NOVEL NEXT chapter 20
20. On the Way Home
“I’m sorry for worrying you, Ryusuke. My foot seems to be okay now!”
After parting with Leo, I headed to the classroom where Mashiro was. As I passed through the open door, I saw Mashiro right next to the teacher’s desk, smiling as she rushed toward me.
I could walk normally, and it seemed that, as she said, her foot hadn’t sustained any serious injury after all.
“That’s good. But I’ve heard that even a mild sprain can become a habit until it’s fully healed, so try not to push yourself too hard.”
“Fufu. Ryusuke, you worry too much. I’m not that fragile, you know. Even when I was in elementary school, I used to run around more energetically than the boys. You know that well, right?”
“That’s a different story. Look, today I’m carrying your bag and walking you home. I can’t just let a girl with an injured leg go home alone.”
“Eh? Ah…”
I took the school bag from Mashiro’s hand and slung it over my shoulder.
Mashiro looked surprised for a moment, but quickly blushed and averted her gaze from me.
I tilted my head at her reaction.
“What’s wrong?”
“Um, well… I just thought it’s the first time Ryusuke has treated me like a girl…”
Mashiro murmured that in a thin voice, looking embarrassed.
If I think about it, she might be right… The memories of Shindo Ryusuke that I inherited show scenes of me treating Mashiro just like my mischievous friends, Kogane and Obayashi.
It might also be related to the fact that we’ve been playing together since childhood. Until now, Shindo Ryusuke had never seen her as anything other than a friend.
It’s only natural for Mashiro to be confused if I suddenly treat her as a woman, and I thought I might have gotten a bit carried away.
“Y’know, um… no, I’m really happy about it. Thank you, Ryusuke.”
Saying that, Mashiro smiled.
Her sakura-colored, moist lips formed a gentle curve, and in her clear blue eyes, only I was reflected. Bathed in the evening sunlight streaming through the window, Mashiro looked truly beautiful.
My heart raced with excitement, and my cheeks grew warm. To keep her from noticing, I turned my back to her.
“W-We should go home. If we don’t hurry, it’ll get dark.”
“Yeah. But take your time, I’m the injured one, after all!”
“You’re not fragile, right? You’ll be fine if we hurry a little.”
“Geez, Ryusuke, you’re so mean!”
Mashiro’s soft laugh made me smile naturally in return.
Then I started walking slowly beside her, matching her pace.
We walked home together down the school route, dyed in the colors of the sunset. She continued to look up at me with a bright smile.
“Doesn’t it feel really nostalgic? Walking home together like this.”
“Is it? We came home together yesterday too, right?”
“That was from halfway, but today we’ve been together since the classroom, right? Plus, you stopped coming to school shortly after entering high school. I was lonely, you know.”
“But we played together every night, didn’t we?”
“Playing at night is different. Being at school, having lunch together, and then walking home just the two of us after class. I don’t really know what’s different, but it feels really fun!”
With a mischievous smile, Mashiro beamed as always. She really had a wonderful smile, full of joy and happiness, with a charm that could brighten the hearts of those around her.
After some light chatter, we continued walking until we reached a deserted path. There were no cars passing by, and only silence lingered around us.
The white house is a little further ahead, but she stops there.
“What’s wrong? Are your feet hurting or something?”
“No, it’s not that. About lunchtime. I want to properly thank Ryusuke.”
“You’ve said that many times already. It’s more than enough.”
“I haven’t said enough yet!”
“Alright, alright. Then feel free to express your gratitude as much as you want, come on, come on.”
“What’s that—oh no! You’re not even in the mood to be thanked, are you? Ugh!”
Puffing her cheeks, Mashiro lightly hit my arm. In retaliation, I poked her side, and she let out a giggle, seeming to find it ticklish and fun.
After a bit of playful banter, Mashiro took a deep breath and looked at me with a somewhat serious gaze. Noticing the change in her expression, I instinctively straightened up to face her.
“Thank you so much for taking me to the infirmary when I fell during lunchtime.”
“It was just something I had to do. I’m glad it didn’t turn into a big deal; you fell pretty dramatically.”
“Ugh. I thought I managed to fall gracefully, though.”
“No, no, if you had managed that, you wouldn’t have twisted your ankle.”
“Ahaha… well, that’s true.”
Mashiro smiled shyly.
Then she took a big deep breath and opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.
“And, well, it’s not just about thanking you… I have to apologize to Ryusuke for something.”
“Apologize? But that was just the fault of that guy, Fusegawa, who was walking while on his phone; you didn’t do anything wrong, right?”
“No, it’s not about that; it’s something else.”
Mashiro lowered her gaze while fiddling with her long, beautiful black hair.
“Um, when I fell so dramatically… my skirt went up and got flipped over, and, um…”
“…Ahh. That’s right, I remember.”
In a panic, Mashiro tried to hold down her skirt, but it was too late; Fusegawa, who had seen inside, was blushing and desperately shaking his head, insisting he hadn’t seen anything.
Mashiro had become a victim of a lucky pervert incident, just like the protagonist in a rom-com.
When I saw that scene, I felt an inexplicable anger. Even though it was an accident, I felt an indescribable sense of loss at the thought of my precious childhood friend Mashiro being seen by Fusegawa.
“Ryusuke… I think he probably felt uncomfortable about it.”
“That can’t be helped; it was an accident after all.”
It’s true that it was uncomfortable, so I wouldn’t deny it. I told both Mashiro and myself that it was unavoidable. However, she didn’t seem convinced.
“But Ryusuke looked really angry. So, I want to clear up one misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?”
—
“Yeah. So, I totally tripped and my skirt flew up, but actually, I was wearing gym shorts because the next class was P.E. So, it was really okay.”
“Huh? Gym shorts?”
“Yep. So, that guy, Fusegawa, didn’t actually see my underwear. He was blushing bright red and super flustered, though.”
“Is that so?”
“I swear! I’m not lying.”
“But, didn’t Mashiro seem pretty embarrassed at that time?”
“I totally forgot I was wearing gym shorts in the heat of the moment. It’s funny, right? Even though I was wearing gym shorts under my skirt, I was seriously embarrassed.”
Seeing Mashiro laugh, trying to hide her embarrassment, I understood that she wasn’t lying.
At the same time, I felt something that had been clouding my heart clear up.
The feelings I thought were hopeless had found resolution.
I had always thought that the “lucky pervert” moments were unavoidable events caused by the protagonist, and that Mashiro had fallen victim to one of them. But by sheer coincidence, since the next class was P.E., she had managed to escape that event.
Perhaps even the god of this world was too flustered by the sudden appearance of the ultimate beauty. Trying to bring the protagonist and Mashiro together before everything was ready, the event ended up fizzling out.
My existence was also in the classroom, and if things had been handled more carefully, the “lucky pervert” moments and the contact between Fusegawa and Mashiro could have gone smoothly.
In other words.
If there really is a god controlling this world—then that being is not perfect.
They tried to forcefully establish the event between Mashiro and Fusegawa by exerting control over the people in this world, but they couldn’t handle the unexpected situation. The failure to bring together the protagonist, Fusegawa, and the ultimate beauty, Mashiro, proves that.
If that’s the case, then there’s plenty of room for me to take advantage of the situation. No matter how much I’m recognized as a villain in this world, if the opponent isn’t a perfect being, there are always ways to maneuver.
The world I’ve been reincarnated into doesn’t necessarily progress according to the god’s convenience. I’ve certainly seen how irregular events have caused the story to deviate from the original plot.
Just as my actions led to Mashiro being reborn as the ultimate beauty, depending on my choices from now on, it might be possible for me to avoid the path of destruction.
Hope is starting to emerge. The possibility of overturning the future of ruin that I thought was inescapable is finally beginning to come into view.
Without thinking, I struck a victory pose, and Mashiro, watching me, tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
“Ryusuke, what’s up…? Were you that happy about what we just talked about?”
“N-no, it’s nothing. I was just lost in thought.”
“Hmm? Well, that’s fine. Anyway, I wanted to clear up your misunderstanding. I was okay, really.”
“Ah, hearing that makes me feel relieved too. Honestly, I was pretty uneasy, thinking I might have been seen… you know, that thing.”
“Ahaha. I knew it! Ryusuke was jealous. It shows on your face; it’s so obvious.”
Mashiro said with a laugh, finding it amusing. But I couldn’t deny it. Deep down, I was genuinely relieved that I hadn’t been seen.
“I’ll be careful too. From now on, I’ll make sure to pay attention to my surroundings.”
“Yeah. I’d appreciate that.”
“Yep, I promise. And… the only one allowed to look is Ryusuke.”
—
“Eh!? What did you just say!?”
“Nothing at all! Now, shall we head home?”
With a mischievous giggle, Mashiro dodged the question and snatched the bag I was holding, running off.
“Hey! Wait up!”
“I’m fine! Come on, hurry up!”
Mashiro’s steps were light, and her expression was as if she were skipping along.
I hurriedly chased after her, but for some reason, a warm feeling surged from deep within my chest.
It was a sensation I had never felt before, and it was incredibly comforting.