I'm in Love with the Gorilla Sitting Next to Me - Volume 1 Chapter 2.8

From my first encounter with Gorilla-san to the present 8

“By the way, Gossan, what kind of conversations are you having with your relatives? That’s the weirder part, actually.”

“Yes, it’s strange. That was during the third-year memorial service for our great-grandfather, and all the men received divine punishment.”

“Divine punishment?”

“Yes.”

I wanted a more detailed explanation, but I also felt it might be better not to delve too deeply. Gossan can be surprisingly ferocious… If it’s in the bloodline, it’s pretty clear that she and the other relatives teamed up to deliver something they called divine punishment… Yeah, I better let it go. I don’t want to risk my own safety by probing too much. Looks like I’ve learned to make adult decisions.

“Gossan, are you done with club activities?”

“The group practice is over, but the upperclassmen will do individual practice, so I’ll join them. It seems the senpai have expectations of me too.”

“With your height, huh? Well, good luck. I’m heading home.”

“Saiki-kun, you bike to school, right?”

“Yeah, the bike rack is over there, so I’ll come by to watch after club activities next time.”

Our school has two bike racks, and the one I mainly use is next to the martial arts hall by the back gate. From here, it’s around the corner past the gymnasium.

“Be careful. If boys are spotted peering in, volleyballs, basketballs, and ping pong balls will come flying at you.”

“Isn’t that anti-intrusion system a bit overkill…? Though I guess I don’t care much about the ping pong balls.”

“Sometimes even rackets are said to fly out.”

“That’s genuinely dangerous! Well, I’ll be careful when I come to tease.”

“You’re not saying you won’t come?”

“I like watching sports. I’d like to see Gossan miss a spike.”

“That’s right. I might miss the spike and accidentally hit Saiki-kun in the face, but that’s a common mistake for beginners, so it can’t be helped.”

“Well, if it’s a mistake, I can’t complain. But Gossan, let me make one request.”

“Yes? Regarding what?”

“If you’re going to hit me, make it with a volleyball! If a missed spike hits me, that’s like you’re targeting me with a charge attack!”

“Hmm, you have a point. Then I’ll aim for a full-powered serve to your face.”

“Yeah, that’s better… huh?”

I nodded in agreement, but something felt off. I should have successfully persuaded her, yet something seemed fundamentally wrong…?

“Well, whatever. I’m off. See you later, Gossan.”

“Take care with the traffic.”

After a farewell that seemed too caring to come from someone who had made so many violent remarks, Gossan walked towards the gymnasium. That’s actually the shortest route for me too, but it would be awkward to follow her immediately after parting, so I took a slight detour to the bike rack.

“Gossan is in the volleyball club, huh…”

Maybe it’s a case of the right person in the right place. Unlike the tall but timid types who are bad at sports, she has the fighting spirit to hit boys.

It’s a shame I won’t see a gorilla dunk, but the sight of a gorilla spiking would also be quite impressive. Just imagining it made me look forward to it, and I decided I had to watch her at least once.

With the image of Gossan soaring through the air, I couldn’t help but grin, earning strange looks from passing male students as I excitedly made my way home.

◇ ◆

After the first long holiday of high school ended, and it was a certain day in mid-May after school.

With a strong resolve, I positioned myself in front of Gossan, who was getting ready to leave.

“Gossan, I have a serious favor to ask.”

“I already have a bad feeling about this, but what is it?”

I leaned over the desk, hands placed on it, and bowed my head with the force of a headbutt to Gorilla-san, who clearly didn’t want to be involved.

“Please lend your notes to this foolish man! Just English and World History, I beg of you!”

“Why should I, who stayed awake patiently, lend my notes to someone who didn’t bother to take them during class?”

“Please, I’m begging you. Of course, I’ll reward you, and I’ll return them in five minutes after copying.”

“Couldn’t you ask anyone else?”

“I could ask, but I don’t know if their notes are any good. I want notes that are as clear and well-organized as Gossan’s!”

My desperate plea drew strange looks from other classmates, but I couldn’t care less. My test scores and final grades affect my allowance, so it’s a matter of life and death.

After a long silence and scrutinizing gaze from Gossan, plus the presence of a gorilla, I kept my hands together and didn’t break my pleading stance.

“Alright. But there’s a condition.”

“Great. For the sake of the notes, I’ll even do a belly dance or breakdance for you!”

“I don’t want to see any dancing. What I want is——”

An hour after the soul bargaining, I found myself in a cafe near the school’s nearest station, sitting across from Gossan.

However, in front of Gossan was a deluxe strawberry parfait and straight tea, while in front of me were two notebooks and a glass of water, a stark disparity.

“Aren’t you done yet? I’m about to finish this.”

“Wait, you’re too fast! Gossan, savor it more!”

“I am savoring it. But I don’t like it when the ice cream melts too much or when the flakes get soggy, so I naturally end up eating quickly.”

So she has no intention of slowing down. I’ve only just finished copying the English notes.