ALL NOVEL chapter 3
3. The World of Romantic Comedy
To put it simply, this was undoubtedly a world of romantic comedy.
I came to the realization that this world was indeed a romantic comedy when I witnessed a certain scene in the classroom.
There, in the back row by the window, sat a lackluster boy with black hair, resting his chin on his hand, gazing gloomily out at the schoolyard. Next to him was a dazzlingly beautiful girl.
“Hey, Raito-kun. Are you free after school today?”
“Hm? Oh, I don’t have any particular plans.”
“In that case, would you like to hang out after school? There’s somewhere I want to go.”
The girl, with her long red hair cascading down to her waist, was pure and lovely, her beauty so striking that it turned heads. Yet, despite being approached so familiarly by such a beauty, the boy next to her responded with a lazy demeanor.
If that were all, it would merely be a scene from everyday life, a typical moment from the youth I experienced in my original world. However, this was not where it ended; this was, after all, a world of romantic comedy.
As the lackluster boy and the long-haired beauty conversed, a girl with deep blue twin tails sitting in front turned around. She was yet another stunning beauty, her face adorably well-formed.
“Hey, Raito, you’re on cleaning duty this week, right? You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“…Ah, sorry. I completely forgot.”
“Honestly, get it together. You’ve always been forgetful since we were little. Don’t forget that today’s cleaning is just the two of us.”
The twin-tailed girl sighed in exasperation, likely a childhood friend, while the lackluster boy scratched his head apologetically. Just then, the classroom door swung open, and yet another astonishingly beautiful girl appeared.
With her long, wavy blonde hair flowing and jewel-like blue eyes scanning the classroom, she was so beautiful that one might question if she was foreign.
And she too approached the lackluster boy.
“Raito-san, good day. Have you thought about joining the student council?”
“Ah—student council president. Sorry, let me think about it a bit more.”
“Let’s discuss it after school in the student council room. I need your help.”
The lackluster boy and the blonde beauty exchanged friendly conversation. Watching this scene, the surrounding beauties voiced their jealousy. It was clear that they harbored feelings for the boy.
Yet, he remained completely oblivious, showing neither embarrassment nor joy in front of the beautiful girls. Rather, his expression was the opposite—he looked quite annoyed.
Next to him sat the red-haired, classic beauty.
A lively and cheerful childhood friend with adorable twin tails.
The intelligent and beautiful student council president with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Surrounded by such beauties in the back row by the window, the lackluster boy was in a familiar, dazzling scene that made me realize which romantic comedy this world was based on.
(So this is indeed a world of romantic comedy… and it’s the world of that hugely popular romantic comedy, “Fusekoi.”)
What I refer to as “Fusekoi” is the youth romantic comedy titled “The Girl in Love is in Love with Fusegawa-kun,” set in high school life.
This work had garnered quite a bit of attention since its serialization in comics, and after being adapted into an anime, it became a massive hit.
—
It was a harem romantic comedy where girls were completely devoted to the protagonist, unfolding a sweet romance that was almost sickeningly sweet. For someone like me, who was seeing hell every day as a corporate slave, it was the only source of healing and refreshment, so I remember it well.
The artwork was beautiful, the story was interesting, and the voice actors were top-notch; in my previous life, I was quite hooked on “Fusekoi.”
The protagonist’s name was Raito Fusegawa, and the characteristics of the three girls who gathered around him perfectly matched those of the heroines from “Fusekoi.” The exchange I just witnessed was exactly like a scene from the beginning of “Fusekoi.”
I never imagined I would see the interactions from my beloved “Fusekoi” not on a screen, but in reality. I wanted to rejoice that reincarnating into another world was the best—yet my heart was anything but calm.
As I watched the exchanges between the protagonist and the heroines, I settled into my seat—right in front of the teacher’s desk. Understanding my situation anew, I slumped over my desk and let out a deep sigh.
Realizing that I was in the world of “Fusekoi” allowed me to recall the character I had reincarnated as: Ryusuke Shindo.
(No doubt about it… Ryusuke Shindo. The utterly villainous character from “Fusekoi”…)
He was the arch-nemesis of the protagonist, Fusegawa Raito, and he harassed the protagonist in various ways. However, he was merely a foil to encourage the protagonist’s growth, ultimately being defeated by him in the end.
There was no development where he reflects and changes his ways; instead, he seeks revenge out of spite, only to have his numerous misdeeds exposed. By the time the third semester of his first year in high school rolls around, he faces not just expulsion but arrest by the police, leading to a future where he is socially obliterated.
(In the popularity poll for “Fusekoi,” he was a clear last place… and not just as a forgotten mob character, but genuinely hated by readers, securing that last place…)
What a ridiculous story.
Even though I had reincarnated into the world of “Fusekoi,” I had become a villain destined for a disastrous end.
Ryusuke Shindo’s role was to put the heroines in peril through his existence, only to be judged by the protagonist in the end. He was merely a narrative device for the protagonist and heroines to overcome, a vile presence in the story.
But that was only if I hadn’t reincarnated. In my previous life, I was just a serious person, and now I had become this villain. Now that I had reincarnated, there was no escape. I had to brace myself.
I’ll make it work. There’s still a chance.
No matter how much I had walked the path of delinquency until now, I was still a first-year high school student.
And looking at the date, it was still the first semester.
The judgment by the protagonists would come in the third semester, which was still some time away; there were plenty of opportunities for rehabilitation.
Moreover, I possessed the knowledge of the original story—knowledge of the future events that were about to unfold. If I utilized that knowledge to the fullest, there was no way I would end up facing judgment from the protagonists.
Having come to the world of my beloved romantic comedy, “Fusekoi,” I couldn’t waste this opportunity without enjoying it.
In this second life, I would ensure it ended without regrets, achieving a happy ending.
I clenched my fist tightly, solidifying my resolve.