Chapter 3: Is It Really Better to Have Many?

To confess, I used to like harem romantic comedies.

Because I only had a gray youth. Harem romantic comedies, where multiple beautiful girls swarm around you with each turn of the page, felt like they were gently embracing me.

But I’ve changed my mind. It’s not always better to have more heroines. It’s not like money.

「You’re a rude guy! Sighing over and over just after seeing me!」

「Ahh, yeah, sorry.」

Surely, anyone would sigh if a zombie appeared just when they thought they were getting used to the lump of meat.

Rather, she should be grateful I’m holding it in with sighs. Normally, I would have let out a scream like tearing silk.

I’m using every bit of a boy’s courage to endure, but if I’m not careful, I might roll my eyes and foam at the mouth.

Whether Kusakabe Yuna understands her appearance or not, probably not, she puts her hands on her hips and puffs out her chest.

It’s the typical pose of a tsundere character. But it means nothing when a zombie that’s about to fall apart does it.

「Onee-chan, you should stop this.」

「Stop what!?」

「Interacting with him. You and this guy are the talk of the town, you know? They say the most beautiful new girl in the school is getting chummy with some dull-looking guy.」

Give me a break. If a real romantic comedy development ever comes my way, it’d be a problem if someone said, “But Kusakabe Nanaka-san is there, so it can’t be me…” and backed off.

Why do I have to lose the heroine’s spot to a lump of meat? I don’t particularly plan on having a romantic comedy, but you never know.

I should take extra precautions.

「No, Nanaka and I aren’t in that kind of relationship.」

「That’s right! We’re just friends!」

I don’t even want to be friends, though.

「Fuun, “just friends”, huh…」

「W-What?」

「It’s the first time I’ve seen Onee-chan let a boy call her by her name.」

「Uhh…! That’s…」

Why do you look down as if embarrassed? From my perspective, it just looks like the tip of the lump of meat is pointing down, but probably to others, it looks like she’s looking down shyly.

As proof, the gazes from around the classroom turned cold. Especially the boys’ gazes are cold. No, they might be hot with anger or jealousy.

「It must be a high school debut.」

「Eh?」

「She probably thought about getting closer to boys when she entered high school. That’s why she’s letting the first boy she met call her by her name.」

「…T-That’s right!」

Nanaka went along with my random words.

These aren’t just words I said to appease Yuna.

I said it loudly on purpose to assert my relationship with Nanaka to those around us.

Thanks to that, I feel like the gazes of our classmates softened.

「Heeeeh…?」

Yuna remained suspicious, crossing her arms.

Isn’t she going to break her sternum with that much force? If that happens, what’s inside might pop out.

I don’t want to see such a grotesque sight, so maybe I should close my eyelids.

「──Fuun, I’ll never accept you!」

In the pitch-black vision, the voice of a beautiful girl echoes.

If I really keep my eyes closed, it feels like I’m talking to a beautiful girl.

But if I open them, it’s like hell on earth is spread out before me. It’s sad.

Peeking through slightly opened eyes, I see Yuna already turning on her heels and heading for the door.

I look at the clock installed above the blackboard. Class is about to start.

Even a zombie that deviates from being human doesn’t seem to intend to break school rules. She looks like her main food is clearly humans, but she seems to pay attention to such details.

「Really now…」

With a splat, Nanaka sat down on her chair.

I’m getting used to the sight, but it’s like weighing meat at a butcher shop. The scale is quite off, though.

Mysterious tentacles wriggle out from the gap in the backrest.

「I’m sorry, Adashino-san. My sister…」

「Don’t worry about it.」

Compared to that appearance, no matter how bad her personality is, it’s like being a saint.

「She’s usually a nicer girl though…」

「Heeh.」

「Maybe because I’ve always been a bit absent-minded, she feels like she has to be responsible. She gets harsh when it comes to me.」

What beautiful sisterly love.

It would have been truly beautiful if the older sister wasn’t a lump of meat and the younger sister wasn’t a zombie.

I’d rather not get involved if possible.

「Well, she’s probably just thinking about Nanaka, so you don’t need to worry about it, right?」

「Eh.」

「She thinks I’m deceiving you, right? Or that you’re getting involved with a bad guy.」

「Adashino-san isn’t a bad guy.」

「That’s true, but still.」

The fact that I’m talking to a lump of meat makes me a bundle of kindness. A modern-day Jesus Christ.

If it were Jesus Christ, he’d probably exorcise Nanaka with her devilish appearance the moment he met her with his God powers.

Maybe I should start carrying holy water. If the number of monsters keeps increasing at this rate, it won’t just be a problem. A normal school life will be nothing but a dream.

As I listened to the sound of the bell, I watched the teacher rushing in and, incidentally, Nanaka’s figure in my field of vision.