I, Who Reincarnated as the Villain in a Romance Game, Somehow Became Doted on by the Heroine. And That Heroine Turned Out to Be a Yandere Stalker - Chapter 24: Will I See Tendo-kun Again?

Episode 24: Will I See Tendo-kun Again?

“Tendo, I’m turning off the lights.”
“Yeah. By the way, isn’t this bed unusually soft?”
“There’s water under the futon. It’s a leftover waterbed from the Showa era.”
“Oh, I see. Well, it’s fine. Good night.”
“Good night.”

Alone in the private room.
Tsukasa turned off the headlights.

◇

“I am a reincarnated person.”
“What are you――”

“Okay! That’s great, really great!”

Meido-chan interrupted me.
Tsukasa didn’t say anything more.

A reincarnated person, what does that mean?

I understand.

No, only I understand.

That Mitsurugi Todo is a reincarnated person? Why? How?

It made no sense.

After finishing the shoot in a daze, Tsukasa and I went outside carrying numerous paper bags filled with maid outfits.

“When you come back to return them, let’s take more photos, okay? Muah muah!”

We were kissed on the cheeks on our way out, but well, that’s fine.

More importantly, Tsukasa is a reincarnated person? I need to find out.

“Tsukasa, what does it mean to be a reincarnated person?”
“Todo, hide!”

Suddenly, Tsukasa pushed me against the wall.
Close, our faces are close. Why is he doing this now?

“What’s up!?”
“Be quiet.”

He said, and then high school girls walked by.

Aren’t they Rinka and Mimi? And Hiyono-san and Chika?

“Hehe… The best… BL is the best…”
“Wow! We bought so much Tenkara goods! It’s the best!”

I see, they came to play together.
Well, it doesn’t matter even if we’re found out――.

But why are those two wearing maid outfits?
And they have a lot of paper bags.

Hmm, the misunderstanding will probably clear up quickly, but it does seem troublesome.
Let’s stay quiet as Tsukasa suggested.

“Oh my, don’t those two look like Mitsu-san and Todo-san over there?”
“Huh? But they’re wearing maid outfits, right? Are they perverts? ♡”

But Hiyono-san and Chika noticed us.
We pretended not to hear, but all four of them stared at us.

Wait, did they hear our names too? This is bad.

“Um…”
“Tsukasa, let’s go!”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”

And then I took Tsukasa’s hand.

“Oh my, that’s odd. You two, wait right there!”
And we quickly entered a nearby building.

“What should we do? Let’s go deeper in.”
“Yeah, Todo, this outfit isn’t good.”
And once inside, for some reason, fluorescent panels appeared.

101. 102. 103, etc.
Break time, service time, accommodation?

“Welcome! Push that button to enter.”

Then an old lady peeked out.

“Oh no, we’re not…!”
“Todo, let’s just go inside for now. I can still hear their voices outside. We can leave soon.”
“Oh, okay…”

And then we pressed the button.
The lights blinked, and we received a key from the old lady.

This place――ah, I can’t say its name, but it’s that castle-like one.

“Wait a minute, Todo.”
“What is it?”
“It seems like they offer shampoo for lending.”
“So what?”
“This… isn’t sold much. Let’s take it with us.”
“Oh, uh, sure.”

Are we going to take a bath? I thought it was just for a short while?
And then Tsukasa stopped me again.

“What now?”
“It says ‘toy’ on it. Is this… a game?”
“Well, you see, this is for adults――”
“Old lady! We don’t need an explanation! Tsukasa, let’s go already!”

I really don’t know enough. Even a shut-in like me can tell!

Once inside, it was a whole new world.
A big bed, a small desk and chair.
The TV is quite large too.

But even so, I’ve seen this in anime, manga, and movies before.
I got a little excited, but next to me is the former protagonist――Tsukasa, and another guy.

“My first time with a guy…”
“It smells kind of floral.”

I thought it was a bit annoying from the start, but I put down the luggage with a thud.
And then, I immediately asked.

“So, about what we were talking about earlier.”

Huh? He’s not here. Where is he?
I hear the sound of water…?

Following the sound, I found Tsukasa turning on the faucet in a large bathroom.

“Hey, what are you doing in the bath?”
“It’s more efficient to fill it up while we talk.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, that’s true.”

Hmm, well, he’s not wrong.
Efficiency is important.

And finally, we got to the point. Since we can’t let the water overflow, we decided to talk in the bathroom.

“What does it mean to be a reincarnated person?” What does it mean, what does it mean――.

Tsukasa’s expression darkened more than it ever had before.
It’s annoying how the acoustics echo in the bathroom.

After thinking slowly for a moment, he finally spoke.

“I am… a reincarnation.”
“Reincarnation?”
“Tendo Tsukasa, that’s not my real name. I can’t remember my real name anymore.”
“…What do you mean?”

It made no sense.
I couldn’t understand it at all. But does it mean he’s like me?

“I found myself in this world somehow. It was a long time ago. At first, I had memories of my past life… or rather, I don’t remember anymore, but I had memories of the past. But gradually, those memories started to fade. And now, here I am. And Todo, aren’t you the same?”
“…Why do you think that?”
“I don’t know. But I feel it. And your reputation is slightly different from before. I know you helped Hayate Tomo, and I know about what happened with the gym clothes the other day. Isn’t that right? Tell me. I… have felt like I’ve been living alone all this time…”

I see, so that’s how it is.
I don’t know the reason, but Mitsurugi Todo is a reincarnated person like me.
And as I understand, it’s the sensation of memories from the previous life fading away.

Maybe I’ll disappear completely and become completely Mitsurugi Todo?
I certainly feel… an indescribable fear.

It’s not that I don’t like it, but it’s unsettling not knowing if I’m truly myself.
Tsukasa… was scared too.

“…That’s right. I’m also a reincarnated person――”

And then I told him everything.

“I see… So, Todo, you know a lot about this world?”
“Yeah, and Tsukasa, you don’t?”
“No. Well, strictly speaking, maybe I did. But I can’t remember anymore…”
“I see…”

I don’t know the reason. But for some reason, I felt relieved.
I’m not alone, I

realized.

“Tsukasa, I’m glad you’re here to help me――”
“Ding ding ding! The bath is ready♪”

“Oops, wait. Looks like the tub’s filled up.”

He’s got bad timing.

◇

After that, we had a naked conversation.
We soaked in the bath, talked about memories from our past lives, and even about the impending destruction.

And the former protagonist, Tendo Tsukasa, promised to help me avoid my demise.

“Todo, you and I are the only friends we have in this world. That’s why I’ll do everything I can to help.”
“Tsukasa…”

Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face.
I was scared. Even with a reliable companion, it was uncertain whether we could avoid destruction.
I… was saved.

But there’s something I don’t understand.

“Can I ask one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Why am I Mitsurugi Todo, and you’re Tendo Tsukasa!? Am I the only one getting the short end of the stick!? And my reputation around here is still terrible!?”
“Haha, well, that’s true. But, being in this body isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.”
“What do you mean?”
“For one thing, my body is too light. I have trouble with it. I’m in good shape even without exercising, and I don’t need to study. Girls fall for me without even trying, and I don’t even need to make an effort. My family relationships are good too, and the other day, ten girls came over to my house, and it was a hassle. And then――”

His boastful complaints went on forever, and I started to dislike Tendo Tsukasa a little.
Well, I’ll cut him some slack.

Before we knew it, it was late at night, and it had automatically switched to accommodation mode.
It’s a shame, so I just made a quick call to my parents, saying I was staying at a friend’s house.

I feel… strange.
Both of us changed into bathrobes and lay down.

“Tendo, I’m turning off the lights.”
“Yeah. By the way, isn’t this bed unusually soft?”
“There’s water under the futon. It’s a leftover waterbed from the Showa era.”
“You’re oddly knowledgeable about this.”
“I wonder why. Maybe it’s memories from my past life.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, it’s fine. Good night, Tsukasa.”
“Good night, Todo.”

And then we closed our eyes.

Deep sleep――no, it felt like dreaming.

Deep memories, memories from our past lives.

Memories that seemed familiar.

Someone was being bullied at the park.

I’m sure it was――my best friend, a guy.

I immediately rushed to help.

We were the best of friends.
We loved games, we were otaku friends, and he was the one who invited me out of my shell.

But we were both timid.

We were being bullied.

And then, my friend, he… stopped moving after being hit too many times.

“Hey, hey! ****! ****!”

Enraged, I attacked the bullies.
But I felt something hot in my stomach.

“This can’t be happening…”
“Hey, you’re going too far!?”
“What are we gonna do!? Hey!?”

I could hear the voices of the bullies.
It hurts, it hurts. It hurts.

Ah, I… was disappearing.

At that moment, I heard my friend’s voice.

“****, we’ll meet again, right?”
“Yeah, let’s meet again.”
“Next time, let’s meet in the world of our favorite game.”
“Yeah, I’ll become stronger. I want to become someone so strong that no one can oppose me.”
“That’s good. Then I’ll… become smarter and cooler.”

“Let’s meet again, best friend.”
“Yeah, let’s meet again. Definitely.”

And as I woke up, I forgot about that dream.