Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093094471724561/episodes/822139838341921853
After the ghost hunt ended, everyone listened in disbelief as I recounted my battle with the ghost on the way home. Only Saotome gazed at me with admiration. I didn’t have the mental fortitude to talk while looking at everyone’s faces, so halfway through, I started directing my story solely at her.
If Saotome hadn’t been there, I would’ve lost to both the heroines and the ghost in my own story.
Back in the living room, after talking about school, movies we’d seen recently, and how popular Saotome was—just to make the heroines jealous—
“It’s late, let’s call it a night,”
Fumi-senpai said, and everyone headed for their bedrooms.
After getting ready for bed and climbing in, Saotome turned off the light.
“You asleep yet?”
“Not yet.”
“You must be asleep by now, right?”
“Still awake.”
“You should be asleep soon, right?”
“Might be going to sleep soon.”
“It wouldn’t be weird if you were asleep already.”
“Yeah, wouldn’t be weird.”
“This camp was fun.”
…That’s what I wanted to say. That’s why I was acting a bit silly earlier, trying to hide my embarrassment. It’s embarrassing to have a serious talk with someone you’re close to.
“Yeah.”
“Hope we can come again sometime.”
“Yeah.”
…It still feels a little embarrassing.
“…I—”
“Hm?”
Saotome seemed like he wanted to say something.
“Just having you here is fun enough.”
…This guy.
“You’re crazy, man. How can you say something so embarrassing?”
“You’re the one who made it feel like that!”
“No way, no way! I only said I had fun at camp!”
This guy totally blames it on me. Give me a break, man. He brought it up himself, I had nothing to do with it.
“No, you’re the one who got all emotional!”
“I didn’t! I’m sexy, but I didn’t get emotional! You’re just an Emotional Alien who gets all emotional over nothing!”
“Shut up! Shut up! I’m going to sleep!”
“Yeah, go to sleep. But how can you sleep without squirming after saying something that embarrassing?”
Black history is meant to be remembered alone, when you’re doing nothing, and then you squirm. There’s no way I can sleep without squirming until then.
“Shut up! Good night!”
“Yeah, good night.”
I’m not the real Mizuno Shota, so it stings a little. But if I get caught, it’ll be a hassle. So I’ll just keep playing the role of Saotome’s best friend.
…Haa~ Sorry.
“Zzz…”
Huh? This guy fell asleep! How can he sleep in a situation like this?! And he fell asleep so fast!
I got hit with Saotome’s emotional vibe, so I don’t think I can sleep.
Haa~ Guess I’ll go get some fresh air outside.
Ah~ It’s nice having the ocean nearby. Just seeing that ocean makes the air taste better and lifts my spirits.
Before my reincarnation, I thought the ocean was just a playground for the popular kids, but my perspective’s changed. I won’t think of it as some arrogant bastard taking up 70% of the planet anymore.
“Mizuno?”
“Huh, Sarasa-chan?”
“What are you doing, Mizuno?”
“I couldn’t sleep. What about you, Sarasa-chan?”
“I couldn’t sleep either.”
“Same here.”
It makes me happy to share this view with someone instead of keeping it all to myself. And it’s with Niiro, too? Am I going to die tomorrow?
“…Yeah.”
“Look. It’s beautiful, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Huh? What’s with that vibe? Are you dissatisfied with me after all? Did you want to see it with Saotome?
“I’m going for a walk. Want to come?”
I figured I wouldn’t sleep like this, so I was going for a walk anyway. Walking alone in a place this beautiful should be blissful, right? Plus, I could walk to feel like I’m looking cool.
“I’ll go.”
An unexpected answer came back.
“Ah, huh? Ah. Then, I’ll… go with you?”
“Yeah.”
Oh, she’s coming with me. I totally thought she’d say “No way! If I’m alone with Mizuno, who knows what he’ll do to me!” so I gave that awkward reply.
Isn’t this the kind of thing you’d normally go with Saotome? Am I really going here? Is it okay for me to do something this protagonist-like? I’m supposed to be Saotome’s best friend, right?
“Did you enjoy the training camp?”
“Yeah, it was fun. Unbelievably fun, actually.”
“That much?”
I get why it was fun for me, given my past life, but why is it so special for her?
“Yeah. I’ve never been in a club before. If you don’t count the orientation camp, this was my first time.”
“Oh, really?”
Calling the orientation camp a “camp” kinda makes me go “hmm…” Well, this camp was just playing around too, though.
“I transferred schools a lot, so I avoided joining clubs because I didn’t want to cause trouble.”
Whoa, right—that backstory. I’d totally forgotten.
“So this was my first camp.”
“Oh, I see.”
Sometimes I forget—that this world is a game world. I mean, it is a game world, but I’m living in it.
“I have something I want to ask you.”
Niiro’s voice dropped a notch. Is she about to have a serious talk? If so, I think she should talk to Saotome instead of me.
“Sure. Ask me anything.”
“…Were you hitting on girls while I was sick in bed?”
How does Niiro know that? She definitely wasn’t there back then.
Who told her?! Stop spreading my embarrassing stories!
Maybe Hisada-chan and Fumi-senpai were gossiping, like, “Hey, listen—Mizuno tried hitting on someone but got rejected, apparently.” “No way, seriously?”
So while we two guys were sitting here feeling awkward and embarrassed, you girls were laughing at my pickup attempts during your gossip session? What the hell?
“Who told you that?”
“Saotome did.”
Oh, you! Why’d you have to be the one to spill it?! Normally, it’d be me saying, “Hey, did you hear? That guy tried to pick someone up. And he was super popular!” “Huh? What? I gotta grill Saotome about this…” That was the whole plan.
I was looking forward to seeing a new shade of jealousy from him.
Going and saying it himself… that guy is clueless to the max. You don’t normally tell a girl who likes you that you were hitting on someone, right? But I’m happy he’s the protagonist here.
“From Saotome, huh. Why does he go and say things like that himself?”
“I’m asking if you went to hit or not. Answer the question.”
She’s really angry. She’s even turned off the highlights in her eyes. It’s nighttime, so it’s extra scary.
“Yeah, I went to hit”
“Why?”
“Why…? When you think of the beach, you think of hitting on girls, right?”
“Haa~”
She sighed at me.
The reason Niiro’s mad is probably one of two things: either she’s mad that I went out picking up girls while she was sick in bed, or she’s mad I took Saotome along.
Well, it’s probably the latter.
But hey, if this means she’s jealous of Saotome, then going out picking up girls was totally worth it.
“That guy was something else. He was super popular, totally swamped by girls hitting on him. Like, he was in high demand, just like the sea.”
“What about Mizuno?”
“Me?”
Why me? Aren’t you interested in Saotome? Like, you don’t show jealousy towards him? Or are you so jealous you want to laugh at my failed pick-up stories?
I won’t let you do that.
“I’m… fine. More importantly, Saotome—”
“Mi-zu-no-?”
Why are you only asking about me?!
“Ah-ah! Can’t hear you! Can’t hear it, won’t say it, don’t remember!”
The wound from that failed pickup attempt hasn’t healed yet. I don’t want to have it reopened. Besides, if I told you, you’d just laugh, right? No way I’m saying anything.
“There’s no way you don’t remember. Tell me!”
“I don’t remember, and I can’t hear you!”
I covered my ears and started running.
“Don’t run away!”
Of course, I couldn’t hear the “don’t run away,” so I didn’t stop running.
But then, it suddenly occurred to me.
“Oh, right. Sarasa-chan, you’re scared of ghosts and spirits, right? Are you okay?”
Even if it wasn’t a haunted spot, both of us would be scared walking down such a dark road at night.
There’s no way Niiro, who clung to me scared stiff during the ghost test, could be fine with this.
“Huh? Oh~, right.”
“What?”
Niiro said with a mischievous laugh.
“Like I believe in ghosts. Idiot~!”
…Huh?
“I was just worried about you, and you call me stupid?”
I asked because I was worried about Niiro, and being called stupid was unacceptable.
“Seriously, that’s just like you.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything. Stupid~.”
“Ah, you said it again. I just asked what you said because I didn’t hear you!”
“Stupid~.”
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