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 34 - The Aftermath

Chapter 34 – The Aftermath

“I’m sorry… I was wrong.”

The servant, Sakurai Hinano, spoke solemnly in the living room.

She sat across from me at the table, looking down and refusing to meet my eyes.

Hinano caused the hellish scene during lunch yesterday.

Afterwards, Reika grilled me like a demon, Mayu showed up to check on things and got involved, and when I looked to Chiaki for help, Hinano noticed and got even more upset—

…No good. I don’t want to remember it any more. My body is rejecting it.

“I never thought my actions would lead to something like that.”

Yeah, that’s true… I never thought it would lead to something like that either.

“Master is kind, so I’m sure Master will forgive me, even though I made such a terrible mistake.”

She flashed me a troubled smile.

Hey, don’t just decide for yourself with that serious face. I haven’t forgiven you, you know?

“Which is why the smartphone you’re holding in your hand must be just my imagination.”

“If that’s what you think, then let go of it already. I can’t make a call.”

“You’re going to ask Genichiro-sama to kick me out of here, aren’t you?!”

“As expected of Hinano. You’re so sharp. Haha.”

“I wanted you to deny that! Are you sure about this?! You’ll regret kicking me out! Even if you ask me to come back later, it’ll be too late!”

“It’s fine. I’m already regretting it right now.”

“That’s terrible! I tried my best for Master too!”

“As a result of trying your best, there are rumours that you and I are childhood friends with a physical relationship, that I’m pretending to date Tsukishima, cheating with Kohinata, and secretly in love with Chiaki.”

“I’m sorry.”

Sure, the lie about me dating Reika has been muddled now, but my reputation has been completely trashed.

Honestly, the good things and the bad things don’t match up!!

“It’s okay! Even if all the students avoid you, I’ll always be there for you!!”

Can you stop casually upgrading “classmates” to every single student? Surely the students from other classes and grades wouldn’t… No, let’s not think about it any more.

“If you hadn’t shown off to Tsukishima… if you hadn’t said that we’ve slept together, this wouldn’t have escalated so much.”

“Well, if I’d backed down there, I would have lost! I couldn’t lose as the representative of our childhood friendship…”

So you’re still hanging on to that setting.

“Besides… I didn’t like it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone thinks that Master and Tsukishima-san are dating…”

“Huh?”

That’s… No way. Hinano… So that’s what it is? Is she talking about me?

“Hinano… You can’t be.”

“M-Master…! I-I…!”

“O-Oohh…”

Hinano’s words made me straighten my back without thinking.

“I can’t even get a boyfriend! It’s so humiliating that even Master has one!”

This is bad, what should I do? I really want to beat this girl up.

I took a deep breath while trying to suppress my various emotions.

“…Okay, that’s the end of this discussion. And by the way, I’ll be out all morning today, so I won’t need lunch.”

“Hmm? Understood.”

“Right. That’s settled.”

Now then, I’d better hang up the laundry.

As I was about to leave the living room, Hinano grabbed my arm.

Damn it, I couldn’t escape in time…

“By the way… Where are you going?”

“…Tsukishima’s house.”

“What?! Wait a minute! What did you mean by that?! Why are you going to Tsukishima-san’s house?!”

“It’s because you said to Reika, ‘I spend every day with Tsuyoshi-kun, from ‘Good morning’ to ‘Good night.’ What about you?’”

After school yesterday, Hinano’s words must have sparked Reika, because in the student council room, she suddenly said, “Can I come over to your house tomorrow? Actually, I’m coming.”

The fact that I somehow managed to redirect that conversation into hanging out at her house instead is something I deserve praise for.

Hinano seemed to have realised as well, and remained silent awkwardly.

“But, but, butt! A man and a woman alone under the same roof! That’s so indecent!! It’s improper!!”

“You do realize we’re living together under the same roof, just the two of us, right…?”

“……”

“……”

Silence ensued.

“So basically, you and I are indecent and improper every day——”

“Shut up! There’s no point in trying to twist it with ridiculous logic!”

I’m not nitpicking, and I’m not even trying to twist it back…

“We won’t be alone, so calm down. Kohinata will be there too.”

“A threesome!?”

Sorry. Could you please be quiet for a moment?

“Master! You need to think rationally! Knowing how these things go, they’ll probably find some excuse to make Master stay over, and then at night, when Master is lying on the futon, they’ll pounce on Master wearing something extra provocative…! It’s the kind of thing that happens all the time in those erotic games!”

Don’t confuse the erotic games you play with reality.

“Listen to me! First of all——”

For some reason, Hinano started to lecture me.

…Why is Hinano so troublesome this time? No, is she always like this? How am I going to convince this troublesome girl…?

As I think about this while fiddling with my smartphone, I feel her irritated gaze.

“Master? Are you listening to what I’m saying?”

“Yes, yes. I’m listening.”

“Then why are you playing with your phone? You’re definitely ignoring what I’m saying.”

“No, I’m really listening to you——What’s this?!”

I accidentally shouted out when I stumbled upon a certain piece of news, making Hinano blink in surprise.

“W-wwhat’s with you Master all of a sudden…”

Hinano moved next to me, perhaps interested, and looked at my smartphone.

“Oh, an artificial heart?”

“Yeah. This could be a major breakthrough for the medical industry.”

“Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”

“It’s not an exaggeration, it could be one of the ways to save people who can only be saved by heart transplants in the future. There aren’t that many heart donors…”

For me, who needed a donor due to my heart disease, it could have been a lifesaver…

“I don’t really understand Master’s mysterious enthusiasm for an artificial heart, but… an artificial heart is expensive and requires maintenance. Only the few very rich people can afford an artificial heart.”

“I see… As expected of Hinano, you’re very knowledgeable.”

“…Master, are you using this artificial heart talk to subtly change the subject?”

Seems I’ve been found out.

Sighing inwardly, I sent Mayu a message saying I’d be a little late to our meeting.

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