I Became the Final Subjugation Target of That Era’s Light Novel

Chapter

Do you know this?

If you fold the blanket vertically, you can do both covering and smoothing at the same time.

The width of the blanket Suzuki-sensei gave me was surprisingly wide, and my body was surprisingly thin, so it was possible.

In fact, if I did it this way, my left arm would stick out a little, and although the blanket covered my face like I was a corpse, it was okay enough.

Moreover, if I lay on my side and pressed my arms tightly against my body, I could snugly fit into the blanket without any gaps. The problem of the blanket covering my face was resolved. I could say it was a kind of makeshift sleeping bag.

Blood… in the end, I couldn’t get rid of it.

Surprisingly, there was a coin laundry nearby, so I tried washing it, but there was still a faint brown stain left.

Well, since there’s no one to show it to, it’s fine. As long as I flipped the blanket over, I wouldn’t see it, so it didn’t bother me.

Still, I thought it would be good to buy another blanket soon.

Breakfast and dinner were the usual cream bread, but lunch had become somewhat diverse. Yuuki seemed to think I was one of his shop staff, as he bought me all sorts of pastries whenever he went to the convenience store.

Thanks to that, I ended up being dragged by Yuuki and engaged in a pastry battle with the other students, but, well, that was kind of fun too.

I received a lot of help from Yuuki. Besides getting free lunch, I also got to wear one of his spare uniforms since my school uniform had been ruined by blood.

Now, while it felt like I was wearing a uniform that was overly baggy in anticipation of a child who would grow up after entering middle school, I was still grateful for getting a school uniform for free.

And eating cream bread for dinner wasn’t so bad now. Partly because I got used to the taste, but also because there was a club activity where snacks were provided unlimited until just before dinner time.

“……”

And today, as I was heading toward the literature club room, waiting for dorayaki, I discovered something strange.

At the corner of the stairs leading to the hallway, there was a bread lying there.

It wasn’t a torn plastic bag yet; it was a perfectly intact bread. It was a korokke sold at the convenience store. It was popular among boys because it wasn’t filled with potatoes.

Of course, it was also popular among girls.

I stopped climbing the stairs for a moment and stared at the bread.

Did someone drop it while passing by?

The hallway on the top floor wasn’t actually a place where many students wandered around. It was where unpopular clubs gathered, and most of the activities could very well be done in the classrooms.

That meant the students wouldn’t come out again once they entered the club rooms after class.

Hmm.

Having organized my thoughts like that, I somewhat understood why the bread was just lying there.

I cautiously walked up the stairs and examined the state of the bread a little more closely.

And I soon discovered something odd.

At the end of the plastic bag was a sealed part. In other words, the part where you tear open the plastic with your hands had a hole made in it by someone.

There’s that office supply called a punch, used for inserting papers into a folder… it looked like someone had punched a nice round hole in it.

And there was a thread hanging from that hole.

Huh.

Well.

Huh.

It was clearly a device to treat people like fools.

Setting the bread, which one could pick up right away, dangling from a thread like that was to use it as bait to lure people in.

What kind of fool would fall for that?

……

Of course, I wasn’t stupid enough to fall for that trap.

I wasn’t an idiot, but I was still curious about who had set that trap. Most importantly, what on earth they wanted by setting it.

I definitely didn’t want that meat korokke.

And to find out who was holding the trap’s string, I needed to trace it.

Right?

So the reason I extended my hand was to grab the string, not the bread.

As I slowly approached the bread and reached out, the bread moved slightly.

Was it just a step or so?

Someone was clearly luring me in.

Did they think I would chase after that bread?

I paused momentarily and then—

Papath!

I jumped towards the bread quickly.

But narrowly, the bread slipped from my hand. Luckily, I didn’t fall.

“……”

For a moment, I thought about what I was doing.

Goodness, no matter how hungry I was for food, to be seduced by bread lying on the floor…

Even if the bread was filled with protein-rich beef korokke and was famous for not getting soggy even as time passed despite being factory-made, it did seem too much.

“Ha…”

Sighing at my own foolishness, I straightened my bent back and rose from my seat.

I smoothed my wrinkled sailor uniform with my hands and elegantly walked slowly toward the literature club room.

As if it knew I had given up, the bread didn’t move.

I passed the bread with a nonchalant expression—

—Nope! I dashed toward the bread!

But the bread quickly zipped forward as if it had anticipated that. Damn!

Still, at the distance between me and the bread, it was the closest it had been yet. I ran again towards the bread that was now in front of a classroom and finally managed to grab it—

“I got it!”

—Just when I thought that, someone swooped in and hugged me.

“What is this, what is this, Kuro-chan! Getting baited by this is too cute! You wanted to join the Occult Club, huh? Right?”

“……”

The body of Kaneko, who tightly hugged me, had a slightly sweaty smell.

And thanks to that smell, my mind snapped back to reality.

Wait, what was I doing?

I was…… running toward a bread in the hallway.

“…… Where is this?”

“Oh, this is the photography club. They said we’re going out to take pictures together today, so I was just borrowing the space for a bit.”

Isn’t this trespassing?

Sure enough, there were cameras hanging all over the metal shelf next to the wall.

Surprisingly few of them were film cameras. Thinking back, 2004 was when DSLRs were on the rise. A few years later, mirrorless models would take over. Time sure moves quick, huh?

……As I was having those thoughts alone, Kaneko spoke up.

“Hmm? Oh, sorry. Did I make you mad by playing with your food? Here, this is for you. I was originally going to give it to you.”

Without me saying a word, Kaneko handed me the korokke.

What’s the big deal?

Food isn’t at fault.

And usually, there are no bad people who share food.

“I forgive you.”

“…… Were you planning not to forgive me if I didn’t give it to you?”

As Kaneko released me, she asked that.

“…… What are you guys doing?”

Perhaps having heard Kaneko’s yelling, Ikeda slightly opened the door to the literature room and looked over, seeming dumbfounded.

“You’re luring Kuro-chan with food.”

Whoa, Kur-chan? What a strange nickname.

How did it even come to this? Though Kaneko uses it solely for herself.

Isn’t a nickname supposed to be derived from a real name? If I were to translate that to Korean, it would be something like ‘Kim-chan.’

After all, I wasn’t used to Japanese nicknames. Considering that Japan has long last names, ones that overlap aren’t very common.

“…… Kurosawa, if anyone ever tells you to follow them for a meal, never go, okay?”

As we finally left the photography club room and closed the door, Ikeda spoke with a worried expression.

I wouldn’t go anyway. Who would follow a stranger just because they offer to treat you to a meal…

…… Ah, wait. I did follow Sasaki to get to eat tonkatsu once.

“What is it? You look like you have something on your mind.”

Kaneko said in surprise. Why is she so sharp now?

Could it be that she really has an insight? Despite her look would suggest she’s a track ace, maybe she’s gifted in this area?

Thinking again, she was indeed someone who had once summoned a messenger from afar. Though in all fairness, I had called her first.

…… Could that be it? There’s no way she’s really talented in that regard to respond so accurately.

Nah, even if that’s the case, there’s no way a character who doesn’t appear in the main story could suddenly do something like that.

“Kuro-chan, I hope that’s not true!?”

“What’s going on?”

As the door swung open, Yuuki walked in.

“Yuka! Listen! Kuro-chan has said that she’s once gotten a free meal from a stranger!”

“What? No way.”

Yuuki immediately denied it.

Then he placed his bag on the desk where he usually sits and took a seat.

“No matter how much it’s Kurosawa, she should be cautious.”

W-Well, it’s true, right? Even if I say that, if a middle-aged guy said that he would treat me to tonkatsu, I definitely wouldn’t follow him. I have at least enough common sense.

……

Huh, but calling me ‘even if’ seems a bit harsh, don’t you think?

“Right, Kurosawa?”

“……”

I couldn’t find the words to respond to Yuuki’s comment.

Well, anyway, I ended up being the one who got to eat.

“Hmm? Kurosawa?”

Yuuki asked again as I put my precious korokke into my bag and reached for the snack basket.

“Could it be true!?”

If I don’t respond, this could escalate.

After thinking for a moment, I said, “…… I refuse to answer.”

“Kurosawa!?”

Ikeda leapt up from his seat.

It wasn’t just Ikeda. Yuuki, who had been sitting down, also stood up with the sound of his chair scraping across the floor.

Kaneko had been there all along, of course.

“What do you mean by that? Are you being serious?”

Uh… It seemed my clever joke didn’t land at all. Yuuki was staring at me with a look of disbelief.

Looking around at the three of them, my sigh came out small and resigned.

“…… It was a classmate. They had the same school uniform as ours.”

“A guy you never met before treated you to a meal? Why?”

Ikeda asked, showing a keen interest. Why was he so invested in this when normally he wouldn’t care about romance? Besides, the part about it being the same school uniform didn’t get taken into consideration at all.

Ah, but the book he always carries around is indeed about romance. Though, he always portrays himself as being uninterested.

With his glasses sliding down to his nose, Ikeda pushed them up with his finger while looking at me as I said, “…… I bumped into him while walking, and as an apology…”

“So, you just bumped into someone on the street and decided to treat you to a meal for that?”

Kaneko neatly summarized.

But given it was Kaneko, I had to review her summary cautiously once more.

Hmm, it didn’t seem problematic. At least, I concluded that there was no room for misunderstanding with each word.

“Yeah.”

“Sounds like a common technique, right? Bumping shoulders in passing and then saying, ‘Aren’t you familiar?” while looking into their eyes.”

Kaneko said with a serious expression.

“Ah, I read about that in a book too!” Ikeda exclaimed.

No, please don’t compare novels with real life. Besides, it wasn’t even romance in the first place.

“…… Is that so?”

Meanwhile, Yuuki, who was next to me, offered a normal reaction.

“… I had my younger sister with me, so it’s okay.”

“Younger sister? Is that certain?”

“Since she was wearing a middle school uniform—”

“Then she’s only a year younger than you. You could date her, right?”

Is that really how it works?

Saying that a high schooler could date a middle schooler seemed to cross a fine line.

Additionally, the Sasaki siblings were a pair with a two-year age difference. In that regard, Kaneko’s deduction was completely off.

“Did you get her name?”

“……”

I thought for a moment.

Would it be good to mention her name here? Or should I just pass by it?

“Sasaki.”

I felt like it was better to say.

The original story had already strayed enough that the connection between the protagonist and Yuuki seemed to have vanished.

There were times when saying hello to Yuuki was a guise for passing by as I made my way to class, and even now, Sasaki and Yuuki still sat in their adjacent seats. However, there didn’t seem to be any interaction between them. I never saw them having a conversation.

Moreover, Yuuki didn’t seem to make friends like in the original story.

Is he treating me as an associate because we’re close?

“Sasaki? You mean, Sasaki Sota?”

Yuuki reacted immediately.

“I think that’s right.”

I nodded, while I knew I remembered correctly, saying the name of someone I had just met is likely to open misunderstandings. Especially since he was a boy.

“Do you know him?”

Ikeda asked.

“He’s in the same class. Unless there’s another with the same name in this school.”

Ikeda and Kaneko exchanged glances and got all worked up, but I just grabbed a snack without any reaction.

If Sasaki was to have any connections, it’d be towards Yuuki rather than me.

“……”

I felt Yuuki’s gaze on me a little, which was somewhat unsettling but—

*

May.

In my previous life, I lived all my life in Seoul until I died.

Although it was scorchingly hot due to the effects of global warming, I knew that Tokyo’s weather was supposed to be even hotter than that.

After all, isn’t the sea just right next to it? It’s even more so since Minato Ward is situated right on the sea. Depending on the map, it’s closer to Incheon than Seoul.

Even though it’s only mid-May, the weather was gradually warming up.

The sailor uniform at Hanagawa High School is black. There are white lines along the collar, but that alone can’t possibly bounce off the blazing sunlight.

Just a light brush on it reveals that this uniform, soaked in the warm May sun, was warm to the touch.

It was getting increasingly tiring to commute from home to the subway. They say the summer uniform is from June 1, but wouldn’t I melt away before then?

Well, if they’re going to make an avatar, at least give it some functions. Who knows why they made it the same as humans.

Why couldn’t they give me some function to cool my blood and turn me into a walking air conditioner?

It’s also impressive that I haven’t cut my long black hair at all in any way.

“…… Speaking of which, I need to buy a summer uniform.”

I sighed deeply.

I might have inherited a school uniform from Yuuki, but I didn’t have the summer uniform. That damn messenger didn’t prepare for that much.

…… No, wait.

Thinking about it, couldn’t he just make it? If he thought about it, it wouldn’t have been strange at all even without having anything on hand.

Anyway.

My nutrition has improved from before. Beyond the contract with Yuuki’s family, I managed to find a part-time job. But I’ll save that story for later.

The main issue is that I still need money.

The minimum wage in Tokyo is 710 yen. The hourly wage at the part-time job I got is 850 yen. Considering the cost of living, it seems manageable, but it’s still uncertain. I’m not working full-time, after all.

I wonder if a youkai might pop up somewhere? Even as I thought about it, keeping my eyes peeled—well, I couldn’t find any. To begin with, youkai aren’t something you can see with your eyes in this world.

“Ha….”

I sighed once more.

Carrying my bag and walking unsteadily like that—

“Are you okay?”

Someone asked.

Turning my head and looking to my side, I noticed a boy whose kind voice felt very much like the protagonist. With a smile that was indeed very protagonist-like, he was standing beside me at a respectful distance.

Hmm…

“Aren’t you Kurosawa?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

“You look unstable while walking.”

“… I’m fine.”

I’m swaying not because I’m in pain, but because I simply don’t want to go to school.

It’s funny how people can get so cynical. When they’re in society, school seems to be such an early end, with vacations neatly scheduled. But once you’re actually attending school, you just want to laze around at home doing nothing.

“Are you really okay?”

“… I’m fine.”

Only after I turned him down again did he wear a slightly awkward expression and walk away.

From his expression, it looked like if I said I wasn’t okay, he would immediately grab my arm and help me walk.

Sorry, but I don’t mind being held by a female student. I want to reject the notion of being supported by a boy.

…… Hmm, but looking back, I did have many such moments in my past life.

I should just let Yuuki get a little closer. He’s sitting right in front of me, after all.

But I couldn’t just say that without any qualms. After all, I’m in a position where I shouldn’t know such things.

“Ha…”

I sighed once again.

The ground didn’t break away.

*

If the setting were in the 2020s, I would have tried Internet broadcasting.

In fact, something similar existed in this era. However, broadcasts like those where a few hundred or thousand people show up and toss coins weren’t quite a thing yet.

It’s 2004 now. Do you know? YouTube started its service in 2005. Even if this world developed smoothly, it wouldn’t start until the following year. What’s more, live broadcasts and whatnot would be entirely another issue.

Niconico and such? Nothing at all yet.

So, the only way for me to earn money was to work hard without any side routes.

And the job I ended up choosing was—

“….Welcome, Master.”

I said that while bowing slightly.

…… Well, that’s right. It was the job that had the highest hourly wage and matched my school hours.

Indeed, I had to admit it was a choice greatly influenced by anime. There’s simply no excuse for it.

In reality, I was regretting it immensely.

If I was going to work in a service position for a large number of unknown customers, I should have thought about the possibility of running into people I knew.

“… Kurosawa?”

No, but that’s irritating.

What kind of insane person would come to a maid cafe with their younger sister?

“I will guide you.”

Ignoring Sasaki’s call of my name completely, I gestured for them to take a seat.

The two Sasakis exchanged blank expressions and followed my hand.

…… Good.

In this case, I needed to harden my expression more than usual.

Just do the work for the money I receive.

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