My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty - Chapter 125



124. Aki’s Healing Time…? (2)

It’s not for me to sing my own praises, but I’m a pretty cool guy.

If my girlfriend happens to fancy some actor, as long as she loves only me, that’s all that matters, I reckon. Because between ‘like’ and ‘love’ there’s a gap as wide as heaven and earth.

If you can’t even tolerate a little crush, you’re disqualified as a boyfriend, aren’t you? If I made a fuss about that, I might as well retreat into the mountains and live alone.

Right.

That’s what I should do…

“Wow…. Just wow…. Those veins are insane….”

“…….”

“Gosh, isn’t that a little too close up…?!”

“…….”

“Oh my, oh my…!”

“…….”

For some reason, this time it felt… unsettling.

No, it pricked at my nerves just a little. A very little bit.

Aki’s hand traced my arm, my stomach, my thigh in turn, but her gaze was riveted, utterly pinned to the male lead on the screen.

‘If you’re going to touch me, shouldn’t you at least look at me while you do it…?’

The touching itself is fine. But why does her attention have to be on some other dude?

What is it about that slender type that she likes so much?

Frankly speaking, my muscles are more defined, my build’s bigger, and I definitely lift heavier. Even if we factor in that he’s a Westerner, I could take him down without much trouble.

But why, why? Why is she like that?

‘Ah, maybe….’

Could it be that she’s seen my bare body too much these last few months, and she’s grown a bit numb to it? Is that it?

That seemed like a plausible theory, but at the same time, another thought dawned on me.

Could it be that Aki doesn’t like bulky guys, but prefers a more lean build?

“…….”

Should I start starving myself, even now?

If I just fasted for like, three weeks straight, I could definitely slim down my muscles….

Even though I wouldn’t say my physique is that extraordinarily large, I was serious enough to consider shrinking it.

…That’s when it happened.

“Hey, 서방님, did you know?”

“……Huh? Know what?”

“That actor who’s on now, you know? Apparently he used to be a Calvin Klein model?”

“Ah, really…?”

“Mmhmm, really. It was a while back, but I think he also modeled for Dior and Armani and Dolce & Gabbana? Pretty wild, right?”

“Oh, I see….”

Brand names I’d heard at least once or twice before. Dior for perfume and bags, Armani was a fashion brand in itself, and Dolce & Gabbana was probably in the same vein.

But that kind of thing isn’t what’s important right now. What’s important is that Aki is admiring that male model, whatever he is, and his body.

Not that I’m jealous, of course.

Really, I’m not jealous.

Even to my male eyes, that actor doesn’t have *that* good of a body, and yet Aki saying things like, “Ooh, he’s got a good body….” That’s just not going to fly; I can’t have that.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll stop increasing the weight and focus more on definition. I need to tighten up my diet, too. If I reduce body fat, my muscles will become much more defined, and Aki will be amazed. Maybe, just maybe, she’ll admire my body even more than that actor she’s ogling…

“Oh? The female lead is coming on…!”

Lost in a fleeting, sweet fantasy, Aki suddenly said, tugging tightly on my arm.

I had been staring intently at Aki’s profile, but now I turned my gaze. As Aki said, the female lead was appearing on screen.

“Wow, her voice is so nice…. Don’t you think?”

“Oh, she really does have a nice voice….”

The female lead’s monologue voice was remarkably pleasant to hear. What to call it, a sweet, mellow voice that puts you at ease?

I’d only heard it once, but it occurred to me that this person could have become famous as a voice actor or announcer, not just as an actress. It was that soft and gentle. My eyes widened involuntarily.

“Aki, do you know who that actress is?”

“Mmhmm, I know her. I think she’s been in a lot of movies, too?”

“Oh, is she famous?”

“Not quite famous enough for everyone to know her name, but she’s relatively well-known… Why? Are you interested?”

“Her voice is nice, that’s all. I was wondering what other movies she’s been in.”

I adjusted my posture and said it casually.

“Hmph, is that so…?”

Aki glanced at me sideways, then cleared her throat, “Ahem.”

“Before this, she mostly did short films, and the rest were directing gigs or special appearances, so she barely had any leading roles. There probably isn’t anything 서방님 would recognize. I probably wouldn’t know her name.”

“You never know. Is there anything?”

“I don’t know the specifics, but… the one I remember is, um, *Persuasion*? The original is an old novel, and Netflix recently made a movie out of it…”

“Oh? *Persuasion*, you mean… like the novel by Jane Austen?”

“That’s the one. How did you know…?”

“Of course I know. Jane Austen is practically a household name…!”

If you had to name just ten titans of Western literature, she’d be a shoo-in for a spot. She’s that influential. Plus, I personally adore her writing.

Jane Austen. The grand dame of romance and marriage novels. Her most famous work is *Pride and Prejudice*. Even if you don’t know the plot, you’ve definitely heard her name.

“That novel… they made a film of it with that actor. Oh, I definitely have to watch it sometime….”

I snatched up my phone, pulled up my chat with myself, and jotted down a quick note.

[Look up ‘Persuasion’ on Netflix when you have time]

[Very Important]

“…Master.”

Aki, who had been glancing at my hand, spoke.

“Hmm?”

“You… you like Jane Austen…?”

“Uh-huh. I love her, actually.”

A response without a second’s hesitation.

For a fleeting moment, Aki’s gaze, as she looked up at me, seemed to waver ever so slightly.

“Ah, really? You like Jane Austen….”

“Love her. I *really* love her. Her novels are brilliant, her prose is witty. She pioneered a narrative style that was completely unheard of back then. She created a sensation, that one.”

“Hmph….”

“Oh, did you know? Jane Austen wrote a *ton* of stories about love and marriage. But she herself-.”

“…….”

Aki’s expression was… unsettling.

Sensing something was amiss, I cut myself off mid-sentence.

“Aki…?”

“…What?”

A sulky reply.

Her sudden shift in demeanor left me genuinely fl*stered. What’s gotten into her? All I did was say I like Jane Austen.

Ah, could it be?

Still uncertain, I shot Aki a sidelong glance.

Her lips were protruding, practically forming a duck’s beak.

“Perhaps…”

I almost asked, ‘Are you… jealous?’ but barely managed to stop myself. Asking someone you suspect is jealous if they are jealous is the same as asking an angry person if they’re angry. It only makes the situation worse.

“Want to see a movie together later?”

I swallowed the words I was going to say and tested the waters.

If she wasn’t truly upset, she’d at least agree to a movie.

“…What are we going to watch?”

“That thing I mentioned earlier. The Persuasion one on Netflix.”

“……”

Aki clamped her mouth shut.

She didn’t say it, but her expression alone made it clear she wasn’t thrilled.

Since Aki usually goes along with anything I suggest, I was certain in that moment.

Aki was jealous. Of a novelist who lived centuries ago, no less.

“Aki, what’s wrong? Do you not want to?”

“…No, well…”

Fidget, fidget.

Aki trailed off, playing with my arm.

“It’s not that I don’t want to… um, how should I put it…”

“You like romance movies, right? Since the original is a romance novel, Persuasion will probably be a romance movie too, no?”

“Well… I know that, I do…”

“Yeah, you know?”

“It’s just a little… unpleasant to watch, I suppose…”

“Why? Is there some reason?”

“Um, uhmm…”

Aki furrowed her brow, deep in thought.

No matter how much I think about it, there’s no reason she should dislike it, so the fact that she’s agonizing like this means she’s forcing herself to come up with a reason.

‘Ah, she’s so cute…’

If she doesn’t like it, she can just say she doesn’t like it, so why is she trying to think of an excuse?

I guess she thinks she needs a justification for her feelings. But whatever the reason, Aki’s face as she agonized was so cute. I chuckled and gently stroked Aki’s head.

“Alright. Let’s not watch it, then.”

“……Really?”

“Yeah, really. How about something else instead?”

“Something else, like what…?”

Aki cleared her throat, a little ‘ahem,’ and showed some interest.

I placed a hand on Aki’s waist as I spoke.

“How about *Pride and Prejudice*? It’s a bit of an older film.”

“*Pride and Prejudice*…?”

A question mark seemed to bloom above Aki’s head.

Then, her eyes slowly narrowed.

“Isn’t that… a Jane Austen piece…?”

“Yeah, that’s right, isn’t it?”

“……”

“……Heh. Just kidding. Let’s watch something else.”

Before I knew it, a small chuckle slipped out.

Only then did Aki seem to realize she’d been teased, and she let out a cute, “Ugh…!” as she nudged my stomach.

“You did that on purpose just now… didn’t you?!”

“Hmm, no, not really…?”

You made me jealous, too. This is just a little payback, fair’s fair.

I hid those thoughts and did my best to act innocent.

“Liar…! You definitely did it on purpose…! You knew all along…!”

Aki, jealous, was quite adorable. So, I, who did it knowing full well, continued to act as if I didn’t, and Aki clung to me, insisting that I confess right away, tickling me.

“You’re mean, doing it on purpose, knowing everything…!”

“Erm, I told you I didn’t….”

“Really not? Really, truly?”

“Yeah, yeah, really. Really.”

I said, smiling, with my index and middle fingers crossed behind my back.

Aki seemed like she might believe me…. but then her gaze fell to my fingers just below my neck, and as soon as she realized I was lying, her eyes widened.

“Ugh, another lie…! Again, again…!”

“……Ah, caught me.”

“Wh-What? Caught…? I’m caught…!?”

Aki’s face flushed crimson.

At this point, the movie was secondary for both Aki and me. We weren’t watching the television, our eyes locked on each other.

Well, I was watching her, but it would be more accurate to say Aki was glaring daggers at me.

“I was going to let you off if you confessed honestly… but this… this won’t do!”

Aki gripped the edges of my underwear.

“Pants down, dearest husband…!”

“Those aren’t pants, they’re underwear…. Uh, hold on. Are you really going to take them off…?”

“What do you think, fake…!?”

Aki put her strength into it, yanking down my underwear.

I could have resisted, but considering I’d teased her, it was probably time to just take it. I lifted my lower body slightly on purpose, making it easier for Aki to pull them down.

“What’s this? Why isn’t it standing at attention?”

“What do you mean, it already stood attention three times…. Ugh….”

“…Make it stand.”

From noble mtl dot com

Aki grasped something firmly.

“I’m going to squeeze everything out of you until you can’t produce anymore, starting today…”

“……”

So, this is how it ends up, one way or another.

Well, I’m not complaining…….