CH 269

I Did What I Had to Do

Ryuzaki was nodding his head.

The information I gave him may have been a shock to him, and he was staring at the ground with a stunned look on his face.

“Hey… Nakayama, let me ask you one thing.”

Emotionless, empty words echoed through the sound of the rain.

n Shiho’s words…, it was a really ‘disgusting’ sound.

“What do I do when the person I try to love likes someone else?”

He asked me, of all people, that question, and I must say that Ryuzaki is still a work in progress.

“… Don’t ask me. Think for yourself.”

Of course I know.

I’ve been in the same situation as Ryuzaki in the past.

But there’s no point in telling this guy the answer I’ve come up with.

For Ryuzaki, who was born to be the protagonist, the conclusion I arrived at after resignation and disappointment in myself is of no use to him.

In the end, Ryuzaki must find out for himself.

Otherwise, I don’t think he will understand. So, without replying, I pushed Ryuzaki away.

“Damn … I guess I’m lower than you after all. I can’t believe that after being deprived of my first love, the person I tried to fall in love with in return was your hand-me-down …!”

That’s a terrible thing to say, but I’m not going to deny it, I’m going to listen.

You can be depressed. Despair. It is only when you are hurt, in pain, and falling apart that you will finally be able to change.

For that, I will show no mercy.

It was because I was determined to do so that I continued to stand beside Ryuzaki.

“… What is that? Don’t be silly.”

And as I have said many times, Ryoma Ryuzaki is still an “imperfect” protagonist.

One might even say that he is immature, taking actions that a normal protagonist would not take.

“Don’t be an idiot!!”

I guess he couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer.

As if the stress of things not going well had exploded, Ryuzaki suddenly yelled at me.

He shouted like an animal, walked up to me and grabbed me by the collar.

“Don’t look down on me.”

As it was, a fist was raised.

It was unmistakably the harbinger of “violence”.

(…Well, it’s okay to let people behave as they like at the edge of the narrative, where no one is watching.)

I have no fear.

I’m probably less resistant to being punched than other people.

Because I’m not the kind of person who is kind to myself.

I’ve always been disdainful, mean, and disappointed in myself, and that’s why I haven’t taken good care of myself.

That’s why I didn’t care if he hit me.

(If beating me would bring you a little closer to ” completion”.)

That’s all right, I thought, and closed my eyes.

I was preparing for the shock that was to come, but it never came.

“Hang on.”

Suddenly, I heard a voice that should not have been there.

The voice sounded so warm and out of place amongst the cold wind and rain.

Perhaps that’s why it stood out so much.

“…”

I heard Ryuzaki gasp.

Around the same time I opened my eyes and saw Ryuzaki looking behind me and his eyes widening.

In his eyes, I saw a silvery-white girl.

I turned around after a delay and… there she was, after all, that girl.

“… I wasn’t planning on coming…”

She walked closer, fiddling with the ends of her hair as if uncomfortable.

How long had she been there?

I don’t know about that, but she had an apologetic expression on her face, as if she had a general grasp of our situation.

“But I couldn’t allow Kotaro-kun to get hurt.”

Even in her small voice, her voice sounded unusually clear.

The clear voice seemed to reach even Ryuzaki’s anger filled heart.

“… Were you here?”

With an air of embarrassment, Ryuzaki withdrew his fist.

He quickly averted his gaze, removing his hand from my collar as well.

“Don’t look at me.”

Sadly.

And yet, with regret, Ryuzaki muttered,

“Don’t look at me like this.”

He knows he is pathetic.

Ryuzaki is ashamed that his miserable self is seen by his first love, Shiho.

“… Awful.”

The last thing he did was to say that, and then he turned away.

The rain was pouring down, but that guy still didn’t stop walking.

Thus, the harem protagonist is driven into hardship.

I did everything I could do. What will happen from here?

It is only when he awakens from this point that he can be said to be a protagonist… Will Ryuzaki really be able to continue to be a protagonist in the future?

The answer to that question is known only to the god of romantic comedies.