Chapter 14: Kitagawa Marin
"His hands are so fair, so slender, with clearly defined knuckles. They're so beautiful."
Kitagawa Marin couldn't help but clasp her hands in front of her mouth.
As the saying goes, "A woman's legs, a man's hands"—these are the parts most visible and most sensual in the eyes of the opposite sex.
At that moment, Kitagawa Marin felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
Noticing that the person opposite her had suddenly turned red and seemed lost in a daze, Shunsuke casually tucked the game into his arms, thinking it might be best to act as if they didn't know each other. Her level of embarrassment was far beyond what he had expected.
Directly recommending an eroge to a friend? This level of boldness... even Aki Tomoya couldn't compare.
At least what he recommended to Kato Megumi were tear-jerking, story-driven titles like those from Key. But this... this sticky, slimy mess...
Ugh, gross! I play these in the dark!
But as Shunsuke took the last two copies of the game, the lovestruck Kitagawa Marin snapped out of it, suddenly panicking, "Wait! Why are you taking both copies? Put one down!"
Her aggressive stance and tone made her seem like some kind of street queen—the type who'd go racing at night with other flashy girls, only to fall off a cliff and revive later as an idol.
Despite Kitagawa Marin's fierce tone, Shunsuke remained unfazed and calmly explained, "One of these is for a friend."
"A friend?" Kitagawa Marin was momentarily confused, but quickly countered, "If it's for a friend, can't you play together or just lend it to them when you're done? Taking both copies—isn't that going a bit far as a... 'slippery' friend?"
—Play an eroge with a friend? What kind of fujoshi is she? Isn't she afraid things might get out of hand?
Shunsuke found Kitagawa Marin's thinking a bit off. Not to mention...
"My friend is a girl. And what's a 'slippery' friend?"
—Does she mean two oily guys bumping into each other, all wet and greasy?
Terrifying.
"A female friend? Playing this?"
Kitagawa Marin's eyes seemed to sparkle as she stared intently at Shunsuke.
Then, after blinking a few times, she hesitantly asked, "Are you... from Sobu High? Second-year Fujii-senpai?"
Shunsuke was a little surprised to be recognized. "And you are?"
"Ah, I'm Kitagawa Marin, from Class 1-E. I saw you playing basketball during gym today, and you were super cool! I didn't expect someone like you to play eroge, how surprising, but also really exciting!"
Kitagawa Marin instantly changed her attitude, shifting to a much more friendly and familiar tone, perfectly fitting her flashy appearance.
"So, hehe, Fujii-senpai, could you introduce me to that friend of yours? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone at school about you two, hehe."
Shunsuke was now wondering if that basketball game was going to turn into Shirou jumping hurdles.
But then he remembered that the first little devil junior only used him as a shield, and now this second little devil junior had her eyes on Eriri...
Could it be that they don't actually like me?
So, where's the one girl with glasses who does like me?
"Fujii-senpai?"
Kitagawa Marin tilted her head in confusion, noticing that Shunsuke was lost in his own thoughts.
Shunsuke snapped back to reality. "It's nothing. It's just that she wouldn't want to meet you."
"What's the big deal? If you like something, you should just say it. It's not like it's a shameful hobby." The gyaru began to whine.
"Are you talking about 18+ games?" Shunsuke gave her a sidelong glance. "I think, as a minor, it is a shameful hobby. And on a bigger scale, you're breaking the law, you know."
"For the sake of your mental and physical health, I'm not giving you this game. Wait until you turn 18."
"But Fujii-senpai, aren't you a minor too?"
"No, I repeated a grade, so I'm 18 now."
Shunsuke lied with a perfectly straight face.
"Nani!?"
Kitagawa Marin instantly deflated.
Originally, both of them had dirt on each other—under the mutual threat of "nuclear deterrence," neither dared to report this to the store clerk. But now that Shunsuke was 'legally' an adult, the balance was broken, and she was completely at his mercy.
Pitifully tugging on Shunsuke's sleeve, Kitagawa Marin tried to act cute. "Fujii-senpai, don't you think this is a little too underhanded? Doesn't it hurt your heart to do this? Telling on people—that's what elementary kids do."
"I'm doing this for the sake of public order and morality, Kitagawa-san."
Taking advantage of his position, Shunsuke played the part of a villain.
Seeing that acting pitiful didn't work, Kitagawa Marin switched tactics immediately. "Fujii-senpai, you're a big name and super popular at school, right? You wouldn't want your classmates to know about you buying eroge, would you?"
Shunsuke shot her a sidelong glance. "And what about you, Kitagawa-san? You wouldn't want your classmates to find out you're an otaku, right?"
"Nope, I don't care at all."
Instant response!
How is it that so many girls lose their cool over this, but you're completely unfazed?
Seeing Shunsuke's surprised look, Kitagawa Marin confidently explained, "If you like something, what's wrong with saying it openly? If anyone dares to belittle my hobbies or mock me for them, I wouldn't hesitate to cut ties with them!"
Her boldness was something Shunsuke admired.
If only Eriri could have even one percent of that courage.
Having lived two lives, Shunsuke had seen through many things.
He considered himself a bit of an oddball, someone who never conformed to the so-called "atmosphere" around him.
As for his hobby of watching anime, he had never hidden it.
If people wanted to ridicule him as some kind of otaku, so be it. But openly discussing eroge... Sorry, he wasn't quite ready for that.
Being unconventional didn't mean being a pervert. Shunsuke wasn't brave enough to be called the "Pervert Prince" or "Trash-kun."
Though... the courage to become a pervert?
It felt like adding the word "courage" completely changed things.
The courage to sleep in class! The courage to slack off at work! The courage to become a creep! The courage to start a harem!
He had unexpectedly found a word that fit almost anything.
But for now, Shunsuke lacked that courage, so he could only continue this back-and-forth with Kitagawa Marin.
"Empty words. Given my popularity and reputation, no one would believe you no matter what you say, Kitagawa-san."
"Then I'll take a picture!"
"Are you trying to get me to call the cops for invading my privacy?"
"Ugh, damn it!"
The gyaru junior pouted in frustration—surprisingly cute.
"Alright, fine. Here, take this."
After thoroughly lowering Kitagawa Marin's expectations, Shunsuke lightly tapped one of the game copies onto her head.
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