A week had passed since that horrifying incident with the suspicious woman.
…Or rather, I’d spent an entire week skipping school.
Seriously, who misses the very first week of their second year of high school?
And with a fake illness, no less.
Mom and Dad definitely knew I was faking it, but they never said anything. Thank god my parents were kind people. I owe them so much. I swear I’ll splurge on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day this year, so please forgive me.
After spending the entire week rotting in my room, I finally worked up the courage to go back to school.
So today, with impossibly heavy steps, I dragged myself there.
Ugh. My bag feels heavy. My legs feel heavy. This is impossible. I’m not even at school yet and I already want to go home.
The closer I got to the school gates, the slower I walked.
At one point I seriously considered turning around and running home, but somehow I forced myself all the way to the classroom.
“Morning! I heard you caught a cold. Are you okay?”
“Morning! Yep, all good now! Totally fine!”
“Good! I was seriously worried about you!”
“Sorry for making you worry! Oh, and thanks for calling me.”
“You seem way too energetic for someone who was supposedly sick. You were skipping, weren’t you?”
“N-no I wasn’t! I really had a cold!”
“Sure, sure. We’ll go with that.”
My friend Ichika was the first to talk to me, and honestly, I was so relieved. But judging by her expression, she’d completely seen through my fake illness, and I desperately denied it while sweating bullets.
Ignoring my panic entirely, Ichika handed me a notebook.
“Here. Notes from all the classes you missed.”
Ichika was a literal goddess.
Seriously, she saved my life.
“Ichika-samaaa!” I cried dramatically, bowing my head.
“Your gratitude pleases me,” she replied with a smug grin, instantly playing along.
God, I loved that about her.
And just like that, it felt as though the events of a week ago had never happened at all.
I attended class like normal, half-listening to lectures, ate lunch, and during break Ichika and I headed downstairs to the vending machines to buy drinks.
The area around the vending machines was always crowded. Students from every grade stood around chatting idly while sipping drinks they’d just bought.
Usually we’d grab our drinks and head right back to class, but we happened to run into a friend from another classroom, so we stopped to talk for a bit.
And then—
The chatter around us suddenly died.
The noisy vending machine area fell into an eerie silence.
Naturally, we stopped talking too and looked around in confusion.
That was when I saw him.
A boy standing a short distance away.
He was tall—easily a head above everyone else—and his broad build made him stand out even more.
Black hair slicked back. Permanent lines etched deep between his brows. A face that always looked irritated.
But right now, his eyes were wide with shock.
Seeing that expression on him was rare.
Because he never wore anything except a scowl.
And those eyes—
Those eyes were fixed directly on me.
(A-ah… ah… ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?!)
Some kind of incoherent scream exploded through my brain.
Someone please praise me for not screaming out loud.
The person staring straight at me was the same boy I’d met a week ago.
Kurogane Taiga.
My favorite character from my previous life.
The person I loved more than anyone else in the world.
Oh god.
I wanted to run.
No, forget “wanted”—I absolutely should run.
Sure, I’d somehow managed to gather the courage to confess to him that day, but there was no way I was mentally prepared to actually face him again so soon afterward.
I thought I’d be safe at school since he was a year above me. We’d never crossed paths before.
So why now?!
“Ichika, sorry. Tell the teacher I’m feeling sick again and going home.”
“Huh?! Mariko, wait—what happened all of a sudden?!”
Before she could finish, I bolted in the opposite direction from Taiga.
I ran without looking back, rushed into the classroom, grabbed my bag as roughly as possible, then sprinted for the shoe lockers.
Seriously, what is this timing?!
I finally come back to school after a whole week and immediately run into Taiga on day one?!
I mean, from his perspective I’m probably just some insane girl he wants nothing to do with.
Honestly, I hoped that was the case.
But this wasn’t about him.
I just… wasn’t ready yet.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see him.
If anything, I wanted to look at him forever.
But only from afar.
I wanted to admire him without him ever noticing me.
…God, I’m selfish.
Sorry.
And if he looked me in the eye and called me creepy, I genuinely don’t think I’d recover.
If the person I loved told me he hated me… told me not to come near him…
…Just imagining it made tears sting my eyes.
I might actually drop out of school.
That’s how huge his existence was to me.
I hurriedly kicked off my indoor shoes and shoved on my loafers, but of course, when you’re panicking, nothing goes smoothly. I fumbled them over several times before finally managing to get them on.
Okay.
Good.
You can do this, me.
First: get home.
Then: worry about tomorrow later.
I took off running toward the school gate—
—and suddenly someone grabbed my left arm hard.
“GYAAAAAAAHHHHHHH?!”
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
No, listen, this was completely justified.
It was the same kind of panic you’d feel if a ghost suddenly appeared in front of you.
Please understand my feelings.
I whipped around to see who it was—
—and screamed again.
“GYAAAAAAAHHHHHHH?!”
“You’re loud.”
Yes sir.
Understood, sir.
I bit down hard on my lip to stop myself from screaming again.
The one holding my arm wasn’t a ghost.
No matter how many times I looked—
It was still Kurogane Taiga.
Oh god.
My favorite person was holding my arm.
He was warm.
Alive.
“…Why are you crying?”
“IIIII’M SORRYYYYYY!”
But come on!
Who wouldn’t cry after getting grabbed by their favorite person?!
This was impossible.
My heart physically could not handle this.
I was going to explode.
“P-please let go of my arm… I’m literally going to die…”
I pleaded desperately, but Taiga showed no sign of releasing me.
He simply stood there silently holding my arm and staring at me.
I seriously felt like I was dying.
The tension and excitement were making me nauseous.
God, I felt sick.
But if I threw up, he’d definitely be even more disgusted with me.
As I desperately bit my lip trying to suppress the nausea, Taiga finally spoke.
“…Do you really like me that much?”
…Huh?
Excuse me?
Did my confession from last week somehow not make that clear?
“I love you more than anyone else in the world.”
I answered instantly.
My face was completely serious.
Like, what kind of question was that?
Wasn’t it obvious?
“…Come with me.”
After a brief silence, he tugged on my arm.
The place he took me to ended up being a family restaurant popular with high school students.
Taiga.
At a family restaurant.
Wow.
This was weirdly fresh.
He really existed.
We sat across from each other in a booth near the back.
He was right there.
Right in front of me.
At this distance.
If I’d had a weaker heart, it probably would’ve stopped several times already.
Thank god my heart was sturdy.
Seriously, thank god.
Wait.
Hold on.
Does this mean we’re breathing the same air?
Taiga’s exhaled air is floating around here somewhere, right?
Drifting around nearby?
And I’m allowed to inhale it for free?!
Calm down, me.
The air tastes amazing.
No, that’s not the point—well, it is, but still—
“Hey.”
“Y-YES?!”
Crap.
That came out way too cheerful.
Kill me now.
What happened to the serious atmosphere from a week ago?
Why was I born with such a ridiculous brain?
Taiga was staring at me like I was some kind of strange creature.
Which, okay, fair.
I was weird.
But getting that look from your favorite person hurt.
“…You want something to eat?”
Oh my god.
Taiga was kind.
Even though he was this lone-wolf delinquent type, he was still considerate enough to ask someone like me.
I could cry.
I knew he was kind from later parts of the game, but seeing him actually act that way in real life was completely different.
Every little thing made it hit me all over again:
He was real.
Alive.
My favorite person was alive.
“No, water is enough for me.”
“I’m ordering something.”
“Please, go ahead. Order whatever you like, Kurogane-san. I like water more than food anyway.”
Even I had no idea what I was saying anymore.
“Likes water more than food”? Since when?!
I’d literally never said that in my life.
Maybe my brain really had stopped functioning properly.
Taiga stared at me for a second before simply muttering, “I see,” then called over a waiter and ordered pizza.
Pizza.
Taiga was eating pizza.
I immediately decided that if I ever came back here again, I’d order pizza too.
Because if we ate the same pizza, then spiritually speaking, we’d basically shared a meal.
…Okay, no, that made zero sense.
While waiting for the pizza, neither of us spoke.
There was no way I could start another conversation.
Now that my brain was working again, I realized how terrifyingly presumptuous that would be.
My mouth was so dry from nerves that I kept desperately drinking water just to survive the silence.
Eventually, my glass emptied.
Oh no.
What now?
Just as panic started setting in, a glass of water slid in front of me.
I followed the hand holding it—
—and realized Taiga was offering me his own water.
“…Want some?”
Hold on.
Wait just a second here.
That was dangerous.
I saw him drink from that earlier.
Which meant—
No.
No no no.
If he put that in front of me and asked “Want some?” then the monster inside me was obviously going to lose control.
And naturally, the answer was YES.
There was no other answer.
I’d gladly accept anything he offered me.
Still… this definitely felt like something I should pay for.
So I pulled out my wallet and grabbed a thousand-yen bill.
“…What are you doing?”
“Huh? Paying for the water…”
“Are you stupid?”
“…Ah. Right. Sorry.”
So I switched to a ten-thousand-yen bill instead.
Back in my previous life, bottled water with my favorite character printed on the label sold for a thousand yen, so honestly, this seemed reasonable.
I mean, this was real water he’d actually touched and drunk from.
Ten thousand yen was cheap.
Apparently my brain still wasn’t functioning properly.
Taiga grabbed my wrist before I could hand over the money.
“Eep?! Was ten thousand not enough?!”
“That’s not the issue, idiot. Why the hell are you trying to pay for water?”
“You seriously expect me to accept water you drank from for free?”
“…You really are something. I’m not pathetic enough to charge money for that.”
“Wait—so you’re saying I can actually drink this for free?!”
“What else would it mean?”
No way.
The instant Taiga touched it, this water had ascended into holy water.
And I could drink it for free?
…Reality was incredible.
I almost started crying again.
At some point the waiter arrived with the pizza and looked absolutely horrified watching us, but I politely chose to ignore that.
From the outside, it probably looked like Taiga was getting shaken down.
Sorry, Taiga-san.
Next time I’ll discreetly hand over the money instead.
I watched him eat pizza from the corner of my eye.
My favorite person was eating.
Living.
Trying to live.
The sheer emotional impact nearly killed me.
Before I realized it, I’d pressed my palms together in prayer.
Wait no, that was more like praying to Buddha.
Wrong vibe.
Still thankful, though.
Alright.
I stared down at the water in front of me.
The water Taiga had touched with his lips.
If I drank from a cup, nobody would care. At best someone might water plants with the leftovers.
But because Taiga had touched this one, it looked sacred.
Radiant.
What was I supposed to do with it?
Drink it?
Impossible.
My heart would die.
Take it home?
Freeze it and preserve it as a family heirloom?
Actually… I wanted the cup too.
Could I buy it?
Maybe I should ask the waiter—
“Oh, excuse me, would it be possible to purchase this cup—”
“Stop.”
“…Never mind.”
I bowed apologetically to the waiter as he walked away with a strained smile.
Yeah.
I probably could never come back to this family restaurant again.
They definitely had me listed under “dangerous weirdos” now.
When I looked back at Taiga, he’d already finished eating. His empty plate sat pushed to the side, and he was staring at me with a deeply conflicted expression.
“Drink the water here. And don’t try to take the cup home.”
“Yessir.”
Goddammit.
Why did I keep saying every single thought out loud?
And why “yessir”?!
I should’ve said “yes.”
Who did I think I was talking to? This was Taiga!
Still, the fact he casually ignored my ridiculous reply meant he’d already accepted that this was just the kind of person I was.
At the very least, I’d wanted to act graceful in front of the person I loved.
Way too late for that now.
“…At least now I know nobody forced you into confessing to me.”
“I’m glad you understand.”
Ah.
So he’d thought someone put me up to it.
Nope.
That confession had been completely genuine.
I was honestly relieved he understood that now.
“I also figured out you’re seriously insane.”
“…Yessir.”
Ouch.
Okay, so he really did think I was crazy.
That hurt a little.
But honestly, if I met someone like myself, I’d probably think the exact same thing and want nothing to do with them too.
“…Have we met somewhere before?”
“No… I’ve only really seen you from far away at school.”
“Then why do you like me?”
“Love at first sight.”
Not a lie.
I fell for him the instant I saw him in my previous life.
“What exactly did you fall for?”
“Everything. Your looks, your voice, your mannerisms—everything about you is precious to me.”
“…My looks, huh.”
Ah.
Crap.
Now I sounded like some shallow girl obsessed with appearances.
I mean, yes, his appearance absolutely destroyed me.
He was exactly my type.
But saying “your face is amazing” directly to him sounded awful.
And I couldn’t exactly say I loved his personality too, because then he’d ask how I knew anything about him.
I wanted to tell him everything.
That I loved the way he secretly liked sweet foods.
That I loved the serious expressions he made sometimes.
That when he walked home with the heroine in the rain, he casually walked on the roadside to protect her.
That he gave her the things he liked because he wanted to see her happy.
But if I said any of that, he’d absolutely think I was a stalker.
I couldn’t exactly explain, “No, it’s because I know you from a game.”
So instead I blurted out:
“Yes, your appearance is absolutely my type. You might think I’m shallow, but you’re genuinely beautiful and handsome to the point that I can’t imagine anyone not falling for you. Honestly, I think you’re God’s greatest masterpiece. Your face is so perfectly sculpted you look like Michelangelo carved you himself. Like—what was it—the Statue of David? If I saw you standing in a museum, I’d genuinely believe you were a living work of art.”
Wow.
I was really going off.
At some point, I’d completely snapped.
Creepy? Weird? Obsessive?
Whatever.
I didn’t care anymore.
I just wanted him to know how much I loved him.
We only had one year left at the same school anyway.
And right now, I was sitting here talking to him alone.
This would probably never happen again.
So if that was the case, then I wanted to say everything I’d been carrying inside me since my previous life.
Because if I didn’t, I’d regret it forever.
“Your slicked-back black hair completely destroys me, and even the crease between your brows is somehow perfect. Your forehead shape is beautiful, your sharp eyes are incredible, and your gray eyes seriously look like gemstones. Your nose, your mouth—everything is perfect. You’re beyond a hundred out of ten. No, forget numbers entirely. You’ve surpassed the universe itself.”
“…O-okay.”
“And your body is flawless too. I know someone like me has no right saying that, but I need you to understand how strongly I feel about this. Your hands are big, you’re tall, your arms are amazing, your chest is broad, and even through the uniform I can tell your waist is probably incredible too. Your legs are perfect. Your proportions are perfect. You’re literally my ideal person brought to life. And your voice—your voice is unreal. I didn’t even know vocal cords capable of sounding that good existed. Hearing you talk gives me chills. I genuinely want to pay money just to listen to you speak.”
“….”
Wow.
He looked completely horrified.
I absolutely noticed him leaning back slightly in his seat.
Honestly, I couldn’t even blame him.
But now that I’d started, I couldn’t stop.
“That expression is amazing too. Every expression you make reminds me you’re alive and I love that. Every second is a perfect photo opportunity.”
“…”
“The veins on the back of your hands are ridiculously sexy. There’s blood flowing through you. You’re alive. Thank you for being born. I want to affirm every single part of your existence.”
“…”
“And you smell really nice too. That’s a new discovery. Please tell me what cologne you use later. I’ll buy it and display it in my room like a sacred treasure for future generations.”
“…”
“Ahhhh, your eyes are reflecting me right now. I could die happy. Your eyes are so beautiful. Seriously, nobody else in the world has eyes this beautiful. You’re literally a living miracle.”
“…”
“And your collarbones are incredible too. Are you seriously a high schooler? The sex appeal is unreal. You’re basically made of se—”
“Wait. Stop.”
“…Godddd.”
Right as I was pouring out all my feelings, he finally cut me off.
I still had more to say, but honestly, I already felt a lot lighter.
Taiga covered part of his face with one hand, so I couldn’t see his expression.
Phew.
Talking that much made me thirsty.
I reached for the water and drank—
—and immediately froze.
OH GOD.
IDIOT.
WHY DID I DRINK IT SO CASUALLY?!
THAT WAS INDIRECT KISSING.
I was absolutely going to die.
“I get it now. I understand exactly how much you like me.”
“Really?! It got through to you?!”
“Yeah. So please stop talking.”
“Roger that. My lips are sealed.”
“…Seriously.”
I crossed my fingers in front of my mouth in an exaggerated X.
And when Taiga lowered his hand from his face—
I saw it.
He was smiling.
Not just a tiny smirk this time.
His eyes were smiling too.
He looked genuinely amused.
No way.
My favorite person was smiling because of me.
I was so glad I stayed alive long enough to see this.
I could survive on this memory forever.
“…A week ago I thought you were weird, but I figured you were at least quiet.”
“……”
“But you’re way stranger than I imagined.”
Nice to meet you.
I’m the girl permanently registered in my favorite person’s memory as “that weird girl.”
Honestly?
I was honored.
“You only fell for my looks… but nobody’s ever talked about me the way you do.”
Well, of course not.
Most people would never say all that directly to someone’s face.
I only did because I’d already mentally transcended shame halfway through.
Still, I knew plenty of girls liked him.
How could they not?
He was obviously popular.
They just couldn’t say it out loud.
There were tons of people who probably loved him just as much as I did.
Back in my previous life, I knew a girl who constantly talked about Taiga and bought mountains of men’s clothes just because she thought they’d suit him.
She was the type to express love through actions.
If she got a real boyfriend, she’d absolutely spoil him rotten.
Me? I was more the “spend responsibly while still simping aggressively” type.
If I were an oil tycoon, I’d buy Taiga anything he wanted.
Damn it.
I wanted to be reborn rich.
“But somehow… listening to you made me feel like my existence was being acknowledged.”
—Like my existence was being acknowledged.
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!
NO FAIR!
THAT LINE.
THAT WAS ONE OF HIS LATE-GAME LINES.
A line he was supposed to say to the heroine after opening up about his painful past and insecurities.
Not something casually spoken in a family restaurant to some random side character like me!
That line made me cry so many times in the game.
Taiga, who grew up neglected because he was the second son.
Taiga, whose parents only cared about his older brother.
Taiga, who genuinely believed he was invisible.
Who became a delinquent just to feel alive.
Who fought because pain and violence were the only things that proved he existed.
The heroine accepted him, loved him, acknowledged him—and while crying, he said those words.
It was one of the most emotional scenes in the entire game.
And now I’d heard it in real life.
Even if I wasn’t the heroine.
Tears welled in my eyes again.
I just wanted Taiga to be happy.
That was all I wanted.
His happiness was my happiness.
“You really cry a lot.”
His voice sounded exasperated.
Honestly, I surprised myself too with how easily I cried around him.
No—
it was because it was him.
That’s why.
“…You can talk again if you want.”
“I love you so much it honestly doesn’t even make sense anymore.”
“The second I let you speak, that’s what you say?”
Taiga laughed.
Not a small smile this time.
An actual laugh.
His eyes crinkled.
His teeth showed.
God, his slightly sharp canines were adorable.
His smile was devastatingly cute.
I covered my mouth and started crying even harder.
You couldn’t underestimate the destructive power of your favorite person smiling at you in real life.
It felt like the whole world burst into bloom.
“You really do love me, huh.”
As he said that, Taiga reached out and brushed away one of my tears with his fingertip.
Time stopped.
My tears stopped.
My heart stopped too.
Was he trying to kill me?
Why was he being so gentle with me like I was some heroine?
I was just a background character.
Still—
thank you.
His finger touched my cheek.
I loved him.
I loved him so much.
If someone with a face exactly matching your ideal type did something like that to you, your face would turn bright red instantly.
Forget tomato red.
More like habanero pepper red.
I didn’t even need a mirror to know my face was burning.
Someone bring ice.
My face and heart had both suffered catastrophic damage.
“Your face is ridiculously red.”
Hey.
Come on.
Stop using lines meant for the heroine on me.
If this was how he talked to random side characters, what kind of devastating things did he say to the heroine?!
Please let me record it.
“Wow… the world really is bright.”
“The hell does that mean?”
Honestly, I didn’t know either.
My brain had completely melted.
“Give me your phone.”
There wasn’t a single idiot alive who would refuse when their favorite person asked for their phone.
I immediately handed it over.
Taiga tapped at the screen for a few seconds, then handed it back.
What did he do?
Well, in manga and novels this was usually the part where the guy entered his number, but I knew my place.
There was no way something that convenient would actually happen to a side character like me.
“That’s my number.”
The moment Taiga casually said those words, thunderous applause erupted inside my mind.
An entire audience rose to their feet, weeping and clapping wildly.
And there I stood center stage, waving tearfully.
Thank you.
Thank you everyone.
I got my favorite person’s phone number.
I swore to myself then and there—
—I would never let go of this phone.
Not even if I died.
Clutching it tightly, I bowed reverently to my screen.
Taiga told me to stop.
So naturally, the second he looked away, I secretly bowed to it again.
