8:00 PM – My Room
Back home, I collapsed onto my bed like a sack of emotionally confused potatoes.
"Why is my life suddenly a soap opera… with magical side effects?"
Seriously, if a kami really blessed me with this mess, I want a refund. Or at least a user manual.
My mind was a hurricane of contradictions. No, not even a hurricane. It was more like one of those variety shows where ten comedians yell over each other and nothing makes sense.
She was sweet. Sincere. Vulnerable.
And she looked at me like I was some gallant prince sent from the heavens… when in reality, I'm a gremlin in pajamas with bed hair shaped like a dragon's nest.
But was this real?
I mean—okay, yes, there was magic involved. A shrine blessing, to be specific. Very shady. Probably illegal in seven prefectures.
But if someone's love is sparked by magic… and it blooms through their own words and warmth… is it still fake?
"Ugh, this is why I should've skipped Ethics class."
"Ughh…" I groaned and rolled over, burying my face in the pillow.
This is all that stupid shrine's fault!
Who blesses someone with one month of being loved?! What kind of chaotic matchmaking gremlin thought this was a good idea?!
Still… if her affection bloomed through her own will—even under the influence of that blessing—then…
"Wait, does that mean I'm basically like… a romance cheat code?"
Pause. Cue inner narrator voice:
Congratulations! You have unlocked Temporary Boyfriend Mode. Limited time only! Offer expires in 30 days!
"That sounds depressing as hell, actually."
Worse… would that make her the victim of my silent consent?
Was it so wrong to want to enjoy this fleeting affection, just for a month?
...
Yes.
No.
Maybe?
Okay yes—but also no! I mean, if you were handed free limited-edition affection, wouldn't you at least sniff it a little?
"Ugh, I'm so emotionally constipated."
Also, what will happen when her feelings disappear after a month?
"Arghhh!" I kicked my legs in the air like a frustrated turtle. "This is why I don't do romance! Too many rules! No save points!"
Okay. Focus.
Let's consider all scenarios.
Option A – Her feelings vanish after a month. She goes, "Oh, sorry, I don't know what I saw in you," and treats me like some unfortunate class project she had to do out of pity.
Option B – She keeps acting nice but internally loathes me. Like one of those fake smiles in anime where their eyes go all shadowed and they say "I'm fine" but the background music gets ominous.
Option C – She actually falls in love for real.
…
"Pfft, no. Stop. Stop right there. That's too sophisticated."
This isn't a shoujo manga. I'm not even the cool male lead. I'm the background character who holds the cat.
Still…
That smile.
That clumsy way she tried to act confident around me today.
Damn it, brain! Stop romanticizing!
I sat up, crossing my arms.
"This is getting ridiculous."
"I'm going to the shrine," I declared to absolutely no one. "I'll undo this ridiculous blessing, and return to my peaceful, romanceless life."
…Which totally doesn't sound sad at all, nope.
Still, as I got up and slipped on my hoodie, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
My expression?
A weird mix of determination, confusion, and "I left my brain in the microwave again."
"Okay, Operation: Cancel My Magical Love Life begins now."
I reached for the door handle, hand trembling with dramatic tension—
"KAITO~! Where are you going at this suspiciously late hour?"
I froze.
I turned slowly, like in a horror movie when the protagonist realizes the ghost is right behind them.
There she was. My mom. In all her dramatic glory, wrapped in a thick blanket like a burrito, hair in a chaotic bun, watching her 4th drama rerun of the night from the kotatsu.
Remote in one hand. Cup of hot cocoa in the other. Eyes narrowed with the intensity of a detective who just found the last piece of the puzzle.
"Uh… just… air."
Wait.
No.
"I mean, I'm going out. For air. To… sniff it."
Mom squinted. The way only a Japanese mother can. That legendary squint that sees through walls, lies, and puberty.
"Outside? In this weather? With that hoodie? At 8 PM?"
She gasped.
"Kaito… are you running away from home?! Is it because I used skim milk instead of whole milk this morning?"
"What?! No! Why would I—"
"Is it because I accidentally read your diary in middle school?"
"You said that was an accident!"
"Are you meeting a girl? Is she older? Is she from Tokyo? Does she have a job?!"
"Why would any of those things matter?!"
"Because if she's not employed, I will judge her." She folded her arms, cocoa still balanced perfectly. "Also, you're not allowed to kiss until you're 18. Or at least until your voice stops cracking like a broken recorder."
"Ahem, I'm just out for a walk?"
She turned slowly this time, eyes narrowed. Shrimp cracker halfway to her mouth.
"A walk? At night? In this weather? What if you get kidnapped? What if you fall in love with a suspicious shrine maiden and elope to the mountains?"
"…That got real specific, Mom."
She dropped the cracker.
"Is it really a girl?! I knew it! Your aura has been suspiciously radiant lately!"
"What does that even mean—?"
She gasped, clapping her hands together like she'd just solved a murder mystery.
"IT IS A GIRL!"
"It's not like that! I just need to undo a magical blessing that may or may not have made a girl fall in love with me."
There was a full five seconds of silence.
"…Son."
"Yes?"
"You've been reading too many of those light novels again."
Sigh!
"I'm just visiting a shrine to pray for good luck."
She nodded thoughtfully.
"Then go. But take your jacket. And your phone. And three onigiri just in case."
"Mom, I'm not hiking Mt. Fuji."
She was already in the kitchen, wrapping rice balls like she was preparing me for war.
"You never know when you'll need emergency carbs! And text me every five minutes! I'll be tracking your location!"
"I'm going to the shrine down the street!"
"Tragedy strikes close to home, Kaito!"
...
I eventually left with a full bento box, two extra jackets, and a warning that if I wasn't back in an hour, she'd file a missing persons report and organize a prayer circle.