I’ve Been Reincarnated as the Strongest Villain in an NTR Eroge, so I’m Going to Break the Heroines’ Doom Flags on Behalf of the Main Character! - Chapter 16 - “The Angel Who Sat Beside Me” (???’s POV)

Chapter 16 – “The Angel Who Sat Beside Me” (???’s POV)

Suddenly, I thought I’d introduce myself.

My name is Yoshimoto Teppei. I’m a high school freshman with no particular redeeming features. My hobbies are reading light novels and watching Vtuber streams. Recently, I’ve also become addicted to FPS games.

I’ve never had a girlfriend, and I thought spring would never come to me.

That is, until I met you.

“Pl-please, to m-meet you…”

“Y-yes, likewise…”

Kinoshita Nanami is a girl from my class who has also become a library committee member. I could tell at a glance from her appearance that she was like me. But her hesitant way of speaking and her awkward demeanor gave off the impression that she wasn’t good with boys.

One day, when I had half given up on the idea that we would ever become friends, I saw an angel in the library.

At first, I didn’t know who it was. As I was captivated by her beauty, she seemed to notice me, and she quickly ruffled her bangs back and started to leave.

“W-wait!”

“Eeekkk…!?”

I called out to her without thinking. She was also quite startled and became timid as usual.

What should I do? I’ve totally screwed up. Thinking this, I started to think of ways to cover it up, when I noticed the title of the book she was reading.

“Th-that… it’s ‘Hangan,’ right? I-I like it too. I’ve watched all the anime.”

“R-really…?”

“Y-yeah…”

What she was holding in her hand was the novel version of a manga that was popular a while ago. It became popular with its classic story development, and it’s a hidden masterpiece that was even made into an anime.

“Do you have a favorite character!?”

“Favorite character…? Well…”

“Kinoshita-san. Please keep it down in the library.”

“Y-yes… I’m sorry…”

Just as her sudden enthusiasm overwhelmed me, the librarian reprimanded her, and she looked down in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry too, Yoshimoto-kun… I… just got carried away…”

Apologizing with a look of remorse, I ended up blurting out something unnecessary.

“Um… a-are you free after this? If you don’t mind… maybe we could go to karaoke or something…? I’d like to talk more about ‘Hangan’ too…”

I had no intention of getting close to her, but I was drawn to her just because of her natural beauty and the fact that we had something in common to talk about.

I messed up. She’s definitely going to be put off by this. I should correct myself before it’s too late…

“Uh… actually…”

“S-sure, I’d like to.”

“Huh…?”

“Eh…?”

……

…

“Hey, hey. Did you see the livestream earlier? They’ve confirmed there’s going to be a second season!”

“Seriously? The PV’s animation was insane… This is going to be great. If it’s a second season, they’re probably going up to Celia’s awakening, right?”

“No way, I think they’ll go all the way to the confession scene. Did you hear the line in the PV? They said the line right before that scene.”

“Really? If that’s the case, won’t it be a bit rushed?”

“They have to wrap it up there, so it can’t be helped… But I’m just happy there’s a second season.”

Since that day, we became close enough to talk on the phone every now and then. Kinoshita was very talkative when she was talking to me, which was completely different to the image I had of her when we were in class.

It felt like I was the only one who noticed her charm, and it made me very happy. We would occasionally go out to hang out, and I even thought that if things continued like this, maybe, we could——

However, I didn’t have the courage to confess my feelings to her. Telling myself that it was fine to keep things the way they were for a while, I continued our relationship, pretending to be okay with it.

…

……

In my second year, I ended up in the same class as her. Even after a year, our relationship hadn’t progressed, and we remained just close friends.

“Hey, hey Yoshimoto-kun… Are you good friends with Miyano-kun, by any chance?”

“…Uh, no??”

It was around the middle of May. While we were chatting as usual, she suddenly asked me that.

I knew about a boy named Miyano. He’s a popular guy in our class, known for being childhood friends with Noa Mizukami, the cheerful girl in our class. He supposedly has a cute younger sister who often pops into our classroom, and a tomboyish junior. He’s also rumored to be connected with the student council president. What a total winner in life.

Hearing the name of such a boy made me panic. Kinoshita’s voice sounded a little embarrassed as she asked about Miyano…

“No way, are you… in love with him or something?”

“…K-keep it a secret from everyone, okay?”

I asked something I didn’t need to and got utterly crushed. After that, I couldn’t remember a single word of what she said.

“Ah, Yoshimoto-kun, this weekend…”

After that, I started to avoid talking to her.

It’s a pathetic reason, but no matter how hard someone like me tries, there’s no way I could ever beat Miyano. I decided on my own that I should quietly step back and remain just a friend.

And before I knew it, summer vacation had arrived. One day, I was just surfing the internet with nothing to do, and I found a certain photo on social media.

Today was August 11th. Judging by the atmosphere of the venue, it was probably Comiket. I had thought about going, but I hesitated and ended up not going.

The owner of the account was a famous male cosplayer, and he was dressed as a character from Hangan.

If that had been all, it would have been fine.

But next to him, there was a beautiful woman who looked somewhat familiar.

She was posing happily, with a familiar face and a smile that I had never seen before.

It must have been just a lookalike. No, I hoped it was. And even if it was her, would there be a problem? She’s supposed to be in love with Miyano. There’s no way… no way she’d…

“…Let’s just jerk off and go to bed.”

I’ve read too many manga like that. There’s no way something like hooking up offline actually happens. Thinking that, I decided to relieve myself that day while looking at the cosplayer who looked just like her, with her exposed, ample chest.

That’s right. Once summer break is over, I’ll apologize to her. And if she’s not dating Miyano, I’ll confess my feelings. With our relationship, something like that wouldn’t ruin things between us.

……

…

However, after summer vacation, the classroom was enveloped in a strange atmosphere.

Everyone was looking at a certain female student, whispering here and there.

However, the girl in the middle of all this was not paying any attention to the gazes and was just reading a book.

I mustered up my courage and decided to talk to her.

“Um… it’s been a while… Kinoshita, right?”

“Oh, Yoshimoto-kun. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

She had beautifully styled her previously long and heavy-looking hair, removed her glasses, and switched to contacts. At this point, I already had a bad feeling. But if Kinoshita was happy with whoever she liked, I thought that was fine.

“Huh… Kinoshita-san, what happened? Did you get a makeover?”

A popular girl who arrived at school after me called out to her.

“…Just a little bit.”

“Eh, no way, could it be…?!”

The girl raised her pinky finger, and Kinoshita nodded shyly.

“Actually… Ehehe~…”

“Wow… wait, who is it? Someone from our school? Is he cool?”

“Um… it’s someone from online… but he’s really handsome and kind.”

“Eh, so that’s why you got a makeover! You look amazing! You’re so cute I thought you were an angel!”

“Yeah… He said he liked me for who I am, and it gave me confidence.”

“Wow… hey, tell me more!”

From then on, Kinoshita became popular in the class——No, she became popular in our grade. Her social media accounts also went viral.

She gained popularity with her beauty and outstanding style, as if she had stepped out of an anime. By the time she entered the third year, she had also begun to show her talent as a streamer… Ever since that day, the girl I once knew was no longer there.

If only.

If only I had confessed to her back when we were in our first year.

If only I had tried to compete with Miyano instead of giving up.

If only I had been able to compliment her charms without getting shy.

Maybe I wouldn’t have this life-long regret, thinking that the angel on the other side of the screen now could have been beside me.

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T/N: Dem… This hits different