Light Novel Chapter 38

唯ぼんやりした不安 (Tada Bonyari Shita Fuan, lit: A Vague Sense of Unease) is the thirty-eighth chapter of the light novel series of The "Hentai" Prince and the Stony Cat.
==Plot==
Hiding in a dark room with his accompalices, Youto patiently waits as his target approaches. As the door opens, Youto, Azusa, Emi, and the Children's Welfare Club members all jump out of hiding, lights turning on and party poppers going off: "Tsukiko-chan, happy birthday!" Tsukushi, who played a crucial role in this plan by taking Tsukiko out shopping, proudly pats Tsukiko on the head, only to find her momentarily fainting standing, ectoplasm coming out of her mouth.
Since Tsukiko had effortless seen through their plans and expressed a preference for preparing the celebration together with everyone, they ended up preparing lots of ingredients so they can cook together. Despite this, they still wanted to retain some element of surprise, hence their early arrival and the surprise greeting.
As the party begins, Tsukiko puts on a cone hat on her small head, a poncho like you'd see in Central America, and a sash around her shoulder that read "You are the main role." The party would involve a feast of a lunchtime made possible by everyone's efforts, followed by a unique rendition of Snow White performed by the welfare club, with Tsukiko as the princess and no poisoned apple, instead depicting a slice-of-life story with the dwarves. Next up was a two-person comedy act by Tsukushi and Azusa, focused around the price of azuki beans. Finally, there was a solo special petformed by Emi, showing off impeccable lyrical skills.
Tsukiko and the club members take a commemorative photo after these activities. Standing further away from the crowd, Youto asks Tsukiko silently by moving his lips if the party is fun. Tsukiko nods in response, but then tilts her head, which Youto assumes to mean "it's a bit too fun."
Next on the list of activities is a game of twister, where players twist their bodies to place their hands and feet on colored spots on a mat based on a spinner's instructions. This was the game that Youto contributed, secretly hoping to use it as a way to observe the girls in awkward and compromising positions — a "paradise" for him. However, his plans are thwarted when Tsukiko and Azusa nominate him to demonstrate the game as a "punishment" for his transparent ulterior motives, and force him to watch from afar. The game soon abandons the official rules as the two girls focus solely on outlasting each other. Instead of following the spinner, they resort to brute force to try and topple each other, until they fall together onto the mat. They lie side by side, giggling and teasing each other about their weird faces.
Observing the game unfold and recalling the friendly banters between Tsukiko and Azusa during their meal, Youto realizes that they have gotten way closer, having resolved their differences without Youto's intervention. However, even though everyone is happy and enjoying the moment, Youto feels something strange deep down.
Distracting himself, Youto decides it is Emi Teasing Time. Youto finds Emi sitting on the porch, dressed in a maid costume — a choice she brushes off with multiple excuses, such as helping with cooking or trying to match the Welfare Club girls. However, it is clear that the outfit suits her well, and Youto cannot resist teasing her. With dramatic flair, he sneaks up and calls out, "Emanueeeeee~~~La!" before lifting her up like a wrestling move and relentlessly tickling her sides. Emi retaliates with her trusty water gun, the Anti-Pervert Obliteration-Type Pumpkin Bazooka Dos.
After the chaos subsides, Youto sits beside Emi on the porch. He notices how small and she truly is, reflecting on the age difference between them. He acknowledges for the first time that, despite treating her as an equal, she is significantly younger and likely struggles to fit in with the older group. They banter for a while, with Youto bringing up the topic of her father. When Youto invites her to join the banquet hall however, she hesitates slightly, confessing that she's been thinking about something to do with Youto, but admits that she doesn't yet fully understand it herself.
Back in the banquet hall, the group presents their birthday gifts. Youto gives her a black stuffed cat, which she cherishes, deciding she will think of it as her senpai. Azusa gifts her a Blu-ray of a zombie movie, knowing Tsukiko's unexpected love for the genre. Emi presents the Anti-Pervert Obliteration-Type Pumpkin Bazooka Uno, reading the manual together with her. The Welfare Club members contribute thoughtful gifts such as clothes, books, perfume, and sweets.
In her typical fashion, Tsukushi dramatically presents her gift to Tsukiko — a "Do Whatever You Want to Me for One Day Ticket." Tsukiko turns her scheme on her by joking that the thing she wants the most right now is the notice that Tsukushi's passed her university entrance exam. A brief silence ensues before Tsukiko decides to press further, asking about Tsukushi's scores from the Central Exam. She resorts to laughing hysterically while slowly retreating, calling for an urgent strategy meeting with Youto.
Outside, she laments the unfairness of academic exams, proposing increasingly absurd ideas to avoid facing her results, while Youto calmly rejects each one. Eventually, Youto has to tell her to focus on what's right in front of her — her next exams, but she expresses that if she shouldn't think ahead, she'd rather live in blissful ignorance. Reflecting on his responsibilities to Tsukiko and Tsukushi, he lets out a helpless sigh.
The enjoyable party comes to an end. Returning home and settling back into his routine, Youto receives a call from his mother. She expresses concern for Youto, also mentioning his older sister's worries about him. Youto brushes her off with affirmative responses to end the call quickly before heading to bed.
==Characters==
==Navigation==