Shimotsuki-san Likes the Mob

To begin with.

Ryoma Ryuzaki… your setbacks aren’t really that big of a deal, you know?

Because only twice have you failed to have a meaningful relationship with the person you love.

And you were only dumped with very little accumulated with the two of them.

Shiho and you were childhood friends, but you ended up acting all self-important, and you couldn’t give Shiho anything. What you accumulated there is nothing but a flimsy fake.

Mary had not been with us for three months. Moreover, she moved around quite a bit on her own, so it wasn’t as if they spent all hours of the day together.

Whether I can call Ryuzaki’s feelings “love” or not is also looking doubtful to me.

No, I understand the logic that love is not about time. Even if it’s only for a few days, the feelings you accumulate can become stronger.

However, what I can say for sure is that such a thing is impossible for Ryuzaki.

He has always been a person who has been loved by girls opportunistically, without having to do anything. He lacks the ability to love people.

So I am sure that his feelings for Shiho and Mary are not as strong as they could be.

At least, they are not as strong as the love I have for Shiho.

That is why I cannot understand Ryuzaki’s feelings.

It’s impossible for him to be so depressed over something like this that he becomes despondent and makes excuses for it.

It’s too fragile.

Too, too fragile.

The flimsyness of the protagonist, formed by opportunism, was unpleasant.

After all, he is a child who can’t do anything without a girl to protect him.

He is loved unconditionally, and when he is in trouble, he is allowed to cry and be pampered… He has lived such a life that when he hits a wall, all he can do is sit down in front of it and raise both hands. Forever, he will be waiting for someone to hold him and carry him to the top of the wall.

There are no words to say to such a person.

“…Yes, that’s right. I don’t like Ryuzaki, so I don’t want anything to do with you.”

“That’s a good feeling. I don’t like Nakayama either. I never want to see that face again.”

Oh, I’m sure you don’t.

You must hate me too.

For Ryuzaki, who had only ever won thanks to opportunism, defeat must have been more humiliating than anything else.

And unlike Ryuzaki, I am someone who has overcome setbacks.

I think I’ve really grown up, if I do say so myself. It was partly thanks to Shiho, but when asked if she spoiled me from one to ten, she shook her head that she did not.

To begin with, I had already settled down in terms of my feelings before I met Shiho.

At that time, I was very shocked to be cut off from the three people I cared about all at once, but after about two months … I was able to face the reality of my setback. With Shiho’s help, I managed to overcome that wall as well.

I’m not sure if this is much of a comparison.

My accumulation of time, even for Kirari, the shortest one, was nearly three years. Azusa has been with me for four years, and my childhood friend Yuzuki has been with me for 15 years.

There was a long, long accumulation of memories.

Perhaps each piece of memory may be a flimsy memory. But if they are accumulated over the years, they will eventually bundle up and become deep memories.

I lost all of them, accepted the reality, and overcame the pain.

Of course, Shiho was a benefactor who gave me many opportunities. But it’s not like I didn’t work hard either. Thanks to her, I became stronger.

During the overnight learning program, I voluntarily went up on stage and blocked Ryuzaki’s confession.

At the school festival, I was able to inspire Kirari against Mary’s will and expose her weaknesses through a narrative in which Shiho intentionally stayed out of.

I am no longer a person who can do nothing. I may be a former mob character, but I don’t see myself as just another mob character now.

I think I’ve become strong enough to handle anything that comes my way.

On the other hand, Ryuzaki had gone through a setback and was unable to do anything about it.

His too fragile heart would probably shatter before he could endure the oppression.

If that’s the case,… it’s useless to say anything else.

(Azusa, Kirari, Yuzuki…… sorry, but I still can’t do anything for you guys.)

I apologize to the three of you in my heart.

That’s about all I can do.

In fact, I think you should inspire Ryuzaki more.

If they could do something like giving a lecture, making Ryuzaki angry, or motivating him, they would be able to push him more.

However, the current Ryuzaki would not even let them push him.

He just lies on the ground, looks up at the wall, and starts sleeping there lazily.

There is nothing such a person can do, after all.

“It’s so trivial. Don’t talk to me like that.”

I didn’t want to see his face anymore, so I spat out those words and left.

“Thank you. Don’t ever bully me again, okay? Please, Protagonist-sama, go ahead and do your own romantic comedy on your own.”

Ryuzaki didn’t even get angry at my words.

In the end, he will just keep smiling sneeringly until the end.

The harem protagonist who has fallen to the ground can no longer fly. With a person like him, the “opportunists” who had been watching over him would probably run out of love for him.

Since then, Ryuzaki has lost his qualification as a … protagonist, and began to unfold a messy romantic comedy.