I Was Reincarnated as a Stepping-Stone Character in an Eroge, and by Breaking the Heroines’ NTR Flags in Place of the Protagonist, They Ended Up Falling for Me - Chapter 1 - I Was Reincarnated as a Stepping-Stone Character in an Eroge

Chapter 1 – I Was Reincarnated as a Stepping-Stone Character in an Eroge

I was reincarnated as a throwaway character in an erotic game.

No, this is not the common title of a light novel or a web novel, it’s the situation I’m in right now.

I was bedridden in a hospital bed when sleepiness came over me… and the next thing I knew, I found myself like this.

“Seriously, what the hell…”

Staring at my smartphone screen under the shelter of a bench on a rainy day, I saw none other than Ishibashi Tsuyoshi, a throwaway character from the eroge Ama x Kiss.

Ishibashi Tsuyoshi.

A transfer student at the school the protagonist attends.

He has a large physique, exceptional physical abilities, a genius who is also the top of his class, good looks, and the heir to a prestigious family (with a beautiful servant to boot).

He’s a playboy with the strongest specs in the game, possessing everything.

And yet, the reason he ends up as a stepping-stone for the protagonist in every route is probably because his personality is crap.

He’s what they call a disappointingly handsome jerk.

After being repeatedly used as a stepping stone for the protagonist, he’s disowned by his family, left to wander the streets, and ends up stabbed to death.

He is a ridiculous and pitiful guy who doesn’t even qualify as an NTR villain.

“No, stop it!”

All of a sudden, I heard a girl scream and looked around.

A little worried, I moved over with an umbrella and found a man and woman were arguing.

“Don’t be so cold~ You’ll catch a cold like this. Just come with me… alright?”

“!?”

The source of the scream was Tsukishima Reika, the heroine of “Ama x Kiss”.

She is beautiful, has a cool and serious demeanor, and is a popular girl in her grade with a sharp, unyielding ambition to succeed.

And the man pestering her is Kuzushima Osamu, also known as Trasshhima, an NTR villain in this game.

He is the son of the chairman of the high school the protagonist attends. He got in through his family’s connections and is NTR character number one.

He’s a proud, scumbag who will do whatever it takes to get anything he wants.

This erotic game has some pretty gruesome aspects, and if you mismanage the heroine’s likeability or flags, the heroines can be seduced in an instant, leading to a bad ending.

Huh, wait a minute? Does that mean… an NTR event is happening right now in front of my eyes?

Hang on a second, aren’t things moving too fast?

“It’s okay, don’t worry~ I won’t do anything bad to you~”

“……”

But the situation continued to progress regardless of my confusion.

“There’s a car waiting nearby, so hurry up. I’ll take you home!”

“Ah! Hey, stop it!”

“…Oi.”

I know this isn’t the kind of moment where a throwaway character like me is supposed to step in. But right now, the protagonist who’s supposed to protect Tsukishima Reika isn’t here.

So I have no choice but to take the protagonist’s place.

I grabbed Kuzushima’s arm to stop him from forcibly taking Reika.

“Huh? Who are you?”

Kuzushima gave me an intimidating look.

But since I’m significantly taller and more built than him, his glare was directed upward.

“You’re bold, trying to force yourself on a girl who’s clearly uncomfortable.”

I used a forceful tone, channeling Ishibashi Tsuyoshi’s character from the game.

“Huh? What do you mean uncomfortable? Mind your own business and get lost.”

“Even an outsider like me can tell that the girl hates it, so are your eyes blind? Ah, I see, you’re just an idiot who can’t read the atmosphere.”

“You…!”

Kuzushima’s gaze was filled with hostility.

As if to respond to that hostility, I gripped Kuzushima’s wrist even tighter.

“You——Arrghh!?”

“I’d rather not resort to violence, but if you direct that hostility at me… don’t blame me for what happens next.”

“You… damn it! Fine, just remember this!”

Shaking off my grip, Kuzushima muttered a typical villain’s retreat line and stormed off.

Well, it was good that I managed to drive Kuzushima away, but… As a result, I was left alone with the heroine, Tsukishima Reika.

…I messed up.

No, if I didn’t do anything just now, Tsukishima Reika would have been forced into Kuzushima’s car and violated. My choice couldn’t have been wrong.

“…Thanks for saving me.”

I turned around and looked at Reika.

Her plain black hair was straight down, and her eyes exuded strong will. Her features were elegant and well-formed. Her posture and movements were calm and beautiful… Her beauty naturally drew my attention.

Looking so cute, I could tell she was truly an erotic game heroine.

However, she must have been caught in the rain while heading home and taking shelter here. Her hair is damp, and her uniform has become slightly see-through.

“…Here, you’re all see-through. Put this on.”

“Oh, um, thank you…”

Reika put on my blazer. Yeah, just as I thought, it’s way too big for her.

All that’s left was her wet hair… I wonder if there’s anything I can find.

I rummaged through my bag and found a towel that was just the right size.

“Use this to dry your hair so you don’t catch a cold.”

“Uh, okay…”

Reika was confused, but she took the towel and started drying her hair.

“…Why are you being so kind to me? I only know your name, Ishibashi, and that’s about it.”

“No particular reason. I’d just feel bad if I left you here like this.”

“I see.”

…Maybe he’s not a bad person?

Hmm? I feel like I just heard something that was completely out of Reika’s character.

“Did you just say something?”

“Nope, nothing at all.”

“I-I see…”

Wait, could it be? Am I hearing Reika’s inner thoughts, like a game or novel monologue?

A-actually, he’s really kind… I-I think I might start to like him.

Hold on, isn’t Tsukishima Reika too easy?

No, wait… I’m sure Tsukishima Reika was treated like a tutorial character for this game.

Which means… compared to the other heroines, Reika is easier to win over.

“……”

Reika looked up at the sky while drying her hair. The clouds were overcast and the rain showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

“Here, I’ll give you an umbrella, so hurry up and go home.”

I handed the umbrella to Reika and sat down on the bench.

Reika’s uniform was still wet, so she would probably want to go home quickly and take a shower. Besides, the rain was forecast to get stronger from now on.

So there was no reason for her to stay here.

“Sorry, but I’m going to sit next to you. Could you scoot over a bit?”

“Ah, okay.”

Tsukishima Reika sat down next to me.

…Eh, wait a second. Why is she sitting beside me? I even gave her the umbrella to go home.

“Um, why aren’t you going home? I already gave you the umbrella.”

“…Did you know that the forecast says there’s a chance of lightning striking later?”

My question was answered with another question.

“Lightning strikes are more likely to hit places that are tall, thin, and protruding.”

Eh, now you’re just blabbering, just go home.

“In other words, if I go home with the umbrella open now, there’s a higher chance of being hit by lightning, so it’s dangerous.”

“…I see. So, what you’re saying is, you’re scared of walking home alone in the lightning and don’t want to move from here.”

“That’s not it at all!!”

I see, that’s not it. If that’s the case, can’t you just walk home with the umbrella?

Oh, come on! Why would you say that!? Are you really that clueless!? The right thing to do here would be to just stay by my side without saying anything! Ugh, can’t you understand my delicate maiden’s heart?!

Please, Reika, understand my feelings. I really just want you to leave.

As Reika began to rapidly explain the dangers of lightning, I nodded along, looking up at the clouds that showed no signs of clearing up.

◇　◇　◇

T/N: Dem, chapter 1 and we already got a tsundere heroine. Well it makes sense she’s fallen for MC this early if she’s the “tutorial” heroine… Will we ever get a lewd heroine, hmm…

Anyway, the term stepping-stone and throwaway character don’t have that much of a difference, I’ll just use whichever fits the line/sentence best. In essence, it’s a character to glorify another character, in this story, to glorify the protagonist.

There are about 40 chapters out at the moment, and I’ve translated around 20, I’m planning to catch up to raws very soon. Hope you enjoy this novel~