ALL NOVEL chapter 4
4. The Common Sense of This World
After witnessing the harem and romantic comedy scene in the classroom, the lesson began as if nothing had happened.
I hadn’t brought any textbooks, but my desk and locker were filled with them, so I didn’t forget anything. However, my momentary relief faded as I realized that a mundane class was quite uncomfortable for me, now that I was a villain.
The teacher glared at me with sharp eyes, saying things like, “It’s rare to see you come to school after skipping so much,” and during the lesson, he blatantly targeted me with questions. The stares from my classmates were also quite painful.
It felt as if everyone was telling me to fulfill my role as a villain in this world, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were rejecting my presence and harassing me.
But I had enough knowledge to overcome this.
The teacher probably thought I wouldn’t be able to answer the questions he posed, but he was mistaken. In my previous life, I had devoted myself to studying throughout high school and university. For someone like me, answering the content of a first-year high school class was a piece of cake.
As I smoothly answered the questions he threw at me, the teacher’s eyes widened in surprise. Other students wore similar expressions.
—
Well, it’s a natural reaction, I suppose. The man known as Shindo Ryusuke, before my reincarnation, was rebellious towards teachers and I have no memory of actually attending classes. No one expects me to be able to answer.
However, perhaps due to my past misdeeds, no matter how seriously I attend class or how many questions I answer, the gazes from those around me remain cold. To turn this around, I have no choice but to take a long time to earn their trust.
And during class, what I was most concerned about was the protagonist and heroine of this story.
I awaken my memories of the characters from ‘Fuse Koi’.
First, there’s the protagonist of the story, ‘Fusegawa Raito’.
In the story, he sits at the very back by the window, and he is attending class in exactly the same position as in my memory. He looks like an ordinary high school boy with black hair and black eyes, always appearing lethargic. However, he is also a kind-hearted, natural womanizer, embodying the quintessential protagonist of a romantic comedy, adored by beautiful girls.
Next to the protagonist sits the traditional heroine with long red hair, ‘Hanasaki Yuna’.
She is academically excellent and well-behaved, with a pure and lovely appearance, always ranking first in popularity polls for ‘Fuse Koi’. She has a natural clumsiness that adds to her charm, striking a chord with readers.
In front of her is the childhood friend with twin tails, ‘Himeno Karen’.
In stark contrast to the gentle Hanasaki Yuna, she is bright, lively, and an outstanding athlete. Being a childhood friend, she has many appearances, and her slightly tsundere yet earnest feelings for the protagonist have captured the hearts of the audience.
Although she isn’t here, there’s also the heroine ‘Sakuramiya Miyuki’, who serves as the student council president. She was the one who invited Fusegawa Raito to join the student council before classes started. A half-British girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, she is a high-class beauty, excelling in beauty, personality, and ability—a perfect superhuman.
There are many quirky supporting characters, but these are the central figures of ‘Fuse Koi’.
With the characters and their traits perfectly matching my memories, and their names being the same, there’s no doubt that this is the world of ‘Fuse Koi’.
Even though we are still in class, the protagonist and heroine are displaying their flirtations, all of which align perfectly with my memories of the ‘Fuse Koi’ story.
Still, seeing the protagonist and heroine flirting during class feels quite out of place in reality.
In fact, the seat by the window in the back is quite noticeable from the teacher’s perspective. When standing at the teacher’s desk, it becomes clear that the least noticeable seats are often at the front corners, which can easily become blind spots. On the other hand, the seats in the back are well within view, making it easy to see what’s happening.
Despite being in such a seat, the protagonist, Fusegawa Raito, is chatting with Hanasaki Yuna and Himeno Karen during class without a care.
They might think they’re speaking in hushed tones, but their voices are clearly audible even from my seat in the front row. Just the sight of two beautiful girls chatting happily is enough to draw attention, and seeing them receive no reprimand at all reaffirms my understanding that this is the norm in a romantic comedy world.
Without conversation between the protagonist and the heroine, a romantic comedy wouldn’t work… If I were to just depict the scene of the class in silence, it wouldn’t have any impact, and ultimately, that leads to them continuing to talk even during class.
Feeling a sense of incongruity with the class atmosphere, which is entirely different from my previous life, I quietly copied the contents from the blackboard into my notebook and listened attentively to the teacher’s lecture.
While I am curious about the interactions between the protagonists, what I need right now is the trust of those around me.
Unless I break free from the role of the villain, what awaits me in this world is the bad ending that follows the original story.
So first, I need to reform myself. The man known as Shindo Ryusuke is undoubtedly a delinquent in this world, but I, having been reincarnated, have lived a life far removed from delinquency.
In other words, I just need to change the villain, Shindo Ryusuke, through my efforts after reincarnation. By transforming from a hopeless villain who merely highlights the protagonist’s greatness into a serious and sincere honor student, I can avoid a future of ruin.
What awaits beyond that is surely the best youth I couldn’t experience in my first life. A sweet and sour romance between men and women that can only be enjoyed in a romantic comedy world. I too want to live such days.
For that reason, it’s essential to take classes seriously.
No sleeping, no skipping, no chatting during class, and taking thorough notes. I must nod along to the teacher’s explanations while also making sure to show that I’m studying hard. I continued to attend class with utmost seriousness.
Yet, even with my efforts… Well, it’s the first day, and all the teachers and classmates are just looking at me with a strange expression, with no progress at all. But perseverance is strength. This will have meaning as long as I keep at it.
With that determination, I continued attending class—before I knew it, the morning had flown by, and it was lunchtime.
Perhaps due to doing something unfamiliar right after my reincarnation, I felt a wave of fatigue wash over me. After having lunch, I wanted to take a light nap, but what should I do? It’s nice weather, so maybe eating my bento on the rooftop would be a good idea.
I had been thinking that way when I heard the voices of the protagonist, Fusegawa Yorito, and the heroines, Hanazaki Yuna and Himeno Karen, bringing me back to reality.
“Yorito-kun. It’s such a nice day today, shall we have lunch on the rooftop?”
“Yuna, that sounds great. Let’s go.”
“I’m so happy! Let’s take our time and enjoy the sunshine.”
“Yorito! I made a bento! You’ll eat it, right?”
“Of course. Everything you make, Karen, is delicious.”
“Wha?! Y-yeah… ehehe.”
Watching the interaction between the protagonist, Fusegawa Yorito, and the two heroines, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
I had forgotten… The school rooftop had always been a place where the main characters flirted throughout the story.
That open space was the classic spot for the protagonist and the heroines to nurture their love. If I were to go there now, the event of me interfering as the antagonist would likely begin. Even if I didn’t intend to, I could feel the atmosphere leaning that way.
Quiet libraries, deserted places—those kinds of spots are dangerous. Since I had reincarnated as the villain, I needed to avoid the classic spots that appeared in the story at all costs.
(The safest place is definitely the classroom.)
This is the most neutral location. It’s clear that a classroom filled with many students is a comforting space for me now. As they say, hiding a tree in a forest, it’s safer for a side character like me to quietly blend in among a crowd of students.
For now, I thought I’d eat my bento, lay my head down on my desk, and take a nap before trying to focus on the afternoon classes.
(I see. Until now, I had been skipping school, so I didn’t have a bento prepared.)
The man known as Shindo Ryusuke before my reincarnation hadn’t engaged in the normal behavior of attending classes. There was no way my parents would prepare a bento for me, and there was nothing in my bag that could serve as lunch.
To fill my stomach, I would have to go to the cafeteria for lunch.
However, the cafeteria had also frequently served as a stage for events in “Fusekoi.” Since I confirmed that the protagonists were heading to the rooftop, I wanted to pray that nothing would happen… but there’s always a chance.
This is a romantic comedy world, and a typical harem one at that. If other heroines who support Fusegawa Yorito show up, and I get into some trouble with them, it could lead to events with the protagonist, which would be troublesome.
The possibility of encountering unknown events not present in the original work is not zero. However, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the afternoon classes if I stayed hungry. I needed to act discreetly.
I decided to have my lunch in a corner of the cafeteria where no one would notice me, gripping my wallet tightly as I left the classroom.