Volume 1
Chapter 1: A one-sided fateful encounter (Part 1)
It happened on a day when the sun was shining unusually hot for spring.
"Masato! It's already past morning—it’s practically lunchtime!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!"
It’s been about a month since I was transported to this world.
It took me a while to figure it out, but this place seems less like a completely different world and more like a parallel one.
For some reason, I have official records here.
As far as the system is concerned, Katari Masato has always existed in this world.
I even have a high school diploma from the school I originally attended, and the enrollment process for the university I was supposed to start in the spring was already completed.
At first, I was worried about how I’d manage to live here, but now, I don’t really have any problems.
And if you ask me who I have to thank for that—
"Masato, you’re on shift today! Be at the store by six, got it?"
"Yesss, got it!"
—That would be Tsukuda Aika.
The woman calling out to me from outside my place is none other than Aika Tsukuda.
She’s the one who found me collapsed in an alley right after I arrived in this world and, for some reason, decided to take me in.
Honestly, she’s like a goddess.
She’s married, by the way.
But apparently, she hasn’t seen her husband in a long time.
A little... ominous, if you ask me.
Aika didn’t just become my guardian—she even let me attend university.
Of course, I’m using scholarships, so I’ll have to pay them back by working, but still.
In short, I owe her everything.
I could never repay her kindness.
When I open the front door, I see Aika waving at me.
"Good morning."
"Morning. But, like I just said—it’s already noon."
Her light brown hair is loosely wavy, tied into a single side ponytail.
It’s the same hairstyle she had when I first met her.
She’s almost thirty, yet she’s still stunning.
Maybe it's because of her job—she probably takes extra care with her appearance.
The apartment I live in?
Yeah, Aika rented it for me.
It’s close to the place she runs, so she sometimes drops by in the mornings to check in on me.
"So? Made any friends at college yet?"
"Uh... well... sort of?"
"...You don’t sound too sure.
Listen, don’t go getting tricked by some shady girl, okay? And if you ever stay out overnight, you better let me know! Oh, and drop the formal speech already!"
"Alright, alright! I’m heading out!"
Feeling a little embarrassed, I cut the conversation short and quickly made my escape.
Behind me, I could hear her calling out—
"That’s still formal speech!"
I pretended not to hear.
Honestly, considering how little time I’ve been here, I already feel pretty comfortable around her.
But no matter how many times she tells me to drop the formalities, I just can’t do it. Not when she’s my benefactor and all.
I guess I’m just a stiff person.
Still, the fact that she specifically warned me about "shady girls" really drives home how different this world is from my old one.
Does Aika see me as one of those naïve, easily fooled girls from my original world?
With that thought lingering in my mind, I head for the university.
The time is 11 AM.
The sun is mercilessly beating down on the pavement.
With summer just around the corner, the heat is getting ridiculous.
I wipe the sweat off my forehead with a handkerchief and glance at my favorite wristwatch.
"...Crap, I’m gonna be late for second period."
The second period starts at 11:10. If I keep walking at this pace, I’m not going to make it in time. However, running in this heat is going to be tough... I guess I’ll have to run.
Just as I made up my mind, my smartphone vibrated in my pocket with a ping sound.
I pulled it out, and there was one notification from SNS.
‘Masato, you’re in 104 classroom for second period, right? I saved you a seat!♪’<Koumi>
"That’s a lifesaver! Friends are invaluable!"
I stopped in my tracks, intending to start running, but changed my pace to a brisk walk instead. I sent a quick thank-you sticker and stuffed the phone back into my pocket. Since Koumi saved me a seat, being a little late wouldn't be a big deal.
The worst thing would have been showing up late without a seat and starting the class right in front of the professor!
I silently thanked Koumi and continued on my way to the university.
---
“And therefore, the meaning of this sentence is—”
When I entered the classroom, the lecture had already started.
I was about ten minutes late, but it wasn’t a big deal since it was a large lecture hall. My university is pretty relaxed about things like this.
First, I needed to find Koumi, who saved me a seat.
(Masato! Over here...)
I flashed my student ID to the card reader to mark my attendance, then looked around the classroom. In the farthest back row, I spotted a flaxen-haired head bouncing up and down.
I quickly passed through the back and managed to grab the seat that Koumi had saved for me with her bag.
"Thanks a lot, Koumi."
"Hee-hee... Anything for you, Masato♪"
Koumi, a short bob-haired girl with an innocent smile, turned to me. Igarashi Koumi is undoubtedly my only friend at this university. Her mischievous smile was cute, and her crimson eyes shone like marbles.
After the confusion of being transferred here, my university enrollment was delayed, and I started classes about a month later than most freshmen.
The first month of university is crucial.
Everyone forms their friend groups and chooses their clubs, and it’s already too late for newcomers.
I had resigned myself to a solitary university life, but then came Koumi.
Despite being an outgoing person and belonging to several groups, Koumi treated me—someone who would have been a loner—with special kindness. She truly is a miraculous existence.
But, is it because of the reversed world dynamics? Wait, could it be... is this girl possibly in love at first sight with me?!?! No, no, I better not get carried away... that was a close call.
Just as I was thinking this, the sleeve of my short-sleeve T-shirt was suddenly pulled.
"Hey... since you’re already here and I saved you a seat, how about we go get lunch together today?"
...Cute, What is this unbelievably cute creature?
With an innocent smile on her face, this girl casually invites me out like it’s a date. Her sheer destructive power is unreal.
Her flaxen short bob frames her face perfectly, and the small pearl earrings peeking out from beneath her hair add a charming contrast to her playful demeanor.
To make matters worse, she’s wearing an off-shoulder white blouse. When she leans in close, her bare skin comes into view, making my heart skip a beat...
Stay calm. Stay cool. This is exactly the kind of moment where I need to keep my composure.
I’m a cool guy.
“Ah... Sorry, but I’ve got work today.”
“Ehh? Wait, do you always have a shift on Fridays?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Hmm... Then how about next Monday?”
“That works for me.”
“Yay!”
Koumi pumps her fist in a small victory pose before settling back into her seat.
...No, seriously, isn’t she too cute?
She’s definitely doing this on purpose! Cut it out! ...But I’ll allow it because she’s adorable.
I let out a deep sigh and refocused on the lecture.
Actually, most of my classes overlap with Koumi’s.
That’s because when I was scrambling to register for courses after my late enrollment, Koumi helped me out.
Since we’re in the same department, she not only told me which courses I needed to take but also signed up for the ones we could attend together.
She’s basically a goddess.
...But now that I think about it, I kind of feel bad.
She’s such a cute girl. She probably would’ve preferred to take classes with her own friend group instead...
“Hey, are you sure you’re okay with this? Wouldn’t you rather take classes with your friends?”
“Hm? Nah, not really. I see my friends at our club meetings anyway.”
We were whispering quietly, our voices getting drowned out by the professor’s lecture, so I continued.
“Well, you don’t have to sit with me all the time. If you ever wanna hang with your friends instead, I don’t mind being on my own.”
A girl as popular as her probably has at least a couple of friends in this class too.
That’s what I thought, but—
“Why would I?”
For a moment, it felt like the temperature dropped by about ten degrees.
Koumi was still smiling, but… her eyes weren’t.
—Wait. Did I just step on a landmine?
“Uh, no, I just thought maybe you’d wanna take classes with other people…”
“Masato, do you not want to take classes with me? Or… is there some other girl you’d rather sit with?”
“No, no, no! Not at all! I really appreciate it! Honestly, getting to take classes with a beautiful girl like you is the best thing ever! I mean, you’re literally my only friend, so—”
I had no idea what I did wrong, but something about the situation felt very dangerous. So I went into full damage-control mode at the speed of sound.
I don’t get girls. What did I say that was so bad?! This is kinda terrifying…
But then, right around the part where I called her “beautiful,” Koumi’s expression started to soften.
“B-Beautiful? You think so? You really think I’m cute?”
…Suddenly, she was all shy about it.
“O-Of course. I mean, you’re obviously cute. You should be more confident about it.”
“Really? Hehe… Cuuute, huh…”
Whew… Crisis averted.
I still don’t understand girls. Or rather, I don’t understand the girls in this world.
What exactly did I do wrong back there?
As I watched Koumi melt into a happy little smile, I quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
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