Life In The Reverse World

Ding-dong.

Ding-dong.

The crisp chime of the doorbell rang out. The heavy security door soon swung open, revealing a beautiful girl’s fair face, flushed with a faint, adorable blush.

But what caught Harutaki’s attention even more… was Chouko’s outfit.

Her loose homewear gave off a soft, relaxed vibe. The casual shorts, almost like pumpkin bloomers, were slightly oversized. And yet… beneath them wasn’t bare skin, but a pair of thin black tights, the kind meant for summer.

“Are you really trying to improve your grades?”

As he stepped inside, he shot her a teasing glance.

Her ulterior motives were way too obvious.

“I-I’m obviously trying to raise my ranking…”

Chouko stammered, her eyes darting away, unable to meet his gaze.

“…Even if we’re good friends, I’m not going to let Izumi step all over me.”

Grrr…

The moment she finished speaking, her stomach growled.

Harutaki glanced at her. Her cheeks were even redder now, like a perfectly ripened apple turned up to full saturation.

“I think we should eat first.”

He set down his bag, washed his hands, and headed into the kitchen.

Chouko thoughtfully brought over a dark brown checkered apron. As he approached, she slipped it over him and tied it neatly.

Judging by the size and style, she had probably bought it specifically for him.

“Anything you want to eat?” he asked while checking the fridge.

“I like anything you make, Hoshikawa.”

“That’s a sneaky answer.”

Grumbling lightly, he took out onions, carrots, daikon, wakame, and a box of pre-sliced wagyu beef.

After quickly washing and chopping the vegetables, he tossed the daikon and wakame into a pot for miso soup, while the carrots and onions were stir-fried with the wagyu for a beef bowl.

There was also half a pot of leftover rice in the fridge.

“I’m digging in~”

“Let’s eat.”

The dishes were simple and quick, so they were on the table in no time.

Chouko happily picked up her soup first, sipping the steaming miso broth in small, cat-like sips.

“Mmm… your seasoning is pretty light, Hoshikawa.”

“With beef bowls, lighter miso soup works better…”

Harutaki took a sip himself, then added,

“…Do you still have to call me ‘Hoshikawa’ in private?”

“In case I accidentally slip up and Izumi notices. So we should keep it the same as usual.”

He actually agreed.

Some people liked having a “home mode” and an “outside mode,” but habits built over time always slipped out eventually.

Like how she always called his name when she felt good…

Though, when he leaned in and whispered her name by her ear, she reacted just as intensely.

“This tastes amazing! With your cooking skills, Hoshikawa, you’d totally blow up if you opened a restaurant. No matter how many times I eat it, I feel the same way.”

Chouko stacked onions, carrots, and beef together, scooping it all into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel storing food, a look of pure delight spreading across her face.

“If I lived with you, I’d probably become completely useless.”

“It’s just cooking…”

“Not just cooking. I probably wouldn’t even get out of bed~”

Cough—

Harutaki nearly choked on his rice at that.

“‘Tutoring to improve your grades’? You’re obviously just after my body.”

He said it jokingly, but to his surprise, Chouko actually lowered her head in embarrassment.

Hey—your hair’s about to fall into the beef bowl. Don’t waste food!

In that faintly charged atmosphere, they quickly finished dinner.

“I’ll handle the cleanup.”

Saying that, Chouko efficiently gathered the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher.

As the machine began humming, she casually turned off the overhead light on her way back.

Click.

The room instantly sank into darkness.

Even in the dim twilight filtering through the curtains, Harutaki could clearly make out her movements.

His unusually sharp vision puzzled him, but he chalked it up to natural talent… because right now, the girl in front of him was far more distracting than anything else.

She pulled off her loose homewear, carefully feeling her way forward—

Thud.

“Ugh… that hurt…”

After kicking the table leg, Chouko crouched down, teary-eyed.

Unable to watch any longer, Harutaki stepped forward and, ignoring her startled cry, lifted her onto the table.

“W-Wait… ngh…”

“Easy…”

“H-Harutaki…”

Remembering he had only texted Ayaka that he wouldn’t be home for dinner, Harutaki didn’t bother holding back or dragging things out.

He chose to make it quick.

…

An hour later.

Plop.

A porcelain bowl filled with yogurt tipped over, thick liquid spilling across the floor. Perhaps it hadn’t fermented properly, as the overly sour yogurt separated into curds and whey.

“I… I’m going to rest for a bit…”

“I’m not staying over tonight. I’ll clean up and head home.”

“…Haa…”

He thought he heard her let out a long sigh of relief.

After a quick rinse in the bathroom, he cleaned the floor with a mop. Still worried, he soaked a towel in warm water and brought it to the bedroom, letting Chouko, whose legs were too weak, use it instead of bathing.

On the way home, he stopped by a convenience store and bought a deodorant spray.

With Fuyuno around, he couldn’t afford not to be careful.

But… even though there was nothing wrong with being in a normal relationship with Chouko, why did he feel so on edge?

The realization left Harutaki filled with guilt.

…

18:49 — Chiyoda, Tokyo.

Soft classical music flowed from a white DYNAUDIO speaker on a shelf, the notes trickling gently through every corner of the 1LDK apartment.

In front of a wide floor-to-ceiling window sat a low, rounded table. And at that table, a beautiful girl in a thin hoodie and casual pants bit the end of a marker, frowning at a difficult problem in her workbook.

“…Hmm.”

Should she sign up for cram school? Or hire a private tutor?

Minako would be fine, but thinking about the possibility of being overtaken by Chouko in the rankings made Nogami uneasy.

It was just an exam. They were friends.

And yet… no matter how close they were, she didn’t want to lose to Chouko.

Lose once, and you could lose again. Not just in exams… but in other things too—

“…Haa.”

She let out a quiet breath, tossing the marker aside and glancing at her phone resting on the wireless charging pad.

Asking Minako for help would work too…

Wait.

A sudden idea struck her.

Isn’t a dog supposed to be useful when its owner needs it?

But just as she unlocked her phone and hovered over the green app icon, she hesitated.

Hoshikawa was ranked fourth in the year. He must be busy studying too, right?

Would it really be okay to disturb him now?

“…Whatever!”

Nogami clicked her tongue. She never used to think about others like this.

That stupid dog was seriously the worst.

[Nogami-sama: If you see this, reply immediately, idiot dog! 🐶]