(Issei's Pov)
I was currently running at full speed through the after-school building with my friends Matsuda and Motohama. What? Why am I doing such a thing? Hahaha, well that's...
"Wait! Hyoudou Issei!"
"You perverted trio! Today I'll finally finish you off!"
Obviously to escape from the two girls chasing us at terrifying speed from behind!
Matsuda, running alongside me, turned his face toward me.
"Hey Issei! You're being personally called out by girls! Stop right now and deal with them!"
"Are you telling me to die!? Besides, those aren't girls! They're demons!"
Chasing us with bamboo swords in hand and expressions like asuras are Murayama and Katase from the same class. Both belong to the kendo club. Damn it, why do we have to suffer such unreasonable treatment!
"Damn, I never thought those two would catch us peeping!"
"That's because you guys were talking too loud!"
No, sorry, correction. It's probably our own fault nine times out of ten. We peeped at the girls' kendo club room. That's why those two are chasing us. But it couldn't be helped! We just couldn't suppress our passion!
I... Hyoudou Issei am a second-year at Kuoh Academy. This academy is a former all-girls school, and the gender ratio has more girls. Yes, that was the reason I entered this school.
I want to spend time with lots of girls! Just for that, I broke through the supposedly difficult entrance exam and am here now. I'm going to create my own harem at this academy!
However, reality was cruel. Far from a harem, I couldn't even deepen relationships with girls. I mean, those girls look at me like I'm trash. And before I knew it, I was being called part of the "perverted trio" along with my classmates Matsuda and Motohama. It's terrible - we were just lending each other erotic books and AVs in the classroom.
In the first place, sexual desire is one of the three great human desires and is important, right? Even the girls who look at us coldly have sexual desires. That innocent-looking girl and that cool girl might be comforting their heated bodies night after night, right? Ah, crap, imagining it made my son...
"Issei! Your running looks gross!"
"Leave me alone!"
A-anyway! I'm just being honest with my heart! I want to grope breasts and suck nipples too. No matter what anyone says, I won't compromise on that!
Besides, though we're always being despised, it's not like we don't have any allies at all.
"! Issei! Over there!"
After turning the corner, Motohama pointed ahead. There was the back of the person I was just thinking about. I shouted that person's name without hesitation.
"Kanzaki-senpai!"
Responding to my voice, senpai turned around. His face looked like he had expected us to come.
This person is third-year Kanzaki Ryouma-senpai. Along with the two great onee-samas Rias Gremory-senpai and Himejima Akeno-senpai, he's probably a super-famous person that everyone in this academy knows. Handsome face with a cool but caring personality, smart and good at all sports. It's like he's some perfect superhuman. Yeah, when someone's this perfect, I don't even feel like being jealous.
Thanks to that, he's called "Kuoh Academy's Reliable Big Brother," playing off Rias-senpai and Akeno-senpai's titles. He seems confused by being called that, but I find it oddly convincing. Somehow, senpai seems very mature - there are times I wonder if he's really only one year older than me...
"Ah, so it's you guys after all."
"S-senpai! Please help us! We're being chased!"
"I caught up to you... guys..."
"Give up..."
Murayama and Katase came right up to us, but both widened their eyes upon seeing Kanzaki-senpai and instantly changed from their previous asura faces to maiden faces. I don't need to confirm it, but these two are also fans of Kanzaki-senpai.
"H-hello, senpai."
Murayama was clearly nervous. To her, senpai returned the greeting with his usual cool expression.
"Hello. What are you doing with bamboo swords?"
"Eh!? Ah, that's... well..."
She's troubled, troubled. Well, of course. She couldn't possibly say with a straight face that she brought them to beat us up to her admired senpai.
"R-right! We were going to practice swings outside! We thought it wouldn't be bad to swing swords while feeling nature sometimes...!"
"I see. You're dedicated to your club activities."
"S-so we'll be going!"
"E-excuse us!"
Bowing deeply, the two left as if escaping. Phew, we somehow got saved.
"...So, what did you do this time?"
Senpai, who had seen off Murayama and the others, turned toward us. When I explained the situation, senpai showed a wry smile as if exasperated.
Actually, senpai has protected us like this many times. Other guys don't protect us - once they warn us, they don't say anything more as if telling us to do whatever we want. But senpai is different. He protects us like this and warns us every single time. Thinking about it again, isn't someone who seriously faces us like this quite precious?
"I think I've said this before, but you guys should exercise more self-restraint."
"B-but senpai! Unlike you, we have no choice but to satisfy the beast within us like this!"
At Motohama's appeal, Matsuda and I nodded as if in complete agreement. Then, for some reason, senpai tilted his head curiously.
"You seem to be misunderstanding, but I don't have a girlfriend either."
"WHAT!?"
"What... the hell..."
Unlike the two who were stunned, I somehow felt convinced. He's too perfect to approach... Yeah, the girls probably see senpai like an idol on TV. Like "I'm satisfied just watching"?
"Wh-what a waste! If I were senpai, I'd do all the r18 things with girls every day!"
"Yeh yeh me too, I will have all the cute girls serving me like this and that>.>…"
Th-these guys, are they really saying this in front of him!? Look! Even senpai's face, who rarely gets flustered, is slightly twitching! D-dangerous, if we anger senpai, not just him but all his female fans will target our lives!
"H-hey! We should get going too!"
"Hm? Ah, right. Well then, senpai, excuse us."
"Speaking of which, Matsuda. I heard you got some new AV recently. Let's have a viewing party for the first time in a while."
"Oh, sounds good! Then come to my place! Issei, you're coming too, right?"
"I-I got it! I got it, so let's get away from here as quickly as possible!"
"Ah, right. If you'd like, senpai too..."
"Gaaaah! Enough!"
I grabbed both of their necks and started running at full speed again. I can hear "It hurts!" and "It's chafing!" but this isn't the time to worry about that. If word spreads that we tried to involve senpai, it'll be seriously bad.
And so, we disappeared from senpai's sight...
(Issei's Pov end)
"...Sigh… those guys."
While watching the three leave, I muttered quietly. Their reputation reached my ears, despite being in a different grade, right after I came to this academy.
They say they constantly talk about breasts.
They say they brazenly take upskirt photos of girls.
They say they can discern girls' three sizes just by looking through glasses.
Their nickname is the perverted trio. I think in a way, they're amazing for not breaking their stance despite being called that. ...Well, I don't want to follow their example. Look, I think it's natural for guys to be interested in girls, right? But there's a limit to everything. I'm seriously worried they might end up in the care of national authorities soon.
Why am I worried about such guys? That's certainly true. But somehow those three... especially Issei, I can't help but be concerned about. That's because he closely resembles a friend from my previous life. Always thinking about girls, always chasing girls' butts, always seeking encounters with girls. Ah, are they all the same?
He even looks somewhat similar. That friend got fired after just three months at his job due to sexual harassment issues. ...Wait? Isn't this bad? Isn't this a flag?
"...Same as always, those people."
While vividly imagining Issei in handcuffs, a girl emerged from the shadows with a thoroughly exasperated expression. Wait, why is Koneko here?
"I smelled Kanzaki-senpai's scent."
She's first-year Toujou Koneko. A girl popular with both boys and girls as the academy's mascot-like existence. She doesn't talk much, but she's not emotionless. Rather, about that line just now - do I really have such a strong body odor? If so, I'll go buy deodorant spray right away.
But I think she was like this when I first met her too. When she said "I smelled a nostalgic scent," I wanted to scream that I don't remember burning incense! But apparently that wasn't it either. I don't get it.
Since then, for some reason, she seemed to have taken a liking to me. I was happy to become acquainted with such a cute girl. ...Let me say this - I'm not a lolicon. It's like having a little sister figure.
"Senpai, going to the library again?"
"Hmm? That's right, but..."
"I see. Then I'll be going."
Bowing politely, Koneko left. Hmm, what did she come for? Well, no point worrying about it.
After that, I studied in the library for about an hour and went home. Opening the front door, I could see Kuroka trotting over from the living room.
"I'm home, Kuroka."
Saying that and petting her head, Kuroka made a sweet "meow" sound. Ah, so healing. I wasn't particularly a cat lover, but now I've completely become one. Kuroka, what a fearsome kitty!
I think Kuroka has gotten quite attached to me this past year. Sometimes she disappears for a while, but they say cats are whimsical, and she always comes back home properly in the end, so that's fine.
Also, sometimes when I wake up in the morning, she's somehow snuck into my bed. That itself is very welcome, but when that happens, I always have the same dream for some reason. The content involves embracing a cat-eared beauty in kimono, burying my face in her breasts, or conversely having that beauty bury her face in my chest - the sensation of touching skin feels strangely real for a dream. And when I wake up, Kuroka is next to me. ...Could it be that I'm so sexually frustrated that I'm even getting aroused by a cat? But since becoming this body, thanks to Al-Van's iron will working, I haven't felt that way even once. That might be a problem in itself though...
"...No point worrying about it."
Coincidence. Yes, just coincidence. I stopped thinking about it further, picked up Kuroka, and headed to the living room. Now, what should I do for dinner today...