The Case When Strange Things Started To Happen When I Reincarnated As A Guy Whose Life Ends After As

Chapter 57: Trapped

Summer vacation… It’s so long! Unbelievably long!

But I don’t think it’s a bad thing since I can be with Shirayuki and Hisui. I think it’s truly a luxurious worry.

In the first place, I’ve never had a summer vacation surrounded by such happiness before, so maybe that’s why I feel this way—my mind and body are not accustomed to it.

“Hum hum hum~♪”

However, summer vacation will be over in two more weeks.

During the Bon Festival period, we rarely go outside and spend all our time together. It was a time when we could share a lot of things with each other.

It’s evident that Shirayuki and Hisui always want to be with me, and always want to spend the same time together. As for me, I found myself grinning too much every day to the point where my cheeks hurt.

“Now then, should I go take a look at some books?”

Well, today I was out alone.

It’s not that I needed a change of pace, but I missed having some time alone once in a while.

They’re not by my side, I can’t feel their touch… That is certainly lonely, but I can still see this kind of time as not so bad, humming to myself and feeling somewhat good.

“…?”

At that moment, I saw my reflection in the glass of the building.

Shirayuki and Hisui have mentioned it, and I’ve also noticed it myself recently, but my facial features have truly changed.

It’s a good thing that my body, which used to be too fat, has become smaller, and it’s not bad that the chubby flesh on my cheeks has disappeared… But I never thought it would change this much.

“I wonder if Arashi would look like me when he loses weight.”

While retaining some resemblance to Arashi, I feel a sense of discomfort, perhaps because I know my original face. But at the same time, it also surprised me.

“Hmm…”

During this summer vacation, my body has undergone more changes than I expected.

Well, my weight is still heavy, and I still have some fat, but compared to my former self, it has changed drastically.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that if all this effort turned out to be a lie and I found myself back in my original world, I would be more than just sad… However, I had a strange sense of relief that maybe it won’t happen like that.

“But I’ve also gained quite a bit of muscle.”

Yes, my body is still flexible.

But the influence of going to the gym regularly and doing strength training every day at home has resulted in considerable muscle gain.

I’m not saying I want six-pack abs or anything, but I would like to have a physique that others would envy when they see me.

“It’s perfectly fine the way you are now…”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s soft and comfortable.”

Shirayuki and Hisui say those words to spoil me.

They tell me that it’s okay to stay the way I am and that I don’t need to force myself to change, but when it comes to this, I can’t help but be a bit spoiled.

Moreover, gaining muscle also improves my stamina, so it’s killing two birds with one stone.

Arashi’s body surprisingly had talent in that area, and I never lost to Shirayuki and Hisui during their intimate moments… But recently, I’ve been losing to them more often, so I really have to work hard.

“Haha, I’m really looking forward to the end of summer vacation.”

I can’t help but feel excited about how my classmates, including the teachers, and people who know me at school will react. 

I’ve been seen by Shirayuki’s friends quite often, so their reactions might not be very surprising, though.

“…Well, it’s still hot. Let’s quickly go to the bookstore.”

To escape from the scorching summer sun, I headed towards the bookstore.

Naturally, there are many differences between manga from my past life and the ones in this world, and it’s filled with things I’ve never seen before.

I’ve been given money to buy whatever I want, but personally, I think it’s just right to spend it on things like this.

(Although I know I shouldn’t read without buying, that’s just how bookstores are, right?)

However, reading manga like this feels strange.

It exists in games, anime, and manga… and here I am, reading manga in such a world.

The one I’m reading now is a romantic comedy manga, and I have to admit that the heroines depicted in it are cute. But, I still can’t compete with Shirayuki and Hisui… Yeah, that’s for sure.

(This is bad… While my previous self wasn’t a hardcore otaku, I had favorite characters in many manga and anime. But in this world, my mind is filled only with Shirayuki and Hisui.)

I chuckled at myself, realizing how it turned out, and in the end, I didn’t buy any manga.

I continued walking aimlessly through the town and eventually entered a department store, tired of the heat.

Then, as if it was planned, I ran into someone.

Walking towards me from the direction of my gaze was my mother. 

She seemed to be alone today, as there was no one else around, and I thought she wouldn’t react to me standing in front of her… But she unexpectedly opened her mouth.

“Arashi…? Are you Arashi, by any chance?”

“…”

I didn’t react to her words, but it seemed that she understood it was indeed Arashi by actually saying my name.

We hadn’t met to the extent that I would become unrecognizable due to weight loss, but as I had thought before, it was a very shallow family bond to not recognize each other like this.

I had nothing to say, so I tried to move away, but my mother grabbed my shoulder.

“Wait a minute. What’s going on with you? How did you manage to get into the Hououin family? What have you done?”

“Do we really need to discuss that?”

“What? What kind of response is that? Answer only the questions you’re asked, you brat.”

…It’s not like I feel sorry for my father or anything like that.

Still, I can’t help but wonder why he keeps someone like her by his side… Well, the previous Arashi probably couldn’t say anything and would just be terrified, but it’s different for me.

From my current perspective, she’s just someone who doesn’t matter anymore, and there’s no bond between us that I feel towards my mother either.

“Then let me say this. There’s nothing to answer—I’ve already severed any familial feelings, so there’s no need to be concerned, right?”

“…You… How dare you speak so insolently. He doesn’t talk about the details, but if you play your cards right, we could…”

“In the end, it’s about money, isn’t it?”

Well, I expected something like this to happen.

She’s probably aiming for the wealth that the Hououin family possesses… but I didn’t expect her to express their desires so blatantly.

I share my thoughts and feelings with Shirayuki and Hisui, and I also hold a position where I share their assets. I can understand why others might feel envious— that’s the allure of money, after all.

“Sorry, but I have no intention of being involved with the Gundo family… or any of you. Instead of wasting time on such things, I prioritize the time I spend with the important people who are by my side.”

“What…? What do you think of your mother?”

“And what do you think of your son?”

Oops, I ended up raising my voice, so I regret it.

My mother seemed stunned, probably not expecting me to respond so strongly. But gradually, anger began to accumulate in her eyes.

(…What a turn-off.)

I was genuinely enjoying myself until just now, but this encounter quickly extinguished that. 

My mother seemed like she still wanted to say something, but perhaps due to the attention from people around us, she didn’t say anything more. 

I turned my back to her gaze, filled with frustration, and started walking.

“You won’t get anything from us… Serves you right.”

I haven’t become a complete stranger, but is it cold of me to still think about my former family like this…? No, I’ll convince myself that I’m not being cold-hearted.

With a chilled head, even though it’s supposed to be summer, I walked home and Shirayuki appeared as soon as I returned to the mansion.

“Shirayuki?”

Just as if she knew I was coming back, as soon as I opened the door, Shirayuki was right there.

Trying to forget the memories from earlier, I reached out my hand to Shirayuki.

Shirayuki didn’t say anything in particular and accepted my hand, wrapping her arm around my back.

“…As expected, there’s no one else for me but Shirayuki and Hisui.”

“Oh my, that’s delightful to hear.”

This is all surely the result brought about by them.

But still… this is enough, being trapped like this.