"Suddenly, I regained memories of my past life.
…Wait a minute, you there. I'm completely sane. No need to call a hospital.
…And no, this isn’t some kind of ‘chūnibyō’ syndrome (a term used in Japan to describe teenagers with delusions of grandeur or who act like they’re in a fantasy world). Please, don’t give me that look like I'm some cringe-worthy kid. Seriously, this is hard enough as it is.
Anyway, as I was saying, I remember my past life. But no, I wasn’t some hero who saved the world, or a prince from another dimension—I was just an ordinary high school boy from Japan.
Just a regular student who went to high school, messed around with friends, and lived a pretty typical life.
Though, my family was pretty poor, so I worked really hard on my studies. Thanks to that, I got accepted into a national university and was just about to graduate high school when I met with an accident that put an end to my life.
Yes, it was a pretty empty life—never had a girlfriend my whole life.
But enough about that. Here’s the real kicker: this world I’m in now is an ‘otome game’ world.
Yeah, yeah, let’s take a moment. Apparently, this otome game reincarnation thing is getting kind of popular lately.
No, it’s not some weird delusion, and I’m not saying it just because of some novel I read.
And before you give me a cold look, it wasn’t me who played otome games—it was my sister! Seriously, it was her!
Alright, back to the story. I first noticed this when I was in kindergarten, and I saw my childhood friend’s full name written in kanji for the first time.
It’s a funny memory, passing out when my past life memories suddenly came flooding back and causing a scene.
But even though this world is an otome game, it doesn’t really affect me.
After all, I’m just a regular-looking guy. I mean, a background character—a ‘mob.’
I don’t have some ridiculously handsome face or the overpowered skills that my childhood friend does.
Well, fortunately, my past life memories have helped me ace my studies, so I’m aiming to be at the top of the class academically.
Plus, I’d like to take up karate and judo, something I admired in my past life.
Strong men are cool, after all.
Since I was poor in my past life, I never had the chance to say things like this.
The otome game story doesn’t kick in until we’re in high school anyway.
By then, my connection with my childhood friend should be long gone.
Even though we live close by, their family is super wealthy, and mine is just average, maybe a bit better than most.
So, with all that, I was planning to enjoy my life without getting tangled in the sparkly plot of the otome game.
But then…
“Masahiko, let's go.”
Yes, I’m currently a high school student.
My childhood friend, who is one of the main capture targets in the otome game, came to wake me up, and we’re headed to school together.
And yes, we go to the same high school.
Damn it.
How did it come to this? Well, my childhood friend is just that kind of cheat-level genius.
It’s a standard otome game trope, after all.
They excel at everything and have always stood out in school.
Apparently, their family has a policy that they attend public elementary and middle schools.
Well, I suppose it’s natural since they’ll eventually be the lone, iconic student council president.
And I couldn’t just leave them alone.
They’re my childhood friend, after all, and actually a pretty decent person.
With my own ‘cheat’ memory helping me in academics, I could keep up with them well enough.
We hung out together, and sometimes, my friends would join us, and it seemed like they fit in and enjoyed it.
Then came high school entrance exams, and I was dragged along to take the exam for this super-elite school they were entering.
They even said they wanted to go to the same high school as me.
That moment dashed my dreams of going to a different high school and finally getting a girlfriend.
When I’m with my childhood friend, all the girls just end up being interested in them.
Some even use me as a pretext to get closer to them.
Getting a girlfriend is impossible in this situation.
I’m setting a new personal record for longest time without a girlfriend, counting both lives.
Yeah, it’s seriously depressing. Ah, here come the tears from my heart.
When we arrived at school, my childhood friend’s fan club was waiting at the gate.
They kept shouting, “Kiyonari-samaaaa!!” in shrill voices.
Yep, nobody notices me. Not that I mind, it’s kind of a hassle.
Despite being completely indifferent to girls, my childhood friend just ignores them all.
Yes, they completely ignore any girl who isn’t the ‘heroine.’
“Good morning, Akabane-kun.”
A sweet voice calls out. Turning around, there stood a super cute girl, exactly as her voice suggested.
According to my sister, she’s supposed to be an ordinary girl, but let’s be real, that’s just a trope.
And this heroine, she actually has a pretty nice personality.
“Good morning, Shinoyama-kun.”
"See? Even when I'm with my childhood friend and basically ignored by almost everyone, she still makes a point to greet me.
“Hey, good morning, Sakuramiya.”
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