Vol 3 Chapter 2 (2/2)

……I was merely stating the truth, though.

However, I didn’t think that I would be able to convince her.

Now, I can completely understand the feelings of Galileo, who was banished to an isle over his theories on heliocentrism.

“Come to think about it, you had yelled strange things before too.

Oh, are you talking about that time where I yelled ‘If I could, I would like to spend my life squeezed between the b.u.t.t cheeks of muscled men!!’  in public?

“At that time, you claimed that ‘I was so fl.u.s.tered back then, so I don’t remember what I said’…… it wasn’t true, was it!”

“……”

“Regardless, everyone else should be here soon, so I’ll listen to your explanations later.”

—— d.a.m.n it.

I don’t really care how Aika thinks of me, but I don’t really want Reiko and Hakua to misunderstand.

Karen though…… well, who cares about her?

“Therefore,I’ll confiscate this thing first.”

Aika started reaching for the mobile phone.

“Don’t be too hasty, please let me explain!”

I quickly grabbed Aika’s hand.

Seeing that everyone else weren’t here yet, I have to take this opportunity to reduce this misunderstanding of Tsunpure-san here as much as possible for peace to prevail.

“I’ll explain from the start.”

I put on my most serious face and att.i.tude, and sat closer to Aika.

“……….”

I am not sure why, but Aika, whose hands I was still holding, started blus.h.i.+ng.

I guess she must be surprised. Though it looks like she’s willing to listen to me now.

“Firstly, I’ll make it clear.”

“……Un.”

“I don’t like muscular macho men. What I like are gir……”

Kacha

“I have brought your clean laundry.” (Kujou san)

“NO, I LOVE MUSCLES! I LOVE THEM WAY MORE THAN I LOVE THIS EARTH!”

My personal maid, Kujou-san, carried a neat stack of clothes in. With contempt in her eyes, she looked at me with eyes of approval.

“I know.”

Said Kujou-san as she went past my side and headed towards the wardrobe behind me.

I prostrated in the position of gotaitouchi³ towards Aika.

As to what it means, it was a Buddhist ritual where one lays on the floor with his entire body stretched in a prayer.

While Aika sat on the bed hugging her legs as she looked at me with a cold glare very similar to Kujou-san’s.

Sweat started to form on my forehead.

What do I do? Was there any excuse that I could use to pa.s.s through this obstacle and reduce the damage to it’s minimum?

“……….I am interested in wrestling.”

“Because of stark-naked men tossing and turning around?”

“No, not like that. It’s just a coincidence——”

“Then why didn’t you say so earlier? You even said such a pathetic lie about it being famous among commoners!”

This fellow, to be so sharp at times like this……!

“……Because I felt embarra.s.sed.”

“About you loving muscles more than the Earth?”

“Not that……Right, fortune telling! My fortune said that my luck is the worst! And it offered wrestling as a solution! For a man like me to believe in mere fortune telling, it feels kind of embarra.s.sing! So……”

I know I said it, but it still feels painful.

“Fortune telling!?”

Aika’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

“What’s a commoner’s fortune telling like!?”

Aaaand she took the bait.

……Well, apparently I was saved.

Footnote:

1.Mondegreen: A mondegreen is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near-h.o.m.ophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning.

2.Netabare: A spoiler; something that spoils the ending of a story or movie.

3.Gotaitouchi is the highest form of prostration reserved for the Buddha only, even beyond dogeza.

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