"Aoi, don't sleep anymore. Rika, I know there's a new dessert shop that just opened. Should we go try it? It's my treat~""Dessert shop?""Mm! I heard their parfaits are delicious."
It was already the afternoon after school on the second day. After 'self-exposing' her interest in being cuckolded in front of Rika last night, Aoi was so embarrassed she couldn't sleep a wink. Every time she closed her eyes, her mind was filled with that humiliating moment.
As a result, Aoi was groggy all day and even accidentally fell asleep in class. Fortunately, her grades were excellent, and the teachers were also aware of her family situation. They assumed her fatigue came from part-time work and simply advised her to get some rest.
Aoi and Rika were well-liked, high-achieving students and members of the student council. As soon as school ended, a group of friends surrounded them to chat and invite them out.
But Aoi, always observant, noticed a girl with black-rimmed glasses lingering behind them—hesitant, as though wanting to speak but unable to break through the crowd.
"Yoshida? Is something wrong?"
Hearing her name, the girl jumped slightly.
Yoshida wore outdated black-rimmed glasses, and her frizzy, waist-length hair was clumsily braided into pigtails that hung in front of her. Her plain style made her seem out of place next to popular girls like Aoi and Rika—they looked like they belonged to different worlds.
But Aoi had long noticed that if Yoshida made even a small effort to style herself, she could be quite cute.
"Um... Aoi, yesterday... I'm free today."
When Yoshida mentioned yesterday, Aoi remembered—she had wanted to bring Yoshida home to complete a system task by introducing her to Ito, but Yoshida declined, citing no time.
But now... there was no need. She had found a bug in the system!
Aoi was perfectly fine with Rika joining her and Ito—in fact, she wanted it.
This way, Rika could play the role of the "blonde seductress"! She could help complete various tasks, and the system's restriction that Aoi could only be intimate with Ito after another girl had been with him could also be resolved—with Rika as that girl.
She'd already exposed her "interest" in front of Rika yesterday, so there was no shame left between them.
So now... there was no need to introduce Ito to other girls.
However...
Aoi glanced at her sister. It sounded strange, but before Rika officially seduced her boyfriend, she had to maintain the image of someone who enjoyed being cuckolded. Only then could Rika act without guilt.
"Yoshida, are you free today? Do you want to come over to my house? It's pretty spacious."
Anyway, Ito was loyal! Rika was the only special case!Introducing Yoshida wouldn't hurt—she wasn't as bold as Rika, and her personality suggested she'd never make a move. And Ito would never start anything himself.
It was just a formality, and Aoi could also complete a daily task.
"Hehe, going to Aoi's house? Haha, Aoi just wants to show off her boyfriend. Aoi's so bad~ I want a boyfriend like that too~""But Aoi's boyfriend is really handsome."
The girls who had previously been introduced to Ito by Aoi chattered among themselves, making Yoshida's heart sink. As someone unremarkable in the class, she had thought that when Aoi invited her yesterday, it might be a turning point—a chance to join the inner circle, to be seen, to finally become somebody.
But was it really just to flaunt a boyfriend to someone like her?
Behind her glasses, tears welled up.
"Su... surely not." Yoshida bit her lip and turned to leave, but Aoi caught her wrist.
"Yoshida, don't listen to them. That's absolutely not what I meant."Aoi stood, grabbing her schoolbag. "Let's eat parfait another time. Yoshida, Rika, let's go."
Pulling Rika and Yoshida out of the classroom, Aoi didn't know what to say to explain herself. Should she tell Yoshida she wasn't showing off, just pretending to enjoy being cuckolded?
Leaving aside the fact that it wasn't true, even if it were, she couldn't say it.
But to her surprise, the timid Yoshida quietly spoke up.
"Um... Aoi..."
"You have so many friends, why me of all people...?""There's no special reason. I just want to be friends with you, Yoshida."
Facing Aoi's bright smile, Yoshida—who rarely spoke to people—felt a little shy... How nice.Aoi is so nice.
Since junior high, Yoshida had been very reclusive. At first, many girls had tried to talk to her, invited her out, tried to be friends—but Yoshida refused due to her excessive timidity.
Because of her low self-esteem, Yoshida was afraid of being bullied.Because of her low self-esteem, she was afraid of being looked down on.Because of her low self-esteem, she was afraid of being teased.Even Yoshida herself hated this part of herself.
She was like a goblin hiding in a cave—wanting to come out, but also fearing what lay outside.Unknowingly, the rest of the class had formed their own social circles, and Yoshida was left behind... She had simply grown used to solitude.
When Aoi invited her yesterday, she instinctively declined. But after thinking about it all night, she made a decision:She wanted to change! She wanted to be popular like Aoi! To make friends, to speak confidently with others!
Today, she had finally taken the first step.
With a mix of excitement and nerves, Yoshida followed Aoi and Rika to Ito's house.
"We're here. This is my house—well, my boyfriend lives here too.""Eh? Living together?" Yoshida gently covered her mouth. "Aoi, you're so bold.""No, I still sleep at home. Technically, this is his place. My house is next door."
Before Yoshida could process it, Aoi had already unlocked the door. A gentle aroma of food wafted out—Ito could even cook?
"Looks like we're back just in time. Yoshida, have a seat. It's a great chance for you to try my cooking. Rika, come help me. You keep Yoshida company for now."
Tossing her schoolbag near the door, Aoi pulled Rika into the kitchen and pushed Ito out.
After just one day of peace, it had started again.
Every time Aoi brought classmates over, she and Rika would retreat to the kitchen, leaving Ito to entertain.Could it be... Aoi really was into being cuckolded?
Still, Ito couldn't say much in front of guests.
Coming out of the kitchen, Ito paused when he saw the girl in front of him...Wait. What had Aoi called her just now?
Yoshida?
"Let's sit in the living room first. I'll get you some water."
He led Yoshida to the couch and had her sit.Ito brought tea and fruit to the table and sat beside her, cautiously observing the girl before him.
"!!!!"
Yoshida sat rigidly on the sofa.Already nervous in unfamiliar surroundings, she tensed up even more under Ito's gaze.Unsure of what to do, she locked her eyes on the TV, legs pressed tightly together, posture stiff as a board...She'd never been stared at by a man like this before.
But Ito wasn't staring out of desire—he was having a PTSD flashback.
Sailor uniform, pigtails, glasses, surname Yoshida... Ito was sure this could trigger anyone's trauma.
She reminded him of something awful.
In his past life, Ito hadn't had deep exposure to the "Underworld" (the darker corners of the internet), but as a struggling manga artist, he had inevitably stumbled across some infamous works.
For example... Metamorphosis.
Just thinking about that name made Ito's trauma flare.
"Hello, I forgot to introduce myself earlier. My name's Ito, I'm Aoi's boyfriend. Yoshida... your name wouldn't happen to be Yoshida Saki, would it?"
Ito asked cautiously.
"Eh? Mr. Ito, do you know me?"
Yoshida froze, then looked at him in surprise... Not even all her classmates remembered her name, so how did he?
Ito took a deep breath, and a bold, unsettling idea flashed through his mind—Could this world he had reincarnated into not be an ordinary world, but an Underworld?
Suppressing his unease, Ito took another deep breath and steadied himself—for now.
"I heard Aoi mention it. She said there's a very cute classmate named Yoshida in her class.""Eh... Cu, cute?"
Bluntly praised by Ito, Yoshida's cheeks flushed bright red... This was the first time she'd ever been complimented by anyone other than her parents.
"Didn't you notice?" Ito smiled, gently removing Yoshida's glasses and brushing aside the bangs that partially covered her eyes with his fingertips. "You're really cute."
"!!!!!"
The compliments and the unexpectedly intimate gesture made Yoshida feel like her heart was about to burst. As someone who had always been a quiet, invisible presence since childhood, she'd never been treated this kindly—let alone praised like this.
Regardless of whether this world was some kind of "Underworld" or if she simply shared the same name with the Yoshida from Metamorphosis, Ito made a decision:He would treat her as if she were that Yoshida.
In Ito's memory, Yoshida—because of her lifelong low self-esteem—was flattered far too easily. A single compliment from a flashy blond punk had led her down a dark spiral. She had been tricked into a KTV, drugged, and ultimately destroyed.
Ito wasn't Josuke Higashikata. He couldn't let her go down that road.
Fortunately, judging from Yoshida's current look, it hadn't happened yet—she hadn't "transformed." There was still time.
He didn't know whether she really was that Yoshida or not, but he couldn't afford to wait for the blond punk to show up.
There was only one thing Ito could do—no, had to do:
He had to act first.
If he could help her "transform" first—on her own terms—then the other guy would never get the chance.
... patreon Rene_chan