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
A few days later, Aoiko came to me for advice about Ouka.
Apparently, she was worried because Oukaโwhoโs in her classโhad stopped coming to school.
Ever since that online backlash, Ouka has stopped coming to school, just as the original story goes.
Itโs only been a few days, but sheโs definitely not coming to school.
No one at schoolโexcept for me, Yukimi, and Shinoriโknows the reason why sheโs not coming to school.
Akito might have an inkling, but thatโs about it.
To begin with, most people probably wouldnโt even noticeโor have any particular questionsโif a shy girl just vanished from the classroom.
But Aoiko is different.
I almost forget this because sheโs unusually harsh toward me, but this girl is a walking embodiment of dedicationโthe kind whoโd take on the role of manager.
I donโt know how close the two of them are, but she seems concerned.
But Iโm just as worried as she is.
Even though I know the cause, I donโt know how long this absence will last.
Since both the timing and the details are completely different from the โscandal eventโ I prepared for in my past life, Iโm carefully considering a solution.
In the original story, Akito would talk her into coming back, and that would be the end of it.
Since itโs essentially just an event where she gets caught arguing on a secret account, there arenโt any weird romantic entanglements involved.
Heโd visit her at home while sheโs skipping school, sit by her side and listen to her, suggest she take a break from modeling for a while, and that would be the end of it.
After all, Ouka wasnโt particularly committed to her modeling career to begin with, so sheโd use the scandal as an opportunity to quit modeling and bring the chapter to a close.
All while uttering some cheesy line like, โFrom now on, Iโll be cute just for Akito.โ
Afterward, Akito consulted Yukimiโwith whom heโd built a relationship during the previous eventโabout this situation. Through her connections, they leaked another scandal to divert public attention, effectively bringing the whole controversy to a close.
As a result, a peaceful daily life returns to Oukaโฆ thatโs how the story unfolds.
That said, thatโs strictly the story in โSakuchiru.โ
In this timeline, the dynamic between Akito and Ouka is already different.
Thereโs no way to resolve things exactly as in the original story.
This is also why Aoiko is consulting me now.
Sheโd seen me get called out by Ouka during lunch break before, and sheโd heard from Akito that we get along well, so she thought maybe I could help come up with a solution.
Hearing that explanation, I couldnโt help but laugh.
โโSeriously, the original storyโs plot just keeps getting more and more twisted.
Originally, in the source material for Sakuchiru, it was supposed to be Akito whoโd be the one Aoiko turned to for advice.
But I, a mere background character, have stirred things up so much that everythingโs already fallen apart.
By the way, because of the Chagiri incident, the soccer club is currently on hiatus.
Itโs an indefinite, complete hiatus.
So today, Iโm just going along with her invitation and stopping by a cafรฉ after school.
The Chagiri incident still hasnโt even made the news.
The information is being kept under wraps to an unnatural degree.
The school has forbidden anyone from talking about itโincluding posts on social mediaโand so far, nothing seems to have leaked out.
I guess everyone has a faint sense that somethingโs off.
โLately, things have been feeling kind of off, havenโt they?โ
โMe?โ
โNo, not you. I mean the atmosphere at school.โ
I thought she was suddenly complaining about something, but apparently not.
Aoiko sipped her sickly sweet frappรฉ through a straw and let out a sigh.
Even Aoiko, who doesnโt know the full details, is this exhausted.
Itโs clear that recent events have really taken their toll.
And besides, setting the incident aside, sheโs directly involved in the other major incident.
I smiled as gently as I could and mentioned that name.
โAre you worried about Chagiri?โ
โโฆโฆIโm kind of regretting it. I wonder if I couldโve been a little kinder to him.โ
โYou were kind enough .โ
โReally? With everything thatโs happened, my head and heart have been a total mess lately.โ
To me and Kisa, Kayaya Chagiri was nothing more than a vicious criminal.
But from Aoikoโs current perspective, he was probably just a โjunior whoโs a little scary to deal with.โ
Of course he was.
After all, Akito and I had been working to make sure nothing like this happened.
But for meโwho knew what was going to happen nextโseeing Aoiko tormented by guilt like this wasnโt a pleasant sight.
After all, if heโd stayed alive, Aoiko would have been attacked later on.
If that had happened, I wouldnโt say Aoiko wouldnโt have regretted it, but at least she could have avoided a situation where her self-blame just kept growing.
Like Kisa, she might even have been relieved that he was dead.
Honestly, the more I think about it, the more I realize I wasnโt a very decent person.
Whether Iโm alive or dead, Iโm nothing but a burden.
But, still.
The whole thing with Ouka was entirely my fault.
I looked away from the girl in front of me and stared blankly at the floor inside the shop.
As Yukimi pointed out, I must have been giving her mixed signals.
Or rather, I donโt think I was very good at hiding my feelings for her.
I didnโt actually want to date her, so I was trying to nip any romantic signals in the bud, but itโs also true that I was enjoying the time I spent with her.
Come to think of it, I remember asking Kisa about this once before.
It was at the amusement park.
I asked her how to avoid giving the opposite sex the wrong idea.
Back then, she told me to casually put up a wall or make it clear there was no chance.
Even though Iโm just a background character, itโs my fault for secretly thinking such arrogant thoughtsโlike wanting to get along with the heroine, even just a little.
Whatโs with this โfavorite characterโ nonsense?
What good does it do to push her into a corner like that?
โWhyโd you go all quiet all of a sudden?โ
โOh, sorry.โ
That said, thatโs not my top priority right now.
I canโt move forward until I deal with the aftermath of the Chagiri situation.
โ
After parting ways with Aoiko, on my way home, I found myself reminiscing about what had happened a few days earlier.
It was the night Chagiriโs death was discovered.
Kisa and I had been summoned by Yukimi and gathered once again at that same high-end restaurant.
To Kisa, who was in a daze now that the root of all evil had been eliminated, I said:
โChagiri is dead, but we still havenโt recovered your video. โฆNothing is over yet.โ
โ?!โ
Chagiri is dead.
But we canโt just let everything end there.
At my words, Kisa let out a silent gasp.
Iโm sorry to say this after you felt a momentary sense of relief at his death, but youโll need to hang in there a little longer.
Upon hearing my words, Yukumi nodded vigorously.
Then, with a meaningful twist of her lips, she said:
โBut before that, let me share a fact Iโd like you to be aware of.โ
Yukumi was being coy.
Kisa and I listened intently to her.
โThe fact that Kayaya Chagiriโs deathโwas not a s**cide, but a homicide. Shall we start by sorting that out first?โ
That had been something that had been bothering me all along.
Given his personality, the idea that Chatou had committed s**cide just didnโt sit right with me.
However, Iโd be lying if I said I wasnโt surprised by her sudden statement.
โHuh? Youโre kidding, right? The circumstantial evidence clearly points to s**icideโฆโ
โHehe. Hiiragi-san, I told you before, didnโt I? About why cover-ups happen.โ
As soon as she said that, both Kisa and I recalled the details of our previous private conversation.
And we realized it immediately.
We knew the Shichikajo family wasnโt involved in Chagiriโs death.
ใ
I trust Yukimi, and honestly, the motive was far too weak to begin with.
But thereโs another faction lurking in the shadowsโone that wields significant power and resented Chagiriโs very existence.
Kisa and I realized this almost simultaneously and exchanged glances.
Upon seeing this, Yukimi clapped her hands.
โWell then, the time has finally come. โLetโs take down the Sayama family.โ
Maiban