Chapter 20 - The Way Home
“Sorry for making you worry, Ryusuke. It looks like my foot is fine now.”
After parting ways with Reo, I headed toward the classroom where Mashiro was. As I passed through the open door, I saw Mashiro standing right next to the teacher’s desk, and she came running toward me with a smile on her face.
She was walking normally, and it seemed like her foot really wasn’t seriously injured, just as she said.
“That’s good. But sprains can linger even if they’re minor, so try not to push yourself too hard.”
“Hehe, you’re such a worrywart, Ryusuke. I’m not that fragile, you know. Remember how I used to run around with more energy than the boys back in elementary school?”
“This and that are different things. Anyway, I’m carrying your stuff home today. I can’t let a girl who’s injured walk home alone.”
“Huh? Oh…”
I took her school bag from her hand and slung it over my shoulder.
Mashiro looked surprised for a moment, then blushed and looked away from me.
Her reaction made me tilt my head in confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well… I just thought… It’s the first time Ryusuke’s treated me like a girl…”
She murmured softly, her voice tinged with embarrassment.
Now that she mentioned it, she might be right… In the memories I inherited from Shindo Ryusuke, I always treated Mashiro the same way I treated my guy friends like Kogane and Obayashi.
Maybe it’s because we’ve been childhood friends for so long. Shindo Ryusuke never really saw her as the opposite sex.
Given that, it was only natural that Mashiro would be a bit flustered by this sudden change in my behavior. I wondered if I might have overdone it a bit.
“But… I’m really happy. Thank you, Ryusuke.”
She smiled as she said that.
Her soft pink lips curved into a gentle arc, and her clear blue eyes were fixed solely on me. Bathed in the light of the setting sun streaming through the window, Mashiro looked truly beautiful.
My heart pounded faster, my cheeks grew warm, and I quickly turned my back to her to hide it.
“L-Let’s go home. If we don’t hurry, it’ll get dark.”
“Okay. But let’s take it slow, since I’m still technically injured.”
“You said you weren’t fragile, right? A little rush won’t hurt.”
“Geez, Ryusuke, you’re such a tease.”
Her gentle laughter made me smile without realizing it.
Then, matching her pace, I began to walk slowly beside her.
We walked home together along the school path, dyed in the colors of the sunset. Mashiro kept looking up at me with a bright smile on her face.
“Doesn’t this feel really nostalgic? Walking home together like this?”
“Does it? We walked home together yesterday too, didn’t we?”
“That was only partway, though. But today, we’ve been together since the classroom, right? And after we started high school, you stopped coming to school for a while. I was really lonely, you know.”
“But we hung out every night, didn’t we?”
“Playing together at night isn’t the same. Coming to school, eating lunch together, and then walking home like this… It’s different. I’m not sure how, but it just feels different and so much more fun.”
Mashiro smiled mischievously, the kind of smile that always seemed to brighten the mood of everyone around her.
We continued our lighthearted chat as we walked, until we found ourselves on a deserted road. There were no cars passing by, and the only sound was the quiet of our surroundings.
Mashiro’s house was still a bit further ahead, but she suddenly stopped walking.
“What’s wrong? Is your foot hurting again?”
“No, it’s not that. I just wanted to properly thank you for what you did at lunchtime.”
“You’ve already thanked me plenty of times. It’s enough.”
“It’s not enough for me.”
“Alright, alright. Go ahead and thank me as much as you want.”
“What’s with that tone? I don’t intend to thank you anymore!”
Mashiro pouted and lightly slapped my arm, so I playfully poked her in the side. She squirmed and laughed in a way that was infectious.
After our playful exchange, Mashiro let out a soft sigh and looked at me seriously. Noticing the shift in her expression, I straightened up and faced her.
“Thank you for taking me to the infirmary when I fell earlier. I really appreciate it, Ryusuke.”
“I just did what anyone would do. I’m glad it wasn’t a big deal, especially since you took quite a tumble.”
“Yeah… I thought I managed to land gracefully, but I guess not.”
“If you had, you wouldn’t have sprained your foot.”
“True… I guess you’re right,”
she admitted with an embarrassed smile.
After taking a deep breath, Mashiro seemed to gather her courage before speaking again.
“There’s something else I need to apologize for.”
“Apologize? But it was that guy, Fusagawa, who was walking while looking at his phone. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“No, it’s not about that…”
Mashiro played with her long black hair as she lowered her gaze.
“Remember when I fell, and my skirt… flew up?”
“Oh… Yeah, that happened…”
Mashiro had tried to hold her skirt down in a panic, but she was too late. Fusagawa Raito had blushed furiously, insisting he didn’t see anything, though his flustered reaction said otherwise.
Mashiro had become the victim of a typical rom-com scenario, a ‘lucky pervert’ moment triggered by the protagonist.
When I saw that scene, I felt an inexplicable surge of anger. Even though it was an accident, the thought of Fusegawa Raito seeing up Mashiro’s skirt, someone who was my precious childhood friend, filled me with a deep sense of loss.
“I thought… maybe Ryusuke was upset by that.”
“Well, it was an accident. There’s nothing we could have done.”
It was true that I was upset, so I couldn’t deny it. I tried to convince myself and her that it couldn’t be helped, but Mashiro didn’t seem satisfied.
“But Ryusuke looked really angry. So, I wanted to clear up a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?”
“Yeah. Even though my skirt flew up, I was wearing gym shorts underneath since our next class was P.E. So, it was actually fine.”
“What? Gym shorts?”
“Yeah. So, Fusagawa didn’t actually see my underwear. He was just really embarrassed for some reason.”
“Is that so?”
“Really. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“But didn’t you look pretty embarrassed at the time?”
“I forgot I was wearing gym shorts in the heat of the moment. It’s funny, right? I had gym shorts on the whole time, but I still got all flustered.”
Seeing Mashiro laugh shyly to hide her embarrassment, I realized that she wasn't lying.
At the same time, I felt something that had been bothering me clear up within my chest.
An emotion I thought would never be resolved had finally reached its conclusion.
I had always believed that a "lucky pervert" event was an unavoidable incident triggered by the protagonist, and that Mashiro had fallen victim to it. But the fact that the next class was P.E. coincidentally saved her from experiencing that event.
Perhaps even the god of this world panicked a bit at the sudden appearance of the strongest, most beautiful girl. Trying to force Mashiro and the protagonist closer together without everything being in place, the event fizzled out.
I was there in the classroom too. If things had been handled more carefully, the "lucky pervert" event, as well as the encounter between Mashiro and Fusegawa Raito, could have gone smoothly.
In other words, if there truly is a god controlling this world—then that god is not perfect.
This god tried to force Mashiro and Fusegawa's event into happening by exerting power over the people of this world, but they couldn’t deal with unexpected situations. The fact that the encounter between Mashiro, the strongest beauty, and Fusegawa Raito, the protagonist, failed proves this.
That means there’s a big opening for me to exploit. Even if this world perceives me as the villain, as long as the opponent isn’t perfect, there are still ways to win.
The world I was reincarnated into won’t necessarily proceed according to the god’s whims. By causing irregular situations, I’ve clearly seen the story diverge from the original plot.
Just as Mashiro has been reborn as the strongest beauty because of my actions, it might be possible for me to avoid the path of destruction depending on my future choices.
I can see hope now. The possibility of overturning the ruinous future I thought was inevitable is finally coming into view.
Instinctively, I made a fist pump, and Mashiro, who saw it, tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
“Ryusuke, what’s up...? Was the story I just told you really that good?”
“N-no, it’s nothing. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
“Hmm? Well, okay. Anyway, I just wanted to clear up your misunderstanding, Ryusuke. Everything’s fine, you know?”
“Yeah, I feel better now that I’ve heard your story. To be honest, I was pretty worried… that, well, you might have seen it.”
“Haha, Ryusuke, you really were jealous! It’s so obvious, I could tell right away.”
Mashiro laughed playfully, but I couldn’t deny it. I was genuinely relieved that she hadn’t seen anything.
“I’ll be careful too. From now on, I’ll make sure to pay more attention to my surroundings.”
“Yeah, I’d appreciate that.”
“Okay, I promise. And besides… you’re the only one who’s allowed to see anyway.”
“Huh!? What did you just say!?”
“Nothing at all! Well then, shall we head home?”
With a mischievous grin, Mashiro covered it up, snatched the bag I had been holding for her, and took off running.
“Hey, wait! Your leg!”
“I’m fine! Hurry up!”
Mashiro’s steps were light, and her expression was as lively as if she were skipping.
I hurried after her, but for some reason, a warm feeling began to well up from deep within my chest.
It was a sensation I had never felt before, and it was incredibly comforting.