I'm in Love with the Gorilla Sitting Next to Me - Volume 1 Chapter 4.6

The Cursed Cat Senpai 6

“I don’t understand how a relationship between a man and a woman deepens, so I want to learn how to get along with girls. I mean, Tora-senpai, you know about both sides, right?”

“…On the contrary, I’m distant from both. I hardly have any friends.”

“Oh, so you’re a loner, Senpai… But I guess that makes sense. The perception around you has changed, but you’re still a woman, so it must be tough to adjust.”

“That’s right… In my case, my aunt’s curse was lifted, so I let my guard down thinking I might not be affected by the curse, and I didn’t practice acting like a man…”

“So now you can’t blend in with either men or women… that’s tough.”

It’s all because of the curse, huh. But still, this is troubling.

“We both have pitifully low experience when it comes to love. What should we do?”

“…For reference, I do have some books I’ve been using as study material. If we follow those, maybe we can deepen our relationship…”

“Oh? What kind of study material?”

“Shoujo manga, lady’s comics, and BL.”

“Alright, that’s enough. It’s no different from practicing magic.”

My sister has a fair amount of shoujo manga, and I’ve read some, but they’re too fantastical to take as reference. Aside from the curse, my other stats are pretty average.

“The only things I can refer to are romantic comedy manga and games… By the way, Tora-senpai, do you think it’s possible in reality to max out the affection gauge just by a chance encounter in the girls’ locker room?”

“That would only shatter the gauge and trust into smithereens.”

“Yeah, I figured. Reality is tough… Oh, is that the bell?”

The sound signaling the end of lunch break prompts me to stand up, holding a small plastic bag filled with trash.

Tora-senpai hadn’t finished eating yet, but without hesitation, she put away her lunch box.

“I’d like to take action towards breaking the curse, but unfortunately, I have plans after school. Are you free on either Saturday or Sunday?”

“I’m free, but what are we doing?”

“Obviously a date. I think it will only deepen our friendship, but spending time together is the best way to close the distance, right?”

“That makes sense. So, let’s meet up on the weekend and head out to town. But I don’t have much money. I can’t afford to treat you or go for expensive meals.”

“That’s not something to say with pride. Well, it doesn’t matter. I have a plan.”

With that, Tora-senpai finished packing up her lunch set, stood up, and collected the small sheet she had spread out, even though we were sitting on a bench, not the ground. That’s something a real ojou-sama would do. To me, she looks like a cat, and to others, she must look like a boy.

…Ah, but,

“By the way, Senpai, is your curse really ineffective on me? Is it really not working except for your face and voice?”

“Hmm, why do you ask? Is there something unnatural?”

“Well, you know, it’s like there’s something that should be there but isn’t, or it looks flat because of the curse—woah!?”

Suddenly, I’m attacked with a lunch bag containing a bento and a water bottle. I dodge in a panic, but Tora-senpai, who has gone on the offensive, bares her teeth and glares at me.

“It’s because I’m flattening it with a kimono bra! If I take it off… there’s a little bit, okay!?”

“Uh, sorry about that…”

“Don’t apologize so seriously! It just makes me feel more miserable!”

“Ouch!? I think resorting to violence is a bit much!?”

“I wish you’d be grateful that’s all you got!”

I lower my head only to be smacked hard with an open hand. I protest, but Tora-senpai, her face red with anger, huffs and storms off toward the exit.

Watching her retreating figure, I rub the back of my head where I was hit. I overreacted because it only hurt a bit. She really is a girl, I realize again.

“It must be tough for her, trying to fit in with the boys…”

I got carried away thinking about the glimmer of hope for myself, but maybe I should prioritize breaking Tora-senpai’s curse. Though whether I fall for her or she falls for me, I have no clue how to do that.

With the daunting task of breaking the curse ahead, I return to the classroom, keenly aware of life’s harshness.

Just a few minutes before class starts. When I return from the courtyard where I had lunch to the classroom, it’s not a snow country… but there are no other classmates in sight.

I pass three animals on my way out of the classroom, thinking maybe they forgot something and were going to borrow it from an acquaintance in the next class, leaving the place empty.

…Well, not exactly empty. There’s one girl sitting at the desk to my right.

“Hey Gossan, why is nobody here?”

“Wha…!?”

As I approach and ask, Gossan turns around in a fluster.

——While holding a peeled banana in one hand and chewing.

“Huhh…!?”

“…You’re overreacting. That’s rude.”

“…Yeah, sorry…”

I manage to apologize to the displeased Gossan, but my heart is racing.

——Because it’s a gorilla eating a banana, you know? It’s a rare treasure you hardly see even in a zoo.

While awkwardly eating the banana, Gossan doesn’t look at me. I clear my throat with a ‘ahem’, and ask,

“Having a late dessert, Gossan? But where did everyone else go?”

“…Mmm… There was a sudden announcement about a change of classroom, so everyone went to the audio-visual room. I wanted to finish this, so…”

“You could’ve had it as a snack before club activities.”

“…I still have two left. I didn’t have time for breakfast today, so I brought what my mother gave me, which turned out to be a whole bunch of bananas…”

“Still, you were eating it on the last minute, huh?”

“…I didn’t want to be seen eating in front of others. I’ve been teased about it before.”

I see, with a name like Gossan, she must have some bad memories associated with gorilla teasing. I almost stepped into a minefield…