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
It was Friday of that week.
I followed Oukaโs invitation and made my way to the usual photo shoot location.
Since the school had a shortened schedule that day, it was already after school even though it was just past noon.
The shoot was taking place at a trendy cafรฉ.
It was the kind of place where it took a lot of courage for a shy guy like me to walk in alone.
Maybe youโd understand if I said it was so flashy that I felt out of place.
And then thereโs that feeling.
It felt similar to that panic you get when you walk into a hair salon full of female customers and think, โWait, wasnโt this a place where guys make appointments?โ
Apparently, the cafรฉ was closed to the public that day, so we had the place all to ourselves.
It seemed Ouka had made the arrangements, and as soon as I arrived, a woman who looked like the manager kindly showed me to my seat.
Right now, Iโm standing a little ways off, watching Oukaโs photo shoot.
Still, I wonder how she described me to them.
They were looking at me with a strangely warm gaze.
I believe todayโs shoot is for a pretty famous magazine.
It was a name even Iโve heard of.
I donโt know much about it and havenโt read it myself, but that just goes to show how well-known it isโeven someone like me knows the name.
To be entrusted with a feature thereโshe really is something else.
Not only did it go viral on social media, but I also got a clear sense of just how popular a model โOukaโ really is.
Ouka is working, surrounded by a lot of adults.
Her expression is serious.
Since she markets herself as the โcoolโ type, thereโs no trace of the timidity she shows at school or the raw, unpolished side she reveals to me.
Rather than cute, she gave me the impression of being beautiful.
How should I put it? Even her aura feels different from usual.
Even in the original Sakuchiru manga, Ouka wasnโt really depicted as a model.
Naturally, there probably werenโt any single-frame event CGs of her either, so seeing her at work like this is literally a first for me.
As she exuded a charm worthy of a work of art, the sound of the shutter clicking echoed around us.
It seemed the shoot was also serving as a promotion for a new dessert, and Ouka struck a pose while taking a bite of it.
โStill, I really donโt belong here.
At first, I was intimidated by the atmosphere of the shop.
But once the shoot started, I found myself feeling out of place againโthis time because of the professional vibe.
Why was I called here, anyway?
It was only now that I found myself wondering that.
โ
After the shoot ended, I met up with Ouka in front of the shop.
I was lost in my thoughts when Ouka waved and walked over.
โAre you done?โ
โYeah. The shootโs over, and I just updated my social media, so Iโm free now.โ
She was wearing different clothes than beforeโher casual outfit.
Since sheโd gone home to get ready, she was different from meโIโd come straight from school in my uniform.
She was wearing high-waisted pleated flared pants and an off-the-shoulder T-shirtโan outfit that looked casual at first glance, but it made her figure look incredibly good, which surprised me.
And then, thereโs that.
I hadnโt noticed at all, but had she gotten her ears pierced too?
She was wearing multiple earrings and piercings, and they really stood out.
Since this is originally an eroge world, it makes sense, but itโs hard to believe these are the ears of a student bound by school rules.
ใ
Plus, it looks like sheโs wearing makeup, too.
Judging by the subtle differences from the photo shoot, maybe she redid it herself?
If the look from earlier was โcool,โ this one is โcute.โ
Both have their merits, but above all, I feel like this look best captures the charm of Sakura that I saw so many times during her lifetime.
That said, I donโt know much about makeup, so I canโt really say for sure.
Unlike usual, sheโs styled her hair, and since her long bangsโwhich usually get in the wayโarenโt there, I can really see her face clearly.
โDonโt you have to pretend to be a plain girl today?โ
I blurted out the question, and Ouka gave a sly grin.
โYouโre such an idiot. If I did that, everyone would find out that โOuka Shiraki,โ the schoolโs social outcast, is hanging out with you.โ
โIf Iโm with you, people will just think two social outcasts are hanging out together. Besides, we went to karaoke together the other day, didnโt we?โ
โโฆShut up.โ
โThatโs so unfair.โ
I was just saying what I honestly thought, but it seems Iโve managed to upset her.
I still donโt really know how to handle her.
ใ
โKaraokeโs fine. But if weโre in a place like this, people will think Iโm trying to be something Iโm not, right? I really donโt want that.โ
โI can definitely see where youโre coming from.โ
Weโre currently in a neighborhood geared toward young people, just a short train ride away.
There are a lot of placesโlike cafes, nice restaurants, and salonsโthat feel a bit out of reach for a social outcast like me.
On top of that, with all the young men and womenโmiddle and high school students, college studentsโitโs a whole different story from when a pair of otaku walks into the local karaoke place.
Come to think of it, thatโs when I started feeling self-consciousโever since we got off at this station.
Iโm just not good at this.
Actually, now that I look closely, Ouka isnโt wearing a mask.
I did think her face looked unusually clear, but of courseโ
Even though she usually never takes it off, her nose and mouth beneath it were exposed to the sunlight, completely uncovered.
Of course, the mole below her mouth was visible too.
The reason she wears a mask is because sheโs self-conscious about this mole.
Located in the exact same spot as her motherโsโwhom she hatesโthis mole reminds her of her past.
Thatโs why she hates it and hides it with a mask.
Itโs a detail about Ouka thatโs been depicted many times in Sakuchiru, so I remember it clearly too.
Thatโs exactly why I donโt understand.
Why is she showing that to me?
Thatโs exactly what I was thinking at that moment.
As if to intensify the question Iโd been avoiding for so long, Ouka opened her mouth.
She saidโ
โUm, listen. I donโt want to go home today.โ
โโโโ
โSoโฆ will you stay with me until morning?โ
For a split second, it felt like a fly had flown into my gaping mouth.
โฆThatโs how stunned I wasโI was completely speechless.
Maiban