Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko. Volume 10 Chapter 2

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I will never lose against the women’s bath!

Noon arrived, so we got up.

“My inner man yearns for food like a burning wildfire!”

“Don’t use words I don’t understand. If you’re hungry, then eat.”

“Laughable. Eating food along with the child is a parent’s utmost duty.” Steel-san rubbed her stomach, asking for food.

Yet she showed no signs of moving away from beneath the arms of the hedgehog next to her. Still wearing her costume, Tsukasa-san walked between the bathroom and the banquet hall, clearly annoyed.

“You sure are spoiled, huh?”

“I-I-I am not spoiled! Cease your needless provocations immediately!”

“Yeah yeah, I get it.” She waved her one hand up and down, teasing her child.

Naturally, Steel-san was acting angry, but she was more spoiled than anything, and Tsukasa-san acted like she was bothered, but still spoiled her.

“Go on and wake up Tsukiko. You’re her older sister after all.”

“Indeed! I am her Onee-chan after all! Having such a spoiled child as a little sister sure is tough!”

“Great, great. But be a bit more gentle. Last time, washing her clothes was too much work.”

Things were much different from the last time I was here as my highschool self. It was clear that some time had passed, since Steel-san was much more clingy than before. Now they’ve become a proper mother and child.

“Thank goodness.” I smiled.

But why was ‘Yokodera Youto’ sleeping with them as well? Sadly, I couldn’t ask. My pants had been prepared for me, and I had socks and shirts of several kinds ready, and even my own toothbrush inside the cup in the bathroom. Back during those days, I had a lot of circumstances to deal with, so I must have been staying over at the Tsutsukakushi Household.

Yeah, a lot of stuff happened with the Yokodera Family. That’s basically what it is. Only bad memories and bad personal history will come to the surface if I talk about it now, so I’ll leave it at that. I shook my head and just gazed at the scene in front of me.

Tsukasa-san aggressively put away the newspaper on the low dining table. A mountain of random objects had gathered in the corner of the banquet hall. After that, she lined up plastic bags with packs of natto, warmed up instant rice, and put baked sweet goods and plastic bottles on the table. It seems like the food the Tsutsukakushi Family eats mostly consists of convenience market food and fast food. Cleaning and food. I guess both might be pressing problems in the future.

“Ah, let me help you!”

I started walking closer towards them when I felt something cling to my feet.

“Eh?”

“Mufu…”

A small kitten had embraced my ankle. She must still be sleepy even after all that sleeping she did. With a drowsy gaze, she licked my ankle bone like it was ice cream.

“C-Careful, Tsukiko-chan!”

I jumped out of the way, doing a flip mid-air—Of course, that ended in failure, and I landed inside the banquet hall.

“Ouch…”

I thought that I would land head-first on the ground, but the impact never came. Instead, I felt something soft on my palm. Soft and spongy? Is this possibly…?

“……Hey.”

When I lifted my gaze, I found Tsukasa-san glaring down at me. When I looked back down, I spotted my own hand holding onto one of Tsukasa-san’s soft mounds. I could feel their volume even through the costume, fitting my hand perfectly. She must have caught me as I was falling over. Thanks to that, my palm that I had stretched out to grab something ended up in the best place possible. What a happy ending after such a tragedy!

How could this happen? This is the 21st century we’re talking about, and yet we can still get such old-fashioned lucky pervert moments? I know this is the world of the past, but I shouldn’t run away from my mistakes. I shall reflect on this. Done.

“Awawa! I-I’m sorry!”

I jumped away from Tsukasa-san, prostrating myself on the floor. If there’s anything I learned from investing myself in this industry, then it’s the fact that the protagonist will receive some sort of compensation whenever such a happy incident occurs.

“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you? Be more careful next time.”

Tsukasa-san seemed slightly annoyed, but she also looked relieved, and that was the end of it. She made Tsukiko-chan sit down at the table, and she sat facing her own food.

“Then let’s eat.”

“Let’s eat, yes!”

“…Mmm… eat…”

The three voices of the Tsutsukakushi Family spoke, and I heard the sounds of tearing paper, and thus our breakfast started.

“Wait, that’s all…?”

Although it was an accident, I had done something unforgivable. I can still feel the soft sensation lingering in my palm. However, this palm was quite modest, to be honest. When I looked over at the mirror, I spotted a young boy with the facial features of an angel, looking at me with a pure gaze.

Humans are 90% outer appearance, or so the logic of the world dictates. Even if I am the same high school boy Yokodera-kun on the inside, a kindergarten boy happened to land in the chest of his caretaker, so no police sirens will ever approach me. No afternoon TV show is calling me over for an interview to ask how it feels to be a pervert and a lolicon with an Oedipus complex and a breast fetish. Just because of my appearance, I can avoid all of that. So does that mean that everything I do is allowed?

“Oh, Tsukiko, you’re getting way better at eating your bread. You’re not scattering it everywhere anymore.”

“It is thanks to my education. She will become my right-hand-man, so that is to be expected!”

“Mmm…”

…Well, seriously speaking, since I’ve been trapped in this unreasonable time leap, I need to be a bit more serious about my feelings. Joking aside, I need to think about how I really feel. I don’t think I can do anything just because I’m a child.

If I scream out ‘Breasts!’ in the center of the street, or got spoiled by an embarrassed Onee-san, I would still be a deviant at the end of it all. And I’m not a deviant. A pervert and a deviant are two totally different things. A deviant is basically just a weird guy, whereas a pervert has much more pride, and follows through with his own fetishes, believing in the beauty of his actions.

“Woah, and just when I said that, you start getting crumbs everywhere…”

“Mmm, it can’t be helped, I will help her drink. Because I am her older sister after all!”

“…Hoeee…”

That’s right, you cannot group them together! A pervert has aesthetics! Remember all the perverts around you. It can be animal fetishes, cosplay fetishes, little sister fetishes, underwear-exchange fetishes, or even exhibitionistic fetishes. No matter what fetish it is, think of all the perverts crawling on the earth, disregarding the rules of the world. Would they ever disregard their fetish?

Also, certain girls might come to mind when you think about these fetishes, but that is just your imagination. Animal fetishes, cosplay fetishes, little sister fetishes, underwear-exchange fetishes, and exhibitionistic fetishes are just (in order) Azuki Azusa, Emi, Steel-san, MaiMai, and Demon Child-chan? No, you can’t say that. Nor can you say that the latter half is sinful.

Seriously, this world is full of perverts. The pure and lovable perfect Tsukiko-chan is justice after all! She is the best fit for the Invigorating Prince! There we go! Happy end!

However, we have heard allegations that suspect Tsukiko might actually be a pervert herself, and we are following up on these hints we’ve received. Next up in the news—let’s get back on topic, shall we?

“If you’re done, then give me half of that bread. I’m feeling a bit better today, so I can eat some more.”

“…Thank goodness. Eat lots and become better.”

“Mmfun! Munfun!”

The word ‘pervert’ truly is wonderful. But anyway, no matter what kind of pervert someone may be, they have the determination to follow through with their aesthetics. On the path of a pervert, you will always be met with punches from the legal force, or kicks of social disdain. Perverts should always be proud of their position as an antithesis to society. If you are both a child and a pervert, then everything would most likely be forgiven.

No matter if I tried to peek into the women’s bath, no matter what I screamed out loud, I could enjoy my youth to the fullest. However, that would be an emotional failure. Degraded desires, lost caution, a succumbing lifestyle. The path of a pervert I desire should not be paved by these words.

Can I really take pride in being kept like a pig on a grass plain? Rather than becoming cattle at the hands of a university president, should I not become more like the awakened Oscar Wilde? Stand up, Yokodera Youto!

“………”

“………”

“………”

I raised my fist. I swear on my pride as the Invigorating Prince that I will not rely on this cheat-like situation, and I will quit being a pervert!

“…Hey, Youto. Youto. Shitty brat.”

Suddenly, I realized something.

“…Eh?”

The conversations at the dining table had stopped abruptly.

“Your face has been going all over the place.W hat happened?”

To my front, to my right, and to my left…

“I sense an odd atmosphere.”

…The three Tsutsukakushis…

“…Mmm…”

…All looked at me. Their confused and doubtful gazes bore right through me. Though it can be questioned if the last one even thought anything.

“W-Well, I was just thinking about yesterday!”

“Hmmm. About what?”

“E-Eh!? W-Well, that…”

“What a weirdo you are. Oh right, you were acting odd this morning as well.” Tsukasa-san narrowed her eyes and inspected me closely.

She already has a sharp glare, but if she looks at me like that, treating me like some kind of suspicious person, then… Oh no, I’ll get excited! But how can I hope to hide it since I don’t have any memories of yesterday? This isn’t good, I’m getting even more excited!

“Are you…?”

“…Fuwaah, buffafly!”

Right when Tsukasa-san was about to say something, the mini Tsukiko-chan stood up and ran over towards the porch.

“Woah!”

Mama Hedgehog tore her gaze away from me and chased after Tsukiko-chan. Thanks to that, I somewhat managed to escape this dire situation. Great work, Tsukiko-chan!

“Speaking of yesterday, we cleaned the bath, right? We had a battle to the death with the spiderwebs and spiders crawling around no matter how much we wiped away.” Steel-san nodded to herself like she had understood the situation.

“Oh right, the bath broke yesterday.” Tsukasa-san added, carrying Tsukiko-chan back. “You didn’t get the chance to take one yesterday, did you? Once we’re done eating, let’s head to the public bathhouse.”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t make that face.” She gave me a stern gaze. “You must be homesick by now, so why don’t you take a bath together with us?” Tsukasa-san seemed to have the wrong idea about something, and she rubbed my head with a wry smile.

With this rough hand movement, she felt like a pervert. That’s fine, to be honest. However, you can’t forget about the fact that I will be taking a bath with Tsukasa-san, who will naturally enter the women’s bath, and that means that I will be entering the women’s bath. Wait. What does this mean?

The women’s bath… The charming women’s bath… My investigation results show that 99% of men in this world love the women’s bath. As for proof, consider that you can see every long-distance delivery driver rubbing their eyes. If they aren’t thinking about the women’s bath all night long, what else could they possibly be thinking of? See? Everyone loves it.

Of course, I love it as well, just like everyone else. I love the washing area. I love taking a shower. I love bathtubs. I deeply love all sorts of women inside the bath. I love the footsteps of these women, their bodies only hidden by the dense fog. I love the faint laughing voices of the mothers resting their bodies in the hot water. I love the young siblings scrubbing each others’ backs. I love seeing drops of sweat building on the shoulders of girls during a diet sauna trip. The women’s bath, women’s bath, women’s bath! The women’s bath event is here!

…No no no, hold on.

‘I will not rely on this cheat-like situation, and I will quit being a pervert!’

The determination I had just made inside of my head immediately put a damper on things. I formed a fist with my hand and calmed myself. Calm down, Yokodera Youto. We’re simply going to the public bath. What’s so special about a women’s bath? There’s no way I would give in to desire after I’ve sworn this oath. A pervert who forgets his aesthetics is just a deviant. I don’t even have a queen to become a pig for.

Indeed, I cannot betray my beloved Tsukasa-san. Be a man! Show your pride in your work and your faith in yourself! I will never lose against the women’s bath!

*

Thirty minutes later.

“Ahaha, hehe, ahahahehe!”

Naked bodies over here, naked bodies over there, everyone is happy! I made a double-peace sign with my hands as I stood in the middle of the bath with a bright grin. I couldn’t win against the women’s bath after all.

No no no, hear me out. I really tried to hold back, okay? My determination was fierce, but a few minutes after we came there, the first hurdle awaited us. After we passed through the glass door, we found the wooden shoe boxes and the concrete floor. There, two curtains hung in front of two rooms, one for the changing room, and one for the resting area. Said resting area offered cold coffee, a TV and massage chair. It was decorated by a few plants, and several old ladies were sitting at the attendant’s booth.

Beneath the attendant’s booth, there was a paper.

‘Only 100 yen today!’

To my misfortune, Saturday was the last day of a campaign. Thanks to that, I could see Madams and their sons, other highschool Onee-sans, as well as the aforementioned shrivelled old ladies. It was a great variety, and there was a perfect strike zone for everybody.

“T-This is nothing at all…!”

There’s no way I’d let myself be led astray here (By happiness, that is)! I shook my head and tried to maintain my composure.

“Really? It seems pretty crowded, so don’t get lost.” Tsukasa-san held my hand.

She had changed from her hedgehog outfit to a t-shirt and jeans, and a silver accessory was on those jeans. She seemed to be feeling pretty great. She hadn’t coughed once while carrying Tsukiko-chan all the way here. The sight of her seemed divine, like a holy knight carrying the princess to safety, which caused me to bite my lip in frustration.

Beyond the curtain was the paradise every adolescent boy dreamed of seeing. The forbidden changing room for the female gender. This would be the second time I had entered there, counting the school trip. Am I a repeat offender, then?

Yet, because of my young appearance, nobody judged me. When I looked over to the left, I saw fellow high school students, half naked with their bodies covered with towels. Looking to the right, I saw small children and an Onee-sama chasing after them. Everywhere, the rustling sound of clothes could be heard. Someone from the Tsutsukakushi Family dropped her underwear.

“Ugh… Kill it all!”

I covered both my eyes and my ears and became naked myself. Shedding tears of blood, I cut off all information from the outside world and managed to make it out from this hellish room. I set foot inside the steamy washing area. The entrance was fairly narrow, but it opened up right after you walked inside. It felt like a small community. From the open roof to the interior, there were bathtubs everywhere. Unlike the small path leading up to it, nobody would bump into each other here.

Now I should be able to handle it if I just look at my own feet—Of course, it happened the exact moment I let down my guard.

“Where are you going? I told you not to get lost.” Tsukasa-san grabbed my arm.

She made me sit down on a chair in front of a big mirror, and she sat behind me. Of course, she was absolutely naked from head to toe, which gave me nowhere to look.

“T-Tsukasa-san…?”

I couldn’t directly look at her, nor could I look around, so I stuffed my eyeballs into the back of their sockets and forced my eyes down. Tsukasa-san’s hands, filled with soap, approached my defenseless body.

“What are you doing!?”

“What are you panicking for? I told you I’d wash your body.”

“Y-You don’t have to! You’d better take care of Tsukiko-chan!”

“Tsukushi is taking care of her. Right?” Tsukasa-san pointed over at her Steel-san, who was sitting next to us on a chair.

“Indeed! I am her Onee-chan after all!” Steel-san was grinning.

Ever since she had been scolded by her mother, she was now being thorough as she took care of her little sister.

“…Shampoo… Poo-san…” Mini Tsukiko-chan sat on the chair, observing me with an open mouth.

To be honest, these sisters are a heart-warming scene to watch. That being said, this didn’t make the situation any better for me. Tsukasa-san played with the scrubbing brush between her fingers, making me feel all awkward.

“Tsukasa-san! I-I can wash myself, really!” I let out a voice loud enough to make me feel embarrassed.

If I had to give an example, it was like I was speaking with the voice of Shotarou-kun controlling Ironman Number 218. Well, that’s not exactly a good example, is it?

“I know that you’re not too comfortable with this. But it’ll be good for you, so be an adult and stay calm.”

“U-Ugh…”

I’m weak against things like that, you know. Her soapy arms wrapped around my waist.

“Huh, so this is how things ended up down there.”

“Fueeeeh!?”

“Whenever someone stays over at nursery school, it can be either a girl or a boy, and I have to treat them differently, see.”

“Hyaaaaaaah!?”

“Hey hey, no struggling while I’m washing you.”

She played around with it like this was an investigation. It was pleasure, but also punishment. Heaven, but also hell. How did things end up like this? Why was my privacy violated in such a fashion? I’ll never be able to become a wife. Well, I guess it’s too late to worry about that. Either way, every inch of my body was washed, and every piece of my mind was broken.

“Is that good now? Any itchy places?”

“…ore.”

“Huh? What was that? I can’t hear you.”

“More… Do it more…!”

“More what exactly? Be specific.”

“Wash me more! All the deepest parts of me! Mess it all up!”

“O-Okay… Seriously, what are you talking about?”

I tried my best to beg for more, and she ended up washing me lots. It felt really good!

Now that my heart had been twisted, I fell down into the abyss of pleasure. I stopped trying to keep my eyes closed, and I looked all over the bath. I’m sorry, princess inside of my heart. Now that I’ve been exposed to this paradise, I cannot turn back.

“Ah, hey, use the conditioner after the shampoo.”

“What is this condishinor? Is it different from our home’s rinsu? Is there no proper Japanese expression for it!? Death to all English!”

“…Afu… Daddy…”

When Tsukasa-san looked over at the Tsutsukakushi sisters, I used the opportunity to sneak away from that place. I disappeared into the mist and started searching after I had lost them. I grabbed the hand of an Onee-san, who returned a snicker.

“Yay~ Yay yay~”

Naked bodies here, naked bodies there. Naked bodies of all ages in my view! No matter what I do or where I touch, they all just smile at me! Happiness smile pretty charge! What kind of Sukhavati is this? Some paradise where seventy virgins come heal me? I ran around, laughing, looking at all the girls around me.

I can’t become a gallant knight anymore. For I am the orc! Next up is paradise! After that is another paradise! And then another! From the bathtub to the washing place, and from the washing place to the sauna, from the sauna to the heated bathtub, running between warm and cold on the outside.

Suddenly I felt dizzy. Before my feet could even sleep, my world spun around. When I came to my senses, I had collapsed in the washing area.

“Huh…?”

I heard someone’s scream in the far distance, and my world was covered in darkness.

*

In this darkness, I saw a fishing rod and someone’s brassiere. On the beach in the southern country, a brat was currently fishing for a brassiere. By the time had I realized that I was merely looking up at the stains up on the ceiling, I had blinked several times.

“…My oh my, did you wake up?” Next to me, I spotted someone looking down.

I was in one of the corners in the changing room. I had been carefully put down on a wicker chair in front of the washbasin, and I was laying sideways. When my vision finally cleared, I saw a palm coming down to check my forehead.

“Are you okay? You collapsed in the bath. Maybe the heat got to you.” The person next to me rubbed my hair, grabbed a nearby handheld fan, and fanned me with it.

My head was aching, and the cool breeze cooled it down, removing the unnecessary heat. My body started to feel much more comfortable.

“Would you like some water? Your Mama will be right back, okay?” The Onee-san gave me a soothing smile and lifted me upright.

The cup she handed me was filled with cool water.

“Thank you very much…”

I took a sip of it and laid down again while the girl watched. She had a calm and very relaxing atmosphere. She had blondish-brown hair, and she was wearing a long one-piece dress. Considering that her sleeves were almost longer than her arms, she must have had a small stature, but the expression she wore made her still look like an adult.

“—Ah.” I caught my breath.

I know this smile. Not to mention that I could see that girl sitting in the shadow of the Onee-san. I know her all too well. She hid behind the Onee-san, awkwardly looking at me.

“A-chan, I’m sorry about this. Just wait a bit longer for lunch, okay?”

I could see a large red ribbon shaking in the shadow of the Onee-san. She should be roughly the same age as me. She seemed fairly meek, and she simply peeked at me from behind the Onee-san. Who was it again who worked as a part-timer in an animal cafe, always dreamed about animals, loved shoujo manga, and had the beauty of an unattainable flower? That’s right, it was her.

“Azuki Azusa—”

“Oh my? Are you a friend of A-chan?”

The moment I muttered that name, the Onee-san looked at me in surprise. She pushed this ‘A-chan’ in front of her, glancing between the two of us.

“Oh my oh my, what a coincidence. I’m glad. This girl doesn’t have too many friends.”

“Ah, well, um…”

“Can I ask your name?” She moved her face forward.

At the same time, A-chan tilted her head in confusion, and the red ribbon waved. This is bad! This development is not good! This is probably the first time I’ve met Azuki Azusa! And yet there I went, saying her full name. It’s like I’m an underage stalker stalking another underage girl! While I was at a loss for a response, A-chan’s mother nodded in agreement.

“Are you Ma-chan by any chance? A-chan talks about you all the time.”

“That is correct, my name is Ma-chan. Nice to meet you.” I nodded happily.

“—!” The girl with the giant red ribbon frantically shook her head left and right, looking like a puppy.

Her entire body started shaking, even.

“My… there’s no need to be embarrassed. I’m sorry about my A-chan. She’s always so reserved…”

A-chan’s mother—Azuki Mama… or should I call her Azuki Onee-san? Anyway, she gently smiled. No matter when I see her, she’s full of questions, and I have yet to even figure out her age. I did talk with her quite a bit during the Christmas party in our own timeline, and I even met her in a bus a bit earlier in this timeline. She had changed quite a bit since then, but I still can’t figure out her age. When I compare her to Tsukasa-san, her age is just a mystery altogether, I guess…

“Youto!”

Having been helped by an older lady at the attendant’s booth, Tsukasa-san came running towards me, absolutely panicked. The instant I saw her expression, I regretted my actions.

“Are you hurt!? How are you feeling!? Does your head still work!?” Her face was paler than I thought possible.

She had a towel wrapped around her body, and was still dripping with water. In her right hand she held Steel-san, and Tsukiko-chan in her left. Both of them were staring at me. As for Azuki Onee-san, she stood up like she had performed a baton pass.

“It seems like he’s feeling much better. I don’t think he hit his head anywhere, but you might be better off watching him for a while.”

When I listened to their conversation, I found out that Tsukasa-san hadn’t even known where I was before the old lady guided her here.

“You moron. I told you not to get separated.” Tsukasa-san narrowed her eyes in anger, like she had been worried to death.

She faced Azuki Onee-san and bowed deeply.

“…I’m terribly sorry for the trouble we’ve caused.”

“Since he’s at that age, you have to keep a close eye on him.”

“Yes, I think so as well. I’m really sorry.”

Azuki Onee-san was gently rebuking Tsukasa-san, and Tsukasa-san couldn’t put any strength into her words. In this case, Azuki Onee-san might not seem that much older, but Tsukasa-san looked like a yankee getting scolded, which made me feel even more apologetic, hurt, and depressed at the same time.

“Then if you would excuse us.” Azuki Onee-san took A-chan’s hand and headed towards the shoe lockers.

Even after they walked away, Tsukasa-san looked defeated. Unable to bear that, I jumped down from the chair.

“Tsukasa-san! I’ll go tell her!”

“H-Hey, are you okay?”

“Yup!”

My feet were still a bit wobbly, but there was something more important to worry about. I ran out of the women’s bathroom, and I found the resting area next to the attendant’s booth. I slipped past the people looking at me with questionable gazes and chased after Azuki Onee-san.

“Um!”

I jumped in front of her, fully out of breath, looking up at her.

“That just now was entirely my fault. Tsukasa-san did nothing wrong!” I lowered my head with as much honesty that I could muster. “I’m sorry. Please scold me so that I can learn from this!”

“Oh my…” Azuki Mama seemed taken aback, but smiled in joy. “Yes, you be careful as well, okay?” She was probably being affectionate towards me.

If she treats me like this in such a state, I feel like something will awaken inside of me.

“I’m sure you’ll become a proper man in the future.”

I hear that a lot. But I’m the one who betrayed my own growth. It’s all because of these adolescent desires.

Azuki Onee-san gave me a smile. “Anyway, it’s time for us to leave. Make sure not to catch a cold.” She waved her hand at me and dropped her gaze down to my body.

A-chan was sneaking glances at me as well, only for her mother to pull her hand.

“Nu?”

A bit further ahead, I felt like I could see a large but still fairly young bear.

*

“For crying out loud…” Tsukasa-san appeared next to me.

She must have put on her clothes in a rush, since she had a towel on her head and was trying to dry her still-wet hair. The t-shirt still clung to her body. The line of her underwear was way too stimulating. It seemed like all of her anxiety and tension had vanished, and she let out a sigh that vanished quickly into the sky.

“Don’t worry me like that, shitty brat.” She reached out her hand, rubbing me on the head.

“…I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have been the one to apologize, Tsukasa-san.”

“That’s what you’re worried about? You don’t have to worry about things like that. Being able to apologize for a child’s actions is part of the joy of being an adult.” Tsukasa-san gave me a faint smile.

I didn’t really understand what she was talking about. You feel happy when you have to apologize? Is this some kind of nuance having to do with a whip-and-candle thing? I see! That makes sense!

When I glanced over at the women’s bath, I saw Steel-san, who was imitating her mother with a towel around her head, trying to put socks on the dazed Tsukiko-chan. I watched that, and Tsukasa-san offered me her hand.

“Here, put on some clothes now.”

Hmm? Clothes? In her hand, Tsukasa-san was holding my underwear. When I looked down at my own body, I saw that I wasn’t wearing anything whatsoever. That makes sense, considering that I had collapsed inside the bath. I guess my legs weren’t the only things dangling when I ran after them. I looked around me. I was outside the changing room, right next to the attendant’s booth.

The girls who had just headed inside the bath, and the elderly people sitting in the resting space, and even the middle-aged men drinking beer while watching TV were all looking at me fully naked. I was naked when Azuki Onee-san was fanning me, when I lowered my head, the entire time…

A fierce heat ran into my head. I was assaulted with an intense rush of shame and embarrassment. I hurriedly rushed back inside the changing area.

“Come on! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

I hid in the corner, opened up my underwear and started pulling it up, when…

Did I just say ‘shame’?

My body froze. Shame. What a shocking emotion. An emotion I should possess… in this timeline. This time is way before the incident related to honest feelings and facades. Shame should be something I lost after praying to the stony cat up on the hill. In order to win the battle for Tsukiko-chan, I put everything on the line to fight the furious and terrifying Steel King, only for Tsukiko-chan to offer her a steamed bun herself. And now these emotions had gone through time and come back to me.

I stood still with my underwear barely on. The wish I had made back then related to honest feelings and facades ended up with me losing the ability to properly speak and Tsukiko-chan losing the ability to make facial expressions.

It makes sense that I still have my shame, as the young version of me right now hasn’t wished yet. Maybe I subconsciously wished to get it back, and that’s why I have it now—So why did Yokodera-kun come to this world? Of course it was because I wished for the Cat God to take us back to the beginning of everything. Now that we’ve achieved this grand reset, there is something I have to take care of.

After repeating the same tragedy over and over again, thanks to never stopping once, breaking down once…

“—I finally made it back.”

I grasped my underwear firmly. And I looked up at the ceiling. I could see the ashen-grey stains. The fishing rod and brassiere. The young man fishing for a brassiere on the southern country’s beach. However, looking at it now, I saw an old fisherman fighting against a whale.

I blinked, and it changed into the shape of a girl singing to a full moon. When I closed my right eye, I saw a bank accountant counting bank notes, and when I closed my left eye, I saw an alien riding on a missile.

The stains on the ceiling changed whenever I looked up at them, like they held infinite possibilities. Everything inside of it has a meaning. It’s just like how the current Yokodera-kun has endless possibilities.

Indeed, this is the beginning of everything. I will fix everything in this world. I took a deep breath and slapped my cheeks with my palms.