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
Kisa was involved in this whole series of incidents.
That fact itself was to be expected, and now that this connection has been proven, everything makes sense.
Ami and the others probably got their information about me from Kisa, and Hayaseโs plan to ambush me on my way home could only have been devised by Kisaโsince sheโd walked home with me along that same route before.
And on top of that, I can guess why she didnโt attend todayโs study session.
However, what came next was unexpected.
โWhat do you mean, โIโm being threatenedโ?โ
โAmi-chan and the others told me that if I didnโt tell them about Toyo-chan, theyโd expose my weakness.โ
โWeakness?โ
What on earth could it be?
Did she cheat on an exam?
Did she shoplift?
I tilted my head, wondering if sheโd committed some kind of petty crime.
But the answer was far beyond anything I could have imagined.
โItโs that POV video I was forced to film last year.โ
โโฆHuh?โ
I was so stunned by this sudden revelation that my mind went completely blank.
โฆโฆHuh?
It was so sudden I couldnโt make sense of it.
โW-wait a second. Youโve got to explain this to me or I wonโt understand whatโs going on.โ
โYouโre actually listening? Just like a womanizer. Youโre pretty kind, arenโt you?โ
It was her usual playful way of speaking, but her tone was completely serious.
With that, Kisa began to tell her story.
โIt happened last year. I was hanging out with my girlfriends like usual, and that day we decided to invite a group of guys to join us. So we hung out with the guys who came over, but it seems like we got set up. At first, everything was normalโwe ate dinner and went to karaokeโbut before I knew it, the conversation had turned to going to a love hotel.โ
The story took a sudden turn for the worse.
I nodded silently, and she sighed as she continued.
โOne of the guys took me aside, just the two of us, and made me drink some kind of suspicious-looking alcohol. Then, before I knew it, I blacked out and was taken advantage of. By the time I came to, it was already over, and theyโd even gone so far as to record a video. I was totally done for. When I asked them to delete it, they started blackmailing me with it instead.โ
โW-wait a minute. What does that have to do with Ami Kato?โ
โAh, well, Ami-chan is connected to the ringleader of that group of guys, you see? Apparently, that guy blabbed that he had that s*x tape of me. So Ami-chan started threatening me too, saying sheโd spread the video if I didnโt do what she said.โ
I was speechless.
After finishing her story, Kisa looked a little relieved.
The wind was strong, blowing Kisaโs hair back and forth.
Kisa Hiiragi had been assaulted by a stranger last year.
I couldnโt accept that fact.
I mean, that doesnโt make any sense, does it?
Chronologically speaking, โlast yearโ means it happened before the story of Sakuchiru even began.
But still, Iโd never heard of an incident like this.
After all, it isnโt even mentioned in the game.
As I stood there speechless from the shock, Kisa let out a deep sigh.
โDonโt worry, Iโm not going to play the victim. No matter what the circumstances were, itโs just an excuse, and the fact that I deceived Toyo-chin hasnโt changed. Oh, thoughโit wasnโt me who told her to stab, okay?โ
โHuh, really?โ
โOf course not. I donโt know how Toyo-chan feels about it, but I thought of him as a friend, and I had no intention of making her do something that dangerous. When I got the call from Ami-chan saying sheโd stabbed you, I was sweating so hard I left a puddle on the floor.โ
โI was sure she must have had a grudge against me or something.โ
โAhaha, no way. โฆThereโs no way. Thatโs whyโI really regret it. Iโm sorry.โ
Even with her apology, to be honest, Iโm not in a state of mind where I can fully process whatโs happened.
Besides, she probably had no other choice either.
If she thought it was just a case where sheโd be blackmailed with the tape from when she was rap*d and could get away with just cooperating a littleโฆ
Anyone would have acted the same way.
Unless youโre a complete idiot, you wouldnโt normally let it escalate into a stabbing incident.
I take a moment to reaffirm that to myself.
โWait a minute. Are you saying that guy has been holding you over a barrel and keeping you tied up this whole time?โ
โWell, yeah.โ
She doesnโt seem to be lying.
So, even though it wasnโt mentioned in Sakuchiru, Kisa has been living with this dark secret all along.
Iโm shocked that even a sub-heroine had such a dark backstory.
Not that this is something I can just brush off with my โgamer brain,โ though.
โBut wait a minute. If the deal was that she wouldnโt show the video, that doesnโt make sense. How does Ami even know about it? Wasnโt that guy taking advantage of you on the condition that he wouldnโt leak the video?โ
โI donโt know. I donโt even know if he actually showed her the video.โ
โWell, thatโs true.โ
โAlso, even if we kept our promise, thereโs no guarantee they wouldnโt show the video to others anyway~โ
Once someone has you by the short hairs, youโre stuck in a losing battle with the odds stacked against you for the rest of your life.
I did the same thing to Ami back when there was that incident with Azunoriโs pencil case, didnโt I?
I told them that whether or not I posted the bullying video online was entirely up to me, so it would be in their best interest to comply quietly and not do anything to make me change my mind.
That said, how things play out from there is entirely up to the person holding the leverage.
No matter how obedient the other side is, we suffer no consequences if we break our promise on a whim.
In short, if you think about it from Kisaโs perspective this timeโฆ
Once your weakness has been exposed, even keeping your promise wonโt serve as a deterrent against the other side.
Faced with such a gruesome reality, a thick, choking sludge swirls in my chest.
One trouble passes, only for another to follow.
I canโt help but think: this world is rotten to the core.
And as I thought just a moment ago, assuming this story is trueโฆ
The Kisa I played as in my past lifeโs game was likely living with this burden as well.
With her cheerful voice, lighthearted manner, and proactive interactions with the protagonistโshe was the only oasis-like supporting character in that depressing gameโฆ or so I thought.
All of that crumbled within me in an instant.
A chill ran down my spine all at once.
โRevenge for r*pe, huh. I guess I was jealous of Senpai Shichikajo. She actually had the option to kill someone.โ
โโฆโฆ!โ
Only now did I finally understand the weight of Kisaโs words from that day.
That was when we were discussing how to stop Yukumiโs revenge plan.
โโฆSo, what would actually be best for Senpai Shichikajo? Do people really end up wanting revenge, after all?โ
โI donโt really know the full truth of the incident, but from what Iโve heard, it was an attempted r*pe, right? If thatโs the case, well, I guess she must hate him enough to want to kill him.โ
Thatโs what she said in response to my question.
Hate him enough to want to kill him.
And while Yukimiโs case was merely an attempted crime, Kisaโs was a full-blown assault.
Just how much raw emotion was packed into those words?
As the chilly night wind blew, I winced.
It had touched the wound on my left arm, where Iโd just been stabbed.
And suddenly, my mind cleared.
To be honest, I couldnโt really make out Kisaโs expression right in front of me.
It was dark around us, and she was looking downโwhich was unusual for herโso I couldnโt see her clearly.
But still, it was a fact that she was the โenemyโ who had driven me into this situation.
โโฆShould I go study abroad too?โ
โYou know about this?โ
โI heard it from Ami-chan a little while ago. Oh, and I donโt think Iโll seek revenge anymore, so for my sake, you can rest easy on that front.โ
โWhat are you talking about? I donโt trust you at all anymore.โ
โAhaha, thatโs funny. I guess youโre right.โ
Neither Kisa nor I was laughing at all.
Our hollow, flippant words only served to heighten the futility of the situation.
That said, I couldnโt bring myself to confront Kisa about this either.
I understood the circumstances, and while I had no intention of forgiving her, our history and a certain sympathy for her left me unsure of how to proceed.
I needed a little time to think this through on my own.
Besides.
I had just made a vow.
To correct this worldโs scenario so that Shinori doesnโt end up ruined.
That also means resolving all the dark incidents and minimizing the factors that could drive her to the brink of madness as much as possible.
Given that, it surely wouldnโt be a good idea to just leave Kisaโwho is currently the only female friend Shinori can talk to on good termsโto fend for herself like this.
In the end, what I need to do this time is the same as always.
โWho is the person?โ
โOh, right. a year younger than me, and just started at Meirei this year.โ
โat the same school?โ
โYeah, on the soccer team. name is Kanaya Sagiri.โ
โโฆSoccerโฆ team?โ
Right after I mustered the courage to ask.
Feeling a sense of unease, I furrowed my brow.
โ
Right after getting home and taking a shower, I got into bed.
I just couldnโt bring myself to do anything else today.
โWhen will I ever be freeโฆโฆโ
Just when I thought Iโd finally wrapped up the event, now another problem has cropped up in a place completely unrelated to the original scenario.
And on top of that, here I am in a situation where I have to solve that one too.
My mental state is definitely at its limit.
As soon as I pulled the covers over me, an overwhelming wave of sleepiness washed over me.
For now, Iโll talk to someone about this.
Itโs too much for me to handle alone, and since itโs unrelated to the Sakuchiru storyline, I donโt have a responsibility to solve it myself.
Kisa never stopped me from talking to others about my problems, so letโs go all out on this.
Yukimi would be a good person to talk to.
Sheโs involved in this matter to some extent, and sheโll probably come up with a good idea.
Iโm a bit hesitant to go out of my way to talk to her, but I canโt really afford to be picky right now.
โโฆโฆSigh.โ
Still, Iโm really exhausted today.
My mind isnโt working at all.
I just got out of the bath and my bodyโs still hot; I feel like Iโm going to break out in a cold sweat.
As my consciousness began to fade, I lay down on my side.ใ
โโI hope everything works out okay.
With that optimistic thought in mind, I closed my eyesโโ.
Maiban