I Was Reincarnated as a Mob in a Completed School Rom-Com Manga, and When I Tried My Best to Cheer Up the Broken Losing Heroines, I Realized I Had Surpassed the Original Story - 2

Chapter 2: The Losing Childhood Friend Heroine

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Hiyori Konno, one of the losing heroines in this world, had been the childhood friend of Hayato Shiratori, the protagonist of the original manga Amakoi. She secretly nurtured her feelings for him while attending the same elementary, middle, and high school, and finally confessed her feelings—but it was already too late. Konno-san was not chosen to be the protagonist’s girlfriend. When I remembered reading that emotional confession scene from my hospital bed, even now it felt like tears might overflow.

And that very same girl is now standing right in front of me.

“I’m really glad you laughed…”

“Okay, then I’ll go over there now, so close your eyes for a second.”

“W-why…?”

“Because if I go over the fence, you’ll probably see my panties.”

“Oh, that’s why… Sorry, I didn’t think about it!”

I hurriedly turned around.

“Here I go…”

As Konno-san gave a little shout, her indoor shoes hit the metal fence, followed by the fluttering sound of fabric.

“You can look now.”

When I turned back, she was brushing off the skirt of her blazer with both hands.

“Can I ask why you went over the fence in the first place?”

“You’re asking that all of a sudden?”

Konno-san narrowed her eyes with a displeased expression.

“O-of course, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to…”

“It’s not something I’m trying to hide, but somehow… Before I knew it, I’d already crossed it. It’s weird, huh…?”

“You’re… You’re not thinking about dying, right…?”

She answered with a snort.

“You’re being pretty direct. If I really wanted to die, I wouldn’t have come back… Probably.”

“O-oh, then that’s good.”

“But maybe… I wanted someone to stop me…”

Her softly murmured words were carried away by the wind, and I couldn’t hear them clearly.

“What did you say…?”

“If you didn’t hear it, then it’s fine. Forget it.”

Since continuing to stand around talking felt awkward, we sat down side by side, leaning our backs against the fence.

“Now that I think about it, Konno-san, you remembered my name.”

“Well, we’ve been in the same class for about half a year, so I at least know your name. And you know mine too, right, Kurosaki-kun?”

“That’s true, but it still made me happy.”

“You really are kind of weird, Kurosaki-kun.”

“I don’t think you can say that when you’ve got a huge mysterious aura going on, Konno-san.”

When our eyes met, we both burst out laughing.

“It doesn’t feel like this is the first time we’ve talked…”

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been rooting for you from the shadows…”

“I see… Sorry I couldn’t live up to your expectations.”

Konno-san buried the lower half of her face into her knees.

“N-no, that’s not what I meant… Konno-san, you worked super hard! I can vouch for you!”

“How can you vouch for me, Kurosaki-kun? It’s not like you saw everything, right?”

I did see it…Every last moment of it.

“Well, yeah… But Konno-san, you’re a really wonderful person, so I’m sure someday you’ll find happiness. I can vouch for that too!”

I meant it as heartfelt encouragement, but she responded with a suspicious side-eye glare.

“Don’t tell me you came here to take advantage of my heartbreak and hit on me?”

“Okay, fair. My wording does make it sound like that, but I swear that’s not it! I really just want you to feel even a little better!”

“Got any proof?”

“Proving something that doesn’t exist is basically impossible… Isn’t that like asking the devil for  proof…?”

With a softening expression, she asked.

“That might be true. Then… Why were you rooting for me?”

“Because I felt like your situation was similar to mine… I used to be really sickly too. So I just couldn’t see you as a total stranger…”

In the original manga, Konno-san’s backstory revealed that she had suffered from a serious illness as a child and miraculously recovered. Maybe that was why she was the character I felt the most connected to.

“Huh…? How does someone who only met me in high school know about my elementary school days? Don’t tell me…You’re a stalker?”

Her expression, which had just softened, suddenly darkened again.

“N-no! I heard it from a rumor! I swear I’m not a stalker!”

…Well, I was definitely a fan of her…

“Hmmm. Well, whatever. Thanks for worrying about me. I only ever talked with Shiratori-kun, so now it feels kind of awkward being in class… If you want, you can talk with me again.”

That was the kind of offer I could never have dreamed of.

“O-of course! Just think of me as, like, a budgerigar or something!”

Konno-san scrunched her face and showed her biggest smile of the day.

“Pff—haha… You know, Kurosaki-kun, you do kind of look like a bird… But wouldn’t that make most of our conversations just me talking to myself?”

“M-maybe…”

“But… I’m happy. I wish you’d talked to me sooner.”

“Sorry… But from now on, I’ll always listen to you, so if you ever feel sad, just tell me anytime!”

“Okay… I will…”

Konno-san’s slightly low, downbeat voice was pleasant to the ears. The original manga had never been animated, so this was something I could have never known in my previous life. Discovering this new charm of hers made me want to support her even more, and at the same time, I couldn’t help but look forward to the high school life that lay ahead.

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