I'm in Love with the Gorilla Sitting Next to Me - Volume 1 Chapter 5.4

Events are the best way to deepen friendships 4

Man, I can watch anime just fine, and with tokusatsu, you can watch normally since they wear full-body suits for the important parts, but I guess I’m just left behind with normal movie. If only it were an action movie, it might have been a different kind of fun.

So, unable to focus on the movie, I found myself reaching for popcorn more often than I should, and now it looks like I’m going to run out even though there’s still more than half the movie left.

Even now, as I watch Miss Hippo and the others enter the pool in swimsuits, all I can think is that I’ve seen something similar on the Discovery Channel. And the sight of men getting excited over that is just hellish.

Maybe anime movies are all I can handle right now. As I watch the scene where the camel lady’s swimsuit comes off, which is either meant to be sexy or a nod to wildlife—I don’t know, I reach for the last of my popcorn—before my fingers touch something just before reaching the bottom of the bucket cup.

“…!?”

“…Sorry.”

When I look to the side, Tora-senpai, who was trying to grab some popcorn at the same time, is staring at me with eyes wide and pupils narrowed vertically.

This is like a rom-com situation, I think, as I hear Tora-senpai mutter.

“…I can’t believe it, I was about to get too absorbed and forget why I was here.”

I keep watching, wondering what she means, and Tora-senpai cleans her hands with a wet wipe she had on her tray. Is this because our hands touched?

If that’s the case, it’s kind of hurtful, but it seems that’s not it. After wiping her hands, she places them on the armrest and says,

“…Maybe if we pretend to be lovers, I might get into the spirit of it. So, um… your hand, let’s hold hands…?”

“…Seriously? I mean, I’m fine with it, but…”

I hesitate, hearing the tension in her voice, even if it’s a whisper, but Tora-senpai’s resolve seems firm, and she looks at me with pupils narrowed as much as possible.

Since it’s to break the curse, it’s only natural for me to cooperate… Holding hands, huh? Alright.

After wiping my own hand like Senpai did, I place my hand on top of hers on the armrest—?

Just as our hands are about to touch, like a cat’s paw, hers quickly retracts. It was as swift as a real cat’s.

“…Tora-senpai?”

“…Sorry… I get nervous when it comes down to it…”

I had sensed her nervousness. Although Senpai has been living as a man, she seems to keep her distance from others, so she probably hasn’t experienced much physical contact with other men.

“…Ugh… Holding hands is something even friends do…”

“…Nah, that’s just girls. Guys don’t do that.”

“…Is that so? Even if they’re friends?”

Surprised by her voice, I nod in response. Guys might mess around and put their arms around each other’s shoulders, but they don’t hold hands. A light shove is more likely.

So, even though it’s been a while since I’ve held hands, I don’t feel much resistance because I have a sister and a brother.

Perhaps sensing my composure, Tora-senpai flutters her cat ears in slight annoyance and says,

“…Hmph… then, I’ll just have to do this…!”

“…Oh?”

Before I know what she’s planning, she places her hand on the armrest and covers it with a blanket.

“…Put your hand under the blanket too. Then, if possible, proceed slowly and carefully…!”

“Got it.”

Maybe it’s less nerve-wracking if you can’t see. It’s like cutting off an escape route.

As instructed, I put my hand under the blanket and move it towards the armrest. Since she asked me to be careful, I start by lightly touching from the side.

When my little finger gently touches hers, there’s a slight reaction. But unlike before, she doesn’t move away and stays in place, maintaining the touch.

Our hands are barely touching, just the sides of our little fingers. So, I count to ten in my head to prepare myself, and then I let my hand land a little on top of Tora-senpai’s.

“…”

I can sense her swallowing her breath, but she doesn’t make a sound, and her hand doesn’t flee. It seems like a successful invasion, though I haven’t reached halfway yet.

…But still… this is also making my heart race!

Tora-senpai’s hand, which looks like a cat’s paw to me, is smooth, and naturally, it’s not covered in fur. Her fingers aren’t short like a cat’s, and probably there are no paw pads… of course, there aren’t.

I’m so flustered that I can’t even grasp such simple things… just by touching hands. And we haven’t even held hands yet, just a slight touch…!

And then there’s the blanket. This unexpected booster is at work. The covered hand doesn’t look animal-like, so the faint outline I can see in the darkness is definitely human-shaped, and it doesn’t look like I’m touching an animal.

This subtle visual detail was incredibly important. The feeling that I’m actually touching a girl is surging through me more than I expected.

…And even without all that.

In a movie theater, touching hands with the girl next to me under a blanket——isn’t that erotic? It’s like tangling legs under a kotatsu.

If this were a rom-com I know, it would definitely lead to a kiss scene.

But a kiss… wait, if we’re going to do it anyway to break the curse, it’s not wrong to do it if the mood is right…?

Coincidentally, on the screen, the protagonist-like guy and the heroine-like hippo are staring at each other in a moonlit forest, close enough that their lips can touch with a slight movement.

I should have been unable to empathize since one of them is a hippo, but I can totally relate to the guy’s feeling of not knowing what to do next. I really want a choice of what’s the right thing to do.

While I’m debating whether to step on the accelerator or switch to the brakes,

“…!”

“…!?”

My little finger, which was resting on Tora-senpai’s hand, is weakly but firmly grasped.

Tora-senpai’s hand, which had felt rather cold, now feels almost hot on the palm.

What does this mean? Is it a signal, or is she just acting the part without any other intention? Or is she getting used to it and signaling for me to come on stronger?

I can’t tell and I don’t understand… but my heart is racing…!

An intense tension is suddenly upon me. The real warmth and softness of the hand holding my finger paralyze my brain and send my heart into a frenzy.

Seriously, just being held by the little finger? If this is so stimulating, what would happen if I did couple-like things with someone… would I get a nosebleed and faint…?