Chapter 58

The Protagonist With a Beautiful Girl Face

My older sister, though as sharp-tongued as Malkuth, was a caring tsundere and a kind person who always looked out for her weak-bodied younger brother without a hint of disdain.

 

I don’t know what the general image of an older sister might be, but there’s no doubt she was a magnificent one. Her reputation in the neighborhood was outstanding, and to me, she was always a sister I was proud of.

 

It wasn’t until my final moments that I was able to properly convey this to her, but she naturally embodied the coolness of my ideals.

 

Having been reincarnated as a cheat original protagonist, facing her like this brought me a different kind of sense of security. Gazing at the person I most wanted to meet in this world I had left behind, I let out a sigh of relief.

 

However, to my sister, the current me was a completely unknown and mysterious beautiful girl standing in front of her younger brother’s grave.

 

Since my sister was well-acquainted with the relationships my past self had cultivated, from her perspective, I must seem like a suspicious stranger with no clear connection to her.

 

She appeared very surprised to face a suspicious person, but after glancing at the luxurious bouquet of flowers placed in front of the gravestone, she let out a smile.

 

It seemed she misunderstood in a good way.

 

 

 

“…I see, so you met my brother while he was hospitalized?”

 

The true identity of the mysterious beautiful girl T.P. Eight Olishua-chan became something like that.

 

My current setting was now "Friend A," someone who had become acquainted with my past self during his hospitalization.

 

If I had foolishly and honestly said, “I’m actually the reincarnation of your brother,” she would have undoubtedly doubted my sanity, and I didn’t want my sister looking at me that way, so I fabricated a plausible story instead.

 

With this setting, my sister, who generally understood my circle of friends, would be convinced. My ability to ad-lib frightens me.

 

“Thank you very much. I’m sure he’d be happy to receive flowers from a beautiful girl like you.”

 

"Ahaha..."

 

…Sorry, but I didn’t actually offer that bouquet. It was probably from that married couple.

 

If I corrected her, it would lead to questions like, “Then why are you here?” so I chose not to correct her misunderstanding. Having come straight here from the plateau, I hadn’t brought any offerings myself. I gave all the sweets and the like to Binah-sama.

 

As my sister accepted the backstory I presented, I could feel her wariness visibly ease.

 

My sister is strong-willed, but she’s also surprisingly shy around strangers. So, to have a smooth conversation with her when meeting for the first time, I'd have to go as far as bringing up mutual topics from my past life.

 

The fact that she was able to get closer to her current husband was, in part, thanks to my intermediation. This is Cupid Eight-chan… Ah, it’s not Eight-chan since it’s my past life.

 

...Well, back then, it was on a much different level for me since I was on the receiving end of a lot from her.

 

Not being able to express my gratitude during my lifetime is one of my few regrets.

 

──And so, roar, my acting skills!

 

I (watashi) am now portraying the ill-fated beautiful girl who was hospitalized in the same facility as the me (boku) from my past life and shared a deep connection with him.

 

When I was a child, I was troubled by my frail health and often became sulky. When I was about to fall in despair, I was encouraged by my past self, who I met at the same hospital, and managed to get back on my feet.

 

Now, having recently overcome my illness, I’ve come to visit my grave to express my gratitude──yes, this sounds like a touching boy-meets-girl fanfiction, isn’t it a nice setting?

 

How unfortunate that the actor and actress playing the role of both hero and heroine are me. What a sock-puppet. (tl note: sock-puppeting means “pretending to be more than one person on the Internet”)

 

As an original protagonist, Eight-chan, heroine play was one of the top ten things I absolutely don’t want to do, but in this case, since I was also playing the hero, so I’ll just barely allow it!

 

Some might think, Isn't this too elaborate just for a few words of conversation? However, my older sister was sharp, and unless the setting was convincing enough, she would immediately see through any holes.

 

While I was talking about the things that happened while I was in the hospital, as if I were my benefactor in my previous life, my older sister looked at me and laughed. What’s so funny?

 

"Kusu… That guy was more capable than he seemed, wasn’t he? …I feel a little relieved. He always acted sociable, but he didn’t talk much about himself. I’m glad he had someone to talk to at the hospital."

 

“Eh… Ahh…”

 

Hmm, I wonder...? I loved myself so I bragged without reservation whenever I did something good.

 

...Well, it’s not like I didn’t try to be considerate at all.

 

On this occasion, maybe I should just lay it all out.

 

Since that couple’s child must already be in elementary school, it may already be late but… there’s something I’ve always wanted to tell her about this world where I no longer exist.

 

"He was grateful to you."

 

"Eh...?"

 

As the spokesperson for my past life’s me, Eight-chan spoke.

 

"In middle school, when he got sick right after starting and couldn’t attend for about a week, he said the reason he was able to make friends when he finally returned was because her older sister introduced him to everyone... That’s what he told me."

 

“...That guy did that, huh…”

 

It might have been a long time ago for her, but to me, it felt like just yesterday.

 

The reason the frail me was able to enjoy my short life was because my school life with my like-minded friends was extremely fulfilling.

 

And the person who helped build those relationships was my sister, who was already the most beautiful and popular girl in class.

 

For a boy in the throes of puberty, the presence of a conspicuous radiant older sister was the perfect subject.

 

Thanks to my sister as the facilitator, I was able to smoothly deepen my relationships with my classmates.

 

It was the same in elementary school, where I could hardly attend. Without my sister, even I would have struggled to avoid isolation and might not have enjoyed going to school as much.

 

That’s why I’ve always been grateful to her. And I still am.

 

"...That should be my line."

 

When I conveyed the obvious feelings I failed to convey in my past life, she responded with a wry smile.

 

"Until my brother could start attending school, I didn’t fit in much with the girls. You know, I was the prettiest girl in class. The group of the pompous second-prettiest absolutely hated me, like I was some kind of snake."

 

"Eh... is that so?"

 

"I kept it a secret from brother, though."

 

For real? …That's a shocking new fact.

 

Her openly calling herself the prettiest girl is so like her, but it’s my first time hearing she was hated by the girls. After all, she was already popular when I started attending.

 

Everyone seemed to get along in front of me… If this is true, I think girls are terrifying.

 

"But once his health stabilized and started coming to school, the girls did a complete about-face from the very first day. He had a charming face like me, you see. Just from appearance, he looked like a prince living in seclusion, so the number two girl, leading the charge, quickly made amends with me. Nobody wanted my brother to dislike them."

 

"H-hmm..."

 

What the heck, that’s scary. I’m locking my doors.

 

But my sister wasn’t the type to lie to someone she just met, especially about someone who had passed away. So it must be true.

 

Let’s see, the second-prettiest girl in my first year of junior high school class… Ahh, the girl with the wide forehead? To think my sister’s best friend had that kind of past.

 

But now that I think about it, she was pretty strong, so that dual nature makes sense.

 

But that’s surprising. So that girl liked me.

 

"I... He was unexpectedly popular..."

 

"He was only seen as a prince at the beginning, though. Once people got to know his childish personality, they started saying, ‘He’s a bit different as a man,’ and by the time he moved up a grade, he was treated as the class mascot."

 

"M-mascot…?"

 

“The number two girl felt the same. She started off as a lovestruck maiden, but by the time middle school ended, she was more like his animal caretaker. She’d regularly give him chocolates and tamagoyaki… practically feeding him like a penguin."

 

“A penguin’s, caretaker…?”

 

That’s terrible! She was such a kind person, always sharing delicious food with me during lunch breaks, so don’t phrase it like that!

 

Ugh… It’s too bad that dead men tell no tales. I want to deny it, but I can’t.

 

Well, if it’s a fond memory for my sister, then it’s fine. She looked liked she’s having fun recounting my unfortunate memories.

 

So much that even I couldn’t help but smile along.

 

"…At first, I could tell they had ulterior motives, but thanks to them, I was able to fit into the class. Over time, as we interacted more, I realized none of them were bad people. And that number two girl has now become my irreplaceable, greatest best friend. Ah, how nostalgic."

 

"So that's how it was..."

 

From my perspective, my sister and the number two girl had always been close friends.

 

I sometimes wondered if she were a yuri girl, given how often the girl was coiled around my sister. When my sister started dating her now-husband, the girl even dramatically declared, “I won’t give away my child!” and entirely intercepted him.

 

Her threatening attitude was always so frantic that it was often more difficult to persuade her than it was to persuade our parents.

 

I still remember teaming up with YARANAIO and another friend to vouch for her boyfriend, giving a kind, careful, and thorough presentation on what a great guy he was.

 

My sister’s husband, my brother-in-law, was at a disadvantage because of his chubby appearance, but he was a clean fatso, a kind and gentle fatso.

 

Also, he was a straightforward man who was earnest and proactive. That’s what attracted my sister to him, and that’s why I accepted him, both as a lifelong friend and as my brother-in-law. That was my youth.

 

"The person I am today is thanks to him. He saved me countless times. And yet, he left his words sounding as if only he had been saved… Even now, it still annoys me."

 

"That’s harsh. But, you reap what you sow, I guess."

 

I see, so my sister was saved by me, huh. I’d always felt like I was only being a bother, so I thought I should apologize, but… I see…

 

Knowing I don’t need to apologize is a relief.

 

Well… I don't think that's absolutely the case. Anyone would be sad if the person they loved was happy when they died, right? I’ve read those kinds of depressing fanfiction before, but I’d like to keep in fiction.

 

The fact that others lament the original protagonist's death is, like with the well-known Mary Sue, something that somehow fills me with a pleasant feeling of self-approval,

 

At this moment, I felt incredibly saved by it. As expected, my sister is so cool. The greatest in the world.

 

 

 

 

My sister and I spent some time reminiscing in front of my grave from my previous life.

 

Although I pretended to be hearing every stories for the first time in order to stay true to my setting, my sister's stories included enough new information that it wasn’t necessary to feign ignorance. I realized that even as twins, we both had sides of ourselves that were private and unknown to the other.

 

Thinking back, if I had known something like this would happen, I should have had a more involved discussion with my sister… well, that's in the past now.

 

My sister’s brother is buried beneath his grave, and I’m now T.P. Eight Olishua, a reincarnated person.

 

My previous life ended back then, surrounded by all the people I loved. It was a beautifully concluded story… So it’s fine. It’s perfectly fine.

 

I wonder... perhaps experiencing "death" has changed my feelings in this area.

 

Realizing my unexpectedly dry way of thinking, I smiled self-deprecatingly like an original protagonist.

 

As I was doing so, I suddenly heard a voice calling out to my sister from the other side.

 

"Heyy, I brought a bouquet~!"

 

"There’s incense too~! And a kitty, too~!"

 

The voices belonged to two people—one was a man whose voice I recognized, and the other was a girl whose voice I was hearing for the first time.

 

Looking at the figure of the overweight man, I felt a sense of security, but when I saw a young girl holding a black cat next to him, my eyes widened in surprise.

 

"A cat!? Why a cat!? Where did it come from!?"

 

"It’s apparently a cat that the temple here has been taking care of. It seems to have taken a liking to Hina…"

 

"So fluffy~! So cute~!"

 

"Ah, you’re right… It’s such a friendly little cat."

 

"It seems to feel good with Hina’s hands."

 

Unlike me, who had a cat allergy even as a twin, my sister had no problem touching cats. She was the type who simply was not good with animals, but she was fine with calm ones.

 

Seeing the black cat gently pressing its paw pads against the little girl’s face as if giving her a massage, my sister couldn’t help but smile. I also smiled alongside her.

 

But at that moment, my gaze wasn’t focused on the adorable black cat.

 

Rather than the black cat, it was the face of the girl hugging the black cat—the little girl with the angelic appearance of my sister’s likeness—that made me harbour strong emotions that are deeper than the sea.

 

──Ahh, I’m so glad.

 

"Fufu..."

 

At this point, I was nothing more than a third wheel. Yet, that made me happy, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

 

An innocent child playing with a kitten, her father and mother gazing at her with warm eyes.

 

It was a peaceful and warm scene, one I could never reach no matter what I did.

 

…It’s so precious, isn’t it? Truly.

 

I had nothing more to say. After all, I’m supposed to be the cool original protagonist.

 

I just smiled gently as I watched that scene and said to my sister,

 

To my older sister, who had already become a mother,

 

“She’s a lovely daughter.”

 

“She is. I wouldn’t even feel pain if she got in my eye*. If he were alive, I bet he’d spoil her rotten.” (tl note: metaphor for “being so cute that one cannot help but adore it”)

 

As expected of my sister. She really understands me, her younger brother.

 

This is the child of my beloved sister and my dearest friend. Of course, I’d spoil her to no end!

 

“Yes, definitely!”

 

…Thank you, Goddess-like person.

 

If this scene is your reward for all my efforts as an original protagonist, I’ll worship you to the end.

 

With this, I can become even more of an original protagonist.

 

Ah, children are wonderful, aren’t they? Innocent children fill me with energy.

 

Seeing the niece I thought I’d never lay eyes on my whole life made me feel like I was ascending to heaven.

 

──As a result, did I actually ascend to heaven?

 

When I came to, a pure white world had spread out before my eyes.

 

It was the same sacred pure white world as when I was reincarnated as T.P. Eight Olishua.

 

And in that world, just like that time, there was a lone woman.

 

『I am Charon… the one who passes down countless ‘stories’…』

 

Long time no see.

 

(author: Anyway, this has nothing to do with Rozen Maiden…

 

Before I knew it, this work had reached nearly 60 chapters. Thanks to everyone’s support, I’m starting to glimpse the 100th cumulative rankings, so I’ll do my best. Takaki did his best too.)

Next