I've Been Transmigrated
"To all our new students — congratulations on your admission to the Academy."
Every upperclassman and instructor in the hall had their eyes locked on us.
They looked like they were staring at something rare and strange.
Well, of course they did.
Every single freshman this term was exceptional.
"I still can't believe we actually got in… This place only takes the most talented people in the entire kingdom."
The boy beside me was practically sparkling with excitement.
"Talent usually belongs to the nobles, right? I never thought a commoner like me — or Reina — would make the cut. This has to be a dream, doesn't it?"
"I wish it were."
I answered before he could pinch his own cheek to check.
"What do you mean, Reina?"
"Reina… Yeah. That's the problem."
Why the hell am I Reina?
There was a novel called The Commoner Who Was Too Strong for the Academy.
A male-oriented academy story where a guy with a copy ability grows stronger by getting close to the heroines.
And that protagonist is—
"Reina, are you feeling okay?"
—the boy currently chattering away right next to me.
"…I'm fine."
"Don't lie. You've been acting weird for days. You think you can fool your childhood friend's eyes?"
And Reina is that protagonist's childhood friend.
"Childhood friend, huh…"
He couldn't even tell that someone else was living in this body now.
"Do you have a fever or something?"
He reached for my forehead.
"I said I'm fine!"
I smacked his hand away on pure reflex.
His eyes went wide with surprise.
"Huh… What's wrong with you? You used to like it when I did that."
The original Reina might have. I don't.
Because I'm—
I'm a guy!
Not that anyone would believe me if I said that looking like this.
"…I'm older now. I don't think that kind of thing is okay anymore."
"Well, if you don't like it, that's fine."
He turned back toward the stage without any real hurt in his voice.
True to his role as the protagonist, he was a decent guy at least.
…Not that he was my type.
"Why, though…"
Why did I get transmigrated at all?
And even if I had to, shouldn't I have ended up as some side-character guy?
Why did it have to be Reina?
This novel has several heroines.
And Reina is one of them.
The childhood-friend heroine, specifically.
Born into a fallen noble house, Reina was reduced to commoner status as a child.
Even so, she'd once been nobility — which meant she could never quite fit in with the other kids.
The one who reached out to her then was the protagonist.
That was how Reina fell for him, and how she stayed by his side ever since.
…In short, Reina had been in love with the protagonist from the very beginning of the novel.
Not that any of that matters now.
Whether Reina loved him or not is meaningless the moment I took over her body.
What matters is this:
The closer Reina gets to the protagonist, the higher her odds of dying.
Academy story or not, this novel is full of genuine danger.
And every time, the heroines end up in the middle of it.
Hardship is what makes love bloom between the hero and his girls, after all. I get the logic.
Understanding it doesn't mean I want to live through it.
Stay next to the protagonist knowing I might die?
Absolutely not!
The original Reina would have stuck around no matter the risk because she loved him. But I'm not her! I'm not Reina!
I don't love the protagonist, and I never will.
I still have no idea why I got dumped into this novel.
It wasn't even unpopular, and I never left some massive essay of a comment!
"Haa."
I knew full well that no amount of internal ranting would change anything.
I'd already been transmigrated, and I had no idea how to go back.
Which left me with exactly one option.
"In the end… I guess I have no choice but to live as Reina."
The entrance ceremony ended without incident.
"Alright, Reina — I'm this way."
The protagonist pointed toward the boys' dormitory.
"Yeah."
"If anything comes up, you can come find me."
That won't be happening.
I'd decided to live as Reina, but that didn't mean I needed to stay close to the protagonist.
Staying near him only meant walking straight into danger.
He was the kind of person who dragged incidents and enemies around with him wherever he went.
For my own safety, I need to put some distance between us.
I stepped into the girls' dormitory.
The other freshmen had already moved their things in — every one of them empty-handed.
I was the only one still dragging a suitcase.
"That's her…"
"Probably…"
The freshmen nearby whispered as they watched me pass.
I couldn't make out the words, but they weren't saying anything kind.
If people won't say it to your face, it's almost never good.
I ignored them and walked to my door — only to find a problem waiting for me.
"So like I was saying—"
"Is that actually true?"
Two freshmen were chatting right in front of my room.
Blocking the door completely.
They glanced at me, then curled their lips into matching smirks.
They clearly had no intention of moving.
"So this is the bullying Reina was supposed to go through."
Most of the students at this Academy are nobles.
Commoners are almost nonexistent.
Actually… other than the protagonist and Reina, there aren't any.
Reina was a fallen noble to begin with.
She'd still been nobility once, so of course she had talent.
Thinking about it that way, the pure commoner protagonist really was something special.
I glanced sideways.
The students who'd been lingering nearby hurried into their rooms.
They didn't want to get dragged into anything troublesome.
In the original, the protagonist stepped in for Reina here, didn't he?
The original Reina was timid.
She never took the lead, never fought back even when she was hit — a completely passive girl.
The protagonist was always the one who stood up for her.
Which was probably why she ended up so clingy and dependent on him.
…But I won't be like that.
I may have transmigrated into Reina, but I'm not her.
I have no intention of leaning on the protagonist, and I sure as hell won't just stand here looking helpless the way she would have.
"Could you move?"
"What?"
"That's my room. Get out of the way."
Both girls' eyes went round.
The taller one's shoulders started to tremble.
"Did you just give me an order? Me — someone from Viscount Bis's house… How dare you…"
"It was a request, not an order."
"Order or request, it doesn't matter! What matters is that you dared try to exert influence over me!"
When did I do that?
This girl's logic made no sense.
"Fine. Just move, okay?"
Talking to someone who refused to listen was a waste of time.
"A commoner with that attitude? If you want me to step aside, try begging properly — say 'please move for me.'"
"No."
"You… what did you just say? A commoner talking back to a noble?"
I'd appreciate it if she stopped jabbing her finger at me.
"Once you're admitted to the Academy, status doesn't matter. Didn't you hear the entrance speech?"
Once you're here, everyone is equal.
That's what the adults say.
The kids don't feel that way, though.
Which is why the protagonist and Reina face discrimination early on.
"Stop talking back to me!"
The girl in front of me raised her arm.
Ah. This is the exact same scene as the original.
Irritated that the other person wouldn't bow their head, the girl winds up for a slap.
Fortunately, someone steps in before it lands — though the reason she helps only comes out later.
But with the protagonist not here, there was no reason for that girl to save me.
I never planned on being rescued anyway. I'd have to handle this myself.
Reina is a heroine. Her talent is exceptional.
Her timid personality just kept her from using it properly.
Now that I was in control, that particular weakness was gone.
I watched the incoming hand carefully.
It was an emotional swing, so it shouldn't have been slow — but to me, it was crystal clear.
Reina had excellent eyesight. I'd expected as much.
Once I'd seen the strike coming, all I had to do was dodge.
Whoosh!
Her palm cut through empty air.
"What…?"
The girl's mouth fell open in shock.
Then she decided it was a fluke and lunged again.
Whoosh!
I dodged again.
Did she really think I'd fall for the same move twice? Was she an idiot?
"Y-you! Help me!"
Furious that I kept slipping away, she snarled at her companion.
The "you" was the other freshman she'd been talking to.
"Me?"
"Yes! Use magic and freeze her in place!"
"O-okay!"
Magic. That was a problem.
Reina has good eyes.
That means she can react to most physical attacks.
But magic is different.
Magic operates outside physical form.
By the time you see it, it's already too late.
You have to move before the caster finishes the formula…
"I'll teach you your place!"
…except the slap-happy girl in front of me made that impossible.
If I were actually skilled, I could have handled both of them alone.
Right now, I couldn't.
"Haa…"
Maybe I should have just bowed my head.
But even if I had, the bullying wouldn't have stopped.
Bow or don't bow — it didn't matter.
Maybe this ending had been decided from the start.
"!"
My body locked up.
The magic had activated. No question.
"Perfect!"
The slap girl grinned wide and swung her arm in a big arc.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I'll get you back for this later.
But—
"?"
No matter how long I waited, the pain never came.
What?
I opened my eyes and saw—
"Huh?"
A girl with striking blonde hair that fell past her shoulders.
She had the slap girl's wrist locked in her grip.
"I don't think this is appropriate behavior between classmates."
I knew who she was.
Her name was Ceryll.
Ceryll — one of the heroines of this novel.