SH – Chapter 3 – The Man Who Demonstrates Using Actions and Not Just Words

The game literally just started and I managed to shatter the protagonist’s, aka Allen’s crucial flag, but I’m not the type to be discouraged by this.

There should still be chances for course correction.

Probably… possibly… maybe…

I was thinking of staying away from Irina to prevent worsening her already not-so-good reputation for the time being.

Ultimately, it won’t be a problem as long as Allen steps in and crushes the bad reputation himself.

As long as Allen and Irina can work together, there should be no need to worry about her falling into darkness.

Well, if I was the one working together with her, it might lead both of us to a death route.

But I’m not the type to make such a blunder.

There are ways to make up for the lost flag without making direct contact.

The biggest problem is that the feelings of inferiority and jealousy people have towards Irina are pretty deep-rooted.

Changing this perception will be quite challenging.

Even in the game, Allen couldn’t completely resolve this issue.

But I will do it.

For the sake of my Oshi¹, I’ll do whatever it takes – that’s what being an otaku is all about.

While half-listening to the “Magic Studies” class, I start frantically writing down my plan in a notebook.

The plan I came up with is as follows:

First, I’ll start by spreading rumors like, “Maybe Irina isn’t as bad as we make her out to be…”

However, this alone is undoubtedly still weak.

It lacks the impact needed to overturn her bad reputation.

So, I’ll stage a little play to make her efforts known throughout the school.

With that thing, it should be easy to achieve.

That thing revealed a level of dedication that even I, back when I was playing [YamiKyuu], would be astonished by.

Once we reach this point, one final push should be enough.

All that’s left is for me to become the villain, while Irina plays the role of the hardworking hero who defeats me. This should be good enough of a catalyst.

Luck is on my side because I’m infamous for being a master of slacking off.

If I can cleverly utilize my own bad reputation, I should be able to completely erase the negative image surrounding Irina.

Her bad reputation has spread this far due to Irina’s high pride and lack of communication.

In other words, because of her high pride, she can’t show her efforts to those around her.

Due to her lack of communication with others, she’s perceived as being pretentious².

The thing is that once a bad reputation starts to spread, it will be difficult to stop.

However, all it takes is a small catalyst and you can overturn that bad reputation.

By the way, with her high pride and hardworking nature, she had a lot of fans in my past life. Of course, I’m also one of them.

Well then, now that the plan is set, I think I’ll take a break.

Luckily, it seems like even the teachers are already fed up with me, so I won’t get scolded even if I doze off.

＋＋＋

Once it was lunch break, I immediately began acting on my plan.

The first thing to do is spread the rumor that Irina isn’t a bad person, but this is also quite challenging.

After all, I don’t have any friends.

Even if I try to spread the rumor, it’s meaningless if no one actually listens to it.

And so — —

“Sorry for intruding~!” (Louis)

I swung the door to the Student Council room wide open.

That girl should be here.

If it’s her, she can easily spread the rumor.

Upon entering, I was met with a girl giving me a disdainful look.

As written in the official game material, this girl with the scornful gaze is none other than Louis’s sister and the Public Relations Officer of the Student Council, Leila von Armstrong.

She has the same red-colored hair as me, except it reaches all the way to her shoulder and possesses a dignified, swordsman-like aura. She’s one of the heroines in this story.

She is also destined to fall into darkness in the future, but that event is still a long way off. I’ll put that on hold for now.

During that event, I, Louis, have one particular moment where I can shine in the story.

Yea…, I’ll make sure to stand out once I come across that moment.

After all, it’s the only spotlight I get in the game, and right after that, I’m unceremoniously killed by a slime, and deleted from the story.

“What’s wrong, Ani³?” (Leila)

Leila shoots me a somewhat irritated look.

Yep, just as I thought, my little sister (imouto) is beautiful too.

She probably came to the royal capital ahead of me because she had to run some student council errand, which is also probably why she wasn’t at the mansion yesterday.

…Yep, it’s not like she left early because she didn’t want to go to school with her brother, right?

“Mmm… Do I need a reason to come and see how my sister’s doing?” (Louis)

“Ani, you seem even more creepier than usual today.” (Leila)

She pulled back after hearing me.

I’m sad.

Well, now’s not the time for such farce.

“Leila, do you know a girl named Irina von Luccaria?” (Louis)

“…Yeah, I’ve heard of her, at least.” (Leila)

Leila nodded with a subtle expression.

Leila isn’t the kind of person to judge people based solely on rumors, so she probably doesn’t like the negative reputation Irina has been getting.

That’s likely the reason behind her subtle expression.

I straightened myself up and stood in front of Leila, who was munching on her lunch at the desk.

“…W-What?” (Leila)

She seemed bewildered by my actions.

However, I paid no mind and proceeded to perform a full-blown dramatic dogeza⁴ right in front of her.

“Please, Leila! Please help me!” (Louis)

“E-EHHHH!? What’s wrong, Ani!? Did you eat something weird!?” (Leila)

Leila’s surprised voice echoed in response to my words.

I remained on the floor, rubbing my head against the ground, while continuing to plead with her.

“Of course, I know I’m an annoying presence for you, like a thorn in your side. But this is something I really need your help with.” (Louis)

As I spoke, Leila awkwardly averted her gaze.

It seemed like she was indirectly acknowledging the part that I was an annoying presence for her.

Yes—Leila is aiming to become the student council president in the future.

However, if her own brother is recognized as a slacker and useless person, it’s undoubtedly going to hinder her chances in the presidential election.

That’s why Leila has always kept her distance from me and avoided being associated with me as much as possible at school.

The fact that Leila and I are twin siblings is still not known to those around us.

We are only first-year students, so we have managed to keep it well hidden.

However, if she helps me, we will end up spending more time together, and there is a risk that our relationship could be exposed.

In other words, if she helps me, there is a chance that it could shatter her dream.

I have some ideas on how to handle that problem, but for now, I need to address the fact that I’m facing her.

“…Ani, what do you want me to help you with?” (Leila)

Leila truly is a very understanding person.

Instead of immediately rejecting the request, she is trying to understand the situation.

She’s too good of a sister for someone like me.

“I want to remove Irina’s bad reputation. I have already come up with a plan for that. So, I’m hoping you can spread a rumor that suggests that Irina might be a hardworking person.” (Louis)

As I spoke, Leila’s eyes widened.

Then, she looked down for a moment, but soon lifted her gaze to meet mine.

“Are you serious?” (Leila)

“Very.” (Louis)

I replied shortly and nodded firmly.

“Is that so… How many years has it been since Ani decided to work hard for someone else?” (Leila)

“Well, I haven’t been counting, so I’m not sure.” (Louis)

Actually, it’s probably best not to know.

“It’s a bit annoying that the person you’re willing to work hard for isn’t me…” (Leila)

“Eh? What does that mean?” (Louis)

“No, it’s nothing. Okay, I’ll help. But I want to see that Ani is truly committed to this.” (Leila)

Leila nodded and said so.

Her gaze firmly locked onto my eyes.

I made sure to meet her gaze without looking away.

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.” (Louis)

“…It’s not really for you, but for Irina. I was starting to feel a bit sympathetic towards her bad reputation.” (Leila)

For some reason, my sister suddenly averted her gaze as she said that.

Well, I understand that it’s not for my sake.

After all, I’m the slacker who is a hindrance to her dream.

“Uh, there’s one thing I forgot to mention.” (Louis)

“What is it?” (Leila)

“Well, even if Irina’s bad reputation gets cleared up, I absolutely don’t want her to know what I did.” (Louis)

Leila looked at me again.

Her expression was filled with surprise.

“…Why? Doesn’t that make all your efforts meaningless?” (Leila)

“There’s still a point to it. If a girl has a sad expression and is going through a tough time, it’s a man’s duty to lend a hand, even if he doesn’t get rewarded for it.” (Louis)

Well, if it’s discovered that I did it, it might also raise my death flag if it gets in the way of Allen and Irina’s relationship.

I absolutely want to avoid that at all costs.

It’s regrettable and frustrating, but I have to accept it—I’m simply not the person who should be standing on this stage.

However, for some reason, Leila managed to put on a forced smile that seemed like she was about to cry, and she said this.

“I’m relieved that Ani is still Ani.” (Leila)

…Huh? What does that mean?

I don’t quite understand.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Leila nodded to herself as if she had come to a conclusion, and whispered softly.

“It’s a bit sad that the person you are working hard for isn’t me… But, I can sense your determination, Ani. It’s like I am looking at the old you again. I feel nostalgic and happy, but also sad… You really are quite the sinner, Ani.” (Leila)

I didn’t really understand what she was saying, but well, it’s fine.

I turned my back to her and spoke as I left the room.

“Well then, Leila. Thanks for listening to my request.” (Louis)

“Fufu~ you’re welcome.” (Leila)

Her tone was somewhat cheerful, yet for some reason, it was also filled with a sense of sadness.

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TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

Bruh if you know that Leila is trying to avoid being associated with you, then of course she’s not going to go to school with you.

Putting that aside, I’m surprised that her sister is quite understanding and forgiving. Their relationship doesn’t seem that strained, maybe she was still hopeful that Louis could change.

Actually, now that I think about it, Louis (game) didn’t really do anything bad, he just stopped trying and started slacking. I guess there isn’t really a reason for his family to hate him all that much. They are probably just disappointed.

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Footnote:

1. Oshi means favorite character in this context
2. People think that she is trying to look more important than she really is.
3. Ani means older brother but in a more polite way.
4. Dogeza is when you kneel on the ground and bow your head to the floor. Basically MC is begging her for help.