NOVEL NEXT chapter 15
15. The Only One
I was recalling what happened yesterday.
On the way home from school, Mashiro had walked beside me, saying she wanted to go home together. But wanting to escape my role as the villain and avoid my impending doom, I had harshly pushed her away, saying, “I’m not fond of you.”
It was to protect her from the disastrous fate that awaited her in the future, and I told her this with a sense of guilt.
I had said that I wasn’t good with gals and that I actually liked girls who were more demure, and that Mashiro, being the complete opposite as a gal, was someone I found difficult to deal with.
As I watched Mashiro’s expression cloud over upon hearing my words, I was tormented by guilt, but I kept telling myself it was necessary to avoid the future of doom.
However, Mashiro then mischievously laughed and said:
“Just wait, okay? I’m going to overcome what Ryusuke struggles with!”
Not understanding the true meaning of her words, I could only tilt my head in confusion, but Mashiro simply bid farewell and walked away.
That was yesterday.
And now—Mashiro embodies the type of girl I described yesterday, with her beautiful black hair straightened, her uniform perfectly worn, and a natural makeup look that completely erased any trace of the gal-like appearance she had until yesterday.
As a result, she had transformed into a perfect and overwhelmingly beautiful girl, far surpassing the heroines led by the protagonist, Fusegawa Yorito.
Faced with such a Mashiro, I couldn’t help but stand up.
I was utterly captivated. I gasped at her stunning beauty up close.
Could she really be the same person? The girl before me possessed a beauty so complete that it made me question everything.
As I stood frozen in awe of her overwhelming beauty, I heard a voice that was as clear as a bell, yet somehow warm and comforting.
“Ry, Ryusuke…? If you keep staring at me like that… I might get embarrassed, you know…?”
With her face flushed and fidgeting with her fingers, Mashiro’s shy demeanor left me even more speechless. Then, she clasped her hands tightly at her chest and looked up at me with those big eyes. What was that gesture? It felt like cheating…
“How do I look? You said you preferred this style… So I had my hair redone at the salon and got ready this morning…”
Her captivating blue eyes trembled with uncertainty, making me want to hug her instinctively, and I hurriedly looked away.
Because I mentioned that I wasn’t fond of gals, Mashiro had made an effort to change herself for me.
She was desperately trying to become the ideal girl for me, to make me happy, to be someone I would like.
For a girl to throw away everything she liked about herself until now and change for just one man requires an extraordinary level of determination.
Yet, she had done it.
She transformed her feelings for me into effort, reborn as the strongest and most beautiful girl, surpassing even the heroines.
“…Ah.”
I couldn’t find my voice in front of Mashiro. I couldn’t even manage a cliché compliment.
I was too overwhelmed with joy that someone could care for me this much in this world.
In my previous life, there was no one like that. No one in that world would go this far for me.
I didn’t know what to say to such a person. I desperately tried to put my feelings into words, but I could only stand there like a fool.
Then Mashiro, still blushing, stretched up towards me.
She placed her hand on my cheek and flashed a mischievous, innocent smile.
“That’s the face you make when you’re genuinely happy. I can tell without you saying anything; we’ve known each other since elementary school!”
Hearing that made my heart race so intensely I thought it might explode. She had always known. She understood how I expressed joy and what would make me happy.
—So it really is like that.
No matter how much I tried to push her away, Mashiro would always try to stay by my side.
I resolved to push Mashiro away, telling myself it was to wish for her happiness and to save her from the ruin that awaited in the future.
But that was a mistake.
Mashiro would never give up on me, no matter what. She wanted to be with me, no matter the circumstances. To ignore the earnest feelings of such a brave girl… that was the act of a villain.
If Mashiro wouldn’t give up on me, then I wouldn’t give up on her either. To avoid ruin and find happiness, we would struggle together, not alone.
Even a villain wants to experience youth.
Just as I wished for it, Mashiro wanted to experience youth too. So there was no need to hold back any longer. I would laugh with Mashiro and revel in our youth together.
Having thought that far and realized it, I finally managed to speak the words.
“You, you look good. Really, cute.”
Hearing my clumsily woven words, Mashiro broke into a beaming smile.
That smile was like an angel’s, and it was the first moment I felt happiness since coming to this world.
In this way, Manatsu Mashiro became the only existence that colored my world—kind, cute, and the best of all.