Chapter 8 - Time with Family
When I got home, I found myself standing in the kitchen.
Just a short while ago, I had been lying in bed, lost in thought, but thinking too much had given me a headache. So, I decided to take a break and started preparing dinner.
According to the faint memories I inherited after reincarnating, my younger sister looks like a gyaru, but she’s in the track team and comes home late. My mother always works late into the night, so she’s probably still hard at work. As for my father, he’s working away from home and hardly ever returns.
Before I reincarnated, Shindo Ryusuke—the person whose life I took over—used to waste time playing around and wouldn’t come home until it was dark. But now, I have no intention of doing that. There are too many things I need to do after I get home.
At school, the teachers make a point of bullying me during class, eager to push me into the role of the villain. They constantly call on me to answer questions, ignoring the other students.
For someone like me, who’s been reincarnated, answering questions from first-year high school classes is a piece of cake, but if I ever fail to answer, it would expose a major weakness.
Moreover, I’ve accumulated a mountain of assignments due to my previously lazy school life. I need to get those done quickly and submit them as soon as possible.
That said, cramming too much would be bad for my health. In my previous life, I worked myself to death from overexertion... I’d like to avoid such an ending in my second life.
So, I’ll pace myself and take breaks while I study.
Then there’s the matter of Mashiro.
I don’t know what she’ll do to overcome her discomfort with me, but for now, it’s best to avoid getting too close to her.
“Whatever it takes, I need to avoid Mashiro’s bad ending...”
Amanatsu Mashiro, who appeared in the second-year arc of Fusekoi, was the Shindo Ryusuke’s childhood friend and the villainess condemned by the protagonists.
In my previous life, she was my absolute favorite.
Looking back, one of the main reasons I became so obsessed with Fusekoi was because of Mashiro. Fusekoi has many charming female characters, but the one who stood out the most wasn’t the heroines on the protagonist’s side—it was the villainess, Amanatsu Mashiro.
She had a strong sense of conviction and was shy and awkward when it came to love. Yet, once she made up her mind, she had a powerful will that never wavered. Her intense feelings for Shindo Ryusuke, directed toward the protagonist, left a deep impression on me.
Though her language was a bit rough and her appearance flashy, I liked her straightforward personality. The episode where Mashiro met a bad end was honestly traumatic for me. I even sought out fanfiction with alternate endings, ones where Mashiro was saved or found happiness, just to avoid facing the original storyline.
“Why did I completely forget that Mashiro was my favorite after I reincarnated into this world?”
I thought back to when I met her in the cafeteria. Even though I should’ve remembered everything about Mashiro from the original story, somehow, the feelings I had for her in the original work had completely faded.
Could it be because I reincarnated as Shindo Ryusuke, Mashiro’s childhood friend? Maybe the emotions I held for her as Ryusuke clashed with those from my previous life, temporarily blocking out my feelings for her.
But those emotions were slowly coming back into focus, and my deep affection for Mashiro from my previous life had fully returned.
On the other hand, my feelings for Mashiro as Shindo Ryusuke are still unclear. But one thing is certain: there’s a powerful emotion within me, radiating like a giant sun in my heart.
I still don’t know what that feeling is. For Shindo Ryusuke, Mashiro is an important childhood friend, but whether it’s romantic or platonic, I can’t say yet.
Regardless, I’ve resolved to avoid the destructive future ahead and spare Mashiro, my favorite character and childhood friend, from a tragic fate. I’ll do whatever I can, step by step.
But first, I need to fill my stomach.
In fact, in my previous life, I loved cooking. Before I started working long hours after graduation, I always cooked for myself, and during university, my love for cooking led me to work part-time in the kitchen of a café. So, I’m fairly confident in my skills, and I can whip up meals that are impressive, even for a high school student.
Tonight, I decided to make hamburg steak using the ground meat I found in the fridge.
As I shaped the patties and started grilling them, a delicious aroma filled the air. I didn’t forget to make sauce from the meat juices either—while ketchup or regular sauce would work fine, I personally prefer demi-glace.
We had red wine, so with all the ingredients at hand, there was no reason not to use it. I plated the side vegetables, and the meal was complete. Pouring the soup I made into a deep dish, everything was ready.
Just as I finished cooking, I heard the sound of the front door opening. It seemed my sister Mai had returned.
“I’m home! Wow, something smells really good... Huh?”
Peeking through the living room door, my sister had a shocked expression on her face, her eyes wide in disbelief.
Well, it’s a natural reaction. Before I reincarnated, Shindo Ryusuke hardly ever came home at this hour, let alone cooked dinner for the family. No wonder she can’t believe it.
Even in my hazy memories, I can tell that such a scene had never happened before.
“O-nii-chan... What are you doing...?”
“You can see for yourself. I made dinner.”
“Huh? But... you’ve never cooked anything but instant miso soup and cup ramen... D-dinner?”
Mai stood at the table, clearly astonished. She looked back and forth between the beautifully set dinner and me, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“You really made this, Onii-chan...?”
“I just wanted a change of pace. It’s good to have days like this once in a while, right?”
“‘Once in a while’? This is the first time I’ve ever seen you do this. And it looks amazing... You didn’t order this, did you?”
“No way. I made it with the ingredients in the fridge. You must be tired from practice, and Mom’s working late again, right? Since I’m not in any clubs, I figured I’d start coming home early and helping out the family.”
“F-family? Onii-chan, do you have a fever? Or... did you hit your head at school? Are you okay? Should I call an ambulance? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
Worried, my sister put her hand on my forehead. Just cooking dinner and she reacts like this... The family must’ve had a pretty terrible opinion of Shindo Ryusuke before I reincarnated.
I gently removed her hand with a wry smile.
“A lot has happened, and I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf. I’ll take care of the cooking and the chores too. I know I’ve been a burden to you and Mom, so I want to make it up to you.”
“...Onii-chan, what happened to you? But... I’m glad. I’m really happy you’ve changed like this.”
Mai’s eyes were filled with tears as she listened to my words, clearly moved.
But the truth is, this isn’t just about turning over a new leaf.
Yesterday’s Shindo Ryusuke and today’s Shindo Ryusuke are completely different because I’ve reincarnated into his body.
If I told her the reason for this sudden change, I’m sure my sister, Mai, would be confused.
Trying not to let her realize anything, I put on a smile, urging her to sit down so we could start dinner.
“Mom’s probably working late again, so let’s eat together first.”
“O-okay... Well then, let’s eat.”
After saying grace, Mai hesitantly reached for the hamburg steak I made. The moment she took a bite, her eyes sparkled, and she broke into a huge smile.
“Wow! This is amazing! Onii-chan, you’re awesome!”
“Is it? I’m glad you like it.”
“Yeah, it’s really good. I never knew you were such a good cook, Onii-chan... When did you learn?”
If she asked when I practiced, it would lead back to my previous life, so I couldn’t answer that. But before I could think of a way to dodge the question, Mai was already too absorbed in eating to care. She seemed to love it, devouring the hamburg steak, soup, and salad, not even noticing the sauce on her mouth. Her enthusiasm reminded me of a small, cute animal.
As I said before, I’ve been a constant burden to my family. Even if it was Shindo Ryusuke before my reincarnation, I still bear the responsibility to make amends.
More importantly, if I want to escape the role of the villain in this story, I need to build up good deeds one by one. I have to prove that I’m not the kind of person who meets a bad end. To do that, first, I need to regain my family’s trust.
And so, our dinner together turned into a lively affair.
At first, Mai had been hesitant, but she gradually relaxed, returning to the bright personality I vaguely remembered. Our conversation flowed easily as she happily shared stories about her school life and friends.
I need to keep making steady progress like this to ensure I can enjoy a happy youth in this world.
This was my renewed resolve during this time with my family.