Chapter 88: B - The most humiliating day of Aoshi’s life
Without a doubt, this is the most humiliating day of Aoshi’s life — the day after being betrayed and dumped by the most popular girl on campus.
He’s never felt this broken — heart in pieces, depressed, even sore after a night in the bathtub. But more than anything, he’s drowning in shame.
When Miori dumped him, they were alone. Now the truth is out for everyone to see.
Miori Yukinaga — twenty-one — walks across campus arm in arm with her ex-not-anymore-ex, Renji Kurotani. Her long black hair sways in the wind, and her bold outfit shows off her slender, athletic figure.
"That bitch never dressed like that when she was with me..." Aoshi mutters, watching from a distance.
It’s obvious — she’s putting on a show, making sure everyone sees she’s back with that gorilla. She told me she left him because he kept cheating... what kind of idiot cheats when he has the most beautiful girl in the world?! And now — just a month later — she’s back with him like nothing happened? It’s not fair...
A heavy slap on the shoulder snaps him back to reality.
"Instead of sulking, you should be thanking the God of Light!" says Takuma Shionogi — Aoshi’s childhood best friend — a tall, lanky guy with thick glasses. Same age as Aoshi, already almost bald.
"You dated Miori for a whole month! That’s thirty days more than any mortal could hope for with a goddess like her! She even kissed you on campus, right? You were literally the hero of the month — a symbol of hope for every guy who thought girls like Miori were divine, untouchable, unreachable! Thanks to you, we know anything’s possible — that even a nobody can dream of doing spicy things with one of them!"
"You’re probably right... even it was the only kiss we ever had. Now I get it — it was all a setup to make Renji Kurotani jealous. God, I was an idiot... I should’ve seen it."
"Don’t lose hope, Aoshi. I’ve got just the thing to cheer you up!"
Takuma crouches and opens his shoulder bag with the cautious excitement of a pirate opening a treasure chest.
Inside is a game called: Punish Your Naughty Little Sister – Deluxe Edition (includes bonus: her bratty friends get punished too!).
Takuma’s eyes light up like he’s holding the Holy Grail.
"This Deluxe Edition is insanely rare! I had to fight tooth and nail to win a legit copy in an online auction! I’ll be living on bread and water all year, but totally worth it!"
Aoshi forces an awkward smile. It’s not like these games disgust him — they’ve played erotic RPGs since middle school — but even he has to admit Takuma’s obsession with "little sister" games has gone too far.
Well... not the best way to get over a broken heart, but at least he’s trying.
"Since you live alone, let’s play it at your place after class!" Takuma says.
"Fine, but put it away before someone sees it!" Aoshi replies, half annoyed, half grateful.
"Another erotic RPG about molesting your little sister? You two are hopeless perverts."
A cold, sharp female voice cuts in behind them — and they freeze.
Ayane Tsukiwana stands there — the same age as Aoshi and Takuma, and their classmate. She’s cute, but small — no one would guess she’s nineteen.
Her long hair is a mess of blue, green, and reddish strands — years of DIY dye jobs.
Even she’s forgotten her natural color.
"N-Not what you think, Ayane! It was all Takuma’s idea! He saw I was down and tried to cheer me up — not that I need this kind of thing, I mean... you know what I mean!"
"Thank God neither of you actually has a sister," Ayane says, her tone even heavier.
She sighs, resigned. She’s known them since high school — nothing they do surprises her anymore.
"Anyway..." her voice softens slightly. "I’m sorry you got dumped. I mean it. I’ve never seen you this happy in the six years I’ve known you. But something always felt off. My intuition’s never wrong."
Her cheeks flush, her voice softening further.
"But don’t get discouraged. They say when one door closes, another opens. You’re a good guy, Aoshi — despite everything..." Ayane glances pointedly at the game box still in Takuma’s hands.
"Who knows — maybe the right girl for you, the one who really understands you, is closer than you think..."
"...but until then, it’s only fair for Aoshi and his dear friend here to study female anatomy with their virtual sisters!" Takuma cuts in, killing the mood.
Ayane shoots him a look cold enough to freeze his blood.
"Takuma, drop it — you’ll die a virgin!"
◇◇◇
"Read this, Aoshi!" Takuma shouts, eyes shining as he waves the RPG box. "Now I get why the Deluxe Edition costs so much — they added an option to—"
"Takuma, stop! We’re in the middle of the street! If a cop hears you, we’re done for!"
They climb the creaky stairs of the old apartment building and reach the first-floor landing, where Aoshi’s place is.
Takuma sniffs the air like a hound.
"Aaaah, that smell! Something delicious! My stomach’s already growling!"
"It’s probably the old lady next door. She spends all day cooking amazing food while I survive on instant udon..."
If only I had a girlfriend who cooked for me... I’d come home exhausted, greeted by the smell of her food. She’d sit me down, massage my feet, and then... "Aoshi, my love... after such a long day, you must be exhausted... if you want... I could do that thing with my mouth you like so much... may I, dear Aoshi?"
Aaaaaah... too good to be true... Back to reality: I’m not handsome, not rich — why would anyone fall for me, or even find me interesting? My life sucks...
Aoshi turns the key, opens the door, and...
What the—?
He and Takuma freeze.
"Welcome home, my love. The place was a bit of a mess, so I tidied up, did the dishes, and took care of the laundry you left around — hope you don’t mind. You must be hungry, so I’m making dinner," Eliss says, her radiant smile lighting up the room.
Too many thoughts, images, and questions crash together in Aoshi’s head, sending him into a complete shutdown.
The apartment is spotless — dishes lined up in the cupboard, clothes neatly folded, the usual damp smell replaced by a fresh hint of lemon.
Even though he gave her money to go home, Eliss is still there, cooking something that smells better than anything he’s had since living on his own.
But something else hits him even harder than the perfectly clean apartment.
Eliss is practically naked.
She’s wearing nothing but a frilly apron that barely covers the front — from behind, it’s like she’s wearing nothing at all.
And her back is to them.
"Aoshi... AOSHI!" Takuma shouts.
He grabs him by the collar and starts shaking him.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! What do you mean you’ve got a smoking hot girl cooking for you naked?! You ditched the goddess Miori Yukinaga overnight for someone even sexier, and this morning you had the nerve to act depressed?!"
"I-It’s not what it looks like, I swear!" Aoshi fires back.
"Take your filthy hands off my beloved Aoshi, you disgusting reject," Eliss hisses, her voice ice-cold.
Takuma jolts so hard he has to grab the door to stay on his feet.
"R-Right... sure..." Takuma stammers, stunned. "You paid her, right? She’s one of those naked maid services that are all the rage in Northern Europe, right? And you said you couldn’t even afford a normal one. You’re sly, Aoshi — but you could’ve told me! For a second I thought you’d actually scored a bombshell like that. Still, I’m leaving a bad review — what an attitude!"
"Y-Yeah, exactly. She’s... uh... a service I hired to help me get over the whole Miori thing. But the agency says only the client can see her while she’s working, so... Takuma, could you leave us alone? We’ll play tomorrow, I promise."
"Oh, I see..." Takuma grins, nudging him with a few knowing elbow jabs. "Didn’t know that was included. Cleans, cooks, does laundry — and entertains you too... whoever invented this deserves at least three Nobel Prizes!"
"Y-Yeah... I agree... now please leave?" Aoshi insists, pushing him toward the door.
"Come on, Aoshi! At least let me peek through the window, please—"
"TAKUMA. OUT. NOW!"