I Play the Role of (Villain/Heroine) in a Japanese-style Otome Game Chapter 17

I wake up .

　Raising my body from the bed and going to the large sliding window, I open the curtains .
The morning light shines beyond the lace .

“I’ll work hard . ”

　I resolved anew in the room .
There are many things I must do .
Surely, this will be the toughest it’s been so far .
Even then, I’ll show you I can do them all .

　Spending the days with everyone .
Living together .
If there are issues that can be settled, let me settle them .

　Having gotten changed, the dresser reflects my figure .
The school uniform-clad me reflected in the mirror, appears different from the me before .
　Chako may have accepted that she will disappear .
There may be something she wants to accomplish by disappearing .
She probably would not want to change her wish .

　Even then .

　――I’ll show you I can make her take my hand .

　A weak, pathetic and awful woman .
Who’s greedy and bad at giving up .
A me like that will stand next to Chako .

　Tell me Chako’s wish .

　Because I’ll show you that I will grant it .
　Leaving the house, I head to the entrance ceremony with my parents .
As expected, perhaps as an effect of repeating, they’re worried even though it’s just the entrance ceremony .
I’ve been walking in front but, feeling anxious gazes on my back, I slowly turn around .
There, my parents are staring at me as they walk side by side .
　I’m sorry for worrying you .

　I secretly apologise in my heart, putting a smile on my face .

“Father, mother . Even though I’m like this[1], please take care of me in the future too . ”

　Then, I lower my head just a little .
They’re probably surprised at my abrupt words .
After looking at me with widened eyes, my parents face each other and exchange glances .

Mom goes, “What’s wrong, is she nervous about the entrance ceremony?” in confusion, while dad frowns as though he’s stumped .
Finding their expressions somewhat strange, I start to giggle .

　I’ll surely feel depressed, get angry or cry again, causing them trouble .
Well, it’s as father said, I’m greedy so it can’t be helped .
Therefore, do take take of me from now on too .

　Turning my back towards my bewildered parents, I begin walking to school again .

　So let’s start anew, again, hereon .
　Unable to suppress my flushing cheeks, from the main gate to the school, I step forth .
Waving to my parents, I enter my a.s.signed cla.s.sroom .
Chako’s already in the seat before me, her black hair swaying in the wind .
Yuusei-kun’s in the frontmost seat by the corridor, sitting alone and reading a book .
Finally, Kousuke-kun seems to already have made friends . Surrounded by about 3 people, he’s joking around by the window .
　I’ve returned .
To the place I’ve been .

　My chest squeezes in pain and I take a small, deep breath .
Although it’s greedy of me, sure enough .
I can’t give up this place .

　Let’s work hard .

　Even though there will probably be lots of painful and difficult things .
Everything I worked hard for, will surely be repaid .

　Time pa.s.sed . We moved to the gymnasium and the entrance ceremony begins .
When I call out to Chako who’s in the seat next to mine, she laughs, “Ehehe” in response .

　A nostalgic laugh .
　While my chest hurts a little, something warm spreads in my heart .
Ah . If Chako’s willing to laugh, it makes me feel that I can work hard for anything .

　Perhaps due to distancing myself once, I want to treasure that laugh even more now .
I’m already head over heels huh, I laugh a little when I think that .

The entrance ceremony has finished, and so has HR .
After tidying up my stuff, I call out to the Chako sitting in front of me .

“Shall we go home together today?”
“Yeah . Sure . I’m happy to get along well after the entrance ceremony . ”

“… Indeed . ”

　I really am happy .
It’s also been a while since I went home with Chako .
If, there’s also an effect on Chako when I turn back time .
Just a little is fine, it will be nice if she finds this nostalgic .

　I giggle at my selfish wish .
Seeing such a me, Chako laughs, “Ehehe” .

“Ah, but there are some errands I have to run . Do you mind waiting? I think it will take about 20 minutes, but…”
　While I want to always be with Chako like this, there are things I must do from now on .
I feel apologetic because I was the one who invited her to go home together, but please wait just a while .
“Sorry”, when I put my hands together, Chako goes, “It’s fine” with a nod .

“It’s fine . Besides, looking at the printouts we received today and filling out the forms will probably take around that amount of time . ”
“Yeah, thank you . I’ll head off for a bit then . ”
“Nn . ”

　I thank Chako, stand up, and head to the frontmost seat by the corridor .
As I can sense Chako being slightly surprised behind me, I turn back and nod twice .
Although Chako probably doesn’t quite understand, un un, she nods with her eyes widened .

“Yuusei-kun . There’s something I want to tell you alone . ”

　Even while laughing a little at Chako’s state, I turn to Yuusei-kun and speak .
The black eyes behind the gla.s.ses look at me, shining with suspicion .

“Sure thing, follow me . ”

　With that, he exits the door and walks through the corridor .
Seeing that back, fu, a laugh ends up escaping .
　You haven’t changed huh, Yuusei-kun .
“What is it you want to say?” or “Don’t call me so over-familiarly”, things like that . You should’ve said something .
However, it’s definitely more like Yuusei-kun to not ask for reasons .

　Unable to stop my face from brightening, I follow Yuusei-kun .
Then, at the Occult Research Club, I speak of the happenings up till now .
Yuusei-kun listens with amus.e.m.e.nt, and once again believes it all .

“I see . In short, this is the 6th round for you huh, Naba?”
“Yeah . ”

　Yuusei-kun sits in a chair, his black eyes shining as he thinks about something .
I feel somewhat relieved at the Occult Research club room that’s the same as always .

“Still, that so-called effect of turning back time is interesting . ”
“Yeah . I don’t know if it really exists or not though… There’s isn’t anything that Yuusei-kun remembers or the like, is there?”

　I gaze up at him .
While I can’t ask Chako and Kousuke-kun, I can also ask Yuusei-kun about his memory because he knows everything .
He likely doesn’t remember though…
“… Let’s see . Yeah, unfortunately, I don’t remember this entrance ceremony repeating for multiple times . Naba, too, I only know that you’re the Priestess of Ominous Clouds . ”
“Is that so…”

　Sure enough, he doesn’t remember .
Yuusei-kun scratches his head roughly .

“Ah, my bad, to think that I can’t remember something so interesting… However, I think I kind of get that so-called effect of turning back time . ”
“Really?”
“Yeah . When you spoke to me, I thought『Ah, she finally came』 . ”
“… Yeah . Yuusei-kun said to return even if I fail . You said, “Explain to me and I’ll surely believe you” .

　I’m sorry for being late .
Thank you, for believing me again .

“I probably remember it deep in my heart . I suppose it’s like déjà vu . ”
“I see . ”

　Déjà vu, huh .
Is it so uncertain for those who don’t remember?

　As expected, he doesn’t remember .  Although I already knew that, my heart p.r.i.c.ks a little with pain .
It really is lonely to be forgotten .
Yes . Still, that’s fine . Even this pain will be my provision .

　Closing my eyes for a short while, I exhale .
The ends of Yuusei-kun’s mouth raise into a smirk at such a me .

“So, how was shutting yourself in for 2 months? Was it fun?”
If not at nakimus.h.i.tl . wordpress . com, this has been stolen .
　Eh? My eyes widen as I look at Yuusei-kun
He’s not saying that out of sarcasm . His eyes shine with nothing but deep interest .

“… There’s no way it’s fun . ”
“Really? Don’t you get to game and read all you want? You live alone after all . I’m envious . ”
“… It wasn’t fun at all, alright . ”

　Shutting myself in alone, being delighted when Chako’s mails come, having my chest hurt when I can’t reply .
Being scared even when grocery shopping, doubting everyone involved .
There’s no way such days are fun .
What are you saying?, when I glower at Yuusei-kun, he laughs, “Hahaha . ”

“Ah, my bad my bad . ”
“Sheesh . ”

　Haah, when I add on an exaggerated sigh, Yuusei-kun laughs with the ends of his lips again and speaks .

“At any rate, you’re going to train again, right?”
“Yes . I’ll work hard . Please take care of me . ”
“Yeah, knock yourself out . [2]”
　Yuusei-kun laughs like he’s having fun .
Finding that expression and those words nostalgic, my face laughs on its own too .

“… Ah, it’s my 2nd time so I think I’ll memorize at a great pace . I may surpa.s.s someone like Yuusei-kun in no time at all . ”
“Ahh?”
“The only time you can be so condescending is only now, alright . ”

　That’s right .
I’ll become Yuusei-kun’s rival soon .

　Yuusei-kun laughs with amus.e.m.e.nt at my provocative line .
After we laugh for a while like this, I look up at the clock hung on the wall .
About 15 minutes have already pa.s.sed .

“Ah, I have to return to Chako . ”
“I see . ”

　It’s about time to go, I stand up .
Yuusei-kun’s looking up at me while still seat, probably planning to see me off like that .

“Come too, Yuusei-kun . ”
“Aah?”
“Alright! Let’s go . ”

　Huh?, Yuusei-kun looks up with a silly face . I take his hand and walk .
Even as Yuusei-kun gets gradually fl.u.s.tered, he grabs his bag with the hand not holding mine and follows me .
After walking for a while, although he was fl.u.s.tered at first, he eventually becomes obedient as though he’s given up .
 

[1] That’s the literal translation . Kind of a humbling statement with connotations of ‘While I’m this lacking, … . ’ .
[2] He said the same thing in chapter 12 . 1 .

I wake up . . 　Raising my body from the bed and going to the large sliding window, I open the curtains The morning light shines beyond the lace

“I’ll work hard . ”.

　I resolved anew in the room There are many things I must do Surely, this will be the toughest it’s been so far Even then, I’ll show you I can do them all

　Spending the days with everyone Living together If there are issues that can be settled, let me settle them

　Having gotten changed, the dresser reflects my figure The school uniform-clad me reflected in the mirror, appears different from the me before 　Chako may have accepted that she will disappear There may be something she wants to accomplish by disappearing She probably would not want to change her wish

　Even then

　――I’ll show you I can make her take my hand

　A weak, pathetic and awful woman Who’s greedy and bad at giving up A me like that will stand next to Chako

　Tell me Chako’s wish

　Because I’ll show you that I will grant it 　Leaving the house, I head to the entrance ceremony with my parents As expected, perhaps as an effect of repeating, they’re worried even though it’s just the entrance ceremony I’ve been walking in front but, feeling anxious gazes on my back, I slowly turn around There, my parents are staring at me as they walk side by side 　I’m sorry for worrying you

　I secretly apologise in my heart, putting a smile on my face

“Father, mother . Even though I’m like this[1], please take care of me in the future too . ”.

　Then, I lower my head just a little They’re probably surprised at my abrupt words After looking at me with widened eyes, my parents face each other and exchange glances . . Mom goes, “What’s wrong, is she nervous about the entrance ceremony?” in confusion, while dad frowns as though he’s stumped Finding their expressions somewhat strange, I start to giggle

　I’ll surely feel depressed, get angry or cry again, causing them trouble Well, it’s as father said, I’m greedy so it can’t be helped Therefore, do take take of me from now on too

　Turning my back towards my bewildered parents, I begin walking to school again

　So let’s start anew, again, hereon 　Unable to suppress my flushing cheeks, from the main gate to the school, I step forth Waving to my parents, I enter my a.s.signed cla.s.sroom Chako’s already in the seat before me, her black hair swaying in the wind Yuusei-kun’s in the frontmost seat by the corridor, sitting alone and reading a book Finally, Kousuke-kun seems to already have made friends . Surrounded by about 3 people, he’s joking around by the window 　I’ve returned To the place I’ve been

　My chest squeezes in pain and I take a small, deep breath Although it’s greedy of me, sure enough I can’t give up this place

　Let’s work hard

　Even though there will probably be lots of painful and difficult things Everything I worked hard for, will surely be repaid

　Time pa.s.sed . We moved to the gymnasium and the entrance ceremony begins When I call out to Chako who’s in the seat next to mine, she laughs, “Ehehe” in response

　A nostalgic laugh 　While my chest hurts a little, something warm spreads in my heart Ah . If Chako’s willing to laugh, it makes me feel that I can work hard for anything

　Perhaps due to distancing myself once, I want to treasure that laugh even more now I’m already head over heels huh, I laugh a little when I think that

. The entrance ceremony has finished, and so has HR After tidying up my stuff, I call out to the Chako sitting in front of me

“Shall we go home together today?”. “Yeah . Sure . I’m happy to get along well after the entrance ceremony . ”. . . “… Indeed . ”.

　I really am happy It’s also been a while since I went home with Chako If, there’s also an effect on Chako when I turn back time Just a little is fine, it will be nice if she finds this nostalgic

　I giggle at my selfish wish Seeing such a me, Chako laughs, “Ehehe”

“Ah, but there are some errands I have to run . Do you mind waiting? I think it will take about 20 minutes, but…”. 　While I want to always be with Chako like this, there are things I must do from now on I feel apologetic because I was the one who invited her to go home together, but please wait just a while “Sorry”, when I put my hands together, Chako goes, “It’s fine” with a nod

“It’s fine . Besides, looking at the printouts we received today and filling out the forms will probably take around that amount of time . ”. “Yeah, thank you . I’ll head off for a bit then . ”. “Nn . ”.

　I thank Chako, stand up, and head to the frontmost seat by the corridor As I can sense Chako being slightly surprised behind me, I turn back and nod twice Although Chako probably doesn’t quite understand, un un, she nods with her eyes widened

“Yuusei-kun . There’s something I want to tell you alone . ”.

　Even while laughing a little at Chako’s state, I turn to Yuusei-kun and speak The black eyes behind the gla.s.ses look at me, shining with suspicion

“Sure thing, follow me . ”.

　With that, he exits the door and walks through the corridor Seeing that back, fu, a laugh ends up escaping 　You haven’t changed huh, Yuusei-kun “What is it you want to say?” or “Don’t call me so over-familiarly”, things like that . You should’ve said something However, it’s definitely more like Yuusei-kun to not ask for reasons

　Unable to stop my face from brightening, I follow Yuusei-kun Then, at the Occult Research Club, I speak of the happenings up till now Yuusei-kun listens with amus.e.m.e.nt, and once again believes it all

“I see . In short, this is the 6th round for you huh, Naba?”. “Yeah . ”.

　Yuusei-kun sits in a chair, his black eyes shining as he thinks about something I feel somewhat relieved at the Occult Research club room that’s the same as always

“Still, that so-called effect of turning back time is interesting . ”. “Yeah . I don’t know if it really exists or not though… There’s isn’t anything that Yuusei-kun remembers or the like, is there?”.

　I gaze up at him While I can’t ask Chako and Kousuke-kun, I can also ask Yuusei-kun about his memory because he knows everything He likely doesn’t remember though…. “… Let’s see . Yeah, unfortunately, I don’t remember this entrance ceremony repeating for multiple times . Naba, too, I only know that you’re the Priestess of Ominous Clouds . ”. “Is that so…”.

　Sure enough, he doesn’t remember Yuusei-kun scratches his head roughly

“Ah, my bad, to think that I can’t remember something so interesting… However, I think I kind of get that so-called effect of turning back time . ”. “Really?”. “Yeah . When you spoke to me, I thought『Ah, she finally came』 . ”. “… Yeah . Yuusei-kun said to return even if I fail . You said, “Explain to me and I’ll surely believe you”

　I’m sorry for being late Thank you, for believing me again

“I probably remember it deep in my heart . I suppose it’s like déjà vu . ”. “I see . ”.

　Déjà vu, huh Is it so uncertain for those who don’t remember?.

　As expected, he doesn’t remember .  Although I already knew that, my heart p.r.i.c.ks a little with pain It really is lonely to be forgotten Yes . Still, that’s fine . Even this pain will be my provision

　Closing my eyes for a short while, I exhale The ends of Yuusei-kun’s mouth raise into a smirk at such a me

“So, how was shutting yourself in for 2 months? Was it fun?”. If not at nakimus.h.i.tl . wordpress . com, this has been stolen 　Eh? My eyes widen as I look at Yuusei-kun. He’s not saying that out of sarcasm . His eyes shine with nothing but deep interest

“… There’s no way it’s fun . ”. “Really? Don’t you get to game and read all you want? You live alone after all . I’m envious . ”. “… It wasn’t fun at all, alright . ”.

　Shutting myself in alone, being delighted when Chako’s mails come, having my chest hurt when I can’t reply Being scared even when grocery shopping, doubting everyone involved There’s no way such days are fun What are you saying?, when I glower at Yuusei-kun, he laughs, “Hahaha . ”.

“Ah, my bad my bad . ”. “Sheesh . ”.

　Haah, when I add on an exaggerated sigh, Yuusei-kun laughs with the ends of his lips again and speaks

“At any rate, you’re going to train again, right?”. “Yes . I’ll work hard . Please take care of me . ”. “Yeah, knock yourself out . [2]”. 　Yuusei-kun laughs like he’s having fun Finding that expression and those words nostalgic, my face laughs on its own too

“… Ah, it’s my 2nd time so I think I’ll memorize at a great pace . I may surpa.s.s someone like Yuusei-kun in no time at all . ”. “Ahh?”. “The only time you can be so condescending is only now, alright . ”.

　That’s right I’ll become Yuusei-kun’s rival soon

　Yuusei-kun laughs with amus.e.m.e.nt at my provocative line After we laugh for a while like this, I look up at the clock hung on the wall About 15 minutes have already pa.s.sed

“Ah, I have to return to Chako . ”. “I see . ”.

　It’s about time to go, I stand up Yuusei-kun’s looking up at me while still seat, probably planning to see me off like that

“Come too, Yuusei-kun . ”. “Aah?”. “Alright! Let’s go . ”.

　Huh?, Yuusei-kun looks up with a silly face . I take his hand and walk Even as Yuusei-kun gets gradually fl.u.s.tered, he grabs his bag with the hand not holding mine and follows me After walking for a while, although he was fl.u.s.tered at first, he eventually becomes obedient as though he’s given up  .

[1] That’s the literal translation . Kind of a humbling statement with connotations of ‘While I’m this lacking, … . ’ [2] He said the same thing in chapter 12 . 1