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 140: Hmm, What Should I Wear?

One day after school…

I was talking to Yukimura in the classroom.

“So, so, next Saturday is okay for the movie, right?”

“Yeah, that works. The afternoon time is fine, right?”

“Y-Yes, I’m okay with the afternoon.”

We were talking about the movie we planned to see together. Since it was going to be released soon, we were deciding on a date to go.

“Got it. I’ll make the reservation once ticket sales open.”

“O-Okay, that sounds good. Oh, um, I have club activities now… so, s-see you later!”

“Hm? Ah, see you.”

After confirming the date and time for the movie, Yukimura hurried off to the tennis club. I quietly watched her rush out of the room.

“Hmm, she’s been acting kind of strange lately…”

As I watched her leave, I muttered to myself. Ever since she came over to my place a little while ago, something seemed off about Yukimura.

Well, she hasn’t been avoiding me or anything, and we still talk and eat lunch together, so it’s fine… but why does she suddenly seem so uneasy?

“Hmm, well, I guess I shouldn’t worry about it for now. Instead, I should be thinking about what to wear when we go out together…”

I crossed my arms, murmuring about my dilemma.

Actually, I’d been stressing over what to wear for my outing with Yukimura for a while now.

(Because, you see, all the clothes I own are… pretty flashy…)

I do have a few simple outfits in my closet at home, but most of my clothes are loud—things like bomber jackets and leather rider jackets.

(Yeah, back when I had blonde hair and piercings, those flashy outfits probably suited me…)

And sure, maybe they’d still look good on the more serious me now, but they’re definitely not appropriate for going out with Yukimura.

So, once again, I found myself stuck, trying to figure out what to wear for our day out.

“Hmm, what should I do…?”

“Hey, Kuzuhara, what’s up?”

“Huh? Oh, Kuroki. Hey.”

While I was standing there, deep in thought, Kuroki suddenly called out to me from behind.

“Yo, Kuzuhara. What’s with the serious face? Got some kind of problem?”

“Hmm? Oh, well, actually… wait, that’s it.”

Seeing Kuroki’s face reminded me of something he told me not too long ago.

If you ever need my help, just ask.

That’s right. I have a friend I can easily talk to now. So, I decided to ask Kuroki for advice.

“Well, actually… I’m going out with Yukimura soon. Just the two of us.”

“What?! Seriously? That’s awesome! Have a blast!”

“Yeah, thanks. But, uh, there’s a bit of a problem… I don’t have any clothes to wear when hanging out with a girl.”

“Wait, what? Come on, that can’t be true. You’ve gotta have at least a few outfits that’d work for a date, right?”

“Nope, that’s exactly the problem. I used to only buy loud clothes that matched my old blonde hair and piercings… so now I have nothing that fits my current look, and honestly, I don’t even know what kind of clothes would suit me now.”

“Ah, I get it. Yeah, you do look totally different now from back in the day. I understand your problem.”

Kuroki nodded along as he listened to my story.

“Hmm, but since you’ve already set a date with Yukimura, we’ve gotta solve this fast… Oh, I know! If you’re free later, why don’t we head to the clothing store near the station and check out some outfits? I can help you pick something that suits you now.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Of course! What are friends for if not to help each other out?”

“Kuroki… Man, you’re seriously a great guy! You’ve got both the looks and personality of a total gentleman!”

“Haha, thanks.”

Kuroki grinned at my compliment.

(Seriously, Kuroki is such a good guy. If I were a girl, I’d definitely fall for someone like him.)

I couldn’t help but think that Kuroki was an incredibly thoughtful and attractive guy. I was genuinely grateful to have him as a friend.

“I’m really glad, though.”

“Hm? Glad about what?”

“Well, remember when you told me you liked Yukimura a while back? I was curious if anything had changed since then, but it seems like you two are getting closer, and that’s great.”

“Yeah, well, I did tell you I’d try harder, and it’d be pretty lame if I didn’t do anything after that, right?”

“Right, right. Haha, that’s what makes you so cool, Kuzuhara. You don’t hesitate—you take action. That’s a real manly trait.”

“Haha, thanks. So, um, would you mind helping me pick out clothes today? I’ll make sure to properly thank you another time.”

“Of course! Let’s head to the station right away!”

“Got it!”

With that, we headed straight to the clothing store near the station. Thanks to Kuroki’s help, I was able to find some clothes that suited me perfectly.

—

Chapter 141: Running Into Mayuka on My Way Home from Work

A few days later, on Saturday evening.

“Thanks for the hard work. I’ll be heading off now.”

“Yeah, great job. See you later.”

Today, I had my shift at the convenience store from the morning. Finally, my work was done, so after saying goodbye to the manager, I left the store.

“Ah… phew. I worked hard again today. Anyway, let’s head to the bookstore, get what I need, and then go home.”

Stretching lightly, I mumbled to myself. Actually, today, my little sister Yuuna had asked me to do a favor.

To be specific, she wanted me to buy the new novelization of The Knights of the Sacred Domain that had just been released a few days ago.

So, in order to fulfill Yuuna’s request, I decided to stop by the huge bookstore in front of the station before heading home.

“Still, lately, I feel like my body has gotten a bit out of shape. To get this tired from just a half-day shift…”

I stopped at a red light near the station and stretched lightly again.

Back when I first reincarnated, I used to work every day, pushing my body to the limit. But now, I only do one or two shifts a week at the convenience store, so I haven’t been moving around much.

Because of that, I’ve really noticed how out of shape my body has become, with fewer chances to do any physical work.

“Hmm, maybe I should take this as a sign to start exercising a bit…”

Well, I don’t feel like doing any serious exercise, but maybe I could try going for a light jog around the neighborhood on my days off…

“Huh? Is that you, Kuzuhara-kun?”

“Hm? Oh, isn’t that Mayuka-san? Hello!”

As I was lost in thought, stretching lightly, someone suddenly called out to me from behind. I quickly turned around.

Standing there was my senior at work, Mayuka Shirasawa. She’s the girlfriend of Kirishima-senpai, as I’ve mentioned before. Mayuka-san is nineteen and currently a university student.

She’s about 160 centimeters tall, with a slender build, and she’s always fully decked out in stylish fashion, with piercings, nail art, and her hair styled in a bright, trendy color. A complete gal, in every sense of the word.

Today, she was wearing short pants and a cropped shirt, with a slightly oversized jacket draped over her. The outfit really suited her cute, gal style.

Also, thanks to her short pants, I could see her bare legs clearly, which gave off a rather provocative vibe.

But I should stop staring too much, or she might get mad at me.

“Wow, it’s been a while since we last saw each other, right? Lately, my shifts have only overlapped with Kirishima-senpai’s and the manager’s, so we haven’t had the chance to run into each other.”

“Yeah, that’s right! I’ve been wondering how you’ve been doing since our shifts haven’t been aligning, so I asked Kentaro about you… But wow, you really took out all your piercings and went back to black hair! It looks so fresh and nice!”

“Haha, yeah. So, what do you think? Does it suit me?”

“Yeah, it looks great! You have a really clean, good-guy vibe now. It suits you!”

Mayuka-san cheerfully laughed as she gave me her positive feedback. As you can see, she’s a super social, outgoing person.

And because she’s so genuinely cheerful and open, she’s one of the few women I find really easy to talk to.

“But hey, why’d you suddenly stop rocking the blonde hair and piercings? I thought that style looked really cool on you.”

“I’ll be a high school senior soon, so I figured I should look a bit more serious since I need to start thinking about university and stuff. That’s why I went back to black hair.”

“Oh, I see! You’re in your second year of high school, right? Yeah, whether you’re going to university or job hunting, if you’ve got interviews coming up, it’s definitely safer to go with black hair. I was super serious-looking when I was in high school too, now that I think about it.”

“Wait, really? You weren’t always a gal, even in high school?”

“Oh? Are you curious? Haha, okay, okay. I’ll show you an old photo of mine. Just give me a sec…”

“Uh, sure.”

With that, Mayuka-san took out her phone and started scrolling through it. Before long…

“Oh, found it! Here, look! This is me in high school.”

“Oh, I’m really curious now. Thanks! Let’s see… Whoa! Is this really you, Mayuka-san!?”

“Yep, that’s me! Haha, back then, I was a super smart bookworm!”

The girl on the screen had black hair in braids and wore glasses. She looked like a simple, innocent beauty.

The difference between the super flashy gal standing in front of me now and the girl in the photo was so shocking that I couldn’t help but be amazed.

“W-Wow, that’s surprising. I mean, that’s quite the transformation! So, did you become a gal after graduating from high school?”

“Nope! I’ve always loved fashion and cosmetics, even in high school. During long breaks, I’d dye my hair lighter, do my nails, and go all out with my style. But when school was in session, I followed the rules and kept everything low-key.”

“I see… So you had a secret gal phase back then. But it’s impressive that you followed the school rules!”

“Haha, I just didn’t want to get scolded by the teachers, so I pretended to be a model student. But I still broke the rules in secret, like wearing nail polish on my toes where no one could see.”

Mayuka-san laughed heartily, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with her.

“So, yeah, in high school, I kept my braids and glasses look on the outside, while secretly enjoying gal fashion. But once I graduated, there was no need to hide anymore, so now I can fully enjoy dressing up like this.”

“Wow, I didn’t know you had such a past. But it’s clear that you’re enjoying it to the fullest now. Your current gal style looks amazing on you!”

“Haha, thanks for the sweet words! But unfortunately, I have a boyfriend, so even if you try to flirt, it’s not gonna work right now. Sorry!”

“Haha, that’s too bad. Well, I hope you and Kirishima-senpai stay happy together!”

“Haha, thanks for that!”

And so, Mayuka-san and I stood near the traffic light by the station, chatting about trivial things. But then…

“Haha… wait, huh?”

“Hm? What’s wrong, Kuzuhara-kun?”

“Uh, no… I just felt like someone was watching us…”

For a brief moment, I felt someone’s gaze on me. I quickly looked around, but I couldn’t spot anyone I recognized.

Huh, what was that feeling of being watched just now…?