I, Who Was Reincarnated as an Evil Character With Cheat-Level Stats in an Eroge, Will Live Freely in This Life
――A few days passed, and today is Friday.
We had been going home together every day since that day, but there had been no noticeable changes.
Saki was relieved, but she also wondered if it had all been a misunderstanding on my part… That’s how she seemed to be feeling.
Of course, it would be better if it had been a misunderstanding, but I was almost certain that it wasn’t.
Kana and Miku had told Saki that it was better to be cautious, whether it was a misunderstanding or not, and I definitely felt the same way.
Speaking of which, today was the first time Saki and I had gone home together with the two of us since we started going home together.
Miku had a meeting as class representative, and Kana had a meeting in her class, so we decided to leave first.
It seemed like neither of them knew when they would be done.
“Maybe I was just mistaken…”
Saki suddenly said that.
“But you felt like someone was watching you, chasing you, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Then at least for now, I think it’s better to assume that feeling isn’t wrong. If we let our guard down now and something happens, that would be the worst, right?”
“That’s true, but… as a result, we’ve been causing trouble for Kisaragi kun and the others for the past week…”
“Kana and Suzukaze said they don’t think it’s a bother, and I feel the same way. Don’t worry about it. It’s better if nothing happens, after all.”
“Ugh, yeah. You’re right…”
“Yeah.”
“But I’m sorry. You wanted to go home with Kana more often…”
Right now, both Kana and I prioritize Saki’s safety, so there’s no need to worry about that. That’s the conclusion Kana and I came to after talking it over.
“Well, Kana and I agreed that Hiiragi’s safety is the priority, so there’s no problem there. Both Kana and I are satisfied with that decision, so Hiiragi doesn’t need to worry. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to play together in the future.”
“I see… Thank you.”
“Besides, this incident has made it possible for us to talk normally, so I don’t think it’s all bad.”
I said that because I wanted Saki, who looked a little apologetic, to feel a little more positive.
“Yeah, I guess so. I’ve also started talking normally with Kisaragi-kun without realizing it… I think it started when he took me home that day.”
Well, I think so, or rather, I’m sure of it.
Actually, on Monday mornings and after school, her tone of voice and ease of conversation had changed considerably.
“I’m glad to hear that. Kana told me that it was really rare for Hiiragi to talk normally with boys, so I was a little worried. Maybe I was meddling too much.”
“No, that’s definitely not the case!”
When I said that, Saki replied in a unusually loud voice.
“Is that so?”
“Uh, yeah. Thanks to you being here, I can go to school feeling safe now, and my mom and dad are really grateful to you too.”
“I see. That’s good to hear.”
Then, the moment we reached the crossroads, the incident suddenly occurred.
A man suddenly appeared from around the corner and came toward me.
“What the hell?!”
I hadn’t let my guard down, so I instinctively dodged the man, but I saw that he was holding a knife in his hand.
“Kisaragi-kun!”
Ignoring Saki’s worried voice, the man said,
“Why is Himesaki Ruruka with a man??? That’s ridiculous, isn’t it? Ruruka likes me, right?? She even called me in her comments, right?? I bought a lot of her merchandise, right???”
I wondered what he was going to say, but it was something like that…
“What are you talking about… Anyway, I’m not her boyfriend…”
I thought it was pointless, but since I had a knife, I tried to talk to him, but it seemed pointless after all.
If it were just me, it would be fine, but now Saki is here too, so I wanted to get this over with safely if possible…
The man said, “Shut up! You just shut up!! Ruruka-chan is mine… If not… If not!!!” Saying that, he moved toward Saki.
“Tsk!!”
I instinctively pulled Saki close to protect her, but it was too close for comfort, and I ended up with a minor scrape on my right arm.
I checked the wound, but even though there was a little blood, it didn’t seem like a big deal.
“Kisaragi-kun…”
“I’m fine, so just stay behind me…”
“U, un…”
Saying that, I let go of Saki, but she was trembling violently when I hugged her, and her complexion was poor.
It was only natural. In this situation, it was only natural.
Anyway, I had to neutralize this man…
As I was thinking that, suddenly the sound of a police car came from afar.
“There! What are you doing?!”
Saying that, two police officers got out of the police car and began to assess the situation, but since the man was holding a knife, they first subdued him.
What’s going on with me? I thought, but I was relieved.
◇
――Then things happened in the blink of an eye.
Apparently, the patrol car was just out on patrol and noticed us.
Of course, I don’t think we would have lost to that man, but I’m glad we were able to resolve the situation quickly since Saki was there.
And since Saki had called the police the other day, the fact-finding was over quickly.
Even though it was just a minor scratch, I was also injured by a knife, so that man won’t get off scot-free.
They’re going to check the surveillance cameras later, so it’ll be even more certain.
The police are going to ask the man various questions, so they’ll contact us as soon as they find out anything.
Saki and I were now in Harumi’s car, which had been sent by the police.
It seemed that she had received a call and immediately stopped work to come here.
The police had already told her most of what had happened, so she knew that Saki was safe, but when she arrived, she still looked very anxious.
Anyway, it seems that we are now on our way to the hospital.
“Um… we don’t have to go to the hospital, do we…”
“No way, Kisaragi-kun!! What if something happens?!”
“That’s right, Seito-kun. We’re really grateful that you saved Saki, but if something happens to you because of that, it would be counterproductive… We’re worried too.”
No, it’s really just a minor injury…
Well, since Saki is saying this so earnestly, I guess I’ll listen to her for now. Harumi-san also asked me for a favor, and she seems apologetic because she’s relieved that Saki was saved and feels guilty that I was injured.
◇
After returning from the hospital, I visited the Hiiragi family’s house.
“Thank you so much for protecting Saki, Seito-kun…”
“Thank you, Kisaragi-kun…”
Saki and Harumi bowed deeply, and I said to them.
“No, it was my idea.”
“Still, we’re so glad you helped us…”
“That’s right. Saki and I are truly grateful.”
At that moment, Harumi’s phone rang.
“I finally got through to father, so I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah.”
Saying that, Harumi went into the hallway with her smartphone in hand.
From what I heard, Saki’s father is currently busy with work and has a lot of deadlines coming up, so he couldn’t answer the phone.
“Anyway, that’s good.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Kisaragi-kun.”
“That’s not true…”
“Hey, Kisaragi-kun… aren’t you going to ask about that?”
By “that,” I assume she means that incident.
The stalker man mentioned Himezaki Ruruka. I heard it clearly, and she knows I’m a fan.
I thought about pretending not to know and not asking, but it would be unnatural not to ask.
“Um, you mean the fact that you were called Himesaki Ruruka?”
“Uh, yeah…”
“Is it okay if I ask about that?”
“Since you’ve helped me this far, I guess I should tell you… Just like that person said, I am Himesaki Ruruka… I’m sure you’re disappointed…”
Saki said this with a complicated expression on her face.
I don’t really understand what she means by “disappointed,” but I guess it’s probably because she lacks confidence…
“Disappointed? Why?”
“Because Kisaragi-kun said he was a fan of Himesaki Ruruka, and now that he knows I’m the real person behind it… I think he’s disappointed… Himesaki Ruruka and I have completely different personalities…”
Well, their personalities are different, but there’s no doubt that both of them have good points.
I knew she had low self-esteem, but I didn’t expect her to say that.
Besides, even if I didn’t know Himesaki Ruruka’s true identity from the beginning, there’s no way I would be disappointed or let down.
“Of course I was surprised, but there’s no reason to be disappointed. Besides, when it comes to Himesaki Ruruka, I’m just a fan, and when it comes to Hiiragi Saki, she’s just a friend. Hiiragi has plenty of good qualities too, so I think she should have more confidence in herself.”
“Wait, would you support me even if I were Himesaki Ruruka?”
“That’s right.”
“Oh, I see… Thank you…”
Saki’s reply was short, but she looked very happy.
◇
A little while later, Harumi-san asked to talk to me alone, so we talked together.
“What’s wrong? You don’t have to thank me anymore.”
I don’t know how many times she’s thanked me.
Of course, I understand that she’s very grateful, but I feel like I’ve had enough of her thanks.
“No matter how many times I say thank you, it’s not enough, but that’s not what I mean.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s about Saki. She can’t talk to boys at all, can she? She’s so shy.”
“That’s right. Except for one person, I’ve never seen her talking to boys at school.”
The one person she’s referring to is, of course, Nanashima.
“That’s right. Even when she was in middle school, she couldn’t talk to boys without going through Miku-chan or Kana-chan, so I was really worried. She seems to be able to talk to Tsubasa-kun, but they’ve known each other since before elementary school…”
“Well, it’s a difficult situation. I’m sure Saki has her own issues too.”
“That’s true, but she seems to be able to talk to Seito-kun, and she seems to trust him, so I hope you’ll continue to be friends with her…”
“That goes without saying. In fact, I’d like to ask you to let me be friends with her.”
“Hahaha, thank you, Seito-kun. But I was really surprised when we first met… Saki was coming home with a boy who wasn’t Tsubasa-kun. If it had been Tsubasa-kun, I wouldn’t have made such a mistake…”
The misunderstanding was that we were dating, right?
I was a little confused by Harumi-san’s words.
Sure, in the game, as they went through various events, their relationship seemed to progress…
How did Harumi-san see the two of them?
“Is that so?”
“I’ve known them since they were little, and I thought Saki didn’t like Tsubasa in a romantic way. Of course, it’s just my intuition, so I don’t know if it’s correct, but maybe it’s a mother’s intuition?”
“I see…”
“Anyway, please take care of Saki from now on, Seito-kun! Oh, and please keep this conversation a secret from Saki.”
“Yes, I understand.”
After talking for a while, the three of us went home.
Maiban