I Was Reincarnated As a Man who Steals The Protagonist’s Childhood Friend - 15 - Uncertainty

Aniki, why is she acting so close to you?

“I’ve been wondering that myself,” I mused, propped up on my bed as I mulled over the events that happened prior.

Although the details were a bit hazy, there was one particular scene that came to mind. Takeshi, the main character of the story, had brought the heroine, Hoshino Nakano, to his place where, well, let’s just say he made her his own in that time. I won’t delve into the graphical details, but it happened roughly a week before the sports festival, and the main character seemed to be absent from most events during that time. As for why he was missing, that was a puzzle in itself.

“Have I inadvertently altered the course of the story?” I pondered aloud, realizing that the scenario playing out in my life now bore an uncanny resemblance to the doujinshi. Sure, Hoshino had come to my home, but my sister showing up at that exact same time? That certainly wasn’t part of the original plot, if I remember correctly.

“If I’ve indeed changed it, I suppose that’s that,” I concluded with a shrug. Though the mystery of why Hoshino was growing closer and closer to me still remained unsolved. After all, I hadn’t done anything special to attract her attention these days, yet here she was, drawing nearer with each passing day. I tried to look for some clues within my memories but nothing seems to really come to mind at all. The only thing that I need to do for now is to just let things go with the flow.

As I was busy contemplating this puzzle, I decided to kill some time by scrolling through my phone. The technological aspects of this world weren’t all that different from my own world. While minutes ticked by, a notification suddenly popped up on my screen.

“Hmm? A new message?” I wondered aloud, tapping the message icon to reveal the sender. It was my friend, Natsu.

‘Yo Takeshi, check this out! Airi looks like a hamster lol!’

Below the message was a photo of Natsu and Airi, both munching away on hamburgers at McDonald’s. True to Natsu’s claim, Airi did bear a striking resemblance to a hamster as she chewed with her mouth full.

I texted back, ‘Good luck avoiding a hard slap from her.’

‘I’m always prepared~~ (・ω<)’

Cringing at Natsu’s ever-quirky emoticons had become a habit, but considering it was Natsu, I should have expected nothing less. Another message from him illuminated my phone screen, and I couldn’t resist reading it.

‘We’re gonna practice the relay race tomorrow through Sunday, by the way. You should come watch me on the school grounds.’

‘Can’t make it tomorrow, but Sunday, maybe I’ll swing by.’

‘Nice! You should really join this relay race, Takeshi. I’ve heard there are plenty of girls eager to watch you.’

That last statement caught me off guard. Girls eager to watch me? I know I’m popular but I had no idea someone would want to specifically see me in the sports festival, especially someone from the girls. 

‘I mean, I’m not exactly the athletic type’ 

‘Nakano-san will be joining too, you know? I thought you might want to impress her.’

‘Well, yeah, but she already has Matsuda-san to impress.’ I texted my reply to Natsu

After a pause, Natsu’s reply came through.

‘He might have the childhood friend privilege, but that doesn’t mean you don’t stand a chance, you know.’

Natsu… my ever-enthusiastic friend.

‘Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try once, right?’

‘You mean it? That’s awesome! I’ll talk to our class rep about it tomorrow!’

Why did I have this nagging feeling that this decision I’d just made was going to come back to haunt me in the future?

While I was having a lively conversation with Natsu over the phone, a knock on my door interrupted my amusement. “Come in,” I called out.

“Hey, Aniki, Nakano-san says she needs to go home,” my sister informed me.

I checked my phone and saw that it was already 9:30 PM. 10 PM is when curfew begins. We underage folks would be in trouble if we were caught by those curfew enforcers. The last train was scheduled for 11:30 PM, so Hoshino had plenty of time to catch it.

“So, you’re done with your ‘girls talk’ with Hoshino?” I asked, pointing to my sister’s insistence on having a private conversation with her. I couldn’t help but wonder what was so private about their conversation that I couldn’t participate in it, especially given that it was happening in my home.

“Yeah, she’s a pretty nice senpai. It’s hard to believe that she’s your classmate. What would happen if your classmates found out she’s here?” my sister speculated aloud.

“Ah, I forgot to think about that,” I said, seeing the envy that would spread among my male students as I tried to imagine it. She’s a popular one after all so it wouldn’t be surprising if one of them would try to kill me. Actually, I can only think of one person who would do that. It’s Matsuda Naoki. Well, as long as I don’t get caught, it’ll be fine. Probably…

“Anyway, just make sure she gets home safely,” Chisa instructed.

“Aren’t you coming with me?” 

“It would ruin the quality time I have with you.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I inquired, genuinely puzzled by her remark.

“Just go already!” she pulled me outside my room and headed towards the main door and as I opened the door, there she was, standing outside whilst still wearing our school uniform. 

“Oh yeah, Aniki, don’t forget to get three cups of pudding for me,” Chisa chimed in, interrupting me before heading back into the apartment.

“She sure is lively, isn’t she, Takeshi-kun?” Hoshino observed.

“Yeah, tell me about it. Even at home, she can be quite demanding.”

“Hee~hee. Well then, shall we go, Takeshi-kun?”

“Yeah, sure,” I replied, and together, we made our way to the train station. As we walked side by side, I couldn’t help but notice how quiet the neighborhood was tonight, with no one else in sight. The chilly wind sent shivers down my spine every time it brushed against my skin.

“Um… Takeshi-kun,” Hoshino began.

“Hm? What is it?” I asked, turning my attention to her.

“Thank you for accepting my request, Takeshi-kun. And I’m sorry if I’ve been bothering you too much,” she confessed.

“It’s okay, I don’t really mind. “

“But I do mind! Lately, I’ve been bothering you, from giving lunch, to even intruding your home. I even asked you to call me by my first name. Doesn’t that bother you?” she asks.

I hold her slender hands to grab her attention. “Listen Hoshino, I know I said it just now and I’ll say it again: I don’t really mind, as long as it’s you. So, don’t think about it too much, okay?”

Take her. Don’t let that guy take her.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in my mind, leaving me bewildered. What the hell was that?

Continuing my reassurance, I added, “You’re a precious friend to me, so helping you is only natural, right?”

“Friend…” Hoshino trailed off.

“Takeshi-kun… how would you define our relationship?” She posed the question, her eyes searching for something more within.