Chapter 11 – Nausea
Chapter 2, Part 2
Novel Title: 融愛~Melt Down~ (Melted Love ~Melt Down~)
Author:風結子 沙野 (Fuyuko Sano)
Illustrator:雅良 水名瀬 (Masara Minase)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 葉越海理 (Yougoshi Kairi -MC), 葉越翼久 (Yougoshi Tasuku -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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“Looks like I’ll be home by the last train tonight,” Kairi murmured.
Naofumi casually asked, “A message from a friend?”
“No, from my brother.”
“Oh, you live together, right? Are you two close?”
“We don’t have a bad relationship. But he’s a handful. He just can’t seem to get his act together.”
Talking about Tasuku brought back vivid memories of their kiss that morning in bed.
No, it wasn’t just now. Kairi had been recalling it countless times throughout the day. Not just the kiss. But how Tasuku’s body had pressed down on him, the movements of his fingers, his ragged breathing… Kairi would unconsciously trace these memories in detail, replaying the reactions of their bodies over and over.
Being so fixated on a playful kiss from a groggy younger brother—this was not normal.
An unfamiliar heat simmered in his chest and body. It was a restless feeling he had never known before. He needed to get rid of this heat somehow.
Kairi was starting to feel a growing anxiety about the unshakable memory of that kiss with his brother.
“If he’s your brother, I bet he’s a good-looking guy too. But I guess it’s hard to bring someone over when you live with a sibling, huh?”
“Well, actually, my brother’s insanely popular. So having girls over at our place would just cause trouble—”
“I’m not talking about your brother, I’m talking about you.”
“Huh?”
Naofumi leaned in closer and whispered.
“Why don’t you invite me over?”
***
“Oh, Tsubasa-san! So, this is where you were. Manami-san is waiting at table three.”
A brand-new host who had just started last week called out from the locker room doorway. Tsubasa was the host club alias of Kairi’s brother, Tasuku. Manami was Tsubasa’s top client—the queen. He couldn’t refuse to see her.
“I’ll be right there.”
He stood up from the black faux leather sofa placed in the centre.
“Tsubasa-san, you don’t look so good, do you?”
“It’s your imagination.”
He replied curtly and passed through the hallway onto the floor.
It was a garish, tasteless space, with gold-plated arabesque decorations crawling along the crimson walls, reflecting and flickering under the light of the mirrored disco ball. A chandelier hung from the centre of the ceiling, designed to appeal to the romantic fantasies of the female clientele. Vases with gold trim, filled with multicoloured roses, were placed here and there.
The moment Tasuku (aka Tsubasa) stepped into his workplace, he shut down the ‘living’ part of himself. The wrinkles disappeared from his brow. His sweet, double-lidded eyes sparkled, and his lips curved into a slightly twisted smile.
He became Tsubasa, the host women desired.
“Tsubasa, you’re so late!”
As soon as Tasuku sat down, Manami snuggled up to him with her slender body.
Manami, in her late thirties, was always decked out in designer brands from her clothes to her accessories and would show up with her hair perfectly curled at her go-to salon. She looked like the quintessential Ginza club madam. But in reality, she was the wife of a CEO at a major company. With no children, and a husband in his mid-fifties who practically lived at his young mistress’s place, she had plenty of energy, time, and money to spend at host clubs.
While her generous spending was certainly appreciated, her constant attempts to turn their relationship into something physical were exhausting.
Tonight, after ordering two bottles of Dom Pérignon Gold in quick succession and getting thoroughly drunk during the champagne call, Manami let her hand crawl over Tasuku’s stomach.
“So firm… You must’ve been working out. So, when will you show it to me?”
Her five fingers, adorned with thick nail art, slithered sensuously across his skin.
“Manami-san, that tickles.”
“I’ll make you feel even more ticklish.”
Her sweet, seductive whisper alluded to sex.
Before he knew it, the overpowering scent of cosmetics and perfume filled his nostrils, clogging the air around him. It felt as if the woman’s fingers were blocking his nose and mouth, making it impossible to breathe.
Spurred by the suffocation, the connection Tasuku had shut down reactivated.
From the point where she touched him, a chill spread throughout his body, enveloping him in an instant.
“…!”
He felt his diaphragm spasm. It was a familiar sensation—one he knew all too well. This was bad.
The writhing fingers of the woman looked like five earthworms.
With pale lips, Tasuku forced an awkward smile.
“Excuse me—I need to step out for a moment.”
All he could do was gently brush aside the woman’s hand.
He signalled to a new staff member for help and left the seat. Tasuku hurriedly crossed the floor and rushed into the monochromatic tiled bathroom. He braced himself on the edge of the toilet seat just as what he had been suppressing in his throat surged up into his mouth.
“Ghh, ugh…!”
He continued to vomit, eventually dropping to his knees on the floor. It felt as if someone had taken hold of his stomach and was squeezing it relentlessly.
When had he lost control like this?
It was three years ago, in the spring.
Yes, around the time Kairi graduated from university and got a job.
His older brother started working for a large food company, a well-known name in society, and no longer needed Tasuku’s ‘protection’ at all. At the same time, the brothers moved into their current apartment, splitting the rent.
Tasuku had been working as a host since he was 18, making a decent living. He could have left that rundown apartment anytime. But the reason he hadn’t was because Kairi had stubbornly refused to move.
While Kairi probably didn’t want to rely entirely on his younger brother’s earnings from his night job, Tasuku knew the real reason.
It was so that their mother, who had only ever deposited money into their account from afar, could come back anytime she wanted.
“How stupid…”
Bitter stomach acid escaped through his trembling lips as he murmured.
Kairi doesn’t understand anything. To Tasuku, only Kairi matters.
――So why, why can’t I be the one and only person for Kairi too?
This week, both Tuesday and Thursday, Kairi came home on the last train and didn’t have dinner at home.
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*Translator’s Note: It’s sad that Kairi thinks Tasuku was doing just fine but all these years, Tasuku was actually struggling amidst his trauma. He just wanted to get money to protect Kairi and Kairi has no idea of all the sacrifices he had made. -K
*GLOSSARY:
- Onii-san / Onii-chan / Nii-san / Nii-chan / Aniki = (Big/Elder) Brother
☝🏻I’ll be using these throughout my translation.
Next update: 2025.01.06