About the Case of Me Being Reincarnated as a Side Character Who Got Kicked Out Immediately Of The Story, but the Heroine, Who’s My Yandere Fiancée, Won't Leave Me Alone - Chapter 35: It's like a manga world... it was a manga world.

Chapter 35: It’s like a manga world… it was a manga world.

“Huh? What’s with that illustration of Minato turning into Minato-chan? Look, everyone loves it when the cute little brother they thought they knew turns out to be a secretly busty little sister, right? People who are into gender-bending really eat it up, and how many folks do you think are out there saying, ‘I love this!’? I mean, I love this kind of thing—don’t a ton of people say the same!? Sure, in the main story, Minato’s definitely a boy, so Minato-chan won’t show up… But if I were to include her, I’ve got this vague idea for a setup like this!”

Looking back, I vaguely recall the author saying something like that on SNS when the gender-bent Minato-chan illustration came out.

The text itself, and the story, make it clear that Minato is male.

As the protagonist’s best friend-like figure, he has a solid role, even if his appearances are limited.

“…”

I have no idea what’s going on, but I’ll wait for Mom’s words.

“If you need anything else, please call.”

“Yes, thank you, Sakuragi-san.”

Sakuragi-san, who prepared tea for me and Mom, leaves the room.

“First, tell me what you want to know. It’s possible I’m jumping to conclusions.”

“Is Minato… not my brother but my sister?”

I asked straight up.

If I’m wrong, that’s fine. If she laughs at me like I’m an idiot, that’s okay too.

But my hopeful imagination was shattered… because Mom nodded.

“Yes—that child is a girl, your stepsister.”

“…”

So… Minato really is a girl.

Sure, it’s hard to believe such a cute guy could exist, but to think something like this was right beside me? No way.

So, does that mean Minato’s a girl who likes cross-dressing as a guy?

“It’s not like she has a cross-dressing hobby, you know?”

“…How’d you know?”

“It was written all over your face. Doesn’t Arisu-chan say the same?”

“…Dunno.”

Arisu sees through everything before I can even hide anything… I thought the current Akito’s face was unreadable, but apparently, Mom sees right through me.

“By the way, is it okay for just you and me to talk about this?”

“It’s fine. I’ll tell your father when he gets home.”

“…Alright.”

“Now… where to begin?”

What’s the hidden truth about Minato?

I was both scared and excited to find out… but what Mom told me was a story that could only exist in a world like this.

“When you were still young, Akito, we took Minato in. The reason was that her family was burdened with massive debt.”

“Debt…?”

Debt… like the Roland family in the original story?

“It was debt, but the fault lay with Minato’s biological father’s younger brother. He got involved with some pretty shady people… Minato’s parents had cut all ties with him, but just being siblings meant they couldn’t escape scrutiny. The other side was much more powerful, and they didn’t have the strength to fight the distortion of facts, which was the painful part.”

“…So, they were crushed by a stronger power?”

“In simple terms, yes. When they were about to lose everything, we took on their wish to at least save their daughter. To camouflage her, Minato was raised as a boy, and the girl Minato ‘died’ with her parents.”

“…What the hell? This is some manga world crap.”

“Ufufu, maybe… but that’s the truth.”

Honestly, it’s so over-the-top I can’t process it.

Debt, life-threatening danger—it’s the kind of thing that could happen in this world, but to think Minato was hiding such a past? No way.

“So… her parents are gone?”

“…They were exhausted by it all, it seems.”

“…I see.”

Exhausted, huh.

Apparently, Minato knows a bit about this, but since it happened when she was too young to remember, it doesn’t feel real to her.

“We don’t feel entirely blameless toward her parents for leaving Minato with us. But we loved her like our own child. That’s why she grew up to be such a good kid… but maybe…”

“?”

Suddenly, Mom looked at me with a pained expression.

I tilted my head, wondering why, but my mind was sharp enough to catch it.

Maybe… she thinks focusing on Minato caused Akito to turn out the way he did?

…That might be part of it, but Akito’s the one who crossed lines he shouldn’t have.

“Mom, you don’t need to worry about that. Not with the me now.”

“…You’re right. You’ve really changed.”

“Everyone keeps saying I’ve changed too much.”

“Honestly, how does someone change like that?”

“Dunno,” I said with a vague laugh to dodge the question.

“By the way… what about the Saijou family?”

“Masayoshi-san and Natsuba-san know. They’ve accepted Minato as she is.”

“…Huh.”

Sounds like Arisu doesn’t know.

Also, in this mansion, only old-timers like Sakuragi-san know, meaning Minato’s been hiding her true gender all this time.

“It’s been years, so I’ve thought maybe it’s fine now, but Minato says she’s used to living this way. Plus, she wants to be ready to take over the Izayoi family to repay us.”

“…I see.”

The old Akito was nothing but awful to Minato.

If he’d stayed that way, the Izayoi family would’ve been doomed, and Minato must’ve been completely disillusioned with his attitude toward his fiancée, Arisu.

Mom and Dad are too kind for not giving up on him… but I guess that’s because he’s their son.

“I’m curious too—how did you find out?”

“Uh…”

“Ara ara, from that look, was it a lucky pervert moment!?”

“Don’t say ‘lucky pervert,’ Mom!”

Can you not say stuff like that…?

It’s not like I was hiding it, so I explained why I wanted to ask. Mom just laughed, “Ara ara.”

“You never set foot in Minato’s room before, right? But now you two visit each other’s rooms and have gotten so close… Minato probably let her guard down.”

“…That makes sense.”

“Recently, she talks about you so happily… It’s such a change from before, and it’s honestly heartwarming.”

So… Minato talks about me like that?

We talked more about Minato, but since Dad was coming home soon, we wrapped up.

“It sounds like Minato’s past is pretty heavy… but treating her the same as always is best, right?”

“Yes… If her feelings change, just respect them.”

“Got it.”

“You’ve got such a good look now. The current Akito really looks like a big brother.”

“…Well, I love Minato, y’know.”

As I left the room, Sakuragi-san was waiting.

“Finished talking?”

“Yeah… I’m kinda wiped.”

“I bet. I’ll have Amane-san bring you a cold drink.”

“Thanks.”

Back in my room, I sighed and sank into the sofa.

Now I know about Minato… but this setup definitely wasn’t in the original story. It’s another clear example that this world doesn’t strictly follow the manga.

As I’ve said before, everything’s changed, including me still being here.

“…”

But thinking calmly, Minato’s position is tough.

If I’d vanished like in the original story… would Minato have kept living as a boy, eventually taking over the family?

Even if she’s used to living as a boy, hiding her true self must’ve been exhausting—way more than I can imagine.

“Because of me, she let her guard down… huh.”

Ugh… all this heavy stuff’s piling on my shoulders.

Like with helping Amane-san, Minato’s future might shift based on my choices.

Heavy… this position is really heavy.

“…For now, I need some healing… I need comfort. Leaning on Amane-san… nah, that’s a bit much. I’ll message Arisu.”

I grabbed my phone and sent Arisu a message.

The content? Just “Let me lean on you, ASAP.” Of course, I snapped back to my senses right after sending it and hurriedly followed up with, “Never mind, it’s nothing.”

***

“Wait, Arisu!? Why are you changing at this hour?”

“I’m going to Akito-san’s.”

“Huh!? What are you talking about at this time!?”

“I’m going to Akito-san’s.”

“Hey, what’s all this noise?”

“I’m going to Akito-san’s.”

“Ara ara, my my, what’s going on?”

“I’m going to Akito-san’s.”

Apparently, that’s the commotion that broke out at the Saijou household.