Chapter 29 - The Mob Heroine’s Epilogue
The moment Mogami Fuko's romantic comedy began... was also the moment Mogami Fuko, the "mob heroine," met her epilogue. And even though my part in it was small, I felt proud that I could help her in some way.
...Well, that said, it's not like I actually did all that much.
(I mean, all I really did was give her a bit of advice, right?)
"If you're not that confident in your body, try exercising."
"If you want to change your image, how about a hair cut?"
"Why don’t you try wearing your uniform in a slightly bolder way?"
Those three suggestions were pretty much all I ever gave her.
It wasn't an achievement significant enough to say 'I produced a plain girl and turned her into a beauty.' It would also be strange to say that I 'polished a diamond in the rough' or ‘nurtured her into completion with my own hands.’
Why? Because she evolved through her own strength.
If anyone had expected more from me, I’m sorry to disappoint. If I’d been a stylist, a fashion designer, or a fitness trainer, maybe I could have led her transformation myself. But before my reincarnation, I was just a regular salaryman working at an exploitative black company. There's only so much I can do.
My only real advantage was knowing that this world was a romantic comedy manga. I tried to use that knowledge to help her as best I could. I did everything within my power, but even then, there were still many things I couldn’t do.
So, no, I didn't really do all that much.
In other words, this moment was something Mogami Fuko had earned entirely through her own effort.
“U-um…”
“…It really is you, Mogami, right?”
At the classroom entrance stood Sanada and Mogami-san, face-to-face.
Behind them, further inside the room, I could see the figures of the main heroines. The same ones who were always fighting over Sanada. They must have sensed the arrival of a new rival. Their eyes were glued to Sanada and Mogami-san, just staring intently.
It was a perfect scene. The air was filled with anticipation, as if something new was about to begin.
And it wasn't just the heroines. The other students had also stopped eating their lunches, their gazes completely focused on Mogami-san.
To them, it must have felt like a beautiful transfer student had suddenly appeared.
And that made sense, after all, summer break had just ended, and now this pure, stacked, black-haired beauty with a refined aura had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. There was no way anyone could look away.
Well… even if technically all of them weren’t actually meeting her for the first time. Still, Mogami-san was the type of girl no one even noticed before, so it's possible they don't even realize this was her 'summer debut.'
But Sanada was different.
He was the one person who had that small interaction with Mogami-san before. And that was exactly why he noticed her transformation.
That was what made him special. When it came to heroine-related events, Sanada’s instincts were unmatched. Maybe his “romcom protagonist radar” had sensed Mogami’s hidden potential from the very start.
…Having seen this much, I could finally relax.
(Take care, Mogami-san.)
I whispered that in my heart, then took a step back. Slowly, I began to retreat, trying to fade out so I wouldn't add noise to their story.
At that moment, everyone's attention was focused on Mogami-san. My own presence was completely nonexistent. And Mogami-san... she, too, was surely captivated by Sanada, the guy she'd admired for so long. If I just disappeared now, without a word, no one would even find it strange.
It was the perfect exit for me. A fitting epilogue... for a side character who was even less than a mob heroine.
An ending like this... wasn’t so bad, I guess.
Now then, what should I do from here on out?
Ever since I remembered my past life, I haven't really been living as Sato Satoru. Perhaps I should just live normally from now on as my current self.
Sato Satoru, I’m sorry for borrowing your life for a little while.
From now on, I'll just... forget about my past life. I'll just live as if that other world never existed. Eventually, even the personality from before reincarnation would fade away. And I don't think that's a shame. If anything, a 'meta' existence like mine is better off gone.
So then, Mogami-san,
This is goodbye—
“Um, Sato-kun?”
—Isn't this goodbye?
I know, I just had that super long, self-important inner monologue, so this is really embarrassing... but I was just about to leave when she called out to me, so I stopped.
What are you doing, Mogami-san? What you're supposed to be doing right now is having your event with Sanada!
"Huh? What is it?"
"Um... could we... go outside?"
"Hm? Why?"
"J-Just come with me!"
Hey… Mogami-san.
You...
Don't tell me... you have no intention of letting me make my exit, do you?
Even after being acknowledged by Sanada, she was acting the same as always.
And she was even ignoring his intense gaze, and for some reason, she was looking only at me—.
