I'm in Love with the Gorilla Sitting Next to Me - Volume 1 Chapter 4.7

The Cursed Cat Senpai 7

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

While talking, Gossan stands up with her textbook, so I quickly take out my own textbook from my desk and get ready.

“Then, Gossan, let’s race to the audio-visual room! Loser buys juice.”

“That’s fine, but… Saiki-kun, you’re only carrying your textbook? What about your writing utensils?”

“Huh? …Ah, I forgot.”

Realizing my oversight after being told, I hastily peek inside my desk and pull out my pencil case I’ve been using since middle school. I turn around triumphantly and say,

“Alright, I made you wait, Gossan… huh?”

Gossan, who had just been right beside me, was nowhere to be seen.

Thinking she might have left, I bump into nearby desks as I rush to the entrance and step into the hallway, only to see the back of sailor Gorilla’s head disappearing in the distance.

“Hey, wait up!? Are you kidding me?”

I dash after her, but the distance doesn’t seem to close at all by the time I reach the audio-visual room in the neighboring building. In the end, I arrive just in time to see the heavy door close before I get there.

“Damn… I might have lost even if it was a fair start…”

Feeling defeated, I take off my indoor shoes and enter the audio-visual room. The bell rings just in time, and all my classmates are there except for the Sensei. I quickly blend in with them, sitting in the same order as our classroom seats.

Gossan, sitting to my right, pretends nothing happened, facing forward. I need to confront her about what just happened before Sensei arrives.

“…Gossan, wasn’t that a bit much? Is that really fair? Where’s your sportsmanship?”

“…The one who started the competition was Saiki-kun, and considering the difference between men and women, it’s a fair handicap.”

“…Even a gold medalist couldn’t catch up to that… damn it, I didn’t think Gossan would play so dirty to win…”

“…A win is a win, and I’ll gladly take the juice. Come on, if you keep sulking, class will start and you’ll get scolded by Sensei, you know?”

Without looking at me from start to finish, she said it matter-of-factly, and I, like a sore loser, hung my head and muttered,

“Next time… I’ll win for sure!”

While I was brooding over this, the popular Yano-sensei, who promised ‘no homework or extended class hours’, entered the room, so I quietly took my seat again.

Soon after Yano-sensei’s brief explanation, the classroom lights dimmed, and a short film under the guise of educational footage began… but secretly, I found my gaze drifting towards Gossan several times.

Even in the dark, her gorilla-like robustness was unmistakable, and while she had a dignified air, there was no hint of cuteness. She seemed strong and intimidating, and I couldn’t imagine, let alone want, to be in a romantic or affectionate relationship with her.

…Yet, there was no denying that I felt strangely exhilarated by our earlier exchange.

It’s the kind of thing guys do with each other, like playful banter among friends. It would be odd to link it to romantic feelings.

But… maybe it’s just my own vanity, but I think Gossan wouldn’t have bothered do that kind of thing with any other guy. She’s more of a loner, rarely mingling even with other girls.

And here I am, seemingly delighted by the wishful fantasy that ‘Gossan is spending time with me because it’s me’. My heart is racing. Sure, some of it might be from the running, but still.

I really do think Gossan is special. I’d hate it if she did the same things with another guy. It’s a feeling I rarely experience with friends. Maybe it’s possessiveness.

Which leads to a few problems if I do like Gossan…

First, I can’t imagine wanting to kiss her. Maybe that’s okay if I like her, so I can put that aside for now.

Next, there’s the issue with Tora-senpai. If I have feelings for Gossan, would it be possible for me to like Tora-senpai too? In games and manga, you can go with ‘I like both!’ and then choose a route, but that’s a 2D world’s story…

And the biggest problem is—I don’t have the confidence that Gossan would ever like me back.

Being too persistent would just annoy her. She’s not the type to meet up on a weekend for no reason. Gifts… I have a feeling she’d find that creepy.

At best, I’m in the position of ‘classmate she talks to somewhat’, but moving beyond that is an incredibly tough challenge. Gossan is like a character in a game that would definitely fail to capture if even a single flag management mistake is made.

Sigh, it’s a difficult road ahead… But that Gossan earlier… with a banana, no less…

Precious gorilla banana time… ack…

Oh no, I can barely hold back the laughter. Maybe because it’s dark, the shocking scene from earlier comes back vividly. The classroom setting makes it all the more surreal, and if the background were a jungle instead… no, that’s even worse, the combination of wildness, sailor uniforms, and bananas is just too much…!

I can’t help it, I’m trying to suppress my laughter, but I’m nearing my limit. I can feel my shoulders shaking.

The only saving grace is that it’s too dark to be noticed, so I just need to compose myself before the short film ends… Huh?

Suddenly, something touches my arm from the side, and when I look, Gossan is passing me a small folded piece of paper, all the while keeping her gaze fixed on the screen in front, pinching the folded paper with her fingers and lightly poking my right arm with it.

Passing notes like this seems like an old-fashioned act that goes against the digital age, but it feels like the gorilla is silently telling me to ‘read it’, so I open it, relying on the light from the screen.

I wouldn’t get carried away thinking it’s a love confession, but I have to admit, this kind of thing is exciting and makes my heart beat faster.

As I look at it with anticipation, the small note-sized paper has a message written in tiny letters, 『It’s creepy how you’re grinning to yourself…』

“…”

I see…

Yeah, that’s a message hits hard. There goes any fun I was having.

So Gossan saw me… how embarrassing! And seriously, I am creepy…!

Just when I was thinking about how to raise my favorability, I managed to completely tank it.

Sigh… it’s over… or maybe it was over from the start…?

Dejected, I wished for a save and load feature, but of course, that’s obviously not going to happen.

As I sulked through the end of the movie, the lights came on and the teacher mistook my downturned head for sleeping, adding insult to injury.

I felt like I needed an exorcism, unrelated to any curse.