I'm in Love with the Gorilla Sitting Next to Me - Volume 1 Chapter 4.2

The Cursed Cat Senpai 2

As I was stunned by the scale of the situation surrounding her, Tora-senpai continued, holding her glass of matcha latte.

“Since the curse activated, I’ve been using the surname and family registry of ‘Mito’ from my mother’s side, living away from my family home. Although, if I run into trouble, they can come to help within about a thirty-minute drive.”

“Wow… So, Senpai, you live alone?”

“Not really, I live with a housekeeper. Until last year, my mother was also living with me.”

——A housekeeper! It doesn’t seem like a maid, but a housekeeper…! This is unmistakably pure bourgeoisie!

Something’s wrong, why is it that even though we’re both from cursed families, mine is just a normal household… My allowance is only two thousand yen a month, even though I’m in high school…

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“…No… I’m just facing the harsh realities of a class society…”

“That’s true… Indeed, reality is not sweet. I thought I had found a boy miraculously unaffected by my curse, only to find out he’s under a different one. And to think it’s a curse where the opposite sex appears as animals…”

As I was shocked, Tora-senpai, interpreting it differently, took a sip of her matcha latte and sighed.

“What a pain… This was supposed to be the perfect opportunity to be freed from this detestable Manjuuta curse, but it’s not going well…”

“…What?”

——Wait. Did Tora-senpai just casually mention something huge?

“…Um, Senpai, what did you just say?”

“Hm? What’s with that look, like you’ve just had the ending of your favorite drama spoiled by a massive spoiler right before the final episode?”

“Nevermind the eerily plausible metaphor! What you just said, Tora-senpai! Wasn’t that a shocking revelation!?”

“…Tora-senpai, that’s another strange way to address me.”

“Let’s not worry about that, one more time! What did you say earlier!?”

Regardless of whether Tora-senpai is naturally airheaded or just incredibly oblivious, she placed her glass on the table amidst my intense urgency and tilted her head in confusion.

“…The detestable curse of Manjuuta?”

“That was a shocking statement too, but that’s not what I’m talking about! It’s what you said after that.”

“…Ah, I see. You mean you don’t know.”

With a nod that indicated her understanding, Senpai flicked her cat ears and said,

“I know how to break the curse.”

“…!”

This was undoubtedly the most astonishing news I had heard in years—since the curse was first cast.

‘——The man who cursed both our ancestors is likely the same person.’

In a mix of surprise and excitement, Tora-senpai and I discussed our curses and came to that conclusion.

The unexpected name that came up left me still unsettled.

“There’s no way there’s another person with a weird name like Manjuuta. I had no idea he had cursed your family too…”

“It’s not impossible that the name has been passed down, and the motives for the curses in both cases seem to be grudges related to romantic entanglements. The timing doesn’t seem too far off either. It seems likely.”

“But, it seems like my ancestors didn’t know how to break the curse. Maybe they only told your side, Tora-senpai?”

“…Before we get into that, are we going to stick with that strange nickname?”

“Your name is Mito Raina, and to me, you look like a tea-colored cat. It’s a nice fit, isn’t it?”

“Ugh… I’m not used to being given nicknames. When I was treated as a girl, people just called me ‘Raina-chan’.”

“And now?”

“…I don’t have many close friends. I’m still not used to the way boys interact, and I can’t just join the girls’ circles.”

I see, the curse makes communication difficult. The sense of distance is important.

“So, what’s this crucial method to break the curse?”

“My ancestor tried everything after the curse was discovered, but priests and prayer masters were at a loss, and they couldn’t find Manjuuta. However, they found a fellow curse caster who, while not knowing the method to break the curse, asserted that there’s no curse that can’t be broken.”

“…It’s hard to be hopeful with just that…”

“Right. In the end, despite all the searching, the crucial method or conditions remained unknown. But about twenty years ago—my aunt, who had been cursed before me, unexpectedly broke the curse.”

“Oh… really…!?”

I had expected some vague strategy like “maybe this will work?” but there was an actual example. This raises my expectations…!

But since Tora-senpai is still cursed, it’s probably not a simple matter.

“Let me explain in order. My aunt was quite a strong-willed person, and despite being afflicted by the curse, she seemed to enjoy her student life with great fortitude. She indulged in love, club activities, and living alone.”

“Mhm, mhm.”

“Since she was perceived as a male by others, she avoided sports clubs and joined the wind orchestra, where she got close to a male student a year her senior. They played the same instrument, so they had many opportunities to interact, and by the time her Senpai graduated, he was clearly aware of her own affection for him.”

“The classic senpai-kouhai relationship in a club…”

However, from his perspective, Tora-senpai’s aunt was a male. Would it be an unrequited love?

“Although my aunt had a sense of propriety, she never confessed her feelings… but on the day before the graduation ceremony, he called her out and confessed to her.”

“Whoa!? Seriously, that kind of development…!?”

This was unexpected. A confession in reverse.

…Wait, but then, from that graduating Senpai’s perspective, Tora-senpai’s aunt was…

“…Was your aunt’s curse not effective?”

“No, he thought my aunt was a male. He confessed knowing that.”

“…Oh… that’s possible too…”

I hadn’t thought of that, but yes, there are countries where same-sex marriage is legal.

“My aunt, despite the curse, accepted the confession, but the problem occurred afterward.”

“Hmm…?”

“My aunt, carried away by the momentum of accepting the confession, kissed her Senpai!”

“Oh, well… young love and all that…”

“And after the kiss… her Senpai let out a scream almost like a shriek and asked my aunt—’Who are you?'”

“…Huh?”

For some reason, what seemed like a youthful romance drama was turning into a suspense story. And right after a kiss, no less.

Could it be…

“…Could it be that the curse…?”

“Yes, my aunt’s curse was broken, and she appeared as a girl to everyone. Not just to her Senpai, but the effects of the curse had vanished for everyone else as well.”

“…Wow… the curse really broke, and in such a fairy-tale-like way!”

It’s hard to believe, but there’s no reason for Tora-senpai to lie. The curse was truly broken by a kiss.

Tora-senpai let out a deep sigh and nodded slightly in response to my reaction.