Shin sat quietly at the lunch table, staring at Yuri beside him as she happily ate her sandwich, completely ignoring his existence after asking for that pen earlier. He sighed, poking his melon bun absentmindedly.
"So… this is how it feels… to be a supporting character," he muttered under his breath, glancing at the lively cafeteria around him. His eyes followed Renji, who was now surrounded by not one, not two, but three girls—each with their own distinct vibes but if we include Yuri so it's basically 4 girls.
"Is that… his official harem count now?" Shin squinted, adjusting his glasses as if analyzing an RPG party roster.
There was Mira, his old crush, smiling brightly next to Renji with her pink hair in a romcom manga. Then there was Yuri, the white-haired childhood friend. Beside them stood a tall, cool-looking girl with red hair tied in a ponytail, arms crossed and an unreadable expression on her face. Another girl, petite with and a notebook, was scribbling something while glancing shyly at Renji with her unique green hair.
"…yep. That's a full romcom harem lineup if I've ever seen one." Shin sighed again, shoving the last bite of his melon bun into his mouth. "Better stay out of it back in my prime in middle school that would how i look if I'm not hiding my otaku side…" Shin signed then continue his lunch
But fate—or rather, the absurd laws of romcom universes—had other plans.
As Shin stood up to return his tray, he turned the corner and collided straight into Mira.
"Ah—!"
Mira stumbled, and before Shin could react, her tray of juice cartons and sandwiches tilted dangerously toward him.
"Oh crap—"
Splash.
The next moment, Shin stood there, soaked in orange juice, a soggy sandwich sliding down his chest. Mira gasped in horror.
"I-I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" she exclaimed, grabbing napkins in a panic.
"It's fine… it's fine…" Shin replied flatly, wiping juice from his glasses. Internally, though, his mind screamed: WHY DOES THIS FEEL LIKE A LOVE FLAG?!
Before Mira could continue apologizing, Renji appeared like a hero from the heavens, placing a hand on Mira's shoulder.
"Mira, are you hurt?!" Renji asked with genuine concern, completely ignoring the dripping Shin.
"I'm fine, Renji! But Tanaka-kun—he's—"
Renji turned to Shin, flashing that trademark bright smile. "Sorry about that, bro! You're really dependable, taking that juice like a champ!"
"…I didn't take it on purpose," Shin muttered, but Renji had already turned back to Mira.
As the two walked away, Mira throwing glances of concern over her shoulder, Shin stood there, defeated.
"…well. I guess I leveled up from 'invisible background character' to 'mildly noticed supporting character,' huh welp nothing i can do now."
He trudged toward the restroom to clean up, unaware that Yuri was watching from afar, resting her chin on her hand thoughtfully.
Then we see in Renji's harem they now talking while Mira was thinking about that guy that vibe in middle school with her pink hair she got a feeling that she knows him.
Well technically she knows Shin but his looks were changed to cool guy in middle school to yup glasses check my otaku vibe check background character vibe check.
---
Later that day, Shin was at his shoe locker, swapping into his indoor shoes. His mind drifted back to his manga backlog.
"Maybe I can binge three volumes tonight if I skip dinner…" he calculated.
But as he closed his locker door—
"Oi."
A sharp voice made him flinch. He turned to see the tall ponytail girl from Renji's harem, arms crossed, leaning against the lockers.
"…uh, me?"
"You're the one who bumped into Mira earlier, right?"
Shin blinked. "Technically, yes… why?"
The girl stepped closer, her eyes piercing. "You planning to go after her?"
"…huh?"
"I'm warning you," she continued seriously. "Mira belongs in Renji's story."
Shin stared at her, utterly confused. "…what kind of meta dialogue is this?"
"I don't care if you're the comic relief or the sidekick. Don't step into the spotlight." She turned dramatically and walked away, leaving Shin standing there, bewildered.
"…am I… in some weird genre awareness anime?" And I don't a give a Fin Renji's life I'm busy calculating my manga volume this day. As Shin goes to P.E.
Leaving the girl in shock that how just said the F word.
---
The day wasn't over yet. During P.E., while Shin was quietly standing at the edge of the basketball court, avoiding the chaos, a stray basketball flew straight at him.
"Watch out!"
Before he could react, the white-haired Yuri sprinted toward him, jumping into his line of sight, and caught the ball with both hands.
"Got it!" she smiled, handing the ball back to the players.
Shin stared at her, stunned.
"…was that… a classic romcom save scene… but reversed?"
Yuri turned to him, tilting her head. "You okay, Tanaka?"
"…yeah, thanks i thought you forgot me lending my pen."
She smiled softly. "Why would i forget? And basically your attracting Renji's harem towards you"
"…I didn't sign up for this," Shin whispered to himself.
---
By the end of the day, Shin thought he'd finally get some peace. He exited the school building, relieved.
But as he stepped outside—
"Tanaka-kun!"
It was the shy glasses girl from Renji's group, running up to him, holding a notebook.
"C-Can I ask… about your notes from today's history class? I couldn't keep up…" she asked, blushing faintly.
Shin sighed internally. "Sure, I'll send you a photo…"
As he shared his notes, the girl looked at him with sparkly eyes. "You're amazing… even though you're quiet, you're so diligent…"
"…please don't develop an affection subplot, I'm begging you," Shin muttered, walking away after handing her the notebook.
He walked home under the sunset, shoulders slumped.
"So this is my life now… interacting with every heroine… despite wanting to stay in the background…"
He opened his phone and resumed reading his manga as he walked.
"Maybe tomorrow… I'll be invisible again…"
Little did he know, Yuri watched him from a classroom window, her expression unreadable.
And at that moment, somewhere, Renji sneezed.
The gears of fate—or romcom chaos—were already turning.