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

What Yuuki’s grandpa brought was more than just a TV.

Of course, the first thing that came out was indeed the TV – a 14-inch CRT TV. They also brought a small storage cabinet to place the TV on.

Putting the TV on the cabinet and placing a Super Famicom beside it made it feel quite solid.

At least, it seemed I no longer had to worry about wasting time.

Not only that, but they also brought a few plastic storage boxes from somewhere.

All my spare clothes and underwear that were scattered on the floor were neatly organized and stored inside.

…I could understand why Yuuki was shocked when he came over. I had organized it to some extent, but my clothes and underwear were just rolling around on the floor.

I also received a spare blanket to sleep under, and even a mini fridge.

“I thought it might be useful for business trips, but I’ve used it once and it’s been in storage for a long time. Don’t feel burdened by it.”

As I stuttered, unsure of how to respond, my grandpa installed the fridge in the kitchen.

It wasn’t that big, and though it had yellowed from age, it was a perfectly functional fridge with both freezer and refrigerator compartments! There was no reason for me to dislike receiving it for free.

So… this meant I could buy lots of discounted drinks and ice cream at the mart and stock up.

Ah, how wonderful is the convenience of modern civilization!

In addition to that, I also got a laundry drying rack, clothespins, and gym clothes.

Well, the gym clothes were inherited from Yuuki, but what’s the difference? It was enough for me.

…By the way, did Yuuki see me as a younger sister or something?

“Okay, now it finally looks like someone lives here.”

After getting everything into my room, Yuuki nodded and said.

I agreed… Certainly, with all these daily necessities in place, the bleak atmosphere had somewhat faded. It didn’t look like a cozy home, but it was at least an improvement from a ‘vacant room’ to a ‘living space.’

“……”

I stood there for a moment, staring blankly around the room, then said,

“……Thanks.”

I expressed my gratitude sincerely.

“It’s nothing, this is all company welfare, after all.”

“Right, kiddo. Nothing here is new, so don’t worry about it.”

Yet, the storage box that had all my clothes in it certainly looked new.

Of course, it might have been an affordable price for someone working. It was just a plastic box, after all.

But from my perspective, having just thrown my clothes around the room to save a penny, this was quite the improvement.

“Thank you very much.”

I bowed once again while saying that.

“Really, it’s nothing special.”

Yuuki waved his hands as if to dismiss it, feeling shy.

The two of them quickly left after really just doing that.

“You have school tomorrow, right?”

Yuuki said from the car.

“Without a way to get back, I have no reason to stay the night.”

“……”

“Then, see you at school tomorrow.”

“……Yeah.”

I waved back at Yuuki as he was waving to me.

“Well then, see you next time if the opportunity arises.”

“……Goodbye.”

I also said goodbye to my grandpa.

Then the two of them really drove off without accepting anything in return, leaving.

I stood there for a while, watching the car disappear down the road, then slowly walked back into my room.

It was just a brief greeting when I thought of stepping outside, but the lights were still on in the room.

The room under that light was the same as I remembered but had changed completely.

To put it again, it felt like a ‘living space.’ Literally.

Well, with a room like this, I wouldn’t have much issue showing it to Shii later.

Thinking that, I sat down at the table spread out in front of the TV.

Coincidentally, there were snacks left that Yuuki had left behind.

I tore open the snack bag and placed it on the table, then switched on the TV with the remote.

“……”

A rather exaggerated variety show was airing, typical of Japanese broadcasts. It was getting to be around what could be called ‘late night.’

I quietly watched the show while popping snacks into my mouth one by one.

“Ha ha…”

At first, I laughed along with the people on the screen. While I would have laughed out loud in the past, laughter barely came out this time.

Rather, my vision had gotten a bit blurry.

I wiped my eyes with my forearm and grabbed another snack.

Feeling the crispy texture of the snack, I thought.

Really, really, I’m grateful for these people.

…Someday, I have to repay them properly, I thought.

*

The rain was falling pitter-patter.

It had long since entered the rainy season.

Only after getting the television could I finally keep track of the weather forecast accurately.

According to that weather forecast, it seemed we had already entered the rainy season since June 6.

The only reason I hadn’t felt the rainy season well was probably just my luck. The weather had already been gloomy, or raining, but strangely, it had cleared up when I was on my way to school or back home, so I hardly felt the rainy season on my skin.

But now, perhaps that luck had run out, as it started raining the moment I stepped out this morning.

For me, needing to walk for over thirty minutes in the morning, it was almost like a bolt from the blue.

My uniform skirt and socks were soaked.

“Um.”

At least inside school we wear indoor shoes, so I didn’t have to walk around with damp socks.

I had brought a new pair of socks in my bag.

… I hadn’t realized just how valuable my previous life’s experience would come into play.

After roughly drying my feet with a towel, I put on the new socks, and stuffed the wet socks and towel into a convenience store plastic bag before putting it in the shoe cupboard.

They say it takes an hour and a half to get to school, which means if something unexpected happens, the traveling time increases a lot. So I had left very early and arrived at school pretty early too.

There weren’t many people in front of the shoe cupboard, so I could act easily without feeling much self-conscious.

My uniform was still a little wet, but I headed towards my classroom, feeling a little more refreshed.

“Hey, Kurosawa.”

A voice called me, and when I looked up, I saw Miura looking at me with a somewhat confused expression.

“The seniors are calling you from the corridor.”

When I turned my head, I saw Kaneko waving at me through the window. Ikeda was next to her, but he seemed a bit awkward being in a hallway with different grades.

“Are they some club seniors?”

“Yeah.”

“I see.”

Seeing me stand up, Miura looked back at the seniors through the window.

Both of them gave off a kind of… very innocent impression. It wasn’t just their appearances; their personalities were clearly reflected in their faces.

If Kaneko or Ikeda were bullying someone, that would be a huge shock.

“They seem like nice people.”

“……Yeah. They give away a lot of snacks.”

“Oh…”

My response seemed to leave Miura momentarily speechless.

“Well, I’m off then.”

“Yeah, see you!”

After a brief goodbye, I walked out into the corridor, and Kaneko raised her hand beside her temple like a salute.

It seemed she was trying to give a salute, but from the perspective of someone who’s been through military service, it looked like she needed a lot of training for it. I didn’t quite know how it was done in Japan, but that slouchy attitude didn’t seem to be how that went.

“About what we talked about yesterday.”

Before I could respond, Kaneko opened her mouth first.

“I’m going to try and find that boy.”

I momentarily scratched my head, considering my words.

“…So, in the corridor where the first-year classrooms are?”

The reason it didn’t end with “so?” was that I was trying hard to remember my etiquette.

“Yeah. So——could you help me a little, junior?”

“……”

Hmm.

I looked towards Ikeda.

Ikeda shook his head vigorously, as if to say that this idea was not his.

Well, well.

I was quite awkward about entering another class.

At the beginning of the semester, I’d gradually become friends with those sitting in front and behind me, slowly branching out to their friends, making me the type that doesn’t usually have connections beyond my class. So usually, I wouldn’t know the names of those in other classes unless you were a social butterfly who knew almost everyone.

“…Besides, the only friend I have in the other class is Yuuki.”

“Oh, good. A search should always proceed step by step, right? Let’s go, let’s go!”

But right now, it wasn’t even lunchtime; it was break time.

Is there really enough time? Shouldn’t I leave some time to go back to the second-year classroom?

When I looked over at Ikeda, he hunched his shoulders up then let them slump again with a big sigh.

He was expressing all over that this wasn’t his idea.

“……”

Ah.

I almost found myself following suit with my guard down.

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