"First of all, I am not a lolicon!"
"Second, what I draw is loli grannies!"
"And third, everyone calls them loli mamas!"
"'Loli mama' refers specifically to someone who is just a little precocious — someone with a mother's warmth and nurturing nature, yet possessed of the guileless innocence unique to a child.
It is an ideal that exists only in the two-dimensional world, a contradictory composite of the most striking contrasts. Its essence lies in the opposition between a loli's outward appearance and a maternal inner nature. Someone who can cherish you with a mother's gentle tenderness, yet at the same time stirs in you the protective instinct one feels toward a daughter. She is the union of daughter and mother — the sum of the most precious qualities in this world.
On one hand, precisely because of the guileless innocence that is a loli's defining trait, the maternal care offered by a loli mama becomes all the more pure. Not a single trace of the filth of the adult world — only the most immaculate affection. At the same time, a loli's petite frame set against a mother's gentleness produces an exquisite beauty of contrast, a gift one might call the most precious in all the world.
When you come home exhausted, a loli mama's dainty, adorable lap pillow in white thigh-highs becomes the sweetest pleasure imaginable. The maternal love she offers makes you lower your guard and reveal your most vulnerable self without even realizing it. And yet her small, delicate frame ignites in you a fierce, possessive desire — and that very contradiction between possessing and being possessed is something you find yourself savoring all the more.
On the other hand, because of her precocity and the mature-beyond-her-years sensibility of a well-behaved child, a loli mama will often push herself hard, straining beyond her limits to try her best. Yet constrained by her age and abilities, she ends up hurting herself in the process. That fragility within her effort only deepens the urge to protect her. Like the bud of a winter plum in the bitter cold — you long to see it bloom, and yet you worry whether it can endure the frost. It makes you want, from the bottom of your heart, to protect it, to cherish it.
These two opposing qualities exist within a loli mama intertwined — each within the other. They shape each other and at the same time spur each other on, each throwing the other into sharper relief to form the most vivid of contrasts. The roles of mother and daughter appear within her simultaneously, achieving a perfect balance. And from that balance arises a beauty both illusory and ethereal — like the moon reflected in water, like a flower in a mirror — the union of all the perfect qualities a woman can possess."
"Therefore, I am not a lolicon!"
"That concludes my statement!"
"Clap clap clap clap."
Tsukuyomi Komoe, Douraku Utage, and Hayase Kinue were the first to start applauding.
Tsushima Kagami turned to face Yukinoshita Shizuku and the others, who had by now returned to the living room, his expression grave and solemn.
Ever since the group had reached their conclusion out in the hallway — that Tsushima Kagami was a lolicon — they had come back inside and, out of concern for his mental and emotional well-being, gone straight to the point: a formal inquiry into whether Tsushima Kagami was, in fact, a lolicon.
Sayuri, Kosaka Akane, and Machida Sonoko in particular had been deeply troubled by the scene they'd just witnessed between Tsushima Kagami and Hayase Kinue.
They had noticed it before, too — that Tsushima Kagami showed almost no sign of that kind of interest toward the three of them, and in fact sometimes gave off a feeling closer to the fond indulgence of an elder toward someone younger.
On top of that, they had also noticed that Tsushima Kagami seemed far more relaxed around older women — particularly those around twenty-five or twenty-six, or even around thirty — with none of the usual sense of boundaries.
The kinds of dirty jokes he never made with the three of them came tumbling out with those older women as naturally as breathing.
To that, they had been able to console themselves: perhaps Kagami-kun simply liked mature older women, and they themselves would one day become just as mature as those older women.
But today's scene had hit them like a bucket of cold water to the face.
What if Tsushima Kagami's actual type really was this niche, perfectly legal loli?
Then they wouldn't stand a chance, would they?
So they had to unite under Yukinoshita Rei as the core of their coalition and correct Tsushima Kagami's tastes!
And yet now Sayuri found herself having second thoughts about the correction pact they had all agreed on together.
What if…
What if Kagami wasn't actually a lolicon, but rather… liked certain elements that just happened to overlap with lolicon territory?
For instance…
Sayuri lowered her gaze, and immediately got an unobstructed view of her own feet in their slippers.
Then she sneaked a glance at the other girls' front armor — each one more imposing than the last.
And finally she looked at Tsukuyomi Komoe, Douraku Utage, and Hayase Kinue standing to the side, all three wearing expressions of apologetic guilt.
What if Kagami actually had a thing for flat chests?
It wasn't impossible.
After all, Kagami really does spoil me more than the others on a day-to-day basis~
"Oh, I believe in Kagami!"
The thought had barely crossed her mind before Sayuri's hand shot up.
Then she remembered that wasn't the right thing to do right now — she caught the strange looks everyone was giving her, and meekly lowered her hand again.
To one side, the trio of Tsukuyomi Komoe and the others raised their hands as well.
"We believe in Kagami too!"
Yukinoshita Shizuku looked at Tsushima Kagami, who was sitting on the sofa without a care in the world, flipping through the other artists' contributions in "Forever Mama" as though none of this had anything to do with him — and her brow furrowed.
Then she looked at Tsukuyomi Komoe and the others, who were still clapping away beside him.
Feeling Yukinoshita Shizuku's gaze on them, Tsukuyomi Komoe and the others grew a little uneasy, and stopped clapping with sheepish expressions.
But what was running through Yukinoshita Shizuku's mind was something else entirely.
Sayuri and her friends — including Ijichi Seika, Shizuka, and those two underclassmen — probably all had feelings for Tsushima Kagami.
Luckily, though, Tsushima Kagami clearly had no romantic feelings for any of them.
Which was precisely why she herself could take her time and make the most of her advantageous position.
Sooner or later, she'd get Kagami.
So Yukinoshita Shizuku had never thought of any of them as rivals.
They were nothing but harmless small-fry friends.
But she had noticed it before — that Tsushima Kagami was far more open and relaxed around women like Tsukuyomi Komoe and the others.
Whether he liked lolis or whether he liked mature older women — either way, it was clear that Tsukuyomi Komoe, Douraku Utage, and Hayase Kinue were already enough of a threat.
Because those three lived under the same roof as Kagami, and regularly shared meals with him in the same room…
And then she suddenly remembered the way those three had been looking at Kagami lately — those glances that were distinctly… off.
How terrifying!
She had nearly been looking right at the lamp and missing what was right in front of her!
So — lolicon or older-woman preference — either way, it had to be corrected!
After all, she was a few months older than him herself, so she could qualify as an older woman too.
As for maturity — wouldn't she be plenty mature once she came of age at twenty?
And as for lolis — she could always take good care of her skin and keep her youthful looks!
She looked down at her chest — the view of her feet completely obscured.
Well…
That part was going to be a bit of a problem.
But hadn't she heard that there were people who liked big-chested lolis too?
And couldn't preferences be changed?
So, having worked all that out in her head, Yukinoshita Shizuku steeled herself to appeal to both his heart and his reason.
First, she would make Tsushima Kagami understand that having a lolicon preference was an unhealthy habit.
Then, little by little, she would guide his tastes toward herself.
Perfect!
"Kagami…"
Before Yukinoshita Shizuku could even get started, Tsushima Kagami snapped the manga magazine shut, rose to his feet, and launched in.
"Kagami nothing!"
"When it comes down to it, you just don't trust me!"
"All I did was draw a loli granny!"
"I've drawn NTR too, you know."
"Does that make me a cuckold?"
"Sayuri and the others don't just read dirty manga — they draw it themselves!"
"Not only that, it's female-targeted non-con!"
"Does that make them perverts?"
"Does that make them masochists?"
Sayuri and the other two blinked. How had this suddenly looped back around to them?
Yukinoshita Shizuku hadn't expected Tsushima Kagami to get this worked up all of a sudden either.
She was just about to try to calm him down when Tsushima Kagami pressed on.
"So how on earth can you jump to the one-sided conclusion that I'm a lolicon?"
"You don't even understand what a lolicon is, and yet you presume to pass judgment!"
"Calling me a lolicon is disrespectful to me!"
"And furthermore, it's disrespectful to Moe-sensei, Utage-sensei, and Kinue-nee-san!"
"What wonderfully mature, accomplished women they are — and you go slapping a 'loli' label on them."
"Shizuku, I'm genuinely disappointed in you!"
Tsukuyomi Komoe, Douraku Utage, and Hayase Kinue had only caught the part where Tsushima Kagami called them wonderfully mature and accomplished women — and broke into happy smiles.
Yukinoshita Shizuku, meanwhile, had all the wind taken clean out of her sails by what he'd said.
She began to second-guess herself.
Had she really gotten it wrong?
Was what Kagami had been doing earlier just… normal interaction?
Should she perhaps go and apologize to Moe-sensei, Utage-sensei, and Kinue-nee-san?
It was then that Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had been standing nearby, came over to Tsushima Kagami's side and tried to soothe him.
"Now, now — Kagami, don't be angry."
"Shizuku only said it because she cares about your well-being."
Tsushima Kagami brushed aside Hiratsuka Shizuka's outstretched hand and dusted off his sleeve.
"Then let me state this one more time, for the record."
"You may say I like loli mamas!"
"But you may NOT call me a lolicon!"
Everyone took that in.
"…"
Well — hadn't he just outed himself?
"…"
And so, after the argument finally came to an end under the force of Tsushima Kagami's uncompromising stance, Hayase Kinue — looking around at the large crowd that had gathered — suggested they order pizza for delivery. They ate together, chatted for a while afterward, and eventually everyone made their way home.
That night, back in his own room, Tsushima Kagami was hunched over his desk, pencil moving ceaselessly over the draft spread before him — drawing, erasing, revising.
Yukinoshita Shizuku appeared at his side, carrying a cup of the hot cocoa he loved most on winter evenings, brewed just the way he liked it.
"Have some hot cocoa."
Yukinoshita Shizuku set the cup down beside his hand.
Tsushima Kagami turned his head away and pushed the cup aside.
Yukinoshita Shizuku pushed it back.
"I don't want it! I'm not drinking it!"
Seeing that Tsushima Kagami was still sulking, Yukinoshita Shizuku laughed softly.
"Oh, come on — I already apologized."
"Won't you stop being cross?"
"I'm not talking to anyone who doesn't trust me!"
Yukinoshita Shizuku found Tsushima Kagami's rare little sulk rather endearing to watch.
She glanced at what he was drawing and asked:
"Is this a new piece you're working on?"
This time Tsushima Kagami didn't keep up the cold shoulder — he answered directly.
"Akane Shinsha asked me to design a poster girl for their 'Forever Mama' monthly magazine."
"They're offering a decent design fee, plus a five-percent cut of any merchandise sales down the line."
Yukinoshita Shizuku looked at the character in the draft, pressed her lips together, and wore the expression of someone with something to say but unsure whether to say it.
"…Is something the matter?"
Tsushima Kagami could see that Yukinoshita Shizuku seemed to want to say something.
Yukinoshita Shizuku hesitated for a moment, then chose her words carefully, doing her best to keep her tone gentle.
"Well… compared to what you've drawn before…"
"Isn't this one a little… younger?"
Tsushima Kagami blinked at that, then looked at the character taking shape under his pen, and fell into thought.
He thought of a well-known running joke that had been floating around online for a while.
The joke went: "No cuckold, no wuxia."
After much analysis by netizens, the consensus was that cuckolding in wuxia fiction had existed since time immemorial — from the ancient era right through to Jin Yong and Gu Long in the modern era. Various factors had conspired to make it all but inescapable for anyone writing the genre.
So quite a few authors, refusing to believe it, had set out specifically to write a wuxia novel with no cuckolding whatsoever.
And yet, one after another, they had all come back shaking their heads in bewilderment.
Every single one of them found that somewhere along the way, without quite knowing how or why, they'd started wanting to slip a cuckolding plotline in.
The conclusion everyone eventually arrived at was that they had, in all likelihood, been contaminated by some higher-order entity presiding over that particular narrative channel — which meant no matter who you were, you couldn't stop yourself from drifting in the cuckold direction.
Tsushima Kagami had even made a deliberate effort to distance himself from lolicon territory and had been consciously drawing his female characters to look older and more mature. So how on earth had his pencil suddenly started drawing something this young today?
Tsushima Kagami stared at the young-looking girl taking shape beneath his hand, and sank into troubled contemplation.
Oh no — could it be that he too had been unwittingly contaminated by some higher-order entity presiding over the loli channel?
How terrifying, meow!
I'm never drawing lolis again, meow!
____
👻🔥Seek: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: A Martial Arts Master Will Never Be Humiliated
Let's hit these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = 1 extra chapter for the public!