Chapter 119: The Dilemma of Twenty Centimeters

…

【Time for a bath.】

Huh? Bath?

Himekoji Tadashi had been reciting poems on his balcony. He never expected the System to suddenly drop this on him out of nowhere.

“What do I need a bath for?”

So, he asked instinctively, feeling a bit confused even as the words left his mouth.

Since when did the System start meddling in his daily routine?

【To take naked photos.】

“T-take naked photos?! Why?”

Himekoji frowned unhappily. Was the System talking crazy?

Was it trying to force someone into doing something bad?

【The naked loan, remember? Hurry up!】

He hadn’t forgotten. He just wanted to weasel out of it…

Himekoji grumbled silently to himself.

But honestly, the System had a great memory.

Even the readers had almost forgotten, yet it kept the matter firmly in mind.

“What does taking naked pics have to do with bathing?”

Himekoji wasn’t planning to just obey the System.

As a Pervert, he had his pride.

He couldn’t just take a bath because the System said so, right?

Besides, he just bathed with the Holy Mediator yesterday… Wait, no. Wasn’t that Rikka’s body?!

Meaning… he hadn’t washed?

…

【Someone drowning in debt better stop whining!】

Tch. Rubbish. Didn’t it know debtors were kings these days?

【Keep stalling, and I’ll never loan you anything ever again!】

…

Anyway, under the System’s threats and promises… Wait, just threats. Himekoji eventually gave in and obediently slipped into the Bathroom stark naked.

Truthfully, Himekoji should have washed long ago.

The reason?

His lower half was still unnaturally bright red…

Because of this, he’d had to sneak carefully into the school restroom all day.

After all, he couldn’t exactly whip out a giant, blood-covered stick in broad daylight now, could he?

Thus, he needed it clean fast!

He squeezed shower gel onto his hand, worked up a lather, and then rubbed it all over… the stick.

He scrubbed, scrubbed, and scrubbed…

After several minutes, satisfied, he whistled and turned on the shower.

With a rush of water, the foam covering his little brother was washed away clean.

“Damnit! Hold on… Why’s it still so red?”

After rinsing, the naked Himekoji looked down. What he saw shocked him, and he screamed.

His little brother, completely coated in red paint before, was still just as horrifying crimson as ever!

At a glance, it looked like candied hawthorn on a stick…

Hey, did anyone like eating those?

Himekoji couldn’t help but wonder.

Whoa, no! That wasn’t what Himekoji should be focusing on!

Was the shower gel just not working?

Yeah, that was what he should be thinking about this.

Impossible!

Water and shower gel couldn’t wash this thing off?

Himekoji refused to accept that. He scrubbed harder!

He believed sheer force could work miracles!

Scrub, scrub, scrub! Put your back into it!

He felt like his skin might rub off, but that damn paint clung stubbornly to his stick.

Wasn’t it even redder now?

Original redness plus scrubbing redness…

No! He wasn’t giving up!

Himekoji decided then and there – this red paint was his enemy!

So, he started cycling through every cleaning product imaginable. Shower gel failed? Try shampoo. Shampoo useless? Switch to soap.

And then came the real oddball parade:

Facial cleanser, dish soap, laundry detergent, feminine wash, conditioner, toothpaste…

Anything he could think of, he slathered it onto his little brother.

Result? Just sore but kinda tingly private parts standing at attention. Absolutely no difference!

The red remained shockingly, intensely red.

Out of ideas, Himekoji scrambled out, grabbed his phone, and searched “ways to wash off paint.”

He got many answers:

Some said soak it in vinegar. Others said apply cooling oil to the paint splotches. Some even recommended Essential Balm…

And naturally, foolishly, Himekoji believed them!

Another frantic half-hour passed, then…

【Ding!】

【Congrats!】

【Your little brother acquired a new attribute—】

【Tempered like steel, Unbreakable!】

【Description: Now, it’s stronger! Nothing can destroy it!】

Himekoji: “…”

He looked utterly speechless.

So… was that considered an unexpected blessing?

Even though the paint hadn’t washed off… it seemed his Junior had become powerful again…

Human limits… no, this guy had already shattered them long ago!

So nothing could destroy it now. In other words, it was practically invincible—untouchable by blades or fire!

Plus, since the umbrella had inherited this property… did that mean he could finally start hoping for a little… some happiness in that area?

Himekoji breathed a sigh of relief lately.

These past couple of days, worrying about the umbrella’s safety had robbed him of his appetite and sleep. Even his… questionable habits had lost all vigor. It had been worrying him constantly.

Now, the anxiety weighing on his heart could finally ease… just a bit.

Speaking of which… should he go find a knife to test it out right now?

Himekoji stared at his crimson-hard Junior, lost in thought…

Actually, no. Better not. He was scared of pain.

Yet, just like clockwork—right after thinking “pain”—sharp, persistent waves of agony slammed into him, like swiping a card to report for duty.

“Ugh…! Ouch! This… this excruciating sensation… What the heck?!”

Sucking in a gasp of shock, Himekoji doubled over instantly, clutching his Junior.

Damn it! Being nearly indestructible was useless at times like this! What he really needed was a “Pain Immunity” power!

His erectile tissue pulsed angrily, like heavy hammers smashing into it relentlessly.

His Junior screamed in pain. Though it looked perfectly fine, the agony radiated all the way to his heart. It gave Himekoji this horrible feeling… like his little brother might be pounded into paste any second.

Crap! What were they doing with that umbrella?

…

Inside a lavish mansion, a spacious, bright personal gymnasium hosted a frantic battle.

A small, roughly four-and-a-half-foot-tall girl charged swiftly at a sandbag!

“Hurricane of the Thunder Hammer!”

With a fierce cry, her Twin Tails whirred into a high-speed spin, spinning like helicopter blades.

Upon closer look, her Twin Tails weren’t ordinary ones. Unlike Eriri’s purely decorative style, hers were clearly designed… for destructive impact.

Attached to the ends were weights resembling hammerheads. By spinning her hair, she could unleash meteor-hammer-like finishing moves!

“As expected of Master’s Original Black Darkness Genos Mark Two! My Thunder War Hammer’s destructive force is increased by two hundred percent! Death!”

“Take this, Sandbag Monster!”

“Holy Black Darkness Genos… THUNDER UMBRELLA STRIKE!”

“Taste true terror! DEATH!”

And it was no ordinary weight tied to her ponytail. It was Himekoji’s beloved “Junior”—his Double, the umbrella!

Spinning at a breathtaking speed and force, the umbrella… crashed straight into the sturdy sandbag.

…

CRAP! It hurts! HURTS! IT HUURRTTSS!”

Flat on his back on the floor, Himekoji clutched his throbbing Junior.

Why was he lying down?

Obviously because the pain had dropped him like a rock!

Back when he’d seen Rikka using his body, she would always cry out in pain, carrying on like it was the end of the world. He’d thought she was being a wimp and overreacting.

Now, experiencing it firsthand… he knew better.

Holy mother of—this wasn’t about some fragile tolerance!

Some kinds of pain clenched teeth can overcome… but others? Impossible.

Such as his Junior and his two little brothers.

Every man knows: The testicles are packed with more nerves than anywhere else. Get hit hard down there? Say goodbye to millions of cells!

Statistically, every man gets whacked in the berries over a hundred times in his life. And each time? Sheer, long-lasting agony.

The worst pain a guy can feel? Getting kicked there! That alone can rival the pain of being stabbed TEN times.

And now? Himekoji was feeling that level of torment.

Ten stabs… ten more… ten more…

He lost count of how many stabs it felt like.

“Dammit… just don’t… let me find out who did this…”

…

After riding waves of excruciating agony for about half an hour, Himekoji finally caught his breath.

Naked and sprawled on the floor, utterly spent, he lacked any desire to move a muscle.

It felt like being forced to sleep with a hundred women. His Junior felt utterly divorced from him. He couldn’t even sense that rod or those two lumps down there.

[Get up! Time to work!]

“Who’s the work?”

His eyes glazed, Himekoji stared blankly at the Bathroom ceiling like a complete zombie.

[No one! Just get up and take your NUDE photos! If you borrowed for that, then keep your promise!]

“Promise?… A promise…” Himekoji murmured these words. Slowly, awareness flickered back into his eyes.

Then, like a carp leaping from water, he flipped up and stood tall!

There’s a saying: A man without his word stands for nothing.

Sure, Himekoji was a Pervert… but he was an honest, promise-keeping Pervert!

In certain things, he held himself to very high standards!

Yes! Exactly!

It definitely wasn’t because some sudden urge inspired him to take “artistic” photos!

…

Completely naked, Himekoji struck various poses in front of the full-length mirror.

“So? How do I look? Handsome? Cool? Stylish?” He posed the question with utter seriousness—absolutely deadpan.

[Handsome. Cool. Stylish.]

“Are you blind?! Are you seriously telling me this isn’t handsome?! So cool?! SO—”

He started sniping back on reflex… but halfway through, he paused.

Wait… Had the System just called him handsome? Cool? Stylish?

Damn, did the sun rise from the west?

This time, the damn System actually admitted the truth?

Wait, could it be…

Himekoji suddenly thought of something, his heart gave a thud, and his face immediately turned very stern.

Wow, no wonder the System kept chasing after him to quickly take nude photos; it turned out it had already fallen long ago!

Maybe, after more than a year of being together, the System had fallen deeply in love with him, unable to escape?

Damn it, that’s disgusting! Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps!

Hmph, unless it was willing to be his r.b.q, it could just get lost!

Thinking of all the suffering he had endured under the System over the past year, Himekoji got extremely angry.

While Himekoji was still worrying about random things in his mind, the System directly assigned a task.

[Ding!]

[Requirement for the first nude photo: Stand in front of a mirror, hold a finger horizontally to cover three points.]

[Example picture below—]

“Huh?”

Himekoji stared blankly at the photo for a while,

“Wait, how is this even possible?”

In the example picture, that girl really used the selfie angle in the mirror. She placed her finger horizontally in the perfect position, flawlessly covering three points. No mistake.

But that was because she was a girl! A girl!

With two points up top and a slit below, covering them wasn’t too hard, of course.

But Himekoji couldn’t do it because what he needed to cover down there was a full twenty centimeters…

It wasn’t something a finger could handle simply; at the very least, he would need to use his arm!

[Can’t do it?]

“Of course I can’t!”

Himekoji rolled his eyes in annoyance.

[Ding!]

[Please choose!]

[A: Find a way to do it yourself.]

[B: The System will help you find a way to do it.]

[Failure punishment: Little brother becomes five centimeters.]

Hmm, this B option…

Would the System be that nice?

It felt like another trick!

So, Himekoji asked in a testing way:

“Um, if the System helps find a way, what would it be?”

[Turn you into a girl. Isn’t that what you thought, that boys can’t do it but girls can.]

Hearing that, Himekoji had black lines all over his forehead: “…”

Thankfully, he had never expected anything from the System anyway!

…

Hmm, no, wait, actually… it didn’t seem like failing would be a big problem?

Wasn’t it just becoming five centimeters?

He wondered if any of you reading this had that kind of trouble, like… having a big little brother could be troublesome a lot of the time… no, it was totally annoying!

For example, every time he went to the bathroom, it felt awkward to take it out in public because he was afraid of scaring others.

Or he could never find underwear that fit just right.

Also, when sitting on a small stool in a public bathroom scrubbing himself, if the little brother was too long, it might hang down and touch the ground or something…

Oh, right, and also, when sitting in the classroom listening to class, if the little brother suddenly got hard without warning, it might lift the desk right up…

Besides that, once when Himekoji was going through security, he was stopped right away by the guards. They thought he had something strange in his pocket, and that guy insisted on frisking him right then, without another word, and the result…

You know…

The scene was really awkward at that moment.

…

Sure, having a big root might seem amazing, but when you actually had one, it meant you also faced a lot of troubles.

Aah, maybe telling it like this, you still wouldn’t believe it and would say Himekoji was bragging.

But it couldn’t be helped; after all, people always thought what they didn’t have must be great.

If any guy out there had the same twenty-centimeter burden as Himekoji, you’d surely know his pain. Feel free to type a “1” in the danmaku so we could all introduce ourselves.

…

[Please choose!]

Shit, he was too busy bragging and nearly forgot the important thing!

“AAA, I choose A!”

Hmm, even though Himekoji complained a bunch about the twenty centimeters being bad, his complaints were really just faking it.

That’s right, it was more like showing off than complaining! A totally naked show-off!

Well, not happy about it?

Then come and hit him!

Oh, right, thankfully Hayama didn’t read this book.

His thing seemed pretty small…

…

Got off track, got off track.

Anyway, Himekoji’s life would never accept five centimeters!

Wasn’t it just taking one nude photo in this pose? Did anyone really think that could stump him?

Hmph, how naive!

…