ALL NOVEL chapter 8
8. Time with Family
When I got home, I was standing in the kitchen.
Until a moment ago, I had been lying on my bed, deep in thought, but I had been thinking too much and my head started to hurt. So, to clear my mind, I began preparing dinner.
According to the vague memories I inherited from my past life, my younger sister has a gal-like appearance but is in the track and field club, so she comes home late. My mother is always working late into the night, so she must still be working hard at her job. My father is on a business assignment and hardly ever comes home.
Before I reincarnated, Shindo Ryusuke would stay out playing even after it got dark, but I had no intention of doing that now. I had a lot to do once I got home.
The school teachers were eager to make me play the role of the villain, relentlessly picking on me during class, calling on me to answer questions without caring about the other students.
For a high school freshman’s curriculum, answering questions was a piece of cake for me now that I had reincarnated, but if I happened to fail to answer, it would create a huge gap.
Due to my previously carefree school life, I had accumulated a mountain of assignments. I needed to clear them all away and submit them urgently.
That said, cramming too much is harmful to the body. In my past life, I overworked myself to the point of death… I certainly want to avoid such an ending in this second life.
So, I plan to study while taking breaks in moderation.
And then there’s the matter of Mashiro.
I don’t know what she plans to do to overcome my sense of discomfort, but for now, it’s best to try to keep my distance from her as much as possible.
“After all, I absolutely want to avoid Mashiro’s bad ending at all costs…”
The lovestruck maiden has fallen for Fusegawa-kun. That’s Manatsu Mashiro, who appeared in the second-year arc.
She’s the villainess character condemned by the protagonists, childhood friend of Shindo Ryusuke—and she was my absolute favorite in my past life.
Thinking back, my obsession with ‘Fusekoi’ in my previous life was largely due to Mashiro’s presence. While there are many attractive female characters in ‘Fusekoi’, the one who stood out the most wasn’t one of the heroines on the protagonist’s side, but the villainess, Manatsu Mashiro.
She has a strong conviction and a somewhat clumsy side when it comes to romance. However, once she makes up her mind, she has an unwavering will and it was impressive how she expressed her strong feelings for Shindo Ryusuke to the protagonist.
Her language is a bit rough, and her appearance is flashy, but I liked her unpretentious personality. The episode where Mashiro met her bad ending is honestly nothing short of traumatic. I devoured fan-made rescue endings and happy endings for Mashiro, desperately trying to look away from the original story’s developments.
“Why did I completely forget that Mashiro was my favorite since being reincarnated into this world?”
It was when I met her in the cafeteria. I should have properly remembered my knowledge of the original regarding Mashiro, yet for some reason, the feelings I had for her in the original story had completely slipped away.
Could it be related to being reincarnated as Shindo Ryusuke, Mashiro’s childhood friend…? Perhaps my feelings for Mashiro and Shindo Ryusuke were clashing, temporarily hindering my emotions towards her.
However, those feelings were gradually regaining their shape, and at the very least, the intense feelings I had for Mashiro in my past life were firmly coming back.
On the other hand, my feelings for Mashiro as Shindo Ryusuke are still blurry. But it’s certain that I harbor stronger emotions than anyone else, and they radiate like a large sun within my heart.
I still don’t know what the source of those feelings is. It’s undeniable that Mashiro is a childhood friend and an important presence for Shindo Ryusuke, but… I can’t determine at this point whether to call it love or friendship.
In any case, I want to avoid a future of destruction and also fend off the sad ending that awaits my beloved childhood friend, Mashiro. I renewed my resolve to tackle one thing at a time to achieve that.
But one can’t think on an empty stomach. Let’s start with a meal first.
Actually, I liked cooking in my previous life. Before starting a job and facing daily overtime, I always cooked for myself, and during my university days, my passion led me to work in a café kitchen. So I have a fair amount of confidence, and I can cook at a level that wouldn’t be expected of a high school student.
With that said, for tonight’s dinner, I plan to make hamburgers using the ground meat I found in the fridge.
As I knead the meat and shape it, a savory aroma wafts through the air. I won’t forget to make a sauce with the meat juices; ketchup or sauce would do, but personally, I love demi-glace sauce the most.
Since I also have red wine, I might as well use it since I have all the ingredients. All that’s left is to plate the side vegetables, and it’ll be a lovely dinner.
Just as dinner was ready, I heard the sound of the door opening from the entrance. It seems my younger sister Mai has come home.
“I’m back~. Wait, it smells amazing…? Huh?”
Peeking through the living room door, my sister’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Well, that’s a natural reaction. The Shindo Ryusuke before my reincarnation hardly ever came home at this hour after playing around, and it’s no wonder she can’t believe I’ve even prepared dinner for the family.
Even in my faint memories, I clearly remember that such a scene had never happened even once.
“W-What are you doing, big brother…?”
“You can tell just by looking. I’m making dinner.”
“Eh, eh~? My brother, who has only ever made instant miso soup or cup ramen… is making dinner?”
Mai stood in front of the table, utterly astonished. She looked back and forth between the splendid dinner laid out and me, the one who made it, with a face that seemed to be witnessing the unbelievable.
“This… you made this, big brother…?”
“I just wanted a change of pace today. It’s okay to have days like this once in a while, right?”
“Once in a while? More like… I’ve never seen you do this before. And it looks super delicious… This isn’t delivery food, is it?”
“Of course not. I made this with the ingredients we had in the fridge. You must be tired from club activities, and mom is working late, right? I’m not in any clubs, so I thought I’d come home early from now on and do my best for the family.”
“For the family? Are you feeling alright, big brother? Did something happen—did you hit your head at school? Are you okay!? Should I call an ambulance!? We need to go to the hospital!?”
My little sister placed her hand on my forehead with a worried expression. To get this reaction just from making dinner… I guess the evaluation of me in this household was pretty low, huh? The man known as Shindo Ryusuke before my reincarnation.
I gently brushed Mai’s hand away with a wry smile.
“Things have happened, and I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf. Not just dinner, but I’ll take care of chores too. I’ve caused you and mom a lot of trouble until now.”
“…What happened to you, big brother? But I see, you’ve decided to change. I’m happy. I’m glad to see you’ve become so wonderful.”
Upon hearing my words, Mai’s eyes glistened with emotion.
But in reality, it wasn’t just a matter of changing my heart.
The Shindo Ryusuke from yesterday and the Shindo Ryusuke from today are vastly different because of my reincarnation.
If I were to reveal the reason for this sudden change, my sister Mai would surely be bewildered.
To keep that from being noticed, I forced a smile and decided to encourage her to sit down so we could start dinner.
“Mom will probably be late again today, so let’s eat first, just the two of us.”
“Y-yeah… then, itadakimasu.”
After putting her hands together, Mai cautiously reached for the hamburger I had made. And just after she popped it into her mouth—her eyes sparkled, and a broad smile appeared on her face.
“Wow!! This is super delicious! You’re amazing, big brother!”
“Really? I’m glad to hear that.”
“Yeah, it’s really tasty. I didn’t know you were such a good cook… When did you practice?”
When asked when I practiced, it would lead to a story from my previous life, so I couldn’t answer. I pondered how to dodge the question, but Mai was already engrossed in devouring the hamburger, soup, and salad, seemingly forgetting her own question. She must have really liked it, as she ate with abandon, not caring about the sauce on her mouth, reminding me of a small animal.
As I mentioned earlier, I had always been a burden to my family. Even if it was something the Shindo Ryusuke from before my reincarnation did, I believe I have a responsibility to atone for it now.
Above all, in order to escape the role of the story’s villain, I must accumulate good deeds one by one. I need to prove that I am not the kind of person who would meet a bad end. To do that, I must first regain the trust of my family.
From then on, the dinner table with just Mai and me became quite lively.
At first, Mai was hesitant while eating, but gradually she relaxed and returned to the cheerful personality I vaguely remembered. Our conversation flowed, and she happily talked about events at school and her friends.
Step by step, I must continue to make an effort to enjoy a happy youth in this world.
It was a time with family that renewed my determination—