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
“…Um…”
“What?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Since there were some words I just couldn’t ignore, I asked her.
Then, Ouka clearly started to panic.
Her face turned bright red, and she waved her hands frantically, her voice trembling.
“I-i-i-i-it doesn’t mean anything deep, okay!? It’s just… since we came all this way to have fun, right? I want to stay and play for as long as possible!”
“Your mic volume’s set way too high, young lady.”
Since she was yelling at the top of her lungs, people around us were glancing over, wondering what was going on.
Wasn’t she supposed to be trying not to draw attention to herself?
In response to my retort, Ouka raised her eyebrows irritably.
“W-well, you live alone, right? You don’t have to go home.”
“Well, that’s true. But doesn’t that have anything to do with staying out all night? Besides, isn’t your dad waiting for you?”
“Huh? We’re already in our second year of high school, you know? There’s no way he’d go out of his way to ask where we’ve been. So it’s like we can go anywhere we want—or rather, he won’t find out.”
“Well, not that it matters—I’ve got nothing to hide, so it’s fine if you tell me everything.”
Why is she assuming we’re going somewhere we can’t talk about?
What is she planning to do?
I’m getting goosebumps.
In response to my gentle refusal, Ouka frowned.
Still, this is really bad.
So this girl really is… that kind of person…?
Feeling the unpleasant sensation of cold sweat slowly soaking through my shirt, I clutched my head.
I’ve said this many times before, but the only reason Shinori and Yukimi developed feelings for me was because I solved their problems and completed their events.
It’s the same in the original game.
Akito sets up romance flags by saving the heroines, thereby gaining their affection.
Conversely, during periods when he hasn’t completed the heroines’ events—or in timelines where he failed to do so—he’ll never be the object of their affection, no matter what happens.
That’s why this is impossible.
The fact that Ouka has feelings for me is structurally illogical.
But still, this world isn’t inside a game.
Even if it’s based on the world of an eroge I played before I died, the fact remains that we—who are alive—are real people, and we can’t be controlled.
I’m not particularly a womanizer, nor do I want to go around hitting on all sorts of girls just for the sake of it.
If anything, I’m the type who wants to avoid staying in ambiguous relationships as much as possible.
Given the circumstances I find myself in right now, that’s even more true.
After thinking for a moment, I steeled myself.
Knowing full well how embarrassing it would be, I asked timidly.
“Shiraki…”
“Wh-what?”
“Do you like me?”
“——!?!?!?!”
I had no choice but to ask her straight out.
I know I’m being overly self-conscious.
But this is the quickest way.
My motto is: don’t cross a dangerous bridge; turn back while you still can.
To nip any potential romance in the bud, I mustered all my courage and finally took the plunge.
And then—
“———”
“?”
I tilted my head at the words that escaped her trembling lips, and the next moment, it felt like my eardrums were about to burst.
“Are you out of your mind!? There’s no way—a-aaah—there’s no way that could be true!”
“……”
“That’s impossible, isn’t it? Does anyone normally ask something like that? You’re so self-conscious it’s off-putting.”
“…You’re right.”
Yeah.
Well, I guess so.
I kept a cool smile on my face while nodding to myself inwardly.
Good.
I’m saved.
At the cost of my eardrums, my self-esteem, my dignity as a man, and all sorts of other confidence, I’ve secured my personal safety.
It’d be a real hassle if she actually liked me.
If I got hit on by any more heroines, it’d be no joke.
So I’m glad I realized it was just a misunderstanding.
Even if I’m a little embarrassed, as long as I can confirm it was just a false alarm, that’s fine.
No, no.
It’s nothing—it’s a small price to pay.
Hahahahahaha…
As I laughed, the corners of my mouth unconsciously drooped.
“Uuuu…”
I’m sorry.
I lied.
This is bad.
I’m in agony.
I just want to get out of here.
I was so embarrassed and so desperate that a moan slipped out of my mouth.
Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of attention from different girls, so maybe I got a little carried away.
I just wanted to confirm it, but even I have to admit that was way too creepy.
I screwed up.
And it reminded me that, at the end of the day, I’m just a creepy, socially awkward guy who nobody even notices.
“…D-don’t be so shocked. Did you want me to tell you I liked you?”
“No, not at all.”
Maybe she was just being considerate, but when Ouka asked me that, I regained my composure.
For a moment, I nearly went crazy with embarrassment, but there was nothing troubling about Sakura’s answer just now.
If anything, I’m actually grateful.
After all, it’s not like I want her to like me.
It was simply that I’d be in trouble if she actually had feelings for me, so I just wanted to ask her directly to get that confirmation quickly and definitively.
Even if she explicitly said she didn’t like me, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about.
So I answered immediately, and this time she turned her face away and crouched down.
I guess she’s a shy type too—she sure does have some weird reactions.
She must have been really happy.
“Phew.”
Alright, I’m calming down now.
Of course, as I said before, Ouka is my absolute favorite heroine in Sakuchiru.
Now that I’ve actually gotten to know her, there are some aspects that are a little different from what I expected, but that doesn’t change the fact that I like her.
That said, I still didn’t have the slightest intention of asking her out.
To begin with, every time the possibility of dating crosses my mind, the image of that girl with the short bob—whom I’ve grown accustomed to seeing lately—flashes through my mind.
She holds me back, as if to eliminate that option from my choices.
I never really wanted a romantic relationship to begin with—regardless of the “doomed heroine” ending—but on top of that, I’m currently at a standstill.
Even if she’s my favorite character, that doesn’t change anything.
With that thought, I glanced at my phone.
It’s just before 4:00 p.m.
It’s still too early to do anything.
If it were nighttime, that’d be one thing, but if she tells me “I don’t want to go home” at this hour, that’s a problem in itself.
“What are we going to do? We can hang out if you want, or we can go home.”
“Seriously, what’s wrong with you?”
“That’s exactly what I was going to say.”
“Ugh. It’s so annoying that I can’t exactly deny it. …Still, you’re switching gears way too fast—it’s infuriating. I feel like such an idiot for getting so flustered.”
Perhaps realizing she was acting a bit strangely, Ouka muttered that with a hint of frustration.
She mumbled something else under her breath afterward, but I couldn’t hear it clearly, so I figured I’d just let it go.
After a brief pause, she muttered this while fixing her hair.
“W-well, anyway, I’m going to kill some time until tonight.”
“Do you have something planned?”
“…Dinner.”
“Huh?”
“I told you, I already made a reservation for dinner.”
“……”
Is this girl really a little off her rocker?
“You should’ve said that first. You’re going to give me the wrong idea.”
“S-shut up. That’s not very smooth.”
“You’re past the age where you should care about stuff like that.”
To begin with, I always thought that kind of posturing was a guy’s job.
Faced with a situation that took me completely by surprise—including this whole exchange—I let out a laugh, feeling deflated.
I was absolutely convinced she was going to pounce on me next, so my chest is now filled with relief.
My virtue had been preserved.
“Speaking of which, what place did you get on the midterm exam?”
“Third.”
“……I lost.”
After that, we strolled around the area while making small talk.
Maiban