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 24 - Keep It a Secret From Reika-Chan, Okay?

Chapter 24 – Keep It a Secret From Reika-Chan, Okay?

“Ishibashi-kun, sorry you had to walk me home too.”

“No, it’s already dark.”

When we finished eating at the family restaurant and went outside, it was already dark, so after dropping Reika off near my house, I headed home with Mayu.

“Plus, thanks to Kohinata, I was able to buy a nice strawberry tart.”

This way, Hinano wouldn’t be in a bad mood even if I got home a little late. I looked at the small box containing the limited edition strawberry tart that Mayu had told me about.

“…Do you like strawberry tarts, Ishibashi-kun?”

“…Yeah, I guess so.”

Well, it’s not me who likes them, it’s Hinano. I like tarts too, though.

“…I see. Fufu.”

“…What is it?”

“Oh, sorry. I thought it was cute that you like sweet things. Oh, come to think of it, there’s a delicious tart shop in Hakata, too.”

“Why Hakata?”

“My grandmother lives in Hakata. I go back there alone during long holidays.”

…I had no idea there was such a setting.

“I see. So can you speak a little Hakata dialect?”

“You want to hear my Hakata dialect?”

“Not really.”

Hey, stop that. Don’t puff out your cheeks and bump into my shoulder.

As I quickened my pace to escape, we reached a fork in the road. If I went right, I’d reach my house, but——

“This is fine. I’ll head home from here.”

Mayu took a step forward to the left.

“Are you sure? I can walk you all the way home.”

I’m not really comfortable letting a girl walk alone on a dark street.

“No. Any more would be bad for Reika-chan.”

“I see…”

Well, I don’t want to force myself to go with her, so I’ll see her off here.

“Yeah. Thank you so much for today.”

“Yeah, see ya.”

This will probably be the last time we have a leisurely chat like this.

Honestly, my role ended the moment Reika and Mayu made up.

And more than anything, I’m worried about Yarita’s advice…so I’m thinking of trying to avoid seeing Reika and Mayu outside of student council meetings as much as possible.

Reika did say during our time at the family restaurant that she plans to start eating lunch with Mayu in the student council room starting tomorrow.

“Ishibashi-kun.”

“What is it?”

Just as I was about to walk away, Mayu called out to me, and as I turned around, she took my hand.

She gripped my index and middle fingers tightly, causing me to feel a little unsettled.

“Hey, do you remember what you said before?”

“What I said before?”

Even as I asked, I had a feeling I knew what Mayu was referring to.

“You said that once Reika-chan and I made up, you’d become friends with me.”

“……”

Mayu’s gaze was so serious that I couldn’t help but hold my breath.

“I thought this might be the only chance. If I didn’t say it now, I thought you might disappear from our lives.”

What Mayu was saying was mostly true, so I couldn’t immediately say anything to deny it.

Mayu smiled wryly when she saw my reaction.

“I’ve been saying it since the first time we met, right? That I wanted to be friends with Ishibashi-kun.”

“…Why do you want to be friends with someone like me?”

“…Reika-chan and I had such a misunderstanding that we didn’t even look at each other. But it was Ishibashi-kun who made us face each other and…brought us back together.”

“I told you already. You two made up because you both fought for it, I just forced the two of you to talk.”

“That’s not true. I was able to face Reika-chan without running away because Ishibashi-kun scolded me, and even though you were forceful, you also pushed me forward. You have no idea how much that helped me…”

“……”

“It’s all up to me to decide.”

Looking down at my own hand, Mayu had two of my fingers firmly in her grip, and there was no sign of her letting go.

It was probably the same as with Reika.

It wasn’t about logic.

“…Alright. I’ll leave it to you. Let’s continue to get along.”

I nodded in resignation, and Mayu smiled with relief.

“Yeah. Let’s be friends forever, okay?”

F-forever…? Well, it’s probably fine. I shouldn’t think too deeply about it.

“Anyway, since we’re friends now… About how we address each other…”

Wait, no way… she’s not going to say something like “Can I call you ‘Tsu-kun’?” is she?

“Can I call you Tsuyoshi-kun? It’s only when we’re alone.”

“Eh, uh, yeah… I don’t mind.”

Despite my surprise, Mayu looked at me with satisfaction.

Thank goodness. She didn’t ask to call me something like ‘Isshi’ or ‘Tsu-kun’…

“I guess the conversation is over now. Could you let go of my fingers?”

“…Ah, sorry. Reika-chan will get mad if I keep doing this.”

…Considering the future, it might be best to tell Mayu the truth.

“I’m not really dating her… It’s one of those ‘pretend relationships.'”

“Eh, r-really…?”

“That was a lie she told to overwrite the rumors about me…”

Of course, she didn’t consult me ​​at all beforehand.

“I-is that so… I see… I see.”

When Mayu muttered this in a small voice, it sent chills down my spine for some reason.

Damn. For some reason, I found myself thinking that it might have been a bad move on my part.

“Well… There’s just one more thing I’d like to ask you…”

“…What is it?”

“After we made up, Reika-chan and I did a makeup hug.”

“A makeup hug, huh…”

“Yeah. It was embarrassing, but it felt reassuring, you know? It made me really happy that we had properly made up.”

“I see. I’m glad to hear that.”

“I want to do a hug like that with you, Tsuyoshi-kun.”

What on earth is she talking about?

“No way. That’s not going to happen. What are you saying?”

“You’ve done it with Reika-chan, right?”

“Huh?”

“Reika-chan told me that you two have hugged each other like that many times and said ‘I love you’ to each other…”

What is she talking about, seriously…

I’m sure Reika was just trying to show off after Mayu asked her the things we had done as a couple.

“…Well, it’s fine. It’s not like we have to do it now. I’ll just look forward to it until we get closer.”

Mayu smiled sadly and reluctantly let go of my hand.

Wait a minute… the way she said that makes it sound like we’re not close.

That’s weird. It’s almost as if I did something wrong.

“…Alright, fine. But just this once.”

After checking to make sure no one was around, I resigned myself and silently opened my arms.

Whatever happens, happens…

“…!!”

With an excited expression, Mayu put down her bag and leaped into my chest.

Ah, so this is what a “friendly hug” is. It’s soft, and she smells nice.

“…You see, I…”

Mayu stretched and brought her face close to my ear.

“I’m kinda fond of you, Tsuyoshi-kun.”

I widened my eyes in shock as she whispered in my ear.

Mayu pulled away and smiled like a kid who’s just had a successful prank.

“My Hakata dialect. How was it?”

Ah, so that’s it! She was using the Hakata dialect as a flag for this moment! I see, I see!

“Oh, now that I think about it, Tsuyoshi-kun hasn’t told me he likes me yet.”

“Huh…?”

“If we don’t say we like each other, it wouldn’t count as a friendly hug, right? Reika-chan told me that.”

Tsukishima Reika. Seriously, what is she saying?

“This hug is invalid, so next time we have a friendly hug, you’ll have to say that you like me, okay? And…”

Mayu put her index finger on my lips, making a face I’d never seen in the game before.

“Calling each other by our first names, our friendly hugs… Make sure all of that is kept a secret from Reika-chan, okay?”

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T/N: O-oh no… I can feel myself switching to Mayu?!! I’m just weak to cute and spoiled heroines, I can’t help it!!

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