It's Because I Was Surprised

I sat at the rearmost desk by the window, staring blankly as I organized my thoughts. The upcoming plot developments, and what I could do to change them. Fortunately, I was in the same class as both Akase and Daiki. On top of that, thanks to Haru, I already had a bit of familiarity with them. Was that a good thing? I wasn't sure.

In this world, the version of me known as Natsumoto Ryu seemed to have been just as ordinary as I'd been in my previous life. Not particularly noticeable, but not so invisible that people felt my absence. That was the "setting" I'd been given. I was fairly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tall and somewhat built, so I didn't understand how I could fly under the radar like this, but I supposed that was part of the setting too.

With that in mind, I sat at my desk and calmly scanned my surroundings. If the novel's plot progressed exactly as written, the first NTR event would be coming soon. And it would happen in the absolute worst way possible.

…Well, as if there were any good ways for NTR to happen.

The first one was definitely…

As I'd mentioned, my seat was at the very back by the window. On the opposite side of the room, in the rearmost seat near the classroom door, three female students had gathered.

"So yesterday, Ichiro apparently…"

"Kyaaah! For real?"

Each of them displayed different charms, but they all ultimately boiled down to one word: delinquents. Or maybe yankees? Since this was Japan, I guess they wouldn't be called yangachi. Among them, one girl stood out in particular. It was obvious. She was the protagonist of the upcoming incident.

If I had to define her in a single phrase, it would be exactly that: virgin bitch. The kind of fictional character who could never exist in reality. Suzuki Yua.

The very symbol of the virgin bitch trope—blonde hair and blue eyes. Her skin wasn't tanned; it was as white as snow. Large eyes, a straight nose, and lips as red as cherries. Enormous breasts paired with a body that drew elegant curves beneath them. She was so beautiful that the word slipped out naturally. She'd tightened her school blouse to accentuate her figure and shortened her skirt dramatically, so even her uniform couldn't hide the contours of her body.

…That uniform looks like it's about to burst.

Not wanting to invite any misunderstandings, I turned my gaze back into the classroom. It probably wouldn't happen, but if someone reported me, I might end up behind bars. Anyway, Suzuki Yua had a very playful personality. For example…

She would casually sit on Daiki's desk in that short skirt and tease him.

"Oh my, Katamura? What are you looking at?"

"Pervert!"

"Per~vert."

Or she'd press her chest against Daiki's back as he walked ahead.

"Yoo-hoo~ Katamura! Where are you going?"

Or she'd fan the front of her blouse in front of him, giving him sneaky glimpses of her cleavage.

"Huuung… It's so hot, isn't it? Ka-ta-mu-ra-kun?"

She might look like an easy woman, but she was actually a virgin. She only showed that side of herself in front of Daiki, the guy she liked. A classic, by-the-book gyaru. And because of that, I remembered she'd been quite popular.

And even someone like her would eventually…

This is fucking bullshit.

Maybe it was because Yua always ranked high in those joke heroine popularity polls among readers. Or maybe because she was the first NTR victim. Either way, the author had put considerable effort into describing that scene, so a wave of disgust washed over me.

Three times in one day. The future that kept resurfacing made my expression twist mercilessly once again. I chewed on my lip, grimacing at the memories flooding in, fighting back the rising nausea. At the same time, I thought:

How should I handle this?

I forced my ragged breathing back to normal and continued thinking calmly. There was actually a simple method. The problem was that even I couldn't be certain it would work when considering the events that would follow. If this method failed…

Then at that point…

Frowning as I glanced at Daiki and Yua, I shook my head and pushed the thought away. For now, building relationships came first.

"Ugh… PE class? What a pain. So annoying."

"You can't think like that, Daiki. You should approach everything with sincerity."

"Yeah, yeah. Akase, you really are like my mom, you know?"

I quietly followed behind Daiki and Akase as they walked along, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠exchanging their pointless banter. That guy… that gentle kindness was part of Akase's charm, but he didn't even realize it. Even though he was the dense protagonist of a love comedy, watching blessed Daiki made a sigh escape me involuntarily.

"Ehh, but having PE as the last class means I'll have to go home all sweaty and gross."

Right, Katamura? In love comedy genre stories, the heroines generally took one of two stances. The first was fighting each other to claim the protagonist while keeping the others in check. The second was getting along harmoniously through mutual cooperation. This was the latter, the more pleasant option.

Yua, still in her school uniform, approached Daiki and Akase—who wore matching expressions of annoyance—and playfully called out to them.

"Suzuki! Where's your gym uniform?"

"Sorry. I absolutely can't do PE for the last period."

"You can't just skip like that!"

I watched blankly as Akase scolded Yua, then shifted my gaze away. Yua, Akase, Daiki… and the countless other heroines. Looking at them, I felt a strange tightness in my chest. Was it moving? It didn't feel like that. It was more like my heart was heavy, painfully constricted. I couldn't even understand my own feelings.

Maybe it was because I was still a bit confused. Or maybe it was because I alone knew how their relationships would eventually fall apart. Whatever the reason, my task remained the same.

"…Ryu, if you don't hurry we'll be late."

"Oh? Right."

Lost in my complicated thoughts, I snapped back to reality at the sound of Daiki and my classmates calling me. I pushed down whatever was sinking deep in my heart and started walking again.

"Since it's free time, how about basketball?"

"Basketball sounds good."

I forced a smile at Daiki's suggestion and followed him. Maybe breaking a sweat would clear my head a bit. And I figured this was a good opportunity to get closer to Daiki. If I became friends with him, I'd have an easier time intervening in the events to come.

It would be even better if I could become a trustworthy friend, beyond just a classmate. I watched the guys chatting and dividing into teams for a moment before stepping into their midst.

"We'll take Ryu with us!"

"Foul! This character is clearly overpowered!"

The kids joking around made me smile slightly. As soon as PE started, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠those who chose basketball headed to the court. Fortunately, I ended up on the same team as Daiki.

Basketball, huh. In my previous life, I hadn't been particularly picky about sports, but I was pretty confident in both basketball and soccer. Not to the point where I'd call it talent, but I was good enough that no high schooler could compete with me.

"Pass——!"

Smack!

I caught the incoming ball and threw it toward the hoop. Watching the clean arc as it dropped neatly through the net, I let out a deep breath.

"Nice!! Ryu!!"

I caught my breath while sweating. The moment I received the ball, my body moved with surprising speed. I'd always enjoyed exercise, but this body was different. I hadn't noticed because I wasn't thinking about it, but it was lighter and faster than my old one. I couldn't understand how a high schooler could possess a body like this.

"Hup!"

Whoosh!!

I endured the crushing body contact and lightly shook the net with another clean shot. Wiping away the sweat pouring down like rain, I high-fived the approaching Daiki and exhaled. Sweating seemed to clear my mind a little.

"…Yua-chan!"

"Y-yes?"

Yua turned her head at her friends' voices, snapping out of her reverie.

"It's Katamura again, isn't it?"

"Ehh, I wonder why Yua-chan likes a guy like that?"

Her close friends, Ren and Tatsumi. Ren was a tall girl with long black hair, while Tatsumi was a short girl with pink hair. Yua smiled gently at Tatsumi's words and fixed her gaze back on Daiki.

"I don't know…? Isn't he cool?"

Yua remembered. The person who had saved her when she was being dragged away by those sleazy men trying to pick her up on the street. Her own hero—frail and delicate, yet always standing up bravely against injustice.

"…Katamura?"

"Doesn't Yua-chan's taste lean more toward Natsumoto over there than Katamura?"

"Huh? Natsumoto?"

Ren muttered in a confused tone at her answer. Only then did Yua tear her eyes away from Daiki and look toward Ryu.

Much taller than Daiki. A solid, athletic build that suggested he worked out a lot. And a face that was handsomely masculine. Ryu himself might not have realized it yet, but in this world, he possessed a physique so superior he could easily be called an alpha male.

"He's not bad, I guess."

That said, it wasn't enough to shake Yua's heart.

"Ehh, that's such a lukewarm reaction~."

"But why haven't we noticed a guy like that until now?"

Ren and Tatsumi murmured as they stared at Ryu. With looks like that, he should have been a topic of conversation around school, yet there were strangely no rumors about him. On top of that, he was good at sports and had an amazing body. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠His calm personality made him exactly the type girls loved.

"Huu."

Oblivious to the fact that the girls in his class had their eyes glued to him, Ryu let out a deep breath. As he habitually lifted the hem of his t-shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his smooth abs were revealed to the world.

"…Right?"

Ren and Tatsumi, who had been staring blankly at the sight, blushed. No, it wasn't just them. Every girl in the class except Yua and Akase was watching him. And every single one of them had turned bright red.

Hmm… No matter how I look at it, Katamura seems better…

Yua clicked her tongue internally at her friends' reactions and fixed her gaze on Daiki once more. Appearance-wise, her friends were right—Ryu matched her tastes more. But Yua knew better. She understood how much more important inner character was than outward appearance.

Watching Daiki laugh and chat with his friends, Yua smiled secretly to herself. She didn't notice the basketball flying straight toward her.

"……Yua-chan!"

"Eh…?"

Yua stared with dazed eyes at the basketball flying toward her. The ball seemed to grow heavier as it approached, as if refusing to slow down.

"Kyaa!"

Yua's body froze. She couldn't dodge. All she could do was squeeze her eyes shut and brace for the impact.

Thud.

But the pain she expected never came.

"…You okay?"

What she heard was a deep, low baritone. When Yua cautiously opened her eyes, she saw a reliable man standing before her, holding the ball and looking at her with concern.

"N-Natsumoto?"

"Hmm? Sorry, did I scare you?"

Still holding the basketball in his large hand, Ryu spoke to her gently before turning and throwing the ball back to his friends. It seemed someone had been messing around with the ball and misjudged their strength.

"Be more careful."

"Sorry! Suzuki!"

Yua blinked, trying to process the situation.

So… Natsumoto blocked the ball that was flying at me?

The circumstances made it clear that's what had happened. Sweating profusely, he had casually stopped the ball, apologized to Yua, and walked away. With each step he took, the strange scent of his sweat reached her, and before she knew it, Yua's face had turned red.

It's because I was surprised… It's because I was surprised…

Yua clutched at her chest. The heart that had been pounding wildly for just a moment was definitely just startled by the unexpected situation. It was absolutely not because she was the type to care about appearances.