You Said Her Name… Why Do I Know It?

This idiot had such a bright, sunny expression, and the handsomer he looked, the more annoyed I got.

“Hah… when other people come home, they have a girlfriend welcoming them. All I get is a grown man greeting me… What a pathetic life…”

“Tch, if you really want a girlfriend, why don’t I just introduce you to someone?”

The idiot raised an eyebrow and looked at me with disdain.

“So who’s the weirdo who keeps whining about being single but never actually tries to get close to women?”

“I just have self-awareness.”

“Oh? Self-awareness?”

“What? It’s not like I’m you, with everything going for me. With my crappy specs, you think I’d succeed at hitting on someone? No chance, period.”

“Ha, I think you’re the one lacking self-awareness.”

Seeing that knowing smile on his face made my skin crawl, so I fired back.

“Got a problem with that?”

“How could I have a problem with my bro?”

“Hah… Besides, I’m not interested in the leftovers you’ve played with.”

He was indeed a ridiculously rare, pure-bred eligible bachelor. But there was a reason he was still single.

The main reason was, he was a romantic at heart.

Even though this idiot was popular with women because of his looks and the way he talked, his tendency to disregard their feelings meant the women around him never stayed long.

Truth be told, in terms of romantic experience, he and I were about the same.

The only difference was, I’m a virgin, and he wasn’t.

Back when I was at the internet cafe, every time he came in, he had a woman with him. And it was always a different woman, all of them above average in looks.

The shortest might have lasted a few hours? The longest, less than a week.

Anyway, when it came to relationships, this idiot was a mess… He was like the male lead of a harem urban novel, but the difference was, he never took any of those women seriously.

Sure enough, after hearing me, the idiot said directly.

“If I were to introduce someone, I wouldn’t introduce you to those bitches. Bro, don’t I know your type? The ones I’d introduce to you would definitely be proper ladies from good families.”

“Yeah, don’t go ruining some nice girl. Think about it, could any woman you bring around even be interested in a guy like me?”

Even if he actually tried to set me up, those women would only be interested in him. They’d agree to meet me reluctantly just to get close to him. That’s how it would go.

The idiot folded his arms and thought for a moment.

“True… Women from those big families are all just tools. Even if they don’t care, their parents and elders won’t allow any free love…”

He shook his head and spread his hands.

“Tsk, pathetic. That’s women for you.”

“Let me tell you, if you keep that up, you’re going to get beaten up by feminists one day.”

“If we’re going there, you’re just as bad, bro. What you’re drawing is objectifying women too.”

“This is my heartfelt appreciation for women, period!”

“Tsk… when I see those pictures you draw, I get so angry I tremble. In this sweltering heat, I’m drenched in cold sweat, my hands and feet freezing. Can this society get any worse? My tears of anger won’t stop flowing…”

He really could just spout that stuff off the top of his head.

Watching him pretend to wipe away tears, I said.

“Hell is empty.”

He immediately switched from tears to a grin, flashing two rows of neat white teeth and giving me a thumbs up.

“And all the devils are here.”

“So you’ve engaged with them too.”

“Yeah… I ran into one before. She called herself my wife, tried to control everything, even wanted me to cut off contact with other women.”

“That’s actually pretty normal. Women are possessive.”

“I know, bro, you told me. So if I actually liked her, I wouldn’t mind only loving her. Cutting off other women wouldn’t be a problem… but.”

The idiot’s eyes sharpened.

“She wanted me to cut off contact with you. So… sorry, goodbye. We weren’t on the same page.”

“Whoa, seriously? You broke up with her for that?”

“What do you mean ‘for that’? I can find other women, but finding a good bro isn’t that easy… What, you’re not moved?”

I was a little moved.

After all, this idiot was one of the few real-life friends in my otherwise closed-off social circle.

But I was still curious. What woman wouldn’t even let him see his friends?

That possessiveness was way too strong?

“Speaking of, which one was it that didn’t want you coming to see me? Miss Tang? Or that Miss Zhao before?”

“Huh? You remember what those women were called?”

“Of course I do. They introduced themselves, period. Wait, don’t tell me you don’t remember?”

He had no conscience at all, did he?

Typical scumbag, taking off his pants and not owning up to it.

“No, why would I remember something so unimportant. Bro, can you remember how many women I’ve been with?”

“Yeah, eighteen. But those are the ones I’ve seen. I don’t know how many I haven’t.”

“…”

He seemed a bit speechless.

Hey, my memory’s just decent… Why are you looking at me like that?

“Good thing you’re only into 2D wives, bro. If you ever got interested in real women… then ‘all the devils are here’ might be too true.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean!”

“Exactly what I said.”

I gave him a look.

“Let me tell you, I’m a man too. I can be interested in a real woman, period.”

The idiot’s eyes suddenly went wide.

“Really? Bro, you finally came to your senses? No wonder you came back in such a good mood today. You met ‘the one’?”

I looked away, scratching my cheek a little embarrassed.

“It’s not that exaggerated…”

“What’s her name? What does she look like?”

“Why are you so curious?”

“Holy crap, what kind of woman could make even you, bro, fall for her? I’m dying to know!”

I shoved the idiot away as he chased after me, saying dismissively.

“Get lost! What are you even bothering me for so early in the morning anyway?”

“Hehe, my thing is nothing compared to yours.”

“Nothing my ass. Did your old man pressure you about marriage again?”

“Uh…”

Seeing the idiot’s gloomy expression, I knew I’d hit the mark.

That would be the only reason he’d show up here so early in the morning.

“Yeah, the old man arranged another blind date for me without asking. He only told me this morning. It gave me such a headache, I ran off.”

“I think you should just give in.”

“If I get married, I won’t get to come hang out with you anymore. As your bro, can you bear to see me step into the grave of marriage?”

“It’s not just your problem. Doesn’t your old man want grandchildren?”

“Well… yeah…”

Even though he didn’t care about women, he did care about his father.

Although I’d never met him, from what the idiot let slip, his dad was always pushing him to produce an heir soon.

It made sense, since the family business was waiting for him to inherit. Wanting him to have descendants quickly was normal.

“But… with an arranged marriage, what kind of feelings can there be?”

Huh, I felt like I’d already answered that question today.

“Feelings develop over time.”

“You’re right… Oh, bro, you said you’ve met someone you like? What’s that feel like? Teach me?”

“How do I teach you what liking someone feels like? Are you an idiot? I just happened to meet my ideal type.”

“So love at first sight?”

“…Yeah, more or less.”

“No way, what kind of goddess could make you fall at first sight? What’s her name? Did you get her contact info?”

I didn’t want to tell the idiot, but I was still riding high from getting to know Kaori, and my vanity got the better of me. I told him her name.

“We exchanged contact info, at least… Her name’s Kaori.”

Then, the idiot’s expression turned strange.

“Hold on… Kaori? The Kaori you’re talking about, is it written with the character for ‘fragrance’ and the character for ‘depend on’?”

“Yeah, why… you know her?”

No way…

Don’t tell me?