CH 110

–A girl’s room smells good.

I’m sure men have heard this before.

Everything smells like that because of pheromones that attract the opposite gender…

To be honest, I thought such stories were urban legends.

They say that the smell of a house is different from person to person, but that it would only be the smell of the home, the smell of the building.

Well, it is true that when Rin is nearby, a sweet smell would tickle my nostrils and I would be tormented by an unsettling thought…

I thought it was because Rin was nearby and that I wouldn’t be bothered by it any more.

But I was wrong.

The first time I stepped into a girl’s room, it created more tension than I had ever felt before, and it was also filled with the sweet smell of Rin’s fragrance.

If I stay too long, I’ll die from this.

Mainly my rationality…

“Um, Towa-kun, are you perhaps nervous?”

“That’s … because I’ve never been in a girl’s room before.”

“Hmmm…. Then it’s your first time.”

“Don’t say that in front of your parents, okay? You’ll get me killed…”

She doesn’t seem to realize the danger of her statement, just smiling and looking relaxed.

…As defenseless as ever.

I sighed and shrugged.

“Gotcha.”

Hm?

I thought I heard some disturbing sound when Rin moved from in front of the door, but …

As I moved to check the door, Rin pulled my arm and forced me to sit down.

I was on the mattress.

“What did you do, Rin?”

“What did I do?”

She tilted her head cutely.

She looked strange, but she…

I know this because I’ve known Rin for a long time.　

This is a face that has an idea.

Well, there’s nothing I can do about it once I figure it out.

“Now, back to my point.”

“Ooh?”

“Even if Towa-kun does something, you won’t be killed, right?　Shouwa-kun is very much liked by mother, and even if a demon attacked Towa-kun, I have a feeling that mother would protect you. Her intuition is on another level.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if … Lisa-san says she’s the someone who was summoned from another world.”

“What do you mean?”

“No, no, I was talking about it this way.”

If you-san made Lisa the main character, she would be a warrioress.

It would be like a level-max ability-counting workout from the first town.

But now…

I feel like I’ve been blatantly sidetracked…

I looked around the room with a fidgety look.

“Oh, um, Towa-kun. I feel kind of embarrassed if you look around too much…”

“Oh, sorry.”

“No, it’s nothing…”

Watching Rin fidget and blush made me feel embarrassed as well.

I cleared my throat to change the atmosphere.

“Hmmm~…your room is huge by the way. You must have as much space as my apartment, right?”

“Well, yes. Probably slightly bigger…”

There was not a lot of stuff in the room, and I guess it was …  minimal.

But there were a few items that looked familiar, as if more things had been added in some places.

Remnants of a drab room, and Western-style decor like a girl’s room at her age.

It must be like a room in the development stage.

“Even so, things have increased. Before, there was only a desk and a bed, and it was a white room with white walls.”

“It’s a very bleak …. It’s a metaphor for … nothing.”

“It looks like a prisoner’s room.”

“Don’t tell me yourself. I swallowed what I thought.”

“I think you have a point, don’t you? I’ve been collecting cute things and being very conscious of my appearance since I met Towa-kun.”

“I see…”

Rin is fidgeting again.

What is it with this cute little creature?

Maybe it’s because it’s her own home, but I feel like she’s showing more emotion than usual.

The polite gestures are the same, but there is also shame in them and they look so cute that my heart starts to race…

It’s embarrassing to watch… Huh?

“Hey, Rin…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I feel like there’s a familiar photo on your desk…”

I tried to distract myself from my restlessness, and as I looked around, I suddenly saw a photo.

I pointed at it.

Rin chuckled and smiled.

“It’s nostalgic, isn’t it?”

“Well, it sure is nostalgic, but … why didn’t you tell me that you printed it?”

“Printers these days are very convenient, aren’t they? I can print out beautiful pictures from my smartphone.”

“Heh, civilization has evolved, not ……, but that’s not what you promised.”

This picture was taken by Rin at the festival, catching me by surprise.

It’s a picture of the two of us together, and depending on how you look at it, it looks like we’re eating cotton candy together.

But that one, I thought we promised not to make use of it…?

“Sure. I promised not to use it as an icon for my phone apps, and as a wallpaper.”

“Right? Huh … no way.”

“Yes, that’s what I meant. I didn’t decide not to display it in my home at that time, did I?”

My face naturally scrunched up.

I was completely beaten.

In hindsight, I thought it was a negotiation to keep the photos from being erased, but … this was the real purpose?

“That’s a technicality, isn’t it?”

“No, I just exploited a loophole in the contract.”

“That excuse is the line of a criminal…”

When I reach for the picture frame, Rin carefully held it to her chest and looked at me as if to say, “If you can take it, go ahead.”

I mean, it’s impossible to take it away from her if she holds it like that.

In a sense, it is an impregnable guard.

It’s an unreasonable mass.

I decided to give up trying to take it from Rin.

“Well, I guess I don’t have a choice… I don’t want to put it this way because it’s embarrassing, but it’s so obvious that if I say anything, you’re going to persuade me.”

“Hmm…”

“What is it? Are you displeased with something?”

“I think Towa-kun is being too understanding these days! Oh … I knew it, there’s something underlying here …!”

“Are you an idiot?”

I lightly bump Rin’s head.

A cat-like scream came out of Rin’s mouth, which made me chuckle.

Rin, holding her forehead, turned her disapproving eyes to me and puffed out her cheeks.

“Towa-kun? Lately, I feel like you’ve been more merciless with your comments.”

“That’s because Rin is always trying to go off the rails.”

“I don’t want a this to calm me down, I want to demand something else!”

“You mean other peculiarities?”

“No! There are more ways to calm me down than just that.”

After saying that, Rin put her head on my shoulder.

I looked at her sideways, and Rin, whose eyes met mine, gave me a pampering look.

“I heard that patting people on the head calms them down.”

“… That’s how it is.”

“That’s what I mean. Go ahead.”

“You’ve become more forceful than before, Rin.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

I smiled and did as I was told.

Rin’s eyes narrowed happily as she was stroked.

“Rin is a cat after all.”

“Ehehe~, please take care of me.”

“Don’t forget it’s your parents’ house…”

I glanced toward the door.

I thought I heard a rattling sound but…

Huh… I’m sure it’s not my imagination.