Mob Character Reincarnation Loner: As a Result of Supporting the Heroine Who Had Been Rejected, I Ended up Being the Recipient of Her Heavy Emotions…
Sunday night.
I laid out snacks and cola on the table.
It was 9 o’clock. I’d eaten dinner, taken a bath, and was fully prepared for school.
In other words, it was prime time before bed.
Now then, should I play a game or lazily watch some game commentary videos?
Nah, I should probably binge-watch that series I’ve been curious about—‘The Classmate Living Upstairs in My Apartment Building Who Surprisingly Does Naughty Things When You Ask Her’—
Ding-dong
The doorbell rang right at the opening title screen.
Huh? Who could it be at this hour? My golden time is…
Ding-dong
Ding-dong
Ping-pong
Ping-pong-ping-pong.
…This ping-pong barrage has to be Tsukimi-san.
Oh well. Might as well answer it.
Wondering what she wanted, I opened the door to find Tsukimi-san in her usual home mode.
“…Hi.”
“What’s up, Tsukimi-san? Need something?”
Tsukimi-san looked slightly awkward, or rather, troubled.
“I thought I should return this…”
She looked away and pulled a handkerchief from her hoodie pocket. Unfolding it revealed my spare room key.
“Huh? Why? You don’t have to return it…”
I mean, you’ve been coming over almost every weekend lately…
“That’s not really an option… You have a girlfriend named Misuzu, after all.”
“Huh? Didn’t you hear from Serizawa-san?”
“Huh?”
Huh?
This reaction… Could it be that Tsukimi-san doesn’t know about the ‘fake girlfriend’ situation?
Damn. I totally assumed she explained the situation to Hiyori and Tsukimi-san.
No way… she hadn’t explained anything at all…!!
“…What? Is something wrong?”
“Huh? No… um… nothing’s wrong, okay? Misuzu and I are dating. That’s all. Oh, I’ll take the key!”
I hastily retrieved the spare key from Tsukimi-san.
“…Irie, you should work on that habit of looking away when you lie.”
“Huh? Lie? Dammit!”
“Lie.”
Tsukimi-san stared at me with a deadpan expression, clearly exasperated.
…I’d been called out.
“………………”
“………………”
“Explanation, please.”
“Yes…”
I explained to Tsukimi-san that Serizawa had received an arranged marriage proposal, and I’d become her ‘fake boyfriend’ as a cover.
“I see, so that’s what it was… Hmm.”
Tsukimi-san nodded in understanding and held out her right hand to me again.
“Um…?”
“Give me back that key. It’s mine.”
“Eh, ah, yes…”
It’s my key… but wait, did I transfer ownership to Tsukimi-san?
Once again, the spare key to my house passed into Tsukimi-san’s hand.
Tsukimi accepted it through her handkerchief, nodded contentedly, and tucked it into her hoodie pocket.
“Hey, move. I can’t get inside like this.”
“Oh, sorry… Wait, huh? Why are you inside my house!?”
“Come to think of it, I couldn’t quite defeat the boss in that game we played the other day.”
“No, this is bad…! ! I’m cheating!! I’m gonna get killed!!”
“So what if you get killed? Womanizers should be wiped off the face of the earth.”
That’s harsh… I haven’t seduced a single soul.
“Or what…? You’re gonna cheat with me? Gross.”
“Eh, no, I didn’t mean to…”
“Then it’s fine. No one’ll find out anyway.”
Outmaneuvered by Tsukimi-san, I ended up letting her in.
Huh? Feels like I’m forgetting something…
…………………………
Following Tsukimi-san into the living room, I saw the title screen of ‘That Time I Begged My Classmate Living Upstairs in the Same Building, and She Surprisingly Let Me Do Naughty Things’ displayed on the big TV screen.
And Tsukimi-san, staring at that title screen.
Shit. I totally forgot it was paused!!
Cold sweat wouldn’t stop. The air thick with tension. It felt like the tension when someone finds your dirty books.
I braced myself for insults like “pervert” or “die,” but an unexpected phrase came flying at me.
“What are you standing there for? Want to sit next to me?”
“Huh? Oh, sure.”
Huh? What? She’s totally normal?
Tsukimi didn’t even comment on the title, ‘The Case of the Classmate Living Upstairs in the Same Apartment Building Who Surprisingly Lets You Do Naughty Things If You Ask Nicely’. She just switched to the game.
“You’ve got snacks and Coke. Can I have some?”
“Ah, yeah. Sure, I guess…”
“What…?”
“Ah, no… I thought you’d just ignore what happened earlier.”
“That? It’s just a slightly erotic anime, right? I’m not going to back off over something like this now. I know you watch stuff way worse than that.”
“Oh… That’s good… Huh?”
Hold on a sec. Stuff way worse than this?
D-does that mean she knows about that thing?
“Behind the carpet. The password is the birthday of your favorite character from the anime you’ve been watching lately.”
Shit, she knows everything…!!
“How did you know…!?”
“I’ve been cleaning this room lately.”
“……………………”
“Want me to tell you what you’ve been into lately too?”
“…Please don’t. I beg you.”
I might never be able to hold my head up around Tsukimi-san again.