LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 23: 23
This is no longer just about being orange, but about being a masochist with a head full of color garbage!
Was the education in junior high schools so advanced now?!
"That's not true! Sagiri-chan and I have never developed to that stage!" Seeing the girl's increasingly ambiguous gaze, Izumi Yuu quickly interrupted her train of thought, trying to prevent her from saying anything more shocking.
"I understand! It hasn't developed to that stage, which means Yuu-kun wants to develop to that stage in the future!" Hearing Izumi Yuu's response, Megumi Jinno gave a look of sudden realization, fixing a sharp gaze on him.
[You have been seen through by the girl, and you feel like you are standing in front of her without any cover. This girl has already decided to kill herself! You decide to invite her to your home and personally brew her a cup of black tea. Then, while she is unconscious, you'll use your camera to take pictures of yourself eating her up, and use this as leverage to threaten her into becoming your running dog. But before that, you need to prepare some black tea and enough sleeping pills...]
You don't even spare your own people!
Listening to the narrator's despicable suggestion, Izumi Yuu couldn't help but mentally lash out in frustration.
The girl standing before him and the scumbag narrator in his mind would definitely make a perfect criminal duo.
Looking directly at the girl in front of him, Izumi Yuu spoke calmly. "If Jinno-san has nothing else to say, you can head back now."
"Huh?! Now that your thoughts were discovered, are you trying to send me away to hide your embarrassment?" The girl curiously stood on tiptoe, leaning toward him, and then said indignantly, "Also, I hope Yuu-kun can call me Megumi. If that doesn't work, just 'Jinno' is fine. Don't call me something weird like 'Jinno-san!'"
The unique scent and vitality of the girl filled the space between them, giving Izumi Yuu an odd feeling. When her hair brushed lightly against his chest, a subtle itch spread across him.
With any closer proximity, they would practically be touching.
"Alright, Megumi, if you have nothing else to do, you can head back now," Izumi Yuu replied lightly, clearly unfazed by her increasingly bold behavior.
After all, he was a veteran of such situations, not some naive boy easily charmed by a girl's advances.
Not to mention, he felt the scorching intensity of a gaze burning into him from above.
On the second floor, blue eyes filled with fiery determination glared down at them. Sagiri Izumi gripped the railing tightly, her petite frame emanating a surprising amount of strength.
"Damn it! That hypocritical and arrogant woman—is she trying to seduce Nii-san?!" Sagiri fumed, standing half-hidden by the curtain and staring at the orange-haired girl below with one blazing eye. Her grip on the railing looked as if it might crush the wood.
These brazen and thieving cats would never be allowed!
...
"Huh?! Yuu-kun didn't fall for me at first sight. How can someone like that exist?!" Megumi Jinno, who had previously brimmed with confidence, now staggered back in disbelief. Her gaze darted to Izumi Yuu, filled with incredulity.
"Could it be... Yuu-kun likes boyish girls?!"
Immediately, her expression changed as though she had stumbled upon a startling truth. She scrutinized Izumi Yuu, her eyes sharp and evaluating.
[The girl's sharp eyes pierced through your defenses, and she saw right through you. You couldn't help but consider silencing her permanently. But before that, you think it might be fun to change things up once in a while—and the girl in front of you fits the bill perfectly...]
What do you mean by changing my taste?! My preferences have always been women, thank you very much!
And I have absolutely no interest in Totsuka Ayaka-san!
Izumi Yuu shoved the hideous thought aside, firmly blocking out the narrator's nonsense.
"I don't have any such weird hobbies!" He glanced at Megumi Jinno, whose exaggerated antics only added to his irritation, and firmly denied her baseless accusations.
"You denied it so quickly... It seems like you're feeling guilty," Megumi Jinno remarked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes. Then, with a playful smile, she added, "And Yuu-kun didn't even react to me just now. Could it be that... Yuu-kun is lacking in that department?"
After delivering her sharp jab, the girl placed both hands over her mouth in mock astonishment, as though she had uncovered an earth-shattering secret.
[A man can't say no! Faced with a challenge to your dignity as a man, you decide to prove your worth with twenty years of accumulated strength! Will the girl be able to withstand the full force of your experience?]
Izumi Yuu marveled at his own composure. Despite the problematic girl's provocations and the narrator's ridiculous commentary, he remained calm and collected.
"Let me remind you, Jinno, that you're still an underdeveloped girl in my eyes. You wouldn't think that just being a little close to me is enough to make me impulsive, right? Don't underestimate the difficulty of stimulating a man's dopamine secretion." His words were gentle, though there was a subtle sharpness beneath them.
If she tried something more provocative, maybe he would react—but her current antics weren't enough.
To Megumi Jinno, however, Izumi Yuu's calm tone sounded like a direct provocation.
"Huh?! I'm not just some underdeveloped girl! I have a vagina too!" she retorted indignantly, her cheeks flushed red.
"I know you have one," Izumi Yuu replied dryly, his mouth twitching slightly. "But are students these days really so precocious?"
"Isn't it normal?" Jinno said casually, as if it were no big deal. "Girls our age love seg! We all love seg, don't we?"
Izumi Yuu raised an eyebrow at her boldness, considering for a moment whether he should keep Sagiri sheltered to avoid the influence of
Such peers.
But then he remembered her career as an illustrator for R18 books and realized the pollution might flow the other way
"You look like you don't have a girlfriend, right?" Jinno looked at Izumi Yuu, whose expression had turned slightly strange. She gave him a sly smile and edged closer, step by step. "If you need anything, you can come to me, okay?"
[Looking at the girl in front of you who obviously has no experience and is still a novice, but deliberately pretending to be experienced and naive, you began to sneer and feel disdain in your heart. Since the girl in front of you wants to experience the adult world so much, you decided to help her grow into an adult in advance. You can use the handle that the girl actually has no experience at all to threaten her. Even if this handle is only a one-time use, you have full confidence that the girl will be unable to stop wanting you from now on!]
Hearing the voice of the narrator in his mind, Izumi Yuu instantly understood.
It turns out that she's the type of middle schooler who thinks that matters between men and women are a badge of adulthood and maturity.
He had to admit that this idea was truly childish, though it perfectly aligned with the mindset of boys and girls at that age.
They always thought that as long as they engaged in adult behaviors, they would automatically become mature.
Little did they know that in the eyes of actual adults, such thoughts were nothing but childish and laughable.
Izumi Yuu glanced at Megumi Jinno, who looked so smug standing in front of him, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Although the girl's ideas were naive, her act was surprisingly convincing—so much so that even she didn't seem aware of her slip-ups.
"I really don't have a girlfriend yet," Izumi Yuu said with feigned sincerity, glancing at her with a playful smile. "Could I trouble Megumi to help me with that? I'm sure you wouldn't refuse my request, right? After all, you said you love seg so much."
"Huh?! No… no way?!" Megumi Jinno froze, her confidence crumbling in an instant. Her expression turned to one of astonishment as she stumbled over her words. "I-I do love seg, but… but…"
The girl couldn't come up with any reasonable excuse or justification to counter his words. Her face flushed crimson, and the embarrassment was written all over her features. Clearly, she hadn't anticipated him taking her statements so far.
"I'm kidding." Seeing her embarrassment peak, Izumi Yuu finally spoke with a calm tone. "Honestly, Megumi, your performance doesn't give off the vibe of a veteran at all."
"Huh?! That's not true!" Megumi Jinno quickly retaliated, attempting to maintain her persona as a little flirt. But seeing the amused smile on Izumi Yuu's face, she faltered again and could only huff in frustration. "It's just that I'm not feeling my best these days!"
To emphasize her claim, Megumi leaned in toward Izumi Yuu's ear and whispered, "If Yuu-kun doesn't believe me, I can go to your bathroom and show you my sanitary napkin, okay?"
Izumi Yuu's mouth twitched at the bizarre suggestion. He rejected her "offer" outright, saying with a straight face, "Forget it!"
I don't have weird interests like being into girls' sanitary napkins, thank you very much, he thought to himself.
"Hehe~!" Seeing that she'd managed to avert a total collapse of her façade, Megumi Jinno quickly regained her composure. With her usual confident smile back in place, she gave Izumi Yuu a triumphant look and said, "Then can I add Yuu-kun's contact information?"
"Of course," Izumi Yuu replied, raising an eyebrow slightly but agreeing nonetheless.
"Great! This way, it'll be easier for me to convince Sagiri-chan to go to school!" Jinno added Izumi Yuu's contact information with visible excitement before flashing him a smile. "If Sagiri-chan doesn't want to go, I won't give up!"
"Well... if you insist, I do have an idea," Izumi Yuu said thoughtfully, motioning for Megumi Jinno to come closer.
"What method?" Megumi asked, her interest immediately piqued. She stepped forward, standing on tiptoe as if to better hear his whispered suggestion.
The next moment, her face flushed bright red, the color creeping all the way down to her neck. "Ugh... isn't that way too embarrassing?!" she exclaimed, her expression a mix of shock and shame.
"It's the only way to help Sagiri-chan move past this quickly," Izumi Yuu replied with a calm, knowing smile.
"Huh?! What are these two talking about?! Why does that hypocritical guy look so smug and shameless?!" Sagiri Izumi muttered from the shadows as she spied on them. She stomped hard on the pillow beneath her, her frustration rising.
This feeling of being left out was unbearable!
---
"Well, have you made up your mind yet?"
In the living room, Izumi Yuu sat back on the sofa, his legs crossed casually. He tapped the table lightly with his index finger, a calm smile playing on his lips.
Megumi Jinno sat next to him, shy and contemplative, her expression betraying her inner struggle.
Izumi Yuu wasn't in a rush to push her for an answer. He'd already given her what he considered the best solution to the problem. Whether or not she chose to act on it was entirely up to her.
Since Megumi was so determined to become a social expert and prove her abilities by bringing Sagiri back to school, she'd inevitably need to put in effort—and pay a price for it.
After all, Sagiri had made it abundantly clear that she didn't need or want Megumi's "kindness." She had no interest in returning to school and despised people who forced their supposed goodwill onto others, especially those who claimed it was "for their own good."
Finally, Megumi bit her lip lightly, her expression resolute. "I understand! But before I take any action, I need to get to know Sagiri-chan better. That's the only way to confirm if your suggestion is reliable!"
"Of course," Izumi Yuu said with a smile. "Besides, it's not a short-term solution. Acting too quickly might backfire. Sagiri-chan is highly resistant to interacting with others. Trying too hard to please her will only make her suspicious."
"What?! You've thought this through so thoroughly? Were you actually serious earlier?" Megumi stared at him in shock, her orange eyes wide with surprise.
"Naturally. I have no reason to lie to a kid like you," Izumi Yuu replied dismissively, glancing at her with a slight smirk.
"Huh?! What did you just call me?!" Megumi snapped, glaring at him indignantly. "I want to see how big your 'thing' is!"
He's only a year or two older than me, yet he talks like he's some kind of wise old man. It's infuriating!
"You could say it's quite big," Izumi Yuu said nonchalantly.
After all, he had the experience of two lifetimes. Though he had only been living in this world for a little over half a year, his combined life experience exceeded twenty years.
"What?! How big?! What kind of dirty things are Nii-san and that hypocrite even talking about?!" Sagiri, still eavesdropping from her room, felt her face burn with embarrassment. Her pale complexion turned crimson as a mix of shame, excitement, and curiosity swirled within her.
For a moment, she wanted to storm out and confront them. But as her gaze fell on the door, she hesitated, shrinking back as if the very thought of crossing it was terrifying.
"Huh? Was that noise from Sagiri-chan just now?" Megumi perked up, glancing toward the source of the sound.
"There's no one else here besides the three of us," Izumi Yuu replied, shooting her a look that suggested she was stating the obvious.
"Tsk~!" Feeling the weight of his gaze, Megumi could only huff in frustration. "Has Sagiri-chan always been like this?"
"Yes. Ever since that incident, she's locked herself in her room," Izumi Yuu said, nodding. "If we want to help her, we need to appeal to her emotions. Forcing her will only make things worse."
"So… we share the same goal!" Megumi said with renewed enthusiasm.
"That's true," Izumi Yuu replied calmly.
"You've been together every day. Are you seriously telling me you've never had an awkward moment?"
"None at all."
"Well… maybe that's because Yuu-kun's Kun doesn't work anymore~!" Megumi teased, her gaze shifting downward.
"Where did you get the nerve to call yourself a crotch-staring cat?!" Izumi Yuu exclaimed, his mouth twitching in exasperation. "And I told you—I'm perfectly normal!"
"Tsk~! I'm just trying to figure out if you're still… functional," Megumi replied with a mischievous grin. Then, as if struck by a sudden idea, she leaned in closer. "In that case, let me personally test whether you're still viable!"
Without waiting for a response, she slid closer to him, her face full of mischief and determination.
(We're so close to 100 stones! Let's make it happen before the end of the month!