After deciding to give up, I became popular

“Eriri, what are you doing here?”

“Eek!” The little blonde girl jumped in fright. She turned around in a panic, and only after seeing it was K奏 Natsukawa奏 did she breathe a sigh of relief, but the nervous look on her face remained. “奏, 奏… Th-there’s, there’s a ghost!”

“...Huh? A ghost?” Natsukawa奏 looked blankly around, not noticing anything strange. He asked her in confusion, “Are you seeing things?”

“N-no way!” Eriri stammered back. “There’s a pair of skeleton feet under that curtain over there.”

Natsukawa奏 followed the direction Eriri was pointing, and was surprised to actually see a pair of pale human foot bones under the curtain.

Huh? There really is a ghost? Could this be a world with supernatural phenomena?

More importantly, it’s not even 4 PM yet. The sun is still bright outside. A ghost that can appear in broad daylight must be a very vicious evil spirit, right?! Is this something they can handle?

“Wait, don’t move.”

Natsukawa奏 had been frowning, but as he looked closer, he suddenly noticed that it wasn’t just a pair of foot bones. He could vaguely make out a human-shaped outline behind the curtain.

Then, as a breeze blew through, the curtain fluttered, revealing a white skeleton leaning silently against the wall, not moving at all.

“……”

Great, it’s not a ghost, but a “skeleton monster.”

And a low-level, cannon fodder monster at that, Natsukawa奏 thought.

“S-skeleton monster!”

Seeing the white skeleton hiding in the corner, Eriri trembled, as if an electric current surged from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. She frantically grabbed Natsukawa奏’s arm, with tears welling up in her eyes.

Natsukawa奏 couldn’t help but feel speechless. What’s there to be afraid of about this kind of thing? It’s a low-level monster without weapons or armor, one punch should be enough!

And the most important thing is…

“Don’t move, open your eyes and take a closer look.” Natsukawa奏 pointed at the skeleton hidden behind the curtain.

“I, I can’t, I’m so scared.” Eriri shook her head frantically, not daring to look at it again.

“……” Natsukawa奏 sighed. “Shouldn’t you look carefully when you’re scared? If it were real, you wouldn’t be able to escape.”

Eriri tilted her head, looking at him with confusion.

Natsukawa奏 gestured with his lips, signaling her to see for herself: “It’s better if you see it with your own eyes.”

He was too kind-hearted to laugh at this timid little blonde. If it were Kasumigaoka-senpai here, Eriri would probably never be able to hold her head up again.

With his repeated encouragement, Eriri finally turned her head and began to carefully examine this “skeleton monster.”

It wasn't rusty or covered in bloodstains, and its teeth weren't yellowed like those of a long-time smoker. Instead, it was dazzlingly white, whiter than most girls' skin.

“……” Eriri opened her mouth, finding it hard to speak.

She finally realized what it was. This wasn't a skeleton monster at all! It was a skeleton model! The kind of plastic skeleton used for specimens!

As if to prove that it was indeed harmless, Natsukawa奏 even went forward and gently pulled the skeleton model's arm, shaking it slightly.

“See? There are even moving screws at the joints. What else could it be but a specimen?”

Eriri immediately looked embarrassed. Although she was still a little flustered and scared, she couldn't refute the ironclad facts.

“I, I was just worried…”

“……” Natsukawa奏 chuckled, but didn't mock her further. After all, Eriri’s timidity was normal. She was the type who would get scared and lost running around in a small haunted house.

“So, why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be at club activities?” Natsukawa奏 asked curiously. He had left after going to the student council.

He wanted to go back now because everyone else in the student council had things to do, leaving him alone and restless.

“Oh, about that…” Eriri drawled out, then flashed a very cute smile, her sparkling canine teeth shining brightly. “Because I won a major prize in the school’s art competition, after today, I have the right to use this storage room!”

She was clearly waiting to be praised, so Natsukawa奏 decisively reached out and stroked the little blonde’s head to comfort her.

“You did a great job, as expected of you.”

243. Eriri: Bold but Not Careful

The school was quite generous, giving Eriri a separate small room, or rather, allocating it to the art club as an activity room. Natsukawa奏 knew this very well because he had handled it before. But he didn’t expect the right to use it to fall to the little blonde. It seemed the ace of the art club title wasn’t just for show.

However, because it was originally a storage room, there was a lot of stuff piled up here. It would be quite troublesome to clean it all up quickly. The art club probably considered this factor. Plus, their original activity space was already big enough. Their president probably thought cleaning was too much of a hassle and gave up the right to use it, also as a reward for Eriri.

“So, you came here to check out your spoils… or are you actually planning to start cleaning seriously?” Natsukawa奏 asked curiously.

Knowing Eriri’s personality, she would probably put this off for as long as possible. It was extremely difficult to get her to be diligent. This little blonde was probably only diligent in the field of drawing, where she didn’t need to be urged to work hard.

“What kind of look is that? So mean!” Eriri retorted. “It’s not like I never do any work. I do my duty in class every day.”

“That’s different.” Natsukawa奏 retorted. “If you didn’t even want to do that, your idea of maintaining a well-behaved young lady image would have fallen apart long ago.”

Eriri pouted, a little wanting to ignore him. However, this emotion didn’t last long before another thought occupied her entire mind—since she was already here, why not have 奏 help her clean up too?

For her, this kind of opportunity was rare. Although working would be tiring, if she was doing it with someone she liked, it wouldn’t feel boring. It would also give her the feeling that she was finally in the same class as 奏, like they were doing duty together after school.

Without delay, she decisively said: “Hmph, in light of your disrespectful remarks just now, I’m going to punish you to work together… If you refuse, then you’re just a lazy person.”

Natsukawa奏 raised an eyebrow, thinking that this was different. It wasn’t his responsibility to begin with. But since Eriri had so “invited” him, and he had nothing to do next, helping out was no problem.

“Okay, I’ll let you see the power of the labor immortal.” Natsukawa奏 patted his chest. Although he said that, the housework at home had long been taken care of by the angel. He really hadn’t done any labor in a long time. Fortunately, cleaning this storage room didn’t require any advanced skills. He just needed to move the useless things out, sweep, and mop the floor.

It was just pure physical labor, which was no problem for him.

After confirming that he would help, Natsukawa奏 put down his bag and prepared to fetch a bucket of water first, letting Eriri decide what to move out in the meantime.

“See if there’s anything you need. You can keep it if you want. Pick out the things you don’t need, and I’ll move them to another room later.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll check first.” Eriri nodded repeatedly.

“Alright, I’ll go get a bucket of water.” Natsukawa奏 nodded slightly.

There was no need to elaborate on the process of getting water. In any case, he returned to the storage room peacefully. But just as he put the bucket down at the door and opened the door, a black shadow suddenly flashed, and a petite and adorable girl was in his arms.

“Eriri?” Natsukawa奏 looked at the girl in his arms in confusion.

They had only been separated for a moment. There was no need to be so excited, right?

“There’s a ghost!” Eriri was teary-eyed, her face pale with nervousness. “I just saw that skeleton move! I’m sure I didn’t see it wrong!”

“……” Natsukawa奏 sighed silently.

He understood that she was afraid of these things, but this was too cowardly and funny. This state was clearly a case of suspecting the neighbor of stealing the axe, with preconceived notions influencing her brain’s normal judgment, causing her to unconsciously think in the direction of the supernatural.

“Then stay away from it. I’ll take care of the cleaning over there, okay?” Natsukawa奏 comforted softly.

After being suddenly shocked, he had subconsciously reached out and accidentally supported Eriri’s little butt. Now he felt that it probably couldn’t really be described as “little” anymore.

If Kasumigaoka-senpai’s “big” was reflected in her broad-mindedness, then Eriri’s “big” was probably reflected in her super ability to take up space. Perhaps… no, definitely bigger than Senpai.

And not just in that aspect. After taking a light breath, he only felt a sweet fragrance wafting over, a sweetness with a hint of fruit. If he sniffed carefully, it felt more like a floral scent. No wonder girls were more popular with mosquitoes. It seemed they really did smell much better than boys.

Eriri was also quite petite. When she hung on his neck, her feet could barely touch the ground. He had to help her maintain balance. Just as he was about to put her down, an inappropriate third voice suddenly sounded from behind.

“Excuse me, I came to see…”

The two turned around and saw a girl Natsukawa奏 didn’t recognize standing at the door, covering her mouth with one hand, and pointing at them while stuttering.

“Th-that… I was sent by the president to see how the cleaning is going… N-no, I didn’t know you were… Sorry! I’m disturbing you!”

After saying the last sentence, she ran away, even thoughtfully closing the door on her way out.

The two turned back to each other, looking at each other for a moment. Then Eriri finally reacted, her cheeks turning red. She stammered, “Q-quickly, put me down…”

Natsukawa奏 naturally did as she said, then raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

“My hands didn’t move randomly. I was just afraid you’d fall and hurt yourself.”

He had to explain, but whether Eriri believed him was up to her.

“……” The little blonde didn’t speak, of course, she couldn’t say anything at the moment. She pursed her lips, nervously putting her hands behind her back, covering the area that he had covered before. Her little brain couldn’t stop thinking about it, and her whole body began to heat up, her brain feeling feverish, as if she would faint in the next second.

If it had been before, she would have really been confused, but after several intimate contacts, her body had actually developed some resistance, and she was actually able to calm her mind at this moment.

“I, I’m going to the restroom first!” Eriri’s eyes darted around, and without waiting for Natsukawa奏’s response, she fled the room.

“……”

Natsukawa奏 scratched his head, of course not choosing to chase after her. He needed to calm down at this time. Chasing after her wouldn’t help.

He waited alone in the storage room for a long time, even almost finishing the entire cleaning task by himself, before Eriri finally arrived late, appearing at the door.

Looking at Natsukawa奏 constantly moving his hands and feet, and then looking at the room that had been almost completely cleaned, she felt a sense of shame, accompanied by some annoyance. She had clearly prepared to enjoy the process of working together, but she hadn’t participated at all. And 奏 came back as soon as she finished cleaning, wouldn’t it seem like she was slacking off?

That wouldn’t do! She really didn’t want to slack off this time.

In any case, Eriri felt that today couldn’t end like this, so she pursed her lips and firmly said: “Thank you for your hard work, 奏! You must be very tired, right? Let me give you a massage!”

Natsukawa奏 could feel her determination, because her eyes were shining with a firm light, so he nodded to her and said: “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

He had let Eriri help him massage before, but at that time the focus was on taking care of his face. Although it wasn’t a very professional technique, it did make him feel a little relaxed, so he readily agreed this time.

“Okay, okay, then quickly lie down.” Eriri patted the table.

So Natsukawa奏 was silent, and after a long time, he finally managed to say a word: “L-lie down?”

“Yes, how else can I give you a massage?” Eriri looked like it was only natural.

Natsukawa奏 was even more speechless, and after being silent for a long time, he asked: “Can’t I just sit? It’s enough to massage my shoulders and back, right?”

“Of course not!” Eriri shook her head, her attitude a bit firm. “I’ve already let you do all the cleaning, how can I let you only enjoy a half-hearted massage? Of course, I’ll massage your thighs and everything else too.”

Natsukawa奏: “……”

No… it’s not like you needed to go that far, right? To be honest, he initially thought it would just be a simple shoulder rub, but he didn't expect it to be so "professional." But what kind of mindset does an R-18 artist have to learn something like this? Is it to better understand the human body?

"Don't just stand there blankly, hurry, hurry, lie down on the table!" Eriri suddenly urged.

Xia Chuanzou had no choice and couldn't resist her, so he obediently did as he was told.

Just in case, he checked the door again and was slightly relieved to find it was indeed closed tightly.

Although they weren't going to do anything weird… okay, lying on the table for a massage is pretty weird, and although this place is unlikely to be entered by anyone, you never know if something like what happened just now might happen again? In short, it's more convenient to close the door first, which can prevent some curious people from coming in to find out.

Following Eriri's instructions, Xia Chuanzou slowly lay down on the tables put together. Although he felt a little uncomfortable no matter how he adjusted his posture, he decided to endure it to satisfy Eriri's expectations. Fortunately, Eriri still had some sense and didn't ask him to take off his clothes before starting the massage.

After a while, Xia Chuanzou actually felt his body relax a little. However, this wasn't actually due to Eriri's massage itself, or rather—this help was actually very minimal, because Eriri's strength was too weak. Although he could feel that she was seriously massaging him, and her technique seemed quite professional, her strength was indeed too weak. It felt like she was just stroking his back. It was more like tickling than massaging.

And because he was only wearing a summer school uniform, the heat from Eriri's small hands was almost undiminished through the clothes. Coupled with her slightly gentle movements, it really felt ticklish, and he almost couldn't help but laugh several times.

"Um, why don't you use a little more strength?" Xia Chuanzou reminded her. "Maybe my shoulders are too stiff, making it hard to feel…"

"Okay, I got it." Eriri nodded hesitantly, looking a little embarrassed.

She actually felt it too. When her little hands moved on Zou's body, she felt the difference between boys and girls. At home, she basically practiced on her mother, and her mother would complain that it was too heavy even if she used a little force. But when she was massaging Zou, she was clearly using all her strength, but it always felt like she couldn't move him at all.

And leaning to the side is indeed not very good for exerting force. Perhaps it's also because her skills are not good enough?

"Uh… a little more strength?" Xia Chuanzou suggested again.

"…" Eriri was really helpless this time, and after hesitating for a long time, she finally slowly said, "Then wait a moment, I'll go get a chair."

"Ah? Oh, okay." Xia Chuanzou nodded, thinking that sitting on a chair would make it easier to exert force.

But after Eriri brought the chair back, she suddenly said, "Don't move around, so I can sit on it."

"…"

Sit on it? What? What does you sitting on a chair have to do with whether I move or not?

Xia Chuanzou was a little confused, but he was ready to do as she said.

But just as he was preparing himself, he suddenly heard a strange noise behind him, "Eh yo, eh yo," as if someone was panting from exhaustion after climbing a mountain. Just as he was wondering, the back of his waist suddenly came into contact with a soft touch, followed by a sudden sense of weight, all pressing down on him.

"…"

No? If he guessed correctly… Eriri wouldn't have climbed up and sat on him, would she? What is she trying to do?!

"Don't move around, okay? I'm afraid I'll fall off if I don't sit still." Eriri was still unaware, and even reminded him not to move.

Xia Chuanzou was really speechless this time, and as he thought, his desire to complain had already broken through the sky.

However, someone was faster than him. Almost as soon as he was about to tell her to get down, the storage room door was opened again for the third time, still with that familiar voice, and even the tone revealed speechlessness—