Life In The Reverse World

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If she had a choice, Chouko did not want to threaten those who cared about her by hurting herself.

Back when she had insisted on following Onii to Tokyo and gotten permission only after a huge fight with her mother, the sorrow and loneliness on her mother’s face still pricked at Chouko’s heart whenever she thought of it.

And if possible, she did not want anyone who cared about her to be hurt because of her own problems.

He, Harutaki, was smart, handsome, tall, and gentle with a good sense of humor. He was always calm and composed, handling everything with ease, but…

She felt that Harutaki could be foolish in an endearing way, at times.

Even when misunderstood, he chose tolerance and continued to look after her feelings. Even at the cost of his own pride and reputation, he quietly worked to help her and Izumi become friends.

When she recalled the scenes from their five-person outing at Shibuya PARCO, which had been less than a week ago, it felt as if they had already been close friends for a long time. And when she thought of the person who had given her all of that, it was as though a heavy stone inside her heart kept rolling deeper and deeper into a bottomless abyss.

Thunk.

At the moment she finally realized she was powerless, unable to resist fate, the stone hit the bottom.

She no longer had to worry about anything, because she could no longer do anything at all.

As her body temperature kept rising and her head grew so heavy that she had no choice but to lie down and rest, Chouko thought that quietly disappearing from everyone’s lives like this might actually be a pretty good choice.

However, even though she had never told Harutaki her exact address, he still tracked her down with stubborn persistence. Like a mischievous bear cub, he reignited the flame in her heart that had only just gone out.

What a damn scumbag… she thought. Being this nice to her, what exactly did Harutaki expect her to give in return?

Idiot. Moron. Lewd, shameless jerk.

He clearly knew what kind of future awaited her, bound by her family, yet he acted as if he knew nothing and came to bother her anyway.

Even if he could rank fourth in the grade, in her eyes Harutaki was still a complete and utter fool.

Who in their right mind would move their entire fortune onto a boat that was about to sink?

And yet not only did Harutaki show no hesitation, he might even jump onto that sinking boat himself.

That was why she had to stop him. She had to stop Harutaki before he did something stupid.

He should remain that calm, rational, mature, handsome high school boy, not some foolish, impulsive Romeo.

……

The entire apartment was terrifyingly quiet. Chouko lived alone and had never installed a clock, so there was not even the sound of a second hand ticking. The cold wind outside gradually drowned out their breathing, howling as it blew, rustling the leaves, stirring irritation in both Chouko and Izumi.

“…Izumi, there’s something I want to talk to you about…”

“If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”

Izumi picked up on something off in Chouko’s tone, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

Still, she was not the type to be crushed by the mood. Just like always, she grinned and teased her.

“Don’t go all hesitant like Hoshikawa does. You’re making it sound like some tragic soap opera.”

“Izumi, you remember what Hoshikawa said last time, at lunch? About how he saved us… That incident has already reached my family. So now, me, who ran away from the family’s control on my own, has been ordered to return to Kyoto and await punishment…”

“…Why are you suddenly telling me this?”

Izumi asked even though she already knew the answer, clinging to a sliver of hope that Chouko would say something different.

“Even though I used to think you were a domineering, rude, arrogant bad girl, I’ve actually always envied you, Izumi…”

“That’s pretty rude, badmouthing someone to their face. Careful or I’ll hit you while you’re weak.”

I really was like that back then… Izumi thought irritably. If it were not for Harutaki, she might have continued living that way until the day it came back to bite her. Even Sae and Minako might have drifted away for one reason or another, leaving her alone in the end.

Having new friends really is wonderful, she thought.

“I envy your freedom, I’m even jealous of it. But what I regret most is not becoming friends with you sooner…”

If she had real friends earlier, would she have gone to that so-called group date?

If she had real friends earlier, would she have been hurt by Onii’s rigidity and stubbornness?

If… But there were never that many ifs in life. Right now, she was just escaping reality through imagination.

“Ahaha… If it weren’t Hoshikawa, the me from before wouldn’t be the kind of friend you’d like anyway. And it’s not too late to be friends now, right? We’ve still got a long future ahead of us.”

“Once I go back to Kyoto, I’ll probably be locked inside the estate the whole time. My great-grandmother might even confiscate my phone… By then, I probably won’t even be able to be an online friend.”

A lonely expression surfaced on Chouko’s face. This was already the best outcome she could imagine.

“There’s really no way around it…?” Izumi bit her lower lip, hesitated, then continued. “…Did you ask Hoshikawa? That guy… that guy definitely has a way. If it’s him, he wouldn’t refuse our request. He’s such a pervert anyway, he even took the chance to stare at your chest before… Hoshikawa can definitely do it.”

“Hah… that’s exactly why I’m worried.”

Thinking of her great-grandmother’s harsh methods and that never-seen smile, fear crept up on her. She was afraid Harutaki’s actions would provoke her great-grandmother’s wrath.

Imprisonment or scolding, either was fine. But Harutaki… she did not want that person to give anything more for her, nor to be hurt or forced to make sacrifices because of her.

So she tried to persuade her friend.

“My great-grandmother hates anyone who challenges her authority. But Hoshikawa sometimes… um… gets stupid when it comes to girls… I’m worried he’ll act on impulse and do something foolish, mm…”

Chouko took the cup of water Izumi handed her and gulped down the warm water. After finishing, she let out a long breath.

“Ah, thanks. If I really have to leave Tokyo, then I just… I just hope Izumi can stop him. After all, no matter how smart or handsome Hoshikawa is, to my family and yours, he’s still just an ‘ordinary person.’”

“Ordinary person,” huh?

Izumi chuckled quietly to herself. An ordinary person who dared to confront her and even retaliate against her? Someone who dealt with her cleanly and then effortlessly cleaned up the mess could be called ordinary?

“Why not just have him marry into the Shihou family? Handsome and smart guys are exactly the type your prestigious families like to recruit, right?”

“M-marry into… into the family…”

Having her friend suddenly bring up something like that made the temperature on Chouko’s forehead, which had just cooled from the damp towel, rise again.

She did not know whether to be glad she was sick right now.

If not for the fever, her face would probably be bright red already.

But even if marrying in were truly possible, she did not want Harutaki to do that. She did not want him to give anything more for her. And besides…

“Is it really okay for you to say that? Actually, you and Hoshikawa like each other, don’t you?”

“L-like each other…? How could I possibly like that guy… and he wouldn’t like someone like me either…”

Seeing Izumi instantly start stammering, Chouko could not help laughing. But because of her cold, her laughter quickly turned into coughing.

“Cough… cough… If you were just a little more honest, Hoshikawa would definitely understand.”

If anything, she thought, with Harutaki’s intelligence, he had surely noticed Izumi’s feelings long ago. It was only because of his feelings for her, that he could not respond to Izumi’s affection.

“I like refined, gentle young ladies like Shihou-san, not arrogant, rude spoiled princesses like you, Nogami-san.”

For no reason at all, Izumi suddenly recalled Harutaki’s words.

If Chouko really left Tokyo, then Harutraki… What was this, like he was doing her a favor?

“…Tch, let him think whatever he wants. That’s his problem.”

She, Nogami Izumi, never needed anyone’s pity. Who Harutaki liked had nothing to do with her. She was confident in her own charm. Sooner or later, that guy would not be able to help but confess to her.

And besides…

Wasn’t things like this fine right now?

Izumi was not someone content with the status quo, but she did not want to change this easy, pleasant life.

What if… just what if.

What if Harutaki confessed to her and they started dating? Should they tell Chouko, Sae, and Minako? If they started dating, should she ask him to see only her, to stay away from other girls?

If things became like that, how would she get along with her friends?

Chouko liked Harutaki. Sae liked him too. As for Minako… Izumi could never quite read her, but with Harutaki’s charm, if they spent enough time together, Minako might not be an exception either.

If no one competed with her, if she could have Harutaki all to herself…

When Izumi realized she felt a sense of relief at Chouko’s words, she was filled with disgust toward herself.

Chouko treated her sincerely as a good friend, yet she…

That was just too despicable.

“Forget liking him. ‘I like refined, gentle young ladies like Shihou-san, not arrogant, rude spoiled princesses like you.’ That’s what Hoshikawa said to me… tch, letting him be a dog would already be too good for him.”

“Pfft, Izumi, you didn’t seriously take a scumbag’s words at face value, did you? He was definitely just trying to provoke you.”

It should have been like that, and yet… why was it that when she heard those words, her heart skipped a beat, and she even felt strangely happy?

She laughed at herself inwardly and repeatedly reminded herself that Harutaki had only said it to irritate Izumi.

After all, someone as smart as Harutaki would never belittle one girl to her face while praising another, right?

“Anyway, I don’t care about him. He can say whatever he wants. The point is, Chouko, don’t overthink it. People say desperation breeds wisdom, after all. And even if Hoshikawa occasionally does stupid things, he’s sharp when it really matters. There’s no need to worry about him.”

“Mm…”

Chouko nodded silently, thinking that if Harutaki really did become a hero and rescue her from the Shihou family’s “birdcage,” she might have nothing to give in return except herself.

She felt both anticipation and anxiety toward such a future.

How would she face Izumi, Sae, and Minako then?

Especially Izumi… She did not know what Izumi truly thought, but she wanted to keep meeting up as friends, shopping, going out to have fun. She loved everyone chatting and laughing together, picking out and trying on cute clothes or accessories, discussing what kind of makeup to use.

All of a sudden, Chouko almost laughed out loud.

Despite being on the verge of being dragged back to Kyoto, she was worrying about what life would be like after gaining her freedom.

……

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