Volume 9 - CH 26

Tsugaru Madoka’s Revealation

I’m confused by Madoka’s strange reactions.

Even though this is supposed to be a serious conversation, she seems to be hell-bent on interrupting me.

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“That girl, she likes Pi**chu.”

“Me too! I love Pi**chu!”

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See, she’s self-inserting into whatever I say about Kurusu-san.

Is she just messing with me?

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“But, it seems there’s someone she’s interested in after she reincarnated………”

“Eh? Eh? Eh?”

“Apparently, that guy is real popular and there were tons of people like his childhood friend, his best friend’s little sister, a girl at a coffee shop, his Oshi, her sister, his own sister, Stalker A, and even Stalker B that are after him. Just imagining that she’s involving herself with that dense bastard makes my heart ache……..”

“That’s Akechi-kun right! It’s obviously you!”

“Ha? I’m not that insensitive though?”

“A stupid guy wouldn’t ever admit that they are stupid right!”

“That’s rude. I don’t think there’s any boy who’s as sharp as me, you know.”

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It’s clear as day to me that Yoru is aiming for Takeru after all.

So, nope, no dense guy here.

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“Rather, wait a minute!? Since Akechi-kun died a year earlier, how come you know all those things!?”

“It’s my dream. The girl I liked in my previous life, Kurusu Yumi-san, came to me there and we talked.”

“Me!? I don’t know anything about that though!?”

“I mean, it’s not you after all, Haha.”

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Madoka’s reaction was funny so I ended up laughing.

She seemed a little panicked and it’s amusing to me.

I didn’t say my previous life’s name but it’s still pretty embarrassing to tell her the name of the person I liked………

It’s the same feeling as when your parents visited your class.

After I became Akechi Hideyori, I told my aunt not to do the classroom visit so I have never experienced something like that in this life though.

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“A, Akechi-kun!”

“Hm?”

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When I scooped up another bite of pudding, Madoka called out to me.

Well, I told her about Kurusu-san so she’s probably going to tease me about her huh? With that expectation in mind, I put the pudding to my mouth and sipped the tea.

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“In, in my previous life, my name was Kurusu Yumi.”

“Pfft……!?”

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I held in the flood of tea that almost burst out from my mouth and swallowed it down.

The tea got stuck in my throat and I started choking.

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“ Cough, Cough……”

“A, Are you okay……?”

“Y, You!? There’s something that should never be joked about, you know!?”

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Seriously, I never expected that not only Ennoia but Madoka would pretend to be Kurusu-san within the same day.

I’m not going to forgive anyone who insults my memory of Kurusu-san alright.

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“S, Sorry! Akechi-kun!”

“Come on……that’s going too far right? I’ve just decided to give up on my past and my unrequited love so my heart is pretty delicate right now. I would appreciate it if you drop the topic.”

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Since I made peace with that, I’m planning to start pursuing the romantic stuff after the game is over.

To be honest, I know that I’m not in the position to choose but if I can survive past the end of the game, I just want to flirt with a nice girl and get married!

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“Alright, let’s start our strategy meeting, shall we? So, about Takeru–”

“To, Toyotomi-kun!”

“……..My name’s Akechi Hideyori though? Can you not get that confused with Toyotomi Hideyori.”

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I jumped a little.

She just called me [Toyotomi-kun] with the same tone as Kurusu-san so my heart literally skipped a beat.

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“The boy I liked in my previous life…….his name was Toyotomi Mitsuhide.”

“Eh? Eh?”

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Toyotomi Mitsuhide?

Th, That sounds strangely familiar, isn’t it?

The name is just as terrible as Akechi Hideyori…….

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“And I’m Kurusu Yumi.”

“……Ha, Haha. Stop with the joke.”

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There’s no way right?

It’s just a coincidence. This can’t possibly be happening for real.

Kurusu-san never played [Breaking the Chain of Sadness] in the first place.

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“My ideal person is someone who’s good at kendo and magic. A strong man who could stay positive even after going through misfortune. The man who when I thought that my feelings were one-sided, he actually felt the same way toward me. Someone who carried me straight to the infirmary when I collapsed.”

“Haha….., what’s up with that specific description……..”

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A few years ago, when I talked about Madoka’s ideal man with Nodoka, she said that her sister’s taste was [A bit too virgin-ish].

At that time, I couldn’t help but get curious about what kind of person he was.

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But it was actually how Kurusu-san saw me…….?

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“Kurusu…..-san?”

“Yes! It’s been so long, Toyotomi-kun!”

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So it really wasn’t just a coincidence that I sometimes overlapped Madoka with Kurusu-san……?

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“This [Destiny]-like thing, it can actually happen……?”

“It did! Also, that [Destiny] came out of nowhere so I’m a little surprised.”

“Foreign words are NG right.”

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Even though it’s a game’s world where anything is possible, this is just too much, isn’t it…….?

This is a dream right…..?

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“……….”

“A, Akechi-kun, you’re [Overheating]…..”

“……..that [Overheating] came out of nowhere though.”

“Fufu, foreign words are NG after all.”

“…………”

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Seeing her expression, my mind just wanders off. So Madoka can make this kind of face too.

Somebody explains this situation to me……..

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“……….”

“Ah, your soul is leaving your body…….”

“………..”

“Ah! It’s so cute when you blush like that!”

“…….!? Nn…….., sorry, I don’t know what to say right now…….”

“It’s okay, I understand………..It took me some time to process this too.”

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It’s the attitude of someone with actual experience huh?

Thinking back on how the Dark Side Madoka seemed to disappear and her attitude completely changed after I collapsed from Mishima Haruka’s [Energy Drain].

It was exactly when I had a dream of Kurusu-san.

And Madoka came to visit me that day.

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She probably heard me calling out to Kurusu-san in my sleep.

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“So….., Kurusu-san had been treating me like trash this whole time……..?”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t know but I’m really sorry!!!!”

“I told you, I wasn’t angry!”

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I couldn’t help but tease her a bit……

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“M, My bad, Madoka……let me clear my head first. We can take our time and talk after that.”

“Yeah. I will wait. I’ve been waiting for this moment after all. So let’s talk a lot after this okay.”

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Madoka buried her face into my chest and started crying.

As I thought, the feel, the voice, the atmosphere, even her smell is nothing like Kurusu-san.

There’s no way I would notice right……..

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Noticing alone is already a miracle but an even bigger miracle is how she’s been at my side all along……

I don’t know why but my eyes are also brimming with tears.

This reunion doesn’t feel real to me yet but I began stroking her hair.

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She might not have Kurusu-san’s body but that’s definitely her soul inside.

Knowing that she went through the same thing as me, I strongly hug the girl in my arms.

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Author Note:

“My ideal person is someone who’s good at kendo and magic. A strong man who could stay positive even after going through misfortune. The man who when I thought that my feelings were one-sided, he actually felt the same way toward me. Someone who carried me straight to the infirmary when I collapsed.”

First came up in V5C1

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Nodoka commented on that in V6C4

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Next up, Failure.