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 40

Jōji was back home in Sapporo, Hokkaido, for the latter half of the Golden Week holiday, bringing along his stepbrother Takashi. They had traveled from Tokyo together.

The reason for the homecoming was news that his former fiancée, Miyashita Aru, and his stepbrother Takashi were set to formally become engaged, representing both families. Along with that came the demand that he take responsibility for the broken engagement.

Regardless, he’d been prepared from the start that everything would end if he didn’t achieve results in the Dungeon Test. Retrieving an item from the deepest level was just a secondary benefit. Ever since reincarnating into this world, he’d poured his all into this goal. Passing the Dungeon Test was essential – everyone knew that.

Honestly, knowing the original story, the engagement outcome felt inevitable to him. The sequence where the trashy older brother (himself) gets beaten up and kicked out, only for Takashi and Aru to formally get engaged some time later, was as natural as breathing. There was nothing to be done about it.

Right now, he earnestly hoped they’d quickly fall deeply in love, support each other, grow together, and ultimately save this world.

Oh, by the way, regarding his standard party composition for clearing the game, ranked by their final strength:

Takashi > Amamiya = Kuki >> Airu = Amakusa = Hijikata ≒ Carnelian (She’s a hidden character, so sometimes she’s not available)

That’s the order… He’d swap around four of them in his party, but the protagonist was fixed and couldn’t be swapped out, so effectively he rotated three members.

Especially Aru. Being a core member from the early game who shared hardships and joys, she had a strong emotional attachment bonus. He’d often prioritize using her over the top two ranked characters.

Kushinadahime, the goddess acquired mid-game and sometimes benched later, was an incredibly skilled healer/support character he relied on heavily.

That’s probably why she consistently ranked first in heroine popularity polls.

It felt strangely nostalgic… even though he’d been playing the game himself just two weeks ago. The last thing he’d seen was the happy ending scene for Takashi and Airu.

However… he was concerned about Takashi.

The sense of unease he’d felt during the family meeting… Tora had warned him to be careful, sensing something ominous about Takashi’s aura.

Fundamentally, Jōji himself vanished early in the story, so it was hard to gauge what Takashi truly thought of him at this point. But…

Harboring hatred and trying to bring someone down wasn’t the action befitting a protagonist who upheld justice.

He hoped Takashi understood what he’d said at the meeting and would reconsider… Although, from Takashi’s perspective, he was probably thinking, “Who the hell are you to talk?”

Lost in these thoughts as he walked…

‘So Jōji, this is Sapporo Gokoku Shrine?’

He and Tora were currently sightseeing around Sapporo city. Might as well, since they were here.

“Hey, keep yourself hidden, okay…?”

In this kitten form, Tora couldn’t suppress his divine aura. He appeared as an adorable cat with two tails, visible even to people with low spiritual perception.

‘Nah~ I’ll hide when we get on those metal boxes again, the “buses” or “trains”.’

Tora had complained about being bored indoors, so Jōji reluctantly brought him along to tour shrines around Sapporo.

Their first stop was Sapporo Gokoku Shrine.

Sapporo Gokoku Shrine

“The Shrine of Nation-Birth and Nation-Protection”

Enshrined within Nakajima Park, “Sapporo Gokoku Shrine” was established to comfort the spirits of the war dead.

The “Taga Shrine” within its precincts was directly invited from Taga Taisha in Shiga Prefecture, dedicated to the deities of nation-birth.

Since ancient times, it has been revered for its divine virtues in matchmaking, longevity, and warding off misfortune, attracting deep faith and worship.

While it holds the high status of receiving official visits from national dignitaries and state guests, it also boasts seasonal attractions like flower-adorned chōzuya (water basins) and vibrant goshuin (stamp seals) as souvenirs. This creates a welcoming atmosphere, making it popular and easy to visit. Since the boom in spiritual tourism, it has become hugely popular with general visitors.

“So, what do you think, Tora? How does it feel, as a fellow deity, seeing other gods enshrined and worshipped like this?”

‘Ha! Foolish question. True, the ley lines flow appropriately for a divine sanctuary, but the crucial deity is absent, is it not?’

“Figured as much~ There are shrines all over Japan dedicated to the same gods, after all.”

Tora trotted up in front of Jōji, sat down facing him with a dignified air, and puffed out his chest.

‘Well, fundamentally, deities often reside within their divine realms. They may stay at specific shrines on special days, but whether they’re present otherwise is unknown. Fickle creatures, really.’

(Says the divine being currently lecturing me, looking like the very picture of divine capriciousness in adorable kitten form…)

Jōji was giving Tora a skeptical side-eye as the cat struck his pose…

“KYAAAAAAHHH—— ADORABLE!! Is this your cat, mister!?”

“KYAWAAAAAA~ What’s this? Two split tails?! So rare~! And the red and blue ribbons are SO CUUUTE! MOEEEEEEE~!”

Were they tourists? Local students? Two young women rushed towards Tora, stroking his head and chin, eyes sparkling with adoration.

‘Wha—!? What are you doing, mere humans!? How dare you treat the Sacred Beast Byakko this way!!! Shall I bite your heads off!?’

Meow!? Mrowwwr! Mewmewmew——! Meeew~ Purr Purr Purr♪

“KYAAAAAHH! He’s meowing happily! Purring! SO CUUUUTE!!”

“Haaaah, so soothing~”

He’d explained it countless times: Tora’s voice sounded like nothing but a cat’s meow to anyone except Jōji and those with a special connection… Still…

He doesn’t seem entirely displeased, though…

“Um, excuse me! Mister! Can I hold this kitty!?”

One of the women pulled out her smartphone from her bag and asked Jōji for permission with an expectant, beaming smile.

‘What are you saying, little girl!? You fool, such a thing is utterly unaccepta— “Ah, sure, go ahead~” …Huh, WHAAAAAAT!?’

Once Jōji gave permission, the two girls beamed and took turns holding Tora, striking various poses while taking photos.

‘Jōjiiiii! Remember this, you little brat!!!!’

The little kitten yowled something fierce, but Jōji cheerfully took their phones and snapped pictures of the two girls and the cat.

He learned the two women were college students from Tokyo, using Golden Week for a trip combined with research for a report.

No wonder they didn’t have a Hokkaido accent.

“Huh~ So you two attend Seijō Women’s University?”

“Yes♪ There are three of us in the group. We’re researching Shinto and Buddhism in Hokkaido~♪”

They were friendly and casual in their manner, typical of modern college girls… Hm? Seijō Women’s University? That sounds familiar…

“Ah, the third member couldn’t make it today, unfortunately. She has a live-in job because of family circumstances…”

“Yeah, yeah. So we’re working extra hard to gather literature and local folktales for her part too.”

“I see. You two are working quite seriously and diligently. That’s admirable.”

When Jōji praised them, they glanced at each other, slightly embarrassed, and smiled.

“Oh, sorry! Here you go, Tora-chan… Wait! We asked the kitty’s name but not yours, mister!?”

“Ah, I’m a second-year at Tokyo’s Tōkō High School… Kitano Jōji. I’m back visiting my family home here in Sapporo. Today, I’m exploring the hometown I haven’t seen in a while.”

“Kitano… Jōji-kun?… Hmm—— I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere??”

“He goes to a Tokyo high school~ Maybe we ran into him somewhere? Oh, three years younger, huh~”

“U——n, I don’t think it’s like that…!? Oh! Hey, wanna exchange contact info? If it’s okay, we’d love to hang out with Tora-chan again when you’re back in Tokyo! Is that no good?”

Jōji pulled out his phone, opened his messaging app, and held out the friend request QR code towards the college girls.

Each of them scanned it with their phones, completing the friend registration. Immediately, stickers arrived: one cat waving its paw with “Nice to meet you!” and another cat bowing with “Hello!”

“I’m Yamabuki Sae, and….”

“I’m Otoda Kaoru♪”

Yamabuki Sae wore a white blouse and jeans, carrying a brand-name backpack. Her makeup was a bit heavy, with eyelashes curled dramatically upwards. She was fairly tall, maybe around 170cm? With a slender, athletic build and a healthy, wheatish complexion, she looked like she played sports. Her short haircut would have given her a very boyish impression without the makeup. She was undeniably beautiful.

The other girl, Otoda Kaoru, had a calmer vibe. Her bluish-black hair was cut in a bob. She wore a blue dress, slightly loose around the waist, making her figure a bit hard to judge, but her exposed skin was pale, looking like it would burn easily. Perhaps because of this, she wore a relatively large straw hat for sun protection. Naturally, Kaoru was also quite beautiful.

“Well then, once again, I’m Kitano Jōji… and this is Tora.”

“Nice to meet you, Tora-chan♪” “Waaaah, let’s get a close-up too~”

Reluctant to part with Tora, they took many more photos of the cat. After getting Jōji’s permission to post them on SNS, they thanked him profusely, waved goodbye, and headed off towards their next destination from Sapporo Gokoku Shrine.

‘Jōōōōjiiii… It seems I must thoroughly educate you on the greatness of a Sacred Beast.’

Well, it seemed that while he’d successfully raised the favorability of two current Seijō Women’s University students, he’d simultaneously managed to drastically lower the trust level of a certain invaluable companion…