“Long time no see, Shirasaki. Are you feeling okay?”
“I’ve missed four days already. I figured if I stayed out any longer, the work would just pile up.”
“Ah, as diligent as ever.”
“I could say the same about you.”
“So, did you open the door because you needed something?”
“No, not particularly. It’s just that only student council members would pass by the council room at this hour. Just wanted to greet you.”
“Oh, got it. Where’s Takanari and the others?”
“President Akabane went with Kihara and Sakuramiya-san to make copies of some documents. Aoki’s inside.”
Peeking inside, I see the only first-year student council member, a quiet secretary, diligently at work. He looks up as I approach.
“Hey, Aoki, working hard?”
“…Shinoyama-senpai.”
“Hmm?”
“…Hello.”
With his pretty, almost girlish features and a tendency to be shy, he’s often teased and has grown quiet because of it. But at least he talks to us, albeit slowly. Back when he first joined, he barely spoke at all, so this is progress.
When I greet him with a big smile and a “Hello!” he returns a small smile. Good, he’s loosening up a bit.
As I was working, the group that went to make copies returned, carrying a massive pile of papers. Sakuramiya has the least, but it still looks tough to handle. Hope she’ll be okay with all that.
I keep my eye on her, and as she approaches to set the documents down on the table, she loses her balance and stumbles. Since I’m nearby, I reach out and catch her.
Her face turns bright red when I look down at her. Well, it’s embarrassing to stumble in front of everyone, so I get it.
“Are you okay? Didn’t twist your ankle or anything?”
“I-I’m fine!”
“You can be pretty clumsy, huh? Let’s pick up the prints.”
She blushes deeper and starts gathering the papers frantically. The others pitch in, and we manage to get it all sorted out quickly.
Yep, she can be a bit clumsy. Last year, she even accidentally gave me her Valentine’s chocolates.
As I look around, I sense a strange, warm atmosphere from everyone else.
The moment our eyes meet, Sakuramiya blushes furiously and stammers,
“I-I, um, left the snacks in the classroom, so I’ll… I’ll go get them!”
And she dashes off at full speed.
Running in the halls is against the rules, you know. Not that I’m one to talk, considering my past life involved sprinting through school corridors like an obstacle course.
As I glance around, I notice everyone giving me these strangely amused looks.
…Hey, it’s rude to stare.
When I ask, “What?” they just dodge the question, so I return to my work.
Then, unexpectedly, Aoki speaks up.
“…Shinoyama-senpai. What do you think of Sakuramiya-senpai?”
…Where did that come from?
Ah, right. It must be awkward for him, seeing his crush accidentally get close to another guy.
Alright, I should make it clear that I’m rooting for the heroine to find love with one of them.
“She’s cute and a really nice girl.”
“…! …But do you want to date her?”
Everyone around has stopped what they’re doing to listen closely to our conversation.
Are they all that interested in the idea of me making a move on the heroine?
“No, absolutely not! We’re just friends! If any of you end up dating her, I’ll totally support you!”
Clatter.
At that moment, Sakuramiya walks in, stopping in her tracks as she opens the door and sees us.
What’s with her reaction?
“…Shinoyama! Sorry, but could you go fetch the documents?”
“Huh? Those documents we said we wouldn’t need for a while?”
“Just go grab them now, Shinoyan, quickly!”
“Masahiko, go on!”
“Shinoyama-senpai, please!”
The desperate student council members all push me out of the room. What’s going on?
* * *
In the awkward silence of the student council room, I sit down on the sofa, looking down and letting out a dry laugh. The people around me are visibly uncomfortable, but please, just let me have this moment.
My name is Momo Sakuramiya.
Here’s the thing: I have memories from my previous life. And in this life, I’m the heroine of an otome game.
My memories returned when I entered this school and first saw the student council members.
The game’s story starts when the protagonist is a second-year, getting involved with the student council members through various incidents that eventually lead to romance. I was so obsessed with this game in my past life that I remember every detail.
When my memories came back, I couldn’t help but scream with joy in my mind.
I mean, a memory cheat! Reverse harem potential unlocked!
So, from my first year, I decided to get closer and build relationships with the future student council president, Takanari Akabane. And that’s how I met Shinoyama Masahiko.
At first, I was cautious since he was the president’s childhood friend—a character that wasn’t even part of the game’s original setup. I didn’t want him messing up my reverse harem potential.
And on his end, he kept looking at me like he was making sure I wouldn’t harm his childhood friend.
But as I started observing him, I realized he was quite incredible.
Though his academic ranking wasn’t as high as geniuses like Akabane-kun or Kurose-kun, he was consistently in the top five.
He’s also pretty athletic—although he can’t quite beat Akabane-kun.
Despite his “mob character” appearance, his eyes shine with enthusiasm every day. He seems to genuinely enjoy life.
Sometimes he acts childish, but then he suddenly becomes mature, helping new teachers without missing a beat.
He even gets along with the capture targets without any ulterior motives, naturally becoming their friend.
Even though he does things that should technically mess up the reverse harem route events, I started finding myself drawn to him, caring less and less about the game.
One time, during a cooking class, he ate the entire dish I messed up, even though he said it tasted awful. And when I got into trouble with delinquents, he helped me out quietly.
He’s kind, he’s cool, and before I knew it, I liked him more than anyone.
I tried to get closer to him, asking Akabane-kun about his interests and hobbies to impress Shinoyama. But everyone misunderstood, thinking I was aiming for the student council members and calling me out. I worked hard to get into the same class as him, practiced cooking so he wouldn’t have to endure my terrible food, and even started getting support from all the other rival characters around me.
But still…!!
Why is he the only one who hasn’t noticed?!
Am I really that hard to read?
I mean, I even go out of my way to use polite language with the student council members while speaking casually with Shinoyama—how obvious can I be?!
The ultimate test came last year on Valentine’s Day.
To avoid any confusion, I first handed out obviously generic chocolates to the other council members, then gave him what was clearly supposed to be a special Valentine’s chocolate.
And then…
“Sakuramiya, didn’t you mess up the chocolates? This one looks like it’s meant to be special.”
Why does he think I got them mixed up?!
I was so stunned I practically collapsed right there.
There’s a limit to how dense a person can be!
Since then, I’ve gained the sympathy and support of the entire student council, and they’ve been helping me out…
As I continue wallowing in my memories, the council members start to speak up, one by one.
“Um, sorry about that…”
“…Sorry, Sakuramiya-senpai. It was my fault for bringing it up.”
“Sakuramiya, maybe it’s time to come back to reality.”
“Come on, Sakura-chan, don’t be too down about it, okay?”
I glare at them, my eyes filling with tears as I plead,
“I haven’t even confessed yet, so how many times do I have to get rejected?! I’ve told you all before, stop bringing up this topic with Shinoyama-kun!”
They all awkwardly avert their eyes.
“No one thought the timing would be this bad…”
“I’ve heard the ‘just friends’ speech every time one of you asks him that! Once, twice—try five or ten times by now!”
When I snap at them, they all look at me with pity.
Honestly, though, they are the reason Shinoyama is so dense! All the times they used me as an excuse to approach him has conditioned him to react the same way with me!
Ah, I can’t stop the tears.
Even so, I can’t bring myself to blame them entirely, since they all genuinely care about Shinoyama.
With a sigh, I set out the snacks I’d brought back.
“Here you go. And make sure to save some for Shinoyama-kun.”
Akabane-kun approached me with a relieved expression and gently patted my head to calm me down.
"Of course. By the way, you’ve really improved your cooking. I actually like it quite a bit."
Click.
Standing in the doorway was Shinoyama-kun.
With a smile, he simply said,
"Forgot something!"
Thud.
The door closed…
Akabane-kun frantically started apologizing, "I’m so sorry, really sorry." The entire student council, seeing me now in full tears, rushed over, trying to console me.
"Get away! You’re just going to make him misunderstand again!"
"I swear, I will absolutely become his girlfriend—no matter what!!!"
I don’t need your support, Shinoyama-kun, you idiot!
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