Chapter 27 - One Last Memory With Mob Heroine-chan
At this point, being late was already certain. No matter how much we hurried, it wouldn’t make a real difference. So instead, we decided to take our time and walk leisurely toward school.
It was around eleven in the morning. Since it took about thirty minutes to get to school, we’d probably arrive just before lunchtime.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd oversleep on the first day of school..."
Well, that's the problem, isn't it? You overslept because you were 'dreaming.' ...But, that's a stupid pun, so I'll just keep my mouth shut.
The route to school, which was usually bustling with students, was almost completely empty. The only other person I could see was an old man walking his dog way off in the distance. It was a nice, peaceful time of day.
Walking down that gentle, sunlit street with Mogami-san beside me… it felt like the perfect scene for our last memory together.
“Did you forget to set your alarm or something?”
"No. Actually, I stayed up all night. I was too nervous to sleep, so I was reading. You know, you gave me some advice the other day, Sato-kun, remember?"
“…Yeah, I remember.”
We had talked about that once. It seemed she had actually taken to heart something I’d only half-jokingly said.
“And then, when morning came, I suddenly felt like cooking… so I made a bento.”
"A bento, huh? That's impressive. You can cook, Mogami-san?"
"Yeah. Of course, I think I'm about as good as the average person, but..."
"That's still great. A girl who can cook... that's pretty much the ideal, you know."
“The ideal…? Ehehe.”
She smiled shyly, clearly pleased by the compliment.
(So she has a domestic side too, huh? She’s really stepping into heroine territory now.)
Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but be impressed. I couldn't believe she also had the cooking trait. If that wasn't perfect, what was?
When it comes to heroines, they tend to fall into one of two types: the ones who are great cooks, or the ones who are terrible at it. Mogami-san clearly belonged to the former. Sanada would definitely be happy about that.
…Wait a minute. If she made a bento, that doesn't necessarily mean it's only for herself, does it?
"By the way, you didn’t make only one, did you?"
“…You’re sharp, as always, Sato-kun.”
"I knew it."
My guess was right. In other words, she'd made more than one.
“Did you put a lot of effort into it?”
“I did. It turned out better than I expected. I’m actually kind of proud of it.”
“That’s great. I’m glad to hear it.”
“...Yeah!”
Mogami-san nodded, full of energy. It was a bright, happy smile... the kind I'd never seen from her before summer vacation.
It was a very beautiful expression. To be the reason she smiled like that... Sanada sure is one lucky guy. I couldn't believe she was already at the 'making a bento for Sanada' stage...
(Yeah… she’s definitely bloomed fully now.)
This clearly wasn't the behavior of a mob heroine. Her actions now were absolutely those of a main heroine. At this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if she immediately jumped to the top of the "heroine race."
“So yeah, between cooking and reading until morning, I figured I’d just stay awake and go to school… but I laid down for just a second, and before I knew it, I fell asleep.”
“And that’s why you were late, huh?”
“…Were you worried about me?”
“Of course. You should check your phone later. You'll get to read a really passionate message from me."
“Really!? I-I’m curious, maybe I’ll check it now—wait, this is it? Just one line!? The phrase 'Are you okay?' isn't passionate at all, you know? Besides, your messages are always so formal and businesslike, Sato-kun!”
“Uh… s-sorry.”
For some reason, I was the one getting scolded. I'm still not used to texting with kids my age. Before I was reincarnated, I only ever sent business emails, so I'm a pro at stiff, formal writing.
Well, setting that aside, Mogami-san really had become such a bright, expressive person.
Ever since she cut her hair during the summer break, she’d started showing her feelings more openly. And seeing her change in such a positive direction honestly made me happy.
Even though we were just walking together, it felt so comfortable and fun. Maybe because of that... before I knew it, we'd arrived at school.
"Hey, Sato-kun, what are you supposed to do when you're late...? I’ve never been late before…”
"You should probably just go to the faculty office, right? If your homeroom teacher is in, it's better to let them know first."
"I wonder if they'll be there... Uuu, the faculty office is just... kind of intimidating."
“Don’t worry, I’ll go with you. I’ll walk you all the way to your classroom.”
"You will!? Thank you! I feel so much more at ease when you're next to me, Sato-kun."
Well, this was, after all, going to be the last memory between us. From now on, Sanada would be the one taking over my role.
Finally…
The moment of the mob heroine's 'graduation' from being a background character had arrived.
