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
After leaving the stifling art room.
Wanting to breathe some fresh air outside, I walked around campus and unexpectedly ran into someone.
A plain-looking female student with a face so small the mask almost hid her eyes, her hair tied back simply.
Her skirt was long too, the sort of appearance you’d likely overlook at first glance.
But I stopped to get a better look at her.
โWell, what a coincidence.โ
โLong time no see, Shiraki-san.โ
Fortunately, she noticed me too and responded.
It was Shiraki Ouka, the first time I’d seen her since hiding her at my place a little while ago.
Still, wow.
This was the first time I’d seen Ouka in her plain girl camouflage mode at school, and it definitely hid most of her beauty.
Her small face was unavoidable, but she hid her long legs by lengthening her skirt and wore her hair pulled back with a single hair tie, no fuss.
At first glance, this could probably slip past a guy’s interest radar.
โฆAt first glance, that is.
โHey, what are you staring at?โ
โNothing.โ
โOh, okay.โ
As usual, Ouka seems to have no intention of putting on a front with me.
Even now, when passing other students, she politely says things like, โGoodbye. Please be careful on your way home?โ Yet, she’s unusually casual only with me.
Originally, this was a side she only showed to the protagonist, Akito. But in this crazy alternate world, for some reason, it’s directed at me too.
Not exactly a perkโmore like a problem.
Just then, Ouka points her thumb sharply at the window.
โCome with me.โ
โโฆHuh? Jump?โ
Her gesture, as if she’s about to step out the window, makes me widen my eyes.
Just to clarify, this is the third floor.
Serious injury is guaranteed, and worst case, death.
What should I do?
So this is how the suicide pact flag with a woman other than Shinori finally gets raisedโฆ
Just as I was thinking such ridiculous thoughts, she gave me a thoroughly annoyed look and said, โHuh?โ
โI’m saying I’ll buy you a drink to thank you for the other day.โ
โIf that’s what you meant, just say so. It’s bad for my heart.โ
โNo, seriously, I wouldn’t normally tell you to jump out the window.โ
โUnfortunately, that โnormalโ is a landmine for me.โ
โHuh? I don’t get what you’re saying. Are you one of those introverts who gets lost in their own world during conversations?โ
โSigh. Let’s just go already.โ
Well, it’s pointless expecting her to understand anyway.
Ouka followed me with a slightly dissatisfied look as I sighed.
โ
The school courtyard.
The area with vending machines and such was deserted, as it was after school.
We sat on a bench, both lost in thought.
โHow’s your test studying going?โ
โI’m actually doing it with a friend right now. Just taking a short break though.โ
โOh~โ
โโฆโฆโ
โโฆโฆโ
โAre you bad at conversation?โ
Fed up with the dead silence, I blurted out, only to get a sharp kick to the shin from the side.
โYou should be grateful you’re even talking to a girl!โ
โNah, I just spent ages talking to some super cute girls, so I’m kinda full on the girl front.โ
โHuh? Who?โ
โHanesaki Shinori and Shichikajo Yukimi-senpai.โ
The moment I mentioned their names, Ouka nodded disinterestedly.
โAh, the girl who got bullied for being half-decently popular, and the spoiled princess who’s hated to death for being utterly arrogant in everything she says and does.โ
โWhat kind of phrasing is that?โ
Even I was taken aback by that interpretation, which felt pure malice.
Apparently, Ouka doesn’t like either of them.
Then, sensing something in my expression, Ouka cleared her throat.
โI went too far. Sorry.โ
โNah, it’s not like I’m eating the core or anythingโฆโ
Her phrasing was awful, but I also thought it was a succinct way to describe the two girls’ recent situation.
Sipping the matcha latte she treated me to, I let the wind blow through me after school.
It felt like a small release from the heavy days lately.
Being in that art room feels suffocating.
Actually, since I’m here, maybe I should ask Ouka something too.
She’s not exactly known for deep friendships.
It’s unlikely I’ll get much info, but she is a main character, so it can’t hurt to ask.
โHey, Shirakiโฆ have you heard the rumors about Senpai?โ
โRumors? Like the one about her getting attacked last year?โ
โAh, yeah. You know about it?โ
โOf course. For a while, someone posting about it online got a lot of attention. I saw it too. Well, the source and the account posting it got wiped out at an almost comically fast pace, though.โ
Unexpectedly, I hit the jackpot with this info.
This was the first real information I’d gotten, and I leaned forward eagerly.
โWhat was the content? How credible was the rumor?โ
โNah, I wasn’t really interested, so I didn’t read much of it. But I did catch a glimpse of something about one of the perpetratorsโฆ something like their parents got laid off too, and they ended up destituteโฆโ
โโฆโ
It matched exactly what Yukimi told me the other day.
The story about how the perpetrator’s father was fired as punishment, leading to the family’s collapse.
Then indeedโฆ that post must be close to the truth.
But why on earth would something like that be leaked online?
Even the Shichikajo family couldn’t control online information flow?
The internet society is getting scarier by the minute.
โEven if that story is true, the Shichikajo family sure are ruthless. If they’ve already laid the groundwork at the workplace, losing your job means heading straight for poverty. What a terrible burden for the family members who weren’t involved. Plus, finding another job would be tough, and who knows what else they might doโฆ If it came to that, fleeing the country might be the only option.โ
โI wonder. The Shichikajo family probably has connections extending overseas too.โ
Still, she’s a woman with impressive analytical skills.
How does she manage to string her thoughts together so smoothly based on just a few bits of information?
While impressed by Ouka’s analysis, I pondered too.
The story was that the ones moving now were dangerous typesโcollege students involved with anti-social groups, semi-yakuza, or delinquents.
She also mentioned he’d made friends since entering university, so there was a chance he could send them after Yukimi again.
Honestly, I have no knowledge or connections in that world, so I don’t know how to deal with it.
Besides, I’d already made it clear I wouldn’t get involved in revenge.
I wasn’t sure how far I should get involved in this matter.
Then Ouka spoke again.
“But Senpai, she’s being stupid too. If she’d just kept a low profile, she wouldn’t have been targeted by someone and put in danger.”
โYeah, I guess.โ
โBullying’s the same. Fighting this kind of thing starts with maneuvering to avoid becoming a target. Of course, the ones attacking are the bad guys, but for trouble you can’t avoid, you have to take care of it yourself and manage the risk. It’s deterrence.โ
It seemed dry, but it felt like the most fundamentally sound countermeasure.
And coming from Ouka, it carried weight.
I looked at her appearance and said thoughtfully.
โIn that regard, Shiraki-san is thorough, isn’t she?โ
โWhat do you know about me?โ
โWell, you’re putting on an act. By just blending in as this plain character, you avoid being envied or disliked. It’s calculated, right?โ
โWhat do you mean? It sounds like you’re implying I’m actually popular.โ
โThat’s exactly what I’m saying.โ
โโฆ!โ
Ouka is a shrewd woman.
If there’s a girl like Shinori at the same schoolโsomeone who became a target of bullying precisely because she was popularโshe’d scheme to avoid the same fate.
I knew this from the original scenario, but hearing her say it made me realize how thoroughly thought-out her survival strategy truly was.
Taking my words in, Ouka snorted with a hint of amusement.
โHuh. You’re pretty observant. Well, you’ve seen my true self anyway, so I guess there’s no need to hide it. You’re the first one to notice how cute I am.โ
โWell, that’s nice to hear.โ
โHeh heh. How about this perfect plain girl cosplay?โ
Once praised, she got carried away and started explaining everything in detail.
She’d even started calling it cosplay now.
I wish some other introverted girl would scold her for it.
But then.
I just snorted at her.
โHaha, but โcosplayโ is actually a pretty apt description.โ
โHuh?โ
โNo matter how plain your outfit is or how much of your face you hide, you just can’t hide your natural beauty.โ
โWh-what does that even mean? โฆBut seriously, no one’s ever confessed to me or called me cute anyway.โ
โYou’re such an idiot. Guys fall into two categories: the idol-beauty type everyone wants to gossip about and get hyped over, and the exclusive, serious crush type where you want to bask in the feeling of being the only one who knows how great she isโฆ!โ
You’d never say the latter out loud to friends.
Because it’d just increase the competition.
Plus, if the girl’s got an introverted vibe, it triggers that pathetic thought: โHey, maybe I could have a shot.โ
After talking with Ouka at close range for a while, I realized something.
This girlโฆ she hasn’t fully mastered camouflage.
She’s still a rotten eroge heroine at heart, my absolute favorite.
Her charm seeps out, and you can tell just by looking.
And the same goes for the guy who ended up sitting next to her in class.
In short, her camouflage only works at first glance.
โProbably a few guys have noticed how cute you are. They just don’t spread rumors because they don’t want to lose you.โ
โWh-what!?โ
Well, she is a super popular model, so it makes sense.
I’ve been talking about the boys, but the girls probably know too.
It’s just that her social circle is so thin, they haven’t had a chance to find out.
I crushed the empty drink pack and tossed it into the trash.
It was a nice change of pace. Time to head back to the dark art room.
โThanks for the meal. Next time, I’ll treat you.โ
โH-hold on a sec!โ
I turned my back on the beautiful girl shouting something behind me.
โโโ
ใShiraki Oukaใ
Affection for Akito: 60% (โ)
Affection for Kyota: ?% (โโโ)
Maiban