Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: “Anzu Isn’t to Blame, Right?” ①

For Anzu Ayakawa, Yuto Miyahara, her childhood friend, was a dearly beloved presence she had yearned for over the years.

“―Why?”

It all started with something trivial.

On the way home after school, she had just congratulated Yuto Miyahara for getting a girlfriend, believing their relationship would remain the same as he promised, even with a girlfriend in the picture.

Anzu wasn’t worried; to her, Yuto having a girlfriend was a minor issue. He had mentioned maintaining relationships with other girls as well, a mutual desire.

Like Asuka Matsushima, another rival and childhood friend, Anzu wanted to be held by Yuto and reach the pinnacle of happiness. 

Despite her repeated requests and sometimes even pleas, Yuto would only give vague responses like “the time isn’t right yet,” never going beyond holding hands.

Anzu and Asuka, along with the other women who loved Yuto, saw each other as comrades, as friends, envisioning themselves as a family that would bear his children and raise them together.

That was what they believed, until suddenly, Anzu realized that sentiment was mistaken.

“―Eh, no way, because I―”

The face that came to her mind was that of Natsuki Yura, who had once been like a brother to her. 

Though they were not related by blood, he became her brother and part of her family.

From a lonely life with just her father, the addition of a stepbrother and stepmother made her life lively.

She adored Natsuki, loved him dearly, and always wanted to be by his side.

Her stepmother was kind, and Anzu came to think of her as her real mother, never doubting that their warm family life would continue forever.

—However, that family soon became a nuisance.

—The brother she had once loved in her childish infatuation became an extremely unpleasant presence.

—That was when she met her destiny in a boy named Yuto Miyahara. The moment they shook hands, she felt a strong tingling sensation in her body and understood that he was her prince. 

The days that followed were filled with happiness, but the presence of her nagging stepmother and her stepbrother, who seemed inferior to Yuto despite being a childhood friend, became unbearable and painful.

It’s unclear what discussions took place, but when her father decided to divorce, Anzu remembers being very happy. 

At the same time, she also remembers her father’s truly sad face, but it didn’t particularly bother her.

Since then, she and her father moved to an apartment, where conversations between them were limited to only what was necessary. Initially, she was made to attend counseling, but she refused, and her aversion grew when her father requested that she not meet Yuto. Now, her father works late and leaves early in the morning, rarely seeing each other’s faces. There were always notes left for her each day, but she hardly ever read them.

“No, no, this is wrong! This isn’t me!”

The days following her encounter with Yuto, spanning several years, flashed through her mind. 

Falling in love with Yuto, fawning over him, fighting over him, shouting at her brother, cursing her mother, and disappointing her father—she found such behavior from herself disgustingly out of character.

“No, this is all wrong! This isn’t Anzu! This isn’t me!”

On her way to school, Anzu suddenly became distraught, drawing concerned looks and inquiries from classmates and passersby. Remembering she was outside, she hastily excused herself with a “It’s nothing” and ran home.

“―Lies.”

Returning home, Anzu was stunned upon entering her room. 

The walls were plastered with photos of Yuto, not just one or two but covering every inch of space available.

“This is crazy.”

It was like the room of a stalker she had seen in a manga.

Even her laptop’s screensaver was Yuto’s smiling face. Photos of Yuto were naturally placed on her desk. There was even a doll by her pillow with Yuto’s picture attached to it.

Tentatively picking up her smartphone, unsurprisingly, Yuto was the wallpaper. Her photo library was filled to the brim with pictures of Yuto, including images of Yuto kissing a girl, intimate photos of Yuto, and even videos.

Feeling nauseous, she covered her mouth and rushed to the bathroom.

After vomiting several times, she regained a bit of her composure.

“Why? Why did Anzu… even though I love Onii-chan, why?”

The words that escaped Anzu’s lips were about Natsuki, who was no longer considered family.

Her first love, the brother she fell for immediately upon meeting.

The memories of being teased by her father and stepmother that she could marry Natsuki since they weren’t related by blood, which she didn’t entirely dismiss.

She wanted to be with Natsuki wherever he went, and then she met Yuto Miyahara and his brother, Kazuto.

“―Huh? Why did Anzu fall for Yuto-san? No, why did I even think I liked him?”

The reason she fell in love with Yuto Miyahara, her desire to become one with him, and the future she envisioned with him and the girls drawn to him—all of it felt grotesque and repulsive.

“No, it’s not like that, Onii-chan. Anzu, you see, Anzu has always thought of you…”

Natsuki’s smiling face came to her mind. However, what followed was the sight of Natsuki making a disgusted face when compared to Yuto, then Natsuki looking bitterly at Anzu as she became more hostile, and finally, Natsuki showing a complete lack of interest.

“N-No… It’s not like that, Onii-chan. Don’t look at Anzu like that! It’s Yuto-san’s fault, no, that guy is to blame!”

In her confusion, Anzu decided to rid her room of every trace of Yuto’s face. 

She tore down and shredded all the photos, stuffing them into a trash bag. 

Driven by emotion, she smashed her computer.

She kept her smartphone, though. It contained evidence of her being misled. 

A man who engages with numerous girls and has his deeds recorded by others can not be a good person.

“—That’s right, someone has to know it’s not Anzu’s fault.”

She wanted to contact her brother first, but she didn’t know how to reach him. 

So, she messaged Kazuto Miyahara, a classmate and childhood friend, but her message wasn’t understood, and her call wasn’t either.

“Forget it!” She hung up the phone and, in a fit of frustration, continued to cut up Yuto’s photos.

While she was caught up in her actions, Anzu fell asleep and woke up on her bedroom floor. She intended to share the situation with her father, but he hadn’t returned home that day. 

In the living room, there was a note saying, “I’ll be away on a business trip for three days,” along with a ten thousand yen bill.

“I have to go to school.”

She got ready in a daze, believing that going to school would allow her to meet her brother and tell him everything.

She could explain how Yuto Miyahara had led her astray. 

She was confident her brother would understand and embrace her, saying how tough it must have been for her.

She believed this would bring her back to her family.

With that belief, she washed her face, brushed her teeth, changed clothes, fixed her hair, and did her makeup.

Looking in the mirror, she felt irritated. 

The reflection showed the version of herself that Yuto Miyahara had praised as “cute.”

This wasn’t the real Anzu. She needed to quickly find out what her brother liked and become what he desired.

“Onii-chan, please wait for me. You must have been lonely and sad with Anzu being away for so long, but it’s all his fault, you know? So, you see―Anzu isn’t to blame, right?”

〜〜Afterword & Notes〜〜

This was from the perspective of Anzu, the former stepsister. 

It covers the events of the day Natsuki returned from another world.

As this is strictly from Anzu’s viewpoint, there may be some unclear or confusing aspects, which will be clarified in the main story.

Also, there might be differences from other perspectives, but please understand that it is intended.

The story continues. 

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