The Kansai Villain’s Rebirth: I Accidentally Ended Up With a Harem. - Chapter 142: The Former Protagonist's Final Choice.

The Former Protagonist’s Final Choice.

Imamiya Toshiya’s POV.

Momodani is crying… Why the hell is he crying…? Why… why would he go this far for someone like me…? For a piece of trash like me… someone who’s fallen this low…! Momodani’s words and actions are impossible to predict most of the time…

“It might sound like I’m trying to act superior saying this, but when the third-years retired and we were deciding who to make regulars, I begged Kentarou and the advisor like my life depended on it to put you in that last spot.”

“…Huh?”

I thought he was lying. That this was just a convenient lie to persuade me in the moment. I didn’t trust Momodani. After all, it was his decision too to bench me and kick me off the team, right? That’s what I thought. But… seeing how desperate he’s been this whole time, a part of me started to wonder if it might actually be true. If he was willing to go this far, I figured I should at least hear him out.

“Kentarou and the advisor both wanted to put Shichijou in. But I pulled captain’s privilege and put a stop to it.”

“Why…? Shichijou’s way better at basketball… and he’s taller too—180 cm. Putting him in would’ve given us the advantage, right?”

I said it sarcastically. Because now Shichijou’s the one who’s earned that regular spot. Back in middle school, Shichijou was a starter tearing up the court. I worked my ass off too, but I was benched the whole time because of my height. So why me instead of him?

“You said it yourself earlier—you had guts. Even when Taishou was harassing and power-tripping on you, you chased every loose ball like your life depended on it. Anything you didn’t understand, anything you wanted to know, you asked the seniors, me, anyone. And when we taught you, you thanked us sincerely, put it into practice right away, asked if you were doing it right… and if it worked, you made it your own. I saw your single-minded devotion to basketball. I saw your guts.”

…Being praised like this… I don’t even know if it makes me happy or what. If he’d said this back when we were still in the club, I would’ve been honestly thrilled. But hearing it now, in this moment… I don’t know how to respond.

“That brutal summer training in first year—the one where you thought you were gonna puke… hell, Shichijou actually did puke. He started slacking off because he didn’t want to throw up again. You collapsed puking too, but you kept pushing through practice like a madman. Why was that?”

“Well… I thought maybe, just maybe, I’d get a shot at being a regular…”

“That’s exactly it. Watching you get back up no matter how many times you fell, still trying to keep practicing… I decided right then that if I ever became captain, I’d make you a regular. When I saw that bastard Taishou just laughing at you for it, I wanted to grind my fist into his gut.”

…What the hell does “grind” even mean? That’s terrifying…! That training really was hell. Word was Taishou-senpai was deliberately trying to break the underclassmen. A bunch of guys quit because of it. I almost quit too. If Mio hadn’t encouraged me… I never would’ve made it. Mio…

“In a run-and-gun game, when things get brutal and the score’s tight, the one with guts is the one who wins in the end. Even when you’re exhausted, even when your legs are tangled and about to give out—if you’ve got that fire that says you’ll score no matter what, that’s what decides the game. Shichijou didn’t have it. You did. That’s why I damn near got into a real fight with Kentarou to force you onto the regular roster.”

“So that’s how… I became a regular…”

“In our first practice match, when your mistake cost us the game—you were crying for real, remember? Then you came to me and begged me to tell you what you did wrong. And after that, you worked like hell to fix every single one of those mistakes. That’s the kind of guy you are—full of guts.”

“…”

It feels like a lifetime ago now. Back then… I was having the time of my life. But once I finally made regular… I got arrogant. Started running my mouth like an idiot. Hurt Mio and the others… I…

“I fought against benching you the whole time. I told them I’d knock some sense into you myself. Kentarou was just plain pissed, but I wanted you to feel that fire—that ‘damn it all’ drive. I’m sorry for the things I said that were too harsh. And when it came to kicking you off the team… I fought desperately to stop it. But I couldn’t do it alone.”

“…That’s enough…!”

“What do you mean ‘that’s enough,’ you idiot…?”

“…Everything you said… even if it’s a lie, it makes me happy… but I… I… what the hell am I supposed to do now…? I’ve fallen this far… I’ve done cigarettes, alcohol…! How do I even climb back from this!!”

“That’s for you to figure out. Coming back will be hard as hell, no doubt. But if you take another wrong turn… I’ll grind my fist into you and wake you up myself. So don’t run. Don’t you dare run away, Imamiya!!!”

“Ugh… uu… uwaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!”

I cried. Why do his words pierce straight into my chest like this…? They’re so warm… I kept sobbing out loud for what felt like forever.

***

“You calm now?”

“…Yeah.”

“If you go astray again after this, I’m seriously gonna grind you.”

“Okay, but what the hell is ‘grind’ supposed to mean?”

“Huh? First, you make a fist! Then you drive it straight into their liver with everything you’ve got! If it connects—grind and twist upward!”

“That’s terrifying!? Are you trying to kill me!?”

“No worries, no worries! Sacrifice is necessary for scientific progress!”

“You’ll be dead! And that’s not science!!”

“I won’t do it unless it’s absolutely necessary to bring you back.”

“…I’ll climb my way up in my own way. But quitting cold turkey right now would be dangerous. And… if they’re targeting Mio and the others… I want to work with Tennouji.”

“If that gets out, Taishou and the others will literally kill you, you know?”

“Like I care. I don’t know if it’ll atone for the grudge I held against Tennouji… but I’m going to try. I’m… going to do it.”

“Hmph. That’s the you from back then. I’ll put in a word with Daiki, so show up to school properly on Monday.”

“Got it. I don’t expect forgiveness. But… after everything you’ve said to me here…”

“Heh. Well, I’m heading home! I’m starving. Hey, Imamiya—I can’t help you directly, but team up with Tennouji and crush those guys. Taishou’s nothing but small fry.”

“…To me, he’s a formidable enemy.”

“Yeah? Well—good luck.”

He waved and walked off. Just said everything he wanted and left… What the hell is with that guy…? Damn it… I already said it. The only choice now… is to do it. If I run away… I’ll just be a complete piece of trash. I’ll… do it my way… even if it’s terrifying… I’ll do it!

***

I figured suddenly cutting ties would be suicidal, so I headed to the usual hangout. Maybe I should… quit smoking while I’m at it. I told Cha-ko-senpai it tasted good, but honestly it’s disgusting… Thinking that, I approached the spot—and just before reaching it…

“Hey, Taishou. Why’d you bring that loser along?”

“Ah, Toshiya? Well, he’s childhood friends with that Akitani chick I’m after and the Fuyuki girl you guys are targeting, right? Drag him in, and we can pry good info out of him. Speaking of—which, what’re you planning to do with those photos of Akitani?”

“Heh, I’m gonna edit them into something nice for you. Yeah, bringing him in was definitely the right call. Ayumi—are you actually into Imamiya or what?”

“As if! That tiny-dicked loser? I just figured I could get all kinds of info out of him to make Ugly-ki grovel. He seemed like a total virgin, so I thought if I let him have one quick round he’d be hooked and wouldn’t run. Kyahaha! He was hilarious! Kept thrusting even though it clearly wasn’t doing anything for me—just because I threw in some half-hearted moans and told him it felt good! Daddy’s huge dick feels way better, you know? All the money I spent on him… once we break Ugly-ki and drag her down here, I’ll make him pay it all back. Consider it an investment♪”

“Gyahahaha! Your acting’s top-notch! Well, whatever! Once this is over, we can just bleed Imamiya dry till his parents’ accounts are empty! If he doesn’t listen, we beat him senseless!”

“Oi oi, what a thing to do to a cute kouhai!”

“Gyahahahaha! You don’t think that for a second!”

“Future ATM confirmed! What a great kouhai!”

I ran.

Haha… so that’s how it was. Having a girlfriend, feeling good about it… in the end, it was all this. Exactly what Momodani said… Hahaha! I was just a clown… no, a future ATM!

Hahahaha!!

I ended up in an empty park, gasping for breath as I stood there.

Even Cha-ko-senpai… no, Cha-ko too… and everyone in Shien… they’re all the same… Hahaha… how pathetic… I tried to light a cigarette to distract myself, but Momodani’s face flashed in my mind… my hands shook so badly I couldn’t even spark the lighter. I crushed the cigarette between my lips, pulled the rest of the pack from my pocket, crushed every last one, and slammed them into the ground…

“FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!”

I screamed out all the rage with nowhere to go. Even after letting it out, there was nothing I could do—I felt so pathetic that tears came again. Breathing heavily, I stood there in a daze when—

“Noisy little shits, like goldfish turds on frog piss. If I’d caught you smoking, you’d be in juvenile detention right now.”

“You’re…”

“Your eyes look different from the last time I saw you… so I let you off easy. I’m not here to arrest you. Just wanna have a little chat.”

I have no idea how long he’d been there, but a fearless smirk on his face, the demon-like Detective Togeyama approached me step by step.