The Gal Game Heroines Who Were Supposed to Die Somehow Learned My Secret ～By the Way, Where Did My [Diary] Go?～ - Chapter 18: You’re the One I’ll Never Forgive━

Chapter 18: You’re the One I’ll Never Forgive━

Reine’s cold, piercing gaze was fixed on Yuto. Yet, despite that, Yuto showed no hesitation, greeting her with a calm smile.

“It’s been about a month, hasn’t it? How’ve you been… wait, hey—”

Reine ignored him entirely and lowered herself to meet my gaze. Remembering how pathetic I must have looked just moments ago, I instinctively averted my eyes. But Reine only smiled gently, like she was looking at a helpless child.

“Sorry, Satoshi. I’m a little late.”

“No, it’s fine. But more importantly—”

“There’s no need to say anything more.”

As she spoke, Reine lightly placed her hand over my lips.

“I’m glad you care so much about us, Satoshi. But if you think all of that is just because of guilt we feel toward you… that would make me a little sad.”

“Reine…”

For a moment, Reine lowered her eyes. But she quickly regained her usual composed and elegant expression, her demeanor cool and collected. Without a word, she reached out and firmly grabbed the handles of my wheelchair.

“Now, let’s get some lunch. Shino said she wanted to try ramen. Apparently, she’s curious about tasting something more ‘ordinary.’”

“…Haha, that’s just like Shino.”

Reine’s voice, usually cold and dignified, felt inexplicably warm right now. It was strange. The suffocating weight I had felt earlier seemed to ease slightly, replaced by a sense of calm. Reine was pushing my wheelchair from behind. Normally, I’d feel embarrassed and want to get off as soon as possible, but now, it was oddly reassuring.

“It’s been a while, Reine. How’ve you been?”

“━━━”

“…”

Reine continued to treat Yuto as if he didn’t exist. As we passed through the doors of the lecture hall:

“Satoshi-kun, sorry to keep you waiting!”

“Whoa!”

Satsuki rushed toward my wheelchair with a bright smile. But as soon as she looked up, her expression darkened completely.

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt worse, are you? I’ve been so worried… you can’t do anything on your own without us.”

“I’m fine, really. Same as always.”

Though honestly, her sudden bump into me just made things hurt more.

“I was just as worried━”

“Me too! I wouldn’t want you showing favoritism to Satsuki-chan, you know━”

Shuna and Shino entered right behind Satsuki, both pouting. But their voices lacked their usual liveliness.

“Huh? Huh? What’s wrong━ oh, I see.”

When Satsuki noticed something behind me, her eyes turned pitch black, and her voice flattened, completely devoid of emotion.

“Hey, Satsuki.”

Yuto called out to her, but Satsuki didn’t respond. Instead, she fixed her now unsettling smile squarely on me.

“You probably heard from Reine, but there’s a really good ramen shop outside the university. Right, Shino?”

“Yes, let’s go quickly. I’ve been curious to try this thing called a ‘vending machine.’”

“You’re as much of a sheltered lady as ever~.”

“Hey, wait…”

Yuto muttered weakly, his voice unsteady, but it seemed like none of the four paid him any attention. Whenever I tried to glance back, they formed a wall, blocking my view, and Reine began pushing my wheelchair forward.

◇

“Hey…”

It felt like my feet were weighed down with lead, unable to move at all. Even when I stretched out my hand, the people I wanted to hold close remained just out of reach, like a mirage fading into the distance.

“Wait! I’ve got so much I need to ask you!”

I called out, but my words had as much impact as punching a curtain, completely ignored.

“Shino, do you even know what ramen is?”

“Such a foolish question. What do you take me for?”

“A curious, troublemaking heiress, of course. You think you’ll actually eat it all?”

“If it’s too much, just give the rest to me~! I’m starving! Right, Satoshi-kun? You’re hungry too, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah, I guess so.”

Not you!

Whenever Iriya’s eyes met mine, a wall would immediately go up again, cutting off our connection. Among the five walking ahead, Iriya was the only one who acknowledged my presence. Ironically, it was that fact that reassured me the four walking in front of me weren’t just figments of my imagination.

“Hey, stop ignoring me and listen to what I’m saying already!”

Finally, my body and mind aligned, and I began chasing after them. Even though this was our first reunion in a long time, the fact that none of the four even glanced at me was starting to irritate me. Still, I forced myself to stay calm—until━

“Alright, then I’ll feed you~.”

“Hey, isn’t that a little unfair!? Satoshi-kun, eating ramen with your non-dominant hand will just make it splatter everywhere, so let me help you!”

“If someone as clumsy as Satsuki is nearby, Satoshi’s appetite will probably disappear. I’m not that hungry anyway, so I’ll take care of him. You three enjoy your ramen.”

“That’s not fair, Reine-san. Clearly, it should be me!”

“Ah, I really don’t need anyone to help…”

Hey! Stop it!”

The Four Beauties were squabbling over someone other than me—and they looked like they were having fun, too. I’d put off confessing to give the four of them time to strengthen their bonds with each other.

But that was supposed to be because I was at the center of that circle, not anyone else. My growing frustration was too much to suppress any longer.

“Why are you hanging around someone like him!? You all used to be in love with me! Now you ignore my messages and pretend I don’t exist. What the hell is going on!?”

The four of them finally stopped in front of the elevator.

“Hah… hah… they finally stopped.”

Only the sound of my breathing echoed in the air. Just moments ago, their lively chatter had filled the space, but now they were as silent as a calm sea.

I couldn’t let this chance slip by.

“Hey, if it’s too hard to answer, just nod. Send me an SOS. No matter what’s going on, I’ll save you!”

There was no way this was what they wanted. I was sure Iriya had taken advantage of their kindness and was holding something over them. Otherwise, they would never treat someone they cared about this way.

But as the elevator reached the second floor and the doors opened, none of them so much as glanced at me. Without hesitation, they entered the elevator with Iriya.

“Guh! Wait!”

I couldn’t stop now━I had to act. With a burst of determination, I lunged forward, wedging my foot into the gap of the closing elevator doors. The slight impact caused the doors to stop and freeze in place.

“You’re too kind for this, Satsuki! He must be blackmailing you, right? You didn’t want to do this, but Satoshi Iriya forced you to, didn’t he?”

At that, their ears twitched ever so slightly.

“And you, Iriya! Say something, you son of a bitch!”

I couldn’t see Iriya’s face, blocked by Reine and Shino as they continued pushing his wheelchair. His silence only made him seem more cowardly and conniving.

“Hey.”

“…Satsuki? Satsuki━!”

Had my desperate plea finally reached her? Satsuki responded, summoning the courage to speak.

Of course, Satsuki must have been suffering under Iriya’s control. If that was the case, then I had to━

“━Just Die.”

Shiver.

Before I could process the chilling, icy voice that pierced my ears, Satsuki’s pitch-black eyes, darker than the void, locked onto me. From the barely open elevator doors, her right hand shot out with frightening speed.

Her slender fingers grabbed the front of my shirt, and with an overwhelming strength that left no room for resistance, my body was yanked forward. There was no hesitation in her movement—she intended to drag me into the elevator.

“Wha…?”

A small sound of confusion and fear escaped my lips, but before I could react further, Satsuki released her grip. The elevator doors closed mercilessly, shutting me out.

With the momentum of being pulled forward, my head slammed into the doors, the dull impact reverberating painfully across my face as I collapsed onto the floor.

“～～～～!”

“━”

Blood sprayed into the air, painting the floor beneath me.

As the elevator doors reopened, Satsuki stood there, looking down at me with eyes that held the same disdain one might have for garbage. Through my blurry vision, I could see Shuna smiling as she casually held the open/close button.

Ironically, the sharp pain jolted my mind back into focus.

“W-What are you…!?”

But my words immediately caught in my throat. It wasn’t just Satsuki—both Shino and Reine stared down at me with the same cold, scornful expressions.

“You lowlife… Who do you think you are, speaking like that to the person who saved our lives?”

“Exploiting us? Blackmailing us? Stop slandering our Satoshi already.”

“W-What? What are you even talking about? Come on, Shuna—”

“Don’t say my name, okay~? You filth.”

Her usual calm and kind tone was gone, replaced with icy anger. The gentle smile that Shuna always wore like a mask had vanished, leaving her expression frighteningly serious.

What… what the hell is happening? What the hell is going on here?

My thoughts couldn’t keep up with reality, my perception fraying at the edges. Then, Satsuki crouched in front of me where I had fallen, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and yanked me up until we were at eye level.

Our gazes locked, but her eyes were like black holes, pulling me into an abyss.

“After everything you’ve done to toy with us, how dare you act like nothing happened? And now, you even try to hurt our Satoshi-kun’s heart. Die. Die, die, die, die, die━just die.”

“Hiiee!”

Was this really Satsuki in front of me?

I pulled back, desperate to free myself from her grip, even as it tore some of my hair. But the sheer terror numbed any pain I might have felt. As Satsuki stood back up, the elevator doors began to close, cold and unfeeling, sealing me away.

“Don’t ever speak to us again. You, of all people, are the one we’ll never━”

The final words were cut off as the elevator doors slammed shut with a loud metallic sound.

I stood there, completely dazed, my mind blank. The scornful expressions of Satsuki and the others were seared into my memory, refusing to fade. Their faces had been filled with unfathomable anger and an icy contempt.

Kill━

It almost looked like that’s what Satsuki’s lips had formed in those final moments.

“What… what did I do to deserve this…?!”

Fear and confusion swirled in my chest, and along with them━

━━━

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