The Case When Strange Things Started To Happen When I Reincarnated As A Guy Whose Life Ends After Attacking The Heroine - 62 - Disrupted Gears

Chapter 62: Disrupted Gears

Several days had passed since the start of the second semester. 

With a considerable amount of time gone by, the fact that Shirayuki and I had grown close became embellished with various rumors. 

They referred to us as “Beauty and the Beast,” or claimed that I was coercing her, among other things. 

We were both in our second year, which meant there were seniors and juniors around us. However, it seemed that many people, not just those in our year, were paying attention to Shirayuki’s romantic situation.

“Hououin-senpai, may I have a moment?” 

Because of this, Shirayuki was often approached by others. 

While we didn’t share the same class, her fellow classmates and others from our year—just the other day a senior, and now today, a junior—were reaching out to her.

After finishing the closing ceremony, I was discussing running together with Shirayuki as we were about to leave through the school gates when we were called out to.

(Ugh, this guy looks like a hassle.)

I couldn’t help but think this as he glared at me, standing next to Shirayuki.

His gaze seemed to imply that I wasn’t worthy of being with Shirayuki, but I wasn’t angry about it; I was just a little exasperated.

As Shirayuki had mentioned before, she had never experienced this kind of attention before. 

It was because my existence had not been known before, and we hadn’t made it explicitly clear to those around us that we were in love. Hence, no one had felt the need to be concerned until now.

“If you have business with Shirayuki, it concerns me too. I’m in a hurry, so what do you want?”

“Hmph… It’s none of your business. I have something to discuss with Hououin-senpai.”

“In that case, I can’t let you talk to her. There’s no way I’d allow you to call Shirayuki out alone.”

Hearing this, the guy audibly clicked his tongue. 

Even the senior from the other day had done the same thing to me, but in the end, only to get an earful from Shirayuki afterward. It’s hard for me to tolerate being looked down upon like this.

“If you’re wondering why my permission is required, let me tell you—Shirayuki is dear to me.”

“…Touma-kun♪”

I declared while embracing Shirayuki’s shoulder.

Perhaps he couldn’t bear to hear any more, as the junior clicked his tongue once again in clear annoyance, then immediately turned his back and left.

“That was hardly a challenge. Although if anyone gets past you, Touma-kun, I’ll personally tear them apart.”

“Haha, I wouldn’t doubt that. You’re like a devil in these situations.”

“I’m aware. I try to be a ‘little devil’ in front of you♪”

More like a succubus, really. 

We encountered a nuisance on our way home, but Shirayuki and I decided to forget about it and continued walking. We discussed the recent incident and also talked about what happened before that.

“It’s true that various things change fundamentally, don’t they? It’s just a bit of a hassle that there are more troublesome changes than positive ones.”

“Yeah… But, I don’t know about the hardships Shirayuki and Hisui have gone through.”

“There’s no need for you to know. If you think of it as the effort we endured to meet you, it’s not so bad.”

I truly appreciate her saying that. Now, the conversation naturally shifted to the topic of… Nikaido.

“It seems that things have changed to some extent for that family as well. Their wicked deeds remain unchanged, but… it appears that they are moving quickly.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. They should be visiting Mom today—without realizing that she’s aware of all the things they’ve done.”

“Well, my condolences then.”

Actually, saying “my condolences” might not be the right expression.

After all, they’re engaged in wrongdoing within the framework of society, so it’s only natural they should face the appropriate consequences.

“Because they sought Hououin’s wealth and desired me, that’s probably why they can’t accept the fact that I have a boyfriend.”

“…”

Somehow… it’s not an enjoyable conversation to listen to.

Not only because Shirayuki might be targeted by someone, but there’s a clear reason for it that involves me.

“It’s not unrelated to me, but… I guess I don’t quite feel the reality when it comes to matters involving money.”

“Yes.”

“It’s just that… I can’t stand the fact that Shirayuki is being seen as a tool to satisfy adult desires. As for their son, it seems he genuinely wanted Shirayuki, but even that bothers me.”

“That’s true… Well, it might have been like an accessory they wanted to keep by their side because of her beauty.”

“That’s exactly what I hate about it.”

It’s not about handing Shirayuki over to someone like Nikaido or anything like that. It’s just that I can’t fathom the idea of keeping such a wonderful girl for such a pathetic reason.

Even if I were in Nikaido’s position… It’s frustrating not being able to give any guarantees, but I want to believe that ordinary people wouldn’t do such things.

“As I mentioned before, you don’t need to worry about him. I’m not sure how my mother will handle it, but Nikaido’s name will likely appear in the news in a bad way soon.”

“So it’s really come to that, huh?”

“Yes. If you’re going to strike, do it thoroughly, crush them without fearing any grudges – that’s the best approach. Dealing with grudges is easy enough.”

With a sly smile, Shirayuki spoke as if she would seriously hunt down and take the life of anyone who dared to cross the line into the worst-case scenario. 

Her atmosphere left me breathless.

“As long as Touma-kun is here, I don’t need anything else. I mean, I wouldn’t mind if all the people on Earth abandoned us and perished… Okay, maybe I’m going a bit overboard with that, but I’m prepared for the worst.”

“…I got a little shiver just now. I mean, it made me happy, but still…”

While having such a conversation, I sent a message to Hisui to check on her well-being. 

Though she didn’t reply immediately, her response, which came later, assured me that there was no need to worry at all.

“They were pathetically rubbing their foreheads while crying. I didn’t feel sorry for them; it was their own doing… Besides, earlier what they said was truly unforgivable.”

I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable about the next part of the message.

“They boasted about how it would be right for Shirayuki to be with their son, as it would make her satisfied and happy. So, at that point, I decided to thoroughly crush them. It’s like turning 100% into 200%.”

In any case, she was determined to crush them without a doubt. 

When I showed the message from Hisui to Shirayuki, she chuckled and mockingly ridiculed the fallen family.

“Well then, Touma-kun. Shall we do our best with our exercise today?”

“Yeah.”

I can’t afford to become their enemy in any way. 

Not that there’s any chance of that happening, but if I didn’t have memories of this world and didn’t know about Shirayuki or Hisui… The thought is frightening.

“Don’t worry. There’s no need to consider a world where you don’t know us. Just focus on this world, and only think about how much you’re loved by us.”

With those strong words, I nodded as we continued our run. 

Along the way, we noticed a certain pair in front of the department store.

“W-Wait!”

“Let go. No matter how much you hate them, I don’t want to be with someone who speaks ill of their own family like that—please, don’t talk to me anymore.”

“…Ah.”

We witnessed such an exchange between my brother and his girlfriend.