[Book of Eros] Chapter 11 & Chapter 12. (Patreon)

Chapter 11: Classes.

During class, Leonardo tried to pay attention to the teacher for a whole minute before realizing he could barely understand what he was saying. Therefore, he decided to use his time to practice his writing again. But having such a cute girl next to him was distracting. There was too much going on for him to focus on class.

Ever since puberty hit and after his first attempt at a sexual relationship, where he realized that the sexual frustration could only pile up without release, seeing pretty girls was an annoyance he had to work hard to ignore. Knowing nothing could come out of it helped in doing that. There was no need to keep appearances or try to be particularly charming, since it wasn’t like getting a girlfriend would make things any better.

But now? If he believed Mrs. Wisler, there was a clear path to get rid of the curse, and that entailed getting close to a girl first and having her fall for him. Now there was something to worry about. Now, there was the possibility of fucking things up.

He gave a quick glance around the classroom. The other girls weren’t unattractive per-se, but the one next to him, Reiko, was on a league of her own. Cute face and a slender, curvy body. How could a desperate guy like him not hope for something to happen? No, hoping wasn’t enough. He needed to make it happen. Trying for anything with Angela was useless. It needed to be Reiko.

He turned his eyes toward her, and both were startled when their eyes met. Shit. It was such a juvenile reaction, but his heart was pounding madly. Thoughts he hadn’t had in forever started crawling back into his mind.

What if she didn’t find him attractive? What if she found him weird? What if she found him more of an annoyance, since the teacher forced her to sit next to him?

The bell rang, startling him. He swallowed a groan as he looked at the clock hanging over the whiteboard. Had first period really gone by already?

The students started rising from their seats and, much to his displeasure, they started to gather around him. They asked questions he couldn’t understand and tried to speak to him in broken, incomprehensible English. He had to ask Reiko to translate from him and tell them he couldn’t really understand what they were saying, and his classmates started losing interest.

“Sorry to be a bother,” he told Reiko, “and thanks.”

“No problem,” she answered with a smile. He noticed how her lips where thin and pink. Cute. “I did tell you to ask for my help.” Her mannerisms were modest, reserved, polite, yet he believed her smile was genuine, not just an obligation.

“It’s a huge relief to have someone to talk to. I’m trying to learn the language as fast as I can, but it’s difficult.”

“How old are you, Contreras-san?”

His eye twitched at the way she addressed him. Right. He had forgotten about the use of honorifics in this country. They really cared about that here, as well as calling each other by their surnames if they aren’t close enough. He’d just have to get used to it.

“I’m 19,” he said.

“N-Nineteen?” she repeated, shocked.

“Weird, right?” he laughed. “My family situation made me drop out of high school. I’m hoping to finish my education here.”

“I-I see. I’m sorry,” she said, looking guilty for asking.

“Don’t worry,” he said with an easy smile and waving his hand dismissively. “And you, uh… Maeda-san? How old are you?”

“I’m turning 18 next week,” she said, showing a relieved smile.

“Really? I’ll have to remember to bring you a present, then,” he said. But what should he give a girl he only just met? Wait, was it even appropriate? Well, she was helping him, so it should be.

“W-Wha…? T-That’s really not necessary,” she told him, visibly flustered. She looked even cuter.

“I think it is,” he said, crossing his arms and frowning in disagreement. “You offer to help me and I do nothing in return? I don’t think that’s how it works.”

He hoped the confident act was convincing enough. Leonardo honestly had no idea how to flirt with a girl or anything like that. He was nervous about screwing things up. He’d never had to worry about it before, but he wasn’t dense enough not to notice when other women tried to flirt with him in the past. That meant that being himself should be enough, right? Or at least just trying to be more attentive that usual.

Besides, he supposedly had something to help push things in his favor. The aphrodisiac scent. Could it be that Maeda-san’s flustered reactions were because of that? He wanted some proof, so he just looked directly into her eyes and gave her a small, charming smile.

He saw her cheeks reddening and her shoulders stiffening. She looked down to the table for a few moments, but still smiled back.

“T-Then… My birthday is on April 10th,” she said. Did that mean it worked? Leo couldn’t be sure.

The second bell rang, signaling the end of the five minute break. Next period started, so he couldn’t keep talking to Maeda-san. He kept trying to focus on class, at least to try and understand what the teacher was saying. He did so every class until lunch break. Many of the students started getting up and leaving the classroom, chatting with friends or moving their desks next to another’s.

“Um…” Maeda-san started. “This school doesn’t have a cafeteria,” she told him. “If you didn’t bring lunch, there’s a shop on the first floor. You can either eat here or somewhere else. A lot of people go to the rooftop during spring and summer.”

“I actually did bring lunch,” he told her, getting his bento box from his bag. “It’s nothing fancy, but I’m hoping it turned out well.”

“Did you make it yourself?” she asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Yeah. I’m still not used to using local ingredients, so I’m keeping it simple.”

“Let me see!” she said, excited.

Leonardo opened the black, circular box and revealed its contents. A portion of rice with slices of pork and fish, green onions, and pepper he’d never used before, all of them neatly presented.

“These are shishito peppers, right? I’ve never tried them before, so I just went for it,” he said.

“It looks so nice!” Maeda-san praised. “My mom does all the cooking in my house, so I don’t know how to do it myself,” she laughed. When it died down, she looked around the classroom with a melancholic frown before turning to Leo again. “Say, um… You don’t really know anyone here, right? W-Would you mind if I had lunch with you?”

S-Seriously? Perhaps the aphrodisiac scent really was taking effect if this girl he’d spoken to for not more than a total of 15 minutes was already asking to eat with him instead of going to her friends.

“I’d love that.” He smiled, unable to hide his own excitement.

It’s true that maybe he should’ve gone and looked for Angela, but it wasn’t like they had much to talk about anyway. He could only hope she was doing well.

***

Chapter 12: A heart to heart with Angela.

April 10th – Monday.

The past week had been disappointingly uneventful. Leonardo was being careful not to rush things with Maeda-san, but talking to her he did learn quite a few things. She lived with her parents, was always at least top 2 in her grade, and currently didn’t have a boyfriend despite being very popular with boys.

He got up early in the morning as usual and got breakfast ready. And as he did that, he also started working on four bento boxes. One for himself, one for Angela, one for Mrs. Wisler and one for Maeda-san. After all, it was her birthday, and he decided that for her present he’d make her lunch since she was always eyeing his.

He got a bunch of potatoes, peeled them and chopped them, throwing them in a pot to boil. He then finely chopped half an onion and got the minced beef. He threw the beef into a pan, and when that browned added the onions, soy sauce and sugar. It was letting out a really nice smell.

He heard the sliding door open and looked back to see Angela already dressed up in her uniform. It was still only 6:30 am. She was a consistent early riser, just like him.

“Angela, can you set the table please? I’m getting lunch ready.”

“Oh. Sure.” She nodded. She walked behind him to get the bowls from a cupboard and saw the bento boxes on the counter.

“Four boxes?” she asked.

Leonardo’s shoulders tensed, but there was no point in hiding anything.

“Today is a classmate’s birthday,” he said. “I told her I’d make her lunch today.”

He kept his eyes on the frying meat and onions, and Angela took a moment before answering.

“Is it that cute girl you’re always talking to?”

His heart skipped a beat. Her tone was neutral and non-judgmental. Distant, even, more so than usual.

“…” Leonardo swallowed. “She speaks English and has been helping me out a lot.”

“I see,” she said, getting the bowls and plates from the cupboard under the kitchen counter.

Leonardo drained the water of the boiling potatoes once they were done and started mashing them as Angela set the table.

“So she’s your first target?”

Leonardo almost dropped the potato masher. He turned his head back to Angela before even considering that might be a bad idea. The blonde girl was still setting the table with her back to him.

“The old lady told me, you know? It was how she pitched her offer to me. She said she’d find someone who could break the curse, as well as let me make use of my Gift,” she explained. “When we got here I asked her how you were involved in all this, and she told me about the book. When were you going to tell me?”

“…” He took a deep breath and continued to work on the mashed potatoes, even as his heart pounded wildly and his chest felt too small for it. “I wasn’t trying to hide it. I’m still not sure I believe it myself. Besides… We haven’t been on the friendliest terms.”

“Of course we haven’t,” she groaned. “I try not to be near you. I see how you look at me, and I feel the same. It gets me horny.”

His body froze for a couple of seconds, then continued as if nothing happened.

“Mrs. Wisler says it’s the book. It’s doing weird shit and making you see me that way,” he said.

“You didn’t have the book when we met,” she argued. “You’re better looking than you think.”

A small, self-conscious smile crossed his lips. “Thanks.” He mixed the beef, onions and potatoes into a bowl and started mixing it with a big spoon.

“You’ve thought of me, then?” she asked. This time her voice was low, hesitant, vulnerable. It was surprising to hear her sounding like that.

“Every day since we met,” he admitted. He took some of the potato and beef mix with his hands and shaped it into a croquette. Mindlessly, he kept doing that as he spoke to Angela. “Even had a very annoying dream about you.”

“Annoying?” she asked, carefully. He could tell she was now behind the counter, directly behind him. “In what way?”

“You know exactly in what way,” he answered.

“Oh.”

“…”

Things got quiet, and Leonardo kept working. He rolled the croquettes along thin bread crumbs before frying them in oil. The sizzling sound was the only thing heard in the room for a good while.

“Sorry,” Angela said with a heavy sigh. “I’m just jealous.”

“About what exactly?”

“I don’t know,” she groaned. “That you’ll get some while I don’t. But you’re also not bad looking and are a cool guy. You come off as a bit aloof, but I kind of like that about you. I guess I’m also jealous of that girl.”

Leonardo took a deep breath. “Did Mrs. Wisler tell you the specifics of the book?”

“Yeah. She said that you’d need to fuck a lot of women to get rid of the curse,” she says. “But that you might be able to make me feel something before that.”

“If things go well with Maeda-san, and I keep that up for a month, then I will be.”

“I don’t like it.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He grimaced.

“But it’s not like I can do anything about it. It’s either that or nothing,” Angela said, resigned.

Leonardo turned back to face Angela directly. Speaking to her while cooking made things easier for him, but he couldn’t hide his face any longer.

“This will sound presumptuous but… is there any way I can make it up to you?”

His chest tightened even more. The idea of having multiple partners was appealing at first, but talking to Angela, hearing how she seemed uncomfortable with the idea, and knowing that he’d have to get someone like Maeda-san involved in this made him feel guilty. But he knew he needed to do this, so his question was nothing more than looking for a way to feel better about himself. It was pathetic, he knew.

She pursed her lips and closed her eyes. “I’ll… think of something,” she gave him a small smile. “I know we both have little choice in the matter. I won’t come too hard on you for it, but I’m still gonna give you shit every once in a while.” Her smile then turned into a grin. “For now, I want half of your croquettes.”

The worst part was that her words really did make him feel a little better.

He chuckled. “You’re gonna get fat,” he said, smiling in relief as he turned back to his cooking.

“Believe me, I ate worse shit back home and never gained a single pound.”

Huh. Interesting. It was the same for him.

But more importantly, he finally had a real conversation with Angela. This felt like a huge step forward. With their feelings out in the open now, they could maybe start being more honest with each other.