25.2 A Crocodile's Soliloquy - Story About Buying My Classmate Once A Week

A Crocodile's Soliloquy (Up to About Chapter 25) Shiori-chan rarely invites friends over to her house. That's why, it's always been just the two of us in this room. Shiori-chan’s entire day—well, technically the hours she's not at school—belonged to me. We spent that much time together. Yet one day, suddenly, someone by the name of Sendai-san—a classmate I had never seen or heard of before—appeared. Once or twice a week. She comes to this room about that often and does things with Shiori-chan that she doesn’t do with any other friends. It looks like excessive skinship, and I don't like it. I never gave permission for Sendai-san to come to this room, nor did I allow such things to occur between her and Shiori-chan. It's enough to make my guts, or rather, my tissues, boil with rage. I'm nothing more than a crocodile tissue cover, yet I spend far, far more time with Shiori-chan than Sendai-san ever does. Though just a crocodile and not capable of being a friend, I've been watching over Shiori-chan. Now and forever onward, until my lifespan runs out, I've chosen to keep my watch over her. Yet the audacity of someone else becoming close with her, ignoring me—the first member of the Shiori-chan fan club and a mere tissue cover—it's absolutely unforgivable. Sendai-san is too close with Shiori-chan. —Hmm? Close? No, I need to consider this carefully. Are the two of them really that close? Reading manga together and chatting could be signs of friendship, but even though they do things others don't, I can't say for sure that it's a sign of closeness. In the first place, in human terms, what does it mean to make someone lick or to be licked? Neither Shiori-chan, who is having her feet licked, nor Sendai-san, who is doing the licking, seems to be having fun, nor do they appear particularly happy. Yet, they don't seem to dislike it either, so perhaps they are indeed close— No, no, no. This cannot be good. It must not be good. I mustn't admit that Shiori-chan and Sendai-san are close. Shiori-chan said that Sendai-san isn't a friend. If they're not friends, then they can't be close. Of course, even if Shiori-chan were to say Sendai-san is a friend, I still wouldn't recognize them as close. I understand that the day might come when I will have to leave Shiori-chan to someone else. But it absolutely can't be Sendai-san. For some reason—though I can't pinpoint why—I just can't stand the thought of it being her. If someone must look after Shiori-chan, "Maika," another friend, might be a better choice. She's visited this room before, and she's kind, gentle, and considerate. I feel more at ease with the idea of leaving Shiori-chan to her. The problem is that it's not Maika, but rather Sendai-san, who frequently visits this room. Being a crocodile tissue cover, all I can do is watch over Shiori-chan while keeping a vigilant eye on Sendai-san. So today, too, I'll keep a lookout to ensure that Sendai-san doesn't do anything strange to Shiori-chan. If only I were human, then I could be more than just a guardian; I could be her friend, her partner. It's truly, truly regrettable.