Sad News, It Seems I'll Die from a Curse If I Don't Steal the Heroine - Chapter 08: A Big Opportunity

Chapter 08: A Big Opportunity

“…Damn, time passes so unpredictably.”

Fifteen days remained, ever since those words that were written on the mirror came.

To be honest, not much progress has been made in the past four days. I had been living my life as Torao, but I seriously just don’t know what to do.

“…”

I stood up and approached the mirror, gently touching the characters written on it.

Although there was a certain texture as if something was there, the blood-red characters did not disappear when my fingers touched them.

“Ah…”

After observing for a while, the characters vanished cleanly. 

It almost felt as if they were mocking me for being unable to do anything about my current situation, goading me to quickly take action.

“Sigh… What if I were to die as Torao and return to my original world? But I don’t want to endure that hellish suffering again either… shit.”

It was already late. It was only natural, considering the appearance of the characters just now.

Unable to remain still, I moved my restless body and walked out of the apartment, even though it was late at night.

Walking around at this hour with my appearance… If the police found me, they might not just question me for walking alone this dark but also find me suspicious due to my appearance and atmosphere.

“… Maybe I should go to the park.”

The nearby park.

It was the place where I climbed the tree to retrieve the kid’s shoe before, in front of Manaka—where insects gathered around the old streetlight, creating a buzzing sound. I definitely didn’t want to get close to that area.

As I thought about these things, a sight unfolded before my eyes that made me unable to think about anything else.

“…Huh?”

Why… Why are you here?

“…Manaka?”

“Eh…?”

Yes, Manaka was sitting on a bench.

It seemed like she had put on a jacket over her pajamas… Truly a style of taking a late-night stroll while still in her sleepwear. 

When she saw me, her eyes widened in surprise… Well, the one who’s truly dumbfounded in here is me.

“What are you doing here?”

“I-I’m not doing anything!”

“Then let me ask you intentionally—what are you doing?”

“…You’re really hitting me with a double retort, huh?”

“What are you doing?” I retorted in my mind, in a Kansai dialect-style retort. 

..Okay, enough with the joking around. Seriously, why is Manaka alone in a place like this?

“Hey, have you ever considered how you look? If you’re out here looking so defenseless, some delinquents might attack you and eat you alive, you know?”

“E, eat me…!?”

“Yeah, they’ll grope your ample chest, strip your clothes off, and do all sorts of bad things…”

“S-Stop right there!! I get it, my appearance is indeed somewhat attractive!!”

“Hmm, I see. So Himemoto can talk like that too.”

Well, she doesn’t seem to be selling herself based on her appearance while understanding it… 

Perhaps Manaka has been confessed to by boys multiple times or even approached like the other day, so she understands her good looks because of those experiences.

“Can I sit next to you?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Since I got permission, I’ll take her words as an invitation.

As I sat next to her, Manaka stared at me intently… At that moment, I felt a glimpse of her vulnerability.

Not because something was conveyed through the atmosphere, but simply because of her current appearance.

(This girl… Is she aware that she has an unbuttoned blouse? Well, she’s probably just clueless and doesn’t even realize it.)

Her cute pink pajamas are fine, but one of the buttons on her blouse is undone.

It’s not fully open like Ouka’s, and the exposure is not as intentional as having two buttons undone from the top like her… But if she encounters a rapist or something, I’m certain she would be targeted.

“So, why are you here?”

“…Will you listen to me?”

“Go ahead.”

“…I don’t really know.”

“…Are you making fun of me, by any chance?”

“No, I’m not! But… I really don’t understand it.”

Manaka averted her gaze from me and looked down.

From my perspective, I wouldn’t be able to figure out the reason unless she told me… However, watching her like this, I didn’t feel inclined to forcefully pry it out of her.

“But…”

“Tell me anything.”

“Thank you. I dream… I often dream.”

“Dreams?”

Manaka nodded.

“I don’t remember much about the dreams… But there’s one thing I can say—Ozaki-kun often appears in those dreams of mine.”

“What, you like me or something?”

I jokingly asked while laughing, but I immediately regretted what I said. 

It didn’t seem like she took it seriously, as Manaka chuckled and continued speaking while gazing at the beautiful starry sky.

“If I were to say whether I like you or not… I wonder about the version of myself in the dreams. I have no idea, but I keep seeing it over and over again.”

“…It’s a bit embarrassing.”

“Haha… That’s about all I remember. Oh, but there’s one more strange sensation I have.”

“A strange sensation?”

“Yeah—It’s not like I see the exact same dream every time, but it feels like I’m repeating it multiple times.”

“Repeating?”

“Well… Sorry, I can’t quite put it into words.”

Repeating… huh.

Manaka looked just as puzzled as I felt, and it didn’t quite click with me either when she mentioned it was repeating.

“And so… I feel like every time it repeats, you become kinder, Ozaki-kun.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… That’s why, maybe, I can’t help but think this current situation might also be a dream.”

“…”

Even this current situation might be a dream… Well, from my perspective, just being reincarnated into a world of manga feels like a dream anyway… as long as there’s no risk of dying.

“…Sorry, Ozaki-kun.”

“Why?”

“I… even though I have these dreams, I’m still scared.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it.”

“…Yeah. If it’s the current you, you’d say that.”

Bathed in the moonlight, Manaka’s smile was simply beautiful. 

Of course, I was captivated by her appearance, but when I checked the time on my phone, it was already almost half-past midnight… It’s about time to head back.

“Let’s head back, Himemoto. It’s getting pretty late.”

“But tomorrow is a day off, you know? Well, it’s already today though.”

“You… You’ve got some delinquent talent, don’t you?”

“I don’t!”

Oh, but you do.

After sharing a chuckle, I started walking with Manaka.

“Ozaki-kun.”

“What is it?”

“Would you… have sex with me?”

“…Huh?”

..Huh!?