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 - 38

Chapter 38: The World After the Horror Game (2): The Birth of the Ultimate Sweet Heroine

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September 20th. I was discharged from the hospital and was going to school starting today. The uniform I put on for the first time in over a month and a half felt slightly unfamiliar, probably because of the long break.

“Wow, it feels kind of fresh to see you in your uniform, Satoru-kun.”

“That’s actually my line too,” I replied.

Mio, walking next to me, said that. From today, we were going to school together.

“Huh? You’re not wearing glasses today?”

“Someone said I looked cuter without them, so I’m wearing contacts today.”

“Did I really say that?”

“I definitely heard it.”

I matched my pace to Mio’s, walking slightly slower. Her hair swayed in the crisp autumn breeze, occasionally sending a clean, soap-like scent drifting to my nose.

“I kinda feel embarrassed…”

I unconsciously rubbed the back of my neck while my gaze darted around.

“Your face is red, you know?”

“It’s just the cold wind. Come on, let’s go.”

As I tried to start walking, Mio lightly, but firmly, tugged at the hem of my right hand.

“If it’s cold, maybe this will warm it up,” she said, layering her left hand over my right and intertwining our fingers.

“It’s better not to let go at all, huh?”

“That should have been over by now…”

“For me, it’s not over yet.”

Mio peeked at me with her eyes lifted, gazing into mine.

“Mio… what do you think that world was all about?”

“Hmm… I wonder. But what’s certain is that we’re here now because of it.”

She said that, squeezing our intertwined fingers even tighter.

“In that world, Satoru-kun, you were so desperate, so cool. Every time I heard your voice in the darkness, my chest fluttered. And no, that’s not the suspension-bridge effect. It was real.”

Feeling my face grow hotter, I held her tiny hand in mine. Memories that were supposed to be terrifying now felt like a long, secret date between just the two of us.

“…It’s just a hunch, but…”

“A hunch?”

“If I had died in that world, I think I would’ve died here too.”

“That’s impossible.”

“No, it’s possible. If Satoru-kun hadn’t saved me, I probably would’ve been in real danger.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Wait… you didn’t hear? During the bus accident, Satoru-kun protected me with his own body.”

My heart jumped. Mio saw my surprised face and squinted her eyes slightly, with a mix of loneliness and tenderness.

“At the moment of the accident, the window glass shattered, and I was about to be thrown outside. Satoru-kun held me and shielded me.”

“I… I never knew that…”

“Satoru-kun is my hero, here and there.”

She stopped walking and brought our joined hands to her chest.

“Maybe it was the ‘what if’ world we saw together.”

“‘What if,’ huh…”

“The reason you desperately saved me in that world was a fragment of your heart that saved me in reality. So, I wanted to respond. I heard your voice in the darkness and realized, oh, this is the way back home.”

“Is that really it?”

“That’s it. You even saved my life. As expected of the Lost Item Collector.”

“Don’t ever drop anything again.”

“Yeah. Thank you, Satoru-kun. For protecting me.”

Mio stretched up and pressed her soft lips against my cheek. A fleeting touch, soap scent and warmth transferring directly.

“W-Wait! We’re in front of the school!”

“It’s fine. A reward for my lifesaver. Though this alone isn’t enough, is it?”

Blushing, she playfully pulled my hand with all her strength.

“I’ll spend my whole life repaying you.”

“Your whole life!?”

“My whole life.”

She said that, smiling with pure happiness.

◇◇◇

“Ueno, welcome back!”

When we entered the classroom, a loud pop echoed. Someone had fired a party popper.

“Whoa!? What’s this!?”

Startled, I jumped as my classmates swarmed around me. On the blackboard, poorly written, were the words: 『Congratulations on your discharge! Ueno’s back!』

“Hey, hey, just because you were in bed for a month doesn’t mean your reactions should be this slow.”

A classmate said that. Mio, standing behind me, silently walked to her seat by the window.

“Oh, Air-chan’s here.”

“I’ve been here all along.”

Mio’s deadpan reply was lacking in any charm. Hard to believe she was an idol. Where had the bright smile from before gone?

“Hey, Ueno! Stop smirking!”

“I’m not!”

I dodged my friend’s headlock and glanced at Mio. The classmates, assuming she was the usual “Air-chan,” lost interest quickly and returned to bombarding me with questions about the accident and my month-long absence. But I didn’t miss it. Pretending to look outside, Mio kept glancing my way! And somehow… she looked angry! I pushed through the crowd and ran to her side. The others stared, bewildered.

“Uh… Mio.”

“I made you lunch today, but I’m not giving it to you.”

“Ehhhhhhhhhh!”

Before I could react, the boys screamed.

“Ueno and Air-chan…Are you two dating…?”

“Yes, we are.”

“Ehhhhhhhhhh!”

Mio dropped a nuclear bomb on the classroom on my very first day back. 

Ah, this is what a normal classroom reaction is like.

 That horror-game world had been strangely muted, so it was a bit reassuring to see what ‘normal’ was supposed to look like.

◇◇◇

Lunch break.

It was a little chilly, but we decided to eat alone on a bench in the courtyard.

“What was that note for me about?”

“Wasn’t that written by you, Ueno-kun?”

“I don’t remember that at all.”

“Then maybe it’s something game-related?”

Mostly, our conversations recently were analyzing the horror game world. We discussed mysteries and oddities together.

“I think Sato-kun had an accomplice.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Game-wise, I think it was someone in that group. Who do you think it was?”

“Probably Nanase-san.”

“Nanase-san? Why?”

Mio picked up a little octopus-shaped sausage from her bento and nodded like it was obvious.

“I think Nanase-san was interested in Sato-kun.”

“How do you know that?”

“Hmm? Just the way she spoke, soft and gentle. Here, aah.”

She popped the sausage to my mouth. I opened it reflexively.

“…Ngh. I told you already, you don’t know who’s watching!”

I chewed quickly and looked around, but Mio happily ate her own tamagoyaki, unconcerned.

“It’s fine. We already said so much in the classroom. Hiding it now would feel unnatural.”

“…Mio, you’ve changed a bit, haven’t you?”

“I’ve let go of a lot. Also, I think I’m a pretty possessive person.”

“Why are you saying that now!?”

“Because it looks like Satoru-kun is going to get popular. I need to mark my territory while I can.”

Mio calmly said that, then grabbed the sleeve of my uniform with her free hand.

“…Maybe Hoshino-san was also curious about you.”

“No way.”

“Maybe she even lost the main heroine spot to me.”

“….”

Mio smiled gently. The cold, detached aura I first felt from her was completely gone.

“You know, I might have sounded cool in that world, but here, I’m nothing…”

“That’s not true.”

She firmly denied my words.

“No one can instantly help someone. Satoru-kun tried to save me before even knowing me. That’s not ‘nothing.’ You’re special to me.”

Mio’s head rested on my shoulder. It felt like she was entrusting her entire heart to me.

“Now it’s my turn to support you, Satoru-kun. I’ll be your personal, ultimate sweet heroine.”

Mio, once called “Air” and my normal-route companion, had changed a bit in that horror-game world. For me, Mio had become as important as “Air,” and thanks to her, I could be someone’s something. Now it was time to make this real world a happy ending too.

“You already are.”

“Huh?”

“Mio, you’re my ultimate sweet heroine.”

“Then I need to be even sweeter… right?”

Mio looked at me. The courtyard’s noise faded, even the wind seemed silent. Her long lashes trembled slightly, cheeks blushing pink. Our breaths mingled, faces close enough to touch.

“We won’t be apart, not even a millimeter.”

We whispered to each other, echoing the words we used in that world, and our lips met softly.

~END~