I'm in Love with the Gorilla Sitting Next to Me - Volume 1 Chapter 6.15

Secrets are meant to be revealed 15

However, the important question still hadn’t been asked.

“In the end, what were you testing me for? Was it correct to realize you were the girl from that festival day?”

“No. You thought hard about it, sought hints, and in the end, you fell for the dummy I had set up just in case, so I decided to believe in the curse.”

“That’s kind of you, but… is it obvious at first glance?”

What was so different? To me, she always looked like the usual gorilla.

Gossan, seeing that I still didn’t understand, spun around in place,

“My hair is often tied back during club activities or physical education. Almost every time.”

“Huh…? Tied up…?”

I almost let it slide, but there was clearly something odd.

After all, Gossan’s hair was definitely in the short category… Wait, now that I think about it, I seem to remember hearing that it used to be long…?

“Until yesterday, it was long. Not quite to my waist, but close to it.”

“…What?”

“That reaction is quite a sight. It was worth the effort.”

Gossan’s lips curved up slightly. But this wasn’t some light-hearted ‘prank successful’ kind of situation.

“Y-you cut it!? Just to confirm that I can’t tell hairstyles apart because of the curse!?”

“That’s right. But I had been planning to cut it soon anyway. It was annoying when it got hot and too bothersome to dry.”

“But still… seriously…?”

“It’s not something to be so shocked about.”

“Well, I like straight black long hair too, so I wanted to see it…”

“…So the curse isn’t to blame for you being a bit weird, huh.”

That was a harsh thing to say, but I was genuinely half disappointed and half sorry about it.

Gossan, turning her gaze away from my shock, touched the freshly cut ends of her hair and said,

“I cut it last night, but it turned out worse than I expected when I did it myself, so I had no choice but to go to the hair salon before coming to school.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’re here at this time…”

“I could have come a bit earlier, but I timed it so that no one else would mention my haircut, arriving just at the last minute.”

“I see… That explains why everyone reacted that way…”

Of course, if a classmate who was late showed up with their long hair suddenly cut short, even those not so close would feel compelled to ask. Yassan might hesitate whether it’s okay to ask or not, though.

Thanks to Gossan’s explanation, various mysteries were solved. However, there was still one crucial question left.

The curse being lifted meant, in other words——

“Gossan, does that mean you like me?”

I decided to ask directly, and Gossan’s brow furrowed.

She didn’t look like a gorilla, but the atmosphere was the same as when she was quietly angry. She was a beautiful woman with a stern look, which was indeed intimidating.

“——No. Don’t misunderstand.”

“But the curse was lifted, so…”

“If I had to categorize my feelings between like and dislike, I would say you fall into the category of someone I like, but that’s it. Please don’t get carried away. I will hit you.”

“But you kissed me, so——”

“That was more like a thank you for calling me your first love. Please don’t take it too seriously. I will hit you.”

“Even so, you went to see the fireworks with me yesterday, so it’s natural to think there’s a chance, right?”

“I will stop your breathing.”

Yeah, scary. That was a serious look. If I argue back, she’ll make sure I understand with my body.

But there’s one more thing. Seeing Gossan’s face grow increasingly stern, I realized something.

It seemed like anger, but probably, it was mixed with shyness. She was seriously pissed off, but Gossan has a habit of hiding her cute side.

That part of her hasn’t changed since the time she looked like a gorilla.

The girl I met at the festival was the same. When I pointed out she looked happy, she got angry, ate my share of takoyaki, but then shared her candy apple with me. When I thanked her, she pretended not to hear.

“——Thanks, Gossan.”

“What is it all of a sudden? Acting meek won’t save you from punishment, you know?”

“It’s not like that, I’m genuinely grateful. I’m so happy now that I feel like I might cry.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s good. I’m glad my efforts were worth it.”

Watching Gossan place her hand on her chest and relax her shoulders, I felt a surge of emotions different from just relief.

—At that time, the words slipped out without intention. So I hadn’t yet conveyed my feelings deliberately.

“Gossan. I really do like you.”

“What are you saying all of a sudden? Because you found out I’m your first love? Or because I look a little better than you expected?”

Gossan frowned warily at my words. However, unusually, her guess was way off.

“No, that’s not it. I wasn’t hung up on my first love, and I tried not to imagine what your real face might look like because it felt pointless. Honestly, I figured most girls would be cuter or more beautiful than a gorilla.”

“Well, that’s true, but it’s still irritating to hear.”

“That’s why, even though it’s been a while since I’ve seen a non-2D girl face and you seem incredibly beautiful, but that aside, I like you, Gossan, for who you really are inside. Like your kindness, like what I’ve seen this time.”

“I’m not a particularly kind person, though.”

Gossan responded, her tone more defensive and angry than before, to which I chuckled and disagreed.

“You are kind. You always engage with my pointless stories, lend me things when I forget mine, and you even erase the blackboard when the duty person forgets to, without saying a word. You often hit me when I get carried away, but you usually warn me first.”

“Using that as a measure of kindness is questionable. I end up hitting you, after all.”

“I guess so. But I’ve never seen you do that with others. You didn’t hit me when I first called you ‘gorilla.’ It’s much better than holding a grudge that you continuously hated me. I guess I like strong-willed girls?”

“I don’t know about that.”

“So, I already kind of liked you, but this time it really hit me. You would go to such lengths to break the curse for me.”

Gossan said she was ‘planning to cut it anyway’, but even if that wasn’t a lie, she wouldn’t have done it so suddenly if it weren’t for me.

And about the kiss,

“If you didn’t like me, you’d normally hate to kiss, right? But you tried to do something about a half-believed curse. That’s nothing but kindness. Gossan, you may seem aloof, so it’s hard to see.”

“That doesn’t sound much like a compliment.”

“Really? But it made me realize I didn’t make a mistake falling for you. To fall for the same person twice without realizing it, that’s something, isn’t it?”

I thought I had no chance at love anymore because the curse made me see the opposite sex as animals and I couldn’t get seriously into 2D characters.

But the person who had stolen my heart was someone wonderful, someone who transcended even the strong impression of a gorilla.