The rest of lunch passed in fragments.Every time I thought I'd settled, Saika's quiet bench, Nagatoro's claws, Yui's sausage, another wave dragged me off. I returned to my seat feeling like driftwood.
The whispers had multiplied. A classroom of heroines meant a classroom of commentary.
"Did you see how Totsuka was smiling?"
"Ugh, Nagatoro already dragged him to her club!"
"Yui fed him… sausage? Out in the open?!"
"That's so like her, lol."
"Shh! Yukinoshita is right there!"
I set my books out as the teacher returned, but it was pointless. Attention orbited me like gravity.
I tried to follow the math lesson. Really, I did. But with Yukino one desk away and Hikigaya occasionally shooting daggered glances like punctuation marks, it felt like studying under a microscope.
Yui scribbled something on a sticky note and slid it onto my notebook.
"Wanna walk home together after? <3"
Before I could answer, Ichika Nakano leaned over from the other side, voice low but not low enough.
"Better be careful. If you agree too quickly, Hikigaya might bite your head off."
Her sisters giggled, the sound like falling dominoes.
Hachiko didn't even look up. "Correct."
The teacher cleared her throat; silence returned, but it was fragile, brittle glass.
The final bell came like a pardon. But instead of dispersing, the class shifted into cliques. Posters went up, flyers flapped into hands.
"Clubs start recruiting today," the teacher announced. "Be civil."
Civil? That was optimistic.
The first strike came from the Art Club, Nagatoro cornering me with a wicked grin.
"Senpai, come on. You've got the face for it. Models don't have to do anything but sit still."
"Don't listen," Yoshi chirped, "she just wants to bully you while she sketches!"
"That's not just it," Nagatoro said cheerfully.
Across the room, Yui waved a flyer. "The Cooking Club's fun too! We make sweets! You'd love it!"
Yukino, arms folded, cut through the noise. "Student Council is understaffed. They need capable members, not idle modeling or amateur baking."
Hikigaya snorted. "As if dragging him into paperwork is better."
I tried to back toward the door, but the Nakano sisters blocked it with eerie coordination.
"We could always form a new club," Nino said slyly. "One centered around Kusanagi-kun."
"Rejected," Yukino said instantly.
"Not rejected!" Yui shot back.
It was escalating, again.
I escaped by volunteering to take down the cleaning duty trash. Saika, kind soul that she was, followed me without asking.
On the rooftop, away from the din, we leaned against the fence, watching clouds roll over the horizon.
"You're… popular already," Saika said gently.
"Is that what we're calling it?" I muttered.
She laughed. It wasn't mocking; it was a balm. "It's hard, isn't it? Being the only boy in the middle."
"Not the only boy," I corrected, then hesitated. "But… almost."
Her expression softened, something like understanding passing through. "Then… let's make a deal."
"A deal?"
"Whenever it gets too much..." she lifted her pinky "...come find me. I'll save you a seat."
The sky was turning gold. The campus bell tolled dismissal. I linked my pinky with hers before I could second-guess it.
By the time I left the building, the sun was low, and the walk home was… complicated. Yui clung to one arm, Hikigaya claimed the other with an expression that dared anyone to comment, Yukino trailed just close enough to overhear everything, and the Nakano sisters circled like sharks waiting for a drop of blood.
At the gate, I caught a glimpse of Alya Kujou, silver hair like a blade, eyes narrowed at the whole spectacle, as if she was silently declaring: your real problems haven't even arrived yet.
My second life had only just started. And already, the world felt like it was leaning toward me, demanding something I wasn't sure I could give.
By the next morning, my name was already echoing around campus like some kind of urban legend.
I hadn't even done anything. Just walked to school, survived introductions, and somehow sat through classes without setting myself on fire. But here in a world where men were rare and apparently regarded as living treasures, existing was enough.
And today? Today was the club fair.
"Ichi-kun! This way!"
Yui's hand was already tugging at my sleeve before I could even blink. Her energy could power the entire city grid, honestly. Behind me, Hikigaya trailed like a storm cloud, muttering about "pointless social obligations," while Yukino's quiet, elegant footsteps made it feel like I was being escorted by royalty.
The gymnasium was overflowing with stalls, banners, and girls shouting recruitment pitches like their lives depended on it.
"Ah! The Cooking Club has an opening for you!" A group of apron-clad girls swooped in, trays of sweets balanced like weapons. "Try our cookies! Our pudding! We'll feed you every day, promise!"
"Eh!! ehhh, they're so good!" Yui had already stuffed a cookie into her mouth. "Ichi-kun, let's join them, okay?"
Before I could answer, another voice cut in.
"Senpai-"
Nagatoro's grin hit me like a spear. She leaned in close, her squad of giggling friends forming a wall behind her. "Forget those wannabes. Come join the art club. We'll take real good care of you. Right, Naoto-chan?"
"H-h-h-h-huh?!" Naoto-chan, the timid, bespectacled girl Nagatoro had shoved forward, turned beet red as I looked at her sketchbook. "D-d-d-don't look so closely…!"
Nagatoro snickered, poking my arm. "See? You make her all flustered just by existing, Senpai~."
And then the atmosphere shifted again.
"Stand aside."
The Student Council had arrived. At their center was Hayama, now Hayama Haruka, the picture-perfect female role model. Her entourage glittered with poise and confidence, each girl radiating authority.
"Recruitment is not a game," Hayama said smoothly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Ichijou-kun belongs with us. With the Council, he'll have safety, prestige, and the respect befitting his… rarity."
The Cooking Club girls wilted. Nagatoro rolled her eyes. Yui puffed her cheeks indignantly.
And somewhere behind them, I caught sight of Saika and a couple of the Nakano sisters whispering furiously, sneaking glances at me. A new club? Centered around me?
God help me.
By lunchtime, the fair was the least of my problems.
Every corridor I walked through was lined with whispers.
"Did you hear? He's already got three girls fighting over him."
"No, four. Nagatoro dragged him into the art club."
"Eh? I saw him eating Yui's homemade lunch yesterday!"
"Forget that, Student Council's going to chain him down."
I could feel my face heating as the rumors spread faster than wildfire.
Then came the bold ones, Marin Kitagawa sauntering past with a mischievous smirk."Hey, Ichi-kun, don't let them monopolize you, okay? A model like me has her eyes on you too~."
Kana Arima tilted her head, mock-pouting. "Ugh. Everyone's already fighting? He hasn't even picked a side yet."
Even Ichika Nakano murmured to Nino with a sly grin, "See? Told you he'd be popular. He's the type."
I wanted to melt into the floor.
And then, as if fate wanted to rub salt in the wound, it escalated further during lunch.
Cooking Club had set up a corner table, waving bento boxes like flags of conquest.
Nagatoro's squad physically dragged me toward the art club's table, laughing the whole way.
Yui clapped her hands, trying to gather everyone into a friendly circle.
Yukino, however, simply sat at her chosen table and fixed everyone with a queen's stare, daring them to challenge her silent claim.
And Hikigaya… Hikigaya just muttered under her breath, but her glare at every girl who got too close was practically lethal.
"Really now," Yukino finally said, voice calm and cool as winter. "This childish scrambling over a boy is beneath you."
Nagatoro smirked back. "Aw, don't be salty, Ice Queen. He clearly prefers girls with personality."
"Y-y-you two shouldn't fight!" Yui stammered, waving her arms desperately. "Ichi-kun can… eat with everyone, right?"
The table broke into chaos. Voices rose, chairs scraped, and it felt like the entire cafeteria was watching the spectacle unfold.
I sat there, chopsticks frozen in my hand, praying for divine intervention.
This world was supposed to be a fresh start.
Instead, I've become public property in less than a week. And no matter what I do… it'll only get worse.
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Thanks for reading. You can also give me ideas for the future or pinpoint plot holes that I may have forgotten, if you want.
Powerstones. Me. Give. Now.