Reincarnated as the Sidekick in a Harem Game ～Chaos Unfolded When I Helped the Losing Heroines After the Protagonist Found His Happy Ending～ - Chapter 2: A Fresh Start to My New Life

Chapter 2: A Fresh Start to My New Life

I was nothing more than a virgin who had reincarnated into the world of my favorite harem-themed dating sim, “OreNaji” (said with grandiosity).

After reincarnating, I wholeheartedly helped the main character of the game with his love life, taking on the role of his best friend, “Charao Shibuya.”

The game “OreNaji” starts off with the protagonist entering high school as a freshman. Over the course of a year, you become close friends with heroines, and by the end of the third term, you reach an ending with the character you have the highest affinity with.

Now, I had advanced to the second year of high school. To be honest, there’s no script for what happens from this point on. What awaits me in the future is uncertain. I feel uneasy, but there’s hope too.

On the first morning of the new school term, I woke up in my room. It’s a 1K apartment. Yes, perceptive readers might immediately feel something off.

“Where are the family heroines (my step-sisters)?”

I’ll explain now. 

I had been providing emotional support to the heroines who lost out in love. As a result, all the losing heroines started competing for me.

The heroines of “OreNaji” aren’t your average characters; they have quite fickle personalities. What they all share is a somewhat “broken” aspect to them. In other words, they’re highly dependent.

During the main game, that dependence was directed toward the protagonist. But now he’s infatuated with another woman. So, where does all that extra dependency go? It finds another place to attach itself to. That’s me.

Why? I had simply talked with them, had tea, watched movies, and dined on delicious meals—all to help my favorite characters recover.

My actions were purely driven by my love for the characters; there were absolutely no ulterior motives involved. More than wanting to be in a relationship, I just wanted to see them smile again. Although my actions stemmed from such pure intentions, somehow they escalated into conflicts akin to a bloody battle.

This led to discord within my family (some of the heroines are my step-sisters and step-mother). Wondering what I should do, I came to a conclusion.

“I should step back.”

If my presence is causing fights, then my absence will prevent them. It’s a revolutionary idea that would even astonish Copernicus*. It wouldn’t be strange to call me the Genius Charao. However, I’ll have to politely decline such a name as it seems to drastically lower my IQ.

In any case, because my presence leads my step-sisters into a never-ending Battle Royale, I proposed the idea of living alone.

“Sure, I guess living alone might be a good idea.”

“Yeah, that would be more convenient.”

“I think it’s a very good idea. It will cause less interference.”

The approval from my family was surprisingly, and unnaturally, easy to obtain.

So there it was—I started living alone from the spring of my sophomore year in high school. What captivating words those are—high school life and living alone. I can’t help but feel excited about the youthful days ahead.

After all, the main story had already concluded. The protagonist ended up with his childhood friend. Meaning, my role as Charao Shibuya had come to an end. From here on out, I’m free to do whatever I please.

Just when I was feeling excited, I suddenly noticed a notification on my smartphone.

Picking up my phone, I saw that the message was from Najimi Ota.

Najimi Ota is the main heroine of “Ore-naji.” In the main storyline, she’s set as a childhood friend common to both me and the protagonist.

During elementary school, the game’s protagonist had to move due to his parents’ circumstances but returned to this town upon entering high school. There, he found a beautifully matured Najimi, and his heart started to race. From that point on, their love began to develop… That is the main storyline, commonly referred to as the “Najimi Route.”

…I still think the name choice for the main character is way too arbitrary, though. Najimi is not a name you’d typically give to a girl. I’ve been disgruntled about this for a long time. There have to be cuter names, right? But I guess the developers prioritized simplicity, as they’ve noted on their blog, so I won’t say anything more about it.

Anyway, this message came from Najimi:

“Minato is acting strange.”

“Minato” refers to the protagonist, Minato Minato. At the start of the dating sim, you can input any name you like. This is a consideration by the developers to help players immerse themselves in the world of the dating sim. And the default name happens to be Minato.

“Minato seems to have… changed into a different person.”

Changed into a different person? What could that mean? The message from Najimi came in the middle of the night.

“Anyway, he’s suddenly like a different person… I’m scared. I don’t know what to do… I know it’s probably a nuisance since I chose Minato over you, but… could you please give me some advice? You’re the only one I can turn to.”

I don’t know what’s going on, but I could sense her distress from her message.

So what should I do? Of course, I’ll listen to her concerns. I love the characters in “Ore-naji.” I want them all to be happy. Even if she’s chosen someone else and her heart isn’t turned towards me, I still want my favorite characters to be smiling.

With that decided, I quickly set out to compose a reply. I aimed to send a message that was extremely gentlemanly and sincere, so as not to unsettle her emotionally fragile state.

Swoosh.

“Heeey! My lovely girl Najimi! Still loving you today! Fu〜!”

Swoosh.

“Let’s meet up today and talk★ I want to gaze at your charming face while we have a lovey-dovey chat!”

Swoosh.

“After school ends, let’s meet up at the café filled with our memories! I’ll rush over for my beloved Najimi!”

Swoosh.

“See you later. Love ya (^з^)-☆”

Phew… that should do it. Now all that’s left is to meet Najimi after school and hear her out. Even if she has a boyfriend, the happiness of my favorite character is my own happiness. Doing my best to help is only natural.

Now then.

A new semester starts today. I changed into my new uniform and stood in front of the bathroom mirror. Reflected there was a tall, handsome guy with striking features. If I were my past self, I’d have the urge to spit at such an impressive face.

In the original story, Charao, my character, had long, blonde hair. But now, I’ve cut my hair short and dyed it black.

During the original story, I had to keep my blonde, long-haired style due to game mechanics; it was honestly quite inconvenient. But the original story is over now. There’s no need to keep that hairstyle any longer. Even if I had wanted to change it during the original story, a “forced restriction” would have prevented me from altering my hairstyle.

I’ll explain this “forced restriction” some other time. Considering the messages I received earlier, I imagine the readers must be quite surprised, so I’ll save that for later.

Anyway, having changed my hairstyle, I was feeling refreshed. With my spirits lifted at the prospect of a new life, I left my home.

However.

As I opened the door, there was my younger stepsister (heroine), holding a large Boston bag.

“Good morning, Onii-sama.”

As our eyes met, my sister knelt down without hesitation. Leaning her upper body forward, she prostrated herself, bowing deeply. Before I could even process what was happening, she blurted out:

“Would you please allow me to stay in this house? I don’t mind being your servant or even a sex slave. As long as you let me stay, I’ll do whatever you say. I’ll follow your orders, whatever they may be. Please.”

I had to pause for a moment here.

My younger stepsister.

Starts off with a prostration.

What is she doing? (A haiku* in my mind)

TLN:
1. Nicolaus Copernicus was an astronomer who proposed a heliocentric system, that the planets orbit around the Sun

2. Haiku refers to a form of traditional Japanese poetry consisting of three lines with the syllable pattern 5-7-5.

3. Swoosh (しゅぽっ) is a Japanese onomatopoeic expression often used to represent the sound of sending a message or performing a similar quick action on a digital device.