Chapter 43: TS Reincarnated Person's Special Actions (with Mystery Correction)

TS Reincarnated Person's Special Actions (with Mystery Correction)

With Miho's encouragement (or as she calls it, kicking me), I decided who I would choose.

To be honest, I had intended to go for Satoshi-kun, as she'd told me to, without even consulting her. Because my goal from the beginning was to degrade something of the highest value. If I were to compromise just because something seems difficult, I'd never know what the point of my reincarnation was.

By the way, if I had consulted Mama, I'm sure she would have told me to settle for something reasonable.

Because for her, objectively speaking, the story is about choosing between Tomohiro-kun and Satoshi-kun. Tomohiro-kun, who she'd treated like family since he was a baby, and Satoshi-kun, whom she'd never even met properly.

It wouldn't take any specific choice for normal parents to decide which one they would recommend. That's why I needed to consult Miho-san. ...Well, Tomohiro-kun wasn't even an option in my mind to begin with.

I was thinking about how I could win over Satoshi-kun, thinking about how Tomohiro-kun would probably burst into tears if he heard that, saying I'd never even considered him from the start.

Well, it's all Hiro-chan's fault. Hikari said she'd go with someone else if he wasn't going to do it.

I make excuses in my head for Tomohiro-kun, who is supposedly working hard to improve himself so he will worthy of me.

Well, there's no need for excuses like that.

After all, what I want from Tomohiro-kun is for him to diminish my value. And what I want from Satoshi-kun is for him to fall in love with me while shining brightly.

Since my targets for them are different, I haven't done anything strange or contradictory.

...Objectively speaking, that's a no-go. Hikari, reflect on your actions!

Hikari was startled and burst into tears after being suddenly yelled at loudly. I didn't yell at her out loud, so objectively speaking, I look like a girl who flinched and burst into tears for no apparent reason.

Cute.

Cute, but definitely a pain in the ass.

Leaving aside the idea of ​​a troublesome woman who suddenly bursts into tears, let's focus on Satoshi-kun.

His only distinctive features are that he greets me weirdly, he's incredibly smart, and he wears glasses.  

That's a pretty terrible perception of the few friends you have. That's why you have so few, Hikari!

...She's overwhelmed by my sudden, sensible words, and tears well up in her eyes. They've been flowing for a while now, so it's practically unaffected. It's hard to see what's going on around me.

Even if I can't see what's going on around me, I have to think about Satoshi-kun. I do wonder what's so sad about having to fill my head with a guy, but the quickest way to get to the roots of Satoshi-kun life without him becoming wary is to have a special relationship with him.

That means a romantic relationship, with an eye toward the future!

And if that happens, I don't want Satoshi-kun to go after another girl, so I have to satisfy him with me. I have to satisfy his needs so much that he's satisfied with just me.

That means manipulating and reshaping my behavior to suit his preferences. I'll become a beautiful girl colored by him.

Tomohiro-kun's brain looks like it's about to explode, LOL.

To do that, I needed to analyze Satoshi-kun's preferences, and the first step was...

"...Mashiro, if there's something you need, please say it. I'm not you, so I can't read your intentions from your gaze alone and have a conversation."

....Observing Satoshi-kun.

If you know him and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles.

I already know myself more than enough, so all I have to do is get to know Satoshi-kun. And if you want to know someone, the best way is to observe them.

...I'm not saying this is a stupid idea.

Of course, there is some intention behind it, but if you think about it, with a few exceptions, people will naturally be put off if their every move is suddenly observed. Simply put, they'll be put off. If they're put off, it would be counterproductive, so simply observing them isn't a very wise strategy.

If I'm thinking that far, why am I doing it now? 

Of course, this isn't because I want to see my beloved Satoshi-kun's face.... or some other pink-brained reason, but because I want to understand his feelings toward me.

I said earlier that he would be put off and avoid me, but that's only in most cases.

If someone you like is watching you with great interest, like I am to Satoshi-kun, it's not a feeling of avoidance but embarrassment.

If you're happy even when you're being stalked, love really is blind. It's terrifying.

"...I'm sure you'll understand, Satoshi-kun. I'll give you three chances, so try to guess what I'm thinking."

What's most terrifying is that from now on, I'll have to act like such a blind person to Satoshi-kun.

I'm so embarrassed I feel like I'm going to burst a fit.

What the hell, try to guess? I'm not that kind of perso–.... Yeah, That's the kind of person I was. 

I was the type of person who would tease Satoshi-kun, tease him, and then smile. Saying it like that makes me sound really mean. But it's not entirely wrong. 

"...Mashiro has made the effort to come to another classroom, so there must be some reason. And since she's doing this despite there being a reason, it's not an emergency. So the safest bet is that she's here to invite me for something? In that case, what you're thinking now is, 'When will you realize that?'"

So, Satoshi-kun answers, organizing his thoughts and explaining the reasons that lead him to that conclusion.

This isn't like Satoshi-kun normally leaking his thoughts to those around him, but rather a strategy to get partial credit even if the answer itself is wrong. Since getting a perfect score on a question that requires you to consider the other person's feelings is nearly impossible, it's a petty tactic to gain some points by emphasizing the validity of his answer.

I like it.

"That smile means something in that answer is wrong. But it's not the kind of smile you use when I'm off the mark. In that case, think about the times when Mashiro being annoying, and say, 'You should at least understand what I'm trying to say right away, you idiot!' or something?"

...It's frustrating that his thought patterns aren't entirely wrong. But I see, even in Satoshi-kun eyes, I can be annoying sometimes.

Well, even when I think about it from a third-person perspective, Hikari is definitely annoying. 

Objectively speaking, there's no way I'm not annoying, and pain in the ass. Especially when I burst out crying for no apparent reason.

Hikari is such a pain. ...Ahh, I'm sorry, please don't cry! I'm not lying, Hikari is a pain, but I still love you like that!

Satoshi-kun, who started to look a little flustered and worried when he saw me start crying right after he'd treated me like a pain, comforted me.

I like the people around me because they are so kind to me even when I suddenly burst into tears like this. I'm such a beautiful girl, so when I start crying, people can't help but want to comfort me.

I also shake my rattle to soothe Mama when she cries. 

I think about it and smile when I imagine Mama stopping crying with a rattle.

If Hikari-chan could see her beautiful, half-crying Mama, like a baby who stops crying with a rattle, it's sure to make her smile.

In fact, Mama would probably want me to soothe her. She wanted to be pampered, because she wasn't able to be spoiled as a baby. She wants to be praised just for sleeping.

"What was that just now... So I guess that's not it, but maybe something like, 'I'm glad Satoshi-kun seems to be doing well'?"

Satosh-kun looked bewildered by my emotionally unstable, suddenly bursting into tears.

Incidentally, he'd come up with a third answer, but now I was troubled. Because, after watching Satoshi-kun without any particular thought other than,"I wonder if Satoshi-kun will be happy even with this," I now had to come up with some plausible reason.

If I told him exactly what I was thinking, my strategy to win him over would stumble from the very start.

Why did I speak so thoughtlessly? No need to think about that, just groan, pink brain cells!

"The correct answer is, 'There's an event I think you'd like, Satoshi-kun. Want to go with me?' You were right about there being some reason, something you had to do, so the first one was a shame."

36 points, check the bulletin board in the hallway. Even though I just blurted it out, it sounds like something he'd actually agree with.

My talent for figuring things out on the fly is frightening.

...That's why you never learn. Reflect on your actions!

When I suddenly invited him out, Satoshi-kun listened to me and made sure it was really an event he was interested in.

I won't say who, but if it was someone I know, he'd probably prioritize whether he could go out with me over whether he was interested, but Satoshi-kun isn't that type. He's very consistent in his guidelines. It's a bit of a hassle that he has to carefully think through even a single invitation.

You could say Tomohiro-kun is too easy.

Not one to be so easy, Satoshi-kun did a little research on the event I mentioned, said it sounded interesting, and accepted the invitation.

I hadn't intended to do it that way in the first place, but before I knew it, the outing(date) had taken place. I don't know what happened, so surely no one else does. 

And yet, this is school, not my classroom, but Satoshi-kun's.

Right now, I've come to hang out in another class for no apparent reason, chatting with a strict, bespectacled guy with no friends, and making a date, becoming the class's Madonna.

Oh no, the girl who confessed to me before is glaring at Satoshi-kun with eyes that look like she could kill someone!

Sorry Satoshi-kun, I have nothing to do with this so do your best.

Having gained something unexpected, I sneak out of the classroom that was becoming a bed of nails for Satoshi-kun.

I didn't run away. I just went back to my class because the next class was about to start.

I just stirred things up and then returned to the classroom as if nothing had happened. What a girl you are, Hikari. If you weren't a beautiful girl, this would be something that wouldn't be tolerated...

Is it because you're a beautiful girl that Satoshi-kun can't be forgiven?