Chapter 1 Part 2

Chapter 1 Part 2

The bell rings, it is time to head home.

Since fifth sis is already a senior and her big examination is coming soon, she was forced to stay behind for afterschool self-study¹.

This is truly one of the best policies the school has, it allows a student be focused, away from all the temptations of the world.

A senior’s most important job is to get into a good university, so they should study hard without any preoccupations. Walking home with their little brother? Helping the little brother with dinner? Those are just distractions.

"Fourth sis, fifth sis, both of you should just focus on studying, hahahaha.”

I walk out of the school gates with a big smile plastered on my face, my brain filled with different things I could do before heading home. Percy followed behind me quietly, but I noticed.

“Why are you stalking me?”

“What do you mean stalking, I’m just walking out like you.”

With one hand holding his bag, he habitually brushes his hair with his other hand.

“Why don’t we go to the internet cafe? Let’s hit up two hours before going home.”

“Not afraid of your sisters?”

“Come on, what pussy would be afraid of a couple women at home?”

“I respect that bravery of yours, but I already have a date.”

It wasn’t rare that Percy rejected my proposal, he was one of the hardest people to make a plan with. However my built in radar detected a very abnormal thing in the last part of his sentence - “have a date”.

Percy, the big otaku, only appears in three places - the classroom, cram school, and his own room - how can he possibly have a date?

TN:

1. 晚自習 is something that most middle and high schoolers participate in. Nighttime self-study at school is not mandatory per se, but most people do it otherwise the teachers and parents may gripe at them. While afterschool is technically about 4 pm, students often stay until 8-9pm to study.

Don’t tell me he....

“Found someone on the net to squad up with you in game?”

That must be it, otakus will be otakus, even if they have a date, it should be 2D, they don’t have anything to do with 3D.

“No, Starside Academy’s advertisement major is hosting a mixer, I’m going to eat dinner there.”

Starside Academy isn’t far from our school and it is one of the top three vocational schools in the country. The male to female ratio is 1:9, and every girl is extremely hot. Their school uniform is also superb, a light blue blouse paired with a super short pencil skirt.

Are you kidding me!

All those dating sims Percy played must have gotten in his head, has he projected those fantasies into real life?

“Let’s go and play a couple matches of League before going home.” I say with a tinge of pity.

“Sorry I don’t have time, see ya.”

He turns to leave.

As his good friend, I know I have a duty to dispel any delusions he has.

“Percy you know that Starside doesn’t have an advertising major.... right?”

He turns back to me slowly and fishes out his smartphone to check.

It looks quite pathetic, like a homeless man who can’t afford lunch, yet stands in the shop fishing for money that wasn’t there.

Not long after, Percy says, “Eh? It isn’t the advertising major my bad, it’s the Data Management major.”

I motion to him to follow me and gently say, “Cmon, Ahri will eat with you in League.”

Percy walks over agitated and put his phone in my face. I couldn’t say anything after that because the pictures proved everything.

I can’t deny what I see on the phone - a super hot girl wearing the uniform of Starside. My mouth hangs open in shock.

“I’m actually pretty hungry too, is it possible....”

“It’s full, we already set the three guys and girls. You asked late.”

“Why did you not tell a brother about this earlier? Your treating me too coldly.”

“Don’t forget our bet, why would I help you for this?”

“.......”

“See you then.”

“.......”

With that, Percy turns and goes, leaving me gazing at his distant silhouette. Technically, he is supposed to become smaller as he goes further but he didn’t.... his silhouette became bigger and bigger, towering over me like I was but an ant.

Has the bet’s victor been decided already?

I shake my head furiously to get rid of my negative emotions.

“Going out of your league will have no good outcomes....”, I say bitterly.

Most students left already, so no one heard my comment.

I wanted to go to the internet cafe earlier, but now I didn’t even have the mind to kill some noobs. I walk slowly towards the bus stop to go home.

Obviously, using my own PC to play LoL was fine too, I didn’t have to spend a dollar at the internet cafe to play. But that feeling of trash talking with a friend while playing can’t be replaced by randomly matched teammates through my screen.

I kind of regret betting with Percy, if it wasn’t for the bet, we could’ve been walking to the internet cafe right now.

Some people really need an incentive to do things - just like Percy.

Sitting at the very back of the bus, I could observe that the bus was mostly filled students, with some of Starside’s girls.

I sneak a glance at them. I always feel like they have a glowing aura about them, something that says “you can look, but don’t approach”.

I really don’t understand.

Thankfully, they don’t notice my curious gaze. Those four girls chat and play around, leaving an impression of youthful happiness in my mind before getting off.

At the next stop, I get off as well.

The walk home isn’t long.

I was planning use the time that sis four and five was studying to game until nine and quit before they come back. But now when I think of Percy at the mixer while I game alone at home.... I suddenly felt very downcast.

I unlock the door, put down my school bag, and while I was taking off my shoe, I spot a bra hanging randomly on the shoe rack.

I have seen way too many of these things at home, but it is weird that one was on the shoe rack.

I didn’t really want to touch it, so I stood at a distance to observe it.

“Hmm, this size, definitely isn’t sis three or five, big sis and sis four like this color, only big sis and sis three buys this brand, and as for the bold action of throwing it on the shoe rack.... I bet it was big sis who did this.”

I stand there, muttering to myself like a detective, before suddenly realizing that this meant big sis is home. My body reacted like a cat getting scared, completely shrinking and goosebumps popping up.

I must walk slowly, I must not even make a sound. I put my sneakers away with the utmost delicacy, and using the quietest footsteps, I start the journey back to my room.

My house isn’t really big, it has four rooms and two open spaces.

As you enter, the living room is right in front, and when you go in deeper there is a hall and the dining room. To the left there are three doors. The first room is occupied by second and third sis, the second room is big sis and fourth sis', and the last room is fifth sis and mine’s. The one door on the right is the master bedroom, which used to be my dad’s but since usually is never home, big sis mercilessly claimed it as her’s.

Our home is a matriarchal society, even the few times dad is home, he won’t even say a word about his room being taken. He just takes a pillow and blanket and attempts to sleep in sis four’s room before getting banished with a shout of “pervert and animal”, to sleep on the sofa in the living room.

Such a cowardly man, this meant his son is destined to be cowardly as well. Bryce Lee? Pfft. I’m even weaker than a bug, what seventeen year old guy still rooms with his sister?

I shake my head as I approach my room, double checking the soft yellow glow coming under the master bedroom door, confirming that big sis hasn’t realized I’ve come home.

I sigh as I walk in my room, a bad habit I can’t seem to get rid of.

In my room it is completely black and white——

Panda curtains, panda tables, panda posters, panda wallpaper, panda closets, panda pillows, panda blankets, panda bed covers...... even my computer screen has panda stickers on it.

My computer home screen used to be my hero Jay Chou, but under the protest of fifth sis, it was switched to the wallpaper of Pandamen, a movie by Jay Chou.

Yup, you're right, still this piece of shit animal.

It was about elementary when fifth sis got into a panda craze, and since then I’ve never invited a friend into my house again.

Honestly, pandas are pretty cute, but there was just an overflowing amount of pandas. When an abundance of girly panda stuffed animals adorned my bed and closets, I was unable to invite anyone in and have the heart to tell them this was my room.

“Sigh... I really wish I can negotiate changing rooms.”

I mutter to myself as I turn on my PC.

When there is free time after school, high school boys either hang out with their girlfriend or go gaming, and since I didn’t have a girlfriend to hangout with, I can only game.....

“Wait. A. Second!”

Since my sister isn’t around, high school boys have a “third option”.

I hold my mouse and open up the D drive, open up Bryce Lee’s homework folder, open up the 11th Grade Lectures folder, open up the Historical Focuses folder, open up the Japanese History folder, open up the Modern Japanese History folder, and click open the Japanese Film History folder.

Finally, I open up the folder named “Yui Hatano²”.

This moment has been long awaited.

“Hatano-chan, here I come.”

In this chaotic world, I find a silence. I put the panda tissues on my desk, readying up for a special time——

Yui Hatano’s every facial expression and laughter.

Even while I’m extremely focused, I could catch a panda in the corner of my eye.

Yui Hatano’s every movement.

I stare infatuated, but my eyes keep getting dragged away by the pandas imprinted on the desk.

Yui Hatano’s charming acting.

I try not to divert my gaze, but the panda stickers on the screen seem to be laughing at me.

Yui Hatano’s skin became black and white as I slowly start to hallucinate. An unfounded sense of guilt starts to creep up to me, as if I was doing some extremely inappropriate things in front of fifth sis’ pandas.

Slowly, even the sexy girl in the video looks like a panda to me.....

“Fuck this!” I throw the tissue box at the screen and exclaim, “If this goes on I’m going to get erectile dysfunction!”

This problem has always existed, everytime I’m alone in this room, it is as if a couple hundred eyes are monitoring me, those clear and pretty eyes with long eyelashes..... just like fifth sis' eyes.

“This is too creepy!”

TN:

2. Yui Hatano (波多野結衣) is a famous JAV star. Pretty much all guys in Taiwan know about her. Interesting fact, she once collabed with the Taiwanese metro company to make special cards featuring her pictures.

I suddenly realize how grave the situation is, I have to tell big sis ASAP. I need to switch rooms to the master bedroom and big sis can come sleep with fifth sis.

Yes, I must do this, and if big sis asks for the reason, I’ll tell her that even when I’m watching porn, I think of pandas. If this continues on then I’ll eventually see all girls as pandas, then I won’t be able to continue the Lee family line, which would be a serious problem as the sole male!

Without another second, I close the video, walk to the master bedroom and open up the door.

There was a terrible stench of alcohol in the air, and even after seeing big sis half naked, I resolutely open my mouth say :

“Big sis, can I switch rooms with you? I’m really tired of those pandas.”

“....Huh?”

Big sis seems to have just woken up, she adjusts her underwear a bit.

“I want to switch rooms with you, please.....”

I am ready to beg sincerely, but big sis speaks before I do.....

“No, go away, close the door, right now.”

If there is really an unseen “dominating aura” that exists in the world, then what I feel coming towards me is definitely it.

When did I become so dumb as to disturb big sis’ sleep? Aren’t there better ways to commit suicide? Why did I choose the most painful way? Perhaps the pandas altered my brain?

Big sis is like my mother, she is the absolute authority of this household.

I instantly shut the door, heart still pumping like crazy.

Dragging my weak and trembling legs, I walk back to my panda-filled hell.

Laying on my bed with no more energy, my breathing is a mess.

It is at this time.

My phone rings. In this black and white nightmare, there seems to be a ray of hope.

“Hello, is this Bryce Lee from class?”

“Yea... who are you?”

“I’m Jessie Hsu.”

“Oh ok, yea what’s up?”

“Sorry for disturbing you, but we are in the same group for the project, you remember?”

“Oh shit....uh I totally forgot.... I mean I totally remember, yea I remember.”

“It is only a couple days before the project presentation, we need to do some catch up work before then.”

“For sure, for sure, what should I do?”

“Uhh... It’s kind of hard to say clearly over the phone, why don’t we find a time tomorrow at school to talk about it?”

“Sure.....”

“Alright then, see you tomorrow.”

Is this the first time a female classmate has called me? I’m not too sure.

At first I thought it was some prank call, but I remembered that in art class the teacher did draw sticks to choose groups. I was preoccupied at that time either reading manga, hentai, or playing with my phone.... I don’t really remember since art class is for messing around anyways.