I Was Reincarnated As a Man who Steals The Protagonist’s Childhood Friend - 16 - Decision

3rd Person Perspective

“Takeshi-kun, what do you think of our relationship?”

Hoshino asked, her gaze locked onto Takeshi’s eyes. In that moment, he found himself contemplating their connection: were they acquaintances, friends, or perhaps… something even more? When they were seen together, most people assumed they were dating, but Takeshi had always regarded her as just a friend. It might sound harsh, but this stemmed from the fact that he knew about her true status: the heroine of a doujin, a secret Takeshi held close to his heart. Her destiny, as per Takeshi wishes, is to not be the cuckolding type of guy the doujin showed him off to be, and to give Hoshino a happy ending by letting her interact with the main protagonist of this world on her own violation.

“I don’t know… I can only think of our relationship as no more than just friends,” he replied honestly. 

“Why, Takeshi-kun? Is it because of that day?”

That day? What does she mean by that? Takeshi thought to himself, feeling perplexed. 

That day, I cannot forgive myself because of that day, and I swore to never become your boyfriend because I don’t deserve to be yours. An unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind. Those words left him puzzled; he couldn’t make sense of what it meant.

The doujin never mentioned any prior interaction between the two. Did I miss a crucial page in the story?

“I don’t know,” he finally responded to Hoshino, genuinely unsure about what she was referring to as ‘that day.’ He wanted to explore the creator’s other works in search for clues, but he knew it was impossible now, for he had passed away in his world, and those works surely don’t exist in this one. Takeshi cursed himself for not having a better grasp of the doujin’s world.

“For now, Hoshino, let’s just stay as friends. I want it to remain that way for a while before considering the next step in our relationship.” Takeshi continued.

“I see…” Hoshino replied, whilst looking at him with a smile that felt forced, with her tone tinged with sadness. He cannot help but feel hurt while looking at this scene but he thinks this is for the best.

They walked on toward the station in complete silence, their earlier conversation weighing heavily on their minds. Takeshi contemplated initiating a conversation, but the awkwardness held him back, leading him to abandon the idea. After a while, they reached the station, where only a few people were waiting, as per usual.

“So, this is where we part ways,” Takeshi remarked.

“Yes.” Hoshino replied.

“So, uh…” “Umm,” 

They stood in silence for a minute, both feeling a bit awkward.

“Oh, uh, you go ahead first, Hoshino,” Takeshi offered.

“Um. I’m sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have asked you that,” Hoshino said, wearing a sad expression.

“No, it’s fine. I’m also sorry if what I said hurt you. It was a sudden question, and I didn’t know how to respond other than to be honest with you,” Takeshi admitted. His words held the truth; he had hoped to nurture a deeper connection with Hoshino, but the mysterious voice’s cryptic warning had made him a little reluctant. He felt compelled to investigate this body’s past even more.

“It’s okay. In fact, I’m glad you told me the truth. It puts my mind at ease.” she replied.

With their conversation concluding, the train finally arrived.

“Then, Takeshi-kun. I’ll see you next week,” Hoshino said.

“Yeah. See you next week,” Takeshi replied.

He watched as Hoshino boarded the train. As soon as she stepped inside, the train’s doors closed and whisked her away to the other side, out of his sight for the night.

Did I make a mistake? Takeshi pondered, questioning his response. He noticed that Hoshino hadn’t looked at him ever since their conversation. Perhaps his decision earlier made Hoshino feel awkward?

You know what? I’ll think about it more when I get home. It’s done now, he thought to himself as he was still thinking of the events that’d unfolded in front of him without notice. It was an unexpected scenario for Hosino to question the relationship between themselves.

Takeshi made his way to the closest convenience store, intent on purchasing puddings both for his sister and himself. The idea of buying some alcoholic drinks to sober up crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it, recognizing that as a student, obtaining such beverages was completely out of the question. A few minutes later, he returned to his home.

As he walked in, Chisa, his sister, was engrossed in watching a random TV show on his television. She lay sprawled on the couch, wearing a girlish pajama set, the embodiment of a typical little sister one might encounter in an anime. Reality, however, had a different flavor in mind. Nevertheless, Takeshi didn’t mind it much.

“Welcome back, Aniki,” Chisa greeted him.

Takeshi handed her a plastic bag containing what she requested earlier: a pudding cup. “Yeah, here. Your pudding.”

“Nice. I’ll take it, thank you very much.”

“Ah, before that, I’ll have two.” He deftly took two cups of pudding from his sister’s hand. Chisa had an undeniable sweet tooth, which meant she’d consume a substantial amount of sweets, which also includes her brother’s share. To keep her in check, he always claimed his portion beforehand. The only surefire way to tame his sister was to tempt her with something sweet.

“Come on, scoot over. My favorite anime’s about to air.”

It was nearly 10 PM, and Takeshi’s beloved anime was set to begin. He rarely watched television, but when he did, it usually meant there was an important show he wanted to see firsthand. Despite having the option to watch the replay later, he preferred the live TV experience.

Takeshi took the remote from his sister’s hand and switched to the channel airing the anime. The show had already begun.

The anime centered around a protagonist from a nearly fallen house who aspired to restore his family’s glory, reminiscent of a Golden Age. It was set in a sci-fi space-like environment, complete with battleships and intense combat between human-controlled mechas.

The current episode featured the main character engaged in a heated battle within their mechas, and the animation studio had poured a substantial budget into the action scenes. The fighting sequences were nothing short of mesmerizing.

“Huh… I never knew you watched this kind of thing, Aniki,” Chisa remarked.

“This? A friend recommended it to me, so I decided to give it a shot. It’s an excellent show.”

“You used to be all about photography, but… ever since that day…” She trailed off, muttering something too soft for Takeshi to hear.

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“Nothing,” she replied, returning her attention to the TV while savoring her pudding. Eventually, the show concluded, and she moved to her brother’s bed, leaving Takeshi to rest on the couch.

“Friends…”

While lying on the couch, he thought about what Hoshino had said earlier. Considering everything she’d done for him, were her actions merely just something that ‘friends’ did? Such behavior would raise eyebrows in most cases, but Takeshi hadn’t followed the original flow of events in the first place. But why was she getting close to him? What was her goal?

“At this point, I don’t know how to face Hoshino.” he sighs as he scrolled about on his phone. 

“‘For now, I’ll just text her. ‘Did you make it home safely?’… And send.”

Takeshi’s eyelids grew heavy with each passing moment, and he finally let the sleepiness engulf him.