CH 48

The Limits of Mob Characters



After the recreational event, we also had a bath and a barbecue as scheduled.



During that time, Shimotsuki was messing with me whenever she had a chance. It seems that she really wanted to be entertained.



Ryuzaki kept his eyes on Shimotsuki. He occasionally checked on her, but he never took his eyes off her, not even for a moment.



He must be in a lot of conflict and anguish. Hopefully, he will stay as he is for a long time, but since he is the …… protagonist, that is not possible.



When will he start his big comeback?



I’ve been on the lookout for it.



However, the time did not come easily.



It was now nighttime. There were only two things left on the schedule for today.



A test of courage and a campfire.



It was the perfect event to set the story in motion.



” …… Nakayama-kun, I’m a little bit not good with ghosts, so I’m just going to pretend I’m not feeling well and rest. Are the teachers insane to make us walk through the woods at night like this? It’s not that I’m afraid of them, you know. It’s just that I’m not very good at it.”



That said, Shimotsuki cheated on her test of courage.



…… I wonder if that girl is the main heroine.



A test of courage is a great place for a heroine to be active.



She can hug the protagonist while saying, “Ooh, I’m scared.” and close the distance between them both physically and mentally while having a romantic encounter.



But for Shimotsuki, who has already deviated from the main route and is heading for the outer route, such a promise would have no effect. She is tearing up her story as she pleases.



That’s why I decided to test my courage without Shimotsuki.



“Hey, Ryoma-san, I’m afraid of …… ghosts, can you stay with me?”



“Yeah, …… okay.”



“I’m not afraid of ghosts either, but don’t ever leave me!”



“Yeah, …… that’s right.”



“…… Ryoma Onii-chan, help me!”



“…………”



Of course, the Ryuzaki harem was trying to flirt with the protagonist as much as they could.



However, it was unlikely to be a meaningful event because Ryuzaki himself was not paying attention.



I’m sure his mind was full of thoughts about Shimotsuki.



No matter what Azusa and the others do to him, he doesn’t react well.



“Ryoma Onii-chan …?”



Azusa and the others are also looking at Ryuzaki with a worried look.



As expected, even the harem members seemed to have noticed that something was wrong with Ryuzaki.



So, the test of courage event ended easily without much excitement.



Finally, there was a campfire, but …… before that, the protagonist started talking to me, a mob character.



It’s almost the end of the story. …… Normally, a mob character should have finished his role by now. But the protagonist seemed to have something to say to me.



“Nakayama ……, when did you and Shiho started getting along?”



After the test of courage, the executive officers of the overnight learning program were preparing for the campfire.



I was bored, so I was sitting in an inconspicuous position, when Ryuuzaki unexpectedly came to talk to me.



This is the place where I spent noon with Shimotsuki at the recreational event. She seems to be good at finding inconspicuous places, and this is a pretty good place.



In addition, I’m not much of a standout, so it’s unlikely that you’ll just happen to see me and talk to me ……. Perhaps Ryuzaki had taken the trouble to look for me.



“This is the first time I’ve seen Shiho look so happy……, even though she was not interested in others. She’s always alone, and she doesn’t even get along with me because she likes it that way……. What the hell did you do to her?”



I wonder if he’s really cornered.



The protagonist is groaning.



“…………”



On the other hand, I didn’t know what to say.



As usual, I wanted to say something like a biting dog mob character, but I couldn’t think of any words.



But I couldn’t think of anything to say, because it was impossible for a mob character to be involved in such an important scene.



“Hey, say something…… You got to be friends with my childhood friend.　You’re the only one who can see the smile on her face……. You should be more proud of yourself. Mock me for being a loser despite being a childhood friend!”



Ryuzaki was sneering and spitting out his emotions.



I, on the other hand, could only stare at him blankly.



I wondered if I should agitate him.



Should I make fun of him?



Should I deny him?



Should I deceive him?



Should I affirm it?



Various options are whirling around in my mind.



But I can’t see the way forward. I don’t know which answer is the right one.



I guess this is the limit of a mob character.



Up until now, I’ve managed to keep my head down, but …… I don’t have the power to change the narrative. I just happened to be on the playing board at the whim of Shimotsuki.



As such, I couldn’t think of any way to deal with this protagonist.



If I had to choose something more than this, I would no longer be a mob character.



The clown who had once mistakenly thought he was the protagonist was supposed to have given up everything by pretending that he was a mob character.



When he was betrayed by his childhood friend, his stepsister, his best friend, and all the people he loved, this was the reason why he desperately wanted to convince himself somehow.



“I’m a mob character, so what can I do?”



Since then, I’ve been telling myself that I can’t be the protagonist because I’m a mob character.



“Damn……, no words for a loser? You don’t even have me in your sights anymore, do you? I feel like a fool for being satisfied with the childhood friend I had …..”



Ryuzaki’s wailing disappeared into the night forest.



He punched a tree trunk in frustration and then walked away.



“…………”



In the end, I couldn’t say anything.



After all ……, Kotaro Nakayama is a mob character.



If I had been able to say something back to Ryuzaki here, I might have been able to intervene in the story.



It is possible that I could have broken out of my shell as a mob character and become something else.



But if I had been able to do that, I probably wouldn’t have become a mob character in the first place.



“You’re a loser……, you say that a lot.”



As I look out at the forest where Ryuzaki disappeared, I can’t help but remember the past.



“The loser is not you, it’s …… me.”



I used to think that I was the protagonist, that I was the one at that time…