Chapter 254 - The Strongest Hero Becomes the Lowest Sage
In other words, what was about to begin now was a Lolipedo Inspection, using a JC as the litmus test for her own body—!
The overflowing sense of immorality left me speechless.
I was completely drained of strength, having lost all will to resist.
Part of it was following the premonition that not resisting might lead to something more fun, but it was also true that I was purely in shock.
I let it happen, letting Mano-chan squeeze my hands onto her breasts... making me stroke them.
Unlike Hayasaka-san's perfectly ripe melon I'd touched a few dozen minutes ago, these were unripe fruit.
As for my body's reaction to that sinful touch—
"Huh?"
—It wasn't reacting at all. Not even a little bit.
"Wha, why are you so surprised?"
"B-but... Nakamoto-san is supposed to be a bad adult who can casually devour even high school girls...!"
"Are you talking about me getting engaged to Rio? That actually has circumstances behind it too. I'm a normal guy who's only interested in women my own age, you know."
"I feel like that's probably a lie...!"
Still not fully trusting me, it seemed, Mano-chan took even bolder action.
She straddled me and pressed her lips to mine.
"..."
But this was... wasn't it just a cute little kiss, like a bird pecking at its feed?
Come on, this is just child's play. You think this is going to excite a grown man?
In the end, it's just a junior high school girl's technique. I was about to laugh it off, when—
"—!"
To my surprise, Mano-chan slipped the tip of her tongue inside.
She was trying to shove her Heisei-born, fresh tongue into my Showa-born mouth and transition into a deep kiss.
...Guilty.
No matter how skilled a lawyer you hired, it's guilty.
My mouth was instantly filled with the JC's saliva, spreading the sweet and poignant taste of compulsory education.
Deodorant. Blackboard erasers. The faintly visible outline of a bra hook beneath a white shirt. Every conceivable image associated with a fourteen-year-old girl surfaced in my mind, over and over, before fading away.
Even the breath that hit my nose felt somehow sweet...
Her innocent tongue movements were almost endearing...
She was so childish it made me want to protect her...
—Ah. I can say this with my chest puffed out.
What I'm feeling right now is the emotion "I have to scold this child" and the guilt of "I should turn myself in," it's definitely not sexual desire.
I don't get aroused by junior high school girls...!
"My strike zone has gotten completely loose and wide downward... but I'm not a pitcher who throws balls low enough to get horny over someone under sixteen, you know."
"I don't really get what you're saying, but are you really not a lolicon...?"
Mano-chan, who had pulled her lips away, looked at me with probing eyes.
"That made it clear, didn't it? I don't see you as a sexual object."
"...Then"
"Yeah. I am, without a doubt, a police collaborator. Buying Mano-chan was purely for protective purposes."
Tears welled up in the girl's eyes.
"...Can I really trust you?"
"No matter what happens, I'm on your side."
My sincerity seemed to get through to her, and Mano-chan started crying silently.
...Poor thing.
Using your body to test a man's true intentions isn't something you can just come up with on a whim.
She must have had similar experiences before, which is why she thought to do it.
She was probably forced by that shitty Oyaji... made to sell her body to people in the industry.
"It must have been hard."
I pulled Mano-chan's shoulder close and stroked her head soothingly.
Words weren't necessary. What this child needed now was a enveloping kind of Fatherhood.
"...I'm glad Nakamoto-san is a proper person."
"Right?"
"Hehe. I was prepared to lose my virginity here today, you know. I feel kind of relieved."
"Good thing I'm a mass of justice."
"Yeah... Nakamoto-san is a hero of justice, a normal adult who isn't interested in a child's body."
Well, if I were to reveal the secret, it's only working out because I'm in Sage Mode right now.
Actually, right before I left the apartment, I was washing Philia in the bath, and well, you know, I had an accidental discharge.
Philia was sane today, so while we were fooling around and chatting about old times, I got into a lover's mood... and before I knew it, my worldly desires were expelled against my will, resulting in a situation that made her overjoyed.
I didn't go so far as to cross the line, but I did everything else.
I wonder if I got about a month's worth of relief?
That's the reason I could stay unresponsive even when getting a tongue kiss from Mano-chan, who was wearing only a bath towel.
Honestly, I think I would have reacted normally if it were normal-time me, but there's no need to reveal such an inconvenient fact.
"Let's kill a bit more time and then get out of here."
"Okay!"
Mano-chan's eyes shone with a clear light directed at me. A light of innocent trust. A light that showed she completely believed in me.
"...Looking into your eyes, Nakamoto-san, makes me feel at ease. There's no desire anywhere in them. I can tell you're not getting any lewd feelings even when you're close to me."
"Haha. I'm a gentleman, after all."
"Just now..."
"Hm?"
"I'm sorry for trying to test you like that just now."
"Don't worry about it. Children are creatures that try to test adults. Everyone grows up that way."
"...You're not mad?"
"Why would I need to be mad?"
When I replied in a calm, composed voice, Mano-chan looked down shyly.
"...Can I ask why you're going this far for me?"
"Do you need a reason to help a girl?"
Girls smell nice, they're soft and feel good to touch, and they taste delicious.
They're like talking sweets.
If someone was kicking a cake right in front of you, anyone would stop them, right?
That's all there is to it.
I thought I said something pretty cool just now, but I feel like the inclusion of the word "taste" ruined the whole thing.
"Nakamoto-san is like someone who appears in a drama."
"Then are you the heroine?"
"...We're too far apart in age."
"So it was messed up from the casting stage. It's going to be a show with nothing worth watching except that the lead actress is cute."
"Are you serious?"
"Objectively speaking, I think you're a beautiful girl. If you were my age, I might have fallen for you."
"Ehh, but you didn't get excited by my body~" Mano-chan said with a shy smile.
...What the hell am I doing?
Am I, like, accurately closing the distance with an active junior high school girl, or naturally slipping into flirting mode?
Is it because I'm used to keeping junior high and high school girls in a good mood on a daily basis that I've fallen into a disability where I can only communicate like a boyfriend?
[Party Member Mano Suzuki's feelings towards Keisuke Nakamoto have changed from "Suspicion, Distrust" to "Trust, Infatuation"]
[Mano Suzuki's Affection Level has reached a level where sexual intercourse and marriage are possible]
[Will you designate Mano Suzuki as your spouse?]
I fucked up, I thought, looking up at the ceiling.
I've already raised the Affection Level of my co-star girls and female staff like this, turning every regular show I'm on into my own personal harem, and yet here I am, increasing the harem members again.
I almost let out a complaint like "I don't even know how to make girls hate me anymore!" but I knew that from the general public's perspective, it would only be met with "Huh? Go die," so I decided to hold it in.