I Reincarnated as a Mob in a Depressing Erotic Video Game World. When I Saved the Main Heroine That Fallen Into Despair, Her Overwhelming Obsessive Love for Me Wouldn’t Stop. - Chapter 23

I walked down the hallway toward the classroom with Ena in her uniform.

Ena held onto the edge of my shirt and stayed close behind me, like she was hiding.

It felt… kind of familiar. It reminded me of the time we went to the cat café. Then,

“H-hey. That guy… he used forbidden magic in the duel with Irwin…”

“And the one behind him, that’s Ena Refine…?”

I could hear the boys whispering. Honestly, they should’ve tried not to say it where she could hear.

Ena tightened her grip on my shirt. She was scared, I think.

“Ugh… he’s looking this way now…”

“Let’s go. We don’t want to make him angry, who knows what he’d do…”

The boys ran off. Well, that was mostly what I expected.

It was as if I brought a gun into a Japanese high school and beat up some classmates. I wasn’t punished because the law didn’t apply, but anyone walking past me would be terrified.

Ena poked me lightly on the back.

“…Shiruto-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“Um… I’m sorry. It’s my fault…”

Her voice sounded worried.

But it wasn’t her fault. It reminded me of the bullying I went through in high school, and my old trauma tried to creep back, but I’m not alone anymore.

“It’s not your fault, Ena. And I don’t care about stuff like that.”

“But…”

“Hahaha. Ena, you’re really kind.”

I smiled without stopping my steps.

―That’s right. I don’t need to think about myself.

All that matters is Ena and making sure she’s happy and can keep smiling.

◇◇◇

We reached the classroom and stopped in front of the door.

Ena was behind me… her small shoulders were shaking even more than before.

“It’s okay, Ena. I’ll protect you, no matter what.”

“…Y-Yeah…”

“Alright… I’ll open the door, okay?”

I slowly slid open the wooden door.

The classroom was eerily quiet.

Every classmate was sitting at their desk. Not a single word could be heard.

But their eyes… They all moved while watching me and Ena.

“…Ah…”

It was so unnatural that I stopped in my tracks.

Almost everyone here had been part of the bullying.

And after the duel, the truth came out… they were probably feeling deep regret for what they’d done. That guilt created this strange silence.

(Even so… this is awkward. It was way too awkward…)

I wished they could have kept things normal, if only for Ena.

But expecting that was too much. I wondered what to do. Then,

“…Um… ah…!”

One boy suddenly stood up with a loud clatter.

Sweat on his forehead, he looked straight at me. Actually, Ena is hiding behind me.

“Ena-san… I’m sorry for everything up until now…!!”

It was a brave apology. He bent almost completely at the waist while lowering his head to us.

“My… best friend got hurt in that out-of-control incident and had to leave school. So… I held a grudge and did terrible things. I know saying sorry doesn’t make up for it… but I just had to apologize…”

I think his name was Stedd.

He wasn’t part of Irwin’s group, but he had laughed at Ena being bullied and sometimes thrown her textbooks in the trash.

He knew an apology might not be enough, but even so, he found the courage to say it here. That alone… I could respect it.

(…Honestly, I’d also been guilty of ignoring the bullying back then.)

I had no right to punish him.

So I stayed silent, waiting for Ena’s reaction.

She nervously held my shirt and took a deep breath.

“Ah…, um…”

Her voice was trembling, and it was barely audible.

The classroom felt even colder, like everyone was holding their breath.

Finally, Ena spoke.

“…Um, please… I don’t want any more pain… or suffering… ever again…”

“…I’m really sorry. But from now on—”

Stedd’s words were full of determination as he met Ena.

“…I… I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry… sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry―”

She kept repeating the same words over and over, like a whispering prayer.

I realized… she had been pushing herself too hard.

I believe Ena can recover someday. But… not right now. She needs time. Slowly and step by step to heal.

“Ena. Let’s go home today.”

“…I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I’ll keep apologizing. So… please don’t abandon me? If you hate me… I… I…”

“It’s okay. I’ll always be by your side. I’ll never hate you.”

I spoke to her gently, then turned my eyes back to the classroom.

Stedd was standing there, and I met his gaze.

“…That being the case, we’re leaving early today.”

“…Shiruto. Um… I-I’m sorry…”

“What good does apologizing to me do?”

Anger rose inside me. But what exactly was I angry at?

Was it Irwin, the cause of all this? The students who joined in or watched silently? The world that stole Ena’s smile?

Or… maybe it was myself I was angry at.

“Remember this. What you did to Ena… will never be forgotten.”

I spat the words out and left the classroom with Ena.

We walked back down the hallway, eventually returning to our dorm room.

(…Damn it. What am I even doing?)

I let my anger take over and said things to make enemies. I had promised to protect Ena… and yet…

“…Ena. I’m sorry.”

“Eh… why are you apologizing?”

“…I hurt you again. I… I don’t know what to do.”

We stopped in front of the courtyard, and I let myself show my weakness.

Then… Ena’s soft hand gently wrapped around my trembling one.

“…Ena?”

“Shiruto-kun. I’m happy… You know?”

Ena looked up at me with her big eyes. She was staring right into my face.

Her deep blue eyes shone like jewels.

“Because… Shiruto-kun is here. The pain, the suffering… I really hate it, but… if you’re with me, I can bear it. If you stay by my side… I can endure everything, okay?”

“B-But, that’s…”

“Because… I… I like you, Shiruto-kun.”

That’s right.

Ah, yeah, of course.

(…What was I hesitating for?)

There was a way.

―A way to make Ena happy.

I had known about it for a long time, but I had been turning away from it.

What Ena wanted from me… There was only one thing.

“I… feel the same. ―I like you too, Ena.”

Her delicate face turned crimson.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

And then, I knew what I had to do.

To make Ena truly happy.

“Ena. Will you be my girlfriend?”