Bonus (2/2)
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Chapter 30: If I Can't Have Your Heart… I'll Take You Instead.
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Akane Shinjo changed moods faster than flipping a page.
When she said she was leaving.
She really meant it.
Within minutes, she had packed up and boarded a train back home.
Before leaving, though…
She casually reached into her bikini top and pulled out her phone, sending a quick message to someone before walking off with a cold expression.
Rikka blinked, confused, looking at Kihara.
"…Did you say something to upset her?"
Kihara scratched his head.
"No? I just said that if she wanted to be my girlfriend, she should give me time to get to know her completely… and then she suddenly got mad."
"…Oh?"
Rikka's smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
"So you do want another girlfriend, huh?"
Her hand slipped to his waist.
Pinch.
"Ow—! Wait, wait!" Kihara laughed nervously.
The idea of honestly confessing his "harem ambitions" vanished instantly.
Not now. Definitely not now.
"I was just going along with the conversation! Don't take it seriously!"
Then, after a pause, he added cautiously:
"Anyway… now that it's just the two of us… maybe we could… consider that thing?"
"That thing?"
Rikka tilted her head in confusion.
Then suddenly froze.
Realization hit.
And in an instant, her face turned bright red from neck to ears.
"You pervert!"
She huffed, turning away.
"Hey, that's a misunderstanding!" Kihara rushed in front of her, looking pitiful.
"I'm a perfectly healthy teenage guy who can literally fight monsters! Is it really that weird to think about stuff like that after finally getting a girlfriend?!"
"I don't care! Pervert! Idiot! Hentai!"
Rikka's voice was cool and disdainful, but with a lazy softness that sent a strange chill down his spine.
Like swallowing a whole ice cream at once.
Cold, but… weirdly refreshing.
"…Say that again."
"…What?"
Rikka stared at him, suddenly feeling like her once-innocent boyfriend had… changed in a questionable direction.
Unable to hold back, she lightly stepped on his foot.
Then turned and ran toward the river, her laughter ringing out like bells.
"If you catch me—then I'll agree to that thing!"
When desire overtakes reason.
It stops being "just a thought."
It becomes action.
Kihara didn't even realize this was meant to be playful teasing.
He dashed forward at full speed.
And caught her in less than ten seconds.
Scooping her up in a princess carry, he held her close.
Rikka, already used to his complete lack of subtlety, simply rested her head against his chest, listening to his quickening heartbeat.
With a soft, almost dreamy voice, she traced circles on his chest with her damp fingertip.
"…You better remember what you said."
"Love me for the rest of your life."
Kihara smiled.
"Even if I forget my own name, I won't forget that I like you."
...
Back home—
Akane sat quietly.
She knew very well.
She hadn't left because Kihara was boring.
It was because—
He had tried to reach past her perfect exterior…
And touch the fragile, insecure, jealous part of her that she kept hidden.
She couldn't let him see that.
So she ran.
But—
That didn't mean she had given up.
The monster she had prepared at home…
Was for this exact moment.
With a command, a drone controlled by Alexis Kerib arrived above the campsite.
Through its feed.
She saw Kihara and Rikka slowly walking back toward their tent.
Clearly—
What came next would be their private time together.
Akane let out a soft scoff.
"If I can't have your heart…"
"…then I'll take you instead."
"Alexis—materialize the monster."
"Understood."
A deep, ominous red light flooded the room.
In the next instant.
The mist-like monster figurine in Akane's room vanished.
And at the campsite.
A thick, impenetrable fog swallowed everything.
This monster had a simple ability:
To drag people's consciousness into a dream.
A dream controlled entirely by Akane.
Her goal was just as simple:
Swap her place with Rikka.
Replace her role.
And become—
Kihara's girlfriend.
"That's all for now, Alexis."
She shut off the screen, hopped onto her bed, and pulled the blanket over herself.
Closing her eyes.
She connected to the dream.
...
Kihara's memories had long been tampered with by Yukari Yakumo, preventing him from recalling anything about this world.
But after being dragged into the dream.
Akane added her own "patch" to his memories.
The result?
Everything Yukari had sealed away.
Came back.
But the memories of his recent time here.
Were completely hidden.
When Kihara opened his eyes.
He found himself lying on an unfamiliar sofa.
A white shirt, carrying a faint cherry blossom scent, rested over his chest.
"Kihara, you're awake!"
Akane's smiling face suddenly filled his vision.
He nearly jumped.
"…Akane?!"
"Oh? So you still remember me," she said playfully. "I thought you might go through the classic 'fainting at my doorstep and losing your memory' trope."
"…Sorry. My head's a mess right now…"
"Then go wash your face. Bathroom's over there."
"…Alright."
After splashing cold water on his face.
Kihara stared at his reflection in the mirror.
So… I was sent here by Yukari.
Into the world of SSSS.GRIDMAN.
But why does this feel like I'm already deep into the story…?
And where's the original protagonist who should be bonded with Gridman?
Too many questions.
For someone like him.
Thinking wasn't exactly his strong suit.
Fortunately, checking his system interface and storage gave him some clues.
His combat level was now [1]—
Meaning he had already gone through multiple battles.
And his inventory contained items he definitely didn't have when he first arrived.
Which meant—
He had already lived in this world for a while.
And likely formed connections with its people.
Otherwise—
He wouldn't have been pulled into this dream.
"…Wait."
He froze.
Why did his inventory contain…
Unopened square-shaped gum.
Ultra-thin 0.1?
"…Hold on."
"What exactly was I doing in this world before this…?"
He rubbed his temples.
No way… I wasn't about to "graduate" somewhere shady, was I…?
"…Forget it."
"Let's just take things one step at a time."
As he stepped out of the bathroom.
A soft fragrance rushed toward him.
Before he could react.
A warm body threw itself into his arms.
Akane looked up at him, eyes shimmering with tears.
"Please don't do anything dangerous like that again…"
"I was so worried about you…"
"…Huh?"
Kihara blinked.
"Dangerous? What did I do?"
Then—
"…Wait. What's our relationship?"
Akane looked at him with a hurt expression.
"…We're lovers."
"You don't remember that either?"
Kihara raised an eyebrow.
Completely stunned.
A beautiful girl throws herself into your arms in another world.
And she says she's your girlfriend?
For a moment—
Even someone as strong-willed as him.
Felt his resolve wavering.
.....
Thank you for reading.