I Love Love, Really Love You, so I Want To Tell You How Much I Love Being With You

Chapter 1 - I want to experience the first time with you! - Part 1

I, Ouga Aoi (a freshman in high school), have an incredibly beautiful girl in my class. The girl’s name? Eija Pikkarainen. She’s a foreign exchange student from Finland, a Nordic country.

I dare to repeat: she’s beautiful. Out-of-this-world beautiful. You see, there’s many good-looking girls in this world. For example, you may think that someone in your school is pretty, or that some random girl you see walking down the streets is cute. However, Eija isn’t in the same dimension as these girls. No, she’s not 2D. I’d say she’s about 2.5D… but that’s not what I mean. What I mean is that she’s on a whole ‘nother level. 

Look, what I’m trying to say is that Eija is drop-dead gorgeous. Silky silver hair, cerulean eyes, and snow-white skin, paired with an alluring figure, a slim face, and long legs. By the way, her chest was quite sizable. Definitely no slouch there. Completely different vibe from the Japanese. If I were to describe her, I’d say she’s probably like a… snow fairy? Ice goddess? Or maybe… an elf princess?

Though, it’s not just her appearance that reminds me of snow and ice. 

A girl approaches her seat (which is diagonally behind mine, by the way).

 “Excuse me, Eija-san. May I have a word?” 

It’s Hinata Hanamiya, the caring, smart, and talented class president. She has long black hair in a slightly curly haircut, the very model of her position. I presume that she’s concerned about how Eija isn’t very sociable at school.

“Eija-san, just so you know, if you have any problems or questions, feel free to ask me.” 

“Okay.” 

The conversation is over. 

“Eija-san, would you like to have lunch with us? We all want to get to know you.” 

“No thank you.”

A textbook cold response. Cold like ice water with salt. No straws to grasp at, no islands to swim to. And even if there were, the islands were icebergs. 

However, Hanamiya remains positive. 

“She answered to me today. I wonder if she’s in a good mood or something.” 

Usually, Eija would just reply with a silent, cold stare. Those guys who hit on her ‘cause of her appearance were murdered with that deadly glare. I am so sorry for you guys…

Due to her attitude, Eija is treated like an exhibit by everyone but Hanamiya. Sure, they seem curious about her, but none of them directly approach her anymore. The accepted paradigm of a foreign exchange student is for them to socialize and broaden their horizons. Although university transfer students may study abroad for their academic studies and research, we were high school students, and that’s why people are probably so confused by her aloof nature. That led some of us to go research about Finnish people, and guess what we found? Apparently, a common theory about them is that they are quiet, introverted, cold, and that they rarely laugh. At this point, that’s common knowledge at our school. 

Just to be sure, I did check out some books, but that led me to similar conclusions. No wonder the Finnish F1 world champion racer is nicknamed “The Iceman.” Eija typically had a blank expression on her face; I don’t think she’s even shown a smile at school since she transferred. And due to this, she’s nicknamed the “Ice Elf.” Oh, and also, some people theorize that perhaps she doesn’t understand Japanese well. 

But boy are they wrong. 

“Hey, did you do the new Inu Musume event?”

“Bro, I gotta cop that limited-edition character! West Sun Flag, I think it was?” 

“Because you can see her boobs?”

“No! Forums say that it’s a good character!”

The people talking openly about these things aren’t exactly otakus, but simply guys who wanted to try trending stuff.

“Hm? Are you guys talking about Inu Musume?”

Suddenly, handsome self-proclaimed otaku Kai Toyama interrupted them. Since the school is pretty lax about its dress code, Toyama dyed his hair brown and wears all sorts of accessories. Well, sometimes he does get warned by the teacher, but that dude can’t read the mood for shit. Or rather, he’s just so unnecessarily positive about everything that he couldn’t care less about the teachers’ warnings.

“Y’know, with how hot this character is and her Parisian personality, she’s the last type of girl for you shady dudes. I didn’t even try to get her, but of course, I pulled her. And now she’s fully maxed. What characters are you guys leveling? Show me! I’ll show you what I have!”

Those poor guys… forced to listen to Toyama endlessly boast…

Well, I’m not gonna get too close to danger… it’s none of my business, after all. 

Right as I thought of that, the inside of my uniform buzzed. I pull my phone out of my inner pocket and notice a notification from my messages.

[Ouga, Ogre!] Don’t call me such a creature…

[What is Inu Musume?] There it is, as expected.

[Don’t think you’ve heard of it, but it’s a really popular gacha game based on dog girl racing.”

[I’m very curious about it!] I only know the title and the outline of the game…I don’t think I’ll be of any help as of now… That’s why I’m going to be busy tonight…

“Class is about to start. Take your seats!”

The homeroom teacher, Mirai Komiyama-sensei, came into the classroom. Female. In her twenties. Single. Passionate teacher, but quiet. Not particularly popular with the students.

She doesn’t seem concerned about her appearance, as she shows up typically with a dowdy haircut, glasses, and a suit she probably bought at a thrift stop. And though it is a common trope to have guys falling for their female teachers, I haven’t heard any stories from them about her. Some girls say that Sensei just polished up, she will be all shiny and sparkly and whatnot, but I doubt the validity in those words. Toyama continues to chatter relentlessly, but eventually he returns to his seat.

I, too, put away my phone, which was still receiving messages.

The afternoon classes pass by in a blur, and our dismissal bell rings.

 “Oh, Eija-san! If you want, we can walk home together.”

The Ice Elf dashes out of the classroom without looking back at President Hanamiya.

She must’ve been in high spirits to do the well-respected Hanamiya dirty like that. Well, maybe she instinctively felt a sense of danger?

Thinking about this, I sling my bag over my shoulder and leave my seat. 

“Hey, Aoi. We don’t have club activities today. Wanna hang out after school?”

Oops, there’s an invitation for me too.

“I’m sorry, but I have some business to attend to today.”

“You’ve been so distant lately… did you get a girlfriend?”

“No, of course not. See you later.”

It has already been two months since I entered high school. I have managed to resist the idea of all high school students having to join some school club, as I still attend the go-home club every day. I’ve been very busy these days. I had to run errands, you see. By train and bus, it takes slightly less than an hour to get back home.

As my parents both work late, none of them will be home at this hour. But when I open the door, I hear footsteps coming from the back of the house.

“It’s Ouga! I’ve been waiting for you! Moi!” 

“Moi” means “hello” in Finnish. “Moi moi,” on the other hand, means “goodbye.” It’s a pretty unique language.

A beautiful girl with silver hair and blue eyes appears right in front of me. 

In all honesty, she looks like she could live in a fantasy castle or a luxurious European mansion, but in reality, she lives here, in this ordinary house. I’ve gotten used to it, but sometimes I still wonder if I’ve been isekai’d. The beautiful girl playfully jumps up and down, unable to wait.

“I left the classroom first and ran to the station!” 

“Just what I expected from an elf, you’re fast. Just like in Lord of the Kings.” 

TLN: Lord of The Rings reference(?)

Yes, the one with the excited expression and dazzling smile was the Ice Elf, who, just an hour or so ago, ignored the President’s kind invitation in the classroom. 

Who is she? Eija Pikkarainen, a foreign exchange student in my class.

This is her true personality. The face that only I know about. 

“Let’s play Inu Musume!”

She reminds me of a puppy who’s happy to see their master return. I can almost see the small ears growing out of her head and her tail wagging in excitement. 

“Come on in. It’s my house, after all.”

Eija prances up the stairs, stops, and turns around to make sure I was following her. Okay, she really reminds me of a puppy now. It’s pretty hard to look at her from this angle, considering I’m worried about seeing inside her skirt. 

Surely, anyone would be absolutely swooned after seeing her like this, right? Or they’d think she’s being impersonated by someone else or something. Controlled by aliens, maybe? 

She leads me into the room, and as a matter of course, helps me out of my jacket.

“Thanks, but you don’t have to.”

Not gonna lie, it’s a bit like being newlyweds.

“But then we can start playing sooner!”

She’s actually probably just suspicious that I might not play with her and instead start doing something else…

Eija hangs my jacket on the hanger with a strange deftness and then sits down next to me, clearly waiting for something.

She looks at me silently and quizzically tilts her head.

I look her right in the eye. 

“…Eija, I need to change my pants.”

“Yes, I will press them well and get rid of the wrinkles. I also want to thank you for taking care of me during my stay.”

Hm… I appreciate it, but you really don’t need to be this formal with me. 

“You being here makes it kinda awkward to take off my pants…”

“H-Huh?”

Eija blushes red and shyly leaves the room.. 

I change into my loungewear and go over to her room.

On a side note, I think the quality of my casual clothes have drastically improved in the past month. Well, that’s to be expected. Before, I didn’t exactly put much thought or effort into my fit. But now, there’s a beautiful girl in the house. Y’all get me.

“Eija?”

I knock on the door and it slides open, revealing her peeking face. Her cheeks reddens instantly.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to watch you…”

Well… she is the clumsy type, after all. When she’s preoccupied with something, she doesn’t really notice anything else. Though, since she doesn’t interact with anyone at school, no one can really tell. 

“If you wanted to play so badly, why didn’t you just start first?”

“Eh?”

Eija mopes with frowning sad eyes. 

“I’m sorry…I couldn’t do anything on my own…” 

…I have a bad feeling about this!

Eija tries to force a smile as she gets teary-eyed. 

“I can barely find my way to school and back… I get lost when I’m alone.. I can’t even go shopping because I can’t talk to the clerks… and now, I can’t even do my otaku activities… sorry, sorry, I’m sorry.”

Her head is drooped over so much that all I can see is the top of her head. Though in the eyes of everyone, Eija is a beautiful girl, she has low self-esteem. 

Her communication disorder is basically at the level of anthropophobia at this point, and at school, it seems to cancel out her good qualities. As we have already seen, Eija is shy, introverted, and has stage fright. At school, she feels stress in the presence of others. I’d compare her to a new military recruit thrown into a battle where bullets come firing from unknown directions. People like her may always remain expressionless, silent, and unmotivated. 

TLN: Anthropophobia is the fear of humans.

How can someone even think of studying abroad with this kind of fear? 

Her passion.

Her passion that brought her to Japan, genuine, can allow her to overcome her mental blocks. I respect that. At the very least, I don’t have that kind of passion. Reality, however, is harsher. She depends on me for basically everything. It’s not a good habit for her, is it?

But— 

“No, no! I’m glad you’ve been waiting for me! It’s more fun to do things together than alone! 

“…Really?”

“Of course! Have I ever lied to you?”

Eija looks up and wipes her tears.

“Well, Ouga would never lie to me since he’s my hero!” 

For some reason, my chest aches, as if I did something wrong.

“Anyways, you’re ready, right? For Inu Musume, I mean.” 

“Yes, please tell me about it!”

With a sparkle in her blue eyes, she invites me into her room. I have promised to my parents and Eija’s parents that I will never enter her room, but there are always exceptions. Plus, Eija’s the one who asked me to come in? Will I refuse? No, of course not.

Her room has been transformed from a storage room to the current girly room. The interior is decorated cutely with dainty, fashionable Nordic furniture and sundries. On top of that, the scent is nothing like the dusty storage room before. It makes me remember the day when Eija and I went out to pick out the furniture. 

Going into her room is slightly embarrassing,  especially when it makes us seem like newlyweds. But it’s bad for my heart. 

“What’s wrong?” 

I broke out of my daydream and coughed lightly.

“Ahh… I‘d teach you how to play, but I’m new to Inu Musume too, you know?” 

But Eija clasps her hands togethering with a sparkling positivity.

“We’re going to have our first time together then!” 

What’s with that phrasing… But her smile makes me feel all warm inside, so it’s okay. 

Gap moe! That difference between how she is now and her blank face at school. I may just get KO’d any second now. 

“Then please sit over here.” 

Eija sits down on the bed and places her hand on the space next to her. As usual, she’s completely not self-aware. My sense of reason is always being tested when I’m by her. 

I sit down on the bed, trying my hardest not to be too conscious of her. Don’t think about the fact that this is where Eija sleeps every night! 

“I’m very curious about this game…I want to experience it for the first time with Ouga!”

Again! I’m gonna melt…

“Well… shall we start?”

Eija leans close to me. What’s with her sudden attack? Why are we sitting so close together, again?

“Um… I can’t see Ouga’s screen very well.”

“Oh, you mean we’re going to be playing on the same phone?” 

“I’m new to this, so wouldn’t it be easier for us to understand each other if we were looking at the same screen? I think that way, we won’t miss anything and we can catch all the details!”

“That’s… sure.”

I know that Eija doesn’t have any strange motives for that. I must have looked a bit too depressed, because she looks over at me with a worried expression on her face.

“Do… you dislike it?”

Of course I don’t dislike it; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. I just can’t help but be worried. I could smell her nice scent and feel her heat. When Eija gets hooked, she tends to get very close. She is usually very conscious of her distance from other people, but not while playing games.

Finns are said to value personal space very highly, and this is especially true for Eija. Just looking at a crowded train makes her face turn pale blue.

But when it comes to otaku activities with me, she doesn’t even notice when our bodies touch. On the other hand, I can only focus on our points of touch… the softness of Eija’s body. It takes  an incredible mental fortitude in order to direct my attention back to the game. 

“That’s how it is… after all, you want to enjoy the game by yourself, right?”

Since when did Eija revert back to her Ice Elf mode? 

“No, I don’t mind. Let’s get started.”

Peace of mind. A deep breath. And another. And another… Let’s do this. And with a tap of a button, the download and installation began.