I Was Reincarnated As the Hated Scummy Best Friend in a Gal Game and the Protagonist Is Useless

67

23. Akechi Hidetaka reveals himself

“Past lives, huh… You really are a middle schooler, aren’t you?”

“Forget it, I’m deflated now.”

“Do you believe in past lives?” That was the response I got when I asked.

If it weren’t for the “Breaking the Chains of Sorrow” series, I wouldn’t believe in past lives either.

“Come on, keep going. I like such topics too. So, what then?”

“I have memories of my past life.”

“……….Huh”

The Master was already too stunned by the leap in my topic.

Probably because I, who was always a realist, suddenly started talking about a changed worldview.

“Hahaha… You’re talking about some weird stuff today.”

“In that world, I was a high school student in a place where Gifts didn’t exist. In the summer of my second year, I was hit by a truck that ran a red light… I probably died instantly because I couldn’t brace myself due to an injury that prevented my right shoulder from going above my head…”

“Wait, wait a minute? Hidetaka…?”

“Such memories came to me when I was five, being abused by my uncle. And then he kicked me in the stomach…”

“Is that… really true?”

My life story was so unusual that, despite being taken aback, the Master listened.

I think it’s a sufficiently strange story myself.

“The Gift awakened… And in the future, I will witness the end of myself dying as a high school student.”

“……….Haha. Um, what should I do? Where should I even start asking?”

“The man named Akechi Hidetaka is a devil,”

“Eh?”

“He traps various people, impulsively acting on his own desires. Using his gift to deceive, violate, and kill. He’s nothing but scum, a vile devil in human skin.”

“…Wait, he sounds like your father.”

“It hit me as soon as I heard Master’s story. Ah, the rotten nature is in the blood, it’s hereditary. It was the first time I heard about my father, but what the hell… It makes me wonder if my future self isn’t even more dangerous.”

Master seemed to be projecting the image of my father onto my future self.

“It’s impossible,” I should be able to laugh it off like that.

But when the topic of my father came up, Master stopped making his usual quips.

Then he revealed everything about me.

This is a world of games.

I’m cast as the despicable villain, an existence that brings misfortune to others.

Events that occur in the game.

He listened carefully, despite the various parts I skipped.

———

“This world is a gal game… And there are kids who know this world is a game because they have memories of their past lives, like you and Sakuya’s friends…? That’s unbelievable, hard to believe.”

“But it’s not entirely a lie either.”

Master pondered as he said that.

“…I’ve been watching you since elementary school, but you haven’t grown up at all, have you?”

“Are you mocking me?”

“Not at all. It’s just that your ego has been complete since long ago. Children grow, but adults don’t. Is there such a child with such an unchildlike inner self? That was my question, but now I get it, you have memories of a past life. Indeed, that makes sense.”

“Internally, I have the same worn-out adult heart as Master. I think of Master not as a parent, but as a sibling, and my classmates like Sakuya as sisters or daughters.”

“Who’s calling themselves a worn-out adult! (…But, ah. Maybe that’s why I unconsciously don’t see those of the same age as women… Sakuya has fallen for a troublesome guy.)”

Master interjected, then muttered something under his breath.

Gradually, I could tell he was starting to believe my story.

“It’s quite a mess, isn’t it…”

“Do you understand, Master!?”

“Sakuya too.”

“Why her!?”

Suddenly, he began to sympathize with Sakuya.

I had no idea how Sakuya was relevant to our current conversation.

“So, your gift is ‘Command Domination’…? That’s not just a joke, it’s seriously dangerous…”

“Yeah. If I ordered the master to kill Sakuya with my gift, no one could resist. If you don’t believe me, I can prove it right now.”

“Don’t threaten me like that!”

“In the game, there was a scene where I made it look like my uncle and aunt committed suicide before I entered middle school.”

“…, yeah. I’m glad you remembered your past life.”

The master was dumbfounded, giving a bitter smile.

He poured water from the counter into a glass and gulped it down.

He sighed deeply.

“So, the protagonist of the game is… one of Sakuya’s friends, right?”

“Yeah. His name is Takeru Juumonji, my best friend. He has the ‘Anti-Gift,’ an ability that nullifies the effects of gifts.”

“Wow, that’s so protagonist-like.”

“Right? My gift is just a stepping stone for the protagonist. I’m the villain who gets overpowered by cheats, only for the protagonist to defeat me and serve justice. That’s how the game goes.”

I also told Takeru that he “isn’t aware that he possesses a gift.”

“And naturally, as the hero of a gal game, he’s popular.”

“Envious, huh? You’re… unfortunate…”

The master tried to sugarcoat it but failed.

I wish I had been born as Takeru.

“Don’t say that… And it seems Sakuya has a crush on the protagonist, Takeru.”

“Huh…?”

“It’s amazing. I thought Takeru had little to do with Sakuya, but he’s unconsciously charming her. You, as his father, might be called ‘father-in-law’ by Takeru one day.”

“That’s incredible.”

“Yeah, Takeru is incredible.”

“No, it’s you, Hideyori, who’s incredible.”

“Eh?”

The master’s opinions differed from mine here and there.

There seemed to be a slight gap between the adult’s perspective and mine.

“By the way, Sakuya is like the package heroine of the game, right?”

From noble mtl dot come

“That’s impossible… Sakuya and the master don’t appear in the game.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. That’s why the master and Sakuya are supposed to be outside the flow of the game. That’s also why I could consult you about this, because you’re not a character in the game. I couldn’t have this conversation with an original character.”

They were two, promised happiness.

Perhaps they’re the type to run a modest café together, that’s the role I imagine for them.

“Master, …I don’t want to die young again. I want to die properly after I’ve grown up… So, even just as an advisor is fine… I want you to be my strength.”

“…”

“After all, my foul mouth, my joking around, my aloofness, they’re all signs of my lack of confidence… In reality, I’m scared every day. Once I enter high school, I might get involved in all sorts of things.”

“Got it. Consult me about anything. You’re my cute little brother, after all. I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.”

From the master’s perspective, it’s a “What is this guy talking about?” situation, but he grudgingly agrees.

Tsugaru also acts like an advisor, but there’s always the barrier of gender, the barrier of reservation.

In that sense, the relationship with the master, who can sweep away those barriers, is easier to manage.

“And, don’t talk about this topic with anyone else.”

“As if I would. But please, continue to look after Sakiya for me. Just promise me that, and I’ll be willing to consult with you as much as you want.”

“It’s a kind of exchange, isn’t it? I’ll deal with Sakiya, so the master will deal with me.”

“…I’d prefer if you’d interact with Sakiya without any conditions.”

I’ve talked too much today, and the master probably needs to sort out his thoughts.

It’s about time to wrap this up, so I stand up.

“Thanks, master, I feel a lot better now.”

“Yeah yeah, see you later then.”

“Thanks for believing in me!”

I never thought I’d spill everything to the master, but since my gift was exposed, I guess it’s fine.

With that, I leave the café and head back home.

—

“Girls these days seem to like older guys, or so they say… Maybe it’s true. Well, it’s a shock when they bring someone ten or twenty years older, but someone of the same age with a mental age about twenty years older… That’s possible.”

The master was lost in thought alone in the empty café.

“How am I going to get my daughter married off… It’s going to be tough to win over someone of the same age who I’ve only seen as a sister or daughter.”

A single, heavy sigh echoed in the deserted café.