NOVEL NEXT chapter 15
15
8. How to Read Elementary School Gravure
“Hey, Mr. Jumonji.”
“Um… you’re Mr. Akechi’s friend, Mr. Sasaki, right?”
“Nice to meet you.”
Since Mr. Hidetada had disappeared somewhere whispering with Mr. Jumonji, I mustered up the courage to speak to Mr. Jumonji, whom I wanted to connect with.
“Mr. Jumonji, …you really love your brother, Mr. Jumonji, don’t you?”
“Huh? Wha-?! No, no, that’s not true at all.”
“It’s so obvious.”
I look at Mr. Hidetada with the same eyes.
It’s that clear to me.
“…I know it’s wrong to look at my brother with such eyes… but what should I do…?”
“They say it’s not right between real siblings. But it all depends on the person’s feelings.”
“That’s true… isn’t it… Mr. Sasaki!”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Please help me find someone else to love besides my brother!”
“…Eh? Me?”
I was actually planning to support the romance between the Jumonji siblings, how did it end up like this…?
—
“Hidetada…”
“Takeru…”
I was currently facing Takeru.
I smoothly spread open a book in front of Takeru.
“This gravure girl is cute, isn’t she?”
“Damn, that’s awesome.”
We had formed a duo of precocious elementary schoolers.
The incompetent and the scumbags.
We were the only two in the class who could talk about gravure idols.
“Hey, Hidetada! The chest! The chest!?”
“Are you a child…? Look closely at this pose, the connoisseur’s eyes go to the armpits, not the chest.”
“Wow?! Master Shiourai! Does the girl on this page’s pose make your eyes go to her butt?”
“Are you an idiot?! You haven’t learned anything! My eyes will go to her armpits!”
“Well, well, then this page is?! I’ll make my eyes go to her cleavage!”
“You’re a fool! The focus of this page is her armpits!”
“Master, my eyes are only on her armpits, aren’t they?”
I was teaching Takel how to read a swimsuit gravure photo album.
But it’s promising.
In our class, all the boys are hesitant and refuse, but Takel is the only one who’s eager.
He’s still a young and growing boy.
“The next page is a bit challenging. Where does she make her eyes go?”
“Her knees?”
“Too bad, her knees are second. The first is here, her armpits.”
“Master… what kind of person are you?”
I couldn’t have a conversation like this with my uncle, a man’s talk that’s always good no matter the era.
Even before and after reincarnation, the way to deepen men’s friendships is through games, Koibana, or gravure, and that’s settled.
“…Master Shiourai”
“Master, is Sasaki-san standing right in front of you?”
“Certainly, her armpits.”
“Master Shiourai!!”
“Wow!!”
I hastily pushed the gravure magazine onto Takel.
I’m embarrassed to think that someone might think I’m reading a magazine like this.
“What’s going on?”
“Yeah. I have a serious conversation I need to have with you. Would you like to come over to my place later?”
“Oh, okay.”
You’re a serious one, anyway.
I turned back to Takel’s position, and Eimi came with me to Takel’s place.
“What’s this, Tenmochi-kun?”
“Ah, yeah. This is…”
“Give me that book,” she demanded.
“Ah, sure…”
As I handed the book to Emi, she flipped through it briefly before snapping it shut.
“I’ll throw it away.”
“Whaaat, nooo!”
I panicked and stopped her just as she was about to toss the book into the trash.
“Hey, Hideyoshi? What’s wrong?”
“That book… I don’t think it needs to be thrown away…”
“I’ll throw it away.”
“Whaaat, nooo!”
I didn’t want Emi to think I was the type to read such things, but that didn’t mean I wanted it thrown away either.
“I think you’re too young for these kinds of books and games, Hideyoshi.”
“Is that so… How many years should I wait, then?”
“About fifty years.”
“I’ll be all dried up by then!?”
What is this girl saying all of a sudden? It’s terrifying how ignorant she is…
“If you’re that desperate to see swimsuits, I’ll wear one.”
“No need, that’s not in demand.”
“Demand? I don’t quite get what you mean, but I can tell I’m being made fun of.”
“It’s just too early for you. Emi, you’ll be cuter once you’ve grown up a bit more.”
“Muu. I want to grow up faster!”
But Emi still looks like a grade-schooler even when the main game starts…
It seems like I’ll need to take a long-term view.
I casually retrieved the magazine and handed it over to Takeru.
Then, amidst the confusion and commotion, I managed to make it seem like the magazine just got lost.
—
“So, where should I go after school?”
“The park!”
“The park… You mean the one where Emi was swinging on the swing and having a blast?”
“Do we need that explanation? I’d rather you forget about it.”
It seemed like a sincere request.
Well, I’d like to accommodate Emi’s wishes as much as possible, so I agreed, but she still hadn’t told me what it was about.