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 13

Over the phone, Jōji’s father heard his son’s determination, but he didn’t take Jōji’s words seriously at all.

That was because of Jōji’s past actions and behavior—if anyone was at fault, it was Kitano Jōji himself.

Truly, the person—no, the character—named Kitano Jōji was a worthless scum who deserved to be removed from the story.

And so, the gears of fate began turning again to push Jōji out of the narrative, playing a new card: the engagement between Takashi and Aru.

Meanwhile, Jōji was texting Shiho about the joint training session.

“Huh? A call from Shiho?”

A voice call notification popped up on the messaging app. Jōji tapped the answer button.

“Hey, Jōji. For the training, we’ve arranged for you to use the Amamiya family’s Dragon Vein training grounds.”

“Whoa, seriously?! That’s amazing, Shiho!”

The Amamiya family was an ancient lineage that had governed Japan’s spiritual balance since before the tectonic shifts of 1999. The “Ama” in their name came from the Black Tortoise of the North, one of the Four Symbols in Onmyōdō.

Even before the training boom, they owned many lands where spiritual energy converged. Among them, the rarest were the “Dragon Veins”—points where the energies of all four directions (east, west, south, and north) intersected, kept strictly hidden.

“Then, tomorrow—”

“Wait. The place is deep in the mountains. Do you even have hiking clothes, boots, or a backpack?”

(Hmm… I don’t really keep track of all Jōji’s clothes and belongings. Maybe they’re somewhere, but…)

“I might have some, but maybe I should just buy new ones?”

“Got it. If so, let’s go shopping together tomorrow.”

“Huh? You’re coming too?”

“Yeah! Mochi-mochi! Vee-vee!”

This was a catchphrase used by the cheerful, yellow-haired swordsman from The Immortal Blade, a long-running anime currently in its third season. Apparently, Shiho was deeply into this late-night show.

(I can’t see her, but she’s probably making a peace sign right now… She’s such a trend-chaser.)

“Ahem. Then, let’s meet tomorrow at 10 AM in front of the Mion Mall near the station.”

“Got it.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Goodnight.”

After hanging up, Shiho sent him a sticker of The Immortal Blade’s mouse-girl character making a “V” sign with the text “Leave it to me!”

“Heh. Shiho really loves this character, huh?”

Jōji sent back a sticker of the mouse-girl’s older brother, Tantaro, raising his sword with the text “I’ll do it!”

(But… isn’t this basically a date with my favorite heroine? Not that I’m complaining—this is awesome!)

That night, he spent way too much time picking out clothes for the next day, staying up far later than usual.

The next day…

Wearing the outfit he’d carefully chosen, Jōji stood in front of the entrance to Mion Mall, checking the time on his phone.

His outfit: white slacks, a gray shirt, and a light-blue jacket—the only clothes in his wardrobe that matched his taste.

(Seriously, the other stuff he owns—red jackets, navy shirts, leopard-print pants… What is he, some kind of Lupin III wannabe? Terrible fashion sense.)

Even though he’d been too nervous to sleep much, he woke up an hour before his alarm and arrived on an earlier train. Now, he was 15 minutes early for the meetup.

“Hey! You’re early, Jōji!”

Turning around, he saw Shiho smiling, slightly bent forward, making a peace sign near her eye.

“You’re early too, Shiho.”

She wore a white knee-length dress with a navy-blue knit cardigan and a small black bag slung over her shoulder—a perfectly cute outfit that suited her vibe.

“Your outfit’s really cute, Shiho.”

“Hehe, nice, right? Vee-vee!”

She made a double peace sign with both hands near her face, grinning. God, she’s adorable—

“Jōji looks cool too, in a calm way?”

“Hey, why’s there a question mark after mine?”

“Hehe, whatever. Come on, let’s go—we’re wasting time!”

Grabbing his hand, Shiho excitedly pulled him into the mall.

(Today, I’m gonna enjoy my date with my favorite girl!)

Pumping his fist internally, Jōji caught up to Shiho, walking side by side as they entered the mall hand in hand.