I’ve Been Reincarnated as the Childhood Friend of a Doomed Heroine. Since I Don’t Want to Get Caught up in Her Bad Ending, I’ll Make Sure She Ends up Happy
It happened during lunch break the next day.
After the fourth period ended, I was just hanging out in the classroom, chatting idly as usual.
The people I was with were the usual crowd.
Our conversation was pretty random—just small talk like how boring the math class had been earlier, or what we should eat for lunch today.
Despite the ban on cell phones, our school has this mysterious policy that allows students to leave campus during breaks, so students at our school often go out to grab a bite to eat.
Anyway, just as we were about to head out for lunch together as usual, someone called my name from the hallway.
The voice was so faint that for a moment, I thought I’d misheard it.
But when I looked in the direction of the sound, there was a girl beckoning me over.
A girl with a distinctly “country girl” look—Shiraki Ouka.
“Hey, hey, cheating again?”
Just as I was about to leave the classroom after Ouka called me, Ujiya was quick to taunt me.
I frowned.
“How am I supposed to cheat when I’m not even dating anyone?”
“Whoa, come on, Kyota-kun.”
“……”
I thought I’d given a perfectly valid response, but of course, it didn’t fly.
It annoyed me to be called by that name—so obviously mimicking some doomed heroine from a story.
Lately, everyone in the classroom has been obsessed with shipping me and Shinori.
It’s absolutely annoying.
And right after that, a giddy girl’s voice chimed in.
“Ehh~, are you really going to say you’re not dating? You even went on a date to the aquarium the other day! In fact, you two even disappeared somewhere halfway through to make out!”
“Hey, stop making statements that could lead to misunderstandings. I mean, I don’t remember going on any date, and we weren’t making out either. Shinori was just keeping an eye on me as I mindlessly kept walking straight ahead until I hit a dead end.”
“…Toyono-kun, are you some kind of sunfish or something?”
“No, I just lose my vision sometimes, so since I can actually turn to the side, I’m the superior being here.”
“What’s up with that, anyway…?”
Ocean sunfish are said to be able to do almost nothing but swim in a straight line.
They’re also often made fun of on social media for dying so easily.
However, in reality, they can actually turn left and right, and apparently aren’t that weak of creatures.
……Huh?
If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean they’re on the same level as me after all?
Just as I was about to nod in agreement that they were “ocean sunfish level,” I shook my head.
Or rather, wait a minute.
I shot a glare at the girl who was mingling here as if she owned the place.
“Actually, why are you even here in the first place? You’re in a different class, right?”
Aoiko Kijima, the laid-back, airy-headed girl who had somehow blended in without me noticing.
Lately, perhaps because of that incident, I’d been keeping a bit of distance from Kisa.
And so, before I knew it, Aoiko had filled that void.
It’s been like this for a few days now, but why is she in this classroom?
As for Akito, he was watching the exchange with a smirk on his face.
“You’re being called—aren’t you going?”
Just as he was bantering with the others like that, Shinori finally walked in.
Her bone-chilling voice made me instinctively sit up straight.
“What’s up? Come on, you don’t want to keep her waiting—you should go.”
“…O-okay.”
No sooner had she said that than she turned her back
Seeing that, the others suddenly got excited again.
Since I was already running an errand for Ouka, I figured I’d grab some lunch while I was at it, so I grabbed my wallet.
Still, Shinori’s “girlfriend act” has really gotten out of hand lately.
I scratched the back of my head and let out a sigh.
The worst part is how everyone around me keeps egging her on.
I glanced back and saw that, before I knew it, Shinori was giggling too.
“Well, I guess… as long as they’re having fun, that’s fine.”
As soon as I muttered that to myself, I was immediately bombarded by jeers from my usual crew and a gaze from the “doomed heroine” mixed with resentment.
If you think of it as playful, it’s actually kind of cute.
Considering the time not long ago when I was isolated in class, it’s almost heartwarming.
When I stepped out into the hallway, Ouka was waiting with an unusually nervous expression.
In her hand was a bag that caught my attention.
The moment our eyes met, she scratched her cheek—which was unusual for her—and said timidly,
“U-um, you know… You usually buy your lunch, right?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah.”
As I’ve mentioned before, my family’s pretty well-off.
So, I usually grab lunch at a convenience store.
I think I mentioned that to Ouka the other day, too.
I was actually planning to go buy a couple of rice balls right now.
By the way, the reason I don’t have much money is because just the other day, some two-faced girl swindled me out of the karaoke room fee.
Having money and choosing to be frugal are two different things.
Just as I was thinking that, she timidly handed me the bag.
“…Huh?”
“W-well, if you haven’t bought anything yet, um… please eat this.”
It was heavy and substantial… probably a bag filled with a bento.
I couldn’t very well let go of her hand, so I had no choice but to take it.
Once I had it in my hands, sweat beaded on my forehead.
“W-what about yours, Shiraki-san?”
“I’ve got mine ready, of course.”
“So you went out of your way to make this just for me?”
“P-please don’t get the wrong idea. First of all, I made you treat me to too much at karaoke yesterday, so this is to make up for it. To make up for it!”
“…Then why didn’t you just treat me to a regular bento?”
What’s the point of going out of her way to make it by hand?
I almost misinterpreted it.
No, to be honest, I’m still not sure if I should just write it off as a misunderstanding.
At my words, Ouka looked like she was about to cry.
“-! —W-well, if you don’t want it, that’s fine.”
“……No, that’s not what I meant.”
That’s cheating.
When she puts it like that, it makes me look like the bad guy.
It’s true that I’m hurting her, and my chest feels tight with guilt.
Damn it…!
Let me think this through for a moment.
Taking this back to the classroom and eating it right here… that’s out of the question.
Absolutely out of the question.
I’d definitely get teased by everyone, and as for Shinori, who knows what she might do.
I think that “mentally unstable” comment earlier was just the mood of the moment, but things will be different from here on out.
It’d be one thing if I just got some complaints, but if I got stabbed—or worse, if she actually lost it and committed suicide—it could all be over.
So, then.
“Well, since we’re here anyway, why don’t we eat this together?”
Those words were squeezed out as a last-ditch effort.
Upon hearing that, Ouka looked up.
“U-um, I don’t mind, though…?”
“Then let’s do that.”
“Yeah, sure.”
We both seemed a little off.
Still, we’d managed to come up with a solution.
If the two of us just disappeared from here, those guys wouldn’t bother us anymore.
They might pry a little later on, but the truth would still remain hidden in the shadows.
Even I have to admit it was a perfect compromise.
But that’s where I messed up—smirking to myself for just a moment.
I’d set it in motion.
The flag of doom—
“Oh, there you are. You’ve been here for quite a while. That was quite the long chat, wasn’t it?”
“S-Shinori!?”
The Grim Reaper, who had been creeping up behind me, tapped me on the shoulder, and I nearly collapsed.
It was over.
My life had been fleeting.
Ouka, standing right in front of me, seemed to have sensed something; her eyes were wide with despair.
“Why are you so surprised? Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“N-no, not at all. I’m totally fine, though.”
“Ahaha. Did you always speak so haltingly?”
Her appearance at such an inopportune moment had left me tongue-tied.
When the heck did she start listening…?
Ignoring my fear, Shinori chuckled lightly in a tone that suggested she saw right through me.
“I just happened to step out of the classroom and was surprised to find you two still talking.”
“……”
I can’t even tell if this is the truth or a lie anymore.
I can only accept my impending death in this hopeless situation.
Look, just look.
Maybe because my life is definitely over, my past days should be flashing before my eyes like a slideshow—but they aren’t.
Huh.
…No, wait, that makes sense.
I’ve been such a withdrawn loner that I don’t have any memories in this world.
It’s too sad.
When I looked at Shinori’s face as she came up beside me, a beaming smile was plastered across her face.
To me, it looked like her mouth was split open.
“Hehehe, if you don’t mind, could you let me join you? Shiraki Ouka-chan. Apparently, Suga-kun and Aoiko-chan are eating lunch together in the classroom, and Ujiya-kun went off to be with his friends, so it’s kind of awkward here.”
“……Tsk.”
Ouka let out a faint click of her tongue.
The fact that it reached my ears meant that Shinori had heard it too…
Just an ordinary weekday.
But apparently, for me, it turned out to be a turning point.
At the start of such a momentous event—one that could mean the difference between life and death—all I could manage was a dry laugh.
Maiban