Iโve Been Reincarnated as the Childhood Friend of a Doomed Heroine. Since I Donโt Want to Get Caught up in Her Bad Ending, Iโll Make Sure She Ends up Happy
โWhoa, it’s packed, huh?โ
โIt’s Golden Week, after all.โ
โIt’s the last day, so I thought it’d be a bit less crowded.โ
At the amusement park.
Right from the entrance gate, Ujiya and Akito let out their voices.
They’d aimed for the last day of the holiday to avoid the crowds, but today’s turnout was still nothing to scoff at.
After that, we all talked and decided on the amusement park as our destination.
When we checked everyone’s schedules, miraculously, the last day was free for all of us.
So we came today, but it was just as packed as everโif anything, the โsuper crowdedโ level had become โmassively crowded.โ
It wasn’t empty at all.
Maybe lots of people had the same idea as us, thinking โThe last day should be a bit less crowded, right?โ, but the sheer number of people was insane.
Guess everyone thinks alike.
Still, it’s been ages since I’ve been to an amusement park.
As you know, I don’t have any friends, so I never had a chance to come.
The atmosphere after so long got me hyped up, despite my age.
Though with this many people, even if we enjoyed ourselves all day, most of it would probably be swallowed up by waiting in lines.
As I stared blankly at two boys frolicking in front of me, Shinori called out.
โYou’re spacing out again today. Sleep deprivation?โ
โNot exactly, but I’m overwhelmed by the crowd.โ
Unfortunately, I’m not cut out for crowds.
My brain was excited by the atmosphere, but my body was rejecting the sheer number of people.
Somehow stuck on her casual judgment that I’m always spacing out, I just kept standing in line to buy tickets.
The sun was hot, and it looked like it was going to be a tough day.
After waiting nearly an hour, we finally got in and all planned out today’s schedule.
โFirst up, the roller coaster, right?โ
โUgh, personally, I’d rather start with something gentle. Going on a scream machine first thing in the morning? I’d definitely throw up.โ
While Ujiya and Kisa argued about something, I shifted my gaze elsewhere.
โWhat do you want to ride, Aoiko?โ
โI guess I’d like a roller coaster too. But you’re not really into them, right, Aki-kun?โ
โDon’t worry about it. I want to get over it today.โ
โHehe, then I’ll hold your hand next to you, okay?โ
โNo need for that.โ
The ones giggling and playing around were Akito and his childhood friendโKijima Aoiko.
Her petite appearance was utterly adorable.
And no wonderโin the game, she was the heroine who fit the so-called โloliโ role.
Small breasts, short stature, twin bunsโthe trifecta.
Today, too, her fluffy, soft-looking flaxen hair was loosely gathered into two ponytails.
Since she herself has a laid-back, fluffy personality, the area around her seems oddly saccharine.
Honestly, she’s incredibly cute.
Her laughter sounds like a toddler’s, warming the heart.
Some doomed heroine could learn a thing or two from her.
โHey.โ
โWhat?โ
โYou’re stepping on my foot.โ
โHuh? You’re imagining things.โ
โMy sneakers have your shoe prints all over them. Think you can talk your way out of this? Think again.โ
When I looked at Shinori, who was indeed stomping on my shoes, she just giggled and ran off.
Her sense of personal space was still bugged, but I decided to let that slide for now.
My priority right now is completing the other heroines’ events.
And monitoring Akito’s behavior.
Like, for example, stopping him from flirting with another heroine right in front of me.
Getting back to my impression of Kijima Aoiko, it was pretty much the same as what I felt in the game.
It might just be that the previous two heroines were exceptions in a bad way, but it was a relief nonetheless.
This way, her event might be manageable without too much trouble.
โโฆHey, haven’t you been staring at Kijima-san the whole time?โ
โIt’s nothing.โ
โLiar. I can tell.โ
โโฆโฆโ
While I was observing Aoiko, Shinori shot me a fierce look.
โฆWell, that’s that.
I never intended to pursue it anyway, but it’s probably best to avoid contact with Aoiko.
In this case, the reason isn’t so much about Aoiko’s scenario as it is Shinori’s scary glare, which is a bit of a delicate matter.
โ
โFlags aren’t meant to be raisedโฆโ
Muttering to myself, I stood in line to buy a drink.
Beside me stood a petite girl, perched daintily.
โDid you say something?โ
โNah, just talking to myself.โ
โOh, okay. โฆHehe, this is the first time we’ve really talked properly, right, Toyono-kun? Nice to meet you.โ
โLikewise.โ
Faced with her bright, cheerful smile, I couldn’t just brush her off.
Honestly, I didn’t really want to be friends, but I had no choice but to take the hand she offered.
And then I thought.
โShe smells amazing, and her hands are so smooth and softโฆ
Her small-animal-like cuteness soaked into my exhausted heart.
This is healing.
Right now, I was here buying drinks with just Aoiko.
The problem started with the first ride we tried: the roller coaster.
Surprisingly, over half the group couldn’t handle the thrill rides and started complaining of nausea after getting off.
Only Aiko and I were fine.
The others were resting on a bench now.
We had no choice but to buy drinks for everyone.
Unintentionally left alone together, I felt flustered.
Like I said before, I’m not exactly used to spending time with girls.
Moments like this leave me clueless about what to say.
A silent pause stretched on, then Aoiko tilted her head.
Her innocent gaze pierced my fragile heart.
This is bad, I have to keep the conversation goingโ!
โSo, speaking of which, isn’t club activities keeping you busy?โ
โOh, you know about that?โ
โAh, yeah. I heard about it from Akito.โ
It was a lie.
Aoiko is the manager for the soccer club, but that information didn’t come from Akito.
I only knew that basic info because I’d been playing Sakuchiru.
That was close.
Using a cheat sheet answer as a conversation starter when I was stuck? That would’ve been way too dumb.
Luckily, I lied on the spot to cover it up, and she didn’t seem too suspicious.
โEhehe, well, maybe I am busy. That’s why I’m so happy to hang out with everyone today after so long!โ
โDon’t you ever go out just the two of you?โ
I probed, going with the flow.
Then, Aiko grinned.
โHuh? Are you misunderstanding something? Aki-kun and I are just childhood friends. We’re not dating or anything, you know?โ
โOh, right. But you guys talk a lot at school, so I figured you must meet up after class often too.โ
โWe sometimes walk home together, but that’s only occasionally. Aki-kun has plans with his friends, and I have club activities too.โ
Well, yeah, that makes sense.
I saw the soccer club get an award before. Our school’s pretty strong at it, apparently.
The manager must be tied up too.
But I got the important part.
They’re not dating yet, and at least Akito doesn’t seem interested in that direction.
For me, just knowing that was enough.
This is a weird alternate timeline where the scenario keeps changing, and I’d even considered the possibility that Akito might pair off with another heroine during the common route.
Just knowing that worst-case scenario hasn’t happened yet made me feel like I’d gained a few extra years of life.
We bought drinks, clutched them in both hands, and started heading back to our spot.
That’s when it happened.
โโโ!?โ
Aoiko, who’d been beside me, suddenly stopped and hid behind my back.
โH-hey. What’s wrong?โ
โShut up. โฆJust for a second.โ
Her tone was sharp, unlike before, and I was confused.
Her voice was sharp too, oddly cold.
Wondering what was wrong, I looked ahead. There was a pair who seemed like a couple.
They were about our age, but the guy seemed way too used to women.
He was touching the girl’s body all over, grinning smugly.
He looked flashy and cheerful, the kind of guy I just can’t stand.
This too was the resentment of a non-popular, uncool, introverted loser.
But then, why did she hide?
Aoiko, who had been clutching my shirt until the couple passed, finally let go after they were gone.
And then.
โโฆTch. Just trash, as expected. Die.โ
โHuh?โ
I wanted to think I’d misheard.
But the clear click of her tongue and the harsh words made me ask her to repeat herself.
Aoiko’s eyes widened in surprise that I’d heard her, and she froze.
One second, two secondsโฆ time passed.
Then she smiled brightly.
โAhaha. That juice looks yummy~โ
โโฆโฆโ
The dark, heavy atmosphere I’d felt for an instant had already vanished without a trace.
โโโ
ใKijima Aoikoใ
Affection for Akito: 20% (โ)
Affection for Kyota: 0% (โ)
Maiban