Chapter 59: I Don’t Know the Definition of Sex Friends

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“Hey, Mom.”

“What is it?”

“Why is sexual intercourse so pleasurable, anyway?”

“Because if it weren’t, nobody would make babies. Especially nowadays when the birth rate is already tanking.”

After scrambling back home from Mahiro’s apartment in absolute disarray, I bluntly dumped the question that had been lingering in my mind onto my mother. The answer I received was, in a sense, spot on.

“I see. So if pleasure weren’t attached to the act, humanity would go extinct.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but the birth rate in poorer countries would definitely plummet.”

“Well, it’s not like they have much other entertainment…”

A statement heavily laced with prejudice, sure, but probably true nonetheless.

“It’s kind of comforting to hear such a stupid question from you after a while, but what brought this on all of a sudden?”

Maybe because my expression gave away some sudden enlightenment mid-question, Mom pressed me. Should I answer honestly?

No. Let me start with a roundabout approach.

“Nah, I just wondered if a sex friend relationship might make sense if someone’s solely chasing pleasure, so I figured I’d ask my experienced mother.”

“What’s this? Are you getting cocky and trying to get yourself a sex friend?”

“No, no, Mahi—”

Whoa, hold up.

Suggesting the possibility of becoming sex friends with Mahiro right here would look horrible to both Mom and Chihiro-san. After all, those two were rooting for us to get back together.

Besides, if they found out, they’d probably block all my escape routes with something like, “Sex friends with Mahiro? Stop messing around and do those things with marriage in mind!”

…Then again, thinking about myself, I was a pretty troublesome guy too.

Even though she was a girl I used to love, the reason I couldn’t picture myself dating Mahiro now…

…was simply that the memory of her rejecting me from the bottom of her heart still lingered.

That curse probably wouldn’t ever break for the rest of my life. That’s why dating Mahiro or marrying her was completely off my radar for the future.

Chase them and they run; run and they chase you. Relationships between men and women never go smoothly in any era.

So, no choice. Better dodge the topic.

“…Nah, I just thought maybe there’s nothing wrong with that kind of relationship as long as it’s mutual consent.”

“…Well, if both parties agree, maybe it’s fine at first.”

I didn’t miss the way Mom furrowed her brow right then.

“What do you mean, ‘at first’?”

“You’ll definitely get tired of it real quick. Guaranteed.”

“Huh?”

“When you keep doing it with the exact same partner, humans naturally get bored. No matter how good it feels, repeating it over and over gradually leaves you unsatisfied. Otherwise, sexless couples wouldn’t be popping up all over society.”

“…”

“Besides, a sex friend isn’t a friend who also has sex—it’s a friend who ONLY does sex, right? Without love backing it up, you’ll burn out on it fast.”

She had a point. Unless there was love—some resolve to blind oneself to reality or social norms—just repeatedly mating without substance would inevitably lead to boredom. Like grinding factor stats in horse racing gacha games.

“But if they’re supposedly friends, they don’t have to just do sex. They could hang out and enjoy being friends outside of that…”

“Only if sex ranks second or lower in priority for the two of them.”

“…”

“As long as it’s a man and a woman, sex inevitably sits at the very top as the primary tether binding the relationship. If that falters, everything else crumbles.”

I didn’t quite follow where the conversation was heading myself, but somehow it clicked. Friendship and love were similar yet entirely different beasts.

“Thanks, Mom. That’s deep.”

“Besides, why are you asking your own mother a question like this? Normally, people talk about this stuff with their friends.”

“Sorry your son has no friends.”

“How pathetic, going all the way to college and still having no one.”

“…”

Damn it. I couldn’t even talk back.

Speaking of friends… Nishida was still MIA, and as for the rest…

…Was Temari still sulking?

Maybe I should reach out to her for the first time in a while. It’d be pretty depressing if she ignored me, though.