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

73

29, Miyamura Eien’s Lament

Following the mostly silent Eien-chan, we step outside the department store.

The outing, once met with cheerful responses in the morning, has now become one where neither of us reacts to the other.

It’s as if I’ve hit a wall, realizing that this is all a villainous best friend can do.

“Should we head back soon…?”

Somehow, I feel that if we part ways here, I might never get to be close with Eien-chan again.

That’s how much the conversation had dwindled.

“Wait, just a moment, Hideyori-san… I want to thank you… There’s a café I recently found and really like, would you go there with me?… It’s my treat, so could you walk with me a little longer…?”

“If you’re up for it, I’ll go anywhere with you.”

“Hideyori-san, you’re seriously a saint.”

“Haha, Eien-chan, you’re so funny.”

Perhaps reluctant to part ways, Eien-chan decided to take me to her favorite café, and now it was my turn to follow her.

“…I’m sorry. Hideyori-san, I must be… boring, right…?”

“Eh?”

She uttered such words while we walked.

Boring?

What does she mean by that…?

“I wanted to catch your attention, so I forced myself to be high-spirited. …But I can’t do it as well as Emi or Jumonji-san… I’m sorry for being such a dull person…”

“What are you talking about, Eien-chan…? You’re not boring at all! I’m having a great time, really!”

“…I felt like you were looking far away. I wondered if you were bored when you were silent and watching…?”

“!?”

I had made her worry.

No, I was the one who was wrong…

I keep making mistakes…

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… Haha, I genuinely think you’re interesting, Eien-chan.”

“…Really?”

“That’s why I have something to say.”

I delve into Eien-chan’s circumstances.

Even if she hates me for it, I’d rather be straightforward and be of help than let her bottle it up.

So I point it out.

“I want you to confide in me your worries.”

“Eh…? Worries…?”

“I don’t know if I can be of any help… But aren’t you suffering? Don’t you feel suffocated by a life in a cage? I want to be there for you, Eien-chan.”

“…You’re amazing, Hideyori-san.”

Suddenly, Eien-chan threw herself into my chest.

“My home life is suffocating… I want to make more friends freely, not just study but play and experience various things! …I want to lead a more normal life… It’s painful to be at home… I hate being hit by my father… I want to experience love with someone I like.”

She broke down and cried on my chest.

I stroked her head and rubbed her back.

“I’m sorry, Eien-chan. I can’t offer a solution… But I’ll accept it. I want you to consult me about anything… I’ll do my best to be your strength.”

“Hide, Yori-san… Thank you… It’s been so, so hard… I was lonely, isolated, and suffering until you spoke to me in the hallway, Hideyori-san… I was so happy when you found me… Please help me… Save me…”

“I will save you… I will definitely solve your ‘birdcage’ problem…”

I won’t let a gift cause Eien-chan’s parents’ murder.

I’ll find another way to bring a grand finale and solve the ‘birdcage’ problem.

I can’t find the solution alone.

But I have Emi, Takeru, Risa, Tsugaru.

And then there’s Sakiya.

I have many trustworthy friends.

If I can’t do it alone.

Then we have to try harder together.

“So don’t be clouded. Your smile, Eien-chan, has saved me.”

“My smile…?”

“Yeah. When everything felt dull and I was crouching down, that’s when I found you…”

Back in middle school, influenced by my father, I nearly died three times and became delinquent. That’s when I encountered “Breaking the Chains of Sorrow.”

I had no hobbies, life felt dull, and I hadn’t even started kendo yet, so I was a closet otaku.

I probably wouldn’t have known gal games existed if I hadn’t fallen for Eien-chan’s visual back then.

I really learned many ways to enjoy life.

“It’s my way of repaying you… So please, let me help you… It’s okay, you can trust me, Eien-chan.”

“Yeah. Thank you, Hideyori-san. Your words… they truly make me happy.”

Today, for the second time.

I lent my handkerchief to Eien-chan, who cried again, to wipe her tears.

———

“I’m glad I transferred schools. Being able to meet you, Hideyori-san, has saved my life.”

“Haha, that makes me happy…”

“Ah, turn right at the next corner.”

Guided by the now tearless Eien-chan, we were heading to her favorite café.

…However, I’ve entered a strangely familiar road.

If we turn right at the next corner, we’ll reach the master’s shop.

I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of place Eien-chan’s favorite café is.

“Turn right after the next signal. You can see it now. We’re almost there.”

“…Huh?”

Is Eien-chan’s favorite cafe close from here?

The only cafe nearby is the master’s place, right?

“That two-story cafe! It’s so stylish!”

“……..”

There was a cafe in front of us, where the silence was almost deafening.

From noble mtl dot come

It was the cafe run by the aunt’s brother…