「It’s been hot lately, hasn’t it?」
「Yeah.」
「You want to eat ice cream, right?」
「I get it.」
「Then let’s go together after school.」
「That’s quite a leap in logic.」
The scorching sunlight streamed in from outside the window, and even in the classroom where the weak air conditioning was supposed to be working, sweat was beading on my forehead as I sat by the window. Apparently, even a lump of meat falls under the category of living beings, as Nanaka was the same. In her case, it’s more like something resembling blood than sweat.
As the air relaxed after class ended, Nanaka started a bit of small talk, only to spring a surprise attack. She suggested going out together. An ambush.
「Girls like sweet things, don’t they?」
「I feel that’s quite an assumption, but well.」
「Then I must like them too, right?」
「……Sorry, can I look up “girl” in the dictionary?」
「You shouldn’t think I’m always pure, righteous, and kind!」
The lump of meat attacks.
100 points of mental damage.
I died.
My shoulder was struck by her meaty tentacle, which swung lightly. A profound, moist sound echoed, and some volatile mysterious mucus adhered to me. Recently, I’ve been wearing a dress shirt instead of my uniform, so my defense has decreased. If a lump of meat’s attack hits me in that state.
「Adashino-san, you should learn some delicacy.」
「I have literacy though.」
On how to deal with monsters.
I never wanted to know.
「Isn’t it cruel to say I’m not a girl? No matter how you look at it, I’m a girl, aren’t I?」
「Well, originally, maybe.」
「What do you mean by “originally”?」
Originally is originally.
The raw materials of the lump of meat.
Like what’s written on the styrofoam tray at the supermarket, where it says “Product of ~”.
『Foreign Product: Human Girl Meat: Kusakabe Nanaka
Individual Identification Number: 292929
Expiration Date: 29.2.9 Price per 100 grams: 834 yen』
Something like that.
It’s the worst.
「I feel like you just thought something incredibly rude.」
「Just your imagination.」
「Really?」
「Really, really. Adashino-kun doesn’t lie.」
「That’s suspicious, though…」
Jiー.
As she said it herself, she gave me a half-lidded look──she’s still a lump of meat, so she’s the type of high school girl without eyeballs.
I made a serious face while whistling, not very skillfully.
Pii-suー.
──Light Novels──
──Read Here──
◇
It’s a question I’ve had for a while, but why do high school girls, or rather women in general, like lining up so much? It feels like about 80% of the lines around are mostly occupied by women. The remaining 20% are men lining up for greasy food. Like ramen.
After school, Nanaka took me to a shop.
There was a line.
Clearly, it wouldn’t be just a few minutes.
「Then I’ll clock out on time.」
「Unpaid overtime is the foundation of society.」
「That’s such a black company thing to say.」
Not wanting to stand in line for minutes in this heat, I tried to make an excuse and escape. Nanaka caught me. Her warm, meaty tentacle grabs my wrist.
「Well, well, lining up is part of the experience too.」
「Part of the trash?」
「Part of the experience, I said. Now, let’s go.」
She forcefully dragged me along, (probably) flashing a dazzling smile. The wrinkles in the lump of meat softly distort.
Having no particular comment, I sighed.
「At least let go of my arm.」
「You might run away if I let go.」
「I’m not some stray cat that hasn’t warmed up to you.」
「But Adashino-san doesn’t warm up to me.」
Well, I’m not a cheap guy, I say, shaking my head.
The real reason is that she’s a monster.
Who would willingly want to interact with a monster?
If anyone wants to trade places with me, please volunteer.
I’ll drag you out even if I have to tie you up.
We moved to the end of the line of about a dozen people, receiving gazes as if they were looking at an innocent couple. As you can guess from the previous exchange, we’re still holding hands. Regardless of Nanaka being a lump of meat or not, the combination of temperature and body heat is making us sweat a lot. It’s clammy and hot. To the point where I wonder if she has a cold.
「Hey.」
「Yes?」
「Do you have a cold or something?」
「No?」
「I see.」
Due to the whims of a probably very ill-natured god, I’ve held hands with Yuna before. At that time, it was cool to the touch, and I heard things like “I’m sensitive to cold” or “All girls have cold hands. It’s proof of kindness”, but this has made me suspicious.
In her case, I wonder if it’s cold because she’s dead──in other words, death-cold──I predict. Also, not kind. She’d probably kill me if I told her.
「Adashino-san.」
「Nn.」
「I’m known for having sharp intuition, right?」
「First I’ve heard of it.」
「You were thinking about a girl just now, weren’t you?」
「Wrong.」
I gave a short denial to Nanaka, who was probably making a smug face. Oya, is that so? She looks dejected. She says something nonsensical about returning her title as the great detective of Toribeno Village.
Without a doubt, the kanji should be “迷探偵” (Meitantei, meaning “Confused Detective”) rather than “名探偵” (Meitantei, meaning “Great Detective”). Also, she’s more on the culprit side than the detective side. Judging by appearance.
However, as the modern world’s greatest gentleman, I’m renowned for never letting such thoughts show on my face.
I simply nodded with a smile like that of Amida Buddha contemplating for five kalpas. To Nanaka’s pointless story.