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

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34, Emi Sasaki Wants to Be Involved

Kicked out of the café, Emi and I headed home, tracing our way back.

It was somewhat dark, but the days are long, so there wasn’t much fear in walking.

“Really… It’s unfair how you’ve been on an eternal date with Hideyoshi-kun.”

“Sorry… I was just asked to show someone around town.”

“…I suspected as much, but they turned out to be quite a formidable opponent.”

“Formidable? What do you mean?”

“You can activate your ‘selective hearing’ skill now.”

Emi seemed to be dissatisfied with my date with Eien-chan.

It seems like we’ve been getting along well recently, and I feel a bit guilty for wanting to hang out with Eien-chan.

Next time, if the same thing happens, maybe I should ask Eien-chan, “Can I invite Emi too?”

“So, Emi, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”

“A consultation?”

To be honest, I was at a dead end.

I just couldn’t think of a solution to the ‘birdcage problem.’

“Since you’re the closest to Aien-chan, I wanted to consult with you first. She has some family issues.”

“Family issues?”

“It seems to be connected to why she moved here…”

Today, what was consulted with me.

The problem with her father that was presented in the game.

I confided these two things to Emi.

Emi, manipulated by the game’s Hideyoshi, had been complicit in various misdeeds to set traps, but it’s okay.

The Emi now is a kind girl who can think seriously and normally.

“If there’s no solution, it’s okay. If Emi can’t think of one, I’ll ask Risa or Tsugaru.”

“…I see. Eien can’t resist, and Hideyoshi-kun doesn’t know the answer.”

“…Yeah. I really can’t be of any help, I’m powerless… and it’s pathetic…”

I haven’t been able to do anything for Eien-chan.

I can’t even solve the worries of a single person…

“That’s not true. Hideyoshi-kun, you’re neither powerless nor pathetic.”

“Emi…”

“I want you to show me more of your vulnerable side. I love the strong and cool Hideyoshi-kun, and I love the weak and uncool Hideyoshi-kun too. I want you to rely on me more.”

“But, wouldn’t that be a bother…”

“It won’t.”

Cutting off my words, Emi erases them.

She takes a step closer to me.

“I love being involved with you, Hideyoshi-kun. Sure, being assigned to clean the classroom and stuff like that is a hassle. But it’s much sadder not to be involved at all…”

“Is it okay to involve you…?”

“It’s okay.”

In a previous life, when I injured my shoulder, I didn’t want to trouble everyone in the club, so I quietly submitted my resignation.

“Just by snitching to the producer, do you realize you could ruin all the hard work of someone who practices late every day? Toyotomi’s shoulder will never heal. Wouldn’t it be smarter to just call it an accident and not involve anyone? Being involved is a nuisance, right? So, Toyotomi, what will you do?”

The vile words of the director replay in my mind.

Is being involved really such a nuisance…?

Was my choice wrong…?

“I’m always dragging Hideyori-kun into things, aren’t I? Like that time I first saw him alone in the park and dragged him into playing. And today, I even roped him into being the organizer. …On the other hand, it makes me anxious that Hideyori-kun never drags anyone into anything.”

“Anxious…?”

“I start thinking that one day, he’ll just disappear and leave me behind. Being dragged into things actually makes me feel a lot safer. It makes me feel needed.”

“!?”

Being dragged into things makes one feel safer, huh.

I had never thought about it that way.

But I guess that’s one way to look at it.

“And since I’ve been dragged into this, I will definitely be Hideyori-kun’s strength! I love him forever, so I will definitely help him!”

“Emi… You’re really reliable for someone so small.”

I pat Emi’s head.

Back when we were kids, we were almost the same height, but now there’s more than a 10-centimeter difference.

But she’s truly dependable.

“Hehe, let’s quickly solve Eien-chan’s ‘cage’ problem and go to the pool!”

I really love Emi, who seems to understand everything about me.

Having such a reliable friend close by.

It’s as if I’m being saved by Emi, to the point where I can think of changing the course of the original game that hasn’t even started yet.