Help! I changed the gender of the male protagonist in the yandere game

She confessed her feelings to me.

This was a rare experience for Hyakusuke.

On the other hand, he was certain that it wasn't a prank.

She was looking up at him, her dark, bright eyes wide open.

—The girl confessing to him had a very serious look in her eyes.

She wasn't making this decision on a whim; she was quite serious about it.

"I like you, Hyakusuke."

The girl shyly confessed her love.

"I want to be with you forever…"

At that moment, Hyakusuke was overwhelmed by the girl's sincere gaze, and he felt a slight urge to back away.

'Honestly… this is a bit difficult to handle, isn't it?'

He felt somewhat conflicted.

There was a slight silence between them.

They stared at each other, Hyakusuke remaining silent.

The setting sun shone on the girl's slender neck, her skin as white as fresh snow, her face and ear tips flushed with a faint red.

At this moment, enduring her shyness, she reached out and tightly gripped his sleeve.

Hyakusuke frowned, puzzled by the turmoil in his heart.

"I really like you, Hyakusuke-oniichan. Although it's not possible now, I hope to become your wife in the future…"

This was a near-direct hit.

At the same time, her right fingertips touched his right hand.

Hyakusuke's heart rate suddenly accelerated violently, the moment of contact feeling like a sweet lightning strike.

"No, I'm afraid that's not possible."

Hyakusuke suppressed his jumbled thoughts and interrupted her.

"I'm not a lolicon… no, you're too young, Yeme."

"What~"

Yeme pouted. "I can get married in just two years, no, one year!"

Her hand didn't leave, and she leaned closer.

"I'm serious, why can't I?"

"No, this kind of prank on adults, it's fine if it's just me, but it would be troublesome to say that to others."

Hyakusuke tried to evade the issue.

He wanted to twist the matter into a "child's prank."

"Why? Why doesn't Hyakusuke-oniichan believe me? I'm not confessing to you with the intention of playing a prank."

Her clear black and white eyes saw through his heart.

"I'm not a child anymore… Oniichan has to give me an answer."

"That…"

Hyakusuke rested his chin on one hand.

"The answer is still no."

"Why?"

"I can't see you as a romantic interest."

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Enough, these questions are meaningless."

Hyakusuke couldn't stand her repeated "whys" and gently flicked her forehead.

"No means no."

"That hurts~ Also, Oniichan is too overbearing."

She covered her forehead, looking resentful.

"I was being very serious, not even caring about being shy, and I still got rejected after trying so hard."

Yeme's eyes became teary.

"I'm really sorry, I also like Yeme… but not in that way."

Hyakusuke smiled and stroked her hair like he was petting a small animal.

"Yeme, you say you 'like me,' and maybe you really are serious, but you're still too young… When you grow up a little more, you might not think that way."

"I won't."

"Then let's wait three years. If you still like me after three years, I'll say yes."

"R-Really…?"

Yeme couldn't help but smile, but the next moment, she gave him a suspicious, distrustful look.

"Wait, are you lying to me? Will Oniichan say things like 'Hahahaha~ That was just a child's joke, you can't take it seriously' in three years to brush me off?"

"W-Well…"

Cold sweat dripped down Hyakusuke's forehead.

Kids these days are hard to fool.

He knew that Yeme was serious, but he didn't think that this feeling would last for long. This kindness was probably just a temporary admiration.

Hyakusuke was an adult after all, and he knew that time would dilute everything. In a few years, the girl's thoughts would be different.

"Never mind."

Yeme puffed up her cute cheeks and muttered to herself.

'Even if my first confession fails, I'll just continue to act like a little sister… Anyway, I'm still young and have plenty of opportunities. It's okay to start over… If he gets married early, I'll make him break up with her, and it's okay to snatch the child back.'

She seemed to be talking about some terrifying life plan. However, Hyakusuke decided to ignore it. Frankly, even if this girl was precocious, she was still just a child.

…

"Don't underestimate her just because she's a child, aaaaaahhhhh!!!"

Hiding in the shadows with her invisibility skill, Tsukigara Yome clenched her fists. She had been squatting here since before the confession began.

She had received an anonymous tip that morning, a letter that had appeared on her desk at some point, saying that Yeme was planning to find an opportunity to confess to Hyakusuke.

After receiving this news, she hurriedly woke up her foster sister, Ayaka, and dragged her to the confession site.

"What's the big deal? This has nothing to do with us, does it?"

"How can you say that?"

Yome's tone was agitated.

"Besides, if it's Miss Yeme, she's a good girl, right?"

Her foster sister, Ayaka, said in a deep voice, "As the saying goes, 'You'll get kicked by a horse if you interfere with someone else's love life.' What are you doing, brother?"

"T-This…"

Yome hesitated, but she quickly thought of an excuse.

"O-Of course it's because she's too young~ We can't let the upright Hyakusuke-sama turn into a pervert who's interested in children!"

"No, what if he originally liked her…?"

"N-No way. The person Hyakusuke-sama should marry is a slightly older, mature beauty, preferably someone whose personality is compatible with his, so they can respect each other and live in harmony…"

"Brother, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Ayaka frowned.

"If you really trust Hyakusuke-sama that much, you wouldn't need to specifically monitor them, right?"

"B-But…"

Yome wrung her fingers.

"What if he gets seduced… I mean, what if he gets momentarily blinded by a bad woman?"

"Miss Yeme isn't a bad woman, is she?"

Her foster sister quickly retorted.

"Also, why are you always suspecting others?"

After she said that, Yome frantically waved her hands, indicating "No, no, no."

"I-I actually have no objections to Miss Yeme either, but she's still too young."

"She can get married in a few years, right?"

"B-But she's still a child now."

"Sooner or later, Miss Yeme will grow up, and if that Hyakusuke really agrees, then she'll become his wife."

Ayaka said impatiently, "Brother, get a grip. You can't stop this kind of thing."

After she said that, she worriedly wondered if she had hurt her brother.

"That… I-I know too."

Her sworn sister's words also caused a pang of pain in Yaming's heart, and her expression became somewhat dejected, prompting Ayaka to offer comfort.

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"Don't worry, Ayaka will go with Brother to take a look. I think, based on Lord Hyakusuke's personality, he probably won't agree to this matter. He seems to be quite upright."

"R-Really?"

"Really, really. Let's go, shall we?"

She could only coax her own brother and came to the confession spot with Yaming.

'Wah, wah, wah… The atmosphere is just too good.'

Yaming bit her handkerchief.

Yaeme and Hyakusuke were facing each other, and the voices of their conversation were transmitted through the shikigami.

Finally, upon hearing the little girl's confession, she could no longer restrain herself.

'N-No, this is bad… If this continues, things will go awry! Can I go over there? Can I barge in? Can I ruin the atmosphere?'

'Brother, don't do anything unnecessary.'

Fortunately, under the strong arm (according to her) of her sworn sister, she was spared from Yaming's intrusion.

"Thankfully, Lord Hyakusuke seems to have really refused."

Ayaka also breathed a sigh of relief.

After the incident with her elder brother, Kuzutsu Ikki, she had changed her perception of Hyakusuke, and hearing that he had rejected Yaeme's confession, she felt relieved.

"As expected of my friend~~"

Yaming finally felt relieved and smiled brightly.

"What a clever tactic, both considerate of Miss Yaeme's feelings and firm in his own stance."

"No, that man is just clumsily stalling for time."

Ayaka wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

"I don't think Miss Yaeme is someone who gives up so easily. Three years isn't long or short, but he'll have his work cut out for him in the future."

As the sisters were whispering, suddenly, a voice interjected.

"That's certainly true—"

"Who is it?"

Yaming's body trembled, and she saw a simple paper shikigami floating in mid-air.

"With that indecisive personality of his, it would be strange if he didn't suffer… Isn't that right, Lady Yaming."

"You… Who are you?"

Her sworn sister, Ayaka, hid behind Yaming, poked her head out, and asked in a small voice.

"Miss Kudzu… Kudzu?"

Yaming's eyes also sharpened.

"So that's how it is… The person who sent me messages through the shikigami was you?"

She immediately entered a state of alert, like a wild beast preparing for battle.

"No need to be so polite."

Kudzu said unhurriedly through the shikigami, "This lady just thought it was interesting, so I lent a hand… Moreover, just like Lady Yaming is worried, I'm also worried that my servant will be deceived by a bad woman, so I wanted to let you know."

A look of confusion and bewilderment appeared on Yaming's face.

"Miss Kudzu, we shouldn't have had much interaction before, right? Why are you doing this?"

She knew very well that she was considered a member of the Kohagi faction of Kurohime Mountain, and this time, coming to Dewa Province, she was also arranged among the Kurohime Mountain clan members as Kohagi's 'son-in-law.'

In fact, Yaming and Kudzu had hardly any contact, and they hadn't said many words to each other.

To her question, Kudzu let out a bewitching "Kukuku" laugh.

"…It seems Lady Yaming doesn't understand my intentions. Actually, this can be considered a kindness…"

"Kindness?"

"A feeling like seeing someone of your own kind."

Kudzu smiled carelessly and maliciously, "How about it, Lady Yaming? Are you interested in chatting with me for a bit? To be honest… recently, I've become a little interested in Lady Yaming's affairs."

"W-We chat?"

Yaming felt a sense of crisis and bit her lip hard. Her sworn sister, Ayaka, also pulled on her sleeve from behind, shaking her head desperately, her meaning clear: "Don't go."

"That's right."

Kudzu's faint voice rang out.

"In addition, I can also tell you some secrets about Hyakusuke… Kukuku, these are some secrets that outsiders wouldn't know."

"Secrets about Lord Hyakusuke?"

Yaming's face was full of tension.

"W-What exactly do you mean by that?"

"It's up to you~ If Lady Yaming is willing to come, I will reveal relevant information to you."

Kudzu smiled and said, "If you're not willing, then it doesn't matter. It's just that you won't be qualified to know about his affairs…"

Hearing these teasing words, Yaming's eyes widened. Kudzu, on the other end, keenly noticed her seemingly wavering expression and didn't plan to let Yaming go.

"If you give up, it will prove that you don't even have the qualifications to participate in the 'competition.' After that, I won't reveal any more information to you, and you won't have the right to know about things like today's incident in the future."

On the other end, Kudzu was showing a bloodthirsty smile, like a cat catching its prey.

"Of course, if you come to meet me, I will inform you of some of the information… At least, you will have some qualifications. The decision is still up to you."

With that, she hung up the signal, and the paper shikigami burned in mid-air, turning into ashes.

"Secrets?"

Tsukiyomi Yaming bit her lower lip, as if feeling confused.

…

On the other side, after parting with Yaeme, Hyakusuke set off for the Divine Sakura Headquarters as previously agreed.

He had been invited by the "Great Miko," Hiiragi Hiruko.

'With my status, even though I've been invited, is it really okay to go directly to the Divine Sakura Headquarters like this?'

Hyakusuke was quite doubtful about this.

The Divine Sakura Headquarters didn't seem to allow outsiders to visit at will. That was, after all, the sacred domain for guarding the Heavenly Divine Sakura Mahoroba.

Moreover, those who resided in the most core area of the headquarters were all women with spiritual power, that is, the miko who served the gods. It seemed that they didn't receive outside guests.

"…Take this token, and you can enter the Divine Sakura Headquarters at will."

However, the older miko he had met last time, who seemed to be a high-ranking member of the shrine, had given him a cherry blossom hairpin and told him.

'Holding this item will allow you to enter the headquarters freely… This is also the meaning of that person.'

"So, is this Hiiragi Hiruko's intention?"

Hyakusuke frowned slightly, stepped forward, and walked towards the core area of the Divine Sakura Headquarters along the winding stone steps lined with vermilion torii gates.

He walked for a long time and was finally able to see the huge Heavenly Divine Sakura, blooming beautifully.

"That's really amazing."

It was clearly winter.

This divine sakura was still blooming unaffected.

Suddenly, a particularly strong wind blew past, carrying away his surprised murmur.

Petals tinged with a peach-red glow fluttered down like fine snow. It was then that Hyakusuke saw a figure.

"You've finally come, Lord Hyakusuke."