I Was Reincarnated As the Hated Scummy Best Friend in a Gal Game and the Protagonist Is Useless

11

4. Forbidden Love

“So, Shurei, where do you live?”

“Near the river.”

“Ah, the place where lots of people have barbecues!”

I realized I had somehow left Emi behind, but since we’re in the same class, I’ll probably see her in the classroom.

I’m half-listening to Takeru while we talk.

“…”

Still, I need to confirm if I truly possess the “Anti-Gift” ability.

The “Anti-Gift” gift is revealed at the end of each heroine’s route in “Breaking the Chains of Sorrow.”

Of course, Shurei had realized this from the first meeting…

“I’m going to skip class and head home.”

“Idiot! What are you saying? How much do you hate school?”

“It’s obviously a joke.”

Indeed, the “Command Dominance” ability didn’t work on me…

This, in its own way, definitely wounded my pride…

I get it, I really do, the original me gets it!

…But I understand, yet I won’t let a tragedy unfold!!

For a moment, I worried if I was becoming like my scumbag of a best friend, but I’m probably fine.

“Shurei-kun! Where are you?!”

“Hm? Isn’t someone calling you?”

“Eh?”

When I listen carefully, I can hear Emi’s voice calling my name.

“Emi!”

“Ah!? Finally found you! Where have you been!?”

“Here.”

“That’s not an answer!”

Emi, visibly annoyed, lined up beside me.

“Are you Hideyori’s girlfriend?”

“No, but…””That’s right!”

“Huh?”

Our voices overlapped in confusion.

I couldn’t make out what Emi had said.

“Maybe there’s no need to deny it so firmly…”

“What’s gotten into you?”

Emi puffed up even more.

My sensibilities differ from those of a girl who can find joy the moment she hops on a swing, so sometimes I don’t quite understand why Emi gets angry.

And that was the case now.

“I see… you’re really oblivious, aren’t you…”

“…”

Being called oblivious by a guy who’s notoriously dense in the “Chain of Sorrow” scenes is something…

I wonder what a guy who thinks Risa’s attitude is genuinely repulsive is talking about.

“By the way, who are you?”

Emi muttered, looking at Takeru.

She finally noticed the unfamiliar boy with a backpack standing next to me.

“My name is Takeru Jumonji! Hideyori’s best friend!”

“Eh? Hideyori, you had a best friend?”

“Just made one…”

I never wanted to be the best friend of such a useless protagonist.

“Hideyori and I’s meeting was fate. You know, I felt like I’d known him the first time I saw him.”

“Oh, you felt destiny too?”

“Of course, you did too.”

Well, it’s because we’re the game’s protagonist and the scumbag best friend.

It’s destined to feel that way.

“But, but! Hideyori, you felt destiny when we met too, right?”

“Somewhat?”

“Yes! I win!”

Emi glared at me with a piercing gaze.

After all, I had completely forgotten about the existence of Sasaki Emi…

I didn’t feel it was fate per se, but in terms of an unpopular coupling between players, the destiny of Hideyoshi and Emi did seem apparent.

“I like it, I like it! Be nice to Emi too!”

“…I don’t want to be called by my first name by any man other than Hideyoshi-kun.”

“I don’t know your last name though.”

“It’s Sasaki.”

“Well then, nice to meet you, Sasaki!” said the overly enthusiastic man.

If I am the shadow, then this man must be the light.

And so, meeting Takeru turned out to be the worst day for me…

—

“Ah, Risa-chan is so cute.”

“Enough… Hideyoshi-san has always been nothing but flattery…”

“No, no, I’ve always been a fan of Risa-chan!”

“You really are an amusing person.”

I know from Emi’s investigation that Risa likes that idiot who is her real brother.

So earnest, so foolish.

For the past ten years, watching this foolish sibling act has been amusing, but I’ve grown tired of it.

“Besides, you have Emi-san, don’t you, Hideyoshi-san?”

“It’s not the kind of relationship Risa-chan thinks it is.”

I wish those who think I’m really dating that airhead would disappear…

“Hey, Emi-chan and I aren’t as close as everyone thinks, right?”

“That’s right, Risa-san and everyone else are misunderstanding too much. Hideyoshi-kun and I are just friends.”

“Is that… so?”

Risa-chan looked at me and Emi with suspicious eyes.

Did I lie a bit too blatantly…?

Maybe I should slightly adjust what I said.

“Rather than friends, she’s more like a sister to me. The way Risa-chan feels about Takeru…”

“I feel that way about my brother…?”

“That feeling, you see, is permissible between me and Emi. But the feelings Risa-chan has for Takeru, those are not okay, are they?”

“Ah!?”

I was shaken.

Risa-chan must have realized that the emotions she harbored were wrong, that they shouldn’t be held.

“So, you’re saying… I should just have those feelings for you, right? I mean, I like you way more than Emi. [Let’s have fun together]”

“Ni-Niisan… Let’s go, Hideyoshi-san.”

Caught, caught.

I got my target, Risa-chan, so what should we do now?

I’m looking forward to it.

“Let’s kiss, Hideyoshi-san.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

We kiss, showing off to everyone around us.

Emi pretends not to see the kiss between me and Risa.

Now, what shall we do next?

“Hey, Hideyoshi!”

“Huh? What’s up, if it isn’t Takeru…”

I never thought my brother would catch Risa-chan and me in a kissing scene.

What a pain, “Anti-Skill” is.

“If your answer is wrong, I’ll kill you.”

“Siscon sure is scary…”

The birth of a hero, too late.

The time has come to settle the score with this guy I can’t stand.