RE: Dude Looks Rather Moé [LH]
Decided to repost everything in one go to correct for weird formatting.
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Dude Looks Rather Moé
By Lord Raa
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Disclaim-me-do: Alcohol is humanity’s friend. Can I abandon a friend?
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Keitaro Urashima was hiding a secret from the tenants of the Hinata Sou. From his perspective, it was a terrible secret that had caused him and his family a great deal of trouble over the years.
For some, it was something that would be equated to the “poor little rich person†trope used in romantic fiction.
Others found it highly amusing.
But the fact of the matter was that Keitaro Urashima wasn’t the hapless fool everyone assumed that he was.
Sure, he was a little unsteady on his feet and he was often distracted by daydreams, but he wasn’t nearly as unappealing to the opposite sex as many of his peers thought.
In fact, Haruka Urashima had often joked that her cousin was “so moé that if they weren’t related, she might just have to whisk him off to her sex-dungeonâ€. Though that was mainly because it amused her to see the embarrassed look on his face.
Keitaro decided that since he was in his twenties, he didn’t want to be considered moé anymore. After giving the situation some serious thought, he narrowed down his possible choices.
One: grow facial hair. It would certainly make him look older, but Motoko had called him a vagrant when he’d gone nearly a week without shaving.
Two: start working out. Sure, he was hardly the stereotypical pear-shaped otaku virgin, but his slender build did make him feel rather self-conscious about his body.
Not that his adopted sister had ever found anything negative to say about his appearance.
Kanako was, to put it mildly, somewhat fixated with her brother. Sure, Keitaro had treated her like she was a blood relative, but it wasn’t just his kindness and acceptance that made the former ronin such a heart-throb in her eyes.
When Kanako had first started to notice Keitaro “in that wayâ€, she had accidentally left out part of a poem that she’d written about him. The poem was like a typical teenaged girl’s writings about the boy she had a crush on and focused on the way Keitaro’s eyes looked.
The way Keitaro chided Haruka for teasing Kanako about the poem had caused its follow up to turn from a poem into a crude attempt at erotica. A scenario about a kind sempai who swooped in to defend a bullied girl with series of well-worded barbs that had them scurrying off. Shortly after that, the fantasy scenario degenerated into a make out session by some trees.
Soon after the poem incident, Keitaro had another episode involving women. A student teacher had taken a shine to him and was offering some additional tutelage for his English lessons. There had been several references to him requiring “oral practiceâ€, which seemed a little odd at the time.
Looking back, it was clear what was meant, but it did highlight a potential problem: he was going to have to work hard to focus on his dreams of attending Toudai.
To help reduce the number of distractions, Keitaro had decided to wear ugly glasses and adopt the persona of a clumsy goofball.
It had worked up to a point, but it was hard to maintain the lie that he was blind without his glasses and could barely put one foot in front of the other without breaking his neck.
Keitaro let out a sigh. “Still, at least I’m not trying to hide the fact that I’m an ace martial artist,†he joked to his room.
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That afternoon, Keitaro strolled around town, hoping to find a gym for him to attend. There were none in the immediate area, which left him with either using the campus facilities at Toudai or finding an alternative fitness plan.
Recalling the trouble from his previous pre-frumpy life, he discounted the Toudai option. Even if his own actions were innocent, the potential for angry boyfriends getting the wrong end of the stick and trying to rearrange his face was too great.
As the disguised young man waited for the crossing signal to change, he thought back to the one time someone had hit him for thinking that he was trying to steal his girlfriend.
It had started out as an entirely innocuous task at school, one to help foster teamwork and help with research skills. Or at least, that’s how it has been described by the Social Sciences teacher.
And that’s what had been happening, until Keitaro had made the rest of his team laugh with a story about his parents’ bakery. This wouldn’t normally have been a problem, but the rest of Keitaro’s team consisted of the female idols in his class.
An angry and incredibly jealous boyfriend waited until the teacher was out of the room and punched Keitaro in the nose, causing it to bleed.
The teacher returned before the fight could break out and asked what had happened. Keitaro, not wanting to cause trouble claimed that it was just a nosebleed, but by the end of recess the truth had leaked out amongst the student body.
At the end of the day, the boy had acquired a pale complexion and nervous disposition when he met to apologise to Keitaro.
There had been rumours that Kanako had threatened to skin the boy alive, centimetre by centimetre with a potato peeler, but Keitaro couldn’t believe that his sister would say such a thing.
Not that he was able to get a proper answer out of her whenever he asked her about it.
The chirps of the crossing signal jolted Keitaro back to the present and he quickly crossed the street, hoping to find something that would help him improve his physique when he encountered someone who looked familiar.
The “someone†in question, was dressed in a gi and hakama and carried a long, thin bundle with her. On her shoulder sat an unusual looking bird.
“Mo…†The name died on Keitaro’s lips as his ankle was clipped by an impatient taxi driver, knocking him to the ground.
The tall, dark-haired woman turned to see what was happening and saw a young man moving himself to his knees on the pavement.
Keitaro looked around for his glasses. They may have been fake, but they were just as necessary to him as if he was visually impaired. Before he could find them, they were being handed to him by the woman he mistook for his friend.
“Oh, thank you…â€
“I’m Tsuruko Aoyama,†the tall woman smiled. “What’s your name?â€
“I’m Keitaro Urashima.â€
“I apologise for being forward, Urashima-san, but have you ever considered contact lenses?â€
“…â€
“It’s just that your glasses are not flattering,†Tsuruko added after she saw the young man turn from handsome to average looking.
Keitaro winced internally as he realised that this woman, who was strikingly beautiful, had seen him in his “natural stateâ€. “I’m not really comfortable with poking myself in the eye.â€
“Oh, well, that’s understandable. All this talk about corrective lenses and I haven’t asked if you’re hurt anywhere.â€
The young man finally tried to stand up and winced. “Aargh! My ankle!â€
Tsuruko leapt into action and caught Keitaro, preventing him from taking another fall. “I don’t know the area, do you know where the nearest hospital is?â€
“I don’t need the hospital. Besides, I live just up the hill there, at the Hinata Sou,†Keitaro said, pointing to the large building that overlooked the neighbourhood.
“Oh, the Hinata Sou? As luck would have it, that’s just where I was heading. I’ll escort you home,†the raven-haired woman smiled as she slipped an arm around Keitaro’s chest to support him for the walk up the hill.
“You don’t have to hold me up, Aoyama-san.â€
“But I insist. Besides, you can tell me why you’re staying at the same dormitory as my sister.â€
“Ah, it’s a long story.â€
“You can tell me on the way.â€
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Keitaro opened the front door to the Hinata Sou, slightly embarrassed by the way Tsuruko had helped him up the steps. He was sure that her fingers moved over his nipples at least once.
After shaking his head, he put his keys back in his pocket before looking up to see Naru Narusegawa standing there with a look on her face that was a mixture of shock, disapproval and loathing.
“Err… hi Naru-chan.â€
“And just who is this? I can’t believe you… Wait, are you related to Motoko?†the auburn-haired woman asked, turning her attention to the tall woman.
“I’m Tsuruko Aoyama. I’m here to see my younger sister Motoko.â€
“Oh…†Naru nodded in understanding. “But why are you standing so close to Keitaro?â€
Tsuruko blinked in confusion. If she was in Naru’s position, she’d have torn Keitaro’s clothes off more than once. “You do know what he looks like, right?â€
“Yeah, an average looking guy.â€
“Average? Lady, you have unrealistic standards of beauty,†Tsuruko chided.
“Unrealistic? What are you talking about?†Naru demanded, her raised voice alerted Kitsune, Shinobu and Motoko to the situation.
“What’s going on here?†Kitsune asked.
“A-Aneue!†Motoko stammered nervously. “W-what are you doing here?â€
“Well, I met this nice young man and decided to escort him home. As for why I’m in town, well, I thought that I’d catch up with my sister.â€
“Keitaro? A nice young man?†the younger sister asked. While she might publically agree that Keitaro was ‘not an awful choice for a mate’, her private thoughts were more conflicted.
And it wasn’t proper for her to pursue a man. Certainly not wrap an arm around him and pull him close to her chest.
“Are you all blind?†Tsuruko asked incredulously. “How long have you been living her? How can you not know what this man looks like?â€
“He might look a little better without his glasses,†Kitsune replied, casually swirling the drink in her hand
Shaking her head in disbelief, the older Aoyama finally decided to prove her point by removing Keitaro’s glasses.
“No... Please…! Keitaro’s words went unheeded as Tsuruko practically tore his eyewear off.
The effect was astounding. The former ronin went from his somewhat homely disguise to his natural state.
Four young ladies were suddenly struck by the same thought: How did we miss this?
“S-Sempai…†Shinobu sighed, hearts filling her eyes.
“Keitaro is even more moé than Shinobu…†Kitsune thought aloud.
Naru held her hand in front of her face. ‘If I’d known that Keitaro looked like that, I’d never have punched him in the face!’
Motoko realised that she had to re-evaluate Keitaro. Sure, he had his accidents, but who was to say that the “victims†of such things weren’t predatory women engineering the situations?
Tsuruko hugged Keitaro tighter. “Oh, my…â€
“A-Aoyama-san…â€
“Please, call me Tsuruko.â€
“I c-can’t b-breathe…â€
“Oh, sorry. Maybe I should loosen your clothes?†the older sister asked rhetorically before she tore the hapless man’s shirt open.
“My shirt…†Keitaro muttered as he heard saw several buttons fly off and hit the ground.
“If it makes you feel better, you can tear open my gi…†Tsuruko offered with a breathy whisper.
“A-Aneue!†Motoko was outraged at her sister’s scandalous behaviour. “What are you doing?â€
“Yeah, I saw him first!†Naru complained. She blushed when she realised what she’d said.
“You called him a pervert and tried to kill him, Naru,†Kitsune recalled aloud. “You too, Motoko. In fact, I’m the only one who hasn’t tried to rearrange that lovely, lovely face of yours, Keitaro. So, how about we get you out of those wet clothes and into my nice warm bed?â€
“Wet clo-†Keitaro’s question was cut off by the ash-blonde throwing the remains of her drink over him. “Oh.â€
“What’s gotten into everyone? You’re all treating Keitaro like he’s some kind of piece of meat!†Motoko chided. “Besides, it’d be better if Keitaro took a bath if he’s got wet clothes on.â€
“Thank you, Motoko, but it’s not like I was caught in a downpour. I’ll be fine, I promise.â€
“But still, you should take a bath,†Naru insisted. Kitsune nodded in agreement.
Shinobu just blushed heavily.
Keitaro sighed. “I’m not going to win this, am I? Fine, I’ll take a bath if you insist, but no funny business, ok?â€
“I’ll stand watch,†Motoko said, hoping that her voice was even enough to act as a warning to keep her friends and sister from doing anything improper. She certainly wasn’t going to use this guard duty as an excuse to catch a glimpse of Keitaro as he stepped out of the hot water.
And there was absolutely no question of her offering to towel him dry.
The former ronin sighed. “Motoko, you don’t need to stand sentry while I have a bath.â€
“It’s no bother, Keitaro. Besides, the life of a samurai is filled with sacrifices. I will protect your privacy.â€
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The hot water helped soothe Keitaro’s ankle. He looked at the damage and saw some minor bruising.
Scratching his head, he wondered what he should do now that his secret was out. Sure it was nice that the girls didn’t hate him, but the way Tsuruko tried to tear his clothes off was unsettling.
He leaned back in the hot water, planning to allow it to relax his shoulders when he felt that he was being watched.
It had been a while since he felt like that, but its familiarity was unmistakable to the former ronin. Shaking his head, he slipped further into the water to preserve his modesty.
After a few minutes, Keitaro decided that he really should get dressed; if only to reduce the chances of someone walking in while he was naked. He counted to three before hauling himself out of the water.
He jogged to the changing area, hoping that it was clear of voyeurs. He pulled back the curtain to see Kitsune and Motoko arguing.
“Come on, let me past, Motoko. It’s only fair if someone saw Keitaro in the bath after all the times he’s walked in on us!â€
“And how many of those times did you ‘forget’ to put the sign out or just plain moved it?†Motoko chided. “Look, I can’t let you walk in on Keitaro.â€
“Fine, I… oh, never mind,†the ash-blonde smiled as she saw that Keitaro was reaching for a towel to put around his waist.
“It’s rude to stare,†the naked young man said as he wrapped the blue towel around his waist. “Now, are you happy that I’ve had a hot bath? Can I get dressed now?â€
“I’d rather you didn’t,†Kitsune winked playfully.
Motoko turned to see Keitaro standing there, not two metres away from her with only a towel around his waist. “Oh my… I mean, we should let Keitaro get dressed.â€
“Do we have to?†the short haired girl pouted. “I mean, you can’t tell me that you aren’t enjoying the view.â€
“Enjoyment has nothing to do with this,†the kendoist chided. “Now, get moving so Keitaro can get dressed.â€
“Thank you.†Keitaro smiled, causing the two girls to whimper at the expression on his face.
‘Oh Keitaro, you are so getting some action tonight!’ Kitsune declared to herself as she mentally went through her wardrobe for potential outfits. ‘Yes, now would be as good a time as any for fancy lingerie and the silk stockings…’
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Naru pouted as the young man she was spying on quickly moved from the water to the changing area.
‘Why did he have to cover himself?’ she wondered, feeling slightly cheated. “Still, I did see his cute butt…â€
The auburn-haired girl sighed as the image of Keitaro’s buttocks flexing as he walked burned itself into her memory.
There was a small voice in Naru’s head telling her that it was wrong to treat Keitaro like he was a piece of meat to be drooled over. This small voice was quickly silenced by other voices telling her that turnabout was fair play – Keitaro had seen her naked after all.
Of course the other residents of the Hinata Sou were now serious competition for the affections of the former ronin. Naru was sure that they would all try to sneak into his room for all sorts of inappropriate things.
“Judging by the way he protected his modesty, Keitaro will be locking his door tonight,†she said. “Fortunately, I won’t need to use his door…â€
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Keitaro made his way back to his room unseen by the residents or Tsuruko. After locking the door, he let out a sigh of relief.
It had been a while since he’d been in this position and he wasn’t sure what he should do. Sure, he knew that if any of his friends were in his position, they’d let the girls do what they wanted.
But that wasn’t his style. He liked to think that he had more class than just having a sordid encounter that left everyone filled with self-loathing and regret.
That said, Tsuruko was forward enough to make him think that it was what she really wanted and that she wouldn’t regret when the morning came.
What he really needed was advice, but who could he turn to?
There was only one person who he could think of: Haruka.
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Haruka Urashima looked at the text message she’d just received.
‘¬Slight problem: the girls have seen me without my glasses on. They like what they’ve seen. What do I do now?¬’
She let out a chuckle. “Ah, the old Urashima charm.â€
The smoker fired off a quick reply of, ‘¬Just keep your glasses on.¬’
A few seconds later, there was a reply.
‘¬That’s a great help! Remind me to come to you again when I have more problems!¬’
“There’s no need to be so sarcastic, Keitaro,†Haruka chided. “But I suppose that was a bit mean of me.â€
‘¬What am I supposed to do? Tell them to stop lusting after you? Kick them to death? Join them for an orgy? ¬’
‘¬That’s not funny, Haruka! Seriously, how do I get out of this? Don’t want to hurt anyone, but can’t see how to avoid that.¬’
Haruka shook her head. ‘¬2 options: Tell them you’re gay or pick the one you like best and go with her.¬’
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In his room, Keitaro looked at the latest message from his cousin.
“But I don’t know which one I like best…â€
There was a knock on the door.
“Keitaro, dinner’s ready.â€
“Be right out.â€
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To be continued…?