When I Thought I Was Reborn, My Family Turned Out to Be a Huge Landmine - Chapter 15: The Place of Dreams

Chapter 15: The Place of Dreams

“Ren? What’s wrong?”

“…Huh? Oh, nothing.”

During dinner, it seemed I had spaced out, as Nee-san asked me what was wrong. Nii-san also looked at me curiously. Was I really that lost in thought that I caught their attention?

Just a moment ago, Arika confessed to me. I was about to dismiss it as a joke, but seeing Arika’s desperate expression, I swallowed my words. Her feelings, so earnest they couldn’t be mistaken for a joke, were clear in her eyes.

“…”

While eating the meal Nee-san prepared, I pondered.

I had always assumed Arika liked Arisaka, but that was my mistake. She had only ever seen Arisaka as a childhood friend. Though I couldn’t believe it just from hearing Takuma’s words, being confessed to by Arika changed that disbelief into certainty.

“…Ren?”

I was truly happy about the confession. Arika, as a girl, is… well, to put it simply, she’s incredibly charming. As a guy, I can’t deny that I wanted to immediately accept her confession. In the end, I didn’t respond to Arika right then, more out of confusion than happiness.

“…Did something happen?”

“What do you mean by something?”

“Well, you know… like a girl confessing to you?”

“Ha!? W-Wait, Ren!”

Caught off guard, I struggled to find the right words. Arika had said she wanted my response once I had sorted out my feelings. However, she left with a complete change from her gentle expression, saying…

“I really love you, Ren-kun. So, starting tomorrow, I’ll be on the offensive. I’ll keep pushing until you’re completely captivated by me.”

Her words and demeanor were so bold, I almost complimented her strength. After parting with Arika, I kept reflecting on that moment, feeling troubled.

“…Muu!”

“Mmph!?”

It was sudden. Like being yanked by something, I felt a soft, bouncy sensation against my face. The warmth, softness, scent, and heartbeat… It didn’t take long to realize what it was. I wiggled my face to break free, but couldn’t escape from the strong arms embracing me.

“…Um, Nee-san?”

With Nee-san’s chest still pressed against my cheek, I looked up to see her, cheeks puffed, staring at me.

“Tell me Ren, did someone really confess to you?”

“!?”

Nee-san’s pointed question made my heart skip a beat. My expression must have given me away because her face suddenly turned stern. On the other hand, I could sense Nii-san’s amusement… but before enjoying this, please help your brother out.

“Is it a boy or a girl?”

Why would she think it’s a boy? But now that it’s come to this, it’s hard to dodge the question. So, I honestly said it was a girl. Nee-san then moved away from me and collapsed weakly onto the sofa.

“Ren… Ren will be taken away.”

If this were a manga, it would be like her soul was escaping from her mouth. I couldn’t help but imagine her eyes turning into dots, with something wobbly hanging from her mouth.

Nii-san and I exchanged glances and both sighed. It’s nice to be loved so much by family, but sometimes it feels a bit suffocating… Well, it’s not like we’ve decided to date yet.

“What kind of girl is she?”

“She’s a nice girl. But… I always thought she liked someone else.”

“That’s a common scenario in love. If she’s a good girl, why not try dating her―”

At that moment, something whizzed through the air. Making a ‘whoosh’ sound as it flew past me, it hit Nii-san squarely in the face. Nii-san fell to the ground with a pitiful cry. The object that hit Nii-san’s face was a small doll, apparently thrown with considerable force, as it stuck to his face and wouldn’t come off.

“…”

Silently, I looked towards Nee-san and saw her, arms swung back in a form that even professional baseball players might envy. Her heavy breathing, bloodshot eyes, and daunting demeanor made me instinctively take a step back, not wanting to engage with her.

“Is it Yumeno?”

“Huh?”

“The girl Arika Yumeno you mentioned before?”

“…”

“I see…”

Wait, did Nee-san’s mood just change?

Nee-san took a deep breath in and out, then, for some reason, she hugged me. It’s normal for Nee-san to embrace me like this, but the shifted atmosphere made it hard for me to ask her to let go.

“Never thought that she would be the one to bring back memories… Fufu, maybe I should be thankful this time.”

“…Nee-san?”

“Asami…?”

Confused, I looked at Nii-san, who had just gotten up and seemed equally bewildered by Nee-san’s change.

“Nee-san, why are you crying?”

Then, another thing, Nee-san was shedding tears. Not so much sad as they seemed happy… almost like Arika earlier. What’s going on?

“Hey Ren, can we talk a bit? Can you come to my room?”

“Sure, but…”

We were still in the middle of dinner. Realizing what I meant, Nee-san’s face flushed slightly, and she suggested we finish eating first before returning to her seat. I turned away from Nee-san and exchanged a glance with Nii-san.

“…What’s going on?”

“I don’t know… but something seems to have changed.”

In other words, neither of us had any idea. Since Nee-san had resumed eating, we decided to follow suit and pushed our questions to the back of our minds, resuming our meal. But then…

“…?”

During the meal, Nee-san stared at me as if trying to bore holes with her gaze. She smiled and nodded happily every time I took a bite, making it incredibly awkward to eat. When I looked back at her questioningly, she blushed slightly, leaving me even more perplexed.

This strange atmosphere between me and Nee-san continued until we finished eating. After dinner, I headed to Nee-san’s room, expecting an important conversation given her behavior.

“Um… Nee-san? What’s all this about?”

“Fufu… Ren, I love you. I really do.”

I found myself pushed down onto the bed… Why, though?

“Haah… Finally, finally. I’ve finally remembered.”

Meanwhile, at the same time various things were happening in the Kamisato household, she – Arika – was also thinking about Ren. She had been feeling unsettled for a while, wondering why she was so concerned about Ren… why she couldn’t stop following him with her eyes, even though she knew it was strange, unable to stop herself.

But that all changed when Ren reenacted that moment, opening the lid on her sealed memories. Although the flood of memories made her feel slightly dizzy, it was nothing serious compared to the sorrow she had felt before.

“…Ren-kun, I love you.”

Even in his absence, she could say those words over and over. In her previous life, even after scattering her life at Ren’s grave due to the actions of her “childhood friend,” Arika’s feelings never faded. She had initially intended to die following Ren, which is why she willingly accepted the blade thrust by her despairing childhood friend into her chest.

“…Fufu, it was truly empty. Yes, it was poetic justice – I was exactly that.”

The primary cause of Ren’s death was the worst action of that childhood friend. That’s why Arika used everything at her disposal to plot her revenge. With Ren gone, feeling as if she had lost her own self, Arika couldn’t find any value in herself.

“A body is merely a vessel to contain consciousness. Now that I no longer have my own will, I’m like a doll, so is my body. Please use me as you wish, and in return, I will use you.”

Declaring this to Ren’s enraged brother and sister, she crafted a plot that would torment her childhood friend the most. However, the world she lived in before and the current world were strikingly similar, with only slight differences.

“The previous Ren-kun used to have a look of aversion, but the current Ren-kun doesn’t show such an expression… Instead, he seems to be living joyfully in the present.”

She hadn’t asked in detail, but the Ren from the previous world seemed somewhat haggard, as if he deeply despised something. She often noticed such expressions, perhaps because she was already interested in him. Arika, with her love-stricken mind, even found those expressions charming in her somewhat naive thinking.

“Takuma and he got acquainted… well, this meeting is what helped him remember.”

Ren never intended to get to know her brother, and that was supposed to continue until his death. In other words, even minor changes are occurring in this world. Though there are many problems, it’s pointless to only focus on the negatives. Arika decided to see these changes as potentially positive.

“…”

However, even Arika, who had accomplished her revenge and traversed worlds, was left with mysteries.

Firstly, her “childhood friend” who put the wallet in Ren’s bag… she wonder if he really had the nerve to commit such a foolish act, even in a fit of jealousy.

“…Was there someone who put him up to it? Or…”

Still, it’s unclear.

And the second mystery, which is the most perplexing for Arika. It might be a mistake, just a vague notion.

That time, when Ren asked Arika to help him choose a present for his sister and buy a cake, she readily agreed. At the station platform, amidst the commotion of onlookers, Arika saw Ren being pushed by a classmate.

“R-Ren-kun!?”

It felt like her breath stopped, a delusion, hoping it was a lie, but Ren was indeed hit by the train. However, just before that… Arika thought she saw Ren smirk.

It was a twisted smile, as if he was enjoying something or had accomplished something, a smile filled with a disturbing sense of satisfaction.

“…No good, I just don’t understand!”

Yeah, it must have been a misunderstanding. Arika decided to believe that Ren would never make such a face, concluding it was definitely a mistake. Then, switching gears, Arika began to think about the days ahead.

“If the same thing happens, I already have a way to protect Ren-kun, and I should get support… Yes, it’s okay. It won’t be like before. I won’t let such a thing happen again.”

Arika clenched her fist, renewing her resolve, and then…

“…Fufu, did I ever tell Ren-kun? My dream, the kind of thing a grade-schooler might say about being a bride. But you know, I’ve always believed in it. My dream can only come true next to Ren-kun… My dream’s place is right beside him.”

It looks like it’ll be busy from tomorrow, but Arika was determined to push forward, to grasp the happiness she couldn’t attain in the previous world.

“…But what is this unease?”

This feeling wasn’t like an omen of misfortune. It was an unclear sensation, as if being told that she’s destined to lose even before the game starts.

“Ah, right. I should send a goodnight message to Ren-kun.”

That night, Arika received no reply from Ren.