Vol 1 Chapter 10: Sherry Goes On The Offense!

Sherry

Urgh, stupid Hugo! Why must he be so whiny? Too hard, he says! Well, if you’re going to scrub something, you have to press the rug hard onto it!

Tch, he should just shut up and let me do it! It’ll end faster that way!

Grr, why am I doing this anyways? To be washing a boy’s back like this, a-and a naked one at that! Ooh, what would Nicole think?

Such thoughts swam inside my head as I worked on Hugo’s back. Since he complained that I was rubbing it too hard, I tried to tone down my strength, moving the cloth slower and pressing it less hard.

For a boy, his back and shoulder are surprisingly pretty firm… Must be from the training he got from Sir Al—I-I mean, F-Father…

Before I realized it, I was ogling him once again, as when he lifted himself off the bath, I obtained an eyeful of his behind. O-of course, I quickly looked away, and even now, I tried not to look downwards. I-I was not a pervert after all. The realization that staring at a boy’s naked back was also a perverted thing didn’t dawn on me until I was nearly finished, and it made me scrub the rest of his body as fast as I could, earning another complaint from him.

“S-shut up! I-I’m almost finished here! Don’t be a big baby!”

Grrr. Yet again, instead of giving him the respect he deserved, I was scolding him, just to mask my own embarrassment. I still remembered Mother’s words, about how I should treat him kindly, just like Marina. Technically, I too was his big sister after all.

B-but it’s not fair! Marina already knows him for her entire life! I bet she could wash his back without a single blush manifesting on her cheeks! She might even be able to do the front as well!

I couldn’t help but feel jealous of her. She knew Hugo so well. And they had their magic training together from the morning until the evening.

I knew that she would have to return back to her boarding school once summer was over, but still, looking at them, I could see that they shared a closeness that I could not pierce through. 

Ah, that’s right! Once she’s gone, Hugo would have to return back to his sword training! That means we could train together for the other 9 months! Watch out, Marina! I’m coming for your No.1 sister spot!

...Oh, who was I kidding? I knew I could never replace her. Even if I could have more time with Hugo than her, I would never have the courage nor the temper to be really close with him! I would be too shy, and I would push him away!

“O-ouch, h-hey, d-don’t you think that’s enough already? My skin is already dry, you know!”

O-oh right, I had been rubbing his back on the same spot all this time.

“I-it’s done, Y-Young Master. L-let me rinse you afterwards.”

I turned around to grab the bucket again—

Only to slip forward, pushing both Hugo and myself straight into the bath.

I didn't know how it had happened. Perhaps some soap had spilled over, causing the ceramic floor to turn slippery. Perhaps it was me, not used to the fancy shoes I was wearing. Or perhaps it was just Fate, playing a prank on us. Well, the latter seemed to be most likely, as what happened afterwards could only come from the most unfortunate of coincidences.

As my face went underwater, I saw it. What lied in the middle of a boy's legs. The "spear of manhood", as that lurid book described. When I surfaced, I was completely red in the face. And horrified by what I just saw. 

It wasn’t the first that I saw, as the little boys in the orphanage, around one to two years old, would sometimes wander around completely naked, as the nuns missed them. However, this was completely different. It belonged to Hugo, a boy that I had seen as a friend, and a boy whose mother had told me to marry when we were older. 

And I saw it all in its full-sized glory, ready to pounce, just like that book described.

How could I not be embarrassed from such a sight?

Hugo soon surfaced as well, coughing up some water that had entered his throat.

And then, his eyes stared right towards my chest.

“Kyaahhh!”

I immediately covered myself with my arms. If my face could have gone any redder, it certainly would have.

The white part of my outfit—it had gone completely transparent, exposing my chest to his staring eyes.

At that time, I was completely flat, of course. However, I was old enough to have the same embarrassment as older, more well-endowed girls when their white shirts turned translucent, revealing whatever bras they wore underneath. In fact, it might be a little bit worse, as I didn’t wear any bras after all.

I couldn’t say anything. I could only feel my embarrassment reaching the tipping point, thanks to that and what just occurred under the water.

“P-pervert!”

I slapped him as hard as I could, before running away from the bath, leaving a trail of water and tears behind.

And so, what was supposed to be me giving my gratitude to him, ended up in a complete disaster. My temper had won over me once again. I didn’t even dare to look back, to see how much damage I had dealt to my benefactor by my full-powered slap. I immediately went to my room and locked myself there, like the coward I was.

And then, I cried.

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“Oh no…”

I could only watch as Sherry left the bathroom like a hurricane, after giving me a good slap in the face.

Well, it was my fault. I did stare at her naked chest after all. I simply could not resist. Did you know how erotic it was to see a white fabric turn see-through like that on a girl? Even if that girl was an eight year old who was as flat as a board.

To my confusion however, the slap she just did—it barely hurt my cheeks. I thought she was supposed to have super strength. Where did that go?

I shuddered when I imagined what could have happened if she did hit me with her full strength though. My head could end up dislodged from my neck, I felt.

Mom, this is all your fault. That transparent fabric… you must have planned it from the start, haven't you? Just so she can get all embarrassed in front of me?

Thanks Mom, I-I mean, ahem, that's terrible, Mom! Poor Sherry must be crying right now!

I stood up, drying myself with a towel before I dressed myself up. I resolved myself. I had to go pay her a visit ASAP. If I knew her, she’s most likely back in her room right now.

Yeah, my old self would certainly have run away from this situation. I would just think, "Hey, it's her own fault she tripped! And she even took me down with her! And she dared getting angry with me?!" Perhaps I was right. It was her fault after all. As long as I was in the "right", I wouldn't care about anything else.

But now, I realized that way of thinking was wrong. It didn't matter who was in the "right". If you got into a fight with someone, you had to reach out to heal that gap. Swallow your foolish pride, if you truly wanted to be friends again.

And that was exactly what I was going to do now.

I climbed upstairs. Her room was right beside Father and Mother’s. Naturally, I found the door to be closed. “Sherry?” I knocked on the door. “Umm, s-sorry about that… I-I really shouldn’t have stared…” No response. Instead, I just heard muffled sobbing from behind the door. Oh God, I now felt even guiltier. What a garbage human being I was, making a little girl cry like this. “L-look Sherry, it’s my fault, alright? It’s completely my fault. You might think of me as this completely good kid, but that isn't true in the slightest. I am a pervert, through and through. I would have a peek at Big Sis' cleavage every time she bent over in front of me. And Mother's bouncing, swaying breasts fascinated me to no end. So when I got to see your naked chest, I couldn’t keep my eyes away! You were so cute that I would hate myself if I didn’t get to see it! So please, f-forgive me!” I bowed as deeply as I could to the door, even though I knew she couldn’t really see me doing it.

Silence. No response. But at the very least, it seemed the sobbing had stopped.

"You—you think I’m cute?”

...Eh? W-w-what's with her question all of a sudden?

“W-well, I think… I think y-yes, I think you are, Sherry! Very cute in fact! The cutest girl that I’ve ever met!”

I could not help but blush as I said such cheesy, cheesy words. I was about to chicken out on answering, saying noncommittal stuff like, "Well, you look nice…". But I remembered what Father had said the other day. 

"Hugo, if you like something about a girl, make sure to tell her that, alright? You want girls to like you when you're older, right? So always be honest with them, and tell them what you like about them, even if you find it terribly embarrassing to say," he said out of the blue after he finished Sherry's training, Damn, Dad. Since when you were such a romantic? 

"So that means you always praise Mother's boobs, don't you?" I smirked. Sorry Dad, but I just couldn't help myself.

"You cheeky little runt." He ruffled my hair with a grin. "Of course I do. Every single night in fact. God, there is nothing softer in this world than those two mountains of hers!"

Well, that's it. Father was a true pervert. Just like me. And that actually gave me a little relief, knowing that even a pervert like him could get such a beautiful wife.

My thoughts returned to Sherry and me having told her how cute she was. I wasn't lying. She was indeed cute. Compared to the other village girls I saw, which definitely had some cuties amongst them, despite their freckles, she stood above them all. It was the combination of her long black hair, her spirited nature, and the fact that she could beat the hell up that bully when we first met.

Well, she still couldn't compare to the busty onee-sans I saw at the village. I wouldn't call them cute though, so they didn't count. They were the  beautiful type, just like Mother, and just like Marina. So, technically, I was not lying in the slightest.

I was sure Sherry would grow up to be a beauty though. A distant, raven-haired elegant type. Wait, she couldn't be elegant, could she? Still being a tomboy at that age would just ruin the image! She's not a redhead that could get away with it!

...No, I couldn't tell her what to do with her life. That wouldn't be fair to her. Even if Mother seemed hell-bent on making her be my wife, for some reason, if she decided not to, and, let’s say, went away to travel the world as an adventurer instead, and then fall in love with some jackass mage that she partnered with, it would be her choice.

I should tell that to Mother. To stop her being so pushy with her.

I waited for a while for her answer. Did I offend her, by praising her like that? Maybe she didn’t like being called cute? I certainly knew a couple of tomboy characters in the stories I had read that would kick the protag’s ass if they called them cute.

"Y-you're not… you're not just teasing, are you?" Finally, she answered!

"No, not at all!" I quickly returned. "I'm serious! 100%!"

Another pause. And then, she asked something that made my heart skip a beat.

"D-does that mean… does that mean that you like me?"

There it was—the scenario I was all too familiar with, the blushing girl asking a boy whether or not he liked her. It was basically a confession. No question about it.

I was asked the same thing in my old life by one of my elementary school classmates. Well, similar enough, at the very least. She asked me whether I already had a girlfriend or not. And I, like the absolute dumbass that I was, lied straight to her face. I told her that I already had a girlfriend, just so I could escape the embarrassment.

And that was the worst lie that I could’ve concocted. I could’ve said that she was in another school. But no, my mind panicked. I didn’t realize the implication of what I just said to her, as it led to a “civil war” between my admirers, as they accused each other of being my secret girlfriend. It got so bad that it led to an actual catfight in recess. Both girls got detention as a result.

Eventually however, they realized that they had been duped. None of them were really my girlfriend. And that I had lied to them.

And that was when I started garnering scorn from the opposite sex.

This time would be different. This time, I would choose my words as carefully as I could.

Think Hugo. Think on what you really want from Sherry. Do you just want her as a friend? Or something more?

I know that you’re just a six year old kid. You’re not supposed to make decisions like this yet. And she’s still eight as well. Childhood friend promising to marry in the future… that only happens in harem stories, not in reality. She would most likely grow bored of you as she gets old, and then she will leave you.

So how should you answer her? Should you tell her that you indeed like her, humoring her for a few years until she tires of you? Or should you reject her now, making her suffer a heartache that would surely put a distance between you two?

...I knew my answer now.

"Yes, I do like you, Sherry! Ever since I met you, I was attracted to you! That's why I always try to visit you everytime I went to the village!"

There. I said it. Now, to wait for her reaction.

To my surprise, the door opened. There, her head peeked out, all red and flustered. She was now wearing her nightgown, just a simple one-piece white dress.

"T-then prove it. Prove it by sleeping with me tonight."

I froze. D-did I just hear that right?

"T-that's what boys and girls do when they like each other, r-right? M-my friend Nicole told me so, back at the orphanage. A-and she wouldn't lie!"

T-this Nicole person, surely she was just talking about actually sleeping together right, not actually doing that?

As I stood there, unable to respond, a frown slowly grew in her embarrassed face. I immediately knew that if I didn't immediately accept her demand, then she would slam the door in my face and call me a liar.

I had no choice. I had to accept.

"S-sure, we can do that!" I flashed her my nervous smile.

"G-good. Then get in."

T-to think that this would be how I was invited to be in a girl's room for the first time—by an 8-year old girl of all people. I couldn't help but feel I was committing a crime by doing this.

The room was decently large, similar as mine. And the bed was thankfully large enough so that we could sleep on opposing sides without having to look or touch each other.

"I-I'll take the right. You take the left." She told me. She couldn't even look me in the eye as she ordered me around.

I sat down on the bed, taking my shoes and socks off. I supposed for tonight, I wouldn’t sleep in my pajamas. I waited until she tucked herself in before doing the same.

“S-so… now what?”

“W-wait, why are you asking me? I-I don’t know!” That was a lie of course. I knew exactly what we could do next if we were really supposed to act as lovers, from simple hugging, to kissing, to doing that, which would be an absolute no-no! No sirree! I might find my anime lolis cute, but I would never go that far to actual children in real life! Even though I was technically younger than her!

"W-what? I-I thought you're all smart and stuff… Your mother always bragged about how smart you are, you know!"

"T-this is the first time I slept with a girl like this, you know!"

"Liar! Your mother told me you used to sleep with Marina! And even now, you still sometimes slept with her, like when she returned home from her school? What did you two do there?"

W-wait, Mom knew about that? Did Marina get caught?

"W-well, we… just hugged, that's all." Crap, I shouldn't have said that! I should just say that we slept peacefully on our sides of the bed and that's that!

"Alright. Hug me then." She turned to face me, still the same redness and poutiness from before.

I had no choice. I brought myself closer and wrapped my arms around her lithe, small body.

"I-is this it?"

"Y-yeah, this is it. This is all we did."

I then felt it. Her arms going around my body and hugging me tightly. She also buried her face in my chest.

"T-then?"

"Then we sleep. That's it."

We stayed like that for a while, frozen and unmoving. Both of us were too nervous to do anything else.

G-god, this is so awkward…

Eventually however, we fell asleep, with her doing it first. I was going to release myself from her hug, but her strength prevented me from doing so. In fact, the more I struggled, the more she tightened her grip on me, to the point that it was starting to hurt.

And so I surrendered. I let myself fall asleep in her embrace, after I played a little with her smooth and silky black hair. Because why the hell not? Might as well do it while I could. It wasn’t like she was going to sleep with me like this again. In fact, I bet that in the morning, she would throw me to the floor once she woke up. Urgh, that would be painful.

With those thoughts, I drifted off to sleep, carried away by her surprisingly nice scent. Different than Marina’s, but just as pleasant, only in a different way.

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A/N:

Ha, the more I write about Hugo’s past, the more I realize I can title his old life, “The Downfall of an Ikemen”. Only as a kid though.

Maybe I should put that on the synopsis. I feel it’s pretty bland right now. I want to put spoilery stuff, but they would be spoilers.

Also might write about Hugo's old family's reaction to his death when the "first book" is over. And that's basically when his adventuring starts.