Chapter 6 - She Won’t Let Anyone Call Her a "Mob Heroine"
After Sanada ignored her, I brought Mobuko-chan, who was still dazed, into the library for the time being.
If there was anywhere she could find peace, it would be here.
Ever since smartphones became widespread, people had been reading fewer and fewer books, and as a result, the library was almost always empty. Probably for that same reason, the librarian just stays in the staff room, so no one would mind if we talked a little here.
Though, at the moment, she wasn’t really in any condition to talk.
(…This happened because I pushed her into it.)
Of course, I felt responsible. And I was crushed by the guilt of having done something so terrible to her.
If I hadn't goaded her on, Mobuko-chan would surely be living her usual, peaceful life right now. But no, I had to sweet-talk her, get her all fired up... and as a result, I just ended up getting her deeply hurt.
(Just apologizing and trying to comfort her... that's not gonna cut it.)
It didn’t seem like a situation where some easy words of sympathy would make things better. Or... actually, maybe it would. That is, if I was only thinking about myself, which means the smart move would be to feed her some sweet words, patch up her feelings, and make sure she didn't hate me. You know, that classic "vulture" move where the guy swoops in to "comfort" a girl right after she gets rejected.
But… I didn’t want Mobuko-chan to fall for me. If anything, I wanted her to be happy, even if that meant she’d end up hating me.
So I was searching for the right words, the words she needed to hear.
“…Ahaha. I tried my best, but it didn’t work out, huh?”
I must have been silent for too long, because Mobuko-chan was the one to break the silence with a dry, brittle laugh. Even in a state like this, she was still trying to be considerate of me.
This girl is just... so incredibly kind. She's such a wonderful person that I was this close to just caving, coddling her, and telling her everything was going to be okay.
But that's exactly why I... I wanted to see her have a happy ending. And to make that happen... I guess I have to steel my own resolve, too.
“No. It’s not that it didn’t work out.”
"No... but he ignored me, didn’t he? My voice... he must have heard my voice... but... he just... didn't even pause. He just... let it pass him by... and... and just ignored me."
"Well, you might see it that way, Mogami-san. But I don't."
I was contradicting her on purpose. Because I don't, for one second, think this was a "failure."
After all, this outcome... while it was something I couldn't have predicted... it wasn't exactly surprising, either.
"You're just not at the level where Sanada would stop for you, or atleast, not yet."
“…!”
At my words, Mobuko-chan caught her breath. I couldn’t see her eyes behind her bangs, but her trembling lips said enough.
That single sentence must have hurt her even more. But I couldn’t soften my tone now.
Just like she steeled her resolve to face Sanada... I've also steeled my resolve. Even if it means she'll end up hating me.
"That's why the thing to focus on isn't Sanada's reaction. It's your action."
"My... action?"
"You've always just watched from the sidelines. But today, you actually spoke to him. That's a huge step forward, at least, in my book."
It was without a doubt, a real change. If she were just going to stay as a mob heroine, she never would have even had the courage to try. In other words, she was starting to break out of her shell.
And I couldn’t let that fire of determination go out. So instead of dousing it with cold water, I've got to fuel it even more. That's how I'm going to change her fate as a 'mob'.
That, I believed, was the whole reason why I had been reincarnated into this world.
“Still, the fact that Sanada ignored you remains. That’s your current situation, Mogami-san. You could say you’re not even at the point where you can properly thank him yet.”
"...Yeah. I guess... that's just about all I'm worth."
"And hearing you say that... just makes me think one thing: It's still not enough."
Taking that first step was a huge deal. But that one step... is still way too small. She hasn't come nearly far enough to see a real result. If that's the case, then there's only one thing to do: keep moving forward.
"As long as you're stuck in that 'someone like me' mindset... you'll always be... just a spectator, stuck watching Sanada from the sidelines."
"B-But! I... I don't have any of the charm the other girls have..."
“People’s charm isn’t something you can judge by yourself. It’s subjective, meaning, it depends on others. And yet, you, Mogami-san, have already written yourself off as worthless. But... if you'd just had a little more faith in yourself... I'll bet you could have called out to him with so much confidence that he couldn't have just ignored you and walked away."
Mobuko-chan... has no charm? That is just impossible.
No one knew her charm better than I did. But she's never had any confidence. She's so modest that she's always the one to hold herself back.
That self-denial was what kept her standing so low. Her tendency to be so reserved is not a bad quality, not at all. But because of it, she's constantly letting her chances slip right through her fingers.
And that's exactly why I have to fan these flames even more.
“Are you really okay staying like this forever?”
“…!”
“Are you okay ending your story as just a ‘mob heroine,’ Mogami-san?”
I don't care if she hates me for this. I just... I need her to change. I need her to break free from this 'mob' destiny. And that wish... that desperate, selfish wish of mine... it seemed to have finally gotten through.
“Don’t call me a mob heroine.”
She said it clearly and with conviction. Those were the words I’d been waiting for.
"I want to change... I want to change myself. Sato-kun... do you think I can? Do you think I can really... change this... this mob-like life?"
“Of course you can. If that’s what you truly want.”
"But... I... I don't have the confidence to do it by myself."
"You can count on me. I'm not so heartless that I'd just abandon you now."
If anything, I want her to let me help. Because... helping her change... I think that's the whole reason why I even exist in this world.
(…Guess it’s time to stop calling her ‘Mobuko-chan.’)
That was what I had always called her in my mind. But from now on, I’d stop.
Because she herself has decided she will no longer accept being the ‘Mob Heroine.'
