NOVEL NEXT chapter 35
35. Awakening
After that, we studied in the empty classroom almost every day after school.
As expected, thanks to all the studying I did in my previous life, I had deepened my understanding to the point where there was nothing I didn’t know within the scope of the designated test.
The only thing I was worried about was the memorization-type questions, but perhaps because I had learned them once before, I was able to review the forgotten parts and smoothly recall the content as if it was seeping into my mind.
I could see that Mashiro was rapidly improving her academic skills during the test period. She praised me, saying, “Ryusuke’s teaching method is really good,” and that made me happy, encouraging me to dive deeper into my studies. She was already smart to begin with, and it seemed she had overcome her struggles in math during this study session, to the point where I thought she might rank among the top in her grade.
Reo, having placed second in the midterm exam, was indeed impressive.
Like me, he had covered all the material to the extent that there was nothing he didn’t know. We were studying by quizzing each other, which turned out to be quite a good stimulus. As we prepared for this test, a competitive spirit began to grow between us, fueling our motivation to study even more.
Nishikawa, who wasn’t good at studying, almost gave up halfway through, but after Reo said, “If you get a failing grade, you’ll have summer classes and won’t be able to participate in the basketball club’s summer camp. Is that okay with you?” he started studying hard, almost biting the desk. He must really love basketball, and using that passion as motivation, he quickly improved his skills. At this rate, it seemed he wouldn’t get a failing grade, which was a relief.
And then, the day of the test finally arrived――.
I had taken my seat in the classroom before class started.
I had been a little nervous since last night, but a certain remark I heard in the classroom suddenly made my tension spike.
It came from the very back seat by the window.
“I can’t lose to Shindo Ryusuke.”
Yoshito Fusegawa said this while looking at me, talking with the heroine, Yuna Hanazaki, and Kakeru Himeno.
“Yoshito-kun, you’ll be fine. During the test preparation period, we all studied really hard together, didn’t we?”
“That’s right, Yoshito! We all gathered at your house and studied so much! You’ll definitely be okay!”
“Thank you, Yuna, Kakeru. And I should thank Miyuki-senpai too. She helped me a lot for this test.”
“Yes. The last time I ranked first in the grade, along with the student council president, Sakuraomi-senpai, and my childhood friend Kakeru-san, are all cheering for you, Yoshito-kun. So there’s no need to worry.”
“Yeah… I can definitely do this…!”
“That’s the spirit, Yoshito!”
“Yoshito-kun, do your best!”
“Yeah, I’ll do my best! I’ll turn everyone’s support into strength, and for this test, I will absolutely…!!”
With those strong words, a gaze filled with hostility was directed at me.
I hurriedly turned toward the blackboard.
What the… This is completely different from the original story.
I remember the content of the final exam from the first semester as narrated in the original work. Fusegawa Raito got so caught up in flirting with the heroines during a study session at home that he completely forgot about studying and ended up goofing off.
Even so, his test scores were average, showcasing his natural intelligence that allowed him to score decently without studying.
However, based on the current interactions, it seemed he hadn’t neglected his test preparation at all. On the contrary, he appeared to have put in an effort during this study period that was far beyond what he had shown in the original work.
This was an irregular development. It hadn’t appeared in either the comic or the anime. How could this be happening…?
That’s when I realized.
On the very day the test preparation period began, I started to move in a way that mirrored him, the black-haired, short-haired archetypal protagonist. I clearly declared war on him, asserting that I was the protagonist.
If that was the case—then it was only natural for Fusegawa Raito to spring into action. I had awakened the power of the protagonist, who overcomes all difficulties to reach a happy ending.
And to overcome the wall standing before the protagonist, the heroines—Hanazaki Yuna, Himeno Karen, and Sakuramiya Miyuki—also began to move, fulfilling their roles in supporting the protagonist.
It was careless of me to assume that their gathering at home to study was just a home visit event by the heroines, as in the original work. Fusegawa Raito had rallied the heroines to pour all their efforts into this test, proving that he himself was the protagonist, all to defeat me.
Everything was to eliminate the irregularity that I represented. The protagonists would never allow me, who was trying to deviate from the original content by abandoning the role of the villain, to succeed.
“No matter how powerful the enemy that stands in the way, the protagonist will always create a miracle in the end.”
Wasn’t that something I already knew? I should have known it best.
The protagonist possesses the power to resist unreasonable fate. And now, against the absurd existence that I had suddenly become, he was about to create a miracle.
Before I could shine as the protagonist, while I was still recognized as the villain, this world was already moving to crush me, the protruding nail.
If Hanazaki Yuna, the top student, and Sakuramiya Miyuki, the student council president, were teaching me diligently, then Fusegawa Raito must be absorbing their knowledge through the power of the protagonist, making it his own.
I was merely imitating the protagonist; I didn’t possess the power to create miracles. If I lost this test, I would be confronted with the reality that “you can never become the protagonist” by his hand—leading to a future of ruin, just as in the original work.
My mind was going blank.
What should I do? How can I? My thoughts spun in circles, and my body stiffened, unable to move.
This was the first time I had experienced something like this.
How had the protagonists I had seen until now overcome such situations?
Remember, I must have seen it.
In manga, in novels,
In anime, in games,
What they had, that I lacked.
What was missing from me—?
“—Ryusuke.”
I heard a voice.
It was a familiar voice, one that had saved me time and time again.
As I slowly lifted my face, there stood Mashiro. With a warm smile, she called my name in a gentle voice, taking my hand and holding it tenderly.
And then.
“You’re going to be fine, Ryusuke. You don’t need to be so tense. You’ve been working hard all this time; you’re an amazing person. I promise you that.”
Mashiro said this to me.
That’s right, I’ve been trying my best all along.
In my past life and in this world, I’ve been desperately struggling to live as myself, and I’ve come this far.
And Mashiro believes in me. She has been watching over me, pushing me forward all this time.
I looked at Mashiro’s face, took a deep breath, and exhaled.
“Thank you, Mashiro. I’ll do my best.”
“Yeah! I’m glad I came to check on you. You seemed really tense since this morning.”
“Yeah, honestly, I couldn’t shake off the anxiety since last night.”
“I see. So, are you feeling more at ease now?”
“Yeah. Just looking at you made all my worries disappear. Thank you, Mashiro, for cheering me on.”
“Hehe. It’s not just me, you know? Look, you might not have noticed because you were so focused, but both of them came to support you too!”
“Both of them?”
I turned to where Mashiro was looking.
There stood Reo and Nishikawa, smiling and watching me.
“Hey, Ryusuke. You seem really tense, so I thought I’d come say something before the test starts.”
“Yeah, I flew over from another classroom just for you. You helped me out with studying for this test, after all.”
“Reo, Nishikawa…”
The moment I called their names, I felt a light pat on my shoulder. When I turned around, Mashiro was smiling at me, as if to encourage me.
“We’re cheering for you, Ryusuke. You can definitely do it.”
“Ryusuke, put all your efforts into this test. You can do it.”
“Show us how cool you can be, not just in games but in your test scores too! Ryusuke!”
Ah, that’s right. I have you all with me. Precious people, important friends are here for me.
That’s why I can keep going.
I looked at the protagonist, Fusegawa Yorito, surrounded by heroines.
I’m not the protagonist yet. I don’t have the power to create miracles or the strength to resist an unreasonable fate. But still, I don’t want to lose. I can’t afford to lose.
Reo, Nishikawa, and Mashiro have taught me. They pushed me forward, believing that I can do it.
With the feelings of my friends who believe in me in my heart.
With the courage I vowed to overcome any adversity.
And with the effort I’ve tirelessly built up until now.
I face the protagonist, Fusegawa Yorito.