CH 67

It’s about 1 o’clock late at night and there’s little sign of people at Sasaki Shrine.

Soutarou. Where’s Soutarou? I run straight to the public toilet.

No way he’s there. Over an hour has passed. Soutarou can’t be still waiting. Even though I think that, some part of me is hoping that he is.

About 10 metres till the toilet, I close my eyes hard while shivering.

No way he’s there. Even if he is, Soutarou’s waiting for Sakurai Makoto. There’s no way he’d recognise me in my current form of Endou Makoto. I shouldn’t keep my hopes up. Definitely, should not.

My lips tremble with fear. Suppressing my racing heart, I slowly open my eyes.

“Sou, tarou…”

Standing in front of the public toilet across the scattered crowd is Soutarou.

He’s still waiting for me. That makes me terribly happy, yet illogically irritated. Somehow I really want to cry. Not knowing what to do, I frantically wipe my overflowing, spilled tears.

I’ll go a little closer, and, say goodbye if he doesn’t recognise me. If the summoning power of Mitsuki and this world’s power of repelling foreign bodies continue to compete from now on and I’m stuck here in my female form, I’ll introduce myself to him once again.

Again, I’ll make Soutarou like the current me. I definitely won’t declare to live obediently and stealthily as a background character. I like what I like. I won’t let Soutarou go even though I’m female now.

Surely no one can tell that Endou Makoto and Sakurai Makoto are the same person. That in itself is wretched and it will be hard to get him to like me once more, but, I like Soutarou. That isn’t something that can be easily forgotten. Therefore I won’t let him go easily.

Stirring up my heart all the time, isn’t that sly of him?

Thinking nothing but such thoughts, my mood gradually turns pleasant.

I’m a considerably, simple woman.

When I smile and raise my head, my eyes meet Soutarou’s perfectly.

“Mako…? … Hey, you’re Mako right?”

“… ?!”

I unconsciously shudder at the Soutarou who approaches in a jog.

I quickly turn my head back, but there’s no one who looks like Sakurai Makoto. When I look at Soutarou again nervously, our eyes meet as expected. Is he really looking at me?

Soutarou finally stops before my eyes and buries his face behind my ear. My mouth flaps open and close in surprise and bewilderment like a carp. Once Soutarou finishes a round of sniffing the back of my ear, his expression brightens up and mysterious glitters begin to fly behind him.

“Sure enough, it’s Mako! Mako, why didn’t you say anything before you leave? I was worried, thinking you met with an accident.”

Don’t tell me, this guy is blind?

The current me is completely female. How can he tell that I’m “Mako”?

When I look at Soutarou with bewilderment, he’s going “Woof, woof” like always. What’s with this guy. When I make a dubious face with my brows knitted, he looks at me with confusion.

“Mako, do you feel unwell?”

“Eh, well, you mistook me for someone…”

“Eh? You’re Mako, aren’t you. Sakurai Makoto right?”

I abruptly recall the words from that time.

――……I think, no matter what you appear to be, I will be able to tell it’s you, Mako. ‘Cos there’s no way I can’t tell it’s Mako. [1]

I didn’t think he really could tell it’s me.

Because appearance, voice and even gender, everything is completely different but he can tell I’m Sakurai Makoto. It’s like a lie. Although it’s like a lie, I doubt it’s guesswork because of the many people here.

I suppose Soutarou really can tell it’s me?

“You’re wrong… Because I’m not the Mako Soutarou knows…”

It’s vexing to cry over such a thing. I turn my face away while biting my lips.

I mask my face with both hands, feeling embarrassed to have my face seen for some reason.

What did Soutarou think after seeing my face? Did he feel disappointed? Will he still like me after seeing the female me?

Soutarou seizes my wrists and brings both my hands down.

Embarrassing. It’s so embarrassing and pathetic that my whole body feels itchy.

But I’m so happy, that he can properly tell it’s me even after seeing the female me, that I may faint.

“Mako’s actually pretty small, huh.”

Squeeze, he hugs my body and rubs his cheek on top of my head.

“… Soutarou’s pretty huge. And you’re too strong.”

I did think Soutarou’s too strong in the past, but he feels all the more stronger when I’m in this body.

“Sure enough, you’re Mako. Mako, Mako, I’m so glad you’re still here.”

“Soutarou, I came from a different world, and am actually female… did you know that?”

“I thought it was strange. I felt that you’re always hiding something. But I didn’t think you were female, or that you came from a different world, it’s almost unbelievable”

Soutarou caresses my cheek. Smiling tenderly as though he found the greatest treasure in the world.

“But it’s true. You may not believe it, but I’m actually female, and I came from a world different from this. Of course I’m plenty aware this sounds eight-grader syndrome-like, and I also feel like what I say is ridiculous, but it’s all true…”

“I’m just happy that Mako’s here, the reason doesn’t matter.”

His tail is waving as he presses my hands. There are probably heart shapes flying in the background.

The things I’d been worried about are starting to feel pointless. I feel unbearable happiness from Soutarou telling me he likes me, and that alone makes me think that everything will go well.

“Mako, remember the promise?”

“Promise?”

“Didn’t you say “if you know it’s me even after the spell is broken, I’ll receive you as a bride”?”

When we started dating, I made a promise filled with hope.

That if he can tell it’s me even in my female form, I’ll receive him as a bride. They were words I told as a jest because there’s no way he can tell it’s me. Who knew it’d become reality?

Soutarou looks at me with shining eyes like a dog waiting for its feed. I stare back at Soutarou with my cold sweat pouring down.

But, but then, isn’t it fine? Soutarou’s skilled at cooking, will probably do everything including laundry and chores, is reasonably smart, good at sports, an ikemen, and most importantly, cute. Naturally he has no inadequate point as a wife, and he says he likes me. So, it’s fine. To promise to marry each other.

It’s been less than 10 days since we started dating. Something like “Let’s get married!”, that’s youth. Completely clearing away all excessive emotions and promising to marry just because you like each other, that’s surely the result of youth and momentum.

“Yeah, promise, I remember that. Sure, I’ll properly receive you as a bride. I’ll make you happy. I like you, Soutarou. I want to be by your side, always…”

Throwing away my family that should be in my original world and choosing Soutarou is difficult. However, I want both. That’s why I’ll stay in this world a little longer, and search for a way to obtain both.

How do the heroines and heroes in transported-to-another-world stories end up again? Nothing will come out of it even if I wonder about that. In the end, I can only search for the ending I think will be the happiest.

“Un! Please bring me happiness.”

”Kyun” I thought I heard my heart make that sound. What, what? Kyun, kyun, I thought they were imitative sounds someone made. However, it seems the heart will really make the sound of it tightening when it goes kyun. I didn’t know about it before, it surprised me.

Soutarou peeks at my face. Just as I think that his hand against my nape is cold, Soutarou’s lips touch mine. I pull back with a surprised expression, but Soutarou fixates my head with a jerk, not letting it escape. He rubs our noses together while kissing. Just as I think in a corner of my head that he’s like a dog, he suddenly licks my lips with his tongue. Surprised, I reflexively shove him.

Seeming to be shocked that he was shoved, Soutarou parts his face from mine and stares at me with open eyes.

I wanted to tell him “Sorry, I was just shocked”, but I suddenly feel dizzy and unconsciously drop to my knees on the spot. Violent pain runs through the joints in my body again, and I unconsciously vomit at the sensation of being forcibly stretched.

“Ma, Mako?! Could it be my, my kiss was disgusting…”

“That’s not it. Probably… again, I’m turning back…”

I check my body in a fluster as the nausea settles.

Palms, back of hands, from foot to waist, I touch my face and hair. When I look at Soutarou’s face last, he has a terribly shocked expression.

“Mako…”

“Your kiss, sure is amazing. I turned back male.”

Kisses are key points in shoujo manga, otome game, and even fairy tales.

However, I didn’t think I’d turn back male with a kiss. Isn’t it usually the opposite? The prince’s kiss turning a male back into female.

Soutarou sits down too, and hugs my body tightly. The vicinity is already cleared of people, only about 1 or 2 can be seen far away.

“I don’t care which or what kind of Mako you are. I want Mako. I want you because you’re Mako. You promised me at the shrine, in front of kami-sama, so, you must stay with me, always.”

“… Yeah. It’s in front of the toilet kami-sama though.”

“Don’t jest. Mako, Mako, I like you very much, I do…”

I won’t be able to return to the real world if I say something like that.

Proposing in front of the public toilet, laughable right? But this is suitable for a promise of the future for a BL member with the questionable position of the heroine’s older brother.

“Yeah… I like you too, Soutarou.”

“Un, un… ! Me too, I like Mako too…”

“Don’t cry over… something like this, idiot…”

Even though he’s a guy, Soutarou’s tears are spilling in large drops as he clings to me.

Even though I’m also a guy, I’m crying loudly while returning Soutarou’s hug.

Hearthrob Love Revolution, I thought it’s a simple and idiotic title but who knew I’d really get love revolutionised? I didn’t expect I’d come to think of someone so lovingly and throw tantrums about not wanting to leave this world. It was beyond prediction and absolutely beyond anticipation, but contrary to expectations I don’t feel bad about it.

In Hearthrob Love Revolution you have 365 days from April 1st to March 31st to head for the ending. It ends when you receive a confession from the character you aim for. The happily ever after.

This story also ends here, but Sakurai Mitsuki and Takayanagi Yasuchika, along with my――Sakurai Makoto and Tsubaki Soutarou’s love hasn’t ended yet. Because while this is certainly an otome game world, it’s also my true story.

After that, Soutarou and I tell everyone that we’re dating. There’s jeering and jealousy, declarations of “I’ll steal Makoto back” and the like, huge and heated discussion on who’s the seme between Soutarou and I, and talk of cohabiting when we become university students. Although there are lots of idle conversation, well, someone else’s romance isn’t all that interesting so I’ll finish up here, the end.

[1] Chapter 62!