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
Monday, June 30, the start of the week.
As usual, Ouka is still skipping school.
Iโve been trying to contact her every day since then, but I havenโt gotten a reply.
In the original story, a casual exchange was supposed to lead to Ouka inviting Akito over to her house, but I guessโsince Iโm just a background characterโthings arenโt going that smoothly.
Besides, she probably feels she canโt even face me.
If I were to just wait for her at the apartment building entrance, I might be able to see her.
Ironically, I know her address well, and even though sheโs a shut-in, Ouka lives alone with her father.
Itโs hard to imagine she hasnโt stepped outside her home at all for days on end.
โBut then again, itโs not quite time for that yet.
Besides, there are other things I need to do first.
โItโs been a while since weโve all gathered here, hasnโt it?โ
โYeah.โ
I nodded at Akitoโs words and looked around.
The art room had become something of a hangout spot for me.
Me, Akito, Ujiya, Kisa, Shinori, and Yukimi were gathered around one of the large tables.
Of course, weโd gotten Yukimiโs permission to gather here, but she looked less than pleased.
โThough this is beside the point right nowโwhy is it that there are never any other Art Club members in this classroom besides Yukimi?
It seems like a dark topic, so I wonโt ask, but it is puzzling.
With that, I got straight to the point.
โAbout Kayaya Chagiriโs s**cideโit was actually a homicide.โ
โโฆโฆHuh?โ
It was Ujiya who let out that exclamation.
Kisa and Yukumi, who knew the circumstances, remained silent, while Akito was speechless.
Shinoriโฆ seemed strangely calm as she waited for the next words.
As if taking my place, Yukumi spoke up this time.
โIโm sure youโve all already heard this, but Kayaya is a relative of the Sayama familyโpoliticians. And right now, Iโve been approached about a marriage proposal involving the eldest son of the Sayama familyโโ
Yukimiโs report ended succinctly.
Who was pulling the strings this time? Why had things come to this?
She explained everything while omitting unnecessary details.
After that, I finally announced our plan: tomorrow night, the three of usโme, Kisa, and Yukimiโwould go and settle things with the Sayama family.
โโฆโฆWhat about me?โ
Shinoriโs interjection caused the room to fall silent.
โWhat am I supposed to do in the meantime?โ
Faced with this perfectly reasonable question, Kisa and I exchanged glances.
Well, itโs true that even if Shinori and the others heard what we just discussed, theyโd probably just say, โOh, I see,โ and that would be the end of it.
This meeting was originally set up because Kisa said she wanted to share this information with everyone.
So, I hadnโt prepared anything for Shinori and the others to do.
โThatโs true. Isnโt there anything we can do to help?โ
โYeah, Iโll do anything, too!โ
Hearing Akito and Ujiya speak up, Yukimi and Kisa each changed their expressions.
Yukimi was giving me a testing smile.
It seemed like she was asking, โWhat are you going to do?โ
Kisa, on the other hand, had a look on her face that was both happy and a bit troubled.
I donโt know what Yukimiโs intentions are, but is she leaving the decision up to me here?
If soโฆ well then.
โThen, Iโd like you to stay with Ao san.โ
โHuh? โฆEven though Chagiri-kun is dead?โ
โYeah, thatโs exactly why I want to be extra careful. Thereโs always a chance the other soccer team members might attack her.โ
โโฆโฆโ
Akito didnโt seem convinced.
However, I wasnโt letting my guard down just yet.
After all, Iโd actually heard from Chagiri that he had a plan to set Aoiko up, and Iโd been invited to participate.
The way he put it, it could also mean he has an accomplice.
If thatโs the case, itโs better to stay on guard.
โIf thatโs how it is, Iโm down. Things have been a bit gloomy lately, so letโs go out and have some fun for a change.โ
โSounds good. Aoikoโs been down in the dumps for a while now.โ
โAlright, Iโll leave it to you.โ
At times like this, Ujiya is really dependable.
He makes up for Akito, whoโdespite his strong sense of justiceโlacks a bit of initiative.
He lightens the mood, too; heโs the epitome of a socially skilled guy.
Iโm a little jealous.
Just as things were starting to come togetherโฆ
โIโm not really needed there, am I?โ
โHuh?โ
Shinoriโs words left me bewildered.
โWhat do you mean?โ
โWell, if Ujiya and Suga are with Aoiko chan, thereโs no need for me to tag along, right? And if the other side is planning to attack, having more girls there would actually work in their favor.โ
โI guess youโre right.โ
โAre you planning to send me to such a dangerous place?โ
โโฆโฆโ
Her words sounded strangely like a test, and I was confused.
What on earth is she trying to say?
It was Shinori who asked me in the first place if there was anything she could do.
So I simply suggested what needed to be done.
If sheโs afraid of putting herself in a dangerous situation, she should have just stayed home from the start.
Just then, Shinori laughed.
โThatโs why Iโm staying with you.โ
โโฆHuh?โ
โHehe, Iโm saying Iโll come along with you. To the place where youโre meeting thatโฆ Sayama, right?โ
It was unexpected.
Well, of course, given her personality, itโs exactly the kind of thing sheโd say.
But still, why?
โWerenโt you the one who didnโt want to go to dangerous places?โ
โThat didnโt mean I didnโt want to get attackedโit meant I didnโt want to put an unnecessary burden on Ujiya-kun and Suga-kun.โ
โBut even so, why?โ
โDonโt you get it unless I say it? Itโs obviousโif I donโt keep an eye on you, youโre bound to do something reckless every single time.โ
I was speechless.
The pencil case incident with Ami and the others, the stabbing incident that resulted from sneaking around behind the scenes, and the mess with Chagiriโall of them.
Itโs true that those were all incidents where Iโd lost Shinoriโs trust in the past.
ใ
Not knowing what to say, I stayed silent, and Shinori laughed.
โBesides, youโd probably be better off with me around, right?โ
โWhat makes you say that?โ
โThatโs still a secret. It wouldnโt be fair to tell just you, since youโre such a secretive person.โ
Faced with her barbed remark, I was at a loss for words once again.
Damn it, Shinori is tougher than usual today.
Sheโs cornered me with her logical arguments, so I have no comeback.
I looked around for help, but everyone was giving me lukewarm stares.
As for Yukimi, she looked genuinely amused, the corners of her mouth turned up even higher than before.
What should I do?
I really donโt want to drag Shinori into this.
That said, she seems even less willing to back down today than usual.
โThe other side would probably have a problem if you brought that whole group along, right?โ
Saying this as a last-ditch effort, Shinori turned her gaze to Yukimi, seeking her opinion.
โI think itโll be fine. Iโve already told Sayama that Iโd be bringing a few friends Iโd like to introduce to him.โ
โโฆโฆSenpai, about thatโฆโ
โUfufu, what are you trying to say? Iโm all for bringing her along, though.โ
โHuh?โ
I was completely taken aback by this unexpected support.
Shinori was staring at me with a satisfied look on her faceโwhat on earth was going on?
This didnโt seem like the kind of decision Yukimi would make, given how she usually tries to put up walls between herself and others.
โThe fact is, youโre a bit of a loose cannon. Having someone by your side to keep you in check will help you avoid going off the rails, donโt you think?โ
โPlease donโt make it sound like Iโm some crazy hothead. Thatโs really offensive.โ
โOh, I donโt want to hear that from a junior who always treats me like a serial killer.โ
โโฆโฆโ
Still, that was a strangely cryptic way of putting it.
Could there be some scheme Iโm not aware of?
At this point, there was nothing I could do with my words, so I sighed and accepted it.
Maiban