Takamura-kun is Cursed Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Takamura Mahiro Continues to Attract (1)

What I saw after opening the door was, Takafumi humming a song in the kitchen as he prepared Mapo Eggplant.

Natsuka Takafumi ―― he’s my cousin and also, while it’s embarra.s.sing, my first love. It’s completely a story of the past now, but I used to like this person.

At 21 years old, Takafumi is older than me by 4 years, and is a 3rd-year student at the National University in town. Perhaps because of his droopy eyes the area around his eyes appear kind, and the corners of his mouth are slightly raised, creating an overall gentle image. Takafumi’s cream-coloured hair is soft and suits his kind atmosphere well. His height is 176cm, slightly shorter than the current me.

That I still feel he’s dependable even though I think he’s smaller and more delicate than the current me, is it because he’s the onii-chan I’ve always been with since we were young? Or am I made to feel this way by the kind-feeling atmosphere he has?

“Yo Mahiro, welcome back. You’re late.”

“Please leave.”

Even if he’s the onii-chan I used to like, this and that are different matters.
Kicking off my shoes by the entranceway, I briskly approached Takafumi, tug, I pulled his clothes as I tried to drag him to the entrance. But Takafumi grinned broadly like a father watching over his child’s mischief as he watched my movements.

“It’s pointless~. ‘cos my luggage was already moved in. We’ll be living together from now on, so let’s get along well.”

“一Live? Together?”

“Huh, haven’t you heard? Riko-san requested me because she was worried about you.”

I didn’t hear about that at all. So this is what a bolt out of the blue means.

“Don’t know, haven’t heard.”

I was neither informed nor told, but it does seem like something that carefree mother would do.

Was the “Mother will cooperate with you so, work hard okay!” she said on the day I turned male, referring to this? Is she suggesting that I tie the knot with the man I used to like and receive the ouji-sama (lol)’s kiss?

Sheesh, her method of cooperation is so sloppy that I’m getting a headache. Certainly, I did think a 2LDK[1] was too big for a person living alone, but I didn’t expect it to become like this.

“Still, that’s how it is. Mahiro, are you hungry? Mapo Eggplant, you like it, don’t you? You’ll eat it right, you’ll eat it right.”

“I’ll eat, but. Even in the eyes of society, it’s not good for people of the opposite genders to live under one roof.”

“The current Mahiro’s male, aren’t you. No problem, no problemー”

Mapo Eggplant, rice and miso soup are arranged on the 2-person table in the center of the kitchen dining s.p.a.ce.

“Well, I’m a guy now, but……”

“It’s been a while so get along with onii-chan. My campus will be the one over here beginning from this year, so it’s very helpful if I can live here.”

I can’t reject him strongly when he smiles so kindly like that.

Even for me, it’s not like I hate Takafumi. Besides, his cooking’s very delicious and he’ll surely settle all the housework. There’s definitely a lot of merits for him to live here.

“I got it. If Takafumi says so.”

“Thanks. Mahiro’s a good child as I thoughtー”

Somehow it’s terribly embarra.s.sing when he rubs my head from across the table.

There’s not the slightest bit of romantic feelings now, but I certainly hold good will towards him as my cousin. I’m weak to this broad smile of his that reveals his teeth. It’s pathetic of me to listen to him against my better judgement, but only towards Takafumi, I’ve never been able to treat him coldly[2].

I randomly stuffed my mouth with eggplants and rice to hide my embarra.s.sment. My appet.i.te gets increasingly bigger ever since my body became like this. My height increased by more than 20cm, so it could be that I need more fuel to sustain it.

“I, was worried when I heard Mahiro turned into a boy, y’know. Well, it might be something that can’t be helped as a girl born into the Takamura family though.”

“Does Takafumi know about the Takamura family’s curse?”

“Only a little.”

For the cursed person in question to be the only one who doesn’t know about the curse, this is pathetic beyond comparison.

At the end of the day, I haven’t heard anything other than my mother saying that it’s a curse females of the Takamura family gets.

“It’s okay if it’s just what you know, but can you tell me about the curse? I’ve a feeling I’m the only one who doesn’t know anything.”

“Even if you say just what I know, I’m from the branch family. Speaking of what I know, it’s only that girls of the Takamura family turn into boys on their 17th birthdays, and that they’ve to exchange a kiss with someone they love reciprocally by their 20th birthdays.”

“As expected, that’s the only way to remove the curse……”

I get the gooseb.u.mps at the mention of something like an ouji-sama, but I’ve a feeling I might as well remain like this all my life if I’ve to force myself to love someone just for the sake of removing the curse.

This may just be sugarcoated words, but I don’t think such behaviour is the act of coming to like someone. The feelings of holding someone dear should be more sincere. Perhaps I’m also quite a starry-eyed maiden for thinking this way.

“Ah, come to think of it, when the girls of the Takamura family became boys, it seems that there were many cases of their looks changing into those that easily attracts others.

“Is it?”

To have even added a mechanism to ease the removal of the curse despite having cast the curse, what an unfathomable, moreover troublesome, curse. I don’t know who for what purpose cast this curse, but is it strange of me to feel that if he has the time to beautify our appearances, he should just remove the curse?

Still, the mystery is solved with this. It’s thanks to the curse that I was randomly praised for my looks.

“Mahiro, enter the bath once you’re done eating. It’s already prepared.”

“Sorry for having left it all to you. I’ll do the clearing up.”

“Don’t be so strangely accommodating, I say. Besides, we’ll be somewhat akin to family from now on. Rely on me properly, ya.”

Takafumi pat pat, rubbed my head several times. He smiled happily when I bobbed my head.

But I wasn’t calm inside. Because while I don’t have romantic feelings towards Takafumi at the moment, I felt that even now, I still like this kind and caring onii-san in terms of familial love.

When I stepped out of the bath and returned to the living room, Takafumi had finished clearing up and is watching TV. It’s a marine soap opera anime that comes on air at 6.30pm on Sundays. There’s such an exceptional destiny with fishes today[3].

“Ohー, it’s my turn to go bathe now. Let’s eat ice cream when I’m out of the bath.”

“Ice cream…”

“Your eyes are s.h.i.+ning too much. Still, don’t eat them first okayー”

I decided to wait as I hugged the armadillo stuff toy and watched the marine soap drama. Eating the food Takafumi made, entering the bath and eating ice cream after bathing. Before I knew it, it completely became Takafumi’s pace.

I feel incredibly edgy when I think that I’ll live like this everyday from now on. The area around my heart gets jumpy and I start feeling strange. In order to counter the overflowing unknown feelings, I buried my face in the armadillo and squirmed.

Hence, I’ve completely wiped Sena Tsugumi and Sunohara Chiharu off my mind, but.

The next day, the rubberneck Kousaka approached me excitedly. He wanted to hear about the Sunday with Sunohara. I managed to splendidly ignore Kousaka’s onslaught of questions until it was finally end of school, but he who was long-established to be persistent, did not give up.

“He~eyー、Taーkaーmuーraaー”

“I’m on counter duty for the Library Committee today, so.”

“Are you gonna run, Takamuraー!”

I headed to the library while shaking off Kousaka who clung to my waist.

To this Kousaka who went full-force with his rubberneck willpower, how I hung out with the school’s ouji-sama (lol) Sunohara Chiharu and what kind of counterattack did he use on me who stole Sena, are probably topics that interest him. I might also hold a fair amount of interest if I was looking from the sidelines, but it’s nothing but trouble when I think that I’m the person involved.

We reached the library as I continued to ignore him. When I sat at the counter, Kousaka calculatively sat beside me, carrying The Wild Rose of Versailles[4] shoujo manga. This guy, could it be, he’s going to sit here until my s.h.i.+ft’s over and dig more information out of me when we leave school? Seriously a persistent fellow.

There’s only a scant few who’re studying for their exams in the library. There weren’t anyone who came to borrow books. The state of disengagement from reading nowadays is grave. Indeed, even Kousaka is reading manga. 

“Heyy, is Takamura in the Pascar faction? Audré? It’s Natalie for me I guess. She’s cute.[5]”

“Natalie?”

“Ah, could it be you’ve never read The Wild Rose of Versailles?! Seriouslyー. Are you seriousー”

While I don’t understand why I’ve to be insulted like this just because I’ve never read The Wild Rose of Versailles, I gave him a push on the shoulder because he incurred my wrath.

It was at about the same moment. Noticing that a shadow was cast on the counter, I looked up, only to find a tall guy who’s easily over 180 looking down at us. It’s a fair-complexioned guy with short, messy, purple-ash-brown hair and cold eyes. He has a long and thin figure like a straw. Bean sprouts, probably refers to people like this. Rather than cool, you can say his appearance is more like that of a beauty’s.

“Um, you’re noisy you know.”

“Yo, Hiwatariー. You sure are cool as usual.”

“Kousaka-san, club activities are starting soon.”

He appears to be Kousaka’s acquaintance. If he says he’s a comrade from club, then is he also from Basketball Club? That he has a tall stature also coincides.

“Seriouslyー? Did Hiwatari come to fetch me?”

“Coach asked me to fetch you. Don’t do something like reading manga, please hurry up and come.”

“Ehー”

This guy, did he intend to take an unwarranted absence from club activities?
I pushed Kousaka’s shoulder again, chasing him away from the counter.

“Kousaka, go for your club activities.”

“I’ll go, but let’s go home togetherー. I’ll finish at 7pm so wait for me.”

“I got it, so go, I say.”

Kousaka thrusted The Wild Rose of Versailles to me as he stood up from the seat.

“Hiwatari, go home with us tooー?”

“Eh, no thank you.”

Seeing off the two’s back views as they left the library while playing around, I picked up Volume 1 of The Wild Rose of Versailles.

I ended up finis.h.i.+ng the entire volume as no one dropped in to borrow books by the closing time, after all. As a fellow comrade who lied about being male, I found myself thinking that I’d find it worthwhile if I also had such a n.o.ble reason[6]. Something like I’m waiting for a kiss from the ouji-sama is too ridiculous, and something like actually, I’m a girl is too embarra.s.sing that I can’t quite bring myself to say them.

Having lost all hope for the future, I lay sprawled on the counter.

Sheesh, I really was born under a strange star. Good grief.