The Gal Game Heroines Who Were Supposed to Die Somehow Learned My Secret ～By the Way, Where Did My [Diary] Go?～ - Chapter 05: Reine Kitagawa

Chapter 05: Reine Kitagawa

The hospital where I was staying was one of the largest in the prefecture, known for its top-notch facilities, highly trained staff, and skilled doctors. I happened to know all this because of a specific Love or Dead (LoD) episode where Yuto Sano got injured and was brought here.

The courtyard of the hospital was quite spacious. With a McDonald’s and a convenience store, it was a popular spot for patients with time to kill.

Not fond of crowds, I decided to visit the backyard flowerbed instead. The flowers were just starting to bloom, as if announcing the arrival of spring. They seemed to sigh in relief, finally peeking out after enduring the cold of winter.

Sitting in a wheelchair, I looked around, taking in the scenery. It had been a long time since I’d been allowed outside, and I was savoring the moment.

Pushing my wheelchair was Reine Kitagawa, one of the Four Beauties and a heroine in Love or Dead.

“Such a nice view… It looks like spring has snuck up on us.”

“Yeah… Not too long ago, I was so consumed with exams that I didn’t even have time to enjoy the scenery.”

“True.”

The part about exams was only half true. I barely studied—maybe an hour a day. After all, I had my knowledge from a previous life to fall back on.

But even so, I couldn’t relax. Knowing the exact date of your death does that to you. No matter what I did, I was always on edge.

The scenery in front of me was nothing special, but it still managed to move me. Maybe coming so close to death had heightened my appreciation for life. Even the most ordinary things seemed remarkable now.

I glanced over my shoulder at Reine, who was pushing my wheelchair.

“Something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing…”

As always, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Her long, silky silver hair was tied up in twin tails, and her deep blue eyes looked as if they were frozen in eternal ice. Everything about her gave off an aura of coldness, as if she were a season left behind in the transition to spring.

Honestly, that image wasn’t far from the truth. Her demeanor was sharp and unyielding, like frozen stalactites. She often acted alone and spent her time reading by the window. Her classmates had taken to calling her the “Solitary Ice Lady.”

And yet, the one who managed to melt this icy demeanor was none other than Yuto Sano. Protagonists sure are something. (Not that I mean it.)

Just then, Reine gave me a smug smile.

“I know what you’re thinking. You were admiring my beauty, weren’t you?”

“Wha—no, that’s not it!”

Admitting that I had been captivated by her felt like a loss, so I reflexively denied it.

“I was just looking at the dogwood tree behind you, thinking it was beautiful, that’s all.”

“Satoshi, you’re terrible at lying. I prefer men who are honest, you know?”

“…Fine. I was absolutely mesmerized.”

Her use of the word “prefer” had completely hooked me.

Such is the nature of men—so easy to sway.

“Well, of course. I am beautiful.”

She began to confidently praise her own appearance. Honestly, she wasn’t wrong, so I didn’t bother to argue.

And now, it was time for her to start with the insults.

“Still, for an animal like you—”

Here it comes!

Reine’s signature sharp-tongued insults were about to begin.

She’d been known as the “Solitary Ice Lady” for a long time, but that was simply because she was socially awkward. This personality of hers had caused her to have no friends, especially among boys, where she drew a clear line of separation.

When I first played the game, I couldn’t stand her. “What’s with this stuck-up girl?” was all I could think. But her attitude was a result of her environment.

Her harsh words toward men were actually a reflection of her fear of them. As the protagonist raised her affection level, Reine gradually became more honest. Watching that transformation was incredibly satisfying.

Knowing this, her insults felt less like a sting and more like a reward to me. They reminded me of the early days of the game, when her affection level was still low. In a strange way, I found it nostalgic and even touching.

But strangely, the continuation of her words didn’t come.

“Reine?”

I turned to look back at her, and as I did, a water droplet slid across my face.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

An apology from Reine was an incredibly rare occurrence, even in Love or Dead (LoD). It was one of those rare events that only happened after maxing out her affection level. But right now, that wasn’t the issue.

Something was clearly wrong with her.

“I-Is something wrong?”

With a completely blank face, Reine opened her mouth to speak.

“I’m a horrible woman…”

She began to talk, her words coming out slowly, one by one.

“Calling you, my savior, something as awful as an animal… That’s the lowest of insults. I’m sorry, Satoshi.”

“Uh, Reine?”

“I have a terrible personality. That’s why, even to you, my savior, I ended up saying such awful things. I hate myself. Someone as worthless as me has no right to stay by the side of someone as kind as you, Satoshi.”

“H-Hey!”

“So, I’ve decided to disappear from your life. Honestly, I wished you’d just kill me yourself, but I can’t burden you with something so selfish… I’ll go to some quiet place where no one will notice and die alone. Somewhere like the Aokigahara forest would be perfect. A pathetic death like that suits someone as awful as me…”

With those words, Reine covered her face with her hands and began to cry.

Wait—what is this about killing!? Don’t even think about something so extreme!

First Satsuki, and now Reine? Can everyone please stop falling into despair so easily?

If this kept up, she really might go through with it. Deciding to do whatever I could to stop her, I resolved to act.

With some effort, I managed to move my left hand and turn the wheelchair around to face her.

“You don’t need to worry about it. I know you’re a kind person, Reine.”

“…Someone who can say such awful things so easily can’t possibly be a good person… Stop trying to comfort me with lies.”

Man… this is serious.

No matter what I said, Reine wouldn’t believe me. Worse, I might end up hurting her even more if I said the wrong thing.

I had no choice. It looked like it was time for me to take a gamble. I decided to cheat a little.

“This isn’t just to comfort you. The way you lash out at people is because of trauma from your past, isn’t it? Especially your fear of men.”

“—? I, uh… well, yes.”

Her reaction was easy to read. She was completely flustered. Well, it wasn’t surprising—no one had ever confronted her about this before.

She had spent so long being harsh toward others, shutting everyone out.

The truth was, Reine’s mother was a single parent, and an awful one at that. She cycled through men, bringing home one after another, each one worse than the last. At home, Reine suffered daily abuse, both verbal and physical.

To make things worse, Reine was beautiful. Some of the men her mother brought home even made advances on her. It was no wonder she developed a fear of men.

Because of this, she struggled with social interactions and pushed people away. I doubted anyone had ever considered that her actions stemmed from trauma.

“That’s why you don’t need to worry. I understand how you feel, Reine.”

“But I… I really am a terrible person. I—”

“Reine.”

I cut her off, forcibly interrupting her words.

“How many times do I have to say it? I understand how you feel, Reine.”

Reine’s harsh words came from her constant vigilance toward others. Another reason was that they served as a mask to hide her embarrassment.

As Reine grew closer to Yuto, the protagonist of LoD, she had a habit of lashing out with strong words whenever she was praised. I used to play through those moments with a grin on my face, enjoying her flustered reactions.

In this case, it was probably because I’d admitted to being captivated by her. Even if she was used to being admired, no one truly dislikes being complimented, not even someone like her. Whether it was from a protagonist or a mob character, praise was still praise.

Then, Reine knelt down and gently took my right hand in hers. Her tear-filled eyes looked up at me, resembling a stray kitten pleading for care.

“I’m sorry. I’ll work on fixing this part of my personality, little by little. So please, don’t abandon me. Don’t hate me.”

“I already told you—I won’t hate you. And honestly, Reine, your strong words are part of your charm. You don’t need to change a thing.”

Hearing my words, Reine froze for a moment before burying her face in my lap.

“You’re the only one who would say something like that to me, Satoshi-sama. Thank you.”

“I see…”

My leg still hurts, but if I showed any sign of pain now, Reine might spiral into despair again. I gritted my teeth and endured it. I also ignored the fact that she kept calling me Satoshi-sama.

Before long, people started to gather around us. The vitality of the blooming flowers seemed to inspire hope in everyone. For patients struggling with harsh treatments and illnesses, this flowerbed was likely an oasis for their weary hearts.

However, every single one of them was now looking at us with warm, knowing smiles.

This attention was incredibly uncomfortable. I thought about waking Reine up, but she showed no intention of moving.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Yes?”

Where is she even getting the strength to speak like this?

She was still curled up in my lap as she made her request.

Honestly, I wanted to leave this spot as soon as possible.

“Could you… stroke my head? Would that be alright?”

Am I even allowed to do something so protagonist-like?

I hesitated, and Reine looked up at me with an anxious expression.

Her face is so small!?

“Is it… not okay?”

“Fine, fine… but just for a little while, alright?”

“Okay. Please.”

She’s too cute!

I could feel the intensity of the onlookers’ warm smiles increasing. Reine, however, seemed blissfully unaware of their presence.

Swallowing my embarrassment, I reached out and gently stroked her hair. It felt like the finest fabric—silky, smooth, and soft to the touch. Not only that, but it almost seemed to cling to my hand, the sensation incredibly pleasant.

“T-That tickles…”

“Oh, sorry.”

I’d gotten so caught up in how amazing her hair felt that I hadn’t realized I might be overdoing it.

Coming back to reality, I noticed the crowd of onlookers had grown. Now fully aware of the situation, I knew I couldn’t take any more of this.

“Reine, let’s head back to the room now.”

“Ah, y-yeah.”

She finally realized the situation we were in, and her face turned red with embarrassment. Honestly, she looked adorable.

We quickly left the area, avoiding eye contact with anyone by staring at the ground as we hurried back. Once we were inside the hospital, the lingering stares finally faded away.

Let’s just go back to the room and stay quiet for a while.

“Satoshi-sama… no, Satoshi, how did you know there were… issues with my family?”

Reine asked while pushing my wheelchair.

“Wait, did I ever say anything about there being problems with your family?”

“Yes, quite clearly.”

Uh… I messed up big time.

Reine kept her family situation a secret. Very few people knew about it. That meant my knowing about it was suspicious, to say the least.

“I overheard Yuto talking about you.”

It was a perfect excuse, even if it threw Yuto under the bus. I didn’t care what happened to him.

“I see…”

As we approached my hospital room, I noticed a flickering fluorescent light in the hallway. It kept going on and off, creating an unsettling atmosphere. I felt the need to break the silence.

“Yuto was all fired up, saying he’d definitely help you out. That guy’s a good person, isn’t he? I really admire people like him—those who can do something for others. I’m not capable of that kind of thing.”

“I see.”

Huh… what’s going on here?

Satsuki might be an exception, but I was certain the other heroines still had feelings for Yuto Sano. So why was Reine reacting like this—with such indifference?

Suddenly, the wheelchair stopped. It seemed Reine had halted her push.

“What’s wrong, Reine—gubyi!?”

When I tried to turn and look back at her, she grabbed my cheeks with both hands. Her face was dangerously close to mine, her pupils dilated as if she was entirely fixated on me.

“Satoshi, you’re an amazing person who risked everything to save our lives. You can do things for others that no one else can. So, please, don’t belittle yourself.”

Her gaze was so intense, and her grip so firm, that I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to.

“Thanks… I appreciate it.”

“Good boy. I like it when you’re honest, Satoshi-sama.”

She smiled gently, her face still far too close for comfort.

Seriously, can we talk about personal space here?!

“But, you know…”

At that moment, the flickering fluorescent light finally gave out, plunging us into darkness as if night had fallen around us. A shiver ran down my spine.

“Don’t ever mention that piece of trash, Yuto Sano, again. Especially not from your lips.”

“Eh…?”

“That scum is the cancer of this world. I’d rather be covered in filth than acknowledge his existence. Comparing him to Satoshi-sama is an insult in itself.”

“T-That’s pretty harsh. But didn’t you like him…?”

Ah.

I’d let my mouth run without thinking. This was bad—really bad. I wanted to take those words back immediately.

“Yes, I liked him. Or rather… I was made to like him.”

Made to like him?

Before I could ask what she meant, Reine let go of my face. Then, before I could process what was happening, she wrapped her arms around my neck from behind.

“But I’ve woken up now, thanks to my savior. From now on, I’ll dedicate myself to supporting you, Satoshi-sama—or rather, Satoshi. For the rest of my life.”

“Y-Yeah… I’ll count on you.”

“Of course. Leave it to me.”

This is way too heavy!

Even though she was hugging me, all I felt was fear and a growing sense of urgency.

I made a silent vow right then and there: I would recover quickly and get discharged as soon as possible. I didn’t want to burden the heroines any further.

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