SH – Chapter 2 – A Man Who Boldly Shatters the Protagonist’s Crucial Flag

Irina von Luccaria, the daughter of a duke.

She is the most hardworking individual in this game, [The Heroines’ Fall to Darkness and The Hero of Salvation].

By the way, [The Heroines’ Fall to Darkness and The Hero of Salvation] is often also known as [YamiKyuu].

It’s easier to remember after all.

Despite being a hard worker, Irina’s efforts were judged as nothing more than natural talent by everyone, and it became mentally draining for her.

She ended up targeted by the Evil God right when she was most vulnerable and fell into darkness. That is the quick summary of her story.

As a general rule for myself, I try not to favor one character over another; I live by the motto of loving all heroines equally.

This makes Irina one of the many heroines who I love.

Well, as of right now, I don’t have time to worry about her.

After all, my own life is at stake.

There won’t be any time for romantic matters either… or so I believed.

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Kyaa! What’s that? She’s too cute!

Pure white skin that shines under the sun!

Beautiful silver hair that radiates a divine aura!

A pair of sky-blue eyes that look somewhat tense yet captivating!

A graceful figure which also possesses a feminine charm!

The most beautiful girl has arrived!

Her name is Irina von Luccaria.

She is the girl who will be saved by protagonist-kun in the future.

Damn it! Of all people, why did she choose the spineless bastard of a protagonist?!

If only I had some talent, I would have saved her myself!

I could have swept away the darkness in her heart, just like a dashing prince!

I was in the corner of the classroom, watching Irina while biting down on my handkerchief in frustration.

Today was the first class after summer vacation.

Everyone seemed to still be in the holiday mood, exchanging words like ‘boring’ and ‘annoying’.

And apparently, I don’t have any friends since no one approached to talk to me.

Well, I figured that was the case.

After all, I always bury my face on my desk to sleep.

It’s no wonder I can’t make friends.

But it seems that Irina, just like me, doesn’t have any friends. She is currently studying quietly at her desk, diagonally across from mine.

Hmm? Aren’t our seats quite close to each other?

Could this be a chance!?

Should I strike up a conversation with her!?

At that moment, I was hit with an urge to start a conversation, but I quickly snapped back to reality.

It’s not me who will save her, that job belongs to the protagonist.

And it needs to be that way.

The only one who can defeat the Evil God is the protagonist.

In order for me to avoid the death flag, the protagonist must follow the designated route.

Otherwise, we will end up in a bad ending where the world will be destroyed.

But if we follow the route, all of my beloved heroines will end up together with the protagonist.

What should I do…!

Survival should come first, and honestly, I’m not a match for the girls in the first place.

The protagonist is definitely a better fit for them.

(Sigh… Yeah, that’s right. A useless noble like me wouldn’t be a match with the heroines…)

Realizing the reality of the situation, I reluctantly decided to give up on the heroines.

But!

I’ll make sure to engrave their cuteness into my eyes properly!

*Stare*

*Stare*

As I absentmindedly engraved Irina’s figure into my eyes, she noticed me and approached my seat.

“…What do you want?” (Irina)

Ah!

Shit, I stared too much!

Irina is looking at me coldly, clearly suspicious of me.

This is bad!

Today was supposed to be the event where protagonist-kun talks to Irina for the first time!

And it happens before morning assembly!

If I talk to her now, the chance for the protagonist-kun to talk to Irina will be lost!

But I want to talk to her!

I want to have at least a short conversation with her!

After a few seconds of internal struggle, I succumbed to the temptation and decided to talk to Irina.

“No, it’s just that… I can tell you’re working hard on your studies.” (Louis)

As I said that, Irina’s eyes widened for a brief moment, but she quickly narrowed them and replied coldly.

“Is that meant to be sarcastic?” (Irina)

Urgh, she is really intimidating!

But this gaze might not be all that bad either…

T-This is dangerous, I should stop.

I was on the verge of opening a new door.

“Nah, I genuinely thought that it’s impressive how hard you’re always working.” (Louis)

Back then, I was the guy known as the “Database of YamiKyuu” on the forums.

I know everything about how much effort Irina has put in and the difficult experiences she’s been through!

Of course, I was not being sarcastic. I genuinely respect each and every heroine.

However, for some reason, Irina directed an even colder gaze at me and asked in an equally cold tone.

“Indeed, coming from someone who’s always just lazing around like you, I must look like I’m working hard, right?” (Irina)

Ah, I see.

She seems to have misunderstood my intention as something like, “It’s surprising to see you ‘working hard’ when you can just rely on your natural talent.”

This is bad!

I might accidentally cause her to fall further into darkness!

If that happens, there is the possibility that even protagonist-kun won’t be able to save her.

Think, Louis, think!

Use the conversation skills you have honed throughout the years in the workforce and forums to overcome this!

“You see…I’m sitting at the very back of the classroom.” (Louis)

“What of it?” (Irina)

Irina still has that cold stare fixated on me.

Honestly, it’s quite intimidating.

But I love her!

I can’t back down now, especially when I managed to achieve marriage in my past life (in a game)!

Go! Don’t think, just speak—!

“Being at the very back, you can see the entire classroom. You can observe what everyone is doing, what they are up to.” (Louis)

“….Yeah, so?” (Irina)

“So, that is why I can see that Irina-san is working hard to take notes, staying up late to review them, and waking up early every morning for swordsmanship training.” (Louis)

… Wait, huh?

Did I say a bit too much?

Just because I am at the back doesn’t mean I would know about her reviewing her work or doing swordsmanship training.

Perhaps Irina found that suspicious as well, as she hugged herself and let out a voice of disbelief.

“Could it be that… you’re a stalker?” (Irina)

“N-No, of course not! For instance, you know… sometimes you have faint bags under your eyes, and other times your hand holding the pen starts trembling from what I think are sore muscles, right? So, I thought maybe it’s something like that~” (Louis)

Did I mess up…?

After I finished speaking, Irina widened her eyes again.

And this time, she seemed genuinely surprised.

“Why…?” (Irina)

Irina muttered in a trembling voice.

Alright, time to make a cool statement—!

“It might be surprising to you, but sometimes people actually do notice when you’re putting in effort. True, most people might not see it. And some might only at the surface and criticize you. But remember, there are also those who genuinely see your hard work and secretly support you. So, I hope you can remember that.” (Louis)

Nailed it…

I unintentionally struck a pose with a cool expression.

But, well… these are my true feelings.

I genuinely know that Irina is working hard, and wish for her efforts to be rewarded.

Especially now that I know this world exists.

It’s a bit disappointing that I’m not the one saving her, but if protagonist-kun can manage it somehow, then that’s fine.

First and foremost, their smiles are what matters.

“I-I see… That’s right… I’ve been working hard… all this time…” (Irina)

Huh?

Did I mess something up…?

For some reason, Irina, who took a direct hit from my dramatic lines, returned to her seat with a confused, shocked, and complex expression.

Hmmm, something seemed off.

I should probably follow up later to clear things up.

But!

Seeing Irina up close, she seriously looks like an angel!

My heart involuntarily skipped a beat!

While thinking about that, I was going to look at Irina again but—

Other classmates came into view.

Among them was a slightly timid-looking boy with messy black hair and a kind face.

Currently, he was lazily chatting with what seemed to be his friend.

I see.

He is definitely the protagonist — Allen Albert.

The hidden child of the king of this country, destined to awaken as the hero.

And he is supposed to be the one to go through the crucial event of having the first conversation with Irina.

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TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

Don’t worry MC, I understand. If I ever get reincarnated into a game, I would want to talk to the heroines at least once. It’s a bit sad to not interact with them despite being in the game.

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Footnote:

1. None