Page 22 – Banana or Mango?

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Translator: Author: Original Source:
MJCross Cat’s Glasses SFACG
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Holder: Chang Kai (Marker)
Hallelujah (Marker)
Tangerine (Pencil)
Zhao Zhao (Pencil)
Lei Kelie (Pencil)
Tian Xi (Pencil)


Even though I couldn’t see what was happening on Lei Laohu’s side, when I closed the notebook, I still felt an undeniable rush of satisfaction from getting my revenge.

Zhao Lei didn’t object to me using the notebook for payback against Lei Laohu.

In fact, after I wrote his name down, she even suggested I add Tian Xi’s name too—you know, that petty Mohawk Fatso who beat Zhao Zhao the hardest.

But despite it being an act of revenge, this Bishoujo Notebook is still a divine artifact with inherently blessing-like effects.

If, by some chance, Lei Laohu actually found happiness because of it… if he even ended up marrying some guy and settling down…

Well, in that case, I could always erase his name later!

That being said, if he truly turned over a new leaf, I wouldn’t be heartless enough to undo it. Plus, I’d even be able to count him toward my monthly quota.

Based on what I learned from Officer Lei Luo, Lei Kelie was just another unlucky soul—a kid from a single-parent home who lacked love and ended up going astray.

The clock’s hour hand had already passed 8.

Both Zhao Lei and I had finished our showers and were now lounging around in my room, killing time.

Zhao Lei had changed back into her usual hoodie and black tights. She was sitting on my bed against the wall, flipping through an old manga she had already read countless times.

But after last time’s incident, her sense of caution had definitely improved—at the very least, she had learned not to just wear panties under her hoodie.

She’d borrowed a pair of my khaki shorts as an extra precaution.

That being said, her sense of self-awareness was still lacking… maybe too lacking.

Maybe it was because she was wearing shorts now, but she was getting more and more careless with how she sat.

With my bed’s smooth bamboo mat acting as a slippery surface, her hips gradually slid forward as she got comfortable.

Before long, she was lying on my bed with her legs fully apart, completely unaware.

To this day, I still couldn’t figure out if this girl was secretly packing all of Zhao Zhao’s pervy tendencies under her seemingly pure exterior.

Was Zhao Lei like a banana—looking dirty on the outside but pure within?

Or was she actually a mango—yellow both inside and out?

With Lei Laohu taken care of, it was time to talk about the real mission for tonight.

I turned my chair to face Zhao Lei, propping my legs up onto the bed as I leaned back against my gaming chair.

My leg was resting right next to her small, pale foot. After transforming into a girl, her feet had become even smaller than mine—hard to believe she used to be a 1.9m mountain of muscle.

I lightly tapped her shin with my foot to remind her to sit properly. The cool, soft touch of her smooth leg against my skin sent a strange sensation up my spine.

She flinched slightly, freezing in place before realizing her posture was completely unladylike. Panicking, she quickly sat up into a W-sitting position, her face blushing red.

“…After everything that happened today, are we still doing it tonight?”

“Doing it? Eh? Eh?! W-Wait… you mean with me?! I-I know I should let my bro have some fun after transforming, but… shouldn’t we at least develop some feelings first…?”

Her voice got quieter and quieter until it was barely audible.

Zhao Lei had completely misunderstood.

Why the hell did she immediately jump to that kind of “doing it”?! And more importantly—why wasn’t she rejecting the idea?!

“Stop—hold up. Bro, do you remember why you’re even staying over tonight?”

Zhao Lei blinked in confusion for a second before suddenly realizing.

“Ah! You mean investigating Uncle Feng’s place, right? Haha… I, uh… totally didn’t forget or anything~” She playfully bonked herself on the head and stuck out her tongue.

“You seriously have Zhao Zhao’s brain in there, huh…? I was just thinking, since you got beaten so badly today, maybe we should postpone the investigation?”

Zhao Lei shook her head, the red tips of her dyed hair swaying along with the motion.

“No need! Zhao Zhao was the one who got beat up—Zhao Lei is perfectly fine!” To prove her point, she even flexed her arm, striking a bodybuilding pose.

“…Aren’t you and Zhao Zhao the same person?”

“Nope! Don’t lump me in with that pervy, muscle-brained mountain gorilla!”

Wow. Zhao Zhao just got rejected by himself.

I was genuinely a little stunned by this self-loathing reaction. Was she developing a split personality?!

“So, if we’re going ahead with the mission, do you still remember our plan?”

“I follow Uncle Feng and find out his address, you follow me and make sure I stay safe. That’s about right, right?”

“Exactly.” I nodded.

“We didn’t ask about his closing hours earlier, so let’s try to make an educated guess. Usually, street stalls stay open past midnight, but since his stall is at the village entrance, there’s no real business from outsiders. His regulars are mostly from the village, which means he probably doesn’t stay open too late. Just to be safe, let’s head out at… say, 10 PM.”

Zhao Lei glanced at the clock, then casually tossed her manga aside.

“10 PM? That’s still a while away~ Alright, Commander~ Let’s find something fun to do!”

…Fun?

I knew she didn’t mean anything weird, but damn, being around Zhao Lei was just way too stimulating…

“This calls for some gaming.”

“Perfect!”

With just over an hour left, it wasn’t too long, but not too short either. And gaming was always the best way to kill time.

I grabbed two PS4 controllers from the TV cabinet, holding one out behind me for Zhao Lei.

Even when leaning back as far as I could, I was still a bit short of reaching the bed.

After all, I wasn’t some rubber-limbed pirate captain, nor was I a relic of the past capable of launching cremation cannons.

Ideally, she would just lean forward and grab it, right?

Instead, I suddenly felt a warm, silky sensation wrapping around my fingers.

Surprised, I turned my head—

Only to see Zhao Lei’s black-stocking-covered foot awkwardly gripping the controller, trying to pick it up like some kind of monkey.

My heartbeat instantly skyrocketed.

My breath caught in my throat.

Did she… not realize what she was doing to a perfectly normal teenage boy right now?!

If I pulled away now, she’d definitely notice how flustered I was, and things would get really awkward.

So all I could do was freeze in place and wait for her to finally get a proper grip on the controller.

The problem was… she sucked at using her feet.

For nearly half a minute, she fumbled and wiggled her toes around, failing to get a proper hold.

In the process, she kept brushing against my fingers and hand, sending all sorts of strange, tingly sensations through my nerves.

My palms were sweating. My thoughts were spiraling. And worst of all—

A certain traitorous part of me was getting ready for combat.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I suddenly grabbed her ankle, resisting the urge to toy with her soft little foot, and manually adjusted the controller between her toes.

That’s when she finally realized just how suggestive her posture had been.

Her face turned bright red, and she jerked her leg back, tossing the controller aside in panic.

“C-commander! D-Don’t get the wrong idea! I wasn’t trying to seduce you—I was just being lazy!”

Seeing her flustered reaction, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Pfft, nah, I didn’t think that at all.”

“…Wait, are you sure? You don’t think I’m… you know, as perverted as Zhao Zhao?”

Spending time with her was a constant test of self-control.

I feared that one day I might slip up and turn this story into an R18-rated mess.

But obviously, I couldn’t just come out and say that to her.

Even if she had been a gorilla-sized musclehead, she was currently a girl, and I needed to consider her feelings.

So, I firmly shook my head.

“I think I might be the weird one,” Zhao Lei muttered, looking troubled.

“I have no idea why I do these things, but they just happen instinctively! I swear I don’t mean anything by it! Could it be that this notebook adjusts a person’s mind to match their appearance? Do I look like the kind of girl who’s out here seducing men?!”

“Nope, not at all,” I answered immediately. This time, I was being 100% honest.

Zhao Lei looked more like a tomboy, maybe even a bit of a delinquent. She was miles away from any flirtatious bitchy stereotype.

If anything, her personality matched her fresh, unfiltered vibe. So no, the notebook wasn’t to blame for her being weirdly suggestive—it was all her.

“Don’t overthink it. I just think you’re… kind of clueless about how girls are supposed to act.”

Take Tangerine, for example. Even though she had only been human for a short time, she was still far more conscious of her behavior than Zhao Lei was.

I guess personality played a role too—after all, Zhao Zhao in his original form was a dreadnought-class pervert. It was impossible for Zhao Lei to be completely unaffected.

“Actually, I have another theory…” Zhao Lei paused, then fixed me with a serious gaze.

“What if… I like you?”

A chill ran down my spine, and I stared at her in utter confusion. The problem was… she looked completely sincere.

Which was really bad.

She seemed to be thinking it through herself, before suddenly exclaiming, “Oh no, I think I really am in love with you!”

“Hold on! That’s way too sudden! Why?!”

What kind of development was this?! Where was the buildup?! When did I accidentally max out the Zhao Lei affection route?!

“Relax, just let me explain,” she said.

“I gave it some thought, and honestly, it makes sense. Back when we were both guys, neither of us were into dudes, so a romantic relationship was out of the question. But now…”

“You’re saying you turned into a girl and suddenly bent?”

Her eyes flicked up for a moment as if considering it, then she wagged a finger.

“See, that’s where you’ve got it wrong. You think I’ve bent, but I think I’m perfectly straight. I mean, I’m a girl, right? So liking a guy isn’t weird at all!” She flashed a mischievous grin.

“After all, the notebook adjusted my mindset. I am no longer attracted to girls anymore, so isn’t it natural that I’d fall for someone I’ve known my whole life? It all checks out!”

Put simply, an NPC with a very high affection rating suddenly became a romanceable character, and now the game was trying to force a true ending route…

Logically, it made sense. But emotionally, this was way too much.

Because to me, Zhao Lei was still that big dumbass who took a beating in my place.

She was my bro.

My emotions felt like a tangled mess.

“Don’t stress over it,” Zhao Lei said casually.

“I’m not expecting an answer from you or anything. I’m just being realistic—I know I’m going to change back eventually. It’s not like I plan on staying a girl forever.

But now that I’ve realized these feelings, I wanted to say them out loud. Because if I go back to being Zhao Zhao, I’ll never admit any of this.

At least for now… I want to enjoy this feeling of a heart-pounding crush.”

Zhao Lei was just a fleeting bloom—an ephemeral illusion within Zhao Zhao.

“…Thanks.”

“For what? For liking you?” She smirked. “Whatever, let’s play the game~”

She grabbed the controller and shuffled over a little, making space for me on the bed.



 

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