I Was Helping Out With The Harem Plan Of The Romcom Protagonist I Admired, But Now That I’ve Realized He’s A Scumbag, Next Time I’m Going To Stop It And Make The Girls Happy Myself - Chapter 16 & 17 & 18 (yeah, cuz 50 chapters in a row is still exhausting)

Chapter 16: True Feelings

The next day, when I got to school, Takasaka-san spoke to me.

“Morning, Sugita-kun.”

“Yeah. Morning, Takasaka-san.”

Lately, I feel like I’ve been talking with Takasaka-san a lot.

Did she fully forgive me about the field trip money thing… or is my apology still not enough?

“Hey, Sugita-kun. Want to eat lunch together today?”

That invitation caught me completely off guard.

I didn’t really have a reason to refuse, so I agreed without thinking—but just like you’d expect, I could feel the stinging looks from people around us.

Of course. The “thief” who stole the field trip money and the “victim” who nearly got framed were making lunch plans.

Jinguuji didn’t even glance at me, like he was pretending he didn’t care.

Unable to stand the painful stares from everyone except Jinguuji, I told Takasaka-san, “See you,” and headed for my seat.

But as soon as I set my bag down on my desk—

“Why are you following me?”

I pointed out that Takasaka-san—who I thought I’d just left—had somehow followed me all the way to my seat.

“I decided I’m not going to hold back anymore.”

I had absolutely no idea what she meant.

“Sugita-kun. Let’s talk until homeroom starts.”

I didn’t have any particular topic, but I didn’t have a reason to turn her down either, so I decided to spend that normally boring time with her.

※

Hina POV

Lunch break.

I figured I’d go see Yuuya to kill time, so I stopped by his classroom, but he was eating lunch with Yuzuki Takasaka, looking unusually close.

So what Takasaka-san said yesterday was true.

Takasaka-san has feelings for Yuuya. Not like me—this isn’t friendship. It’s real romantic interest.

I don’t know what Yuuya did to her, but it must’ve been something big. Like when he saved me.

Do I really think of Yuuya as “just a friend”?

Watching the two of them talk, my chest hurts like it’s being raked by fingernails.

This isn’t a feeling you have for a friend.

I know. I know, but…

“Hina. Come with me for a second.”

While I was thinking, my friend Sana called out to me from in front of the classroom.

Lately I’ve been with Yuuya all the time, and I haven’t talked much with her, so it feels a little awkward.

Still, I agreed right away.

I followed Sana, and she led me to a quiet stairwell in a corner of the school building.

Kaori—another friend I’d always hung out with—was waiting there too.

“It’s been a while since we talked, Hina.”

“Yeah. It has, Kaori.”

The air feels heavy.

In that atmosphere, I started. “So… what did you want to talk about?”

The two of them exchanged a look, then—

“Hina, why have you been hanging around that thief lately?”

The word “thief” made my ears react.

It was the word I’d been hearing nonstop whenever I was with Yuuya.

Don’t tell me—

“You mean Yuuya?”

“Yuuya… you—”

“Hina, you should stop hanging around some thief. Did he grab you by some weakness or something?”

Kaori said it like she was trying to talk sense into me.

To these two, Yuuya was nothing but a thief who stole the field trip money.

Most people at school probably see him as “Thief,” too.

Naturally. Because he confessed himself: “I stole it.”

But I couldn’t believe Yuuya was the kind of person who’d do something like that. No— even if he did steal it, I can’t believe it happened without some kind of reason.

While I was thinking, Sana—who didn’t really know “Thief Yuuya”—kept talking.

“Hina, you used to go ‘Kouki, Kouki’ all the time. Don’t tell me… you like that guy now?”

Do I like Yuuya…?

Yuuya’s kind. He seriously played along with the “pretend boyfriend” thing, too. When Kouki said cruel things and I was at the bottom of despair, he stayed beside me.

Honestly, he has everything you could fall for.

Even so, I couldn’t admit it. I didn’t want to admit it.

I’m hesitating. I’m scared of liking someone.

If I fall in love and get told something cruel again… if I get shoved back to the edge of despair again…

And then Yuuya’s face floated into my mind.

The one who pulled me back from despair was Yuuya. The one who got angry for me when I was hurt was Yuuya.

Yuuya Sugita.

As I kept thinking about him, heat gathered in my cheeks.

I… I like Yuuya—

“I like him. An unreal amount.”

The moment I said it, smiles bloomed across Sana and Kaori’s faces.

“Huh? Why…?”

I expected them to deny it, so I couldn’t hide my surprise at their reaction.

“Why? Because we can’t deny the guy our friend likes.”

Kaori nodded along with a soft, “Yeah.”

“Sure, people say he’s a thief, but if you show us that face, Hina… we can’t say anything anymore.”

Faced with their gentle smiles, I murmured again, “Why…”

Because to them, Yuuya is just a thief.

It’s easy to form a bad impression of someone you’ve never even talked to.

So why did they believe me this much?

“Hina. You probably haven’t noticed, but you’ve looked awful for days now.”

“Awful?”

“Yeah. You think you’re hiding it, but it’s obvious to us.”

Then Kaori leaned in with words that stayed close to my heart.

“Something happened, didn’t it? If you’re serious about him, we’ll help you as much as you want.”

Hearing that, I understood.

They’d been worried about me the whole time. That’s why they were so harsh earlier. It was their kind of kindness.

When I tried to thank them, Sana said, “But before that—” and the two of them dragged me off somewhere again.

And the place they brought me to was the classroom where Yuuya was.

I’d ended up back where I was just a moment ago.

Chapter 17: The One I Like

Hina POV

“First, we have to confirm it with our own eyes.”

Sana said that, and the two of us peeked into the classroom through the door to check on Yuuya.

Yuuya had already finished eating, but he was still talking with Takasaka-san.

“He’s talking with another girl. And she’s super cute too. Hina, if you don’t hurry, she’ll take him.”

“I absolutely hate that.”

“Right?”

For some reason, in front of the two of them, I could finally say what I really felt.

There’s no way I could ever say something like that in front of Yuuya.

“But I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to him.”

“You don’t know…? Hina, with Jinguuji you always went after him hard all on your own.”

“Kouki and I have known each other since we were little, so talking to him felt normal, but Yuuya is…”

I’ve been talking with him a lot lately, sure—but the moment I become aware of him, I get tense.

And besides, I…

“Did something happen?”

Kaori asked.

I answered, “Yeah. Actually—” and started explaining.

“It was fake, but… I did date Yuuya once.”

“Wha!?” the two of them blurted out at the same time, and Sana frowned. “Fake?”

“Well… to make Kouki jealous… I got him to go out with me once…”

“Does he know it was fake?”

“…Yeah. I told him from the start, and he still went out with me…”

Sana let out an annoyed sigh.

“So now you fell for him, and next you want to date him for real.”

“I know it sounds convenient.”

“Yeah. It’s way too convenient.”

After Sana, Kaori twisted the knife with, “Self-centered.”

“I know it’s convenient… I know, but… if I fell for him, what am I supposed to do about it…?”

“Cute little mess. Leave it to us. We’ll handle it.”

“But how?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re going in.”

Sana declared it, and Kaori followed, and the two of them marched into the classroom, walking straight toward Yuuya—who was talking with Takasaka-san.

“W-wait—!”

I chased after them, but it was too late.

“Hey, you. Sorry to spring this on you, but do you have someone you like?”

“‘Someone you’re interested in’ is fine too.”

They really did not care about anyone watching. It was a full-force frontal assault.

Yuuya looked confused, glancing back and forth between the two of them.

“It really is sudden… someone I like…”

Feeling like he had to say something, Yuuya rested a hand on his chin as he thought.

Then, right as I held my breath, Yuuya’s eyes met mine.

I reflexively looked away.

“Hina, I guess.”

“Huh!?”

A loud voice spilled out before I could stop it.

When Sana asked, “Huh—so that means…?” Yuuya continued with a gentle expression and explained.

“Lately I’ve been talking with Hina all the time, our movie tastes match, and more than anything, I have fun when I’m with her.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Sana. It’s fine. We’re done here.”

To hide my embarrassment, I forcibly pushed the two of them out of the classroom.

“Sorry, Yuuya. We caused you trouble.”

“It’s fine.”

He smiled at me kindly. I turned my back on that smile and left the classroom.

※

“Hmmm. It doesn’t seem hopeless, but…”

That answer sounded like friendship to anyone.

Still, being seen that way made me genuinely happy.

“Well, if you’re okay with it, Hina, then… fine, but…”

Then Kaori spoke after Sana.

“But him… it felt like he was looking at something else.”

“Huh? Like…”

“No—not that girl beside him. How do I put it… like he’s obsessed with something else. Something different.”

Obsessed with something else…

It’s true—Yuuya never complained and even played along with being my pretend boyfriend.

Thinking back, I couldn’t really read the intent behind most of what he did.

If I called it pure kindness, I could stop there—but it feels like it’s not that simple.

“Either way, it doesn’t seem hopeless, so good for you.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Sana. And you too, Kaori.”

Grateful to them as they told me, “If anything happens again, tell us anytime,” I headed back toward the classroom.

Then my phone vibrated.

When I checked, it was a LINE notification from Yuuya.

I took one deep breath, then opened LINE in the hallway.

“Were those the friends you mentioned before? The girl who gave you the movie ticket.”

“Yeah.”

Kaori was the one who gave me the ticket. She probably gave it to me thinking I’d go with Kouki.

“Good friends.”

“Right? I’m proud of them.”

“Next time, ask what kind of movies she likes for me. And while you’re at it, give me her LINE too.”

“Don’t get cocky. Ask her yourself.”

Watching Yuuya’s reply—“Yes, ma’am. Sorry.”—I felt relieved.

Thank god. It’s just LINE, but I can still talk normally with Yuuya.

Earlier I couldn’t even look him in the eyes, so I was worried… but if it’s like this, I can invite him.

“Hey, Yuuya. Let’s go on another movie date sometime.”

“Sure, but ‘date’?”

“Got a problem with that?”

“No. If I can go out with you, Hina, I wouldn’t even care about what you would call it.”

I hid my face behind my phone so no one in the hallway could see my expression.

※

MC POV

A side note.

After Hina and the others left the classroom, I sensed a sharp stare from Takasaka-san.

A silent pressure.

“Uh, so… about what just happened, it’s not that I don’t have fun with you too, Takasaka-san—”

“It’s fine. Looks like you don’t want to talk with me, Sugita-kun.”

“Sorry, Takasaka-san.”

“Then call me by my first name too. If you do, I’ll forgive you.”

“Yuzuki-san.”

“Yuzuki.”

“Yuzuki.”

“Good.”

I didn’t know what exactly was “good,” but it seems she forgave me, so that was a relief.

Chapter 18: A Famous Streamer

A month had passed since the field trip ended.

In the classroom, the so-called romcom protagonist, Kouki Jinguuji, was still glued to the popular kids group.

The popular crowd was buzzing about summer break being over, filling the classroom with noise.

In my previous life at this point, Jinguuji was already surrounded by two heroines. He spent every day with them, and the two girls fought a desperate war over him.

But the current Jinguuji didn’t have that kind of presence at all.

He was probably waiting for the right moment. Holding his breath, staying quiet until that “time” arrived.

He isn’t the type to give up over something like this. Jinguuji hasn’t given up—not on building his harem.

It’s about time the next scenario arrived.

And that next scenario was—

“Everyone, take your seats. This is sudden, but we’re introducing a transfer student. Come in—Nanase-san.”

At the teacher’s cue, the classroom door slid open, and a single girl walked in.

Her name was—

“Starting today, I’ll be transferring here! I’m Mizuki Nanase!”

“Huh!? Isn’t that the streamer ‘Mizurin’!?”

The moment one boy shouted that, the entire class erupted.

Mizuki Nanase—the girl with headphones hanging around her neck—was a mega-popular streamer with over a million subscribers.

Her style was pretty bold for a high schooler: game streams while cosplaying.

She’s still a student, so her cosplays don’t show much skin, but they’re designed to take advantage of her pretty face, meaning she always streams on-camera.

Naturally, the classmates around her reacted immediately.

“No way—she’s real!?” “I’m a huge fan!” “She’s insanely cute in person too—let’s ask for a photo later!”

The only ones not reacting were me and Jinguuji.

Jinguuji, like some protagonist out of a scene, rested his cheek on his hand and stared out the window.

“Alright, alright. Calm down.”

When the teacher tried to settle them, the classroom finally quieted.

“Your seat is… let’s see. There’s an open spot next to Jinguuji. Sit there.”

“Okay.”

With everyone watching, she walked toward Jinguuji in the last row by the windows.

Jinguuji, who’d been looking outside, shifted his gaze forward and glanced at Mizuki Nanase.

The instant their eyes met—

“Ah! You’re—!”

Nanase shouted, pointing at Jinguuji.

Even Jinguuji looked startled as he muttered, “Huh… you’re…”

“What is it? Do you two know each other?”

When the teacher asked, Nanase explained, “Actually, this morning, before school, I crashed into him at a street corner.”

I didn’t want to believe it, but they already knew each other… so the “protagonist” of this school really is Jinguuji, no matter what.

In my previous life, an event like this didn’t happen. The future changed because I interfered with Jinguuji’s harem plan.

If this keeps up, it’s only a matter of time before Jinguuji’s harem forms.

And I can’t believe it’s such a cliché meet-cute. I got careless.

“Nice to meet you. Um…”

“Kouki Jinguuji.”

“Nice to meet you, Jinguuji-kun.”

Luckily, Jinguuji didn’t seem to be treating Nanase as a heroine yet, so there’s still a real chance to fix this.

I won’t let it become my previous life. Not ever.

※

The moment first period ended and break started—

“Hey, hey! Nanase-san, you’re Mizurin, right!?” “Why did you transfer here?” “I always watch you!”

Almost the entire class swarmed around Nanase and Jinguuji’s seats in the back, bombarding her with questions.

The crowd was so dense it was ridiculous, and as I stared, even students from other classes started peeking into the room from the windows.

“Yo, is it true Mizurin transferred today?” “Mizuriiin!”

I thought I wouldn’t be surprised since it was my second time around, but no matter how many times you see it, that many people is overwhelming.

At least in this situation, Jinguuji and Nanase can’t really talk, so for now I’m safe.

Or so I thought.

The moment Jinguuji stood up—clearly fed up with the crowd—Nanase stopped him.

“Wait, Jinguuji-kun.”

“Sorry, everyone. I appreciate it, but this is going to bother other people too, so please try not to do this as much.”

When Nanase said it clearly, everyone apologized obediently, and the students began dispersing.

“Sorry, Jinguuji-kun. I caused you trouble.”

“No, it’s fine. You helped.”

“Not that it makes up for it, but… next time, can I treat you to something?”

“Then buy me a drink at the vending machine later.”

“Huh, that’s all?”

“That’s all.”

Nanase burst out laughing at Jinguuji’s blunt tone.

“I’ve never met someone like you. You’re interesting! Let’s exchange LINE.”

“…LINE.”

I had a bad feeling.

And my bad feeling was immediately proven right.

A spark lit in Jinguuji’s heart—his spirit, which should’ve been crushed after the field trip incident.

“Alright. Let’s exchange.”

“Yes! My first friend at this school.”

As Nanase beamed beside him, Jinguuji wore that same creepy smile again—the one I’d seen far too many times.