Chapter 3: I’m completely honest

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

“Hey — You aren’t actually bugged or anything, right?”

That night, just before going to sleep, I asked my phone that.

I'd only experienced the NetoraSensor's power once so far, but after what happened this afternoon at school I couldn't help but suspect a bug.

“Well… hmm.”

The sensor had been going off like crazy while Aizawa and I were filling out the duty log. I'd been riled up, thinking about which scumbag would try to pull NTR crap at school, but in the end I couldn't find anything.

Every time I left the classroom the signal stopped, and whenever I came back it started again.

“No way… no way that could be—”

A thought crossed my mind: what if the sensor was reacting to me? If that were the case, it'd mean I was the one who'd take Aizawa away from Tokunaga — a cheating guy. Sure, Aizawa's an attractive girl, and yeah, I might admit to wanting to date or sleep with a girl like her if I were honest.

But honestly, I have zero intention of that, and besides, I can't imagine I have any charm that would make such an untouchable beauty like her fall for me.

“…Saying that makes me kind of sad.”

I sighed at my own self-deprecation and opened the app again.

“This NetoraSensor's detections are absolute. The NetoraSensor can be called a ‘netora-preventing device,' right? Under any circumstances, this sensor will never miss the occurence of an NTR scene. NTR is not only physical but affects the spirit as well. Wherever the sensor can detect, it will surely notify you.”

Somehow… the description seemed different from what I'd seen before.

Still, apart from that weird reaction earlier, it hadn't shown anything definitive since, which put me a bit at ease.

Think about it — if this thing reacts to NTR scenes, then the more it reacts, the more such incidents are happening. That's pretty dark.

“But… I have the power to stop it. If so, then I'll do what I can to reduce the number of people who suffer — pure love is the best, after all!”

Yeah, whenever the app reacts, I'll move.

In Aizawa's case, it helped that I already knew her, but honestly I was just glad she smiled and thanked me. Being thanked felt good.

“Alright then, time for bed!”

I turned off the light and lay down on my bed.

But sleep didn't come right away; my mind wandered back to that guy — the one who'd been pestering Aizawa.

“That type doesn't give up after one try… He seemed totally freaked out earlier, but he might try to bother Aizawa again somewhere.”

Come on, NetoraSensor — react again when he does!

I wasn't particularly close with Tokunaga, but it pissed me off thinking some jerk would mess with such a kind, beautiful classmate.

---

“Masato, could you take out the trash on your way to school?”

“Okay~”

“Thanks. Have a good day.”

“You too~”

With a trash bag in my hand, I left the house.

There's a collection spot on the way to school, so I often take out the garbage. Sometimes my dad does it before work, but mostly I volunteer to do it.

“…Oh.”

When I got to the collection point, it looked like my neighbor was taking out trash too.

“Good morning.”

“Morning.”

She returned my greeting — Sumiyoshi-san, the married woman who lives next door and is close with my mom. She's a beautiful lady, and though she looks a little flashy with light brown hair and sharp eyes — kind of like a yankee-mom vibe — she's well-known in the neighborhood for a stunning figure.

“Did Nachi ask you again today?”

“Something like that. I'd do it even if she didn't ask!”

“Haha, you really are a good kid, Masato.”

By the way, Nachi is my mother's name.

Sumiyoshi and my mom even call each other by their first names and are that close, so age doesn't feel like a barrier between them.

“Good kid? Nah, I'm just normal.”

“No, that's what makes you a good kid, isn't it?”

Sumiyoshi ruffled my head like she was proud. She'd stepped closer, and in the lazy morning atmosphere she looked pretty risqué — wearing a thin shirt under her jacket that was a little too stimulating for a high schooler like me.

“Ara ara, your face is all red~”

“S-Sorry!!”

“See you~”

I bolted away from Sumiyoshi and took a breath a little distance away.

She gave off a somewhat careless impression, but with that incredible figure and mature look, she exuded adult allure in every way.

“Her husband's often on business trips, right…?”

I remembered her saying, laughing but with a hint of loneliness, when she visited our house and talked with my mom.

“I kinda feel like someone should look after her… but it's their family business, so what can I do?”

I thought that as I hurried toward school.

As I walked the usual, unchanged route, more and more students joined the stream heading to school. Among them I noticed an unusual figure walking ahead.

“Aizawa…?”

It was Aizawa. What struck me as odd wasn't that she was there, but that Tokunaga — who usually walked with her — was nowhere to be seen.

“Well… they don't have to be together all the time.”

I quietly convinced myself of that.

Aizawa stopped and turned toward me.

“…”

She merely turned, but our eyes met squarely.

I was surprised, but I kept walking and stopped right in front of her.

“Good morning… You okay?”

“Good morning… No, nothing. I just turned around and thought, ‘Oh, Kamiki-kun's here.'”

“I see…”

“…Heh, sorry. With what happened before, I end up watching you a bit more sometimes.”

“I see…”

So that meant — when she sees me, she remembers what happened?

I can't fully understand as a guy, but for Aizawa that incident must have been pure terror. If she were later changed because of that, it's only natural she'd feel fear in the process.

“…Hey, Aizawa.”

“What is it?”

“If… if seeing me brings that memory back, would it be better if I tried to avoid meeting your eyes so much?”

“…Huh?”

At my offhand remark, Aizawa's eyes widened.

Then, as she understood what I meant, she hastily denied it — saying I didn't have to do that.

“It's true I remember it. But you don't need to go that far. I'm sorry… for making you think that way.”

“No, you don't have to apologize.”

I denied it back while her eyes drooped.

What followed was a slip of the tongue I shouldn't have said — even though I'd saved her, saying something like that to her was inappropriate.

We ran out of things to say and stared at each other in silence for a while, then laughed as if to say, ‘What are we doing?’

“Thanks, Kamiki-kun. I can tell from the way you act — you really are worried about me, aren't you?”

“Of course, but is something wrong?”

“No, nothing at all.”

“Alright… that's good then.”

If nothing was wrong, that was great — the sensor wasn't reacting, and it'd be a problem if it had been.

“We're just classmates, nothing more, nothing less. But still, I'd hate for anything to happen to you… you once said good things about otaku hobbies, remember?”

“Huh? Ah… I guess that happened.”

“That's not the reason, but… anyway, I'd hate it if something happened to you.”

“…”

Damn, since that incident my words just kept spilling out.

“NTR is trash!”

So if anything else happens, I'll deliver righteous punishment to any cheating b*****d.

So Aizawa, don't worry.

“…So there’s a genre called NTR, huh. I looked it up.”

“Ah…”

Ahem.

I promptly left the scene.