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 20 - The Courage to Face Your True Feelings

Chapter 20 – The Courage to Face Your True Feelings

Lunchtime.

I wasn’t on the stairs landing as usual, but in the student council room.

According to Hinano’s information, Mayu always eats her lunch there during lunch break.

The reason I was in the student council room was to talk to Mayu. Of course, the topic of conversation was about her feud with Reina.

“Huh? Ishibashi-kun?”

When Mayu came into the student council room, she looked surprised.

It seems Hinano’s information was true. I’ll thank her by buying her the strawberry tart she wanted to eat before.

“Ishibashi-kun, are you having lunch here too?”

“…Yeah. I don’t have a place in the classroom.”

“I see… Are you not with Tsukishima-san?”

“It’s not like we’re always together.”

“I see. Um… Is it okay if I stay here with you, Ishibashi-kun?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks.”

Mayu sat down in the chair opposite mine, looking somewhat relieved.

We’re in the same student council, so she didn’t even need to ask permission… Do I look that scary?

“…Do you always eat lunch here?”

“…Yeah. I don’t fit in in my class either.”

Huh? Was there a setting like that?

“I’m the only one from a normal family in the advanced class, so…I’m not really welcomed by my classmates.”

Ah, I’m sure the advanced class was full of students from wealthy families. That’s why Mayu, who comes from an ordinary family, must be the only one who stands out.

“That’s surprising… I had the impression that you would be popular in class.”

“The boys talk to me, but…we’re not really friends, and it feels like the girls are avoiding me.”

It was easy to imagine her being fawned over by the boys and disliked by the girls.

“……”

For some reason, Mayu stared intently at me.

“What is it?”

“No…it’s nothing.”

Mayu smiled and tried to brush it off.

…I’ll try to step in and say something.

“…Something must’ve happened. I don’t mind listening if you want to talk.”

When I said that, she widened her eyes for a moment, then let out a quiet giggle.

“What is it?”

“Well, I just thought… that bluntness of yours is a bit like Reika-chan’s.”

Seriously? I’ll have to watch out for that.

“…It’s not like it’s some deep problem or anything. I just thought maybe we’re kind of similar.”

“Well… there might be some similarities.”

“Like… we’re both kind of the odd ones out at school…”

“I don’t know about you, but I can’t deny that people treat me like I’m hard to approach.”

Mayu looked happy when I said that. Then she looked up shyly and fidgeted.

“It’s not really a problem, more like… a request. Um… if it’s okay with you… since we’re kind of similar… Can we be friends?”

Beep! Beep! Beep!

“I-Ishibashi-kun? Your phone is beeping. Are you okay? It’s from Tsukishima-san, isn’t it?”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just a message; I’ll ignore it.”

Beep.

I turned off my phone to escape the nasty messages from Reika.

Then I looked at Mayu.

She looked somewhat anxious, yet expectant.

I’m sure what she needs is someone she can trust.

If I were the protagonist…I’m sure that if I accept now, I’ll enter the “Kohinata Mayu route.”

But I’m not the protagonist.

Plus, this method is the same as Yarita’s, and will only make Mayu dependent on me. It won’t solve the underlying problem.

That’s no good.

That’s why…

“I won’t be friends with you.”

“…Why?”

“I have no intention of replacing Tsukishima.”

Mayu blinked slowly, as if taken aback.

“If I become friends with you now… I’ll just be an escape for you. So if you want to be friends with me, you have to make up with Tsukishima first.”

“…Ishibashi-kun, you really don’t hold back. But I don’t think I’ll ever make up with Tsukishima-san.”

Mayu smiled sadly and forlornly. As if she had given up.

“…Do you hate her?”

“There’s no way I could hate her. She was the only one who reached out to me when I couldn’t fit in with the class. She doesn’t let herself be swayed by others, and she stays true to herself. That part of her is amazing… I respect her.”

Well, that’s just how Reika is, she’s straightforward about what she likes and dislikes.

“But I… I don’t have that kind of strength. And because of that, I think Tsukishima-san probably… That’s why I’m scared of her.”

Mayu covered her mouth in shock. She probably didn’t mean to say that much.

“…We’re complete opposites, so it’s not going to work out… We’ll definitely end up fighting again anyway.”

“It doesn’t really matter if you’re complete opposites.”

“…Eh?”

“Besides, what’s wrong with fighting? You can just fight a lot and make up after each time. Is it bad to clash because you want the other person to understand you?”

“Well, that’s…”

Deep down, both of them probably want to reconcile.

But that’s just their hope and wish… Maybe they really don’t like each other, maybe they really can’t reconcile.

They’re both scared of finding out the answer…scared to find out the other person’s feelings.

That’s all there is to it.

“…She said she wanted to make up with you.”

“…Eh?”

“…Well, that’s not really for me to say any more about.”

“Ishibashi-kun?”

I opened the door to the locker of cleaning supplies behind Mayu.

There I saw Reika with tears in her eyes.

“Tsukishima…san”

“Kohinata…”

I had called Reina during lunch break before Mayu arrived and had forced her into the cleaning supplies locker.

She was really reluctant and resisted, but when I told her in a serious tone “If you don’t go in right now, I’ll never speak to you again,” she obediently went in on her own. (T/N: Dem, emotional blackmail, good muehehe)

“…The rest is up to you two.”

With those words, I left the student council room.

Honestly, I’m not interested in the cause of their quarrel, and it’s not that important.

The most important thing is whether or not they want to reconcile now, how they feel about each other.

Besides, this is their issue to resolve, and it wouldn’t be right for me to interfere further. All I can do is force an opportunity for them to talk.

…It’ll definitely work out. I have a feeling.

……

…

“Master, did it go well?”

As I was lost in thought, Hinano, my accomplice, popped up.

“Yeah, thanks to you.”

“Seriously! You suddenly asked me to investigate Kohinata-san and hold her back until you were ready! I understand that I’m competent and you want to rely on me, but you really push it sometimes!”

“Sorry. By the way, how did you hold Kohinata back?”

“Huh? Ah, I acted like I was feeling sick in front of Kohinata-san and got her to accompany me to the infirmary.”

Huh… I only have an image of Hinano as a terrible actress, but was it really okay?

“You should’ve seen my great acting, Master~!”

“…Hmph.”

“Hey, Master? Did you just snort at me?”

Hinano gave me a suspicious look.

“Come on, come on. I’ll buy you a strawberry tart as a reward today.”

“Eh?! Really?! I love you, Master! Oh, I brought lunch, so let’s eat together~!”

She’s too easy to please… Thinking that, I started walking with Hinano.

◇　◇　◇

T/N: Smart idea to make the girls make up, after all, it’s easier to create a harem between good friends, ehehehe….

If you enjoy Eroge reincarnation novels, you might enjoy these 2:

1. [Scum Mob Reincarnation] I Awakened to the Bug Skill “Erotic Doujin” in an All-Ages Dating Simulation Game, so I’m Going to Enjoy All the Super-Cute Heroines Like It’s an Eroge~ The Protagonist Is Too Pathetic, so It’s Okay if I Steal the Heroines, Right?

2. I Reincarnated as the Overpowered Male Lead in an Erotic Game and Had Already Slept with One of the Heroines~