in an ordinary way?”

“If you really were treating me ‘ordinarily,’ then why didn’t you dare touch me? Why couldn’t you even take a bite of the food offered right in front of you? Why did you retreat at the last moment?!”

Chouko clutched the blanket, the fabric wrinkling under her grip. She kept her voice low, mindful that it was still night and she mustn’t disturb anyone.

“Didn’t dare touch you? Retreating? What kind of joke is that…”

Her accusation amused him, and irritated him too.

“I didn’t touch you because I like you. Shihou family’s airheaded little princess, who do you think you are? A girl who spreads her legs for anyone? And who do you take me for? That lowlife scum Yobitani?”

“S-sorry…”

She bowed her head instinctively, like a child scolded for making a mistake. But then the warm, amber light flickered, and the stern-faced Onii from her memories dissolved, replaced by Hoshikawa’s silhouette, filling most of her vision.

“…I-I wasn’t saying it like that! Hmph. Hoshikawa-kun, you’re just a wimp.”

“Virgin. Coward. Idiot. Pervert who listens to girls bathing through the door.”

Her soft, warm palm pressed against Harutaki’s cheek. She pushed feebly, trying to push his head away, but instead left a faint, damp warmth on his skin, where her hand, flushed from holding her face, had rested.

“I’m confessing because, listen, I don’t want to be doing it with a girl and suddenly hear another guy’s name out of her mouth. That’d make me feel like some kind of irredeemable villain…”

“Pervert! Shameless scumbag! Go die!”

It was, strictly speaking, the harshest scolding Harutaki had heard from her in the past month. And yet, despite the words, the strength of her little palms pushing at his face hadn’t changed at all, just enough to squish his nose uncomfortably.

“Oh merciful Shihou-san,” he muttered, his voice flattened by her hand, “since you went as far as dragging a table out of the girls' bathroom for me, how about granting my wish to shed my virginity before I die?”

“There’s no logical connection between those things at all!”

“There is, if we start dating.”

Her movements froze. Then, like retreating from a battlefield, she pulled her hand back and tucked herself into the blankets again.

“Hoshikawa-kun… I, I already have someone I like, so…”

Her voice got smaller and smaller until it vanished completely. The room fell into a heavy silence that pressed against the lungs.

Was… was that too direct? She wondered nervously. Hoshikawa must be devastated. And angry. Definitely angry.

Trying to sneak a glance at his expression, she inched her head closer,

“Wah!”

“Eek!”

Thunk.

Startled, she jerked back and smacked her head on the headboard, producing a muffled thud.

“Ahem… sorry…”

“Owww… Hoshikawa-kun, you’re the worst…”

She clutched her head with both hands and glared at him through teary, indignant eyes. He nudged the lamp a notch brighter, revealing an annoyingly amused smile.

“Well, if we can’t date, we can at least be friends, right?”

“T-that’s what I was thinking too…”

How naïve, Harutaki thought as the girl nodded like a pecking chick. As if boys and girls ever stayed “just friends.”

“But I did take something from you, right? I mean, I’m probably the first guy you’ve ever shared a bed with. So even if you stay far away from me someday, I’ll still be that ‘first’ guy. Can’t change that.”

“Ohhh? Then my ‘first time’ belongs to Hoshikawa-kun now~?”

She pinched her voice playfully and poked his cheek with a mischievous grin.

“That’s the kind of loser talk that even makes me feel sorry for you. Don’t worry. No matter how far I go, I’ll remember.”

“In that case, I’ll give you a promise too.”

He raised his right hand and curled it into a fist, leaving only his pinky bent.

“Which hand’s your dominant one?”

“I’m a very normal right-hander.”

“Then use the left.”

He extended his hand toward her as he continued:

“If you ever want to stop being ‘Shihou Chouko’, the noble lady version of you, use your left hand to tuck your side hair behind your ear. When you do, I’ll be there to help you…”

“…as a friend,” he added.

There was no reason to refuse. Biting her lower lip, she shot him a fleeting glance with those pale-gold eyes before quickly looking away. Then, slowly, she lifted her left hand.

“Pinky promise. Liars swallow a thousand needles.”

And then, as if wanting to gloss over that line entirely, she rolled over so her back faced him.

“It’d be kind of a waste to just sleep now, wouldn’t it? Since Golden Week starts tomorrow and we don’t need to wake up early…”

“I think so too.”

And so the two of them lay back-to-back, talking about everything and nothing.

Their favorite songs and sweets, movies and shows, novels and anime…

Childhood games, dumb pranks, secret bases in the woods or garden, how many times they fell down, how often they cried during the tooth-changing years, strange stories they’d heard from classmates…

How she once dragged her bullied Onii around to get revenge, the mistakes that earned her her great-grandmother’s scolding, the isolation she faced when she entered middle school…

How he retaliated against Nogami, then helped her escape bullying; how many times his mom punished him for mischief; all the bizarre characters he met during his “part-time job”…

Past things they’d done, future things they wanted to do, they talked like real friends with no walls between them, endlessly, effortlessly,

Until Chouko’s voice, unaccustomed to staying up late, faded into silence, replaced by the steady rhythm of sleep.

Carefully, Harutaki rose from the bed. By the warm dim glow of the lamp, he watched the girl's peaceful sleeping face, round and soft like a mochi dumpling, irresistibly pinchable, biteable even, though he’d never admit that aloud.

One day, he might have to make a choice. Someone might get hurt.

But before that day came, he wanted to protect this feeling for as long as he could, this strange, earnest, childish girl who was special in ways she didn’t even realize.