Life In The Reverse World

18:41.

Office workers of all ages, briefcases in hand and dressed in dark suits, streamed back and forth along the streets. If Tokyo were likened to a giant anthill, then they would probably be the worker ants moving within it—

Though in truth, the two had little in common. It was just that seeing everyone clad in black, Harutaki couldn’t help but arrive at that thought.

“It didn’t feel like much on the way here, but once it’s off time… there really are a lot of people…”

“Yeah.”

Nogami had lived in this luxury apartment for over a year. Perhaps she rarely went out at this hour; even she seemed slightly uncomfortable at the sight of people flowing through the streets like an ant colony.

It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the office workers themselves. Rather, it was the oppressive atmosphere clinging to them. Even without experiencing their jobs firsthand, both Harutaki and the girl could still taste the exhaustion and pressure in the air.

The adult world really was terrifying. Like a beast that devoured people whole.

Even though Harutaki had done internships and part-time jobs before, most of his life had still been spent under the protection of his parents—

Whenever he made a mistake or fell short somewhere, his superiors and seniors would gently point it out and guide him.

No overtime. No unpaid wages. No bullying or oppression.

At least, within the small world that revolved around him, it was as if he stood at the center of everything.

The suffering shown in the news felt like it belonged to another world, something that had never concerned him.

So now… what should he do in the future?

International trade, like before?

Or becoming one of those financial titans he once dreamed of as a child?

He couldn’t help recalling what Tazaki had said to comfort him—

He truly had the confidence to succeed in any field. And precisely because of that, choosing the best path among so many options became all the more difficult.

He couldn’t exactly go and create some seemingly impossible “extra option” like he did with Nogami and Chouko, could he?

Still, there was little point worrying about something he couldn’t decide anytime soon. Better to think about what to have for dinner.

“Nogami-san, anything you feel like eating?”

Harutaki was a practical person. He didn’t linger on the past, nor did he freeze in place because of uncertainty about the future.

No matter what, something as simple as cherishing the present—something anyone could do—was not something he, proud as he was, intended to miss out on.

“As long as… as long as it tastes good.”

Whew—she had almost said, “Anything you make is fine.”

Nogami let out a quiet sigh of relief.

If she had said something that sounded like a lovestruck couple, she’d have been too embarrassed to face anyone.

It would make it seem like she was the one chasing after him, throwing herself at Hoshikawa—and there was no way she could accept that!

Of course… if Hoshikawa could prove the kind of “real feelings” she longed for, then dating him wouldn’t be entirely out of the question…

…

Hand in hand, Harutaki and Nogami entered the supermarket, keeping a slight distance as one walked ahead and the other behind.

According to Nogami’s logic, this was still the “owner walking the dog to the store,” so she took the lead while Harutaki followed.

“Supermarkets don’t allow customers to bring dogs in, you know?”

The moment he made that comment, the girl shot him a fierce glare.

Still, recalling how they’d ended up having no choice but to come buy groceries made him want to laugh.

After finishing a round of study review, he had noticed it was already past six in the evening, and his slightly empty stomach was reminding him it was time for dinner.

Before coming to Nogami’s place, he had already messaged his younger sister Ayaka that he wouldn’t be home for dinner. However—

When he opened the double-door fridge in the kitchen while asking for Nogami’s opinion, he found it stuffed full of ice cream and all kinds of drinks… but not a single piece of meat or vegetable—

Not even fruit or eggs.

“I usually just eat the most expensive bento or order takeout. Why would I keep those messy ingredients around?”

Nogami crossed her arms, looking smug.

What are you so proud of?!

Harutaki didn’t even know how to respond. All he could do was take out his phone, open Google Maps, and type “supermarket” into the search bar.

There was no way he’d be stupid enough to ask Nogami to buy two of the most expensive bentos for dinner.

And so, guided by navigation, the two arrived at a supermarket marked with a red sign bearing the five white letters: SEIYU.

“I want curry rice.”

“Huh?”

Just as Harutaki was thinking about what to buy, Nogami suddenly made her request.

“Didn’t you say anything was fine?”

“Did I? Anyway, I want curry now.”

She said it as if it were only natural for everyone to comply with her demands.

“Curry it is, then…”

Harutaki didn’t mind. Curry was simple enough to make.

He headed to the nearest seasoning shelf, scanning the rows of curry roux boxes while asking,

“What kind of curry do you want?”

“Spicy, obviously. I’m not some kid who eats sweet curry, you dumb dog.”

“….”

Without a word, he reached for a product in front of him.

The dark brown box had bold red lettering, along with an eye-catching label that read “EXTREME SPICY.”

According to the packaging, this GOLDEN CURRY used Bhut Jolokia(Ghost Pepper) and Carolina Reaper peppers. It was definitely going to pack a punch.

“W-wait!”

As expected, the moment Nogami saw what he picked up, she lost her composure.

“Oh? Weren’t you going to climb the stairs to adulthood with me tonight?”

He asked knowingly, a teasing smile in his voice.

Of course, if she really insisted on choosing that one, he’d swap it out himself—

He wasn’t suicidal.

“My mom used this before… I—I’ll take this one…”

Panicking, Nogami grabbed a box of medium-spicy Kokumaro curry and tossed it straight into the cart before he could respond.

They then moved to the produce section to pick up ingredients for the curry, grabbing two packs of pork cutlets along the way.

Already slightly confused, Harutaki found it even harder to understand why every time he picked a vegetable, Nogami would grab two of the same.

“This is already enough for two people. No need to get so much.”

“I’ve been eating a lot lately. Besides… it’s not like you’re paying!”

A very convincing argument. He had no comeback.

Since she was the one paying, she could buy whatever she wanted.

In reality—

As Nogami pushed the cart alongside him, looking at the extra ingredients piling up, a satisfied smile crept onto her face.

Of course she had to buy more…

That way, even if Hoshikawa didn’t come over tomorrow, as long as he made enough this time, she could store it and eat it for several meals.

That was also the main reason she chose curry.

After all, it made a lot, kept well, and only needed a quick reheat in the microwave.

With a rice cooker at home, even she, Nogami-sama, could handle making plain rice.

Three minutes later, just as Harutaki thought their supermarket trip would end smoothly, another “conflict” broke out.

“What’s wrong with me buying some snacks?”

Nogami hugged a bag of potato chips tightly to her chest, making Harutaki oddly envious.

Envious of the chips.

“Eating snacks before a meal is disrespectful to the person cooking. And these are unhealthy.”

“You’re so naggy… tch. Why should I listen to you?”

She turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.

She knew he was right—but there was no way she’d obediently listen.

If she did everything Hoshikawa told her, wouldn’t that make her look weak?

Besides, his tone reminded her of shopping trips with her parents when she was younger—

While her father usually indulged her, he never compromised on matters of health.

In truth, Harutaki acted this way because of habits ingrained in him since childhood.

“If not, at least pick a different snack…”

He gave in a little.

“I want this one.”

Her stubbornness was on full display.

“Be good.”

“Not listening to a dumb dog.”

Just as they reached a stalemate, a young, unfamiliar voice suddenly chimed in from the side.

“Big brother, big sister, are you what my mom calls a ‘dog couple’?”

“Huh?”

“…Eh?”

They turned toward the voice and saw a little girl, probably in elementary school, holding a stuffed rabbit and staring at them curiously.

Thinking they hadn’t heard, she repeated herself.

“Are you a dog couple?”

Nogami often called him things like “pervert dog” or “idiot dog,” but…

Harutaki twitched. Where did this kid come from?

And what the heck was a “dog couple”?

He shot Nogami a look, signaling her to handle it—

Only to realize she had completely shut down, quietly muttering to herself.

“Couple… dog… couple…”

After leaning closer, that was what he heard.

“Nogami-san?”

“Ah—oh… H-Hoshikawa!”

Snapping out of it, she nudged him with her elbow, clearly pushing him to deal with the situation.

The usually domineering girl had gone completely silent in front of a child.

Was she being considerate—or just embarrassed by the term “dog couple”?

Suppressing a sigh, Harutaki crouched down and spoke gently.

“We are a couple, but not a ‘dog couple.’”

—Ow!

Without even looking, he knew the pain at his waist came from Nogami.

“But my mom said couples who show off their love in public like you are dog couples.”

Ma’am, please don’t teach your kid weird stuff like that!

“Ahem. We’re not showing off. I’m just telling her not to eat snacks before meals, and that fried snacks aren’t healthy—”

Ow, ow, ow!

He glanced back. Nogami finally let go, her face flushed red.

“But you totally looked like you were showing off. Please be more mindful, this is a public place! Ah, my mom’s calling me. Bye, big brother, big sister!”

With an innocent tone delivering critical damage, the little girl grabbed the chips Harutaki had earlier taken from Nogami and skipped away, humming an off-key tune.

Did she even listen? Those snacks aren’t healthy!

“Phew…”

Harutaki sighed helplessly and turned to Nogami.

“…Nogami-san?”

“Hoshikawa… do you want some ‘dog food’?”

Like a squirrel guarding its stash, she still clutched the chips tightly.

Yet now, with her earlier confidence completely worn down, she looked… rather cute.

“You look pretty cute right now, Nogami-san.”

He let the snack issue drop, grabbed the cart, and started pushing it forward.

“E-even if you say nice things, I won’t give up these chips.”

“Does that bag happen to be named Ryan?”

“I—I just accidentally pinched you earlier… when we get back… I’ll rub it for you…”

That had absolutely nothing to do with what he said.

"You'd better really have done it by accident."

“I can share the chips with you…”

Why are we back to chips again?!

It wasn’t until they reached the self-checkout and he saw Nogami repeatedly trying to insert a restaurant prepaid card into the slot that he realized—

Her brain still hadn’t fully rebooted.

…

Crunch. Crunch.

After dinner, Harutaki loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, then sat on the couch with Nogami, watching the evening news while eating the chips—Ryan.

“Not tasty…”

Nogami muttered, then held a chip up to his mouth.

If it’s not tasty, why give it to me?

Too tired to argue, Harutaki simply took it into his mouth—along with her slender fingers.

“Dumb dog! Y-you—you—what are you doing?!”

“Licking your fingers after eating chips is a global consensus.”

“Go lick your own, you jerk.”

He licked his own fingers afterward. Salty, but undeniably good.

“Tastes pretty good. You sure you don’t want to try?”

“What’s there to try…”

Grumbling, Nogami brought her fingers to her mouth.

She used to just rinse them off when they felt greasy.

Now, as her tongue lightly traced over them, she found herself trying to distinguish the difference between tasting the seasoning directly and eating the chips themselves.

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