Life In The Reverse World

Flip, flip.

Thin, translucent pages rustled softly.

Click, click.

The mechanical pencil clicked as the lead advanced and snapped back.

Scratch, scratch.

A fine tip traced neat characters across the answer sheet.

Squish.

—That sound, of course, didn’t come from anything real. It was just the noise Harutaki’s brain helpfully imagined when he saw Nogami leaning over the low table, her chest pressed slightly against it.

Truly one of the most wonderful things in the world…

He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Nogami’s not-too-big, not-too-small E-cup—just about palm-sized—was every bit as captivating as Chouko’s F-cup.

She might fall a little short in sheer allure and sensuality, but in terms of youthful charm and that unmistakable “girl” freshness, Nogami had something Chouko couldn’t match.

As for his good buddy Sae, she was more on the cute side, and her personality made it impossible for him to think of her that way anyway.

And then there was Minako…

Let’s just say—she gave him a strange “mom-like” impression.

Well, only in terms of chest size.

With her gentle temperament and style, it wasn’t surprising Nogami sometimes felt like she was shopping with a young mother when they went out together.

“Hey, Hoshikawa, which option is it for this question—A, B, C, D, E, or F?”

“E.”

The answer slipped out instinctively.

A moment later, Harutaki froze.

…Which question?

“Heh. You were definitely looking, weren’t you?”

He stole a glance from the corner of his eye—only to meet her rose-colored gaze head-on.

Her eyes were practically brimming with amusement… and contempt.

It sent a chill down his spine.

“I was looking at the question.”

He stubbornly insisted.

“Oh?”

The blush on Nogami’s face deepened, and so did her smile.

So people really can be this stubborn, huh.

Watching his awkward expression, she felt a familiar kind of joy—the same kind she used to get from bullying trash.

Not that she was comparing him to trash.

It just meant she was genuinely enjoying herself.

Making him blush. Making him fluster. Making him squirm beneath her like a cute little Shiba Inu, wagging his tail and begging for rewards and special treatment—

Ugh, that version of Hoshikawa would be way too good…!

With her level, handling someone like Harutaki should be effortless.

“Heheh…”

“Nogami-san, you’re kind of smiling like Tazaki when he’s playing those gacha games.”

Harutaki kindly pointed out.

“Who asked you, idiot dog?!”

The image of Tazaki grinning at his phone popped into her mind, and she felt an immediate wave of disgust.

“Don’t compare me to that greasy—”

“Ahem. Haven’t you noticed how much he’s changed today?”

“Huh?”

Nogami clicked her pencil repeatedly, pushing the lead out and then retracting it again.

Thinking back to what she saw at Starbucks, she paused.

That gloomy, garbage-tier introvert from the start of the semester… had actually turned into that?

Even someone like him was improving?

“So? Pretty cool of me to help him ‘start a new life,’ right?”

Harutaki shamelessly claimed half of Ren’s credit as his own.

Sorry, Ren.

Exaggerating a little in front of girls didn’t count, right?

“And what does that have to do with me…”

She muttered, noticeably less confident than before.

Still…

Helping someone like that was kind of cool.

Trying to act casual, she snuck a glance at him.

Messy dark-purple hair, mysterious violet eyes, a calm and mature aura…

Honestly, even if you did nothing at all, you’d still be handsome.

Maybe that’s why…

Why I’m interested in this pervert dog…

It wasn’t just because he beat her.

He had stood up to her—Nogami Izumi, feared and infamous by everyone.

Even when dealing with those annoying delinquents, he hadn’t abandoned her, even after she had deliberately dragged him into trouble.

Thinking back to his back as he stood in front of her that day, her heart skipped—

Thump. Thump.

Just like earlier when he touched her.

Even if she was Nogami—even if she had a terrible personality—

At the end of the day, she was still a girl.

When they were little, every girl dreamed of their own “prince,” didn’t they?

“S-So I was asking for the answer! Idiot dog! There’s no E option in this question!”

To hide her embarrassment, she abruptly changed the topic and attacked him instead.

“Sorry. I was looking at your attractive chest.”

“……”

Nogami opened her mouth… then closed it again.

Should she feel happy that he liked her chest?

Or reward him for his honesty?

…No, wait.

That wasn’t the point at all!

Shouldn’t she be punishing him for saying something so shameless?!

“Disgusting…”

She pressed down her skirt and lightly kicked him.

“Thanks for the treat—cough, I mean, I’m very sorry!”

After receiving a glare, Harutaki quickly straightened up and bowed his head.

Her foot was soft.

Even through her navy ankle socks, he could faintly feel the smoothness beneath.

Just how smooth… depended entirely on his imagination.

Milk. Silk.

Either way, everything about a beautiful girl was endlessly wonderful.

“Nogami-san, you probably don’t even go to the bathroom, do you?”

“Do you hear yourself right now, you perverted idiot dog?!”

A mechanical pencil might be harmless in elementary school—

—but in high school, it was far more dangerous.

“I’m sorry! Please stop poking me!”

Looking at the graphite marks on the back of his hand, Harutaki exaggerated his pain.

Clearly, she hadn’t used much force.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be acting.

A moment later, Nogami seemed to think of something amusing, a mischievous smile forming on her face.

Squish.

—Again, just in his imagination.

She leaned forward, pressing her chest against the table.

It was a little uncomfortable, but her shoulders relaxed.

“Hehe… do you like it?”

“Very much.”

He nodded honestly.

As he had said earlier—he didn’t want to lie to her.

“Want to try touching?”

“Yes!”

He nodded even harder.

Honesty deserved a reward.

“Pfft—”

With a look full of disdain, she laughed.

“—Dream on, idiot.”

So easy to handle.

So easy.

She puffed out her chest smugly.

“The table can touch. The dog can touch. But you can’t~”

“I admit I’m a pervert dog.”

Squish.

Oh?

The elasticity was even better than Chouko’s. Maybe not as soft, but it had its own unique charm—

And then—

“Y-You shameless pervert dog!”

Nogami slapped his reaching hand away, glaring at him in embarrassment and anger.

Even among girls, only carefree Sae had ever touched her chest—

And now… today…

“…Haa…”

She took a deep breath.

Just think of it as being touched by a dog…

Just a stupid dog…

Thump.

The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she got—so she punched him in the chest.

“Idiot. Touch me again and I’ll cut off your dog hands.”

What kind of yakuza princess is this?

Harutaki complained internally while rubbing his chest.

“But you said dogs could touch.”

“Then strip and get on the floor barking.”

“Let’s save that for after marriage.”

“M-M-M-Marriage?! I’m not marrying a pervert dog like you!”

Snap.

She pressed too hard and broke her pencil lead.

“You could wait until I marry Shihou or Sanada-san, then cheat with me. That’d be way more exciting.”

“Tch. Chouko and Minako would never like a shameless, disgusting dog like you.”

…But thinking about it…

That would be kind of exciting…

Nogami quickly pinched her thigh to snap herself out of it.

“Alright, enough nonsense. Back to studying.”

Harutaki sighed and moved closer, looking at the problem she mentioned.

As he explained, the breeze from the window carried her scent to him—

The same green apple body wash from when they first met in April, citrus shampoo, and a faint, subtle warmth mixed with the hint of sweat from early summer.

…Wait.

Harutaki froze.

This is bad… am I actually turning into a dog?

“What are you spacing out for?!”

“Oh—right. The main idea here is…”

He started writing on scrap paper, explaining a faster, easier approach.

For a moment, it felt like he had returned to his old high school days.

Helping a seatmate, explaining problems—

That was probably the closest, purest kind of interaction he’d ever had with girls back then.

Even those painful memories of endless exams and practice questions didn’t seem so bad anymore.

“…Haa…”

A warm breath suddenly brushed against his ear.

Harutaki shuddered and immediately turned, glaring at her.

“I’m seriously teaching you. What are you doing?”

“O-Oh… s-sorry…”

So scary…

For a moment, Nogami felt like she was back on that evening under the cherry blossoms—being scolded like a strict father.

But…

That version of him was cool too.

Sitting properly, she curled her toes under herself, trying to suppress the strange feelings welling up inside.

Sneaking glances at him—

She realized, for the first time, just how tall and solid he was.

His arms looked normal, but once his sleeves were rolled up, they gave off a strange impression—

Like he could easily lift her up and let her sit on them, the way she had never experienced as a child.

She once had a silly dream—

Being carried on her father’s shoulders, watching fireworks at Disneyland.

“That’s about it. Got it?”

His gentle voice pulled her back to reality.

Seeing his slightly exasperated expression, she lowered her head, feeling a bit guilty.

“…Haa. I’ll explain it again. This time, listen properly. Ask if you don’t understand.”

“Th-Thank you…”

…