I'm in Love with the Gorilla Sitting Next to Me - Volume 1 Chapter 5.7

Events are the best way to deepen friendships 7

“So, how about Tora-senpai dresses up more like a girl for our next date?”

“Wha-!? That’s impossible. What would people say if they saw me…!”

As Senpai flustered with sauce on the corner of her mouth, I calmed her down with a ‘there, there’ gesture and said,

“Why not just go to a distant town where it’s okay to be seen? There’s no damage if strangers who you’ll never see again spot you.”

“Ugh… That’s true, but… embarrassing things is embarrassing!”

“Well, that might be true, but maybe you’d feel more excited if you dressed more like a girl, Tora-senpai? At least I think it would feel more like a date.”

“…I’ll think about it.”

Tora-senpai, nibbling on her burger, seemed reluctant, but she seriously considered the necessity and accepted it for further review. That was appreciated.

“Alright, let’s try various things. By the way, what’s the plan from here?”

“Mmm… I was thinking of going to karaoke or an internet cafe to close the gap.”

“Karaoke seems crowded, I get that, but why an internet cafe?”

“Apparently, using a flat-seat private room as a couple for a date is quite popular. Even just reading manga in close proximity without talking is said to bring people closer.”

“…I see.”

That just sounds like couples use it to flirt. They’re probably engaging in the kind of communication that’s prohibited in the internet cafe.

Of course, I can’t imagine Tora-senpai planning such a development. After all, she was embarrassed just holding hands in the cinema.

Personally, I’m attracted to the idea of unlimited manga reading time, but it’s unlikely to make my heart flutter. So, karaoke?

“I’m just an average singer, nothing to brag about. Will that make your heart race?”

“I wonder. I’ve never been to karaoke with people my own age. I’ve been to solo karaoke a few times, but I don’t have friends to invite, and I’ve turned down invitations…”

“Hmm… Well, as long as it deepens our friendship, that’s fine. Oh, and I don’t know any love songs. I mostly listen to anime songs these days.”

“I’m the opposite, my repertoire is mostly love songs and idol music… but let’s talk about that later. For now, let’s eat and then go make a reservation.”

“Roger that. Let’s clean up the rest.”

Though I had mostly finished eating while talking, I helped Tora-senpai finish off the fries she shared with me, and a few minutes later, we left the store.

The karaoke place was on the floor above, so we took the escalator, and as expected on a Saturday, it was fully booked with people waiting, so we just made a reservation and stepped outside.

“Forty minutes, huh? That’s an awkward wait time.”

“Mmm… If it were over an hour, the internet cafe plan would have been viable.”

“There’s also the issue of whether my wallet can handle it. If we had made a reservation before eating, we could have taken our time chatting… but it’s impossible to move that efficiently after that movie.”

It’s no wonder, considering we were caught up in the frustration of an enjoyable yet unsatisfying movie.

And then there’s the worst obstacle: my financial situation. Frankly, I’m down to just change. I have enough for the half-price karaoke but treating is out of the question, and adding food to the menu would be the end of me.

“I could pay for us to go to a cafe outside. I invited you, and I’m older, after all.”

“If we were closer, I’d happily say ‘Thanks for the treat!’ but we’ve just met. Plus, being treated by a girl tends to have a negative impact on events.”

“Mmm? You sometimes say difficult things.”

“Ah, that’s otaku talk. I’m quite into it.”

With no other reference information in my memory, I inevitably rely on that. I never tried hard to be popular before the curse, and I certainly never felt like trying to charm animals.

“Maybe I’ll borrow a romance game from my club senpai next time… Ah, but then again…”

“Are creative works not very helpful?”

“No, it’s not that. More like, the romance games my senpai might have seem likely to be age-restricted. At least, not something I can play when my family is around.”

“…If they’re a senpai, they’re a high school student, right? And yet?”

“Our third-year club president is a returnee who started school a year late to relearn Japanese, so she insists, ‘Eighteen and over is safe!’ Ethically questionable, though.”

That’s why she buys and creates racy doujinshi.

She’s a terrifying club president.

…Yeah, not suitable for date conversation. Let’s switch topics.

Looking for a place to kill time, I checked the directory of the floors and suggested,

“Hey, I should be able to use the tokens I’ve deposited at this arcade. Wanna go?”

“Is that so? I’m not familiar with arcade systems, but can you play with those tokens instead of cash or electronic money?”

“Yeah, you buy the tokens first and use them like currency to play. Here, if you’re a member, you can deposit and withdraw tokens at any location, so it’s practically free to play.”

“Hmm, I see. Are you a gamer?”

“Not exactly, I just got lucky and won a bunch of tokens once. They expire if not used, so I just play casually now and then, and it just slightly increases or decreases.”

Back in middle school, while playing with friends, I hit the jackpot on a coin pusher and got a troublesome amount of seven thousand tokens, which I’ve barely been able to reduce to this day. In fact, it’s slightly increased since then.

“I’ve never been to an arcade… but I play home console games to some extent.”

“I’ve never heard of ‘playing games to some extent’… Isn’t it a rite of passage to play too much, get scolded by your parents, and have your console hidden?”

“Ugh… I’m ashamed to say, but I’m a newbie far from reaching that level. But I do know that if the game you want to play is occupied, you leave money on the machine to wait your turn.”

“Why do you only know such an ancient minor rule? That system has probably been extinct for ages.”

“Is that so? Mmm, I’ve embarrassed myself unnecessarily…”

While having this exchange that highlighted our different upbringings, Tora-senpai and I headed to the basement arcade floor.

As expected, I was able to withdraw the tokens and we killed time playing games. In a short span, the tokens multiplied by more than five times, and after redepositing them, we headed back to the karaoke place.

The staff explained that ‘it’s so busy that extensions might not be possible’, and Tora-senpai, not knowing moderation, said, ‘Then let’s book five hours!’ With the enticing half-price coupon, I didn’t object either.

——And after five hours, a tired tabby cat was slumped over in exhaustion.

“Hey, Tora-senpai, you okay?”

As I called out to Senpai, who was staggering out of the building, she looked up in response. It’s hard to tell because she’s a cat, but she seemed thinner than before the karaoke. However, her eyes were still shining brightly.

“Hey, I’m totally fine. I could even go for another five hours if I wanted to!”

“Your voice is all hoarse. Besides, my wallet’s dead, so no way. My throat’s pretty wrecked too.”

Even though I thought I was somewhat used to karaoke, singing for five hours straight with just the two of us was quite a strain on the throat. I had tried to pace myself, but still.

On the other hand, Tora-senpai, who at first wouldn’t let go of the remote tablet and took over ten minutes just to queue up a song, had become inseparable from it for a different reason as she got used to it. When she reserved seven songs in a row, I had to warn her.

It’s fine if you’re doing Hitokara (Hitori/Solo Karaoke), but if you did the same thing when out with others, you’d definitely get the cold shoulder.

Before I knew it, the five hours had flown by. Tora-senpai, feeling good, wanted to try ordering food and drinks, so she treated me to a ridiculously huge honey toast, leaving my stomach satisfied as well.

The day had turned to evening, and I wasn’t hungry enough for dinner, especially since I didn’t have any money left. Maybe I should’ve done some fundraising at home to break the curse.