“What the hell are you doing, Saku-senpai?!”
 
“Fuuuuu~… Oh my? Welcome, you two~”
 
A woman in a school uniform draped with a red dotera (winter haori) holds chopsticks in a battle-ready stance.
 
Somehow, a portable gas stove sits on the table, boiling a pot of broth. Wisps of steam curl upward.
 
The ingredients laid out on plates—chicken, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, tofu, mizuna greens—suggest a simple mizutaki hot pot. The savory dashi (likely kombu-based) teases the appetite.
 
“Wow, that smells amazing,”
 
Shishihara sniffs the air, and I can’t blame her.
 
“Where do I … Read the rest

 
“Hmm, I don’t really neglect skincare…”
 
Rolling up her sleeve and rubbing her upper arm, Maihama tilted her head and said, “I can’t tell for myself,” before extending the back of her right hand toward me. “Well? Smooth, right?” The firm, youthful glow of her skin was visibly undeniable.
 
“If you’re asking me to touch it, I’ll pass.”
 
“Waaah, what a shame. I wanted to know whose skin feels better—mine or Saiin-senpai’s.”
 
What is she even saying? I don’t remember touching her enough to compare.
 
“Yeah, yeah, yeah! Then how about I—”
 
Just … Read the rest

Chapter 2: The Snow Woman Wants to Be Scolded
 

 
Musashidai Academy High School. That’s the name of the school I attend.
 
It only offers a general curriculum, with nine classes per grade. Its deviation value is decent, as is its local reputation.
 
It’s one of those typical prep schools established during the baby boom and geographically located right in the heart of Tokyo—but to be honest, it’s more like a semi-suburban area far from the city center.
 
The only famous landmark nearby is a racetrack, making it a sort of “Derby” region, but thanks to that, the city’s finances … Read the rest

“The tail, the claws, the eyeliner—why did you try to make yourself more like a cat? Speak!”
 
“E-Ehhh… B-Because… I mean, I’m a cat, right? A Werecat… so…”
 
“No. No. That’s not it at all! Everything about that is off—fundamentally wrong! You are Homo sapiens with cat-like traits, not actual cats!”
 
As I clutched my head and groaned, she looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “This guy’s mental state is seriously unstable…” She looked like she was about to cry, but she’d just have to endure it as tuition for now.
 
“…Let’s go back … Read the rest

 
“Komori-kun, didn’t you make fun of succubi in the classroom before?”
 
I didn’t make fun of them. It was just an explanation.
 
“He’s an exception. He’s a weirdo who left his thoughtfulness, restraint, and conscience in his mother’s womb.”
 
“B-before being born into this world… don’t you have anything to say back?”
 
“I’m normally thoughtful and show restraint too. Except with Saku-senpai.”
 
Since I was unexpectedly brought into the conversation, I thought I gave a safe answer, but…
 
“See? He’s totally insensitive, right?”
 
“Really insensitive…”
 
For some reason, they teamed up against me.
 
“Anyway, you should avoid trying to appeal … Read the rest

 
“Excuse me, coming in without knocking.”
 
“Ah, wait, I’m not mentally ready yet—”
 
Ignoring her mumbles, I threw the door open like drawing a sword for seppuku. Inside, the usual scene: our black-haired beauty, backlit by the window, reading a paperback (with cover) in the “CEO chair.”

“…Ah, you’re here,” she remarked, lips curling as she glanced our way.
 
At a glance, her aura was undeniably compelling. Even the way she bookmarked her page and stood felt like art. A fleeting hope sparked in me—Could this be my first time pulling [Intellectual Sakuya-senpai (SSR)]?!
 
But … Read the rest

---

 
“Heart hurt? Pulse? Blood pressure?”
 
“Not that old… Well, age doesn’t matter with health, but—”
 
The pain was in my soul.
 
—No matter how hard I racked my brain, her name wouldn’t come.
 
Not a single syllable. A crisis. Unlike some succubus, I hadn’t abandoned basic decency, so bluntly asking “What’s yer name?” wasn’t an option.
 
My one hope? Mutual amnesia—Your Name. scenario. But—
 
“…Y’know, Bat-kun? You give off ‘gives up his train seat for pregnant women’ vibes, but then you’re all… like, this.”
 
“Do go on.”
 
“Kinda dark? Dead eyes sometimes. Oh! Ricchan says you’re ‘nice outside but totally … Read the rest

“So the name includes the brackets, right?”
 
“That’s the hope. Problem?”
 
“Nah, should be fine. No character restrictions, I think.”
 
“This school’s standards are scary low…”
 
“I’ll submit these for you, then~!”
 
No time to protest. She neatly folded the papers and tucked them into her breast pocket. Her figure was slender but not unnaturally so—and yes, there was definitely a curve there—not that it mattered.
 
Prying them back would be social suicide, so I was helpless.
 
“Relax. I’ll personally deliver these to the president.”
 
No hint of accusing me of harassment, just a saintly smile as she puffed her … Read the rest

 
I recoiled slightly. Bewildered was the right word. Even from our less-than-three-minute exchange, it was obvious: Saku-senpai and I were oil and water. Splitting up wouldn’t just cause no harm—it’d simply return things to how they should be.
 
“We haven’t accomplished anything yet!”
 
She was frantic, like a deadbeat husband handed divorce papers.
 
“And that’s why we should breaking up, no?”
 
“You’re just proving my point—no, wait! I’m talking about the future! I’ll reflect deeply and reform! From now on, I’ll take club activities seriously! So please, show mercy—grant me one more chance~!”
 
“……”… Read the rest

Let me clarify something first: My name is Komori Tsubasa, and I am absolutely not a “bat.”
 
The latter is what you’d call a nickname—though in this era where elementary schools ban such labels, it’s undeniably a derogatory term.
 
This, too, was collateral damage from infamy. Shortly after enrolling last year, rumors spread like wildfire:
 
[Some freshman named Komori Tsubasa is chummy with the stunningly beautiful Saiin Sakuya.]
 
The gossip ran rampant, and suddenly, I was under scrutiny. “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop”—I understood their boredom craved immoral scandal. But as someone whose feet grew … Read the rest