I Was Reincarnated as a Mob, and After I Kept Listening to the Losing Childhood-Friend Heroine’s Complaints, I Somehow Maxed Out Her Affection Rating - 1

Chapter 1: I, a Mob Character, Encounter the Losing Heroine in the Park

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I, Yuuta Fujiwara, I was just an ordinary boy in high school, the kind you could find anywhere. No—strictly speaking, I was a “mob.” How did I know? Because when I came to, I had been reincarnated into the world of a certain canceled rom-com. The title was 『The Transfer Student Heroine Fell for Me on the First Day She Transferred In』. Even the name screamed template—a classic high school rom-com.

As for the premise, the protagonist, Shouma Urawa, was a perfectly average second-year high schooler. Since childhood, he had lived next door to his childhood friend, Kaede Hiiragi, and they were always together, as naturally as air. Up to that point, it was an ideal, picture-perfect youth. It was the kind of dynamic that everyone dreamed of.

Then, one spring day, a mysterious transfer student, Mio Shinomiya, arrived. She was the classic “flower on a high peak,” a girl blessed with overwhelming beauty and intelligence. Shouma naturally grew drawn to her, and Kaede was left behind as “just the childhood friend.” 

Nonetheless, Kaede continued to support him desperately. Test preparation, bringing him printouts when he had a cold, consulting about his future—each one was a sign of her love. But none of it was rewarded. In the middle of the story, she confessed to Shouma and he rejected her. The ending was supposed to be a “classic happy ending” where Shouma and Mio became a couple. …That was probably how the author wanted to write it.

But reality was different. Reader popularity was overwhelmingly Kaede > Mio. The internet exploded in anger. The series caught fire. The author broke down, and eventually the series was canceled. I lived on the very edges of that world.

And you might be wondering why I’m telling this story now.

It was because I had just witnessed Kaede, who had confessed to the protagonist and been rejected, collapsing in tears alone on a park bench. I stopped in my tracks and held my breath.

This is bad. This is completely that scene.

I wanted to speak to her. But it wasn’t my place, a mere mob character, to butt in. As I was about to walk away…

“…Hey.”

I turned around, and Kaede was looking up at me with eyes wet from crying. She was the “crying heroine” you often saw in manga and games, yet seeing it in real life only made my chest ache.

No, wait. I’m a mob, right? Am I even allowed to be here for this scene?

“Uh, sorry about that…”

I lowered my head slightly, apologetically.

“It’s fine. You can laugh at me if you want.”

Kaede gave a weak smile.

“Because I’m just the ‘losing heroine,’ after all.”

Whoa whoa whoa, isn’t that way too much of a bombshell? Who says that to someone on their first meeting?

“‘Losing heroine,’ huh…”

“Because it’s true.”

Wiping her tear-streaked cheeks, Kaede continued.

“Just because I’m the childhood friend, it means I’m already the ‘stepping stone.’ I was the one who stayed closest to him since we were little. We walked to school with our tiny backpacks, we scooped goldfish at the summer festival, we made snowmen in winter…”

Her voice trembled, yet the memories came alive so vividly that I could see them.

“And you know… When I stayed home sick, Shouma brought me printouts every day. I still remember it clearly. I thought, ‘Oh, I guess I’ll always be with this person.’”

“….”

“But it wasn’t true. All it took was a transfer student showing up, and his whole world changed just like that. I was just the ‘childhood friend,’ the one who was always beside him by default, but I couldn’t become number one. …It’s kind of funny, right?”

She leaned back against the bench and looked up at the sky. In her blurred vision, the colors of dusk dyed her profile in red.

“It’s not funny…”

I shrugged my shoulders. She was being more brutally honest than I expected. She must be really worn down emotionally.

“I’ve always loved him. But he was taken away so easily by a perfect beautiful girl who just transferred in…”

“…Honestly, he’s an idiot for rejecting you.”

“Fufu, you think so too, right? But… I still love him. That’s the annoying part.”

Kaede wiped her eyes and smiled faintly. Her crying face transformed into a heartbreakingly earnest smile. It hurt to look at her.

Shouma, you idiot. How can you not realize how much Kaede cares about you?!

I was getting irritated just thinking about it, but I forced myself to stay calm.

“…Sorry. I said something weird.”

“No, not at all. I don’t mind.”

“Hehe. Thanks. …Um, what’s your name? I’m Kaede Hiiragi.”

“Yuuta Fujiwara.”

“Ahh…Sorry, who?”

“Uh, we’re in the same class…”

“Oh—yeah, I think I remember someone like that!”

As expected, she hadn’t recognized me. 

Well… I am a mob character after all…

“Phew… I feel better now.”

Kaede exhaled deeply and put on a smile.

“Thanks, Yuuta-kun.”

“Well, if you want, I could listen to your complaints—”

“No, I’m okay now!”

Kaede stood up and waved lightly.

“See you, Yuuta-kun.”

“…Ah, yeah. See you.”

I didn’t even know if my reply reached her. Kaede turned her back and walked out of the park bathed in the evening sun.

I ended up talking to Kaede way more than I should’ve… Is this okay? And somehow I ended up offering to listen to her anytime she wants. Well… whatever. I got to talk to Kaede.

Letting out a soft sigh, I left the park.

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