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 - 23

Chapter 23: Escape

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“Kazuto! Have you seen Hiyori-chan!?”

“I haven’t…”

“Tch, she escaped again the moment I looked away…”

I had been walking down the hallway, heading back to the clubroom from the bathroom. Kirari was sticking her head out the door, glancing rapidly around.

“Konno-san disappeared again?”

“Yeah, so help me look for her, Kazuto!”

Lately, Konno-san had been running away often—likely unable to withstand Kirari’s Spartan training.

“Isn’t your coaching a little too harsh, Kirari?”

“But the culture festival is only one week away!?”

“That’s true, but you’ve all been practicing every single day, even on weekends…”

“Kazuto, you really don’t get it… I explained before how we’re supposed to make money with this performance, right?”

“R-Right, um… You said we’d profit from photocards and merch after the live show…”

“Exactly. If the live show is lame, it won’t move people’s hearts. For the audience to want to support us, we need real effort and seriousness!”

When Kirari talked about something she loved, she was always blindingly passionate—almost suffocatingly so. That was part of her charm and also part of what made her dangerous. But seeing her so straightforward and earnest about what she liked always made me feel a little envious.

“I hope someday that passion gets through to Konno-san.”

“‘Someday’ is too late! So hurry up and help me find her!”

Following Kirari’s orders, I went off to search for Konno-san, but there was only one place she could be. It had to be on the rooftop. My guess was spot-on. The moment I opened the door, Konno-san flinched and jerked back in shock.

“Oh… It’s Kurosaki-kun.”

Her expression seemed to say, “What a waste, I got scared for nothing.”

“Kirari is searching for you like a madwoman, you know?”

“Don’t tell her I’m here.”

I casually sat down beside her as she hugged her knees.

“Well, even if I don’t, it’s only a matter of time before she finds you…”

“If she comes, I’ll hide. Just say I’m not here.”

“But there’s nowhere to hide, is there?”

“Then hold the door shut so she can’t get in…”

“Do you hate doing the idol stuff that much?”

“Because… Kurosaki-kun tricked me…”

Hit by an unexpected, damp and heavy stare, I recoiled with no clue what she meant.

W-What!? “T-Tricked” sounds way too malicious…!”

“There wasn’t any ninja costume…”

Ah… I did say that to convince her… Meaning this was completely my fault.

“Sorry… I did bring up the idea, but Kirari rejected it on the spot and I ended up forgetting about it…”

When I explained, Konno-san lowered her gaze and muttered quietly.

“Liar…”

Guh… Chadani-san had said the same thing once. That word really hit hard.

“I’ll talk to her again. Maybe we can at least get a different costume just for you…”

“It’s pointless. There’s no time left.”

“Even so… I don’t want you to think I’m a liar…”

“Well… It’s not just about the costume…”

“If you don’t mind… Could you tell me the other reason?”

“You won’t tell anyone…?”

“Yeah. It’ll be a secret between the two of us.”

When I promised to keep it to myself, Konno-san looked up at the sky and let out a long breath. The slightly chilly autumn wind stole her sigh and carried it away. Slowly, she began to speak.

“I’ve been getting scared lately. I’ve never been in a club before, and I’ve never done team activities. If I mess up during the performance… What if I ruin everyone’s hard work…?”

“So you thought running away would get you removed from the group?”

“…Yeah.”

“This is just my opinion as someone who watches practice all the time, but… I think you’re the second best at singing and dancing after Kirari.”

“Even so… I’d definitely get nervous on the actual day…”

So she wasn’t denying that part. Well, considering the comparison was against tone-deaf Nazuna, rhythm-less Moe, and Chadani-san who rarely attended practice… It wasn’t surprising. Having so many members unsuited for idols was exactly why Kirari was so desperate now.

“If you really hated it, I think it’d be fine to quit. But the fact that you ran to the rooftop instead of going home… Doesn’t that mean part of you wanted someone to find you?”

“Kurosaki-kun, you’re annoying…”

Maybe because I hit the mark, Konno-san looked away with a sulky expression.

“You’ll be fine, Konno-san. Honestly, I’m way more worried about Moe and Nazuna…”

“Those two have their own charm. Even if they’re lame or mess up, people will say it’s cute and forgive them.”

“Well… I mean, you’re not wrong, but you’re just as cute and charming as they are, Konno-san…”

“…!”

I had only spoken my honest thoughts, but Konno-san froze, her face turning bright red. Thinking back, maybe what I said did sound bad.

“N-Not in a deep way! I just meant it from like… A general societal perspective…! Like, objectively speaking…!”

“Kurosaki-kun, sometimes you say stuff that sounds like you’re flirting. Are you secretly a playboy despite how you look?”

“I-I’m a rock-solid virgin, okay…?”

“Pff—hahaha! What’s that supposed to mean? I didn’t ask you that…”

Konno-san laughed so hard her eyes watered. Her smile was strange in a beautiful way and her smile felt like it was worth more—many times more—than the scenery from the rooftop. I secretly wished she could keep smiling like that throughout her high school life. Just then, as if timed perfectly, the rooftop door opened.

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