Chapter 133: Metamorphosis, A Belated Apology

Following the earlier episode, Anhe and the others lost interest in continuing their shopping trip. They hurriedly picked out some clothes for Chie Hoshino and the rest of the girls before leaving the mall together.

The streets were bustling with crowds. Seeing that it was still early, Anhe suggested going for bubble tea, to which everyone agreed, save for Nadeshiko Kuroi and Sagu Amamiya, who excused themselves first. They claimed that the latter was feeling unwell and that Nadeshiko needed to take her home, but the clumsy acting was apparent to everyone. Clearly, the two were plotting something, but Anhe chose not to expose them.

After putting them in a taxi and giving a brief reminder about safety, Anhe led the remaining girls to a nearby bubble tea shop. Sakuri Kuroi, who had been somewhat reserved earlier, perhaps felt liberated by her mother’s absence and was exceptionally lively along the way. Not content with just that, she insisted on dragging Eri Tachibana along; the latter, being of a quiet and gentle nature who found it difficult to refuse others, could only follow along as Sakuri pulled her.

The little girl clearly wasn't used to much exercise, and after running for a while, she ran out of breath and stumbled to the ground. Seeing this, Anhe quickly stepped forward and picked her up. The little girl did not resist his gesture, instead quietly wrapping her hands around Anhe’s neck and resting her chin on his shoulder. She then said in a soft, sweet voice, "Thank you, Brother Anhe."

"Are you okay?" Anhe asked, feeling a bit worried. He looked the little girl over from head to toe, and only when he confirmed there were no injuries did he breathe a sigh of relief. He glanced at Sakuri Kuroi, who, realizing she had done something wrong, was now hanging her head, nervously twisting her hem as if preparing for a lecture.

However, after a moment, she didn't hear the scolding she expected. Instead, she felt a warm, large hand rest on her head. Looking up in confusion, Sakuri met Anhe’s calm gaze. Although he said nothing, she felt a sudden, inexplicable panic, her eyes darting away as she timidly said, "I'm sorry, I know I was wrong."

"Where were you wrong?" Anhe asked with a smile. Seeing the little girl’s remorseful look, he didn't scold her but instead leaned down and scooped her up with his other arm. With a small gasp, Sakuri clung to Anhe like a koala. Before the little girl could recover from her surprise, Anhe’s voice sounded again: "You were wrong because you shouldn't run around recklessly on the street, and you shouldn't only think of yourself without considering the feelings of others. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, Sakuri tilted her head, staring blankly at Anhe with shimmering eyes. Her small hands tightened involuntarily on his collar as she whispered, "I understand." As she finished speaking, the little girl planted a heavy, wet kiss on Anhe’s cheek.

"Eww, that’s so gross," Anhe said, though his face didn't betray a hint of disgust.

Seeing such a heartwarming scene, Chie Hoshino, walking behind them, leaned over to Saori Amamiya and said in surprise, "Anhe-kun seems to really like children."

To her surprise, Saori Amamiya shook her head. "Not at all."

"Eh?" Chie looked curious. Seeing this, Saori cast a glance at Reina Serizawa, who was walking beside Anhe, and explained, "That guy just happens to like things that are cute."

"Eh, eh, eh?" Chie was stunned. Before she could process the information, Saori suddenly turned to look at her. Feeling Saori’s unabashed gaze, Chie instinctively raised her hands to cover her chest and took a half-step back, trembling as she asked, "Wh-what is it?"

"Nothing." Saori waved her hand dismissively, retracted her gaze, and looked back at Anhe, her voice tinged with jealousy. "That guy likes them bigger."

"Huh?" Chie’s face was filled with confusion. She looked down at herself, suddenly realized what Saori meant, and her face flushed bright red.

...

After a few minutes, the group arrived at a cafe. After finding a corner booth and setting the two little girls down, Anhe was about to turn toward the restroom when an unexpected and pleasant voice rang out.

"Anhe-kun!"

He turned his head in confusion, but the moment he saw who it was—especially given the person's attire—Anhe froze in his tracks. A black and white maid outfit, cat-ear hair accessories on his head, a twitching cat tail protruding from behind, black silk stockings covering slender, fair calves, and size 36 round-toed leather shoes.

This attire would make any girl look cute. However, the person in front of him was a boy. And, though he hated to admit it, Anhe scanned his surroundings and couldn't find a single maid cuter than the one standing before him.

Being stared at so intently, Ryosuke Kaedehara raised a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind his ear, fidgeting as he asked, "Is something wrong, Anhe-kun? Is there something on my face?"

Before Anhe could answer, the narrator in his mind spoke up first:

*[Perhaps as Saori Amamiya said, your only fetish is cuteness. Looking at this guy, who is more kawaii than most girls, a glint of greed flashes in your eyes: there are forty minutes left until his shift ends. You only need to persuade him to drink as a friend during this time, and once he is dead drunk and unconscious, take him to your car as a friend, drive him home, and lock the door. Given your current constitution, even if Ryosuke Kaedehara wakes up in pain halfway through, he won't be able to resist at all...]*

"Are you even human?" Anhe’s mouth twitched. Although Ryosuke Kaedehara in that maid outfit did look cuter than most girls, the thought that he might be packing something larger than his own down there made Anhe feel nauseated.

Shaking his head to clear the jumbled thoughts, Anhe looked at Ryosuke again and asked, "Why are you here, Kaedehara-kun? And wearing... wearing this outfit?"

"Huh? You mean this, Anhe-kun?" Ryosuke seemed completely unaware of Anhe’s strange look. He tugged at the hem of his skirt and explained, "Keiko-chan’s family seems to have run into some trouble and needs a lot of money urgently. Since we’re friends, I came to where she works to help earn some money, but I didn't expect the boss to mistake me for a girl the moment he saw me. He didn't even give me a chance to explain and put me to work as a maid server."

"Keiko Kitajima?" Anhe raised an eyebrow. In his memory, while Keiko Kitajima’s family wasn't wealthy, they certainly weren't poor. If she was forced to work, she must be in big trouble. In the past, Anhe wouldn't have bothered to meddle, especially since the narrator had already shown him what kind of person Keiko was. But after that night on the school trip and the visible changes he’d seen in her recently, Anhe felt it was necessary to ask about the situation. If he could help, he would.

With this in mind, Anhe looked at Ryosuke again and asked, "Where is Kitajima-kun now?"

Ryosuke pointed toward the hallway at the side of the front counter. "She's in the back. Do you want me to call her for you? Keiko-chan would be very happy to know you’re here."

"Please do," Anhe nodded and watched Ryosuke leave.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Saori Amamiya leaned in close, staring at the tail wagging behind Ryosuke, and said with utter disgust, "That guy... is that thing plugged in?"

Because of her posture, Saori’s neckline dipped, and from Anhe’s angle, he could see the view inside: a fair, flat stomach and a slightly raised pink bra.

"It's pink," Anhe remarked.

Saori froze, then realized what he meant. Her face turned red, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned even closer to Anhe, pretending to be nonchalant, and continued, "By the way, that guy is a classmate of ours, right? I remember seeing him a couple of times."

"That’s right," Anhe nodded, inhaling the faint, sweet scent radiating from the girl’s neck. His throat bobbed involuntarily, and he quickly helped Saori sit up, changing the subject. "You might not know since you just joined, but that guy is a notorious 'man-slayer' at our school. Just in the time since I transferred, I’ve seen no less than ten boys confess to him, even knowing that Ryosuke Kaedehara is a boy."

"Well, he is so cute, it’s understandable," Saori agreed. Then, her eyes darting, she turned to look at Anhe excitedly. "How about you? Have you ever felt a heartbeat for him?"

"Of course not," Anhe rolled his eyes.

Saori wanted to press further, but a figure came running over to the table. Looking up, it was Keiko Kitajima, with her signature wheat-colored skin. She was also wearing a black and white maid outfit with cat-ear accessories. Unlike Ryosuke, she wasn't wearing a tail, and instead of black silk, she wore white ankle socks.

"Anhe-kun!" Keiko looked very excited, but when she noticed there were other girls at the booth besides Anhe, her joy dimmed slightly. She greeted the girls she recognized, Saori and Reina Serizawa. "Good afternoon, Amamiya-san, Serizawa-san."

"Good afternoon, Kitajima-san," the two replied in unison. But the moment Reina spoke, Keiko looked stunned. When Reina had come to school at the start of the term, she had only interacted with Shinobu Ito, so Keiko didn't know that she had regained her ability to speak.

Seeing her expression, Anhe had to give the same explanation again. After listening, Keiko nodded, then turned to Reina and bowed at a ninety-degree angle, sincerely saying, "I was among those who bullied you in the past, Reina-san. I am truly sorry."

The sudden apology caught Reina off guard. It wasn't until Yui Serizawa nudged her that she reacted, quickly standing up to help Keiko up, smiling gently. "It’s alright, it’s all in the past. Besides, haven't you helped me many times? When I was being bullied before, you and Kaedehara-kun were the only ones who went to find the teachers. And later, when I wasn't feeling well, you were the one taking care of me. On the school trip, when so many girls didn't want to play with me, you were always the one bridging the gap."

After hearing this, Keiko felt a lump in her throat, tears threatening to spill, but she held them back. Sniffling, she gave a sincere smile and congratulated Reina from the bottom of her heart, "Congratulations on being able to hear your own voice again, Reina-san."

"Thank you~" Reina smiled sweetly.

Seeing that the two had finished talking, Anhe turned to Keiko and asked the main question. "I heard from Kaedehara-kun that your family ran into some trouble?"

Hearing this, the smile on Keiko’s face stiffened. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded. "Yes."

"Would you mind telling me what’s going on?" Anhe asked. This time, Keiko didn't answer.

Seeing this, Anhe looked at Saori and the others, left them with a "Wait for me," and stood up, pulling Keiko toward the back of the cafe.

"You don't have to worry about me," Keiko struggled slightly along the way, but her resistance was weak; clearly, she didn't want to appear as strong as she was acting. They reached the cafe’s smoking area and stopped. Looking at Keiko, who stood there with her head bowed like a primary school student, Anhe asked patiently again, "Can you tell me now?"

After a long silence, Keiko’s voice finally came. "It’s not a family issue. It’s some delinquents I used to know outside of school. When they found out I wanted to quit, they demanded a million yen, or else they would spread everything I did with them... everything that happened... throughout the school."

To Keiko’s surprise, Anhe’s expression remained calm after hearing this. He just nodded slightly, and that was it. The silence returned.

After a while, Keiko looked up at Anhe’s profile, hesitated, and asked, "Anhe-kun, do you think I was cheap in the past?"

Her eyes were full of anticipation, as if she were hoping Anhe would say 'no,' even if he were lying. But Keiko was destined for disappointment. Faced with her question, Anhe nodded without hesitation and said bluntly, "Pretty cheap, actually. It was quite disgusting."

"I-is that so?" Hearing such a cold reply, Keiko’s face turned pale. She gave a self-deprecating laugh and lowered her head. But the next moment, Anhe’s voice sounded again.

"Of course, that was just the past. The Kitajima-san of now is actually quite decent—at least, I don't hate you."

It was like hearing a flute in the middle of a pitch-black sea. Keiko looked up abruptly, staring at Anhe in surprise. He offered a timely smile.

"C-can I give you a hug?" The words were squeezed out of her throat. Keiko stared intently at Anhe, and seeing him nod, she immediately threw herself at him.

"Thank you!" A raspy, tearful voice escaped her. Like a broken doll finally finding its owner, Keiko just wanted to hold tightly to the boy who had once seemed so far out of reach.