The Gal Game Heroines Who Were Supposed to Die Somehow Learned My Secret ～By the Way, Where Did My [Diary] Go?～ - Chapter 08: Discharge

Chapter 08: Discharge

The day of my discharge had finally arrived. I’d spent nearly a month in the hospital, but at least I’d be out in time for the university entrance ceremony.

My belongings consisted of the bag I had with me during the accident and my school uniform. It felt odd wearing a uniform after graduating, but since it was the only decent outfit I had, I didn’t have much choice.

The bloodstains from that day had been completely cleaned, leaving no trace of the smell. I couldn’t feel anything but gratitude toward the hospital staff for that.

“Thank you for everything.”

I expressed my thanks at the reception desk, and with a mix of emotions, stepped out of the hospital. The moment I did, a sense of freedom swept over me.

Outside, the cheerful sunlight and budding cherry blossoms greeted me. In recent years, it had become common for cherry blossoms to finish blooming before entrance ceremonies, but at this rate, they’d likely be in full bloom on the big day.

“Well then… ngh…”

The pain from my injuries reminded me that I wasn’t fully healed yet. To the casual observer, I probably looked fine aside from my right arm. But beneath my clothes, I was wrapped in layers of bandages. Even walking was a struggle.

“Haah… It’s unbelievable how exhausting just a few steps can feel…”

I began to regret not staying in the hospital a little longer. Maybe I’d overestimated myself.

“Satoshi-kun! Wait up!”

“Hm?”

I turned to see Satsuki running toward me, pushing a wheelchair.

“You’re still recovering! You shouldn’t be walking around by yourself. Come on, sit down.”

“Oh, uh… thanks.”

Following her lead, I let Satsuki help me into the wheelchair. She puffed out her cheeks and placed her hands on her hips.

“You’re so cold, Satoshi-kun. Leaving the hospital alone on your discharge day?”

“Well, I didn’t expect you to come all the way here…”

“There’s no way I’d let you leave alone! You’re not fully healed yet, Satoshi-kun!”

“Satsuki…”

She’s too good…

Satsuki’s heroine-level kindness was almost blinding. I hadn’t expected her to stick around even after I was discharged, and it warmed my heart more than I cared to admit.

“Well then, before anyone else shows up—”

“What do you think you’re doing!?”

“Tch”

…Did she just click her tongue?

Sitting in the wheelchair, I could only hear Satsuki’s voice behind me. Maybe I imagined it. But the other voice—I definitely recognized it.

The sound of hurried footsteps grew louder from behind us. When I turned to look, I saw Reine sprinting toward us, her silver hair streaming behind her, and an expression of fury on her face.

She skidded to a stop in front of Satsuki and shot her a sharp glare.

“We agreed not to go behind each other’s backs when welcoming Satoshi-sama!”

“You’ve got it all wrong, Reine. Satoshi-kun just came out a little earlier than expected, so I thought I’d wait with him here. That’s all!”

“…How obvious.”

“Whatever do you mean~?”

Satsuki brushed off Reine’s anger with a carefree smile, as if it were nothing more than a passing breeze.

“You came too, Reine?”

“Y-Yes. I thought it might still be hard for you even after being discharged. Was I a bother…?”

She glanced up at me with a slightly anxious expression.

“Not at all! I’m really glad you came. Thanks to both of you.”

“N-Not like it’s a big deal…”

“Hehe, you’re welcome~.”

Reine tried to play it cool, twirling a strand of her hair as her cheeks flushed red, while Satsuki beamed with a bright smile, clearly pleased with my gratitude.

“…And what exactly do we have here~?”

“I see. So, this is the tactic you’ve chosen.”

The soft, floaty voice and calm, polite tone made me instinctively look ahead.

There they were: Shuna with her gentle, saintly smile, and Shino with an eerily neutral expression. Both of them were staring not at me, but at Satsuki and Reine behind me, their gazes carrying an unmistakable air of accusation.

“Oh my, if it isn’t Shuna and Shino. What brings you here?”

“Fufu, playing dumb, are we, Reine-san?”

“What ever do you mean?”

Reine and Shino’s gazes clashed, their smiles unyielding. Yet, the atmosphere between them was frigid, as though winter had returned.

“Come on, you two. No fighting, okay? Did you forget about the Four Beauties Agreement?”

Both Reine and Shino turned to glare at Satsuki with exasperated expressions.

“Satsuki, do you really think you’re in a position to say that?”

“You were the first one to break the Four Beauties Agreement, weren’t you? I saw it quite clearly with my own eyes.”

“…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Then why are you averting your gaze as you say that?”

It seemed Reine and Shino weren’t buying Satsuki’s excuses. Slowly but surely, they cornered her against the wall.

Meanwhile, my wheelchair began to move. Looking back, I saw Shuna behind me, gently pushing it.

“Shuna?”

“Shh~.”

She held a finger to her lips, signaling me to stay quiet.

“Let’s just leave those three to their little squabble and go, okay~?”

“Wait, but—”

“It’s fine, it’s fine~.”

Before I knew it, we were gradually moving farther away from the impromptu trial Reine and Shino seemed to be conducting against Satsuki.

“Hey, Satoshi-kun, can I ask you for a favor~?”

“A favor? Sure, what is it?”

“Thanks~. So, I’ve decided to get a smartphone for university, but I don’t know anything about that kind of stuff. Could you come with me to pick one out~?”

“That’s all? No problem. My phone got wrecked in the accident, so I’ve been meaning to get a new one anyway. Let’s go together.”

“Yay! Thanks~. That really helps me—”

“Stop right there…”

“Tch.”

Huh? Did I just hear Shuna click her tongue? The usually floaty and sweet Shuna?

“You really leave no room for complacency, do you?”

“Whatever do you mean~?”

Reine was glaring at Shuna, who remained utterly unfazed. Her poker face was undeniably her strongest weapon.

“Satoshi-san.”

“Hm? Shino? What’s up?”

Shino knelt before me and gently took my hand.

“No, it’s nothing. I just wanted to say congratulations on your discharge. I’m truly relieved.”

“Oh, uh, thanks.”

Coming from Shino, whose expression was usually so stoic, her smile was devastatingly powerful!

I quickly averted my gaze, only to find myself looking at Satsuki. Her eyes, devoid of their usual sparkle, stared back at me.

“That’s unfair…”

“Oh my, whatever could you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean…”

Satsuki and Shino glared at each other, while Shuna and Reine exchanged equally intense looks.

I had no way to stop this standoff, and since I was stuck in the wheelchair, escape wasn’t an option either. Resigned, I decided to zone out and retreat into my thoughts.

The Four Beauties Agreement… Man, that’s a nostalgic name.

The pact was created after reaching Yuto’s harem ending in Love or Dead (LoD). It was meant to prevent the heroines from fighting over him. The term never appeared in individual routes or bad endings.

Of course, in the actual harem ending, they all ended up breaking the pact anyway, vying for Yuto’s attention in their own ways.

Still, there was something that bothered me. In LoD, the harem ending required the heroines to get along with each other. To achieve that, Yuto had to resolve the personal issues each heroine faced. But he failed to do so.

Because of their unresolved conflicts, the heroines continued to clash, and that disastrous confession of his was rightfully rejected.

But now… what’s the situation?

Well, maybe it’s not that important.

“Satoshi-kun, is something wrong?”

Satsuki’s voice brought me back to reality. I must have zoned out for a moment. The heroines had stopped bickering and were all looking at me.

“I’m just… really glad you’re all alive.”

“━━━”

Strange. The sky was perfectly clear, yet my vision was blurring.

What I wanted to protect was their futures—the futures that had been destroyed by the whims of the game’s creators. I risked my life to save those futures.

And now, they were here, living in the present. That alone made me feel like my life had been worth something.

From this point on, there was no more predetermined scenario. The heroines were finally free.

As my gaze met each of theirs, I felt my face heat up all at once.

“Sorry… that was lame of me. Just, give me a second.”

Embarrassment washed over me like a tidal wave. I rubbed at my tears furiously, but the more I tried to act like my usual self, the harder it was to suppress the shaky breaths and cracking voice that betrayed me.

“You’re not lame at all. You’ve always been there to save us.”

“…huh?”

I felt hands on my shoulders, back, and arms. It took me a moment to realize they belonged to all four of them.

“What… are you…?”

“To us, you’re our savior~. How could we ever think you were uncool?”

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be alive right now.”

“Please don’t say you’re lame. Satoshi-san, you’re the coolest person we know.”

Their warm words sank into my ears, resonating deeply in my chest.

Ah… I’ve finally been rewarded.

As the thought crossed my mind, the four of them pulled away. Their eyes were soft and kind as they gazed at me.

“Alright, let’s celebrate your discharge! We’ve reserved a yakiniku feast just for you!”

“Wait!? Seriously?”

I couldn’t help but react to Satsuki’s words. After weeks of bland hospital food, I was craving meat so badly that my stomach growled in anticipation.

“Hah… Don’t act like it was your idea, Saionji-san. It’s a high-end yakiniku restaurant owned by the Shinonome Corp.”

“Wait… isn’t that ridiculously expensive…?”

My excitement immediately turned into dread. Thanks to Yuto, I’d blown through most of my money, and my wallet was nearly empty.

“There’s no way we’re letting you pay, Satoshi-san. Tonight, everything is on the house for all of us.”

“Oh… thank you so much…”

I couldn’t help it—Shino was starting to look like an actual goddess in my eyes.

“Wow, how many years has it been since I’ve had yakiniku~?”

“This will be my first time. My family never went out to eat… and I never had any friends to go with either…”

“You guys, eat as much as you like.”

I silently resolved to be kind to Shuna, who had grown up poor, and Reine, who had endured toxic parents. At the very least, they deserved some happiness to balance out the hardships they’d faced.

“Well then, let’s go!”

Satsuki’s cheerful voice rang out, lifting the mood even further.

◇

Satoshi-kun, you’re truly kind.

It’s a kindness that shines quietly, without expectation, and I can’t help but be drawn to it.

I know this might seem sudden, but… there are two truths we’ve kept hidden from you.

The first is this: we knew.

That day, we knew we were going to die. We saw it coming—our fates set in stone.

And yet, you didn’t hesitate. You threw yourself into that moment, shattering the chains of inevitability to save us. You paid a price we can never hope to repay.

Thank you.

No… that word isn’t enough.

Because you’ve always been there, haven’t you?

Helping us from the shadows, carrying burdens we didn’t even see.

The world’s compulsion, the mechanics of this cruel reality—they erased our memories, stole the truth away. But now, somehow, we remember.

And with that remembrance comes a choice—a vow.

For as long as we live, we’ll stand by you. We owe you that much and more. Not just gratitude, but unwavering loyalty.

The others feel the same; I know they do.

And now, for the second truth.

It’s our vow.

To destroy this twisted force—the world’s enforcement mechanics—that played with our lives, our hearts, and wounded you so deeply.

And to eliminate the one who embodies that force, the root of this evil… Yuto Sano.

This isn’t just for us. It’s for you. For everything you’ve done and everything you’ve sacrificed. We won’t let this world continue to hurt you.

━━━

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