CH 262

Hugging you, little one, reminds me of the past.

It was when Azusa still pictured me as her “ideal older brother”.

She always attached herself to me whenever she found me.

She would say, “Onii-chan, pet me!”

I was surprised when we first met.

At the time, she and I were in the first year of middle school.

She was a little too grown up to be a child.

And yet Azusa was so young, as if time had stopped in the middle of elementary school.

The same is true of her body and appearance, … but above all, her personality was that of a child.

“Azusa-ne, I love you clinging to Onii-chan.”

It might be pleasant to describe her as friendly and adorable.

However, it is synonymous with abandonment of growing up, and you can understand how much the death of her own brother had an impact on Azusa.

Azusa stopped growing up when she was in elementary school. Of course, this is not a physical matter, but a mental one.

She continued to stay young so that her brother, who was no longer with her, could find her.

But now it is different.

After her heartbreak with Ryuzaki, her time has begun to move forward again.

Azusa Nakayama has stopped being a little girl.

She is still not even appropriate for her age, but one day she will grow up and change into a mature woman.

In the process, Azusa has come to keep a moderate distance from me.

Thanks to that, we rarely had skinship like this,… but the existence of “Ryoma Ryuzaki” is very big for this girl.

“But I don’t know if I can get him to like … Azusa… I’m not very sure, and I’m scared.”

Azusa was letting out a weak voice while burying her face in my chest.

Such an image overlapped with that of Yuzuki.

(–Again, you’re just going to give up and say you can’t do anything?)

I stopped trying to save my childhood friend, and now all I can do is abandon even my family?

Am I going to be a bystander again this time, excusing myself as a mob character?

“Ryoma-san, he likes Yuzuki Onee-chan, doesn’t he? If that’s the case, would it be okay for Azusa to do her best at a time like this?”

Even though she is prepared to do so, she is still unsure about her actions.

Azusa probably senses that her path ahead is crumbling.

(Surely … Azusa’s words can reach Ryuzaki now?)

According to Mary-san, he is in a very unstable state after being rejected by Yuzuki.

If so, there is a possibility that whatever Azusa says is meaningless.

(For example, if Ryuzaki is stubborn towards Yuzuki, then…)

Even if she rejects him, he won’t give up.

He will make an effort until she likes him.

Become the guy that Yuzuki likes.

It is totally his duty to make Yuzuki happy.

If I had such determination, Azusa’s goodwill would be trampled once again.

I don’t want her to be unhappy any more.

Then, what should I do?

(What I can do for you…)

There is only one answer.

（Leave it to Ryoma Ryuzaki.)

I want the girls I cared about to be happy.

I can’t do it, but he can.

Because Ryuzaki is the protagonist.

And yet, he never seems to make up his mind to do so.

Without fulfilling his duty as a protagonist, he is always lost.

Normally, I could only hold a grudge against him.

Because I am a mob character. There was only so much I could do.

But if I gave up forever because I was a “mob character”, I would never get the results I wanted.

Then, I’m done making excuses.

(–I will change Ryoma Ryuzaki …!)

Don’t put yourself in the role of a character … It’s time to show my intent to do so.

And I thought it was now…