I (30), Who Works for a Black Company and Died While Regretting My Gloomy Life, Started Over From High School!
Chapter 144: The Mission to Skillfully Lead Away the Fragile Beauty

“Niihama…?”

“Huh…”

She remembers me…?

In the second loop, maybe, but in the first loop world, the socially awkward guy with a barely-there presence?

“You… remember me…?”

“Yes, of course. When we were library committee members… you recommended a light novel to me.”

She spoke, reminiscing about what was my most beautiful memory.

“I haven’t been able to read much lately… but back then, I got really hooked. So, I was grateful to you, Niihama-kun.”

With those words, Haruka quietly smiled.

It wasn’t the lively smile from our high school days, but a smile tinged with a hint of melancholy…

(She remembers… me…)

I felt like tears were about to well up.

She remembered that precious memory, framed in my recollections, not just me but Haruka as well.

That fact was the greatest solace in that grey youth.

“Um… I’m really sorry about earlier. I thought a stranger was trying to approach me, so I responded pretty coldly… It’s been a long time.”

“Ah, no, it’s only natural! You bumped into me by ‘chance,’ and if a guy approaches you on the street at this hour, it’s only natural to be on guard!”

Although it was the only option I had to approach her on the street, I was aware that it was a situation where she could scream.

And of course, ‘chance’ was an outright lie.

“Hehe… it seems like you’ve become brighter, Niihama-kun. But, when flustered, your expression is just like back then.”

With an adult charm different from back then, Haruka chuckled.

“By the way, it really is a coincidence… Are you working around here, Niihama-kun?”

“Yeah, not exactly nearby, but it’s in the same city. Well, it’s a pretty tough place.”

I deliberately didn’t mention that I had quit from there today. I followed up with a self-deprecating smile.

“I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, but it’s actually quite a ‘black’ company. And I’m not in the good graces of my boss, so they intentionally piled on work at the last minute, and every day, they’d say things that felt like an attack on my personality. So, I’m worn out every day.”

“…”

As I disclosed this, Haruka showed a noticeable reaction.

The reason needed no imagination.

Haruka was being tormented day and night just like this.

“So… I understand, Shijouin-san. You must be going through a lot at work, right?”

“Wha…!?”

She gasped loudly, taken aback by my earnest inquiry.

“Is your body also acting up in various ways? Feeling short of breath just from sitting down, being tired but not able to sleep at all…”

“Why… why would you…!?”

“Because I’ve seen plenty of people at work who were pushing themselves too hard. Just by looking at their complexion, I could tell roughly how bad it was. It’s not just today or yesterday that’s been tough. I’m guessing it’s become a daily struggle for you.”

Of course, I could say this with confidence because I knew in detail what had happened to Haruka.

However, even if it hadn’t been the case, I would have been able to sense the oppressive atmosphere surrounding Haruka.

The agony seeping through her face was nothing but that of someone who had been relentlessly torn apart, someone I knew all too well.

(Now, from here…)

With sweat dampening my nervousness, I gazed directly at the adult Haruka.

Just for this moment, I needed to weave reality and fiction together to establish a connection with her.

If we parted here as ‘old classmates,’ there would be no future beyond this.

“Hey, Shijouin-san. I know this is sudden and I apologize, but… would you join me for a meal?”

“Huh!?”

Haruka’s eyes widened in surprise at my casual suggestion.

That was only natural. If we were still students, it might be one thing, but now that we were both adults, this invitation was quite forward.

“…I just spoke to you on a whim, thinking about the old times. I didn’t really plan on getting too involved. I just wanted to talk a bit about back then and say goodbye.”

This was a lie. I knew Haruka’s current situation.

However… if this wasn’t the future I knew, but a world where Haruka was living happily, I would ultimately respect that happiness.

“But… seeing you like this, Shijouin-san, I can’t just leave it at that. That’s what I feel. You’re wearing such a troubled expression.”

“Huh…”

“Just like I said earlier, I’ve seen plenty of people with the same expression who ended up going off the deep end. Each and every one of them… their endings were tragic.”

This was my honest feeling.

No matter what, I wanted to save this adult Haruka, who was imprisoned in a gloomy darkness. I absolutely couldn’t allow her to be swept away into a future of destruction…!

“And… aren’t you keeping it all to yourself, Shijouin-san? You haven’t seriously talked about your pain with your family or anyone else, right?”

“…”

Haruka, who had been struck close to the truth, gasped, but this was something I already knew as well.

If Haruka had communicated her pain to her family… her parents, who cared so deeply for her, wouldn’t leave her be in such a state.

“I’m just a classmate you happened to run into on the street. Tomorrow, I’ll be a stranger again. So—no matter how meddlesome it might be—I think it’s necessary for you right now to let it out.”

“Niihama, you…”

Haruka called out my name, bewildered.

In her voice, there seemed to be a change in her recognition of my existence.

“So, please, Shijouin-san. Just for today, with the familiarity of those days, won’t you accompany me?”

In the night street filled with darkness, I earnestly made my request, illuminated by a streetlight.

Though I repeated my words… no matter what, the two of us were adults of opposite sexes. It wouldn’t be strange for Haruka to think that what I was saying was a pick-up line. How would she react…?

“…and that expression…”

“…?”

I was most concerned about vigilance and rejection, but in the voice that Haruka let slip, there was a strangely curious tone.

W-What’s going on? In the end, what feelings does Haruka hold right now?

“…Then, I’ll gladly take you up on your offer.”

“Huh…”

While this was the response I had hoped for, it was also unexpected.

To draw out those words so quickly—

“I… just want to talk a little more with you, Niihama-kun.”

The smile that appeared on the face of the adult Haruka was, as expected, so beautiful that it captivated.

However, at the same time—there seemed to be a lingering shadow, a terribly fleeting one.