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…
“…Huh? What did you just say?”
“I said I want to kiss you, Bun kun.”
“A kiss…!? Um, jokes like that aren’t cool!”
“Is it… bad?”
“Of course it’s bad! Look! If we do something like that, Hiyori won’t be able to get married!!”
What am I saying? Me.
“Then, why don’t you marry me, Bun kun…”
Hiyori staggered to her feet from the bed.
Then, with unsteady steps, she grabbed my hand and pulled me forcefully without saying a word.
“Hey, Hiyori—”
She grabbed both my shoulders, leaned her weight into me, and pushed me down onto the bed.
In that instant, the memory of that night flooded my mind.
The night of Hiyori’s birthday party at Misuzu’s villa, when she’d pinned me down just like this.
“Remember that time?”
Seeing straight through my thoughts, Hiyori smiled.
Her weight pressed down on my hands braced against her bed, making it creak softly.
Her hands gripped mine tightly. Her eyes were hazy, her breath heavy.
“I regret it… That night, I wish I’d done this properly.”
“!?”
Whispering in my ear, Hiyori pressed her lips to mine, her cheeks flushed.
Perhaps it was too forceful, because our teeth clattered together.
“Mmm, sorry… I messed up. It’s just… my first time…”
Hiyori spoke shyly.
True, teeth clashing made it awkward, but lips met lips. This was undeniably a kiss.
“Wh-why?”
“Bun kun, you haven’t kissed Mii-chan yet?”
“W-Well, yeah…!! Because—”
“Because you and Mii-chan aren’t actually dating, right?”
!?
“Ah, I see. So that’s how it is.”
Seeing my shocked expression, a smile spread across Hiyori’s face.
“How… did you know…?”
“I thought about it. After Mii-chan told me she was dating Bun kun, I sat on the park swing, getting soaked in the rain… and I thought about it.”
“Wh-what… did you think about?”
“Why did Bun kun start dating Mii-chan?”
Hiyori stared at me with a distant look in her eyes. Her breathing was heavy, maybe from the fever. But her gaze was fixed on me, unblinking.
“you turned down her confession during lunch break, so why did you accept her fake date confession? Did you fall for Mii-chan during that date? No, that can’t be right. At least, it doesn’t sound like the Bun kun I know. Then why? The only thing I can think of is that Mii-chan was in a situation where she absolutely needed a boyfriend, so she asked Bun kun for help… meaning, she asked him to be her fake boyfriend. And Bun kun agreed. No, he was pressured into it… Thinking about it that way, it somehow fits. It feels very much like something Bun-kun would do.”
W-Whoa…
Honestly, it’s a little scary how spot-on this is. I never imagined someone could reach the truth based on mere speculation…
“So, the relationship between Bun-kun and her right now isn’t really lovers, but more like fake lovers… Is that about right?
Y-yeah, that’s right.
“It is, huh?”
It’s like Hiyori’s reading my mind just by looking at my expression right now.
“…H-how did you know?”
“I just know… because…”
Hiyori looked away, seeming a little embarrassed, and said this.
“Lately, I… I’ve been thinking about you all the time, Bun kun. I catch myself just staring at you…”
Huh? What’s that supposed to mean… It sounds like she likes me or something.
“…Bun kun is so easily swayed, and if you push him, he’ll take on anything. It’s dangerous. I can’t help but worry.”
Ah, yes… I’m sorry.
“But… then… why the kiss?”
“Right now, Bun kun is only looking at me. But once you go home, you’ll probably start thinking about Mii-chan again, right? At least, right now, you’re focused on Mii-chan.”
“W-well…”
I can’t exactly say that’s not true.
“Bun kun has always been in my heart. I’ve always watched you. But you’re different, aren’t you? You don’t only see me. I can’t forgive that… So I’ll do the same thing as you. So I can always be in your heart, so that even when you’re supporting someone else, my presence flickers in the background.”
Maybe it’s the fever, but Hiyori isn’t in a normal state right now. She seems unstable…
Suddenly, I remembered Ichika’s words from lunch break.
[When you have a fever, your mind gets unstable and you end up saying what you’re really thinking. Things you’d never tell anyone… So, Bun kun. If Hiyori-chan ever spills her true feelings, please listen to everything she says. And please, truly accept it.]
Accept this…? This is a hundred times heavier than I expected…!!
“……………………”
My mind nearly froze. This situation was way beyond my capacity.
“…Bun-kun?”
Seeing me say nothing, Hiyori’s expression turned anxious.
“D-did I… make you angry? N-no, it’s not that… I didn’t mean to trouble you… I-I know… Suddenly doing something like this… It must feel… awful. Ugh… I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I, I don’t want… you to hate me, Bun kun.”
“I won’t hate you.”
I gently touch Hiyori’s cheek, which looks like it’s about to cry. Maybe because she has a fever, her cheek feels hot.
“I think I’ve said this before, but you’re special to me, Hiyori… I won’t hate you over something like this.”
This was the unmistakable, true feeling.
“Ehehe… I see… Special… huh…”
As if all her strength had left her, Hiyori’s body collapsed.
“…Sshh, sshh, sshh”
It seemed she had fallen asleep.
I became completely absorbed, carefully laying Hiyori down so as not to wake her.
Somehow… maybe because of her fever today, Hiyori was acting spoiled, suddenly on the verge of tears, emotionally unstable… like a child.
My gaze keeps drifting to Hiyori’s lips.
What should I do?
Even now, feelings of joy, embarrassment, and confusion are all tangled up inside me.
But I can’t stay flustered forever. I need to sort this out in my own way.
First, the fundamental question: ‘Was Hiyori in her right mind?’
No.
Her high fever had impaired her thinking; she clearly wasn’t in a normal state.
Next then.
‘Was that kiss Hiyori’s true intention?’
This… I wonder.
…………………………No, probably not.
I think I’ve built a good relationship with Hiyori.
But if you ask me in a romantic sense, it’s still NO.
That kiss wasn’t Hiyori’s true intention. It was her possessive desire running wild, wanting me to only look at her.
Tsukimi-san said it before. Hiyori has an incredible obsession with things she doesn’t want anyone else to take.
In other words, the anxiety and possessiveness that arose from getting a fake girlfriend—the fear of being neglected or pushed away—triggered this incident too.
That’s my conclusion.
…Well, I really should head home. It’s getting dark, and Hiyori’s mom will be back soon.
“Don’t… leave… Hiyori… behind…”
Startled, I turned around, but Hiyori’s eyes remained closed. Was she dreaming?
“Don’t… abandon… Hiyori…”
“…It’s okay, I’m right here.”
Saying that, I took Hiyori’s hand.
“…Ah… Ehehe.”
…I’ll stick with her no matter what today. I was the one who said it was okay to be as selfish as she wanted.
Now then, what should I say when Hiyori’s mom gets back?
Thinking about the not-too-distant future, I gazed at Hiyori’s sleeping face, peaceful and sound.