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 294: A Few Days Later, Watching TV with Yuuna

A little while after that.

“Hey, this might be late to ask, but why were you two hanging out with Asahi? And you were wearing bookstore aprons… Are you guys working part-time at that store?”

“Huh? Uh, well, that’s… um…”

“No, it’s not like a part-time job or anything…”

“That’s not it, Dad. They weren’t working there. They’re my friends. The staff for my signing event today suddenly came up short, so I asked my two friends to help out.”

“Hmm, I see. So that’s what happened. Well, if it wasn’t a part-time job, that’s fine. Still, it’s pretty surprising that you and Asahi are friends. What a strange twist of fate…”

Kusakabe muttered that with a thoughtful look on his face. For now, thanks to Sera-san covering for us about the little side gig, it looked like we weren’t getting in trouble.

“Let me say it properly this time. Thanks for helping Asahi today.”

“Ah, yeah, no problem at all. I just did what anyone would do.”

“Y-yeah. We only did what was right.”

“What was right, huh… It’s great that you can say something like that. Hold onto that spirit and keep walking through life strong, okay?”

“”Yes.””

Kusakabe looked straight at us as he said it. There wasn’t a single trace of hatred in his eyes.

With that, it seemed like all the bad blood between me and Kusakabe was finally cleared up. I thought we’d never make peace in a million years, but here we were. Everything got resolved… I’m really glad.

After that, we seriously helped with the police questioning and investigation stuff until it was all done and we could head home.

◇◇◇◇

A few days passed.

“Big brother! Hurry up! The TV’s about to start!”

“Yeah, I know. Coming.”

In the living room of our apartment.

I sat on the sofa with my little sister Yuuna and we started watching TV.

“Next up is the news corner. Recently, two high school students living in the city… Masato Kuzuhara and Sae Saeki… stopped a suspicious person who tried to attack a woman at an event in the city. Today, the police held a ceremony to present them with certificates of appreciation. Here’s the footage.”

“Wow! Wow! Big brother and big sis are on TV!”

“Yeah, they are. It’s kinda super embarrassing though.”

The TV showed the scene from the certificate ceremony earlier that day. Me and Saeki getting the awards from the police chief.

So because we stopped the incident, the police gave us these certificates of appreciation.

It’s my first time getting something this fancy, so it feels pretty awkward. But for a guy like me who’s only ever caused trouble for people, this is the first proof that I actually did something good… So yeah, I’ll be proud of getting this certificate.

“Wow! There’s big sis getting her certificate! She looks so sharp and cool!”

“Haha, yeah she does. But Saeki said she was really nervous with the cameras rolling, so her heart was probably pounding like crazy at that moment.”

“Really? She doesn’t look nervous at all. Hehe, total poker face! Oh, now it’s big brother’s turn getting the certificate! Wow, wow!”

Yuuna’s eyes sparkled as she watched me on the screen. Having her stare so hard like that is kinda embarrassing. But she’s really happy about it, so I guess it’s fine.

Watching Yuuna enjoy herself like that made me feel warm inside. The two of us kept watching TV together nicely after that.

—

Chapter 295: Somehow I Ended Up Becoming a Serious High School Guy

The next morning. At school.

“Hey, Sae. Morning.”

“Ah, yeah. Morning, Masa-kun.”

I ran into Sae on the way to school. I greeted her right away and started walking beside her.

“By the way, did you watch TV yesterday? We were on it pretty clearly, right?”

“Y-yeah. Of course I saw it. But honestly, seeing myself on TV was kinda embarrassing…”

“Haha, no need to get embarrassed about that. You’re cute, after all.”

“Fweh!? C-come on… d-don’t say stuff like that! It’s banned, banned!”

When I said that with a laugh, Sae gave me a glare and crossed her arms tightly. It was kinda adorable.

“Aw, I was just telling the truth.”

“F-fweh!? T-that’s why… don’t say those things with a straight face! And no more of that, it’s banned!”

“Haha, got it. So how was it? What did people say about your award ceremony?”

“Um, well, the reviews were good. Mom was super happy, and Dad recorded it and keeps watching it over and over.”

“Nice, nice. I can kinda feel that warm Yukimura family vibe. But still, it’s wild. I mean, for someone like me, a former delinquent, to get an award from the police station… If the old me heard about this, he’d be shocked.”

“If the old you heard… Huh. Fufu, yeah, that might be true. The wild Masa-kun from back then would probably be really surprised. But it just shows how much you’ve grown. That’s really great. You managed to become a serious high school guy.”

“…Huh?”

“What’s with that blank look? That was your goal, right? Becoming a serious high school guy.”

“…Haha, yeah. I ditched the delinquent look completely, got along with my family, started going to school every day… and I even made peace with my old rival Kusakabe. So yeah, I guess I can say I’ve become a proper serious high school guy now.”

I answered with a laugh.

Come to think of it, the very first goal I set was ‘become a serious high school guy.’ And somehow, it looks like I actually completed it.

Finding that out today made me really happy, and I couldn’t help smiling about it.

“Yeah, that’s how it is. Oh, right. How was it at your place, Masa-kun? What did your family say when they saw you on TV?”

“Yuuna was jumping around with sparkling eyes going ‘Wow, big brother’s on TV, that’s amazing!’ And she said you looked sharp and cool on screen too.”
“Yuuna-chan said that? Fufu, that makes me happy.”

“Yeah. And Ayako watched the recording at night and said it was impressive. Having family cheer for you feels good.”

“Fufu, right? I feel the same way. It’s the best when family is happy for you.”

“Yep. Oh, yeah. I was talking with Yuuna yesterday, and I was thinking next time we could all—”

And so we kept walking to school, chatting about random stuff like always, staying close the whole way.

(Still, when I think about it… I really have changed this much.)

Compared to when I was the old Kuzuma, I’ve truly become a proper serious high school guy now.

I felt proud of that and promised myself in my heart that I’d keep living seriously from now on.

…………

“Gulp, gulp… phew… tch… Getting passed right at the finish line, what a joke. The horse was total crap too, and the jockey sucked. Damn it…”

In my cheap apartment room, I was drinking while cursing.

But I had a right to complain. I thought it was a sure race, but some horse came flying from the back at the end and my tickets all lost. If it had just held on, I would’ve won two hundred thousand.

“Gulp, gulp… phew. Man, nothing good’s been happening lately. I could really use some luck right about now… Hm?”

While I was muttering, my eyes drifted to the TV. What was showing there…

‘Next up is the news corner. Recently in a bookstore in the city, a suspicious person tried to attack a woman. Two high school students… Masato Kuzuhara and Sae Yukimura bravely stopped the suspect and prevented the crime. Today the police gave them a certificate of appreciation for stopping the incident before it happened. We will now show the moment they received the certificate.’

“…Hey, hey. What the hell. My son’s on TV. The kid’s grown up without me noticing. He’s all cleaned up too… Haha, looks like he’s got money now…”

I said that while smirking at my real son on the screen.