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 at the start of the week.
Something happened.
It was, truly, a huge incident.
It was the biggest commotion I’d ever seen, and I just stood there frozen, my eyes wide open.
“…It seems Kayaya Chagiri committed s**icide.”
“…Huh?”
Right after I got to school.
There was already a mysterious commotion near the entrance, and it didn’t let up even after I entered the classroom.
As I stood there tilting my head in confusion, Ujiya came dashing over to tell me the news.
Seeing me barely able to manage a whisper, Ujiya gave me a worried look.
And Akito, who was with him, let out a deep sigh.
But still, what does this mean?
He committed s**cide?
Huh? Is that even possible?
I mean, when you say “Chagiri,” isn’t that the one?
According to the “Sakuchiru” scenario, he’s a key figure going forward.
It’s already June 23rd, and normally, Aiko’s incident would happen a little later.
Strangely enough, if you consider just the game Sakuchiru, it’s thanks to the existence of Kayaya Chagiri that the Aoiko route opens up—he’s basically the key to winning over the heroine.
I don’t know anymore since I’ve already distorted the scenario, but originally, he was supposed to be that kind of important character—for better or worse.
Plus, there’s the matter of Kisa.
Last year, he was a vicious sx offnder who used a clever ruse to attack her while in possession of illegal drugs.
That guy is dead…?
And he just went and committed s**cide on his own?
Honestly, it makes so little sense that I’m completely baffled.
Just then, Akito whispered something to me.
“They say he jumped from his apartment building. Based on the circumstantial evidence, it’s definitely s**cide.”
“Why?”
There are plenty of people who want to kill th*mselves.
But I never sensed that kind of vibe from him at all.
That said, I’ve heard stories about people who really do decide to die—they just suddenly make up their minds one day and go through with it…
Just as I was thinking about all that, a familiar voice reached my ears.
“Is that really such a strange thing?”
“Huh?”
It was Kisa who had approached me.
With a blank expression, she spoke words that could be interpreted as somewhat matter-of-fact.
“Isn’t it actually pretty common for middle and high school students to suddenly feel like dying?”
“Well, I guess everyone has their troubles…”
As I said that, I was overcome by a strange sensation.
I have absolutely no suicidal thoughts whatsoever.
If anything, it’s precisely because I don’t want to die that I’m working myself to the bone and operating in the shadows like this.
Come to think of it, I might actually be the one person furthest from any thoughts of death.
Well, as for the reason behind that… I guess it’s not all that strange.
After all, I’m a reincarnated being.
The thing that clearly sets me apart from everyone else is that I’ve “died” once before.
But never mind that.
My brain feels like it’s about to be consumed by a dark mist, so I shake my head.
Was Chagiri’s distress really enough to make him want to die?
On the surface, he was the worst kind of playboy, but behind the scenes, he might have had plenty of struggles—like the issues with his family home and other things.
Lately, maybe it was the fear that I had evidence of his misdeeds… or something like that.
No, I can’t accept that he’d kill h*mself over something like that.
For a split second, I thought it might be my fault and my mind went blank, but that’s impossible.
To begin with, that fear is actually a feeling that arises precisely because he wanted to live freely.
It feels like the exact opposite of what drives someone to want to die.
Besides, come on.
It’s just the price he had to pay for doing whatever he wanted and trampling on other people all this time.
It’s not like I cornered that guy using any extreme methods.
Even if he did commit s**cide because of the pressure I put on him, it would be ridiculous for me to feel guilty about it.
I was lost in these thoughts, brooding to myself, when—
Kisa snorted in surprise, then said in a voice on the verge of tears.
“You know, I actually feel a little relieved.”
“Huh?”
“I hated him so much I wanted to kill him, so it’s like, ‘Lucky he went and died on his own,’ right? …Ah ha, I get it. I know this kind of thing is morally wrong.”
It was her raw, unfiltered true feelings—she wasn’t even trying to cover them up.
But I didn’t feel like blaming her.
“The one who’s morally in the wrong is the guy who used drugs to attack people.”
“That’s so typical of you, Toyochin. Are you being kind?”
“A kind person wouldn’t say something like that.”
“I like that about you. It really helps.”
She complimented me so naturally, but I didn’t feel like teasing her in this situation, so I just let it slide with a wry smile.
For just a moment, I considered the worst-case scenario.
For example, the theory that Kisa had made it look like a s**cide but had somehow managed to kill Chagiri.
After all, I just couldn’t bring myself to accept the idea that he had committed s**cide at this particular moment.
But then, I immediately shook my head.
Impossible.
Kisa killing him… She lacks everything—motive, means, everything.
If she were capable of that, she wouldn’t have dragged out their relationship like this.
That was the beginning of it.
The very next moment, I remembered a certain person.
A woman who has it all: the motive, the means, the skill to pull it off, and the temperament for it.
Once I start thinking about it, I can’t stop.
I knew I had to check this out right away, so I hurriedly tried to dash out of the classroom.
“Oh, Kyota, good morning. On Saturday—”
“Sorry. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Huh?”
I ran into Shinori right at the door, but I couldn’t stop to talk.
I practically ignored her as I ran toward the art room—.
◇
As soon as I arrived, Yukimi greeted me with a defiant smile.
Maybe because it was the first time I’d come into the studio from her side, she seemed to be in a pretty good mood.
“Hehe, I knew you’d come.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well, it’s about Kayaya Chagiri, isn’t it?”
Her reaction made me fear that the concern I’d merely been tentatively considering might suddenly turn into certainty.
“So, does that mean it was Senpai after all?”
“……?”
When I took a deep breath and asked her outright, she looked completely bewildered.
Then she let out a sigh and shot me a sidelong glance.
In that instant, the muscles throughout my body—which had been tensing up with anxiety—gradually relaxed.
Phew.
It seems I’d misunderstood after all.
Seeing her clear expression, my anxiety vanished.
“Aren’t you misunderstanding something here?”
“…You didn’t pull any strings, did you?”
“Haa. No, of course not. I didn’t do anything. As far as I know, neither did my family.”
“Ah, ha ha ha. I guess so.”
I laughed, almost collapsing in relief.
Yukimi frowned in exasperation.
“You really do love treating people like murderers, don’t you?”
“That’s because you react so suspiciously the moment we meet.”
“You say that, but you were treating me like the culprit from the very beginning.”
“No way. It was just a precautionary check. If it was murder, you’re the only one who could’ve done it.”
“Is that so? Ugh, how boring. If I’m going to kill someone, I’d rather have your blood stain the scene.”
“You’re still as good at joking as ever.”
I paid her a compliment for the moment and sat down on a nearby chair without asking.
With Yukimi’s innocence confirmed, one of my worries was put to rest.
Questions still remain, of course, but since I’ve confirmed the innocence of someone close to me for now, I’ll call it a win.
However, I noticed something odd.
For some reason, Yukimi had been smiling the whole time.
“W-what’s wrong? You look like you’re having fun.”
“Hehe. Didn’t you check social media this morning? ”
“Oh, now that you mention it…”
I usually check my phone, but today I almost overslept and was in a rush.
So I hadn’t checked social media or the news.
Even after I got to school, I was too preoccupied with the Chagiri situation to worry about that.
But still, what does that have to do with anything?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Yukimi—who was laughing so hard it was almost strange—held out her phone to me.
—Displayed on the screen was an online news article.
I froze at the headline, which had been automatically generated by AI.
“Look, it’s your turn, isn’t it? Boyfriend?”
“—U, whoa.”
At that moment, it dawned on me.
There wasn’t just one incident.
At that very moment, the worst-case scenario had unfolded.
Speechless at the incident unfolding in parallel, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen.
I’d expected something like this, but this was a worst-case scenario that went way beyond anything I could have imagined.
Amidst all this, Yukimi, having finished laughing, now looked troubled as she asked me.
“Popular model [Ouka]—whose real name is Ouka Shiraki—is in the middle of a massive scandal after her secret account, used to brag about her boyfriend, was exposed. Don’t you have a hunch about this?”
Maiban