After class, once the teacher left, the previously quiet classroom seemed to come alive. Various sounds filled the air. Chatter, laughter, running—the whole classroom, no, the entire school seemed awakened.
The student sitting in front of Kael, Isshiki Makoto, turned around with a mysterious look and said: "Hey, hey, Renjou-kun, did you know there's a new beauty in our class?"
"Beauty? Who?" Kael snapped out of his thoughts and asked casually.
Although this world was a crossover anime world with countless heroines, for some reason, none were in his class. If Kael remembered correctly, Toyogasaki Academy was the school from Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend.
There were two famous beauties. One was Eriri Spencer Sawamura, nicknamed the "blonde loser" by netizens. The other was the light novel author Kasumigaoka Utaha, often called "Kasumi Fatty." As for Kato Megumi, her presence was so faint she wasn't well known to the public.
But since this was a crossover anime world, and Toyogasaki Academy had a good reputation in Tokyo, it seemed to attract other heroines as well.
For example, Kitagawa Marin, the blonde gyaru from Class 1-A—the heroine of My Dress-Up Darling. Or Shiina Mahiru, the "Angel" from Class 1-B—the heroine of The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten. And Hori Kyouko from Class 1-C—the heroine of Horimiya.
It was also worth noting that Eriri was in Class 1-D, while Utaha was in Class 2-A, making her their senior.
As for Kael's Class 1-E, while there were a few decent-looking girls, none could compare to those heroines.
Now hearing Makoto say their class had a new beauty, Kael grew curious. By the way, Makoto was the supporting character from Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions. For some reason, he had joined Toyogasaki Academy and ended up sitting in front of Kael.
Makoto pointed behind Kael. "It's her, that one."
Kael turned and saw several girls gathered around a beautiful girl with long black hair, asking her questions—mostly about makeup. It seemed the girls were very interested in that topic.
"Well? Isn't she pretty?" Makoto asked excitedly.
Kael turned back, nodded, and said, "She is pretty. But was she always in our class?" According to his predecessor's memory, there hadn't been such a beautiful girl here.
Makoto said: "You were surprised too, right, right? I'll tell you, that girl is none other than the plain braided country girl, Yoshida Saki. Who would've thought that after putting on makeup, she'd become this beautiful? If I'd known, I would've pursued her. But now, I guess it's too late."
At the end, Makoto looked regretful.
But Kael was stunned. "What did you say her name was again?"
"Yoshida. Did you forget?"
"I mean her full name."
"Yoshida Saki. That's the one—the girl with braids and glasses, the plain country type. Who would've thought that after makeup, she'd look this good? It's like a complete transformation."
Hearing this, Kael's eye twitched. This was transformation indeed. Good grief, this crossover anime world was far too outrageous.
At first, Kael thought this world only fused ordinary manga. Who would've thought it even stitched in erotic manga? That was unbelievable.
The so-called erotic manga was basically adult visual novels. Yoshida Saki was the heroine of Metamorphosis. And she was a tragic heroine.
Kael remembered being shocked when he first read Metamorphosis.
The protagonist, Yoshida Saki, was an unremarkable, plain girl who had no friends through junior high. Entering high school, she wanted to make friends and change her image. She asked her mother for makeup tips, successfully transformed into a beautiful girl, and managed to make friends in class. But lacking social experience, she studied fashion to fit in with the girls.
Later, she was approached by a delinquent named Hayato, deceived by his sweet words and fake gentlemanly demeanor. She agreed to have tea with him, was drugged, and assaulted. Under the influence of drugs, she continued the relationship. She discovered her friends worked part-time as hostesses, and to fit in, she was introduced to the job, transforming into a girl who sold her body.
Her part-time work was soon discovered by male classmates, who coerced her. When exposed, she was bullied and couldn't remain at school. At home, she was assaulted by her failed father. When her mother found out, she humiliated and beat her, leaving her homeless.
She then clung to Hayato, the only one who would take her in, treating him as her emotional support, unable to realize he was just using her. Later, under Hayato's influence, she became addicted to drugs, completely fell, and transformed into a blonde prostitute.
She worked for Hayato, earning money through clients, had multiple abortions, and was eventually discarded when she lost value. Desperate, she was assaulted by vagrants. She later discovered she was pregnant again, finally awakening and wanting to give birth to the child to start anew.
She worked hard to earn money, but one night, a group of delinquents beat her and stole all her savings. Bleeding heavily, she crawled to a public restroom. In despair, she put on her glasses and braided her hair like in junior high, completing her final transformation, and ended her life amidst drug-induced hallucinations.
This was Yoshida Saki's story.
Because the character embodied suffocating despair and destruction, the work was regarded as a cautionary masterpiece disguised in erotic clothing—a "sage's book," a work everyone avoided.
Even now, Kael couldn't forget the shock he felt when he first read it.
Who would've thought that after coming to this crossover anime world, he would encounter the heroine of that story?
Although the crossover world had countless heroines, none had ever shaken Kael so deeply. Most heroines had happy endings. Like Eriri or Utaha—at worst, they ended up as "losers." But Saki's life was pure tragedy.
Kael couldn't bear it. Her future was simply too cruel.