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

I’ve seen you somewhere before.

But I can’t quite remember when.

I didn’t really get a good look at the other person’s face, so naturally, I have no idea who it is.

“Koto Ne?”

Yuuki tilted his head and peered at my face.

“What’s up?”

Was I too lost in thought?

Thinking about it, there was no reason for me to be. I only caught a brief glimpse of someone passing by.

Is there really a reason to be scared just because I’ve seen a stranger? It’s not like I saw a ghost or anything.

“Nah, nothing.”

I shook my head, trying to shake off the thoughts as I replied.

Yuuki looked a little puzzled and tilted his head again, but he didn’t press further.

Before we even entered the ramen shop, there was a slightly musty smell in the air.

It’s not like it’s a messy place. I’m sure the inside is spotless, but since the ramen broth is pork-based, the smell of simmering broth never really goes away.

I personally don’t mind, having inhaled the scent of soup multiple times in my previous life, but the other kids might not like it.

“Oh, you guys are here!”

The boss, who remembers us after a few years of being regulars, greeted us with a smile.

“The usual for you, right!”

Harumi dramatically raised one hand as she entered the shop and shouted.

I guess she’s totally copying some drama. Must have seen some cool male protagonist.

“Got it. The three of you the same?”

Seeing me and Yuuki nod, the boss beamed and went inside.

And shortly after, someone else came out from the back of the shop.

“You made it?”

Kagami, who had her long hair tied back with a white cloth on her head, came out of the kitchen with a smile.

She looked like she had at least wiped her face once, but it seemed she couldn’t help the sweat still pouring down. I suppose the kitchen would be steamy considering she had to keep the broth going for hours.

And for a moment, I stared blankly at Kagami’s face.

I suddenly realized that the vibe of the woman I just saw weirdly overlapped with Kagami’s. Of course, the current Kagami didn’t have that vibe, but when she would go out, she often wore those kinds of dresses.

I liked how well they suited her, but—

“…….”

Kagami tilted her head, noticing I was staring.

“Hmm, no. Just happy to see you.”

Her face lit up with a bright smile at my words.

Right, it was probably nothing.

I had no grounds for any suspicion whatsoever.

Just a slight feeling that the woman’s height seemed similar to Kagami’s crossed my mind.

But still…

Yet time passed, and that feeling of unease didn’t completely fade away.

Even while we devoured that giant ramen, and even while holding Kagami’s hand on our way home.

The source of my anxiety lay in the incident I experienced in my childhood.

While I hadn’t faced any major accidents growing up, I had run away, abandoning the friends I was just starting to make—and the place where people were willing to help us.

Now, having made it here…well, hmm.

I guess Kagami probably thought she had lost everything back then. That’s why she met with Yamashita to find someone she could ask for help.

We were lucky again, but if we move this time, will luck be on our side again?

Will we be able to meet good people once more? Can we rebuild connections like the ones we formed over the years?

Honestly, I don’t know.

Harumi is a really close childhood friend, but Yuuki…now I think of him a bit like a younger brother. He’s actually my cousin, after all.

If we run away from here, where would we go?

“…….”

“Koto Ne.”

Kagami, who had been holding my hand, cautiously asked again.

Considering our ages, we were at that sensitive time. Though I wouldn’t say we were deep into the typical K-drama teenage angst yet, we were on the brink of that, so it wasn’t odd to be aware of such changes.

It was only natural for Kagami to worry about my reaction.

I wish I didn’t have to.

Even if our lives had stabilized, it’s still true. No, because it’s stabilized, how would Kagami react if she had to give up this life?

I bit my lip while holding Kagami’s hand.

“Koto Ne.”

Kagami halted, bending slightly at the waist to meet my gaze.

I lifted my head, and our eyes met.

“….Ah.”

Then, I realized something.

That white dress.

Those fair skin.

And the black hair.

I had seen that appearance before.

From Kagami.

And—

“Mom.”

I slowly opened my mouth.

“I—I saw earlier.”

“Saw what?”

Noticing my serious expression, Kagami’s face turned serious as well.

“A woman who looked like my mom in a white dress. Mom, she was definitely in the shop, right?”

“……”

Kagami’s mouth slightly dropped open at my words.

Oh, I think I get it now.

Yuuki had tilted his head several times while looking at Kagami. The reason for that was because Kagami resembled Yuuki’s mother.

It was likely that Kagami and that woman were very much alike.

Kagami had run away with me, and that’s how we’ve been living like this. I couldn’t remember much of the past, but I knew for sure that things were better back then.

For them to have been willing to give that up, something must have happened at that house.

“……Koto Ne.”

Kagami’s fingers dug into my shoulder.

“Ah.”

And I could tell what judgment Kagami had reached from just my one word.

I don’t know the reason.

But I knew that we had to be careful.

Perhaps all this time, we have been living without truly being cautious.

Even though I realized that, my heart raced.

I don’t want to go.

Having just obtained everything.

Now, I could be with my mom, and I found a place I could confidently call home. There were many of my things in that house. All the toys Kagami had given me on my birthday or Christmas were there, along with stacks of photos we took during our daily lives—so many memories shared together.

The test papers I’d proudly brought home, which Kagami had also looked at with joy.

Kagami probably couldn’t pack it all up.

That night, she would only take what she could grab quickly.

She wouldn’t have time for proper goodbyes to Harumi and Yuuki—

“Koto Ne, let’s go.”

Kagami said that and immediately got up from her spot.

Then she took my hand, and we started to run.

“Mom.”

“…….”

Even when I called out to Kagami, she didn’t respond.

My nose felt a little tingly.

Even with the age I was in my previous life, this situation felt far too sad.

As soon as we got home, Kagami pulled out a large bag from somewhere in the house.

She started grabbing clothes and underwear and just throwing them in. There were also the stamp for official documents and bank books. And probably prepared ahead of time—a bag stuffed with money too.

I went along and started helping.

“……Koto Ne….”

Seeing me do that, Kagami momentarily bit her lips and stopped. In this situation, did she find me moving too pitiable?

I opened my backpack filled with textbooks and dumped it out, stuffing my underwear, socks, and pads inside.

I heard a slight sobbing sound from behind, but I tried to ignore it.

I could part with books more readily than I expected. Just like the videos we bought together when the rental shop was closing down.

But giving up all the toys was a bit hard.

It’s not just because I’m an otaku. After all, those were gifts from Harumi and Yuuki on my birthdays.

Things like the magical girl wand that Harumi wouldn’t even play with anymore. It wasn’t like I had touched it much, as it was gathering dust on the shelf.

Yet in this situation, I wanted to take it with me.

Who knows when I might meet them again?

But on the flip side, who knows if I might never meet them again? Running away tends to be like that.

When I turned to see Kagami had stopped, I noticed she was holding something too.

It wasn’t an album.

It was developed film. The film we had worked so hard to take pictures with. An album filled with photos would be heavy and bulky, but this packet might be okay.

For an instant, our eyes met, and without saying a word, we nodded.

And we each took just those items.

Kagami hastily wrote something on a letter and left it next to the envelope, then stood up.

With my now heavy bag, I rose a little unsteadily—

Ding—dong.

The sound of the doorbell made both of us freeze.

It’s not too late.

But it wasn’t the kind of hour someone would visit us either.

We heard a knock on the door.

And then—

“Kurosawa.”

A husky male voice came from the other side of the door.

“It’s someone from Yamashita. Don’t worry.”

Kagami and I exchanged glances again.

Carefully approaching the door, Kagami opened it while keeping the latch locked, peering outside.

Then she softly exhaled and opened the door.

“How did you know…”

But Kagami’s words didn’t get to finish. There was no need for them to.

The guy was hurriedly bandaging the wounds all over his body with his clothes.

“Let’s go. I can’t escort you very far, but I’ll help you get as far as I can.”

Blood trickled down from his torn forehead as he said that.

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