I'm Surrounded By Too Many Death Flags!

Chapter VI

A/N: This is a revised chapter. Thawing_Ice, my best friend and artist, read the original version of this chapter (which I wrote way back last December 2019), and concluded that the original was way better than the Chapter VI I've posted last week. After much consideration, I decided to just revise the whole chapter and merge the original with the new one. And this is the result.

Breathing the same air as the Emperor proved as stressful as I thought it would be.

Since he was one of the capture targets of [mon étoile] that would bring upon my destruction ends, naturally, I have to be careful and raise my vigilance around him at all times. I have to watch out for every word that comes out of my mouth and for every action that I do, because I couldn't risk offending him and triggering death flags as a result. He may be a primary schooler at the moment, but that doesn't mean I have to lower my guard. Whenever I remember what Igarashi had done to the original Akemi in the game as punishment for hurting the heroine, cold shivers would run down my back.

At that time, since I was basking in the joy of finally getting the good ending after getting four bad endings in a row, I could care less about the villainess' suffering at the hands of this particular capture target. She had it coming anyway – and at that moment, I was also feeling a bit vengeful, because she was mainly the reason why I got straight four bad endings – so I didn't pay her any attention at all.

However, from what I could garner from that specific scene alone, where he did all sorts of terrible things to the original Akemi – behind Rikka-chan's back, of course, for I'm more than certain she'll only hate him for it – the first male lead is indeed, truly deserving of his title as the Emperor: cruel and ruthless.

And to think I'll be headed down that route soon if I didn't do anything about this predicament that I'm in...

Ugh, with the way things are going, I'll die from a heart attack before a capture target even get to me. Kami-sama, I'm too young to die!

"...Mifune-san? Mifune-san, are you listening?"

I snapped out of my daze as Mayumi-san's voice reached my ears. She was looking at me worriedly, her eyebrows drawn together in concern. I realized then that I had started to stare off to space somewhere in the middle of our conversation, which must have weirded her out (I can't blame her). I coughed to hide my embarrassment.

"Y-yes, of course."

Mayumi-san wasn't fooled, it seems. "Mifune-san, is something bothering you? I've noticed you looked out of it ever since I came here to visit. Also, you're looking a little pale. Tell me, has something happened at the school you're attending?"

I forced out a smile, trying to alleviate her worries. "I assure you, it's nothing, Suzuki-san."

"But you clearly look like you're concerned about something..."

I laughed awkwardly, shaking my head. "It was nothing important, Suzuki-san. I was just thinking about the newest Poison Master volume that Kotou-san released recently..."

She looked utterly unconvinced by my lame ass excuse. Who wouldn't? I could clearly tell she was itching to ask (read: interrogate) me, but upon noticing my persistence not to pursue the matter any further, she pursed her lips and gave up her questioning.

We spent the entire afternoon chatting about our shared obsession with some of the newly released manga and anime that had been at the top charts as of late, and avoided the topic of school altogether.

And when the time of her departure finally came, I secretly let out a sigh of relief.

It wouldn't bode well for someone to share my burden, as much as I long to tell that person about my fears. For as long as I've got the cursed words 'villainess' tattooed on my forehead, I can never guarantee the safety of those especially close to me. I'm literally a walking magnet which has an affinity for attracting bad luck – since I was doomed to have a destructive ending (or endings, if all six capture targets chose to gang up on me in the end) should I fail in reversing my fate, those around me will suffer immensely.