The Gal Game Heroines Who Were Supposed to Die Somehow Learned My Secret ～By the Way, Where Did My [Diary] Go?～ - Chapter 06: Shuna Nanjou

Chapter 06: Shuna Nanjou

“I’m so bored…”

Satsuki and Reine both had things to do today and couldn’t visit. With nothing else to occupy my time, I kept reading the reference book in front of me—even though I had no interest in it.

I really wish I had a smartphone…

At least I’d be discharged soon. I still couldn’t handle strenuous activity, and even walking was a struggle, but the thought of leaving the hospital made me happy. The doctor had suggested I stay a little longer, but I politely declined. Besides the cost of staying, I just felt more at ease at home. I never liked the atmosphere of hospitals.

Of course, home was just my place, since I lived alone. Thanks to the reckless decisions I made using my past-life knowledge, I ended up creating a rift with my parents. When I started high school, I cut ties with them completely. I even thought about filing a report with the police to ensure they wouldn’t try to find me, but that turned out to be unnecessary.

Not once had they contacted me through the numbers still registered in my phone. It seemed like they were better off without me, too. I used to feel a faint sense of attachment to them, but realizing I wasn’t loved made it easy to stop caring entirely.

There’s no point dwelling on the family I cut ties with. It’s more productive to think about what I’ll do once I get back.

“Well, I’ll probably have to rely on Amazon and Uber Eats for a while.”

To do that, though, I’d need a smartphone. Without one, I couldn’t even place delivery orders. The first thing I’d do after being discharged was head to a phone store.

“Hm?”

I heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the door, stopping just outside my room. Through the frosted glass, I could see someone standing there. A soft knock followed, echoing through the quiet room.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me~”

A relaxed, airy voice drifted in, so soothing it made me feel like all the tension left my body.

“Hello there, Satoshi-kun. How are you feeling?”

“Not bad. Looks like you’re the same as always, Nanjou.”

“That’s not true~! I’ve been so worried about you every single day, you know? Oh, and please don’t just call me by my last name—it makes me sad. Use my first name, okay?”

“Oh, sorry. Shuna.”

“Ehehe~ That makes me so happy.”

She’s as fluffy as ever…

For some strange reason, just talking to her made me feel like my injuries were healing faster.

Shuna Nanjou. Another heroine from Love or Dead.

Her long, wavy brown hair gave her a warm and approachable appearance. From the very first impression, she seemed like someone easy to get along with. No matter who she was talking to, she never lost her calm and easygoing demeanor.

She was our class president and affectionately known as the “Saint.” She just couldn’t turn a blind eye to anyone in trouble.

And, of course, there was something else noteworthy about her—her figure. I won’t specify what, but among the heroines, she was exceptionally well-endowed. Let’s just say many boys have likely found “comfort” thanks to her.

“Thanks for visiting. I really appreciate it.”

“Oh, don’t mention it~ I’m doing it because I like to, after all~”

Shuna plopped down on the chair to my left, immediately brushing off my gratitude with her trademark humility.

“Satoshi-kun, I have a question for you. Don’t you feel bored, lying around all the time~?”

“Uh, well… yeah, kind of.”

What was with this oddly drawn-out quiz? Her voice had zero inflection.

“For a bored Satoshi-kun, I have a present! Ta-da~ I bought you a game!”

With that, she handed me a Game Boy. Not just any Game Boy—this one came with a cartridge of a Pokémon game from decades ago.

Wait… isn’t this way too old?

As I stared at it, dumbfounded, Shuna gave me a sheepish smile.

“Sorry, I didn’t have enough money to buy any of the new games~ So, I ended up getting this second-hand one.”

“Oh, I see.”

Honestly, I was more impressed that she managed to find something this old.

“I really wanted to get you something brand new, but no matter how I tried, I just couldn’t make the money work~ I’m such a failure, aren’t I? I mean, all I can give my savior is something second-hand that someone else has already used… sniff.”

Ehh!?

Shuna started tearing up, her voice trembling with sobs as she apologized.

It all happened so suddenly that I could only flail around, panicking.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I gave my savior an old, used game. I just… can’t forgive myself…”

Shuna’s family was dirt poor—so poor it deserved an extra “dirt” for emphasis.

Her parents had once been successful entrepreneurs who built their fortune from scratch. Shuna herself had grown up as the daughter of a company president.

But that all changed when a trusted subordinate embezzled the company’s funds. The money was squandered on horse racing and gambling, and by the time they discovered who was responsible, there wasn’t a single yen left.

You can’t recover money from someone who doesn’t have any. From that point, the company’s performance plummeted, and now it was barely surviving, operating in the red and relying on repeated loans to stay afloat.

Shuna had started working part-time as soon as she entered high school to help support her family. Her household followed a creed: Even if you’re poor, don’t let your heart grow poor. This belief seemed to be the foundation for her actions, like helping others as the student council president. Honestly, it was admirable.

In LoD, there was a storyline where the protagonist helped save Shuna’s family business, but let’s just say… the bad endings made it clear how things usually turned out.

“Shuna, look at me. Thank you for the present, alright?”

“But… it’s practically garbage. I’m so sorry…”

“That’s not true. You knew I’d be bored in the hospital, so you went out of your way to choose this for me, right? Just the thought alone makes me happy.”

“Even so…”

“No ‘even so.’ Honestly, it’s not often I get to play older games like this, so I’m actually kind of excited. New games are great, but retro ones have their own charm.”

“…Really~?”

The light returned to her eyes. It seemed like my sincerity had gotten through to her. Just one more push.

“I’m not lying. Come on, Shuna, sit here with me. Let’s play together.”

“Okay… Thank you~.”

“I should be the one thanking you…”

How many people, despite being poor themselves, would spend their money on someone else? Honestly, I wanted to strangle the creators and protagonist of Love or Dead for trying to make someone like her suffer.

Still, I had to admit—starting up an old game like this was tough. Considering this thing was made around the time my previous self was born, it wasn’t surprising. Maybe this was part of the charm of retro gaming.

“Wow~! It’s so blocky!”

Shuna leaned in close, her eyes sparkling as she watched me play. Given that she didn’t even own a smartphone, this was probably her first time seeing a game like this.

But seriously, could you back up a little?

A faint, sweet floral scent filled the air, blending with the soft warmth of her presence. Completely absorbed in the game, Shuna didn’t seem to realize that her body was practically pressed against mine. The game must have been fascinating to her.

For a healthy teenage boy like me, this was a bit too much to handle. Taking a deep breath, I decided to focus entirely on the game.

It turned out to be harder than I thought. While the D-pad on the left was manageable, my right hand was immobile, making it a struggle to press the A and B buttons on the right. Playing with just one hand was proving to be a real challenge.

“Hmm? Satoshi-kun, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. Just thinking how hard it is to press the right buttons with my right hand out of commission.”

“Ohhh~ That’s right. Sorry for not noticing sooner~.”

As she spoke, the weight from my left side disappeared. Along with it, a strange sense of loss filled my heart.

They say you don’t realize the importance of something until it’s gone… Guess that’s true.

While I was lost in those thoughts, Shuna walked around my bed, moving to my right side. Leaning in from that direction, she placed her hands on the game console, right over the buttons my immobile hand couldn’t reach.

“I’ll handle the buttons on the right for you~ This way, we can play together~.”

From the right, a wave of happiness seemed to press in—only to be dulled by the lack of sensation in my right arm. Damn it!

“Hehe, so this is what they call co-op play, huh~?”

“I’m pretty sure this isn’t what they mean.”

If co-op play came with this kind of real-life setup, game sales would skyrocket.

In all seriousness, I really had been struggling without my right hand. Shuna helping me out like this was an enormous relief. Mentally, I knelt down in gratitude and offered her a heartfelt thank-you.

“Hmm? Something wrong~?”

“No, nothing at all. I’ll leave the right side to you.”

“Okay! It’s our first teamwork activity~.”

“Yeah, it is.”

It was true, but the way she emphasized “first” felt a bit excessive… Oh well, no point overthinking it.

For the next two hours, we had an incredibly nerve-wracking yet fun gaming session. Time flew by far too quickly. I guess being stuck in the hospital with nothing to do had made me starved for entertainment.

Before I knew it, visiting hours were over.

“Ahh~ It’s already the end of visiting hours~.”

“Yeah, it’s a shame. We’ll play again next time.”

I turned off the console. It wasn’t until later that I regretted the careless way I shut it down. Hint: Save files.

“Shuna, are you heading to your part-time job now?”

“Yup! They give us meals there, so I’m going to give it my all until closing~.”

“You’re amazing.”

She struck a pose with a determined “hmph” sound, but honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was actually motivating her or just draining her energy.

Shuna slipped on her coat, which was worn out with holes in some places. Despite its shabby state, it somehow didn’t detract from her charm. In fact, it seemed to highlight her unique appeal even more.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, alright? If you collapse, it’ll all be for nothing.”

“Thanks~ But I’ll be fine! Being energetic is my one redeeming quality~.”

She gave me a peace sign next to her face, her version of a “don’t worry” gesture.

“If you say so. But seriously, if you’re ever in trouble, just let me know. I’ll help you no matter what.”

“━Eh?”

Wait, what’s with that look?

Shuna stared at me blankly, her expression unreadable. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but she kept her eyes fixed on me, unwavering.

“Shuna?”

I wasn’t used to being stared at like this. Worried I might hit a nerve, I cautiously called out to her.

“Hmm? Oh, no, it’s nothing~.”

“Well, if you say so.”

She smiled weakly and waved it off, as if to say there was nothing worth pursuing. Her smile carried an undertone of something unsaid, but it was clear she didn’t want me to dig deeper.

So, I decided to leave it at that.

But then, Shuna spoke up again.

“…Recently, my dad’s company has been doing really well~. Thanks to that, I’ll be able to go to college.”

“Oh! That’s great news!”

“Yeah. Someone placed a huge order, you know~? Somehow, they scraped together just enough to cover my tuition. It’s like a blessing from heaven.”

That was good news. Maybe I should let her know who she had to thank. As usual, it was his name.

“That must’ve been Yuto, right? I overheard him saying, ‘I’m going to college with Shuna!’ while he was all fired up.”

Shuna’s family business had been in real trouble this year. It was on the brink of bankruptcy when a miraculous bulk order came through. That order had come from Yuto. He’d used all his money and even worked to make up the difference to help them.

“Hey, Satoshi-sama.”

“Hm?”

When I turned to look at Shuna, she was smiling like she always did, but it felt… hollow. Her face wore a smile, yet there was no warmth to it. It was as though two conflicting expressions—smiling and blank—existed simultaneously.

Then, she began walking toward me.

“Lend me your ear for a moment~.”

“Huh? Sure, I guess.”

There wasn’t anyone else in the room, so I couldn’t see the point of this, but I leaned in anyway. Then,

“…You liar.”

“Eh?”

A soft, ticklish whisper reached my ear. I couldn’t figure out what she meant, and when I tried to ask, she just smiled at me like she always did. That same familiar smile, offering no clues.

“And Satoshi-kun, I don’t care about him anymore, so you don’t need to worry about that~.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Just like Satsuki and the others, it seemed Shuna no longer had any interest in Yuto either.

Not that it mattered to me, but seriously, that guy’s awful remarks were causing every girl who cared about him to abandon him one by one. Not that I minded—it was kind of satisfying.

“I’ll devote myself to you, Satoshi-kun. For the rest of my life~.”

“Ah, um, okay.”

Why is it so heavy?!

That laid-back, drawn-out way of speaking was supposed to be one of Shuna’s charms, but the way she ended that sentence so decisively gave me chills. She meant it.

“Well then, I’m off~! Let’s play games together again soon, okay~?”

“Y-Yeah. See you.”

With a wave, Shuna left the room, her movements light and carefree.

I really need to get discharged soon…

━━━

Thank you for reading up to this point!

If you enjoyed the story, please consider bookmarking and following!

It’d mean the world if you could upgrade those ☆☆☆ to ★★★!