The real trouble starts now.
I've actually become friends with Liesha Edelheit. For a "mob¹" character like me, this is a statistical impossibility. Worse, thanks to my slip of the tongue, I've already handed her a massive clue regarding Todo Seiya's curse. I've effectively steamrolled a huge chunk of the story where the protagonist, Todoroki Rekka, is supposed to build his bond with her.
Technically, you don't find out which route Rekka picks until the School Festival, but the "Common Route" usually lets you grind out at least some friendship points. But if he doesn't lock into Liesha's route? Todo Seiya's curse is permanent.
Every route is a fresh start-except for the "True End²," where everyone keeps their memories from the other timelines. That one is a total riot... everyone fighting over the protagonist is just too good. Wait, focus. Stay.
Anyway, since I'm now officially Liesha-san's friend, I want to be someone she can actually rely on. Roles and "mob" status don't matter here. I just want to help her, as a friend. Naturally, my trust in Liesha-san is already capped at max, but her trust in me? It's probably in the gutter.
So, if I suddenly drop some completely insane, out-of-this-world theory on her, how is she going to react?
[ANSWER 1]
"How could you... I'm coming to you with a serious problem, and you're just making fun of me? I was an idiot to trust you!"
[ANSWER 2]
"Is that so! I believe in you, and I'll do exactly as you say!"
Yeah, right. I can tell Choice 2 is impossible just by imagining it. If she actually said that, I'd be worried she's the kind of person who gets scammed by every two-bit swindler on the street. What do I do? Every dialogue option feels like a fast track to a Bad End.
"... (Sakaki-kun is really agonizing over this. He must be carefully weighing how to inform me. He even knew a Top Secret national secret... someone with that kind of reach must be seriously worried about whether he's even allowed to tell me this. He's doing this for my sake.)"
"Liesha-san," Sakaki said.
"Y-Yes!"
"Uh... okay, let me give you a disclaimer first," Sakaki muttered.
"A disclaimer?"
"Yeah. What I'm about to tell you includes some things that are going to sound... unbelievable. First, you have to promise not to tell a soul. And second..."
"I understand. I'm well aware of how heavy information can be," Liesha replied. "I have no intention of telling anyone. What's the second thing?"
"..."
I really hit a wall here. Because no matter how I look at it, I can't do this alone. I'm just not strong enough. If she tries to go there by herself, she's going to die. At best. I have to avoid that... I will avoid that. Even if she ends up hating me for what I say next.
"... I need you to ask Todoroki Rekka for help. If it's Rekka, he can definitely help. Without him... it's impossible."
"Todoroki...? Oh, that red-haired guy. Got it," Liesha said.
"Wait, what!?"
I was floored. Why was she being so reasonable? Liesha was supposed to be obsessed with curing Todo Seiya herself. That was her whole deal in her own character route.
'You know, Rekka... at first, I didn't want to team up with you. Todo-sensei only got cursed because he threw himself in front of that demon to save me. That's why I felt there was meaning in me saving him.'
That's what she's supposed to confess, with that heartbreaking look on her face. So why is she taking this so well now?
"Hehe, is it really that surprising that I'd just nod?" Liesha asked.
"!!"
"... Honestly, I'm a little surprised myself. But Sakaki-kun... you're the friend who worked so hard to find the right words for me. I can tell. That's why I chose to believe you. Is that not a good enough answer?"
"No, it's... thank you. Thanks for believing in a guy like... in me. I swear, Liesha-san, I will never lie to you."
"And thank you, too. So, will you tell me? How we break Todo-sensei's curse."
"Okay. But I can't give you the whole thing at once. We're going to need help from the vice-leader of the Alchemy class, too," Sakaki explained.
"The Alchemy class? Those are second-years, right? We've only been through two days of school since the Opening Ceremony... Seriously, Sakaki-kun, what is your intel network made of?"
While Liesha-san looked at me with exasperation, I started walking her through the requirements for the Sword Saint route. Getting the vice-leader of the Alchemy class to trust us is its own nightmare-you have to grind through an insane amount of fetch quests for him-but we'll manage. I was so focused that I didn't notice the main character squad eavesdropping on us as we arrived at school.
* * *
"Damn, I can't hear a word they're saying from this far back... Misuzu, can we get closer?" Rekka whispered.
"No way! Any closer and we're busted. Reo's mana-sense is probably sharper than all of ours combined," Misuzu replied.
"She's right. Even I can't see the ceiling of Reo-san's true power," Mikiya added.
"Whoa!? Saionji, when did you get here!?" Rekka yelped.
"You were curious too, so you followed them. I simply did the same," Saionji said.
"Mikiya, you too!?"
"Rekka, shut up! Everyone, stay low! We're going to close the gap slowly so Reo and that woman don't spot us!" Misuzu hissed.
The four of them huddled together, creeping forward until they caught a fragment of the conversation.
"... I need you to ask Todoroki Rekka for help. If it's Rekka, he can definitely help. Without him... it's impossible."
!!
Those few words were more than enough to send a shockwave through Todoroki Rekka's heart.
"Reo... that bastard. He really knows how to make a guy feel special. Don't you worry, buddy... since you put your faith in me, I'm gonna knock it out of the park!" Rekka shouted.
"Dammit... Reo, why weren't you talking about me?" Mikiya grumbled.
"It seems... I need to work on my relationship with Reo-san as a matter of extreme urgency," Saionji noted.
"Ugh, Reo! You should be telling her to rely on the flawless, invincible me! Why are you looking at that moron Rekka!?" Misuzu cried.
"Who are you calling a moron!?"
Hidden-or rather, failing to be hidden-behind a single utility pole, the group was standing out like a sore thumb.
Summary:
Sakaki Reo realizes his growing friendship with Liesha Edelheit is disrupting the game's original plot. He decides to help her cure their teacher, Todo Seiya, but insists she involve the protagonist, Rekka, for her own safety. Unbeknownst to them, Rekka and his party are eavesdropping, leading to a comedic misunderstanding where Rekka feels deeply touched by Reo's 'faith' in him.
Trivia:
- Sakaki's internal trust level for Liesha is already 'maxed' due to his player knowledge.
- The 'True End' is unique because characters retain memories from other routes.
- Liesha's original character arc involved a solo, guilt-driven quest to save Todo-sensei.
- The group of four students is attempting to hide behind a single utility pole.
- It has only been two days since the school's entrance ceremony
Character Insight:
Liesha shows significant growth by choosing to trust Sakaki's advice over her scripted obsession with solo-atonement. Sakaki demonstrates true selflessness by pushing Liesha toward the 'actual' hero to ensure her survival, even at the risk of his own standing.
Behind the Scenes:
The author recently changed the heroine's name from Liesha Valentine to Liesha Edelheit to better suit the world-building.
TL Notes:
1 ↩ Mob: Short for 'Mobile Object' or 'Mob Character', referring to a background character with no significant role in the plot.
2 ↩ True End: The final, most comprehensive ending of a game where all mysteries are solved and usually all heroines are saved.
Notes:
• Liesha Edelheit - A student in Class E. Known as the 'Sword Saint' and the strongest sub-character. A young girl with S-rank strength and speed. She was saved by Todo Seiya in the past and blamed herself for his injury. She approaches Reo at the end of the chapter. Beautiful girl with silver hair that shimmers in the sunlight, long slender limbs, and an idol-like face. She admires Todo Seiya.
• Todoroki Rekka - Red-haired 'Brave Fantasy' true protag—hot-blooded, friendly Class A golden boy with sky-high phys/magic stats, 'Child Prodigy of East Middle.' Big Four member, body reinforcement magic ace, calls Reo 'buddy,' zero chill on personal space, popular frank dude with bottomless optimism.
• Todo Seiya - Great General and former Supreme Commander of the Military. Currently the homeroom teacher for Reo's class. Known as the 'Grim Reaper' by demons. Has a scarred/cursed dominant arm. He started his career at age 14.
• Reo - Reincarnated HS dude who grinded 'Brave Fantasy' 100+ times, now a bland mob in the game world—black hair, Class E #6 by the back door, F-rank stats but plot meta-knowledge + magic flow reading to sideline-support heroes. Lil' bro to Saki & Taku, survives as background bro.