I'm in Love with the Gorilla Sitting Next to Me - Volume 1 Chapter 6.4

Secrets are meant to be revealed 4

However, with zero information about the other person’s face, there’s a big problem because it turns into pure imagination.

If it were someone I’ve known for a long time, I could barely remember their face before the curse was triggered, so I could somehow imagine the actual person, but with Tora-senpai…

“Hmm… aren’t there any manga or anime characters that resemble Tora-senpai? Something I could use as a reference.”

“I don’t watch much of that kind of stuff, so it’s difficult… I do know a model who somewhat resembles me if you’re looking for a celebrity.”

“Ah, that’s something I totally don’t get. Searching only makes me see animals, so it’s pointless.”

“Then just go with an image you like. By the way, I was quite cute, you know? Before the curse, I was popular with the boys and got confessed to many times.”

“Really? But why suddenly bragging?”

“It’s to raise your expectations! I wouldn’t be so shameless as to praise myself like this out of the blue.”

Tora-senpai bares her teeth and growls in anger, and I put my hands together, bow my head, and apologize. I never imagined that was her intention.

I’ve embarrassed Senpai who was trying to be considerate, but more importantly,

“I get the kiss and skyrocket the affection plan. But if it doesn’t work, it’ll just end up being a kiss between us. Are you okay with that, Senpai?”

“It’s too late for that. I’ve been trying all sorts of things to break the curse. I even did harsh waterfall training. I performed Goma rituals. The worst was kissing my father, but I endured that too…!”

“Isn’t that theory flawed if you had to endure it?”

“The love my father has for his daughter is real, so if it could be broken by a kiss with love from the opposite sex, there was a possibility… Conversely, that failure narrowed down the conditions for breaking the curse to three patterns: ‘a kiss with mutual romantic feelings from the opposite sex,’ ‘a kiss with someone I love,’ or ‘a kiss with someone who loves me’… The cost was very high, though.”

Whether it was more damaging to Tora-senpai or to a father who was rejected and failed, it was tough either way.

“So, Senpai, you were ready for this long ago…?”

“Of course. But it would be meaningless if you weren’t enthusiastic about it, and I thought it was too hasty to use my last resort.”

“So it’s been pushed forward because of me… Sorry, Senpai.”

“Don’t worry about it. You and I are in this together. Even if only one of us succeeds in breaking the curse, we’ll cooperate until the end.”

“That’s a given… Ah, but if my curse is lifted, I’ll start seeing Senpai as a man instead of a cat, right? Can I still be of help then?”

“Yes. If that happens, you just have to awaken to homosexuality, and it’ll be fine.”

“…I see.”

Many issues came to mind, but indeed, that would be no problem for Tora-senpai.

As she’s been working so hard to find a solution and considering my circumstances, I want to respond to her spirit. I don’t know how to awaken to homosexuality, but…

“Also, the effect of my curse only works on people’s perception, so we could just wait for our feelings to grow through messaging instead of meeting directly.”

“That makes sense… But wouldn’t it be faster to just start a romance from scratch on the net?”

“What do you think are the odds of it all falling apart when you finally meet me?”

“…Ah…”

Either way, it’s difficult without explaining the curse. Or maybe I should look for a homosexual on the net and fall in love. The latter seems more hopeful.

Well, yeah, I get it. The other issue that might arise is on my end.

“The highest chance of breaking the curse is with ‘a kiss with mutual romantic feelings from the opposite sex,’ right? I don’t think I’ll fall for Senpai right after kissing, but how long are we going to try this as a span?”

“It’s decided. At least until one of our curses is broken, yes?”

“Wow, it’s a long-term battle.”

“It should shorten the process more than just talking and hanging out, and it should increase the chances of falling in love. But just so you know, I’m ready to try it as many times as necessary.”

“Ah? Are we going to kiss that often?”

“Once you’ve done it once, doing it twice or three times doesn’t change anything. It’s more frustrating and meaningless if you don’t see results after the first time.”

“Well, yeah, that’s true.”

But Tora-senpai is still probably trying to psych herself up. She’s emitting more of a tense rather than spirited atmosphere than usual.

Since I see Tora-senpai as a cat, I don’t have much resistance… but that’s not good. Like that time at the movie theater where we dated, I had to approach it with a strong consciousness of the opposite sex.

Cute type, cute type of girl… a girl of average height with a slightly strange speech pattern and no immunity to erotic stuff, a girl cross-dressing as a male character… Yeah, I’m starting to get an image.

“If there was a caricature, it would be easier to imagine, but what’s your drawing ability like, Senpai?”

“You’re better off not asking. You might end up not recognizing it as human.”

“That bad, huh… But okay, maybe this can work.”

“Then let’s do it right away. And with a new mindset, let’s tackle our after-school pseudo-date…!”

Tora-senpai, with a swing of her shoulders full of determination, seems a bit wild-eyed. It doesn’t feel like the atmosphere for a kiss at all.

But… maybe this is a way to hide embarrassment or perhaps it’s too awkward unless she goes on a bit of a rampage. That makes sense. A kiss is an incredibly significant act for a girl. In other countries, it’s part of the greeting culture, but even there, it’s the cheek, not the lips.