Chapter 1 : Crazy School

“…Grandma, I’m heading out.”

“Okay, okay. Be careful.”

The most important thing in this world was not to stand out.

Since almost every girl was a beautiful girl, unless you were exceptionally gorgeous, if you acted normally, guys wouldn’t be drawn to you.

However, there was a problem.

My face looked like my mother’s… my “other mother,” who once had numerous women as her lovers and ended up in a tragic situation with 17 pieces…

In short, she resembled my mother, who was often considered a standout beauty, even in a world where the average was unusually high.

In a world where even average looks are exceptional, I stood out as a particularly beautiful girl.

When I walked down the street, strangers would often glance back.

Even before I understood what was going on, I experienced multiple attempts at being picked up and even kidnapping attempts.

With this appearance, if I lived carelessly, there was a future where I’d end up locked in someone’s basement, eating whatever scraps they gave me, and eventually getting trapped in Stockholm Syndrome, bearing children as a result.

That’s why, the method I chose was… a number of beauty seals.

Although they didn’t have any actual prescription, my glasses were so thick they nearly hid my eyes.

Every morning, I would carefully mess up my hair with a comb.

I even considered wearing a mask, but that would make me too noticeable, so I had to settle for just this level of camouflage.

Fortunately, it worked well enough to filter out most guys.

The ones who did notice were only those into the “beautiful girl” look, and they weren’t likely to care about a glasses-wearing girl who didn’t take care of herself.

Beep beep, beep beep—!

While walking toward the academy, an ambulance quickly passed by me.

I wondered who got stabbed today…

The convenience store worker I see often looked like they might be in danger. I hope that’s not the case.

“Mi~ Ro~ Ya!”

“Ugh!”

I was on guard against any potential threats as I headed to the academy, but I failed to detect the danger approaching from behind.

“I told you to walk with me. Why’d you go alone again? Hm?”

“…Sorry.”

The girl who practically flew at me—Seo-yoon Lee—rubbed her face against my cheek and wrapped her arms around me.

The person I personally ranked as the most dangerous individual.

Seo-yoon Lee.

With her natural blonde hair, incredible figure, and bright personality, she was insanely popular.

But for some reason, she never dated anyone, earning the nickname “the flower on the cliff.”

“Hehe, Miro, you’re so cute today too. Come on, should we hold hands while we walk?”

“No need.”

For some reason, she clung to me despite never having seen my real appearance.

She hadn’t made any sexual moves yet, so there was a chance she just wanted to be friends.

But I couldn’t let my guard down.

In the first place, she was a popular girl.

That meant I ran a serious risk of being stabbed by some jealous lunatic.

This world was more than capable of that.

Logically, the smart thing to do would be to keep my distance and never see her again…

“A new fish-shaped pastry stall opened behind the academy, and it’s sooo good! Let’s go together next time and buy some. Hm? I’ll treat you~”

“…I’ll think about it.”

“Aw, so cold! But Miro’s too nice to say no, right? Right?”

“You know, saying that right in front of me kinda defeats the purpose.”

In this insane world, letting go of the one person who seemed to have at least a shred of common sense was a difficult choice.

Without Seo-yoon, I would’ve just been a loner who studied alone, played alone, and wandered around alone.

It was the path I chose, but that didn’t make it any less lonely…

“Hehehe.”

Still, Seo-yoon herself seemed harmless enough.

If she really liked me, in a world where love confessions were always direct, she would’ve already confessed by now.

If other girls saw me as just a harmless, glasses-wearing nobody like this, they wouldn’t consider me a competitor, and I wouldn’t be at risk of getting stabbed.

As long as I didn’t lose my mind and make any inappropriate moves on Seo-yoon, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Right.

…Still, just in case, I should keep up with my workouts.

“Seo-yoon.”

“Hm?”

“Walk over here, on this side.”

“Huh? Why?”

“You might get hit by a car over there. It’s dangerous.”

I pulled Seo-yoon toward the inner side of the sidewalk and took the outer position myself.

Having died in a traffic accident in my past life, cars were nothing short of a symbol of trauma for me.

Drunk driving wasn’t common in this world, but you never knew.

Compared to Seo-yoon, who looked like she’d be slow to react because of, well, her figure, I’d have a better chance of dodging quickly.

“…Heeeh.”

“What are you doing? Hurry up and walk.”

“Coming~!”

‘…Ugh.’

Seo-yoon’s bright, cheerful smile was so breathtakingly beautiful that I felt dizzy for a moment.

I had my glasses and messy hair to give me at least some level of safety, but Seo-yoon dressed up like that every day…

Wasn’t she bound to get stabbed sooner or later?

She was safe for now since she hadn’t dated anyone yet, but there were always lunatics who’d stab a girl just because she wouldn’t go out with them… or worse, try to kidnap her.

“Seo-yoon…”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“…Nothing. It’s nothing.”

…Telling her to install a GPS tracker on her phone and send her location to her parents in real time would probably be overstepping, huh.

I’d just have to stay as alert as possible.

I could take care of myself somehow, so if I put in the effort, I could at least protect one friend.

Screeeech.

Seo-yoon and I arrived at the classroom, but the moment we stepped inside, I felt dizzy at the scene before me.

Smooch, smooch.

Some students were openly engaged in an intense, adult-like kiss.

Aren’t they embarrassed?

Even if there are only girls here, pregnancy is still possible, so technically, everyone counts as the opposite sex.

“Our Mirin, why your breast so big, huh?”

Rub, rub.

“Uhh… S-Stop touching me…”

“If you really hate it, you could just run away, right? Hm? You’re just standing there, so what are you even complaining about…?”

“Ugh… You’re so mean…”

Another bizarre aspect of this insane world.

Everything was so blatantly inappropriate.

At first, I wondered, Are girls just naturally like this?

But no matter how I looked at it, something was definitely off.

I wasn’t exactly knowledgeable about this stuff, having been a guy in my past life, but even I knew that this was way too much.

At this point, it was basically harassment.

Kissing, burying faces into each other chest, touching each other freely, even shoving heads under skirts… and much more.

Even in public spaces where everyone could see, these so-called “displays of affection” never stopped.

No, if anything, seeing it seemed to encourage others to join in, as if they just fed off each other.

“Seo-yoon~ Let me feel yours too—”

Smack—

“Sorry, sorry~ I’m just really sensitive there.”

“O-Oh, okay…?”

As expected, my friend still had a sense of decency.

You have to be able to shut down those kinds of suggestions immediately.

That girl, Mirin or whatever her name was, getting touched like that—it was basically the same as openly begging for it.

Rustle, rustle.

I kept my eyes off the excessive displays of affection and focused on getting ready for class.

While doing so, I sensed someone approaching and lifted my head.

Was it Seo-yoon?

“Um, Miro?”

“…Who are you?”

The person standing in front of my desk was a girl I didn’t recognize.

She was small, with twin tails that suited her well.

Was there someone like this in our class?

The new semester had only just started, so I hadn’t memorized everyone yet, but I was pretty sure I’d never seen her before…

“Me? I’m Yoo Seo-ran from the class next door.”

Yoo Seo-ran?

Who the heck is that…

No way, she’s not into me, is she?

My unbeatable combo of glasses and messy hair has kept me safe for over three years!

“I heard from a friend in this class—Miro, do you always wear glasses?”

“Yeah.”

“Really? Even during swimming class, home economics, science experiments, baking practice… all of it!?”

“…Is there a problem?”

Seo-ran’s eyes sparkled as she stared at me.

It wasn’t like glasses were rare, so why was she acting so surprised?

…This feels ominous.

“Hey, could you take them off for just a second?”

“No.”

The uneasy feeling I got from her mischievous expression wasn’t just my imagination.

Even as she asked for permission, her hand was already reaching toward my glasses.

I had no idea why a girl like this was bothering someone like me, who usually stayed as quiet as possible in class, but right now, the most important thing was protecting my glasses.

“Why not! Just once! Huh? It’s just that, unlike other people, Miro, you can’t see well, so I’m really curious.”

“…I said no.”

“Don’t be like that. Please?”

I tried to swat her hand away, but she skillfully dodged my attempts while persistently reaching for my glasses.

If I wanted to, shaking her off would be easy. But if I caused a scene, I might attract unnecessary attention, making it harder to stay under the radar.

It was only thanks to the fact that the other students were currently too absorbed in kissing and inappropriate touching that I was safe.

On a normal day, when things were more relaxed, everyone would’ve jumped in out of sheer boredom.

“Haa… So, you just want to see my eyes?”

“Yeah, yeah! You have such a nice voice, so I bet your eyes are really pretty!”

“…Fine.”

This is exactly why I always put on makeup that makes my eyes look smaller.

If she thought I only relied on my glasses, she was sorely mistaken.

I’d just show her a glimpse, and she’d be disappointed by my plain looks and leave me alone.

Yeah.

That should do it.

“Hey, you’re Seo-ran, right?”

“Huh? Who…?”

“Me? I’m Seo-yoon Lee! Nice to meet you~!”

Seo-ran, who had been watching my face with fascination, suddenly turned at the unexpected voice from behind.

Naturally, my gaze followed hers, and I saw the person standing there.

…Seo-yoon?

“Seo-yoon Lee? Kyaa! You’re super famous! I’ve never seen you in person before, but wow, you’re really pretty…!”

“Seo-ran, you’re cute too! Hey, Seo-ran… mind lending me your ear for a sec?”

“Yeah, yeah! What is it, what is it?”

Wasn’t Seo-yoon just surrounded by other students earlier?

I had no idea why she came over, but at least she was taking this annoying girl away.

Thank goodness.

Even with my eye makeup, if someone stared too hard, they might notice something off…

I should buy Seo-yoon some fish-shaped pastries later as thanks.

Whisper, whisper.

“…Got it?”

When Seo-yoon lifted her head, Yoo Seo-ran nodded vigorously.

I couldn’t see her face since she had turned away from me, but judging by her excited movements, she was probably happy about whatever was said.

What did Seo-yoon tell her…?

I was curious.

Seo-yoon was always bright and lovable, so it was surely something nice.

Tap tap tap.

“Huh…?”

BAM!

Seo-ran, who had been nodding moments ago, suddenly bolted for the classroom door and slammed it shut behind her.

Naturally, everyone’s attention shifted to the door, and before I knew it, the entire class was buzzing about what had just happened.

“Mirooo, if you were hanging out with a girl like that, you should’ve told me!”

“…What kind of girl was she?”

“You’re my friend, Miro, but she was only interested in you for fun! She didn’t even realize how much your glasses mean to you.”

Seo-yoon plopped down on my desk, puffing up her cheeks as she pouted at me.

Her expression was so adorable that I almost let out a chuckle—but I quickly returned to a blank face.

“Okay. I’ll tell you first next time.”

“Hehe, promise?”

“…I’ll try.”

“Don’t go back on your word!”

Did Seo-yoon just chase Seo-ran away for me?

Judging by what she said, that seemed to be the case…

So, Seo-yoon really does think of me as a friend.

…That makes me happy.

She might be the most dangerous person in my rankings, but I’m glad I stuck with her.