The Story Where I, the Strongest Mercenary, Was Reincarnated as a Bullied Introverted High School Student ~ When I Was Freely Enjoying My School Life, for Some Reason the Girls Around Me Started Glancing at Me~

When I called out, Char turned around. Right now I had Fushimi Jinta’s body and voice, so there was no way she could know I was Ryuji.

Yet when Char saw me, rather than being suspicious, her eyes widened in surprise.

First, I thought about how to prove I was Ryuji, so I raised my right hand. Then I did something only we would understand.

“Ah. Since it’s a reunion after all, maybe a high five with both hands would be better?”

“R-Ryuji? Is it really…?”

“Yeah, I’m back, partner.”

Char pressed her face against my chest and cried like a child.

◇◇◇

“So that’s how it is. I was reincarnated into the body of a high school student named Fushimi Jinta.”

“What do you mean ‘so that’s how it is’? I don’t understand anything.”

While eating lunch at a stylish cafe near the station, I explained the circumstances to Char.

“That’s right, I understand that I don’t understand anything either. That’s kind of smart, right?”

“…Well, fine.”

“How did you realize I was Ryuji just by looking at me?”

“Because you had mean-looking eyes.”

“…Whatever.”

We both swallowed what we wanted to say along with our drinks and continued talking.

“So you don’t plan to tell Shiori-san?”

“Right, I don’t know when my soul might leave this body and be called to heaven.”

“Is that really okay?”

“It’s fine. I don’t want to make her experience the pain of losing someone important twice, and I want Shiori to quickly forget about me and live freely. I already transferred enough money from my mercenary days so she won’t have financial troubles.”

“…I see. If that’s what you think, Ryuji, then that’s probably fine.”

Char continued talking while twirling pasta around her fork.

“What are you going to do now, Ryuji?”

“Well, I guess… First, I’ll explain the situation to Fushimi’s family.”

“That might not be a good idea.”

“Why not?”

After hesitating a bit, Char began to speak.

“Ryuji, you remember the last mission, right?”

“Yeah, I could never forget it. It’s how I died.”

“I want you to think back on it. The Soviet mafia, even though we launched a surprise attack, weren’t they surprisingly unprepared to counter us? You were even put on a wanted list.”

“…”

“Conversely, there were hardly any enemies on my and Oscar’s separate unit route that we decided at the last minute, and we reached the facility smoothly. They couldn’t respond, there wasn’t time to leak information to the mafia.”

“…That means…”

“The clincher was the missile’s self-destruction. I couldn’t hack it because it was being remotely controlled. They intended to bury all of us SWORD members, every last one right from the very start.”

“…So it was set up?”

“That’s right. Someone who found SWORD troublesome tried to eliminate us. Thanks to you risking your life, only I survived.”

Char elegantly brushed her hair aside and brought pasta to her mouth before continuing.

“So, Ryuji. You should continue living as Fushimi Jinta. If the enemy knew that the most troublesome guy had survived, they’d eliminate you immediately.”

“…”

“Ryuji?”

“I see, so there was a reason I was reincarnated too.”

When I smiled with an evil expression, Char sighed.

“Planning revenge?”

“Are you going to stop me?”

“Of course not, I’ll cooperate. All our precious comrades were killed because of that person. I was originally planning to do it alone.”

I finished my third plate of curry and spoke to Char.

“The enemy thinks I’m completely dead. With this boring high school student’s body, I’ll make them tremble with fear again as the ‘Invincible Dragon’.”

“…I understand. I’ll gather information, so Ryuji, wait while living your student life as Fushimi Jinta.”

After finishing lunch, Char and I headed to pay the bill.

“Ah, sorry, Char. I don’t have money since I got mugged.”

When I said that, Char made a “what is this guy saying?” face.

“…You got mugged? Ryuji should be the one doing the mugging.”

“What do you think I am? I don’t do that, probably.”

“But looking closely at Ryuji’s body, I can see bruises showing from your sleeves.”

“Yeah, I got beaten up pretty badly. My whole body still hurts.”

“It’s rare for Ryuji to be injured.”

While saying that, Char took out her wallet.

“Fushimi was weak. He’s an introvert with no girlfriend and barely any decent friends, he’s hopeless.”

When I said that, Char dropped her wallet.

“I-I see! So Ryuji doesn’t have a girlfriend right now!? I see!”

“Hey, never mind that, you dropped your wallet!”

“I see, no girlfriend… ehehe.”

For some reason, Char kept looking up at the ceiling with an ecstatic expression instead of picking up her wallet. Was she that amused that I’d become an unpopular introvert? I had no choice but to collect all the scattered coins and pay.

When we left the shop, Char smiled brightly at me.

“By the way, tell me the name of the guy who hit you? I’ll expose his address as a popular porn actor in gay dating communities, hack his followers’ smartphones, and expose all his past crimes.”

“Char… you’re definitely someone I never want as an enemy.”

After calming Char’s anger, we headed to the park. We sat on a bench and bought canned coffee with Char’s money, drinking while we talked.

“Anyway, I’m staying at Ryuji’s house tonight.”

“…Huh?”

“I want to know about Ryuji’s current family, and I want to know the inside of the house in case something happens.”

(Come to think of it, she’s all alone now.)

If I was nearby, she might feel a bit more at ease. As for bedding, well… I could sleep on the floor.

I sent a message to Fushimi’s mother on RINE just in case.

‘Is it okay if a friend stays over today?’

‘I’m so happy that Jinta is bringing a friend home! I don’t have a night shift today either, so I’ll put my all into making dinner!’

She was really excited. Now for my sister with the worst favorability rating.

‘Is it okay if a friend stays over today?’