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
—◇―
[Hey, you—which is more important to you, me or your games?]
[…You.]
[What’s with that dismissive tone? I’m done with you.]
[But we have this same conversation every single day, don’t we?]
A girl puffed out her cheeks and glared at me.
Her familiar dark brown short bob swayed softly.
Seeing that, I winced.
Shinori—the Grim Reaper who will bring an end to the existence of Kyota Toyono.
She’s the “doom heroine” from the eroge Amid the Season of Falling Cherry Blossoms, and the girl I desperately tried to keep my distance from back in high school.
And yet, here she is, acting as if she owns the place, camped out in my own room in my apartment.
In short, I’ve been defeated.
Because I ended up dating her—Shinori
In the end, I couldn’t carry out the scenario revisions for Sakuchiru, and I failed to make Akito and Shinori a couple.
Not content with that, I gave in to her pressure and ended up dating her.
For some reason, my mind is a fog and I can’t recall the details, but the very fact that Shinori is here in my room, pestering me like this, proves our relationship.
With that, she taps my shoulder with a light “pat,” looking exasperated.
[Well, I know you’re that kind of person, though.]
[Besides, we went on a date yesterday, didn’t we?]
[But we didn’t go on one today, did we?]
[Even though we’re dating, we don’t have to go on one every day, do we? Besides, wouldn’t most people call this time we’re spending together right now a ‘home date’?]
[Well, that’s because I insisted and barged in on you.]
[Hey, you just admitted you ‘insisted’ yourself.]
As we exchanged this conversation that felt like déjà vu, I gave a wry smile at my overly clingy girlfriend.
Now that we’ve graduated from Meirei Academy, and since we’re dating, she comes over to my place almost every day. We text each other frequently, and of course, we go on dates too.
Yet she still seems to feel like it’s not enough, and she often complains to me like this.
Mind you, I’m partly to blame, too.
[Did I bother you?]
[Well, I’d at least like a heads-up.]
[But if I texted you, you’d probably run away.]
[No, no—I’ll be waiting with open arms.]
[Liar. You’ve never even told me you love me, after all.]
Hearing that, I scratched my cheek.
It was the day I solved Yukimi’s problem—and the day Shinori took a step closer to me.
She declared she was going to make me say “I love you.”
But I still hadn’t uttered those words even once.
For some reason, I just can’t be honest with her.
That’s because… I love you.]
So, just like every other day, I replied with a half-hearted, joking declaration of love, and she gave a faint smile.
I wonder if she was actually exasperated with me.
I don’t even know why I’m hesitating so much myself.
Just as I was lost in these thoughts, Shinori straightened her posture.
[I see. Well, I’m going home now.]
[I’ll walk you home.]
One way or another, it was already late at night.
Even though we’d only been having lighthearted conversation, a surprising amount of time had passed since she arrived at my place.
Regardless of the context, it was clearly time to call it a night.
That said, I couldn’t bring myself to let a girl walk home alone.
I was too embarrassed to say “I like you,” but regardless, I wanted to at least walk her home.
Just as I thought that and tried to stand up, she stopped me with a hand gesture.
[I’ll be fine.]
[No, it’s this late—it’s dangerous.]
[My place is right around the corner, so don’t worry. Well then—goodbye.]
[Wait, hold on a second.]
As she spoke with a blank expression, a mysterious sense of anxiety suddenly welled up inside me.
I sensed an intensity that made me feel as if she might vanish right then and there, so I instinctively reached out my hand.
But my hand grasped at thin air.
Because Shinori, who had been right in front of me, had vanished without a trace in an instant.
[Huh!?]
I recoiled in shock.
Just then, someone whispered in my ear.
It said—
[Your girlfriend has been dead for a long time, you know?]
As my head suddenly went cold, I snapped back to consciousness—.
―◇―
“W-waaaah!?”
I screamed and jumped up, rolling right off the bed.
Maybe it was because the comforter was wrapped tightly around me, making me feel suffocated, but I was hyperventilating.
As I caught my breath, I tried to make sense of the situation.
The familiar girl who should have been right in front of me was gone.
And of course not—it was just a dream.
That means her vanishing right before my eyes, and those meaningful words whispered in my ear at the very end—it was all just a dream, I suppose.
I panicked.
I thought Shinori might have died because of my reply just now.
The dream was so incredibly realistic that I’d fallen into the illusion that it was linked to reality, and even now, my heart is pounding loudly.
Still, that was a strange dream.
We were definitely dating in it.
In the dream, Shinori had become my girlfriend.
It’s an impossible situation.
And then there’s the content of the dream.
A doomed heroine who vanishes the moment we start getting cozy.
It’s just like…
“It was like a premonition—as if her doom were sealed the moment I actually started dating her.”
Faced with a scenario that seemed to foreshadow a tragic future, I couldn’t help but mutter to myself.
I never had any intention of doing so to begin with, but that dream has made me even more determined.
She just made a move on me yesterday, but dating her is simply not an option.
I glanced at the clock and saw it was already 6:52 a.m.
That’s about my usual wake-up time.
◇
Just when I think I’ve solved a major case, I’m dragged into another quagmire—that’s just how things always go for me.
It was a morning filled with that kind of gloomy mood.
No sooner had I arrived at the school gate than I was hauled away by a certain senior lady who was waiting for me.
There’s such a thing as “going to the infirmary” in this world, but this young lady is in a league of her own.
Her private studio—which she’s essentially turned into her own personal space within the school—serves that purpose.
Skipping the morning assembly to head straight to her studio… what kind of status does she have? …Though, it might be a bit late to be wondering that about someone of such high standing.
“You look gloomy.”
“Oh, did you notice?”
“You’ve gotten yourself mixed up in another mess, haven’t you?”
Yukimi sat with her legs crossed, looking bored.
For a moment, I thought she might have been watching my exchange with Kisa yesterday, but I decided to try currying favor from a different angle this time.
“Wow, as expected of someone with a top-tier intellect! That’s exactly right!”
“Your blatant attempt to curry favor is unpleasant. Do you really want to pin a murder conviction on me that badly?”
“……”
And just like that, my half-baked plan went up in smoke.
Being told indirectly, “I’ll kill,” made my face twitch, even for me.
Even though her thirst for revenge has cooled, it seems her deep-rooted berserker nature hasn’t changed.
Poor thing.
Joking aside, I let out a smile at Yukimi, who had seen right through me.
“Will you listen to me?”
“I caught you with that very intention in mind, so there’s no need to hold back.”
“Oh, really? Then I’ll take you up on that. Actually…”
Needless to say, what I wanted to discuss was last night’s encounter with Kisa.
Yukimi was deeply involved as well, and I’d been planning to talk to her about it today anyway.
It was unexpected that she’d set aside time for me like this before the morning meeting, but since it’s convenient, I’ll take this opportunity to ask for her advice without hesitation.
After hearing my story, Yukimi’s mouth curled into a frown.
“So, apparently, she was also being threatened and was selling information.”
“Well, I figured as much.”
“Huh? You noticed?”
“No. I just had the feeling she was sizing up from time to time.”
“Huh.”
I hadn’t even noticed Kisa’s strange behavior until very recently.
Perhaps due to the sheer number of tough situations she’s been through, Yukimi seems to have noticed that Kisa was hiding something.
“So, here’s the thing. The guy who supposedly attacked her is apparently a first-year student at this school named Chagiri.”
“…Huh?”
Just as I was about to blurt out the culprit’s name,
Yukimi suddenly let out a startled gasp.
“Is something wrong?”
“No… it’s nothing. At least not right now.”
“?”
“More importantly, it looks like we’ve gotten caught up in a mess that’s even more complicated than I expected. What are you planning to do?”
“That’s exactly what I’m here to ask you about.”
Her reaction was a bit evasive, but since Yukimi changed the subject, I went along with it.
Having recently realized that I’m not good at working behind the scenes, I asked Yukimi to take full charge of deciding how I should handle this situation.
She frowned.
“…Well, I don’t think you can make any major moves right now, can you?”
“You’re right. If I make a move and provoke them, and they leak the video, it’ll be all for nothing.”
Even if I cooperate with Kisa, the fact remains that I’m still playing catch-up.
If I make a wrong move, the situation could get even worse.
Besides, even if I do decide to help Kisa, I want to avoid putting myself in any danger.
Now that our relationship has become so tenuous that I’m not even sure if I can call her a friend anymore.
I’m having trouble deciding just how far I should go.
With that, I looked at Yukimi’s face again.
“Come to think of it, Senpai, you look pretty tired, too.”
As soon as I said that, she let out a dramatic sigh.
Hearing that, I had a vague inkling.
Yukimi must be dealing with some kind of trouble of her own.
It seems this was the real issue after all.
“Will you listen to me?”
“You seem like you want someone to listen, so if I’m okay with it…”
“You’re talking too much. Oh well, fine.”
Since I’m already racking my brain over the Kisa situation, I really don’t want to get dragged into any more trouble.
As I nodded, thinking that, she said something unexpected.
“An arranged marriage.”
“Huh?”
“That’s right. I’ve been offered an arranged marriage. These Seven Principles for Yukimi.”
“…Huh?”
Her unexpected words caught me off guard, and I couldn’t help but ask her to repeat herself.
What did she just say?
An arranged marriage?
You mean, like when young ladies from well-to-do families are forced to choose a marriage partner through family arrangements?
Wait, isn’t that a little weird?
After all, Yukimi is the heroine of an eroge.
Even in the Sakuchiru scenario, there was naturally never any talk of her dating anyone other than Akito.
An arranged marriage is completely out of the question.
Still in shock, I asked.
“Oh, who’s the guy?”
“He’s the grandson of Hiroyoshi Sayama, a member of the Diet from around here.”
“Politics, huh?”
He’s a famous politician with deep roots in this region.
Hiroyoshi Sayama is a former Minister of Defense, and his son, Yuzo Sayama, is the current prefectural governor.
I think Hiroyoshi’s grandfather was Prime Minister—in short, that’s the kind of family they are.
Another outrageous name pops up, and I’m left speechless.
Well, come to think of it, it makes perfect sense.
Yukimi is the daughter of a massive conglomerate, and as you can see, she’s exceptionally high-caliber in every way, including her looks.
Her family background is impeccable.
It’s not at all surprising that a proposal like this would come her way.
Besides, to be honest, it’s exactly what I’d hoped for.
I mean, come on, right?
I’m already swamped with Shinori situation as it is, and if Yukimi starts showing interest in me too, I can only see a future that turns into a quagmire.
So it’d actually be a relief if she just went and hooked up with someone else on her own.
However.
“Oh my, you’re making such a complicated face.”
“Huh?”
“Are you shocked that such a beautiful senior is being snatched away by another guy?”
“-!”
Hearing that, I immediately touched my face.
No.
That’s not it.
I just thought, “Here we go again—this is going to be a hassle.”
It’s definitely not because I was jealous or anything like that.
“D-don’t get the wrong idea.”
“Hehe, that flustered look on your face is actually quite charming. It suits you.”
“You’re still the same as ever.”
“That’s more like you. And… what a twist of fate. I have a feeling this conversation is going to get complicated again.”
“Huh?”
Yukimi said something rather cryptic at the end.
But just as I was about to ask her to clarify, the bell signaling the end of morning assembly rang.
In the end, I never got to ask what she meant, and our private conversation came to an end..
Maiban