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

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2. Sakuya Tanigawa Makes Her Entrance

Lined up in front, the siblings lead the way, followed by me, Emi, and Tsugaru as we head towards the new school.

A middle school life that might be overrun with original characters.

A high school life that starts just like the original story.

I have to survive another six years.

I pump myself up for the new life, “Let’s do this!”

“Finally arrived, huh, Hideyori! I’ve been waiting for you.”

What kind of perilous everyday life will begin now?

I’ll dodge the death flags of the heroines I’ve yet to meet!

“Don’t ignore me… please, respond.”

“What the… who are you?”

I’m taken aback by the sudden embrace from the side.

I’m trying to be serious, but those around me won’t let me.

“Is that coffee cup hair tie yours, Sakuya!?”

What!?

I’m shocked by the unexpected appearance of Sakuya Tanigawa.

Takeru and the others also turn their gaze to the suddenly appeared Sakuya.

“You don’t recognize me without my hair tie?”

“I thought you were a café ghost since we only meet at the café.”

“You treat me so terribly…”

And she looks like a new student.

Was she the same age as me…?

I’ve been meeting Sakuya at the café about once every two weeks, but I had no interest in her private life, so I didn’t know her age…

“Who is this girl?”

“Ah, …she’s a relative’s kid.”

“The master’s daughter.”

“You introduce her like that without even knowing who the master is!”

I always thought she lacked common sense, but she truly was a child without it.

And then, Sakiya turned her gaze to Emi, who had asked the question.

“This girl, she has the same aura as Hideyoshi.”

“Eh? Really? Hehe, I’m glad.”

“Yeah… An aura that’s just as trashy, sleazy, and rotten to the core as Hideyoshi’s.”

“Why does everyone always start by dissing me?”

I wonder…

I thought I had broken away from the flow of the game so far, but I’m worried that my and Emi’s vibes aren’t much different from the original work.

“I’m not dissing you. It’s just my personal opinion.”

“Ugh! What’s with this kid!”

“Don’t think you can say anything under the guise of a ‘personal opinion’…”

I feel sorry for how Emi is being treated and go to her defense.

Sakiya seems a bit annoyed that I’ve taken Emi’s side…

“So, who are you? What’s your relationship with Mr. Akechi?”

Tsugaru looks at me with suspicious eyes as if to say, “Who is this guy?”

“I’m Sakiya Tanigawa. It’s not wrong to say that this kid and I are relatives. Hideyoshi is a regular at a shop run by my father, a place where adults starved for peace and pleasure come to enjoy themselves.”

The atmosphere around Takeru and the others freezes in an instant.

I can feel everyone’s growth, now that they’re old enough to understand such words…

Tsugaru looks at me as if I’m trash…

“So, that’s true… Mr. Akechi is a regular at such a place… What kind of shop is it? I’m curious too!”

“Ah. It’s an adult shop where you pay money to feel good and leave satisfied.”

Risa, who had come to my defense, now looks at me as if I’m trash too.

It’s the moment I thought I had lost all my allies.

“Hideyoshi-kun wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Emi…”

Only Emi believed in me.

“He comes to the shop often. And Hideyoshi is like a hyena, only taking without spending a dime. Sometimes he even drinks ours.”

“Ugh… I’m so disappointed in Hideyoshi-kun.”

“Don’t give up!”

Could it be that Sakiya Tanigawa’s role, brought in from outside the original work, is to turn Hideyoshi into a trashy, sleazy villainous best friend, a deus ex machina?

I put a stop to Sakiya’s misleading words and made everyone realize it’s just a café.

“I don’t despise you just because I’m a guy.”

“I trust and believe in you, Hideyori-kun, more than anyone else!”

“It’s okay as long as it doesn’t have a bad influence on my brother.”

“Akechi-kun being trash doesn’t change, does it?”

There’s one girl with really harsh words, but it’s better to have cleared up the weird misunderstanding.

Takeru is the kindest, and I might be heading down the Takeru route…

“That’s it… Your friends are all weirdos, aren’t they?”

“You’re the biggest weirdo here!?”

The serious tone from Sakuya really stung.

“No, Hideyori is weirder than me. It’d be nice if we end up in the same class, fellow weirdos!”

“Wait!? Again!? Hideyori-kun, you’ve got more female friends!?”

“Uh, Emi-san… calm down…”

“Well, …weirdos tend to attract each other, don’t they?”

“I’m going to be in the same class as Hideyori!”

“…………”

Deep down, I really didn’t want to be in the same class with all these members.