I Reincarnated as the Villain of an NTR Game, But I Don't Want to Make the Main Heroine Unhappy so I'll Live Earnestly

Chapter 124: The Delinquent Guy’s Makeover (Hiro’s Perspective)

During a break one day:

“Hey, did you know? Kuzuhara-kun from class 2 took off his earrings, dyed his hair black, and completely changed his look!”

“Yeah, I saw him! He looked really cool, right?”

“Totally! It’s amazing how much he changed! Haha, maybe I’ll try talking to him next time.”

The girls in my class were excitedly chatting about this during break time. They were speaking so loudly that I could hear them from my seat.

(What? What’s so great about that delinquent guy…?)

I spent the break thinking like that. Then, a few of my male friends sitting nearby started snickering and said something.

“Hah, seriously, girls are so dumb. They think everything is fine as long as a guy looks handsome.”

“Yeah, exactly. That guy used to have a ton of piercings and bleached hair, but now that he’s gone back to black hair, they’re suddenly calling him a great guy… it’s ridiculous. Right, Hiroki?”

“Hmm? Yeah, totally. I agree.”

We laughed together while watching the girls get excited over the delinquent guy. Honestly, girls at our age are so foolish.

(They say girls mature faster than boys, but that can’t be true…)

I mean, declaring that a guy who was a delinquent just because he took off his earrings and dyed his hair black is now a cool, handsome guy… that’s like a childish thought, right?

“Oh, and I heard Kuzuhara-kun did really well on the recent midterm exams! Not only does he look like a great guy now, but he’s also serious about studying! He’s such a good guy!”

“Yeah, totally! We need to study harder too!”

Now they were praising him not just for his appearance but also for his academic performance. It seems like his good looks are making everything about him seem perfect to them.

“Hah, what are they talking about? Anyone can score well on a midterm if they just memorize the answer sheets.”

“Yeah, exactly. The girls are deluding themselves if they think memorizing answers makes him smart. Right, Hiroki?”

“Hmm? Yeah, right. It’s not like he got top scores in a national exam like Saeki, so saying he’s smart just because of midterms is a bit much.”

We laughed at the girls chatting enthusiastically about Kuzuhara.

But still, it’s crazy how just dyeing his hair and pretending to be serious makes them think he’s such a great guy… they’re so easily swayed.

(Oh, but isn’t that delinquent guy in the same class as Saeki…?)

I suddenly remembered that. Seeing how the girls reacted, I felt a little uneasy… but Saeki should be fine.

After all, Saeki is a very serious girl, and I know for sure that she hates guys like that delinquent.

So, unlike the other girls, Saeki wouldn’t get all excited and fall for that delinquent guy.

(That reminds me, I haven’t talked to Saeki much lately…)

I thought about that at the time.

Come to think of it, with the test period, I hadn’t seen her at all recently and hadn’t had any chance to talk.

But now that the test period is over, maybe I should ask Saeki to have lunch together sometime? Or maybe we could go out somewhere since it’s been a while?

“…Huh? What’s up, Hiroki? You’re grinning.”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”

I must have started grinning without realizing it while thinking about spending time with Saeki.

But it’s too embarrassing to tell my friends that, so I brushed it off as nothing.

Well, maybe I’ll ask Saeki to lunch during the next break—

“Oh, but you know, Kuzuhara-kun’s improved test scores might be thanks to… Yukimura-san from his class!”

“Really!?”

(…What?)

Suddenly, Saeki’s name came up in the girls’ conversation, and I couldn’t help but react.

“Yeah, I heard Kuzuhara-kun and Yukimura-san were studying together in the library during the test period!”

“What, really!? Does that mean… Kuzuhara-kun dyed his hair black and took off his earrings because…?”

“Yeah, maybe… there’s a rumor that he started dating Yukimura-san and decided to clean up his act!”

(H-How!? What does that mean!?)

“Wow, really!? So he quit being a delinquent to impress Yukimura-san!? Wow, if that’s true, he’s so devoted! I wish I had someone who would care about me like that!”

“Yeah, that’s really sweet! I’m so jealous of Yukimura-san!”

The girls were getting even more excited, but I was feeling completely bewildered.

(S-Saeki with that delinquent guy…? N-No, that can’t be true!!)

I couldn’t understand what they were saying, and I shouted in my mind.

—

Chapter 125: Inviting Saeki to Lunch (Hiro’s Perspective)

During lunch break that day, I hurried to Saeki’s classroom to see her.

“Ah… Sa-Saeki…!”

“Hm? Oh, it’s you, Hiro. What’s up?”

I found Saeki in the hallway and immediately called out to her. She was holding a juice box, so it seemed she was coming back from the vending machine. That means she hasn’t had lunch yet, right?

“Ah, um… Saeki, you haven’t had lunch yet, have you?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I forgot to get a drink for lunch, so I just went to the vending machine. I’m heading back to the classroom now to eat my lunch.”

“Oh, I see. Then… if you don’t mind, would you like to eat lunch together?”

“Eh? Now?”

“Y-Yeah! I mean, we haven’t eaten together in a while, right? So, um… I thought it would be nice to eat together for a change.”

Gathering my courage, I asked her. (If she was really dating that delinquent, she’d probably say no, right?) I waited nervously for her response, and then…

“Yeah, sure, I don’t mind.”

“Wha… What!? R-Really?”

“Huh? Why are you so surprised? Of course it’s fine. We’re friends, after all.”

“Oh… Yeah, you’re right! Haha, I was just worried you’d say no.”

“? I don’t know why you’re so happy about it, but… okay. So, where do you want to eat? If you don’t mind my classroom, I can wait for you there.”

“Uh… um… well…”

I hesitated. After all, that delinquent guy is in her class. Honestly, I’d rather avoid running into him, so if possible, I’d prefer to eat somewhere else. So…

“Uh, well, the cafeteria sounds good, doesn’t it? I didn’t bring my lunch today, so… how about we go to the cafeteria together?”

“Oh, really? Okay, sure. I’ll go back to the classroom to grab my lunch, so you go ahead and get us a seat.”

“O-Okay, got it! I’ll head to the cafeteria first!”

“Alright, see you there.”

And with that, we parted ways in the hallway, and I headed toward the cafeteria.

(Phew, I’m so glad she agreed…)

The fact that she agreed to eat with me instead of that delinquent must mean she’s not dating him! Feeling relieved, I let out a sigh.

If she was really dating him, she wouldn’t have lunch alone with another guy, right? (Besides, I’m the one who’s been closest to Saeki since childhood. There’s no way she’d be taken by some random delinquent!)

Feeling reassured by this realization, I walked toward the cafeteria with a big smile on my face.

◇◇◇◇

Before long…

“Itadakimasu.”

“Itadakimasu~.”

I met up with Saeki in the cafeteria, and we started eating our lunch at a table for two.

“Hey, it’s been a while since we had lunch together like this, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, it has. But that’s because you stopped inviting me! Haha, so why don’t you start inviting me for lunch more often like you used to?”

Saeki suddenly brought it up, and I laughed as I replied. Come to think of it, until recently, Saeki used to invite me to lunch all the time, so we ate together almost every day.

Wait, why did she stop inviting me, anyway?

“…Well, it’s kind of annoying that you’re making it sound like it’s my fault. If you invite me like you did today, I’d eat with you. But it’s surprising that you’d suddenly ask like that… hehe, could it be you wanted to eat lunch with me?”

“Wha… Wait, what!?”

Saeki giggled softly as she said that, but…

(Ugh… the way she said that makes it sound like…)

The way she laughed and asked made it seem like she thought I was lonely without eating lunch with her. It made me feel embarrassed, so I tried to act tough.

“Um… n-no, it’s not like that! I didn’t ask because I wanted to eat lunch with you or anything! It’s just that you used to always invite me, and then you stopped, so I was just curious!”

I hurriedly denied her words.

“…I see.”

Saeki’s smile quickly faded, and she had a more serious expression. Did I say something wrong?