I'm in Love with the Gorilla Sitting Next to Me - Volume 1 Chapter 4.4

The Cursed Cat Senpai 4

“…I see. In Tora-senpai’s case, being liked by the opposite gender is an incredibly high hurdle, so I, who am unaffected by the curse and see you as a cat, am the best candidate.”

“That’s right. It’s too difficult to target homosexuals, and even if I were to fall in love, it’s hard to narrow down the targets, and if I fail, I have to start all over again…”

“But isn’t a romantic relationship between us also difficult? Can we really make each other fall in love?”

“I have no experience in love, so I don’t know! But we have a clear goal, and my cousin’s sister said, ‘High school boys are so easy to fall in love with, they get smitten so quickly!'”

“That’s a weird way to put it…”

And not entirely wrong, which makes it worse. Tora-senpai seems a bit clueless about the gravity of her statement.

But in my case, it’s not that simple.

“Even so, Senpai, you don’t look like a girl to me, instead, you look like a cat. That’s another level of difficulty.”

“Hmm… That’s true, but… I think it’s not impossible. Besides, you don’t have someone you like or a girlfriend, right?”

“…No, I don’t.”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, I avert my eyes.

…But in a matter of seconds, Tora-senpai grabs my shoulders and forces herself back into my field of vision, staring at me with wide-open eyes. Somehow, there’s an air of disbelief.

“…No, you’re lying, right? You have someone you like?”

“No, well, whether I like her or not, I’m not sure… It’s just, I’m curious about her, that’s all…”

“That’s not the reaction of just being curious!? But, still… huh…? Didn’t you say you see the opposite gender as animals? Is she special?”

“Uh… well, she’s special, but she definitely looks like an animal to me.”

“…What kind of animal?”

“…A gorilla.”

I hesitated but answered honestly, and in front of me, the cat’s ears fluttered rapidly. At the same time, her mouth trembled, and the strength left the hands that were holding my shoulders.

“…A gorilla… like, the one in zoos and jungles…?”

“…Yes, that kind of gorilla, no mistake.”

“…You like the super thick, muscular, hairy face?”

“Of course not! I like the classic cute type of beautiful girls or onee-sans who seem like they’d attend a music college! In games, I always go for the busty characters who let you dote on them first!”

“Don’t shout out weird information! Then why are you falling for a gorilla!?”

“I don’t know, I just started finding her interesting out of nowhere. Even I don’t think gorillas are it!”

“Ugh… so you, uh, you’re going to kiss that gorilla girl—”

“Can we not go there? I don’t even want to think about it! Kissing a gorilla? I doubt I could even stand my ground without running away!”

I’m not even sure what I’m shouting anymore, but the real truth that burst forth from my soul during the exchange with Tora-senpai turned into a volume that could rival any other karaoke room.

In the end, a heated argument sparked by my own words, ‘Gorillas and cats are hardly any different!’ led to an outburst from Tora-senpai, who, in a fit of rage, assaulted me with a tambourine, bringing the day’s gathering to an abrupt close.

◇ ◆

After parting ways with Tora-senpai at the station, I pedaled my bike home, and throughout dinner with my family and while playing games with my half-naked capybara of a sister, I couldn’t stop thinking about the day’s events.

—I never imagined I’d meet another person cursed like me, and in the same way, with the curse passed down from an ancestor. And to top it off, the original curser was the same person.

Maybe there are other victims of the curse out there. Damn you, Manjuuta, causing all this trouble. Keep the jokes to your name only.

Even after I was alone in my room, I felt a mix of irritation and nausea, like indigestion, as I tossed and turned in bed.

“Haa… It’s all because of the curse, but…”

—I honestly hadn’t expected to find a real way to break it.

Well, to be precise, there’s no guarantee that the curse will be lifted for me in the same way it might be for Tora-senpai, and even Tora-senpai’s case isn’t certain. But it’s much better than having nothing at all. It’s a billion times better than just waiting for twenty or thirty years.

“…The problem is, well… the kiss… But before that, I need to make the other person fall for me, huh…”

Muttering to myself, the image that comes to mind is a gorilla in a sailor uniform.

I’m not even sure if I like Gossan, and even if I do, I need to make her like me, and then there’s the daunting task of ending up kissing her.

In that sense, it seems more feasible to consciously enter into a romantic relationship with Tora-senpai, whom I’ve just met. Since we’re both in a cooperative stance, at least the final kiss seems achievable.

The real issue is whether we can actually fall for each other… But even though we’ve only talked for a short time, I don’t dislike her. It’s not about her boyish personality, but rather that I feel we could get along more as friends.

In that sense, Tora-senpai was quite a good match. She uses ‘boku’ for herself and has a slightly odd way of speaking. And even though she hit me with a tambourine…

“What to do… Hmm… Even if I think about it, it’s…”

No matter how much I groan and toss around in bed, the right answer just doesn’t seem to appear.

…Right, there’s no use worrying alone. I’ll consult with someone and report back.

Once I’ve made up my mind, I immediately grab my smartphone and contact Uncle Jo. Fortunately, he answers the phone right away, so I tell him about meeting Tora-senpai and the curse, and I ask him the awkward question, ‘Do you have any experience kissing someone of the same sex you like?’ only to get an even more awkward reply, ‘I’ve had my fair share of kisses, but they weren’t in a romantic context.’

After getting the information I needed, I end the conversation with my uncle and put down my phone, exhaling deeply.

—If the curse can indeed be broken with a kiss, then it must be either with a member of the opposite sex who I love or someone who loves me

It’s still unclear whether the same conditions apply to me as they do to Tora-senpai, but until now, I had no clue what to do at all. Just having a clue is a blessing. It’s worth trying, nothing ventured, nothing gained.