Reborn as the Man Who Takes Away the Protagonist’s Beloved Childhood Friend

It seems Towa is disliked by Shu’s family

While walking home with Ayana, I received a message from my mom on my phone. It was a simple errand to buy groceries because the fridge was running low on supplies.

In our fatherless home, it was only natural that I couldn’t refuse, considering how Mom cooks for me every day with care. I was planning to go alone, but Ayana happened to be there.

“I’ll help. Well, let me help… That’s just a front, I actually want to spend more time together. Is that… not okay?”

She said with upturned eyes, and I immediately nodded. As we walked towards the shopping district, Ayana naturally linked her arm with mine.

Even though there weren’t many students around, the foot traffic was still heavy. Yet Ayana stayed close to me, occasionally looking up at me with a happy smile when our eyes met. So, even though I wanted her to keep a distance, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

Upon arriving at the store, Ayana meticulously selected ingredients while eyeing them.

“Sweet potatoes… this one looks good. Cabbage, Chinese cabbage… and some meat…”

Watching Ayana efficiently place the ingredients in the basket I held, I couldn’t help but have a vague impression. Yet, I couldn’t help but think that Ayana would surely make a good wife.

Currently, there are some suspicious aspects, but if I continue to do nothing, Ayana might end up with Osamu. Perhaps, a tragedy like in the game won’t happen, and Osamu will be with his first love, leading to a happy ending.

…But, I find myself not amused by that.

“…Damn.”

Unintentionally, my irritation surfaced.

Ever since I inhabited Yukishiro Towa’s body, there were times when I felt strangely drawn. Initially, I didn’t think much of it, but having Ayana by my side felt comforting, and I found myself wanting her by my side always. It wasn’t just my heart but also my body that yearned for Ayana.

Ayana wouldn’t belong to anyone else, not Osamu, not anyone else, those words echoed in my mind. I couldn’t deny these feelings, whether they were mine or Yukishiro Towa’s.

“hehehe, we look like a married couple. I’m the bride, and Towa-kun is the husband.”

Ayana said this with a hint of embarrassment, her profile looking beautiful. Lost in admiration of her profile for a moment, I suddenly came to my senses and headed back home, our errand completed.

The road darkened as the sun set, walking alongside Ayana, we were the only ones in this space.

After walking a while, Ayana’s house came into view, opposite to it was Osamu’s house. Today, we would part ways here.

“Thank you, Ayana. You’ve been a great help.”

“Oh no, it was my idea, so it’s fine. Besides, it was nice being with Towa-kun for so long.”

“…I see.”

This strangely reluctant feeling, what was it about?

Just as I tried to suppress that feeling, Ayana reached for the shopping bag she held separately from mine—just then, as if my body had lost control, I found myself naturally embracing Ayana.

“Kyaa… Towa-kun?”

Without realizing what I was doing, all I felt was Ayana’s warmth and touch. Ayana seemed surprised, but she soon wrapped her arms around my back in return.

“Calm down… let’s stay like this for a bit.”

“It’s okay to stay like this forever. Or even more…”

Saying this, Ayana lifted her face, pouting her lips as she leaned in—just as we were about to touch, another voice resonated in the space where we were alone.

“Ayana, big sister?”

“Eh!?”

Startled by the voice, we quickly separated. Turning our gazes away from Ayana, we looked towards the source of the familiar voice, and indeed, it was a face we knew.

“…Kotone-chan.”

The name Ayana mentioned, Kotone, whose full name is Kotone Sasaki, is Osamu’s sister. With her black bobbed hair and slightly disheveled uniform, she was petite. While this might not be an issue for Ayana, meeting Kotone was something I preferred to avoid.

“What are you two doing in front of our house?”

Taking her gaze off Ayana, Kotone looked at me with a cold tone. We hadn’t interacted much since I took on this body, but it seemed Kotone harbored some dislike towards Towa. Though the reason wasn’t clear, her actions and attitude easily hinted at negative feelings towards Towa.

And she, too, was one of the heroines.

(Kotone Sasaki, the younger sister type heroine who will be snatched away)

Kotone is a hardcore sister complex character, deeply in love with Osamu. Osamu, in turn, dotes on Kotone, and their sibling relationship is disturbingly close. However, being a heroine, she carries the fate of being taken away from Osamu. If I remember correctly, Kotone…

As I pondered what might happen to her, a sharp pain shot through my head. Instinctively, I held my temple, and Ayana, who was beside me, looked at me with concern. The pain subsided quickly, and I reassured Ayana that I was fine.

“I just accompanied Ayana for shopping. Thank you so much. Well then.”

Staying here and creating a tense atmosphere with Kotone would only trouble Ayana. Taking the bag from Ayana, I attempted to pass by Kotone, but she spoke loud enough for me to hear.

“Ayana, big sister, you had a tough time, huh? You were probably asked against your will, right? He seems like a womanizer, it’s better not to get close.”

…For some reason, I couldn’t come up with a retort that felt right.

But you know, even though Osamu and I are supposed to be best friends, why is his sister so hostile towards me? Come to think of it, in the game, there was never a scene where Towa visited Osamu’s house, but the opposite did happen. Considering this, there must be something not shown in the game, which might be why Towa doesn’t go to Osamu’s house.

“…I don’t get it at all.”

No matter how much I think, I can’t find an answer. Feeling bad for keeping my mother waiting, I hurried home.

A girl sat on her bed humming a tune in her room. In the clean room, the girl, Ayna Otonashi, recalled what had happened before returning home.

“I can’t forget Touwa’s warmth and scent… Ah, I love… I love you, Touwa.”

Holding a large stuffed animal close, she buried her face in it, vividly imprinting that scene in her mind. Although they hadn’t been in touch recently, just being embraced by Touwa brought happiness to Ayna. And just a little more, just a little more, she could have even kissed him… Thinking about it, Ayna’s heart suddenly filled with anger.

“If that damn girl hadn’t shown up, I could’ve kissed him… Maybe even gone further…! Damn it!!”

She roughly threw the stuffed animal she held, revealing her unbridled anger. If only the kiss had been interrupted, it would have been fine. But unbelievably, Kotone made insulting remarks about Touwa. Though she managed to endure it then, her anger had been smoldering since parting ways with Kotone. Reflecting on Touwa could calm her down, but finally, her anger towards Kotone exploded.

“Touwa doesn’t say anything, so I can endure it… but… but! aaah!!!”

This unexpected outburst from her, however, in a way, was also a part of her character. She thought about kicking the discarded stuffed animal, but as she was about to stand up, Ayna’s phone received a message. Despite her boiling rage, seeing the sender’s name on the screen quickly subdued her anger.

“Oh, Touwa!”

She hurried to check the message.

“Thank you so much for today. Ayna, you’re really reliable. How about going somewhere together on our next day off?”

Reading those words filled Ayna’s heart with joy. She quickly typed a reply, sent it, then took a deep breath. Holding her phone close to her chest, Ayna reminisced about Touwa’s figure, smile, scent, warmth – everything related to him.

At the same time, she pondered on Touwa’s recent behavior.

“Touwa has changed a bit recently. Well, I love him no matter how he is.”

Ayna had observed every move Touwa made. Hence, she was slightly aware of Touwa’s changes. But to her, it was a minor issue. Touwa was there. He talked to her. He embraced her. He cared for her. He looked at her. Just that was enough to fulfill Ayna. As long as he was by her side, and she stood by his, that was sufficient. She didn’t need anything else.

Ayna stood up and headed towards the desk in her room. Several photos were placed on the desk, depicting Touwa from childhood to the present.

“Touwa…”

Ayna gazed dreamily at the photos. However, there was one distorted aspect in these photos. Apart from the two of them, there was a trace of another person in one photo. That trace was glaringly obvious – the figure of a person, other than Touwa and Ayna, was either blacked out with a marker or crudely cut out with scissors from the upper body. It seemed to evoke a strong sense of disgust towards that individual.

“I feel sick being childhood friends with that person. That sister, that mother too! I’ll definitely mess them up someday.”

With intense hatred, the words were spat out into the void and vanished.

The turmoil in her heart was calmed once the reply to the earlier message arrived.

“I love you, Touwa. Good night.”

She whispered gently and ended her day.

Tomorrow, she would embrace the joy of meeting Touwa again.