I was Reincarnated as the Scum Older Brother of the Protagonist in a Romance Battle Game, But I don't want to Die, so I'll do my Best - Episode 10

It was evening, and I was locking the school gate with Ms. Minagawa after school.

“Let me rephrase that. Are you the same Kujoji Kitano you were in your first year? You seem so different now.”

“I am indeed Kujoji Kitano, but what’s inside is a different person.”

Anyone hearing that would probably think it was the rambling of a crazy person.

“I’d like to say I don’t believe you… but it sounds like a complicated story. Let’s go somewhere else, can you tell me more?”

Ms. Minagawa and I stopped at a family restaurant near the school.

“Order whatever you like; it’s on me,” Ms. Minagawa said, calling the waiter and starting to order while looking at the menu.

I only ordered coffee and declined everything else.

“Don’t hold back,” she said.

“No, thank you. My family is preparing dinner for me at home.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I understand.”

My coffee arrived. I took a sip, gently set the cup down, and began to speak.

“What I’m about to tell you, please keep it to yourself, Sensei.”

“I promise.”

“I was Yoji Nanbara, a 34-year-old single, insignificant salaryman who lived in a different world from this one.”

I looked at my reflection in the swirling surface of the coffee, afraid of Ms. Minagawa’s reaction as I spoke.

“One day, I became Kujoji Kitano in this world.”

“You’re skipping a lot… Isn’t that a bit sudden?”

“Yes, actually, I don’t even know the details of how it happened.”

“But… I knew about this world.”

“What do you mean?”

“This world is from a game I used to play.”

“?? A game?”

“Yes, it’s a school romance battle game called ‘Demon City Tokyo 1999’.”

“…So, we’re characters in that game?”

“That’s right. By the way, Ms. Minagawa, you’re positioned as one of the romanceable heroines in it.”

“Hehehe… Me, romance… Impossible…”

“Well… let’s set that aside for now… The important thing is that the protagonist of this game is my younger brother, Takaru Kitano.”

“So… I and several other romance options are also for Takaru Kitano, then?”

“That’s right.”

“…I still don’t understand… I shouldn’t have any connection to your brother, should I?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t talk about the future… or rather, the future has already changed.”

“You interfered, didn’t you?”

“…It’s not that I interfered; it’s more accurate to say I didn’t interfere…”

“Sensei, you must have heard the rumor, but I was publicly dumped by my fiancée, Ms. Miyashita.”

“Ah, yes, and I heard you accepted it so easily.”

“Yes, that was precisely the turning point.”

“So, originally, there was no engagement annulment?”

“No, the engagement annulment happens; that doesn’t change. However, at that time, Kujoji Kitano would have been enraged, punched his brother, and impulsively challenged him to a duel. Later, in a match with their parents present, he would have been thoroughly defeated by his brother.”

“What happens to you after that?”

“I die.”

“!”

“I don’t know exactly how I die, but I’m abandoned by my parents, forsaken by the people I thought were my friends, and I die in despair, unnoticed.”

“…So, you accepted the engagement annulment to defy your own fate?”

“That’s right. Besides, it’s true that I did terrible things to Ms. Miyashita. Even if I don’t remember, it must have been unbearable pain for her.”

“I see… So you had a change of heart… Well, you really did have a change of heart, didn’t you? Hehehe.”

“Indeed… hehehe.”

I took another sip of coffee, exhaled lightly, and continued.

“I was a weak man who could only silently endure and put up with unreasonable things in society. I understand the feelings of those in this world who have been made to suffer the same way by Kujoji Kitano.”

“Like Aru Miyashita?”

“Yes… Ms. Miyashita is one of them. So, not to mention anything else, I want her to be happier than anyone.”

“How do you intend to live from now on? Will you search for a way to return to your original world?”

“…Honestly, I have no regrets about my original world. So, I’ll try to live in this world, utilizing all the knowledge I possess.”

“Ambition, greed for money, lust, materialism… I suppose for you, it’s the desire to survive.”

“Sensei… ‘There’s a world you can only see when you’re alive. Don’t give up on life, fight against it,’ right?”

“!? Ho-how do you know that…!?”

I didn’t answer Ms. Minagawa’s question. I stood up and placed the money for my coffee on the table.

“No… I’ll pay for this…”

“‘It’s unethical for a teacher to personally provide special favors to a student,’ Ms. Minagawa.”

“……I see… You’re right.”

“Well, forgive me for repeating myself, but please keep this conversation to yourself, Sensei. Thank you for your hard work.”

“……Kitano… No, Kujoji… Good luck.”

I gave Ms. Minagawa a slight bow and left the family restaurant.

Now… I need to tell my parents about the engagement annulment before the holidays… I wonder how they’ll react…

The evening sky had darkened from sunset, and streetlights were now illuminated along the road.

I told Ms. Minagawa the truth at this point because I knew my true identity would be revealed by Tsuchiwarashi, a local deity who would cooperate with Ms. Minagawa during the Divine Sight Qualification Exam before the Secret Region Test.

Imagining Ms. Minagawa’s sparkling eyes in the faintly shining moonlight, I reaffirmed my resolve and headed home.