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
The place we went for dinner was a steakhouse that was pretty pricey for students.
I think it might have been the first time I’d ever had a set meal.
The food was great, of course, but I found it amusing to see Ouka’s face—she seemed nervous the whole time.
And then came the problem: the bill.
It came out to just under 10,000 yen per person, but my conscience wouldn’t let me let her foot the bill for that.
She tried to pay, giving some nonsensical excuse like, “I made you treat me to karaoke last time,” but the scale of the amounts was way too different.
This is exactly why kids shouldn’t have money.
In the end, I paid for my own share, which left Ouka looking dissatisfied.
Mind you, the female server who’d been watching the exchange gave me a look that seemed to say, “After all that arguing, aren’t you going to pay for everything?”
She’s probably the type who thinks it’s only natural for a man to pick up the tab.
It was past 9:00 p.m., and it had gotten completely dark outside.
Since we were near the bar district, the area was bustling.
It was definitely a bit chilly at night, so I pulled a jacket out of my bag.
Before I knew it, Ouka was wearing a jacket too.
Still, it’s fun to see the city at night like this.
It reminds me a little of my past life.
I was a college student back then, so I used to go out at night like this a lot.
In fact, I was right in the middle of enjoying that kind of vibe.
As I was thinking about that, Ouka cut in front of me.
“Hey, you. Just to be sure, you don’t have a girlfriend or… you know… someone you’re seeing, do you?”
“Someone I’m seeing?”
“Exactly! You know… you must have someone, right? Like… a physical relationship or something.”
“Does it look like I do?”
“No, not at all.”
“Then what was that rude question all about?”
She shook her head flatly, and I let out a wry chuckle.
She was right, of course, but it felt like she was backing off way too cleanly.
As I thought that and shot her a protesting glance, Ouka scratched her cheek and said awkwardly,
“Well, it’s just… you don’t seem like the type to be popular with girls.”
“Hey, if you’re looking for a fight, I’ll take you on. I don’t have anyone, that’s true, but—”
In the end, she just piled more rudeness on top of it.
It’s a fair assessment—no wonder she got dumped in the evening for not being “the one.”
As I started walking away to avoid her, she kept up with me and continued.
“B-but what about Hanesaki-san?”
“Uh… well, we’re not dating at all.”
“W-well, she’s out of your league, after all. Oh, and then there’s, um, Shichikajo-senpai. You mentioned before that you used to study together, so you must be close, right?”
“‘Close’ is a strong word, but… yeah.”
Being asked that, I started to get confused myself.
What kind of relationship do I have with her right now, anyway?
It’s true that Shinori is my childhood friend, a classmate, and, technically, a good friend.
But Yukimi is a little different.
To be honest, right now, Yukimi and I feel more like partners in covert schemes—starting with the Kisa incident.
After I stopped Yukimi’s revenge, I’ve just been relying on her one-sidedly, but let’s set that aside for now.
Either way, no matter how I look at it, it’s not the kind of relationship where I can casually say we’re “close friends.”
“I feel like there’s a bit of a distance between me and Senpai Shichikajo.”
I thought that to myself and shook my head in denial.
At that very moment, a sudden chill ran through my entire body—!
Feeling a killing intent as if I were about to be stabbed from right behind me, I spun around.
Behind me… there was nothing but a passerby standing a short distance away.
That’s strange.
It felt exactly the same as when Hayase stabbed me just the other day—what was that all about?
—Surely that person isn’t watching this place, is she?
I thought that for a split second, but shook my head, figuring it was impossible.
First of all, even if someone were watching me, it would be someone from Shichikajo’s household—there’s no way it would be Yukimi herself.
So, it was just my imagination.
“Why are you suddenly looking around so nervously?”
“Nah, I was just checking to see if there were any assassins.”
“What kind of creepy otaku delusion is that?”
“You’re an otaku too, aren’t you?”
I get a little annoyed at Ouka, who snorts derisively, as if to say, “Oh, come on.”
For ordinary people, it might be something to laugh at, but for me, it’s a danger that’s no laughing matter.
I’ve actually been stabbed once before, and if everyone went through the same experience, they’d understand.
It was just then, when I’d let my guard down like that.
Ouka, going with the flow, asked me with a laugh.
“So, what about ex-girlfriends?”
“——”
When she asked that, I stopped in my tracks.
Or rather, I stopped without even realizing it.
My body temperature suddenly dropped.
The night breeze brushed my cheek, sending a tingling sensation through me.
I could feel the corners of my mouth naturally drooping.
“…I don’t have any.”
“What was that pause just now?”
“I was just feeling deflated, remembering how I’ve spent my whole life being way too unpopular with girls.”
It’s been a life so devoid of romantic stories it’s almost laughable.
Seeing that Ouka didn’t seem convinced, I let out a sigh.
“Anyway, you’d find that out right away if you just asked Shinori. We’ve been together since kindergarten, and she knows better than anyone that I’ve never been popular with anyone my whole life.”
Well, even if she knew, she probably only saw me as a background extra glimpsed from afar.
To begin with, the term “childhood friend” implies a somewhat ambiguous distance between us, and she even said something like, “All I know is that you’ve vaguely never been popular,” the other day at the aquarium.
In any case, the bottom line is that in Kyota Toyono’s life, there’s no such grand thing as an “ex-girlfriend.”
I was struck by this realization and felt a pang of sadness.
I wish people wouldn’t keep digging up my past.
It’s true that I’ve never even thought about getting a girlfriend, but when someone else points it out, it gets me down just a little.
“Wait, you call Hanesaki-san by her first name?”
“Well, she told me to.”
That was basically forced on me.
I don’t think I had any way out.
Hearing my reply, Ouka looked bored and a little annoyed, then spoke up.
“So, what if I told you to call me by my first name too?”
“…I’d have to say no because people might get the wrong idea. Since I’ve known that girl since we were kids, nobody calls me out on it, but…”
“I don’t mean at school. Just when we’re alone together. Then nobody would get the wrong idea, right?”
Is this… that thing?
Is this what they mean when they say using last names makes you feel distant?
I have friends I’m close with who call me by my last name, so I don’t really get that feeling.
But then again, turning her down might leave a bad impression.
“So, um, I’ll call you Kyota too.”
“Just my first name?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Do whatever you want.”
Faced with Ouka, who was acting confrontational for some reason, I let out a dry laugh.
Maiban