Chapter 22: That's Why I Sleep Well

That's Why I Sleep Well

"Ahahaha! You got hit by a car at the graduation ceremony and suddenly you were reincarnated as a high school girl!? What's that?! I don't know if it's good luck or bad luck! LOL!"

Nagumo was an enormous liar.

The promise was broken so easily, leaving him in tears and clutching his stomach.

"Don't laugh, you told me you would listen seriously...!"

"Yeah, that's why I'm listening seriously, pfftt...!"

Without even trying to hide the laughter he couldn't contain, Nagumo nodded.

How can you tell that you're listening seriously?

"Don't lie to me! You've been laughing so much...! I was stupid to tell you!"

I had been angry ever since I had been dragged up to the roof without a word, but after we'd had a proper talk he'd burst out laughing.

I was completely shocked by Nagumo's utterly selfish behavior.

As I turned around on my heel, Nagumo grabbed my wrist.

"Wait, I'm not lying."

"Let go!"

I'm going back to the classroom and deepening my friendship with Ayanokoji.

I tried to shake him off, but Nagumo's grip was so tight it wouldn't let go easily.

"Enough already...!"

"Because I believe what you say, Otome-chan."

"……Eh?"

You believe me?

A story as outlandish as reincarnation?

"...After laughing so hard?"

"I laughed... well, I'm sorry, I'm sorry about that."

Surprisingly, Nagumo spoke the words of apology easily and honestly.

Going at your own pace, selfish, and at your own convenience.

Nagumo, who seems to be the type of person who would be least afraid of being disliked by others, has admitted his own fault.

Something's off.

"But I really do believe the story that you were reincarnated. Your body is a girl, but inside you're completely a guy, right?"

"...Y-yes, that's right!"

I was excited by Nagumo's summary, which showed he completely understood what I was saying.

For the first time in this world, someone has appeared who believes in my situation!

"Ah, and about this world..."

"What about this world? Reincarnation is already interesting, is there more to it?"

I have explained most of the circumstances surrounding my reincarnation, but there are still some parts I have not mentioned.

"...This is the world of shoujo manga."

"...The world of shoujo manga?"

Countless question marks could be seen floating above Nagumo's head.

...I guess he won't believe me this time.

"This world is the world of a shoujo manga I read in my previous life - I'm the protagonist and heroine. I'm being pursued by Ijuin and Onizuka, and I'm going to end up dating one of them!"

"…………"

"I want to change that fate...! I want to finish my high school life safely without dating either of them!"

Nagumo listened in silence to my passionate ambitions.

This time, he was serious and not laughing.

"Will the student council president and the delinquent boy absolutely fall in love with Otome-chan...?"

Nagumo pinched his chin in thought.

"Eh... will you believe this too...?"

Seeing my surprise, Nagumo smiled brightly.

"I told you, I believe what you said, Otome-chan."

"But... isn't this even more ridiculous than the reincarnation story...? The world we live in is a shoujo manga..."

"If we're talking about credibility, honestly, they're both the same."

……surely.

Nagumo continued.

"The fact that you were reincarnated, and that the student council president and the delinquent boy will definitely fall in love with you, all answer my questions, so I have no choice but to believe."

"Nagumo's question?"

"Yeah. Maybe Otome-chan is too manly, or maybe she has too many coincidental connections with good-looking guys from different years and classes."

Oh, that's true...!

Now that he mentioned it, it seemed quite unnatural that I've encountered these people who weren't my classmates, old acquaintances, or even relatives...!

Damn, so this is the power of shoujo manga logic...!

"Despite that, Otome-chan doesn't seem happy at all, and in fact she even seems to dislike it. But if she's been reincarnated and is actually a man inside, and is the heroine of a shoujo manga, then it makes sense. I'm also happy to have a friend who isn't the type who wanted to fall in love with."

"I, I see..."

I don't know Nagumo's circumstances, but he seems happy so it's all okay.

"Well then, let's go back to the classroom. If we're talking here without our lunch boxes, we'll miss our lunch–"

"So, will you listen to my story next?"

"Eh?"

"I don't have a mother."

...Something's started!

And it's incredibly heavy right from the start!

Nagumo looked up at the sky, but was about to tell a story about his life that didn't seem suited to the blue spring sky.

"Ah, Nagumo... the classroom..."

"My mother worked while also doing the housework, but it seems like her workplace was a really bad company."

Will my voice really not reach him?

I guess since he's heard my story, it's Nagumo's turn now.

Certainly, it didn't make sense that I would talk about myself for so long and then not listen to Nagumo's side of things.

I gave up on lunch and Ayanokoji and listened to Nagumo's story.

"She tried to juggle housework and work at the same time, but she overdid it... and she died. She died from lack of sleep and overwork. So, right before she died, my mother told me this."

Nagumo looked down at me from the blue sky.

"Live a healthy life."

……healthy.

For us high school students, being healthy is a given, so much so that it goes without saying.

High school life is all about worrying about what to do, studying, and having fun.

Did Nagumo's mother go to the trouble of leaving that as a will?

"So I sleep anywhere, anytime."

That was the reason why Nagumo took so many naps.

He is faithfully and strongly adhering to the will of his mother, who died from lack of sleep.

The gods of manga were cruel to take away Nagumo's mother, whom he loved so much.

"...Hey, why do you think my mother died?"

"……Eh."

"Because she got married."

...Isn't that a bit of an overstatement?

I'm just a stranger so I have no right to say anything.

"That's why I will never forgive my father for putting my mother through such a hard time...!"

Nagumo's fist clenched tightly.

He's shaking.

Perhaps he hated romance because he felt that his beloved mother had been taken away from him.

But if his parents hadn't gotten together, Nagumo wouldn't have been born in the first place.

...That's probably not the problem.

"Nagumo's father is not entirely at fault..."

"My father left my mother to die as she wasted away."

His intense gaze made me flinch.

Nagumo's field of vision had already narrowed completely.

"That's strange, why was Mom the only one who had to do both housework and work? Even now Dad only works...!"

Since his mother has passed away, does that mean Nagumo is now living in a single-parent household?

With only one parent, the burden of living would fall on Nagumo, who cannot earn money.

Nagumo could not help but feel angry at his workaholic father, who refused to do any housework, whether when his mother was alive or when she was gone.

It now looks like resentment.

From now on, parent and child will have to live together as a team, but one of them is harboring resentment towards the other.

...That would be too sad.

"...Hey, did your father really abandon your mother?"

"I'm sure he abandoned her! I mean, I never even once saw him doing the housework...!"

"...Your father may have had some circumstances as well."

"...How could a young lady who has never met Dad know something like that?"

"I don't know. So, let's go and ask."

"What you mean go and ask? What is Otome-chan saying?"

"So we're going now to your father's place."

Just like when Nagumo brought me to the rooftop, I took his hand and ran off.

We went through the rooftop doorway and went down the stairs as fast as we could.

"R-Right now?!"

Although his eyes widened at my actions, Nagumo obediently followed along.

We then left the school through the gates.