I’ve Been Reincarnated as the Childhood Friend of a Doomed Heroine. Since I Don’t Want to Get Caught up in Her Bad Ending, I’ll Make Sure She Ends up Happy
April 29th, Showa Day.
The day of my promise with Shinori had finally arrived.
I stood in the station square, our meeting place.
It was just past 12:30, so I still had about 30 minutes until our actual appointment time.
I was quite early, but it couldn’t be helped.
Just in case I was late.
She might stab me to death in her twisted state.
Better safe than sorry—I had no choice but to leave home way early.
Let me make this clear: I didn’t come early because I was excited.
After that, there were no schedule changes or additional details.
So I had no clue what I was supposed to do today.
Not knowing what might happen, I even considered wearing a stab-proof vest when I left home.
Just in case I got stabbed in some accident.
But obviously, a mere student wouldn’t have such a thing, so I gave up.
Going in completely unprotected is a pretty painful spot to be in.
Just as I was thinking such ridiculous thoughts, around 45 minutes in, the person I was waiting for appeared.
“Whoa, you’re already here? That’s fast.”
“I arrived at 30.”
“…This is the first time I’ve seen someone not try to make it seem like they just arrived.”
“I don’t lie.”
The classic date exchange flashed through my mind: ‘Sorry I’m late~. Did you wait long~? ♡’ ‘Nah, I just got here (stern look)’. I shook it off.
Let’s be clear here: this isn’t a date.
Since it’s not a date, there’s no need to act cool or be overly considerate.
Yeah, because it’s not a date.
Repeating this denial in my mind, I speak.
“Hey, Hanesaki, you showed up pretty early yourself.”
“I planned to get here first and then give Toyono-kun a hard time when he arrived later.”
“You’re a total jerk.”
She was more twisted than I’d imagined.
Feeling thoroughly grossed out, I stared intently at Shinori’s entire body once more.
Come to think of it, this was my first outing with a girl since reincarnating.
Seeing my classmate in casual clothes felt fresh.
The classic situation where you get flustered by someone dressed differently than usual.
I thought about that, but then I noticed immediately.
“Wait, that outfit…”
It was a familiar combination.
A denim jacket on top, paired with a tight skirt that hugged her curves.
The contrast between the loose silhouette of her upper body and the snug lower half was undeniably eye-catching.
Yes, it was the very outfit she’d flaunted during our chat exchanges before.
At my muttered remark, Shinori let out a faint, thin smile.
“Huh, you noticed. Sharp eyes.”
“That doesn’t sound like much of a compliment.”
Sharp eyes… Definitely not a phrase used in a good way.
I chuckled wryly, wondering if it really was creepy, but whatever.
If it lowers my likability, that’s fine. I don’t mind either way.
Once the clothing check event ended, Shinori promptly pointed the way.
“Well, let’s go.”
“Where to?”
I tilted my head, having heard nothing about a destination.
Seeing this, Shinori also tilted her head for some reason.
“Huh?”
“Hm?”
“No, not ‘huh?’”
“Huh?”
“…Huh? Wait a sec? Didn’t you get a message?”
“…Huh? What are you talking about?”
My clueless reaction made Shinori’s expression cloud over.
Could it be… I missed something?
Did she actually tell me about the plans, and I just overlooked it?
Cold sweat started forming.
This is bad.
But Shinori said something unexpected.
“No, there was a middle school reunion today, right?”
“…Huh?”
Wh-what does that mean?
A middle school reunion?
I don’t know anything about that!
We only graduated a month ago—what kind of reunion is this?
As I pondered this, Shinori showed me her phone.
There was what appeared to be our middle school group chat.
Sure enough, they were excitedly discussing reunion plans.
I see.
“…No way.”
“Huh? Seriously? You didn’t know?”
“Ah. Well, I’m not even in the middle school group to begin with.”
“…Oh.”
Even Shinori didn’t mock me this time, awkwardly looking away.
Seems my background character power really did win out.
Though honestly, when someone who usually treats people like toys suddenly shows genuine concern, that’s what really gets to you.
Still… so that’s how it was.
All this was going on behind my back?
Suddenly, everything clicked.
So that’s why Shinori didn’t say anything.
She probably assumed we all knew about the reunion that day.
She never imagined I’d be completely in the dark.
Just as things got unexpectedly somber, Shinori chuckled softly.
“Huh, I see. So… wanna skip it?”
“Huh?”
As I let out a dumb sound, Shinori smiled at me playfully.
A classic little devil line popped into my head: ‘Should we skip out together…?’
Because, well, that’s what this means, right?
Shinori gave me a faint smile as I blinked in surprise.
—And so began my strange day off.
◇
With nowhere particular to go, we started walking along the road lined with shops.
For me, who had moved away when I started high school, it was a view I hadn’t seen in a while.
“Wait, was it okay for you not to go, Hanesaki?”
Having already slipped into full-on ditching mode, I asked just in case. She nodded.
“It’s my fault for inviting you without explaining. I’ll hang out with you today.”
“You didn’t have to go out of your way.”
“Nah, honestly, I was too lazy to go alone. That’s exactly why I invited you.”
“I see.”
Unlike me, Shinori seemed to have had many friends in middle school, but after such a long gap, meeting them probably felt like a chore.
I could understand that.
Also, completely unrelated, but I was secretly relieved.
Because it proved today’s plans weren’t a date.
Knowing it was just an excuse to accompany her to the reunion was a huge relief.
Partly because Ujiya and Kisa had been egging me on, but these past few days felt like I wasn’t even alive.
“Toyono-kun, aren’t you going?”
“Well, I wasn’t invited. Plus, I don’t have any friends.”
I think it’s obvious from the fact that I wasn’t even invited to join the main group during all three years of middle school, but seriously, I don’t have a single close acquaintance.
There’s no way I’d enjoy myself even if I went.
“Well, Toyono-kun was always so calm and kind of mysterious, you know?”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. You got good grades and were a model student. Honestly, you seemed kind of stuck-up.”
“It wasn’t anything like that.”
While denying it, I felt a little surprised.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d heard from a classmate how others saw me.
I’d assumed I was treated like a loner and avoided, but was that really how I came across?
My parents found me creepy too, so it must be the same thing.
Just as I was feeling a little smug about that, Shinori laughed.
“Well, actually talking to you, you’re pretty normal.”
“Sorry for being normal.”
“Ahaha. Though your words and actions are a bit dangerous sometimes.”
“Like what?”
“Like how you find tight skirts sexy, and then actually saying it out loud?”
“But you wear them anyway, huh?”
“Because you like them, right?”
“……”
Hearing that, I couldn’t help but become conscious of it.
Honestly, it was pretty damn good.
Far from voluptuous, her legs were slender, yet undeniably healthy and beautiful. The surprisingly voluminous curve of her buttocks was clearly visible in the smooth lines.
It was something you couldn’t get from just the uniform.
It was the kind of sight that screamed, “This is exactly what triggers my kink.”
Feeling my gaze, Shinori reached out her hand.
“Right, time to pay your viewing fee.”
“How much would that be?”
“Hmm… let’s settle for 100,000 yen.”
“Officer, over here! She’s ripping me off!”
“You’re the one who’ll get arrested. For indecent exposure.”
“She got me there. Hahaha.”
After some half-hearted banter, I snapped back to reality.
—Why the hell am I naturally enjoying this fun conversation?!
Isn’t this the kind of thing that builds goodwill over time?
Well, I mean, the actual content of our chat doesn’t really have any goodwill-building elements, but still.
I looked at her face, panicking.
But she herself seemed to have already lost interest, her mind elsewhere.
Surprised by her incredibly quick switch, I took a moment to steady my breathing.
We walked on, staring blankly at the familiar cityscape before us.
Then, Shinori, who had been silent, spoke up.
“You know…”
“Oh, uh…”
“Maybe it was the right call not to go normally.”
“Wh-why?”
Confused by her sudden change, I asked, and she continued.
“Because if we’d gone together… people might think we’re dating.”
“…!”
Hearing her say it with a hint of embarrassment, my head cleared.
And I remembered I was walking a tightrope.
The reunion had still been acceptable under the pretext of accompanying her as a childhood friend.
But what could I possibly say to explain this time together now?
If I told Ujiya about it, he’d definitely call it a “date.”
I’d said it myself, hadn’t I?
Even just eating dinner and accompanying someone shopping is called a date by most people.
“Well, no way they’d misunderstand like that. Absolutely not. Yeah.”
While firmly denying it, I steeled myself once more.
Today, I was being tested.
I resolved to maintain her favorable impression at all costs, while avoiding getting too close.
Maiban
“Not knowing what might happen, I even considered wearing a stab-proof vest when I left home.
Just in case I got stabbed in some accident.
But obviously, a mere student wouldn’t have such a thing, so I gave up.”
Bring few Shonen Jump magazines, even Jotaro used it for body and head armor when he fought DIO~
Are you really an Otaku or just a Faker~?