No no no! Absolutely impossible!
Tashiro Kurenai shot down the idea inside her mind with the force of a final boss denial. She even declared that if her other self actually went through with it, she'd immediately yank back control of the body—and then pass out on the spot just to prove a point.
Kohaku-nee tried arguing. She pointed out how safe everything was right now. First, the environment—nobody ever came to this abandoned shrine. Second, her body was at the perfect time, neither on her period nor ovulating, so no heavy bleeding or life-threatening situations. But nope. Her other self refused to agree no matter what.
Because the real issue wasn't safety. For someone who'd just barely dipped her toes into first love, going straight to home base in one giant leap was way too much to handle.
Just imagining Kuroha Akira without clothes made her so embarrassed she thought she'd faint. Anything beyond that? Forget it.
Kohaku-nee was beyond frustrated. She felt like—hey, if you're already in love, why hide it? Wouldn't it be better to make the first move? She had zero time for girlish fantasies. Romance, confessions, flirting… none of that mattered as much as just making it happen.
An adult woman's love was directly connected to desire. If you really liked someone, just go for it.
Anyway, after everything was done, a good man would take responsibility. A bad man would make excuses and dodge. A mediocre man would just go with the flow. That was all there was to it.
The key point? Kuroha Akira was still a virgin. If she made her move now, he'd almost certainly step up. Then they could speedrun straight to the marriage ending—Happy Wedding Ending unlocked.
On the flip side, if she hesitated now, she might never get another chance this good. Too many young girls had their eyes on him, and she had zero advantage in the age department.
If only the original Tashiro Kurenai inside would just agree, Kohaku-nee would strip Kuroha Akira bare like peeling corn and execute him on the spot without a second thought.
Unfortunately, vetoed. The proposal failed to pass.
No matter how much Kohaku-nee craved Kuroha Akira's body, she was still like a dog on a leash—unable to selfishly eat alone.
In the end, she could only reluctantly pack away her wild, untamed desires. She straightened her upper body and let go of Kuroha Akira, who was still lying on the ground.
"Big Sis Kohaku was just joking. You don't need to pay me back for the shoes, Akira. If anything, I'm the one who owes you. You did save my life, after all."
"Kurenai-san…"
"Call me Kohaku-nee. If you keep saying 'Kurenai-san,' you won't be able to tell me apart from the original, right?"
"Alright then, Kohaku-nee. But I saved you for my own reasons. If you're willing to help me out more later, that's more than enough repayment."
"Big Sis is definitely willing to help you. I'll follow you for the rest of my life."
"That's… a bit much…"
"In ancient times, saving someone's life meant you had to marry them, right?"
"We're not in ancient times anymore. And this isn't even our original world. That saying doesn't apply anymore."
"I suppose…"
"Anyway, these high heels probably can't be worn anymore. I'll go grab the bathroom slippers you were wearing earlier."
Watching Kuroha Akira about to walk away—watching her prey about to fly off—Kohaku-nee still felt a little bitter. Just one bite? Just a tiny taste?
"Wait, Akira."
"Yeah? Something else?"
"Can you come a little closer?"
Kuroha Akira took a step closer.
"Closer."
He took another step forward, half-squatting as he asked,
"What's wrong? Did you sprain your ankle?"
This little idiot is still worried about me… No wonder girls fall for you!
"Not really… It's just that you've got something on your face."
"Huh? What is it?"
Just as Kuroha Akira got confused and raised his hand to wipe his face, Tashiro Kurenai suddenly grabbed his neck.
Then—accompanied by her other self's mental screaming—she leaned in and planted a kiss on Kuroha Akira's cheek.
"Uh…!"
It was very close to the corner of his mouth. If anyone else saw it, they'd definitely mistake it for a real kiss.
After about ten seconds, she finally let go of him, leaving a faint lipstick mark near the corner of his mouth—like a kid who hadn't wiped their face properly after eating.
Tashiro Kurenai stuck out her tongue and licked her upper lip.
"Now there is."
"Uh… Kohaku-nee… is this considered paying me back?"
"It's paying you back, but not entirely. You're an adult now. You should understand what I mean, right? If you agree… next time I won't 'miss' the mark."
"…"
Kuroha Akira touched the spot where he'd been kissed, an awkward, bitter smile creeping onto his face. No way to play dumb now.
It wasn't exactly a confession—but it was a more direct hint than any confession could be.
This was a golden opportunity. Get intimate with this beautiful, mature woman. Develop a closer relationship.
If this were Kuroha Akira from his previous life, he wouldn't have hesitated for a second. A big sister with a great figure, proactive, full of sex appeal? Sign him up.
But now… several female faces floated through his mind.
To be fair, Kuroha Akira wasn't officially dating any of them. But if he suddenly got a real girlfriend, his relationships with those girls would inevitably change.
Especially Shinomiya. Kuroha Akira knew that his current relationship with her was dangerously ambiguous—already past "friends" but not quite "lovers."
And he strongly suspected that was exactly why Shinomiya was so obedient to him.
But if he got together with Tashiro Kurenai instead… would Shinomiya still listen to him? Would she still let Tashiro Kurenai become her manager?
Maybe she would. Shinomiya was kind-hearted, after all.
But Kuroha Akira wasn't willing to take that gamble.
"Kohaku-nee, I can't agree to that. It's not that anything's wrong with you… it's just that I can't be with you right now."
"Actually, I can see what you're thinking. You don't want to settle down yet, do you?"
"…Yeah. I don't have any plans for marriage at the moment."
"That's fair—you're still just a student in this world, after all. But I'm guessing that's not the only reason you don't want to get married, right?"
"Right. If I got married, I'd have a family to take care of. And I'm not ready to take on that kind of responsibility yet."
"Sigh… what a shame."
It was a shame he wasn't the type to fool around casually. And a shame her other self wasn't the type either. She could only say the conditions weren't right—otherwise, there was no way she'd have let Kuroha Akira go today, no matter what.
But even though she'd have to keep things PG for now, Kohaku-nee also wanted to use this to make her other self realize exactly what kind of man Kuroha Akira truly was.
As a transmigrator, there was no way he'd be content with a quiet, ordinary life.
So… are you sure he's the one?
If you want to date this man with marriage as the end goal, it's destined to end in tragedy—and he already made that pretty clear just now.
Even if he was willing to get married, he probably wouldn't marry just you, right? He definitely couldn't give you that "one-on-one happily ever after." I mean, just you and me together are already two people.
Even knowing all that… do you still want to choose him?
Think it through carefully, Tashiro Kurenai.
After spelling that out for her other self, Kohaku-nee, strangely enough, felt completely at peace with the situation. She even started making jokes at her own expense.
"Well, I knew I wasn't destined for this anyway. In my past life, running a little massage parlor in some small county, the most I ever got was some middle-aged guys hinting they wanted to keep me as a mistress…"
"Those people are the worst! They should at least propose properly!"
"What can you do? I was disfigured and blind. I never settled in the end, though… But if I'd met Akira in my past life, being your mistress might not have been so bad…"
This sentence was actually Kohaku-nee's way of telling Kuroha Akira that she herself—just her, the Kohaku personality—wouldn't care about status. Being a mistress would've been fine.
But now she was living inside her other self's body. She couldn't just give herself away and drag her other self along with her.
Kuroha Akira understood her meaning perfectly. So he replied very politely,
"Why a mistress? I wasn't married in my past life either. Wouldn't it be better if I just married you, Kohaku-nee?"
"Hmph! Stop bragging—you definitely couldn't stand my face either! Let me tell you, my dear, my face was so terrifying it'd shake heaven and earth. Even Yama himself would be scared!"
"Well… if you covered your head, it'd be the same, right? Or actually, not seeing might be even more exciting? You know those short video creators back in our world who did that 'headless style?"
*For reference, please watch Scary Movie 1,2,3.
"You little pervert! Admit it—you were just thinking, 'She's an old lady but she still calls herself big sis, gross!' right? You think I'm old!"
"You've got it all wrong! I didn't! In my past life, if I'd seen you, Kohaku-nee, I'd have called you a beautiful big sister too!"
"I don't believe you! Unless Akira… you let me kiss you again! This time for thirty seconds!"
"Kohaku-nee, don't be a menace. If you keep this up, I'll…!"
"You'll what?"
"I'll charge you!"
"Oh? So you're putting a price tag on yourself? As long as I pay up, I can do whatever I want with you?"
"Uh… I'm not cheap, you know?"
"Name your price. Whatever it is, I'll pay it."
"…"
Kuroha Akira suddenly regretted his life choices. Had he just opened a door he really shouldn't have?
"I take that back. I'm non-negotiable!"
"You can't do that—that's cheating! Give me a price! Once I save up enough, you're in trouble!"
"No! Help! Assault!"
The two of them laughed and played around.
But in reality, neither of these transmigrators took these words seriously. They were talking about "ifs" and "past life" scenarios. And both of them knew perfectly well—they could never go back.
However, the Tashiro Kurenai of this world listened to their banter with a completely different feeling in her heart.
Senpai Akira and my other self…
Why can't their regrets be fulfilled by me?
If it weren't for them, she would've been just a social phobic, hiding in a corner and drowning in self-pity for her entire life. She never would've had the chance to experience these kinds of romantic emotions.
It was the two of them who pulled me up. Only then did I find the courage to step outside.
So… I should repay their kindness, right?
Even if I can't do it right now… as long as I try a little harder, and once my social anxiety improves slightly—once I can interact with Senpai Akira without being so nervous I go into shock…
Then I'll… I'll give him my first time.
Even if we don't get married or date, that's fine.
As long as the two of them from the other world can always stay by my side… that's enough.
Thinking this, Tashiro Kurenai's consciousness slowly drifted into sleep.