I Saved the First Victim of the Horror Game (The Idol in My Class), and She Became the Ultimate Sweet Heroine Who Smiles Only at Me - 36

Chapter 36: Don’t Cry Saying, “What If I’m Not Chosen?”

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Sato-kun held his nose and looked up at me as if he were staring at something unbelievable.

“What the hell is wrong with you! Are you crazy? I just want to avenge my family!”

“Love is the kind of thing that makes you go crazy! When someone’s gone, you get anxious, and when you think they might die, you get so sad you start crying! I’ve gone crazy because I like Murase-san!”

My head was burning with anger, and even I didn’t know what I was saying anymore. But I had already shouted those words at Sato-kun.

“If I didn’t like her, do you think I’d want to redo this crappy game over and over again?!”

“I have no idea what you’re even talking about…!”

Sato-kun stood up while clutching his head. The madness in his eyes still hadn’t faded.

“Don’t screw with me—”

He picked up a wooden stick that had fallen nearby and swung it down at full force.

Ah, that might be bad—

The thought had barely crossed my mind when a dull thud echoed deep in my ears. But there was no pain. I didn’t even feel the impact. In front of me stood the girl whose hand I had held so many times. Murase-san had jumped out in front of me.

“Murase-san!?”

From the force of the blow, Murase-san nearly collapsed backward. I barely managed to catch her body before she hit the ground.

“Murase-san! Stay with me! Murase-san!”

My scream rang out into emptiness. The body that crumpled in my arms felt shockingly light. W-Why did you step in front of me? Regret and an indescribable terror surged up from deep in my chest.

“Why… Why?! I was supposed to protect you!”

Over and over, I had repeated this hopeless night. I searched for a future where she wouldn’t be hurt, for an ending where she could keep smiling. And yet, at the most crucial moment, she ended up protecting me. Blood flowed from Murase-san’s forehead, soaking my hands with heat. That warmth forced me to confront the truth: this wasn’t some game CG. This was irreversible reality.

“…Sato-kun, you know.”

With a hazy expression, Murase-san called out to him.

“You see, I kept being an idol because I didn’t want everyone to call me ‘Air.’”

“Huh?”

“But there was someone who wouldn’t treat me like air. Someone who told me it was okay for me to stay just the way I am. Even though I’m not really a heroine, I fell in love with someone.”

“…”

“Maybe… maybe it’s the right flow for me to disappear here… I wonder? But I don’t want to die. I want to spend the future together with Satoru-kun. So this time… will you let us go?”

I didn’t know whether that was a plea for her life or an attempt to persuade Sato-kun. But I believed those words came straight from Murase-san’s heart.

“I’m sure, I really am. There’s someone who’s looking at you too, Sato-kun.”

“But…”

“I don’t know anything about this village. But if you kill me, I think you won’t be able to go back…”

At her words, I saw some of the tension leave Sato-kun’s shoulders.

“…Hey, Sato-kun.”

“What…”

“Murase-san actually isn’t a survivor from this village.”

“…”

“She has a normal mom, lives in a pretty nice house, and she’s just our ordinary classmate. I’ve been to her house before. It didn’t feel anything like it had to do with this village.”

At my words, Sato-kun let the wooden stick fall weakly to the ground. His face even looked slightly relieved.

“…I did think something was a little strange. If she’d read my letter, Murase would’ve reacted differently.”

“Sato-kun…”

“I can’t forgive the person who killed my parents…”

Sato-kun turned his back on us and began trudging toward the direction of the abandoned school building.

“But hearing Murase talk reminded me… that when someone disappears, it’s a terribly sad thing…”

“Where are you going?”

“I want to be alone for a bit… Everyone’s in the basement of that school building…”

Leaving those words behind, Sato-kun’s back disappeared into the darkness. What was he planning to do now…? I was worried about him too, but right now…

“Murase-san, are you okay!?”

“Ahaha, I’m fine, I’m fine… Just a little dizzy…”

She forced a smile as she said that, but blood was still flowing painfully from her forehead. I felt like her body temperature was growing colder, and all the blood drained from my face.

“There’s no way you’re fine! Wait here! I’ll stop the bleeding right now!”

With trembling hands, I tore the hem of my shirt and wrapped it around her head. If things had followed the synopsis, this would’ve been the moment Murase-san “exited,” and the story would’ve plunged fully into horror. But she rejected that scenario with her own will. For the first time, Murase-san had denied this world.

“Satoru-kun, I’m sorry. You asked me to be your heroine, but maybe I ended up making a weird face.”

“Y-You idiot! What are you saying?! You were the coolest in the world! The strongest heroine!”

“Hehe, the strongest, huh? If Satoru-kun says so then I guess I have to become the strongest…”

In my arms, Murase-san gave a faint yet undeniably resolute smile.

“Why did you try to save me…? It would’ve been fine if I just…”

At some point, tears were running down my cheeks. A terrible premonition raced through my body. The light in Murase-san’s eyes was steadily fading.

“Hehe, because you got hit… I remembered everything. Satoru-kun, you were always trying to save me, weren’t you?”

“Of course. I’ll save you as many times as it takes. I’ll redo it as many times as it takes.”

“No, not just that. On the bus too—”

Tears streamed down Murase-san’s cheeks.

“If I’m not chosen… I might cry…”

“Murase-san!”

It was the very moment I tried to pull her closer. Suddenly, everything went pitch black. It was a sudden blackout unlike the others. As if someone were telling us, “There’s nothing beyond this.”

“Wait! Murase-san’s still here! Murase-san!”

I screamed with everything I had, but my voice reached nowhere. Sound, wind—even the sensation of my own body—were stripped away into complete nothingness. Even so, I desperately searched for Murase-san, who should have been in my arms.

“Don’t end this on your own! We were just getting started! We’re still just getting started!”

My eyelids grew heavy. My consciousness sank. As it faded, I saw one final set of letters. They were mercilessly white, glowing coldly in the darkness.

【The END】