NOVEL NEXT chapter 16
16. The Role That Was Given
“Mind if I sit next to you? It’s fine, right? There’s no one else here.”
Holding a bread roll she bought from the store, Mashiro sat down next to me.
I forced my still tense and stiff body to move, trying to act as usual as I opened my mouth.
“Uh, yeah. Shall we eat together?”
“Ahaha, Ryusuke, don’t be so nervous! You were talking normally just yesterday!”
Saying that, Mashiro laughed cheerfully. I couldn’t bring myself to look her in the eye.
I was still bewildered by Mashiro’s appearance, which was like a completely different person from yesterday. The transformation from a gal to a classic black-haired beauty was so shocking that, honestly, I still felt like I was dreaming.
As I was lost in such thoughts, Mashiro tilted her head.
Even that gesture was incredibly cute. It shouldn’t be possible for me, a villain, to become close to the world’s strongest beauty, the protagonist, Fusegawa Raito, yet here I was, living that reality.
“Huh? Ryusuke, did you switch to a bento today? Wow, that’s such a cute bento! Who made it for you? Your mom?”
“N-no… I actually made it myself…”
I answered while scratching my cheek, feeling embarrassed.
Mashiro looked down at the bento I made and let out a surprised breath.
“I didn’t know! I’m really surprised that you have such a talent, Ryusuke!”
“R-really? I’ve liked cooking for a while… Well, I’ve been skipping school a lot, so I never had the chance to show it to you until now.”
“Yeah, that’s true. Whenever we hang out, it’s usually outside, and even when we play at my apartment, you just game and lounge around before heading home right away.”
Mashiro was right.
The scene remained in the memories of Shindo Ryusuke before I was reincarnated.
Since long ago, the time spent with her was mostly outdoors. During the day, I would play with my mischievous friends, Kogane and Obayashi, and when Mashiro returned from school, we would join up and head out again. After tiring ourselves from playing, we would invade her apartment, where just the two of us would spend late nights playing games. Those days repeated themselves.
“Well… that’s why I’ve never cooked for Mashiro. I didn’t mean to hide it or anything.”
“Hmm. I see. Then, next time, I want to see Ryusuke cooking. That would be nice, right?”
“Uh, well, I don’t mind… but it’s really boring.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I just want to see a side of Ryusuke I’ve never seen before.”
Mashiro said this with an innocent smile. While glancing at her, I stuffed my mouth with the omelet to hide my embarrassment.
Watching me munch on the omelet, Mashiro wore a satisfied smile. Then, she opened the seal on her bread and began to tear off small bite-sized pieces to eat.
“Mashiro, I don’t mind showing you… but, um, where would be a good place to do it?”
“Just like we always do, at my house. The kitchen is free.”
“Just like always, huh?”
Crap, I’m getting nervous.
I’m used to showcasing my cooking skills from my part-time job at a café in my previous life, so that’s not a problem, but I felt resistance about going to Mashiro’s house.
If I were Shindo Ryusuke before my reincarnation, I would have been a regular at her apartment, but for the me from my previous life, visiting Mashiro’s house would be a first.
Even in my previous life, I had never been to a woman’s house, and besides, the other person is the world’s strongest beautiful girl. It was a bit too stimulating for someone like me, the villain.
However, refusing here might seem strange. As Shindo Ryusuke, I should have no issue with this.
Moreover, I had resolved to enjoy youth with Mashiro. I couldn’t back down over something like this.
Steeling myself, I took a big bite of the hamburger and swallowed it down before speaking.
“Ah, okay. Got it. Look forward to it; I’ll make you some delicious food.”
“Yeah! I’m really looking forward to it, Ryusuke.”
Saying this, Mashiro smiled happily. I could feel my heart racing at that smile.
Ah, geez, she’s too cute. Is this child an angel? Too strong, invincible.
As I internally muttered such words, I savored the rising happiness along with the octopus-shaped sausage.
“So when is good for you, Mashiro?”
“Hmm. Today, tomorrow, or the day after, I’m fine anytime. But when Ryusuke gets home, you stay locked up in your room studying, right? Mai-chan said you’re really diligent, so it would be bad to interrupt that, so how about the weekend?”
Speaking of which, my sister Mai and Mashiro are acquaintances and have been in contact via smartphone. Mai mentioned she had a call with Mashiro yesterday. So, my behavior at home must have been conveyed to Mashiro through Mai.
And just as Mashiro said, after returning home, I spend my evenings cooped up in my room doing assignments and working out. I’m quite busy, spending the rest of my time for my family. If Mashiro is fine with the weekend, that would work better for me too.
“Then, shall I drop by around noon on Saturday?”
“Okay! Then it’s a promise for Saturday. Oh, but I have one request, is that okay?”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Since we’re going to hang out, I was thinking we could cook in the evening, and during lunchtime, we could go out and shop together. Is that okay?”
“Not a problem at all. It wouldn’t be bad to pick out ingredients together while asking for cooking requests.”
“Yay! Thank you, Ryusuke!”
Her jewel-like, sparkling blue eyes were fixed on me, and despite it being such a simple thing, my heart raced.
As we chatted about trivial matters while eating our bento, I watched as Mashiro nibbled on her bread with her small mouth. Between us, smiles never faded, and the happy, enjoyable time passed in the blink of an eye.
Just as lunch break was about to end, Mashiro stood up.
“Well then, I’ll head back to the classroom. You better do your best in the afternoon classes, Ryusuke!”
“Yeah. You too, Mashiro.”
“Uh-huh!”
I waved goodbye, and she responded with a cheerful grin.
That smile shone brightly, and I returned it with a smile that matched her radiance.
It was just as she was about to leave the classroom that it happened—
“Whoa!?”
Bam! Mashiro collided with someone at the entrance of the classroom.
A male student, engrossed in his phone and not looking where he was going, stood right in front of her.
Seeing Mashiro fall onto her backside, I instinctively thought to rush over—yet, what was this? Why couldn’t my body move?
It was as if I were paralyzed, unable to move even a single finger. I couldn’t comprehend it; what on earth was happening…?
I stood there, speechless, watching the scene unfold.
The person Mashiro had bumped into—was none other than the protagonist of this world, Fusegawa Raito.
It was at that moment I finally realized. I had come to understand.
Mashiro had been reborn as the world’s strongest beautiful girl through her own efforts. This was a development that had never existed in the original story, an irregularity caused by us, the villains.
I now understood the impact this would have on the world at this very moment.
There was no way the strongest beautiful girl, who overwhelmingly surpassed the heroines in the story, could simply be consumed as a mere villain in a romantic comedy.
“Fuse Koi” is a harem romantic comedy, a story where the protagonist is irresistibly popular. Even if one more heroine were to be added, the structure could easily accommodate it.
In other words, the world was trying to assign a new role to Mashiro, who had been reborn as the strongest beautiful girl, deeming her unfit to remain a villain.
And the new role that the world was about to assign to Mashiro.
It was to be one of the heroines surrounding the protagonist—.