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 - 26

Chapter 26: Realization

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Not even five minutes after I took her hand, Nazuna started breathing softly in her sleep. Curious whether she really was asleep, I knelt on one knee and peeked at her sleeping face. Seeing that peaceful expression, I let out a relieved breath. One of the heroines I had admired was sleeping defenselessly right in front of me. If the me from my previous life heard about this situation, what kind of face would he make in shock?

Nazuna’s slightly wavy, glossy red hair looked even more beautiful and vibrant up close.

“She really does have such a pretty face…”

Long eyelashes, a well-shaped nose, translucent white skin—there truly wasn’t a single flaw to be found. I swallowed reflexively. Somehow, I got the urge to try patting her head.

No, no, absolutely not.

Caught up in the unfamiliar situation, I let myself get carried away, but thinking about it calmly, what the hell was I considering doing to a sick person?

“But, just looking wouldn’t hurt—”

I felt bad for Kirari, who claimed to be the fan of Princess Nazuna, but this time I intended to enjoy this front-row seat all to myself. While I was staring dreamily at Nazuna’s sleeping face, a sudden voice rang out.

“It’s okay if you want to touch her for a little bit, you know?”

“—!!”

Startled, I turned toward the voice and met a pair of eyes peeking at us from the doorway.

“Come on, don’t be shy! Your other hand is free, isn’t it!?”

That suspicious gaze was fixed on our joined left hands.

“No, th-this is because Nazuna-san said she could fall asleep better like this, I didn’t force anything on her—!”

“Fufufu… I can pretty much guess how it went. Thank you, Kurosaki-kun…”

With that, Nazuna’s mother opened the door fully and stepped inside with a smile. Kneeling on my right side, she gently stroked Nazuna’s head as she spoke.

“Is she doing well at school?”

“Yes. That’s how it looks to me…”

“I see… If she has a friend like you, I feel relieved. Will you keep getting along with her?”

“That’s… I’d like that just as much, honestly…”

“She used to be really down some time ago, but no matter how I asked, she wouldn’t tell me the reason. Kurosaki-kun, do you know what happened to her?”

“Y-yes… Sort of…”

“I thought so… She used to tell me everything, but recently not so much…”

“There are a lot of things I don’t feel comfortable telling my parents either…”

“When she started brightening up again recently, the name I kept hearing at the same time was ‘Kurosaki-kun’—you. So I really am grateful to you.”

“N-no, I’ve really done nothing…”

Nazuna’s mother flashed me a bright smile as she turned back.

“Do you have a moment? How about some coffee downstairs?”

“Yes. Ah… But this hand…”

I remembered the left hand that was still trapped by Nazuna’s grip.

“In times like this—like so!”

As expected of a mother, with impeccable hand movements she instantly swapped my left hand with a stuffed bear’s paw. It was like watching a ninja’s substitution technique.

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Led to the living room, I sat at a four-seat dining table, drinking the coffee Nazuna’s mother offered. I was on edge, wondering what she planned to talk about. And yet she just kept watching evening TV shows, not getting to the main topic at all.

“U-um…”

Unable to wait any longer, I mustered the courage to speak up.

“Just call me Natsumi, okay? Or you can even call me Mom if you want, don’t be shy?”

She spoke with the casual friendliness of talking to a friend, down to ending her words with a teasing expression.

“Th-then… Natsumi-san…”

“You’re so stiff~”

“What was it you wanted to talk about…?”

Natsumi-san’s expression dimmed slightly.

“You saw Nazuna’s wrist, didn’t you…?”

“Y-yes…”

“What did you think…?”

“I just hoped she wouldn’t do something like that ever again.”

When I answered honestly, Natsumi-san hurriedly explained with a flustered tone.

“It was just once! Back in middle school! She promised me then, and she hasn’t done anything like that since…!”

“I’m glad… To hear that…”

“You didn’t… You didn’t feel disgusted after seeing it, did you…? Will you keep getting along with her like before…?”

“Of course. Nothing’s changed.”

Hearing my immediate reply, I saw a glimpse of relief in her expression.

“You really are exactly the person I heard about… Please continue to look after Nazuna…”

She bowed so deeply her forehead almost touched the table.

“P-please don’t…! Nazuna-san has way more friends and is far more admired than someone like me.”

“But I don’t think she’s had many people she could genuinely trust, not deep down. Nazuna isn’t good at showing her weaknesses to others…”

“That might be true…”

When Natsumi-san slowly lifted her head, she wore a gentle, soft smile.

“In that sense, it seems she really can rely on you, so I feel relieved. Please come visit again, okay? You’re always welcome here.”

“Thank you…”

At that moment, I realized. I couldn’t be a bystander anymore. This was nothing like my previous life, watching the manga safely from afar. I felt the responsibility—and fear—of becoming involved with real, living people as one of them.

When it grew dark outside, I decided it was time to head home. I went back to Nazuna’s room to get my bag. I did everything I could to avoid waking her, but the sleeping princess opened her eyes.

“Kazuto-kun… You’re already leaving…?”

“Ah, sorry for waking you…”

“You have school tomorrow, after all…”

“Nazuna, don’t push yourself. Rest well, okay?”

“Um… Can I ask just one thing…?”

She looked extremely nervous as she asked me that question.

“What is it…?”

“What you told me before… Does Kazuto-kun still feel the same now…?”

What I told her before? What was it…? Ah, the cultural festival date…

“Of course. Nothing’s changed.”

“Th-thank you… I’m… really happy…”

Flustered and embarrassed, Nazuna hid her entire face under the blanket. This small misunderstanding would later lead to a huge incident, but that part would come a bit later in the story.

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