I'm the Only One Not Interested in the Heroine
The world inside a romance fantasy novel is a truly terrifying place.
Especially if you're a side character with no plot armor.
I learned that the hard way after getting sucked into this damn book.
Why the hell did I have to be the one who reincarnated as Ian, of all people?
Ian was the typical expendable extra. A supporting male lead who existed solely to make the heroine look good, get brutally rejected, and then conveniently die or disappear so the main couple could have their happily ever after.
In other words, a walking red flag with a death flag attached.
So my top priority after waking up in this body was simple: survive. Avoid the heroine at all costs. Don't get involved in any of the ridiculous romantic subplots. And most importantly, never, ever catch the attention of those obsessive capture targets.
That was the plan.
But plans have a funny way of crumbling the moment you step foot in the academy.
"Ian! There you are!"
A bright, cheerful voice rang out behind me, followed by the unmistakable sound of hurried footsteps.
I froze mid-step in the middle of the bustling academy corridor, my stomach already twisting into knots.
Please don't be her. Please don't be her.
Slowly, I turned around.
And there she was. The heroine herself. Roselia von Adelheit, the saintess candidate with flowing silver hair and eyes like polished sapphires. She was smiling at me with that pure, innocent expression that made every male lead in the story lose their damn minds.
Behind her, I could already see a few familiar faces starting to gather. The crown prince. The grand duke's son. Even the holy knight captain was lingering nearby, pretending to inspect a statue while clearly watching us.
This is exactly what I was trying to avoid.
"I was looking all over for you," Roselia said, tilting her head cutely. "You left so quickly after the entrance ceremony yesterday. I wanted to thank you properly for helping me when I got lost in the garden last week."
Helping her? I had literally just been trying to find a quiet place to hide from the main cast and accidentally bumped into her. That was it. Nothing heroic. Nothing romantic.
But of course, in a romance fantasy world, even breathing the same air as the heroine gets misinterpreted as "fated encounter" material.
"It was nothing," I said, keeping my voice as flat and disinterested as possible. "You don't need to thank me. Really."
Instead of taking the hint, her eyes sparkled even brighter.
"You're so humble! That's what I like about you, Ian. Everyone else is always trying to impress me, but you're different."
That's because I'm trying to stay alive, damn it.
I could feel the temperature in the hallway dropping as multiple pairs of eyes bored into me with varying degrees of hostility. The crown prince's hand was twitching toward his sword. The grand duke's son looked like he was calculating how to make my death look like an accident.
Time to escape.
"I have class," I lied, already backing away. "See you around. Or not. Preferably not."
Before she could respond, I turned on my heel and practically sprinted toward the nearest staircase.
Just survive the semester. Just survive the semester.
That had become my mantra ever since I realized what kind of story I'd been thrown into.
The problem was, avoiding the heroine in a romance fantasy academy was apparently harder than defeating the demon king.
Every time I tried to keep my distance, some ridiculous misunderstanding would occur. I'd accidentally save her from a minor magical accident and suddenly I'm "the mysterious protector." I'd try to avoid eye contact and it gets read as "cool and aloof charm."
And the worst part? The more I tried to push her away, the more interested she seemed to become.
"Ian, wait!"
Her voice echoed up the staircase behind me.
I didn't wait. I took the stairs two at a time, heart pounding, wondering how the hell I was supposed to survive three whole years at this academy without getting dragged into the main plot.
Because in this world, being the only one not interested in the heroine wasn't just unusual.
It was apparently a challenge accepted by the entire universe.
And I had a sinking feeling that the universe was about to start playing dirty.