I was Reincarnated as a Side Heroine in a Yuri Game, and with all my Power I will Protect my Favorite Character

opped moving when I said that.

“No matter how much you worry about it, the conclusion will be the same, right?”

Because the person you like is Sugimura-senpai.

Even if you are treated coldly, even if you are rejected once, you like her so much not to give up?

“It’s okay.
I’m prepared for it.”

“It’s not that simple.
.
.”

“It isn’t.
However, I’ve been waiting for this for 10 years, and it’s finally here.”

“Haha.
.
.
it hits hard when you say that.
.
.”

After a weak laugh, Aoi-chan gave a big sigh and raised her head.
She then bowed her head deeply and said “I’m sorry.”

“I can’t date you, Koharu.”

“Yeah.”

“I have someone else I like.”

“I know.”

Aoi-chan’s eyebrows lowered and apologized with a pitiful face.
She has not changed at all, she had the same expression when she’d apologized on the verge to tears to her angry mother.

I’ve always liked how expressive she is, despite it sometimes being in a childish manner.
I secretly admired it.

“Naturally, I won’t help you.”

“I’m not that much of a demon, I’d never ask that!”

“Ahaha, I know.”

Talking like this again has made me realize how much I’ve swallowed the words “I like you.” along with the many things I wanted to say.

That these feelings perhaps go beyond the realm of friendship, and if I said that my feelings might have been revealed.

The number of things I couldn’t say out of fear of that increased, and the lies and deceptions piled up, distorting our relationship.

Although I was rejected, it feels good to be able to tell her how I feel.
When was the last time I felt so at ease when talking to Aoi-chan?

After that we talked incessantly.
From light hearted talks to true feelings we’ve both been hiding from each other.
It was as if we were making up for the time we lost.

When I asked her why she liked Sugimura-senpai, she seemed really uneasy, but after coaxing her several times she reluctantly told me.
From what I got out of it, I could sum it up to being about looks, but she got angry saying I shouldn’t sum it up to that.

“Sugimura-senpai is pretty standoffish with me, but you eat with her at lunch time.
What is she like there?”

“Hmmm.
.
.
A cute good-for-nothing.”

“What the, A gap moe! I want to see it too!”

“Eh- I think that’s impossible for you as long as you keep chasing her around like that.”

“I already know that!”

Ah, As I thought, she understands.

Even though Aoi-chan is a very caring child, I’ve always wondered why she’s like that when she’s with Senpai.
If she already knew this, she must have something in mind.

“Your personality has changed hasn’t it Koharu?”

“I’ve always been like this.
Until recently, I was just hiding myself because I was pessimistic.”

“So then, that means you’re more optimistic now?”

“Yeah, it’s actually thanks to the person you like.”

“Wah, you really have changed.”

Despite her words, she seemed genuinely happy.

“Well, it’s good to be optimistic.”

“I think so too.”

I used to feel like I was in the dark.
So scared I couldn’t take a single step forward.
I couldn’t see a single ray of light.

However it was natural I couldn’t see anything.
I had casted my eyes down for so long.

It was those two people that made me look up.
They called out to me, and when I looked up scared of what I’d see, I saw light in the distance.

I stepped out towards the light, and with each step, my surroundings lit up.
The world I saw dramatically changed.

“I just rejected you a bit ago, but looking at you now, it doesn’t seem like that happened at all.”

“Eh, you are telling the person you dumped that?”

“Sorry.
But you look more lively.
When you confessed to me earlier I was so worried about the kind of face I should carry around you, but now we are just talking normally.”

“You were worried about that?”

“Obviously!”

Well I’d think so too.
I couldn’t say it for a long time because I was scared about what would happen after being rejected.

“I didn’t want you to disappear, but since I couldn’t reciprocate your feelings I was prepared that it couldn’t be helped if you wanted to leave.”

“You really thought like that? Even though you stuck it through after being dumped.”

“I understand the feelings of being rejected, so I thought it wouldn’t be right to force you to stay by me.”

“Ah, I see.
.
.”

Aoi-chan is having her own conflicts and mixed feelings.

Personally, I want Sugimura-senpai to fulfill her love for Sara-san.
I think they both like each other, but Aoi-chan doesn’t know any of this.

“Well I’ll stay with Aoi-chan, as a childhood friend.”

“Thank you! Me too, you are my important childhood friend! ! !”

Saying that, Aoi-chan lept and hugged me tightly.

I’m a little surprised that Aoi-chan would do something like that to someone she just rejected.
However it reminded me of the lack of restraint towards me, maybe this is her way of being sweet.

It’s a pity she doesn’t seem to me as a romantic interest, but she calls me her precious childhood friend, and that’s all right.
Thanks to those words I could take another step forward.

This was the conclusion to my long held first love.
These little heavy feelings right now will surely become a beautiful memory someday.
I think it would be great if I could laugh about this with Aoi-chan later on as grown ups.
For that reason, I will move forward.
Raise my head and take one step at a time with my own two feet.

The faces of my two Senpai came to mind as I was hugged by Aoi-chan.

I heard a familiar compliment in my head, saying “You did your best.” The top of my nostril felt a little moist.