Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Kasha's Proposal
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『Gob's Perspective』
Kasha burst into my room in the dead of night and caused a huge ruckus the day before.
I was in the kitchen, cooking.
I always come to the kitchen to cook before every meal.
Usually, I don't just make my own food—I prepare Sera's and Lucy's portions too.
This time, it was something for Lucy.
Last time, I noticed she surprisingly enjoyed noodle dishes...
So today's menu was noodles.
I wonder if she likes noodle dishes because of the texture?
Lucy is a dragon, so she doesn't really need to eat and can't taste much anyway.
Since she can't taste it, I planned to season it lightly.
"Hey."
As I julienned the vegetables for topping the noodles, a grumpy voice cut in.
It was Kasha. She'd snuck right up beside me without a sound.
Standing with her legs spread wide, one hand on her hip in that same rude pose. As prickly as ever.
Her expression was full of annoyance, so it didn't look like she was here for anything good.
"I have something to say."
Kasha made it painfully obvious she didn't want to say it.
I nodded for her to go ahead.
"You want me to say it here?"
-Nod.
Where else would she say it if not here?
"Ugh..."
Kasha ran a hand through her hair and sighed.
Why was she hesitating so much? What was it this time?
On the surface, she looked like some delinquent girl who'd lost a game of rock-paper-scissors and had to jokingly confess to a loner as a prank.
Like she knew she had to do it, but just couldn't get the words out. I'd been through it myself back in the day.
"Um... you know."
Kasha mumbled without even looking at me properly, staring off toward the empty kitchen.
"Um... sor... ry."
...?
......?
Did she just apologize to me?
No, for real?
It wasn't the fact that she'd apologized that surprised me. I'd expected her to come apologize ever since yesterday.
What shocked me was realizing just how trash her way of apologizing could be.
Was this supposed to be an apology?
I couldn't tell who she was apologizing to, for what, or even if it was sincere from her attitude.
I was so dumbfounded that I just stared at her blankly.
"Why aren't you reacting? Didn't you hear me? Are you deaf?"
Instead, she snapped at me.
Her voice during that half-assed apology had been barely a mumble, but when she got pissy, it rang out loud and clear.
Was that the attitude of someone actually sorry?
It felt exactly like kids in elementary school after a fight.
The teacher tells them to apologize, so they do it grudgingly and hug it out.
If she didn't want to apologize, she shouldn't have bothered. Did Sera force her to do this?
If Sera made her, why was she doing it so half-heartedly?
Comparing it to how Sera apologized was like night and day.
When Sera apologized, I almost wanted to tell her not to be so sorry, but this...
"Hey, say something."
At Kasha's urging, I grabbed a pen and notebook.
Is that supposed to be an apology?
Even a kid wouldn't do it like that.
Did I beg you to apologize?
If you don't want to, just get lost.
I started scribbling that out in a rage but held back and wrote calmly instead.
I really didn't want to, but I gritted my teeth and wrote words of forgiveness.
That beast girl probably hated apologizing to me too, right?
But I could say this for sure.
My reluctance to forgive her was even greater.
If I didn't forgive her now, this frustrating situation would just repeat itself.
[It's fine. You didn't know any better.]
I suppressed my rising anger and held out the notebook.
Yeah. That was it. Good job.
It was the mature choice. The best option.
I soothed myself like that, picking up the pieces of my shattered pride.
But...
"That's what I'm saying! If I'd known from the start you were actually a person, I wouldn't have done it."
The beast girl chimed in happily at my words. She really was too much.
Her shamelessness should have made my blood boil, but instead, my head cooled completely.
It felt like a waste to spend any more emotions on someone like her.
Well, since things had come to this, maybe I should test the waters.
[You must feel really wronged, huh?]
I wrote and showed her.
"Yeah. If you'd just told the truth from the beginning, none of this would've happened. You brought the beating on yourself."
What? Was she seriously blaming me now? Did she think I enjoyed it?
If I could speak, I would've set her straight right away—
...Hah, whatever.
[Sorry. I should've told you sooner.]
I wrote that and handed it over.
Deep down, I wanted to scrawl it in fiery letters.
But worried she'd nitpick my handwriting, I made it as neat as possible.
I also relaxed my facial muscles so she wouldn't complain about my expression again.
"Well, it's not like you need to apologize."
I know that, you bitch.
But just let me take the blame so we can end this. Please get out of my life.
I set down the notebook and pen, picking up the kitchen knife again.
Chop chop chop chop chop...
I placed vegetables on the cutting board and sliced away.
A silent signal: we're done here, so leave.
"Hey. Goblin."
But Kasha didn't go and spoke up again.
Chop chop chop chop chop... I ignored her and kept slicing.
"Hey, didn't you hear me?"
Should I keep ignoring her? She didn't seem like the type to leave just because I did.
It might get more annoying later, so maybe I should hear her out.
I stopped chopping and looked at Kasha.
"Um... if you want, that is..."
She crossed her arms, looking away as she spoke.
Her cheeks were flushed bright red—she must be about to say something pretty embarrassing.
"Ugh... I don't usually say stuff like this..."
Just get to the point already.
"If you want, I could be your sex friend or whatever..."
Kasha shot me a sidelong glance, gauging my reaction.
I stared at her blankly.
...Sex friend? You and me?
The thought of doing anything with Kasha made my skin crawl.
I didn't even want to play rock-paper-scissors with her, let alone be sex friends.
[Sorry, but I'm not really into it.]
I started to write a curt "No thanks," but worried she'd flip out, so I phrased it carefully.
"Huh? Why...?"
Kasha's eyes went wide, like she'd never expected rejection.
Because I just don't like you. Saying that straight would make her explode, right?
What excuse would work?
[I have someone I like already.]
That should do it.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
...Huh? What does it have to do with anything?
If you like someone, you don't make sex friends with other people. That's obvious.
"Hey, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not saying we date or anything. I wouldn't date a guy like you either."
Kasha wrinkled her nose, looking down at me with disgust.
"Idiot, sex friends just means we fuck occasionally."
I knew what sex friends meant.
But in my understanding, sex friends and having a lover were mutually exclusive.
I pondered how to explain, but gave up since nothing came to mind.
"And even as sex friends, we won't actually have sex. It'll just be me sniffing you and jerking you off. That's it."
Kasha held up her index finger like she was laying out terms and conditions.
"On days when I'm in a good mood, I might suck you off like last time, but..."
Her voice trailed off smaller and smaller.
For a slut like her, even mentioning blowjobs seemed pretty embarrassing.
"No insertion, period! I've decided I'll only take seed from men stronger than me. You're way weaker, so absolutely not."
She crossed her arms, spread her legs, and declared it arrogantly.
I had no intention of doing that anyway, but she was worrying about everything by herself.
"If you ever manage to beat me in a fight even once, maybe I'll think about it. Not that you ever could."
Kasha lifted her chin and smirked down at me.
She was just going to do whatever she felt like. All benefits for her, nothing she didn't want.
"So? These terms sound doable, right?"
A smug smile played on Kasha's lips.
What the hell was with that confidence?
Had she never been rejected after laying it out like that?
What was the basis for that insane self-assurance?
Now genuinely curious, I examined Kasha closely.
Setting aside the fixed ideas from her bitchy personality, let's start with her face.
Honestly, she was pretty enough to make my heart race when I first saw her.
Especially those sharp eyes—they had a rebellious vibe that stirred a male urge to conquer.
When she smiled, her sharp fangs occasionally drew the eye.
Next, her body.
Muscular everywhere, toned to perfection.
If you like athletic women, she'd catch your eye immediately.
Did all that muscle make her unfeminine? Not at all.
Her breasts were impressively swollen even wrapped tightly in bandages.
Not as big as Sera's, but definitely huge compared to average women.
They looked about level with my head now; unwrapped, they'd probably be bigger.
Her abs were a defined six-pack. Not overdone enough to look masculine—perfectly balanced.
Wide hips and a big ass screamed "easy birthing."
In contrast, her waist was slim, like a virgin who hadn't borne children yet.
Her thighs were thick and springy. I'd confirmed the feel when she pinned me down last time.
Even in that situation, I'd noticed how firm and plump they were.
Looking her up and down, I got it. No wonder she rarely got rejected.
Even if she'd been turned down a few times, she'd succeeded a hundred times more.
"Heh heh. Not staring too obviously, are you?"
I'd been checking her out too long—Kasha noticed.
"So, what do you think? Pretty, right? Turning you on?"
Kasha spread her arms wide, as if inviting me to look all I wanted.
That smug grin was seriously annoying.
Still, I had to admit what was true.
Objectively speaking, she was fucking gorgeous.
"Sex friends, then?"
Back to the same question again.