I Went Out With a Losing Heroine, But Before I knew It, My Childhood Friend, Who’s Supposed to be Th

[TLN: From now on, if you see lines in these『insert line here』type of brackets, they are either phone messages or someone from another line of a call]

　Yō obtained all the information from Haruki, including the other party’s name, the things that they had done to him, and the time when they started the harassment, then he made a phone call somewhere away from them.

『―Nyahaha, It’s rare for you to rely on me. But I’m a very popular person nya~, so I’m very busy, what should I do~nya?』

“Oh, I see. I’ll ask someone else, then.”

 [TLN: ~nya in every end of sentences/phrases is just the way how this person talks]

　The voice on the other end of the line laughed with amusement, and Yō immediately tried to hang up the phone.

　This time, Yō just called the person on the other end first, but he had several ways to deal with it.

　He was not particularly troubled by the fact that one of his options had been eliminated.

『Wait, wait, just hold up! It’s been a while since I’ve had a phone call from you, but that’s too cold of a response, is it?』

“You said you were busy, right?”

　When the other party reverts back to its normal way of speaking in a hurry, Yō rephrased what the other person said and is about to hang up the phone.

　Then the other party opened their mouth as if they got even more impatient.

『It’s just between you and me, I can at least open up my schedule! You’re a real tease!』

“No, I don’t think I’m that close to you…”

『You really haven’t changed over the past years, have you?』

“Well, I don’t care about that.”

『It’s not important!?』

　The other party on the other end of the phone is trying hard to bite Yō, who is trying to let it go.

　However, Yō basically doesn’t deal with anyone other than those he considers special.

“I have a matter that needs to be dealt with immediately.”

『I-ignored… You are the only one who treats me like this…』

　Yō frowned as he heard the somewhat happy voice saying that.

(Did I mistakenly call the wrong person?)

　Thinking about that, Yō opened his mouth.

“So, are you going to help me? The reward is a story and some money.”

『I can’t help it. It’s just this one time that it’s special~nya.』

　As Yō proceeded on his own, the person on the other end of the phone began to speak in a slightly cat-like tone again.

　This tone of voice has been around since the day they first met, and it seems to be a characterization of the person, so Yō didn’t give it a second thought.

“Ah, thanks a lot. And while you’re at it, do a thorough background check on the people we’re sending over.”

『Why? Can’t nya just smash em up?』

“I’d like to know what’s going on, and how far I should go. Also, if they’re doing something else, we want to make sure that we’re moving in that direction.”

『I see. It’s to prevent any retaliation from the people who rely on nya~. In any case, it’s amazing that you’re working for someone other than Kasumi-chan.』

“I’ve got a lot going on.”

『Marin-chan is so cute!』

“―What?”

　When Marin’s name came up on the other end of the phone, Yō gulped.

　It’s been a long time since Yō had talked to this person, at least he had never talked about the existence of Marin.

　In fact, he had never even hinted about it.

　And yet, the fact that the other person knows about it means that―

“You’re still the same old, stalker.”

　Yō held the phone to his ear and turned his gaze to the entrance of the rooftop.

　Then the rusty door started to squeak open.

“I wish you wouldn’t say that. I’m not a stalker, I’m a detective. I just come here when I smell a case or a request.”

　What appeared was a student-like being wearing a hat that resembled cat ears.

　His face was cute like a girl’s, but he was wearing men’s clothes.

　When Marin and Haruki saw the face of the person who appeared, they were very surprised, but Yō ignored their reaction and spoke to the person.

“Oi, you’re trespassing, aren’t you? I mean, was there any need for you to bother showing up, Nagisa?”

　The person who appeared in front of Yō and the others was none other than Kamikaze Nagisa.

　He’s a high school student who works as a detective and is a bit of an oddball.

　And he also has something in common with Yō.

“Nyahaha, I’d like to get your permission before I accept your request nya~. It’s something that will be broadcast throughout the country nya~.”

　Nagisa approached Yō with a cute smile on his face.

　And then Marin, whose eyes were glued to Nagisa, slowly opened her mouth.

“N-Nagisa-chan…!? You’re that Nagisa-chan, the punishing video distributor who is currently in the top 10 of the most popular video distributors!?”

　When Yō heard Marin’s words, he wondered when Nagisa had become so popular.

(No matter how cute his face is, a man wouldn’t dare to use cat language…)

“Greetings nya~. That’s right, It’s Nagisa nya~.”

　When Nagisa did his customary cat pose as well as greeting, Marin got excited and started clapping.

(This guy is surprisingly meek…)

　Yō chuckled at Marin’s reaction and put his hand on Nagisa’s head.

“In the meantime, I’m going to lecture you later about sniffing around people.”

“Nya!? It’s not like I can speed up the process of solving a problem just because I know a lot of information nya~.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Nya~!”

　When Yō cut off Nagisa’s assertion, Nagisa let out a voice that was almost a scream.

　And what about Marin, who was watching the two of them interact―?

“W-what kind of relationship do you two have…?”

　Marin was very curious about the relationship between Yō and Nagisa.

　However, Yō slowly shook his head, thinking that it was not yet the time to confide in him.

“I’ve got more important things to do than that right now. Nagisa, how long will it actually take?

“Hmm~, I’ve already checked out all the information on the other party, and I have plenty of evidence nya~.”

“In other words, as long as you get Kinoshita’s permission, you can do it today, right?”

“That’s right nya~.”

　When he heard Nagisa’s answer, Yō wanted to complain a little bit about what the exchange on the phone earlier was about, but he decided to ignore it because it was going to be settled earlier than he thought.

　Instead, he explains to Haruki what he’s planning to do with Nagisa, and together with Nagisa, Yō executes the plan.

◆

　The next day after school, Yō was called to the roof by Marin.

“You really solved everything in just one day…?”

　Last night, Marin had received a call on her phone from Haruki saying that everything was okay.

　She knew that the video of the people who had been bullying Haruki would be uploaded, but she didn’t expect that it would be solved so quickly.

　That’s why she looks so surprised.

　―But of course, that wasn’t the only solution.

“Now that Nagisa’s channel has exposed the bad things they’ve been doing, I’m sure they’ll be sent to juvenile detention.”

　However, Yō didn’t tell Marin about what he had been doing besides uploading the video.

　Last night, at the same time that Yō and Nagisa updated the video, they also went to the men who had been bullying Haruki.

　And with the help of money, they gave them hell for one night.

　It broke their hearts in the end, but Yō didn’t want Marin to know too much about it, so he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Well, even so, they were pretty scummy. Not only did they bully Kinoshita, they also bullied other people, took their money, and were habitual shoplifters.”

　That’s why Yō didn’t show any mercy.

　Haruki’s bullying had apparently started when he was in the first year of middle school, and it had gradually escalated to the point where he was letting them get away with it.

　Bullying and shoplifting are actions that can ruin someone’s life.

　Yō thought that it was only natural that they should be punished accordingly for such acts.

“They didn’t seem like that kind of people to me…”

“I’ve heard you say before that you have confidence in your ability to judge people, right? I’m sorry, but you’re not a good judge of character.”

　When Yō heard Marin’s words, he replied in a stern tone and cold voice.

　When Marin heard this, she looked sad and depressed.

“I don’t think you should have said that much…”

“No, you are too good to other people. So you should learn to be more suspicious of others.”

　Although he was not a good talker, Yō warned her out of genuine concern for Marin.

　Yō, who tried to stay by her side for his own reasons against the twisted Haruki.

　And Kasumi, who treated Marin as an obstacle in a way similar to those who bullied Haruki.

　Now, Marin has a lot of mixed feelings towards Kasumi, but before that, she once looked at Kasumi as someone she admired.

　He was concerned that if Marin couldn’t be wary of others even with such horrible people next to her, she might be framed by the wrong people in the future.

　That’s why he wanted her to change her way of thinking.

“It’s very hard to doubt someone, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. But the truth is, there are very few people in this world who are as good as you. To a greater or lesser extent, everyone has dark feelings for someone or wants to take advantage of them. That’s just human nature.”

“Are you one of them too, Hazakura-kun…?”

　Marin asked this while looking at Yō with moist eyes.

　Yō gasped for a moment at the unexpected response, but then looked back into the eyes of Marin and nodded. 

“Ah, you’re right. The only reason I tried to be with you is because it’s in my best interest to do so. Nobody was doing it for you.”

　The moment she heard Yō’s words, Marin’s eyes wavered greatly.

　She might have felt betrayed, or so he thought.

　One could see that she was at least upset in some way.

“So, what’s in it for you…?”

“Who knows?”

　In response to Marin’s question, Yō tilted his head and blurted out.

　Even Yō can’t say that the most beautiful thing about Marin is that she blends in with the beautiful scenery, and he wants to see more of her.

　Besides, if he answered here, it was already in the past.

“So you’re saying that my being with Hazakura-kun is a good thing for you too?”

“Well, that’s true. But this relationship is over.”

“…”

　When Marin heard Yō’s words, she fell silent.

　She’s a very smart girl, so maybe she already understood.

“I’m glad you were able to make up with Kinoshita. There will be no more interruptions this time, so do your best.”

　That was all Yō said, and turned on his heel.

　The relationship between Yō and Marin was meant to make the heartbroken Marin forget about Haruki.

　However, after this incident, Haruki and Marin are now back to being close childhood friends.

　It will still take some time for things to get back to normal because of Haruki’s unstable mind, but it will only be a matter of time.

　And Yō knew that it would take time to repair the relationship if he was there.

　That’s why he had decided to cut ties with Marin once this matter was settled.

　Of course, Yō didn’t think that it was a regrettable thing to do.

　However, since he still had a promise to make to Kasumi and he knew how she felt about him, he had some reservations about staying with Marin.

　(So, this was just right) he told himself.

　However―.

“Is it no good…?”

　For some reason, Marin grabbed the sleeve of Yō’s clothes as he tried to walk away.

“Akimi…?”

　When Yō turned around, Marin was looking down and grabbing Yō’s sleeve tightly and forcefully.

“Please keep your promise to me…”

“No, the promise―”

　(You don’t need it anymore, right?)

　He was about to say that, but when he saw Marin’s face, he couldn’t help but stutter.

　When she looked up at Yō’s face, Marin’s face was bright red and her eyes were moist.

　Despite her young face, she had a strange seductive appeal about her. 

“You’re going to help me forget about Haru-kun, aren’t you…?”

“I don’t need to do that anymore, right…?

“Don’t underestimate a girl… I can’t go back to the way things were…”

　(What do you mean by that?)

　Yō couldn’t ask this back.

“Wouldn’t Kinoshita be shocked about this…?”

“Yesterday, after that we both talked properly… This is the answer we came up with…”

“I see…”

　If the two of them were satisfied, there was nothing more Yō could say.

　Moreover, he was the one who started it in the first place.

　As long as Marin didn’t want it to end, Yō wouldn’t be able to end it on his own.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Yes.”

　Marin nodded her head in a short but passionate voice.

　Seeing this, Yō let out a breath and looked into Marin’s eyes again.

“Well then, keep your schedule open for the weekend.”

“Ah, yes…!”

　Although Yō used a roundabout way of saying it, it was clearly understood by Marin and she nodded happily.

　It’s not the ending that he had envisioned or hoped for.

　But for some reason, Yō felt a little relieved when he saw Marin looking so happy.

　However―

(This is definitely a bad idea, right…?)

　He turned his head away from Marin, who was smiling happily at him and saw Kasumi’s face cross his mind, and he could only feel that Shuraba would be waiting for him in the future.

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Author’s Afterword:

This is the end of the first arc!

If you enjoyed it, I’d appreciate it if you’d rate and review it!

I hope many people will read it (#^^#).

Also, there will be a new character in the story, but she’s not going to be one of the main heroines!

This story is going to have a double main heroine, Marin and Kasumi (*´▽*).

And the next arc will be full of flirting, and full of Shuraba!

I hope you’ll continue to enjoy this story!

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Translator’s Comments: Shuraba = Love Mayhem/War, in other words, the female leads’ war to be the winner of MC.

Well, my prediction from c31 immediately got trashed this chapter. This is also the longest chapter so far in this series. As stated by the author, this is the end of 1st arc, and I will keep on working on this series as it’s definitely one of my favorites, no doubt about that, a top 5 worthy in my favorites. Like what also the author said, I hope you guys continue to read this story too and enjoy it as we’re about to approach a new arc!

Lastly, I started a new Ko-Fi donation goal of $200. I’m planning to buy a laptop for around PHP 8,000 to PHP 12,000 (which is definitely more than $200, but I’m willing to pay for the rest of it with my leftover money) for my own personal use. Mainly because, when my father comes back home from work, he uses the PC and instead of me being able to make progress on doing chapters, it gets delayed for hours or even a day. Furthermore, I’m going to pursue a degree in Computer Engineering for my College. Thus, I’ll be able to use the laptop that I’ll get for my studies too if ever we return back to normal face to face classes here in the Philippines. Any amount will do as it’ll help me get closer to finally owning something out of my own hard work and also by your support!