I Became the Final Subjugation Target of That Era’s Light Novel

Chapter

“Kurosawa, your complexion looks good these days. Did you get a boyfriend or something?”

“… No.”

I shook my head at Fukuda’s question.

Miura, Fukuda, Yamashita. They were kids I used to hang out with a lot until I dealt with the demon.

We still hung out these days at school.

Ever since I saved Miura’s life, I didn’t need to follow them around. At least I had put off a definite death flag for now, so there was nothing else I could do.

As for Miura’s future… well, it probably depended on Miura’s luck. Unless they suddenly caught some incurable disease or got into an accident, Miura would be just fine.

Maybe because they were kids from a wealthy school, or maybe it was just how Japanese high schoolers had fun, but hanging out with these guys drained quite a bit of money from my wallet.

It wasn’t an unmanageable amount, but it was definitely an expense I couldn’t ignore.

I never particularly tried to distance myself, but after a couple of refusals, they eventually gave up on pushing me.

“By the way, you said you’re in a club? So, are there any decent guys there? A literary boy or something?”

If there were, I bet a youth drama would be unfolding in the literature club by now. Suddenly having a boy join a club with five girls? That would just be a harem, right?

… Hang on, five?

Why did I think there were five? Normally, the four of us that gather in the literature club room are Kaneko, Ikeda, me, and Yuuki.

I quickly recalled the reason I thought that.

There’s a phantom club member in the literature club. Just in case someone gets confused due to the original story, the term “phantom” doesn’t literally mean a ghost.

It just means someone whose name is on the list but has never shown up, so they get treated as a phantom member.

Ikeda and Kaneko know about their existence, but I’ve never told them the name. Naturally, since I never asked, why would they tell me?

And, it was only logical to infer that this unknown gender phantom member was a girl.

There’s no way Ikeda would talk to a guy, right?

Getting a boy to join by having him talk to a guy he’s never met? It would be quicker for me to get a girlfriend.

“…”

“Looks like there isn’t, huh? I can tell just by your expression, yeah.”

Fukuda lightly patted my shoulder as if sympathizing with me.

No, it’s fine. I’m quite happy with an all-girls club.

“Haah, you see—”

But it seemed Fukuda’s words didn’t end there.

Fukuda sighed deeply and sat down next to me. Of course, it was someone else’s seat, but honestly, who would say anything if Fukuda sat like that?

“Remember that guy I was talking to last time? He said he’s going to focus on studying, can you believe it? He’s only a first-year, and that makes any sense? No matter how much he aims for Tokyo University.”

Well, the boys I met in the previous meetings also attended prestigious high schools just as good as this one.

For reference, the guy who asked me to contact him never reached out, and it’s not as if I’m the one just not contacting him.

“… No boyfriend?”

“Why, do I look like I’d have one?”

Fukuda leaned slightly toward me as they asked. It seemed my question made them quite happy.

“Kurosawa probably doesn’t know much about things like that, right?”

Yamashita, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.

What a rude thing to say!

I’ve lived quite a long time in the previous life. I was in my 30s, you know.

Of course, I might still not know much. That’s because I’ve never actually gone out to get a girlfriend.

It’s a good thing nobody’s in my head. If they had heard my excuse a moment ago, they would have smirked.

“Yuuki.”

Miura said with a slightly troubled expression. Yamashita just shrugged.

“By the way, the literature club—Koto Ne-chan joined a boring club, huh? But she fits in.”

That was ambiguous enough to be either an insult or a compliment. Probably neither. Fukuda was the type who would say what they thought without holding back.

“It’s not something we can talk about since we go straight home after school anyway.”

Miura smiled as they chimed in.

“But it’s bothersome, isn’t it? Why stay at school longer when it’s hard just to get through till the sixth period?”

In my case, my purpose was to secure food, but I can’t mention that in front of these guys.

“Yeah. It’s bothersome.”

Yamashita replied to Fukuda’s statement.

“Ahaha…”

Miura laughed, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Oh, but, Koto Ne-chan. How about today? Do you have time?”

Huh?

I looked at Fukuda, who said this with a cheerful laugh.

“You sing really well. I’ve bragged about you to the friends I dated in middle school a bit. So, about today, I made a promise to go to karaoke. Would you come along?”

“…”

I stared at Fukuda.

What should I say? I’m not sure if Fukuda is friendly or just using me. Though going along has never gone dramatically wrong.

Maybe I’d be right to just think of them as a fool who doesn’t pay attention to the details.

“… Alright.”

“Really!?”

Fukuda joyfully responded to my answer.

“Kurosawa, you don’t need to pretend to agree with Fukuda.”

“Mako-chan, what do you mean pretending to agree?”

Miura protested against Fukuda with a sharp tone.

“It’s fine.”

Right.

Going out every day is still a little risky, but with a fixed income now, going out occasionally isn’t such a bad idea.

To be honest, hanging out with the three of them is pretty fun.

Karaoke, huh. It’s been forever since I wanted to go just for fun. Those days when I used to gather with really close friends, sing out loud without a care in the world, and enjoy ourselves.

Well, back then all those friends were same-sex friends, but even so, hanging out with these guys brings back that feeling.

It’s a different vibe from karaoke during company parties, I suppose.

Once I responded with my usual nonchalant expression, Miura let out a small sigh of relief.

It seemed like they genuinely thought I must have hated it and would refuse.

… Maybe I should come up with a reason next time.

*

Today, I vowed to myself.

As soon as Yu○Tube comes out, I’ll record my singing and upload it. Not that I plan to make money or anything, but more like aiming for a first-mover advantage.

Fukuda… and Miura and Yamashita, those three friends were surprised when they heard me sing.

They were complimenting me while ruffling my hair and touching my cheeks like they couldn’t believe it, so I decided to take it as genuine praise for now. Still, it’s not like I think I could become an idol or anything.

Thinking ahead about where to invest for the future isn’t a bad idea, right?

Even though I may look like this, I’m technically a person from the future. I also know various ways to earn money aside from video streaming. Someday, when the coins come out, I plan on buying a bunch and letting them sit for about ten years. And later, I’ll have to buy stocks from companies that earn incredible amounts due to smartphone developments.

I may not know where the highest point is, but I know that holding onto them will generally cause their value to rise.

… And to do all that, I need to earn a lot of money.

“… Ha.”

Once again, back to square one.

Suddenly the saying “from little things, big things grow” hit home.

Fukuda, Miura, Yamashita. And, those middle school friends.

None of them lived outside of Tokyo.

They were all from areas so famous, I’d remember them even when I knew little about Japan.

Their way of having fun was pretty wholesome and not too expensive, but still, seeing their words and actions, I could sense they had no hesitation when it came to spending money.

Perhaps Miura worrying about me was because, out of all of them, I was the only one who recognized I was ‘poor.’

On the train ride back.

It seems there are quite a few people commuting from Saitama to Tokyo.

I guess that makes sense. There were a lot of people commuting from Gyeonggi Province to Seoul too.

In my situation, where it takes about an hour and a half to get to school, I feel a bit sympathetic.

At least it’s a relief I don’t have to transfer.

After spacing out for a while, looking out the train window, we arrive at Omiya Station. There were quite a few people getting off with me.

As I got off at the station—

“Gyaa!?”

Just by chance, I heard someone scream like that.

Heads of people getting off in the same car as me turned towards the sound.

In between the crowd, I spotted someone collapsed on the ground.

“Someone, please call for help!”

A young woman’s voice echoed.

“Are you okay? Can you hear my voice?”

The sounds that followed were typical of someone starting CPR.

Seems the woman must have had some training somewhere.

That should be fine, then.

In general, in such situations, there are rarely people who step up to help which can lead to tragic outcomes. If even one person steps up, then there’s no need to intervene.

Thinking that, I started to walk as usual—

I moved—

“…”

I thought I moved, but oddly, I was somehow moving toward where that woman was shouting.

Damn instincts, damn instincts.

Sighing deeply, as I headed where the woman was, I thought that if she was doing well, there was no need for me to interfere.

I made my way through the crowd to see what was going on.

The woman was young, with a plain appearance in a neat suit. She looked just like a typical office worker.

The man who had collapsed was on the leaner side. Taller than me, but probably not taller than 170cm. Lying weakly on the floor… but he wasn’t lifeless.

He was holding his neck with his hands.

Nearby, some bread and milk were scattered about. Was he planning to grab a meal on the go? In a hurry?

“…”

His face was slowly turning pale. The man hadn’t lost consciousness. He just couldn’t speak.

He couldn’t breathe either.

The woman didn’t seem to know how to handle the situation. She was trying to do what she learned, but she seemed to be debating if that was the right approach.

“… Just a minute.”

I went up to the woman.

“Please help me for a moment.”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

Once I spoke to her, the woman’s expression relaxed a bit. I was still just a high school student after all.

In dangerous situations, if anyone steps up to help, it provides some comfort. Even if the other person isn’t an adult.

“We need to get him on his feet.”

As I said that, the woman nodded quickly.

Noticing the slight hesitation in the two of us, a few nearby guys also helped out. Thankful, because it’s not easy to suddenly lift an adult man whose strength has completely left him.

Once we stood him up, I moved behind the man, holding him up.

Now that I looked, he had a bit of a protruding belly, but aside from that, he was lean enough for me to be able to hold him.

With one hand making a fist and placing it on the man’s chest, I wrapped my other hand around it.

“… Did someone call for help?”

“Ah, yes, I did.”

One of the guys who helped lift the man replied. I nodded in acknowledgment.

As I pulled the man’s chest upward, my face pressed against his back. The weather was already nearing summer, but the man was dressed in a full suit. Of course, it smelled of sweat, but what could be done? I’d smell of it too if I was stuck behind him.

Using both hands, I pulled up on his breastbone with all my might.

I hadn’t thought it would work on the first try. And I’m not that strong either.

Once more, and again. Until the piece of bread stuck in the man’s throat dislodged, or the emergency responders arrived.

This was certainly a bit challenging for my body. As I slightly bent my knees to support the weight, I felt sweat slowly soaking through my clothes.

And—

“Ah!”

The woman, who looked anxious as she watched us, suddenly shouted.

The man took a deep gasp of air. I could feel his waist expanding as the breath filled him.

As I gently laid the man back down, those who were watching came to help again.

Laying the man flat, I stood back up in my place.

While everyone’s gaze was fixed on the man, I slipped out discreetly. At the end, it seemed the woman shouted something to me, but I just ignored it.

When I tapped my card and stepped outside the station, the rescue team was rushing up the stairs.

Ah, my body ended up drenched in sweat again.

Plus, my limbs felt weak. I’d be sore by tomorrow morning.

But what could be done? I should be blaming my inattentiveness towards exercising.

Though I have no major complaints about becoming a pretty girl, it would be nice if I were granted some superhuman strength too.

If I had the power to summon a knife by cutting my wrist, I really wish I could also wield it.

Sighing heavily, I trudged toward the darkening streets.

*

“Hmm?”

As I walked past the gyudon shop, I stopped briefly.

Today… I didn’t feel any sense of discomfort as I passed by here.

In fact, I didn’t stop until I walked a few steps away from the shop. With a feeling of ‘wait, something’s off here.’

“…”

I stepped back a bit and looked inside the gyudon shop.

In the restaurant, middle-aged men were sitting, diligently eating their meals.

But there was no one I was looking for. If there were a woman in white clothes inside, she would definitely have caught my eye.

I guess there’s no need for her to watch me anymore.

Thinking back, the constant following from where I worked to the neighborhood where my house was didn’t make sense. It’s not like I was being stalked.

No, wait, that might actually be stalking? Just that they aren’t a regular person doesn’t change the fact that their behavior fits the definition of one.

I’m sure if we ran into each other again, they’d find a way to track me down.

With that thought, I walked on with a lightened heart.

Though I managed to slip away, honestly, I felt good. Helping someone is inherently a good feeling, right? As long as they don’t question why you saved them or why you took so long to arrive.

And I wasn’t just skipping out on a meal either.

Well, now I no longer have to go to that extent, so maybe it doesn’t matter, right?

Looking up at the sky for no reason, I thought, you’re at least somewhat of a decent person, huh.

Lately, aside from meeting that woman, my luck has been pretty good. I got a free rice cooker, a fan, and at least I had the foundation to manage living expenses at home.

I had a job, and money was coming in. I could probably manage to maintain my living situation.

Right, as long as people allow me to live like a person, that should suffice.

With that in mind, I entered the apartment where I lived.

And then, I felt a sense of discomfort.

Right, that feeling of discomfort.

The one I felt when I was leaving work. And the one I felt in front of the gyudon shop.

“…”

I quickly scanned the surroundings.

And then, I saw the person.

The person was crouched down, watching me.

The apartment buildings aren’t very large. There are four rooms per floor across two floors, and each room isn’t that big so it was only natural.

There were no fences or anything close by.

However, there weren’t many lights around this apartment. It relied on the streetlights and hallway lights.

Though there were many houses nearby, most just had light spilling from their windows. There’s always got to be a place in an apartment complex with fewer lights.

More than anything, that man was positioned in a way that I wouldn’t see him unless I turned my head, that was, he was in a place on the path toward my apartment.

The apartment has no walls, but the nearby houses do.

“…”

At that moment, chills ran down my spine.

It’s not that strange chill I feel when I see a yōkai. At this moment, I felt pure fear, just the kind of sensation I experienced often back in my previous life.

I froze for a few seconds before I started running.

But I fell almost instantly.

I slammed my head on the iron steps leading up to the second floor, yet I felt no pain. It was just the sudden burst of fear that filled my mind, not allowing any other thoughts.

I felt the weight of someone behind me, pressing me down.

Ah, right.

I… I was just using this skinny, under-average-height female body to hold back an adult male’s body.

And I had been running for thirty minutes without a break.

Heavy breathing echoed in my ears. It was almost as if I could hear the sound whispering in my ear, creeping much closer, but this breath was warmer and felt unpleasant.

“Ugh!”

I tried to scream, but something was forcefully blocking my mouth.

“Koto Ne-chan.”

A man’s voice was heard. His large hand clamped over my mouth, not letting me move my head as I wished.

I struggled, trying to crawl up the steps. I grasped the steps with my hands, but it was impossible to carry the weight of both of us.

“Why… why didn’t you come today?”

Why didn’t I come? Where?

—The gyudon shop? No way, right?

How did I connect that feeling with the man’s words? That’s because—

Ah, right. The foreign voice had warned me to be cautious. As though it were enjoying the moment. As if it was curious about what would happen.

That was it.

I couldn’t remember his face or voice. I was not someone who paid much attention to the appearance and actions of others.

I… I mean…

No, what did I do wrong?

I was just living normally.

I thought I’d died, then was reborn into a world I didn’t even remember properly, and I was trying to survive. I hadn’t asked for anything.

Ah, damn it. If you have a conscience, this is not how you act.

Stalking? If you had to tell me, someone, at least tell me properly.

“Hmm? Where have you been?”

I don’t know. I just went out with friends.

No matter how I tried to turn my body, it wouldn’t cooperate. So, I gave up on climbing the stairs and tried to pry the man’s hand off my mouth. It seemed to work a little.

As my fingers stuck between his and my face, I tried to twist his fingers, but his other hand grabbed my hand.

No, even if I screamed, nobody would react. This apartment’s walls were probably thin.

Slowly, my head was lifted. The man tightened his grip on my face.

My gaze rose toward the stairs, and I saw… an empty staircase.

Nobody there.

No one—

—was there.

—there was.

‘Something’ was looking down at me, or rather, perhaps it was gazing down at the man behind me.

It had a bright red face.

Its eyes were enormous, glaring at me at a terrifying angle. Two red horns sprouted from its head, and it wore… something that looked like a straw raincoat?

An oni.

That’s how it seemed to me. An oni that looked as if it had jumped right out of a picture book.

In its hand was a large kitchen knife.

The oni, standing at the top of the steps looking down at me, slowly started to walk towards me, its silhouette reflecting the light from the hallway.

“What.”

The man behind me who was pressing down on my waist muttered.

There was a little less force in his grip.

With all my might, I twisted the fingers keeping my mouth shut behind me.

“Argh!?”

With a snap, something distinctly broke or unlatched, and the man’s index finger was bent almost to his knuckles.

“Hey—”

As the man hastily let go of my mouth, I clung to his finger, applying as much force as I could.

Even while I was doing this, the oni with the kitchen knife continued to approach me.

“Let go! Let go of me!”

Why would I?

Now, my body was lying flat against the steps.

The man’s face was clearly visible. His face was slick with sweat. At a glance, he looked pretty average. Kind of like an ordinary man you might see at the gyudon shop.

…I’ve seen him before.

This man was a regular at the maid cafe. Though he had a face so average you’d forget it in about three seconds, I remembered because he called me by my surname.

As I fell, I heard the man scream.

Thud! Thud! I heard windows opening nearby.

His sweaty fingers finally slipped away from mine.

The man dropped backward and rolled a few times down the steps. With a thud! his back hit the floor and he lay sprawled out flat.

I heard a commotion from the crowd. Someone might have come outside, right? Perhaps there was someone who had called the police—

No, more importantly.

I rapidly sprang to my feet.

My heart pounded fiercely. The oni kept looking directly at me.

Seeing the hand that wasn’t holding the knife move toward me, I leaned in desperation.

“Wait—”

I thought I heard that voice.

I was gasping for breath as I looked at the oni.

Its expression remained unchanged. It glared at me, mouth twisted in rage, eyes wide open.

But, as if it suddenly realized something, it awkwardly stretched its hands toward me.

As if to stop me.

“Stay calm. Just a moment… wait a moment. Can you think it over?”

The oni spoke.

It too was panting, but was trying to remain calm.

Though it was speaking, its mouth didn’t move.

I froze, staring at the creature.

The oni took a few careful steps forward, then suddenly realized something and grabbed underneath its chin.

Then it pulled off its face—

No, not its face, but its mask.

I didn’t know what it was made of, but when the man dropped it on the floor, I heard a thunk.

“What happened today was terrible, but… think this over one time. Life is only once, right?”

A face so shockingly handsome.

When the mask was removed, the gentle and slightly pale face looked quite ordinary. He seemed to be in his late twenties.

He had the impression of an elementary school teacher.

“Now, put down the knife.”

I looked down at the knife I was holding against my wrist.

“Huh? Just a moment, let’s talk for a second.”

“……”

I looked back at the man.

It seemed he thought I was trying to take my own life.

I slowly pulled the knife away from my wrist and set it on the floor.

Only then did the man seem to lose his strength, collapsing onto the ground.

As the blood that had rushed to his head slowly cleared, I had the chance to reassess the situation.

…Looks like it didn’t feel like the same fear I get when I see a yōkai.

He was… a person.

From the beginning.

Among the four doors in the hallway, only one was ajar.

That was next to my room.

The room where I could always hear the guy snoring.

“… Haah.”

I exhaled deeply.

What on earth… led to this?

Well, I guess.

If that guy up there had any sense of guilt, he would have put me somewhere better than this in the first place.

Whoever that is, they are one truly pathetic bastard.

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