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
That day’s study session went on as usual.
The world, of course, kept turning as if we’d never been caught up in that incident.
Midterms were already just around the corner.
I’d almost forgotten, but for students in their first life cycle, this is naturally a crucial time.
And so, before I knew it, the sun had already begun to set.
“Um… the study session is over, but is there something else?”
I was currently being detained once again.
The location was the back of the art room.
It was the young lady’s private studio, which she’d turned into her personal domain.
There, I was simply made to stand, not even allowed to go home.
When I finally lost my patience and spoke up, Yukimi Shichikajo laughed.
“Oh my. That’s quite a cold thing to say. And to think you were courting me so passionately just a moment ago.”
“…Haha, that’s a harsh joke.”
A bead of sweat began to form on my brow.
It was mid-May, and the season for changing wardrobes was just around the corner.
Her playful words made me involuntarily look away.
…Of course, it wasn’t because of the heat that I was drenched in sweat.
I was breaking out in a cold sweat out of fear of the other woman standing right next to me—the one also present here.
“Hmm. I thought you two were just deep in conversation, but turns out you were hitting on her after all.”
“N-no, it’s just a figure of speech!”
The one who didn’t miss that opening to jump in was Hanesaki Shinori
Shrouded in a dark aura befitting her “Doom Heroine” trait, she shoots me a chilling glare.
…And yet, she’s blending into the scene as if nothing’s wrong.
After the study session ended.
Just when I thought she’d followed us—saying something like, “Can I come inside too?” after seeing Yukimi drag me away—here we are.
It seems she’s seriously intent on keeping tabs on me.
This is right after our earlier exchange.
Shinori has always been in a bad mood whenever I’ve even tried to talk to other girls.
And what would happen right after I’d clearly made a confession of sorts—well, that’s as clear as day.
In a situation like this, Yukumi’s risky line of questioning is no joke at all.
“I mean, it wasn’t me who hit on her—it was her who—ah!”
But my mistake was panicking and trying to defend myself right away.
I blurted out something I shouldn’t have, and though I clamped my mouth shut on the spot, it was too late.
“Huh… really? You mean just now—before you talked to me, right? You were being hit on by another girl before that? And that’s why you made me say those things?”
“C-calm down. What I said to senpai was just a joke. Right?”
At Shinori’s even more menacing tone, the cold sweat that had been just beading on my forehead moments ago began pouring down like a waterfall.
I wanted to make the excuse that I’d slipped up because my brain had short-circuited from having too much on my mind these past few days, but it was too late now.
“Whatever. It doesn’t really matter to me. I’m not your girlfriend or anything, after all. You can do whatever you want, can’t you?”
“If that’s how you feel, then please stop glaring at me.”
Her words and actions were contradictory, but there was no point in calling her out on it.
She was a woman who could be described as the very pinnacle of the Dark attribute.
At this point, the only option was for Yukumi to back down peacefully on her own.
However, if that woman over there were that straightforward, I wouldn’t be in this predicament.
“Well, saying it was a joke… Hehe, that’s a pretty cowardly way to get out of this. Are you saying you won’t take responsibility?”
“Um, you’re doing this on purpose, right? I’d really appreciate it if you’d cut me some slack before my toes get completely crushed…!”
Before I knew it, Shinori was standing on my foot.
Since I’m wearing low-defense slippers meant for school, the damage hits me directly.
Still, this really is the worst possible situation.
I’d managed to complete the events for two of the girls in the common route, but as a result, both of them now have feelings for me.
I was just trying my hardest to avoid getting dragged into Shinori’s doomsday ending, but before I knew it, I’d found myself right in the middle of a doomsday route of my own—a complete reversal of my original goal.
That said, lamenting won’t improve the situation.
Now that it’s come to this, I have no choice but to navigate my way out of this, prevent Shinori’s su*cide via a route different from the original story, and save my own life as well.
“Come to think of it, Senpai, you’re taking the college entrance exams, right?”
I asked this to change the subject, and Yukimi set down her pen.
“That’s right. I’m not particularly interested in it, but I can’t exactly skip college, can I?”
I suppose it’s just that, for a young lady from a prestigious family, graduating only from high school would be a blow to her reputation.
Just then, Shinori chimed in.
“Then shouldn’t you be too busy to be messing with your juniors? You’re always drawing anyway—if you don’t study, you won’t even be able to get into college.”
…When did this girl start picking a fight head-on with the school’s most feared rich girl?
Her words were delivered with a composed expression.
But to me, it sounded like nothing but sarcasm.
After all, it might as well have said, “Stay away from my childhood friend, you homewrecker.”
And it seemed Yukimi took it the same way.
“Hehe, this has nothing to do with you, does it?”
“I’m just worried about you, Senpai.”
“It’s all in how you phrase it. But there’s no university that could ever reject me—neither financially nor academically.”
No sooner had she said that than Yukimi, grinning, started rummaging through her desk drawer.
It was as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
With a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, I looked down at the stack of papers she handed me.
Inside were the results of the national mock exams.
Every single result listed a brilliant ranking that even I—in my reincarnated form—had never seen before.
In fact, I even spotted the impossible figure of “first place.”
“W-what is this…?”
As Shinori shuddered, Yukimi twisted her smile into a malicious grin.
“So, Hanesaki-san, what was it again?”
“…Um.”
“I’m flattered that you’re worried about my grades, but who was it who asked me to devote my already limited study time to helping you guys prepare for your exams in the first place?”
“Well, that’s—”
“Hehe, please don’t make that face.”
It seemed Yukimi had really gotten into teasing Azunori.
As Shinori fell silent, her face twisted with frustration, Yukimi calmly fired back with logical arguments.
She looks like she’s having quite a bit of fun.
It was right after she’d been freed from the shackles of revenge.
It also looked like the bright, carefree expression of someone who’d finally let go after overcoming various struggles.
I’d be happier if it were a slightly more wholesome smile, but oh well.
I feel like this is the first time I’ve seen her look this cheerful.
Mind you, this little spat between the two of them is an absolute nuisance to me, so I’d really prefer they cut it out.
I mean, just think about it.
Shinori is a “doomed heroine”—in the original story, she’s the kind of girl who commits su*cide just because her crush, Akito, officially starts dating another woman, right?
And as for the current situation, the object of her affection has simply shifted from Akito to me.
That being the case, the current situation—where Yukumi is also showing interest in me—is anything but reassuring.
No, actually, isn’t this the worst possible scenario?
Ah, I’m so anxious I’m starting to get chills.
“Hehe, hehehehehe…”
Yukimi looks at me with a smile, as if she’s seen right through me.
To me, that face looked just like a demon’s.
◇
Anyway, let’s put this cozy slice-of-life part aside for now.
This time, I’ve been dragged into a complicated case.
It all started with the assault on Yukimi that happened last year, but it’s snowballed from there.
As a result, it had developed into a tangled, messy mess involving Yukimi’s revenge, the intervention of former classmates manipulated by rumors, and the reckless actions of the perpetrator’s family—who had also suffered due to the assault on Yukimi.
I’d like to say that Akito and I resolved it—but.
Actually, this matter can’t be considered over yet.
There are simply too many points that cannot be explained by what has come to light so far.
Why were Ami and the others able to track my movements so precisely?
To begin with, did she really notice the flaw in my blackmail video on her own?
And what about Hayase, whom I ran into on my way home from school—was that really just a coincidence?
Even if it was premeditated, how did she know about that route?
There’s definitely someone out there.
There’s definitely one person who must have been selling my information to the other side.
And that person has infiltrated my small circle of friends—right under my nose.
The night I was freed from Yukimi.
In the darkness, I headed to a location specified by a certain person.
A seaside park where the scent of the tide filled my nostrils.
Since it’s a popular date spot, there were many couples—mostly college students—around.
The adjacent aquarium was lit up, creating quite an atmospheric scene.
Amidst all that, the person who’d summoned me stood there, blending into the darkness.
“Well then, let’s get down to questioning you.”
As soon as I arrived, I addressed her with a wry smile.
She laughed awkwardly, but still managed to strike her usual playful tone.
“Hahaha, so this is the super-intense moment where the mastermind makes a grand entrance! Or something like that?”
“……”
She was wearing a cap and an early-summer outfit—a camisole and shorts under her jacket.
Even in her casual clothes, she was exactly the kind of girly-girl I’d imagined.
She’s one of my few friends—and the only person whose behavior has been utterly bizarre lately.
Faced with my silence, she gave another wry smile and, as if resigning herself to it, spoke up.
“Toyo-chin, you’ve pretty much figured it out already, haven’t you?”
“Well, mostly.”
“Hmm, I see. Well, I guess there’s no helping it then…”
“……?”
I tilted my head, confused by her resigned tone.
She—Kisa—then said, with a rare serious expression on her face.
“If I told you I was being threatened too, would you help me, Toyo-chin?”
“—Huh?”
Unexpected words from a friend who had been secretly siding with the enemy all along.
The situation began to take an unexpected turn—.
Maiban