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 - 36

Chapter 36: LIVE, START!!!

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“Right! How about imagining the yakiniku we’ll have after this!?”

At my suggestion, Konno-san placed a hand under her chin, closed her eyes, and began muttering as she slipped into a fantasy.

“Yakiniku…Beef tongue…Kalbi… Harami… Cold noodles… Vanilla ice cream…”

Her expression completely changed from a moment ago, and she drooled happily.

“H-How is it…?”

“Not helping at all…The moment I finished eating, I got nervous again…”

Konno-san returned to reality after having tripped into her solo yakiniku trip inside her brain.

“No no no no! I mean, sure, you went all the way through the finale and dessert, but you didn’t actually eat anything, okay? It was just imagination…!”

“Ugh…”

Konno-san gagged, her face pale, both hands covering her mouth.

“Wh-What’s wrong!?”

“I feel sick… Maybe I ate too much…”

“No, you didn’t eat anything! How vivid is your imagination!?”

Just as the words “absolute crisis” floated through my mind, the hand of someone behind me settled on my shoulder as I panicked.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

A voice spoke from behind me—pleasant in a reassuring way, yet carrying a kind of listless undertone, as though two opposite moods coexisted within it.

“Ah…”

When I turned around, standing there was my homeroom teacher—Kasumi Haibara-sensei.

“What is it? Is it really so strange that I’d worry about my students?”

Tilting her head slightly, a glimpse of the messy bun tied from her grey hair peeked out, giving her the air of a mature woman. Hibara-sensei didn’t say much. She wasn’t the type of teacher who warmly listened to students’ worries. She was a teacher of this generation, someone who wanted to go home as early as possible. That was exactly why, if I said I didn’t find it suspicious that she came to talk to us right in the middle of this mess, I’d be lying.

“N-No…Nothing like that…”

Her gray pantsuit and white shirt, paired with a sloppily rolled-up jacket sleeve, perfectly reflected the cool and unadorned personality of Hibara-sensei.

“Konno looks like she’s in bad shape. Is she nervous?”

Konno-san, completely pale, didn’t even notice Hibara-sensei’s presence.

“Sensei, why are you here?”

“Well, I am technically your advisor.”

“Eh…?”

“What, Koganezaki didn’t tell you?”

“N-No… This is the first time I’ve heard of it…”

“Well, since I agreed to be your advisor, I need you all to put on a decent performance. Otherwise, I’ll lose face with the other teachers. And then I won’t be able to leave on time anymore.”

“Ahh, I see…”

“Kurosaki, go hug Konno for a minute.”

Without raising even an eyebrow, Sensei suddenly said something outrageous.

“Huh!? What are you saying all of a sudden!?”

“People find comfort in the warmth of others.”

“B-But when it’s between a guy and a girl, that kind of thing needs consent from both sides…!”

At my objection, Sensei frowned.

“You coward… Fine then. Move.”

She pushed me aside and, with an imposing stride, walked straight toward the trembling Konno-san and hugged her tightly. For several seconds, Konno-san’s small face was completely engulfed by Sensei’s chest—one that rivaled even Nazuna’s.

“P-Puha… I-I thought I was going to die… Sensei!? What are you doing…?”

Pulling her face away from Sensei’s chest, Konno-san looked stunned—but her complexion seemed a little better.

“Well? Did you feel safe in my chest?”

“F-Feels fluffy… In two different ways…”

“Hahaha, then do your best during the real thing, okay?”

Usually she only smiled with her sharp, narrow eyes, but now, waving a hand behind her as she left, she seemed almost kind. Konno-san, whose nerves had now been replaced by something else entirely, asked me a question.

“W-Why was Sensei here?”

“Apparently… She’s our club advisor.”

“Eh!?”

Even she didn’t know… Kirari, why did you keep that secret until now? When we returned to the gymnasium, the spectators pushed in all at once, flooding the space. I’d love to say this was thanks to all our promotion efforts, but in truth, Nazuna’s influence was probably the biggest reason. Everyone wanted to see the idol version of the famous Nazuna Akaboshi at the very end of the festival. Watching from the wings, the members of Colorful formed a circle before the performance.

“A lot happened, but let’s enjoy this. We can do it!”

“But Kirari, your hands are shaking.”

“Hiyori-senpaaai, please don’t mention that right now—”

“Hehe, it’s okay, Kirari-chan. We’re all here with you…”

“Moe’s palms are super sweaty but she’ll do her best…!”

“I-I’ll also dance my hardest so I don’t drag everyone down…”

Watching this heartwarming exchange from outside their circle, I felt everyone was incredibly reliable—but at the same time, I felt a bit lonely being outside that circle.

“Hey, Kazuto! What are you spacing out for!? Hurry up and get over here! It’s about to start!”

“Eh, but I’m not a member…”

“What are you talking about? Kazuto, you’re one of us too!”

With Kirari’s words, everyone’s eyes turned toward me.

“I-Is it really okay…?”

“Onii-chan!”

“Hurry!”

“Kazuto-kun!”

“Kurosaki-kun!”

Their pure, innocent smiles made my chest grow warm all at once. It was embarrassing, and I felt like I might cry.

“Thanks… Everyone…”

As we tightened our circle and renewed our determination, I felt—for the first time in my life—connected to others by something like a genuine bond. When the time came, I left the stage alone and headed to the audience seating, weaving through the crowd to secure a spot in the front row.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting! This may well be considered the main event of the two-day festival! It’s the one-day-only idol unit formed by the manga club’s all-girl team—Colorful! Please give them a big round of applause!!”

As the male student MC finished his introduction, the gym filled with loud music. Thus, the fated live performance had begun.

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