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

Nakano Hoshino POV

“Mom, I’m home!” I called out as I entered the house, being greeted by my mother’s welcoming smile. She was in the kitchen, preparing dinner.

“Oh, welcome back, Hoshino! Have you eaten dinner yet?” My mother, Nakano Minami, asked with concern in her eyes. I had texted her earlier to let her know I would be home late today to ease any worries she might have had.

“Yeah, I already had dinner at my friend’s house,” I replied, leaving out the fact that it was Takeshi-kun’s home. Guilt gnawed at me for not telling the truth to my mom.

“Ara, did something happen? You don’t look quite like yourself,” Mom observed keenly.

“Nothing, Mom. I’m just tired, that’s all,” I replied, trying to mask my true feelings. I climbed the stairs to my room, and as soon as I reached it, I flopped onto my bed.

I can only think of our relationship as no more than just friends.

Takeshi’s words played in my mind like a broken record. The train ride home had been a quiet and lonely one, filled with a heavy sadness I couldn’t shake off. I hadn’t even mustered the courage to look at him, and it weighed on my conscience heavily. How was I supposed to navigate through a situation like this?

My room was dimly lit, the soft glow of my desk lamp casting some dancing shadows on the walls. In the stillness, I couldn’t help but ruminate on Takeshi’s statement. Did he have any idea how deeply those words had affected me?

As I lay there, lost in thought, my phone buzzed, interrupting the silence. My heart skipped a beat, hoping it was a message from Takeshi. I grabbed my phone and saw the notification: “New Message From Naoki.” My phone buzzed again, this time with a call from Matsuda Naoki, my childhood friend. Naoki always had impeccable timing.

I answered the call and tried to sound cheerful. “Hey, Naoki.”

“Hey, Hoshino, how’s everything going?” Naoki’s voice conveyed genuine concern.

I hesitated for a moment, my emotions still raw from my encounter with Takeshi. “I’m fine, Naoki,” I replied, my voice quivering. “Just a bit tired, that’s all.”

Naoki wasn’t fooled by my attempt at acting nonchalant. “You sure? You don’t sound fine.”

I sighed, grateful for his understanding. “It’s… It’s just been a tough day, Naoki. But I’ll be okay.”

Naoki’s voice softened. “If you ever want to talk or if something’s bothering you, you know you can always tell me, right?”

“Yeah, Naoki, I know. Thanks.” I wanted to tell him about what happened with Takeshi, but I didn’t want him to worry too much.

After ending the call with Naoki, I found myself in a state of inner conflict. His words of concern resonated in my mind, and the comfort he offered felt like a lifeline in the darkness of my emotions. But as soon as I hung up, the weight of my situation came crashing down on me once again.

I couldn’t help but think that I might be chasing the wrong person. Takeshi had made it clear, “Just friends.” Those words kept echoing in my mind, like a never-ending refrain of rejection. Maybe I was being naive, holding onto a fantasy that didn’t exist, hoping for something that would never happen. Why was I even chasing him in the first place?

I rolled over in bed, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts racing. What had gone wrong? We had been so close, and now it felt like there was an insurmountable distance between us. Was it something I said? Or was it because of “that day”?

“That day” haunted me like a ghost from the past. It was the day we had a falling out, the day I had said things in the heat of the moment that I couldn’t take back. Takeshi had forgiven me, but had he truly forgotten? Did that incident still cast a shadow over our friendship, preventing it from becoming something more?

The more I dwelled on it, the more I couldn’t help but believe that “that day” was the reason Takeshi didn’t see me as anything more than a friend. Guilt and regret washed over me like a tidal wave, and I felt tears welling up my eyelids once again. If only I could turn back time and change the course of events from back then.

But I knew I couldn’t change the past. All I could do was try to make amends, try to rebuild what was broken. As I lay in my bed, tears streaming down my cheeks, I made a silent promise to myself: I would find a way to make Takeshi see me for who I truly was, to prove that I was more than just the mistakes of “that day.” It wouldn’t be easy, but I couldn’t give up. Not when my heart was still holding onto the hope of something more.

As if someone had heard my silent cries, my phone suddenly buzzed. I had expected it to be a message from Naoki, but when I saw the name on the screen, an electric shock coursed through me.

‘Did you make it home safely?’

Takeshi’s message was simple yet filled with underlying concern, and it sent a surge of conflicting emotions rippling through me. Relief washed over me, knowing he cared enough to check on my well-being. But at the same time, it deepened the confusion and hurt I felt. Why had he declared us as just friends if he was genuinely concerned about my safety? My emotions were a tangled mess, and I didn’t know how to respond.

“Should I even respond?” I wondered aloud, torn between my conflicting impulses.

At this point, I was at a loss, unsure of how to navigate these unfamiliar feelings. With a heavy sigh, I made a deliberate choice.

“It’s been a tough day today. I should get some rest.”

I realized that I needed to take a step back and give myself some time and space to process everything. The weight of my heartache and internal turmoil had made rational thinking nearly impossible. The intensity of my emotions was suffocating, and I knew that if I continued to dwell on them, I would only sink deeper into despair.

In the silence of my room, I surrendered to a restless slumber, still dressed in my school uniform. Tomorrow’s the start of the weekend, so I reasoned that it should be fine to rest a little. My dreams swirled with a chaotic blend of memories, hopes, and fears. Maybe in that state of mind, I could perhaps have some clarity return to me, or at least a brief respite from the emotional tempest that had engulfed me.

As I succumbed to an uneasy sleep, I clung to the hope that a new day would bring about a fresh perspective and, eventually, someone would enter my life to help me navigate the intricate labyrinth of my feelings.