Chapter 6: The Gathering of the Main Protagonists, Heroines and the Supporting Characters
Shunsuke's gaze sharpened.
"Seeing the look on your face, it seems the next card is ready."
After considering for a moment, Shunsuke decided not to use The World again and instead drew the second card in order.
It was The World in the upright position.
—If this isn't a joke, I swear I'll eat this tarot card and Nozomi right here on the spot!
"The Star in the upright position and The World in the upright position? It seems, just as I thought, that the gears of fate have begun to turn for you, dear guest."
Before Shunsuke could draw another card, Nozomi put away the tarot cards and continued to speak to herself.
"What does that mean?"
"It's the impression I got when I first saw you."
"So what about my divination results?"
"That's all~."
Seeing Nozomi's cheerful expression, Shunsuke was sure that if he punched her with Platinum Star, she would cry for a long time. He really wanted her to understand the harsh realities of society.
"Forget it, I still have to go to school. Ms. Tojo, I hope you can be more sincere when we meet next time. Farewell."
"Aren't you going to pray? The prophecy given by the deity might be more accurate than mine."
"It's pretty audacious for a mere shrine maiden," Shunsuke retorted. "But I won't bother; I never intended to pray to the gods. Fate is a sleeping slave, and I refuse to be its subordinate. I will seize fate by the throat; that is the golden spirit."
With that said, Shunsuke turned and walked away.
There was no other reason for him to say that; he had briefly slipped into a phase of teenage melodrama for about two seconds.
As soon as he finished speaking, he regretted it, feeling embarrassed to the point that he wished he could dig a hole right there and hide.
—Where's my system? System, help me out! Can you blow up that awkward moment and send me back to the past?
Nozomi stood frozen in place, feeling some unnameable awe.
Shunsuke quickened his pace to escape.
.....
"Hanabi, sorry to keep you waiting."
"I didn't wait long; you arrived quickly, Shunsuke."
"..."
"By the way, it feels really quiet. There's not a single person on the way to the shrine. It's such a big difference compared to the New Year."
"..."
Shunsuke felt that Hanabi was being purposely cryptic!
"Shunsuke, why aren't you talking?"
Confirmed—Hanabi, you're definitely being sarcastic!
Due to the time they had spent on their detour, they arrived at school just as morning reading was about to begin.
They parted ways at the school gate, with Shunsuke heading to the Class 2-F classroom. There, he learned that his homeroom teacher was the Japanese teacher, Hiratsuka Shizuka.
As he walked into the classroom, even though he hadn't come on the first day of school yesterday, quite a few familiar faces came up to greet Shunsuke and pointed out his seat.
It was a perfect spot by the window in the second-to-last row—the ideal protagonist seat.
Shunsuke was quite satisfied with this.
After surveying the classroom, he also spotted many "old friends," some of whom he already knew and others he just had vague impressions of.
There were major characters like Hikigaya Hachiman, Yui Yuigahama, the queen Miura Yumiko, the fujoshi Ebina Hina, and the cute boy Totsuka Saika and Hayama Hayato, not to mention others.
There were also some less noticeable students like Kato Megumi.
The king of pick-up lines, Sakuta Azugawa.
The ramen-loving Koizumi.
The well-known Futaba Rio.
The overly buff yuri-loving, yandere murderer Matsuzaka Satou.
Uesugi Fuutarou from "The Quintessential Quintuplets"; and the energy-conserving Houtarou Oreki.
It was surprising how such a small Class 2-F gathered so many talents. Shizuka must be delighted to know this.
Shunsuke was pleased as well, as he should at least not be worried about collecting points for the time being.
Although the class had only formed a day ago, various small groups had already started to coalesce, and it all felt remarkably familiar.
Based on the rumors or evaluations from freshman year, coupled with the atmosphere and vibes when they truly met, various cliques had formed successfully in just one day, and the hierarchical structure of the class already began to take shape.
The upper-tier students were loudly expressing themselves without a care in the world, while the lower-tier students huddled together in corners, whispering to each other.
Among them were also those like the major characters who sat alone at their desks, pretending to be dead.
And then there was Kato Megumi, a nonexistent person. The clear divisions among the various tiers were something Shunsuke found both difficult and undesirable to get used to, the inherent ability of the people in this world.
For an ordinary person, missing out on the prime opportunity of the first day would mean having to lower their status to blend in, becoming a "supporting character" hoping that either the leaders of some clique or past friends would accept them. But Shunsuke was different.
He had always excelled academically, having been the model student in his neighborhood.
Even in this enhanced version of Sobu High, aside from Japanese, which he found challenging due to the reading comprehension styles of the locals, he had never fallen below the top three in rankings.
Plus, his physical abilities were also quite outstanding.
He often shone during physical education classes and was handsome, making him a perfect candidate for the upper tiers.
As long as he wanted to, he could effortlessly rise to the top of any group he joined.
However, because he didn't want to adapt to the roundabout speaking styles of this people, he came off as proud and aloof to many outsiders, except for a select few who understood him.
In contrast to Yukino's ruthless, self-righteous, and condescending way of speaking, Shunsuke at least reserved some compassion for those he disliked.
Thus, his social relationships were much better than Hirano's; most people revered him, filled with both awe and admiration for his strength, never daring to engage in cold violence like they did with Hirano.
As a result, Shunsuke had gained the unique status of being able to join the conversations of any clique at will, making him a notable person at Sobu High, earning the nickname "The Neutral Aloof One."
Damn, truly, this people are so over-the-top!
....
After sitting down, Shunsuke poked the girl sitting in front of him with his pen. "Kato-san, we're classmates again this year. Nice to meet you."
"Hm? Fujii-san, did you notice me?"
Although her expression was still emotionless and her tone quite flat, Shunsuke could sense a slight tremor of surprise in Kato Megumi.
She was undeniably a beautiful girl, but for some reason, Kato's presence was pitifully low; she could easily be overlooked even when traveling with family.
In the past, Shunsuke often failed to notice Kato Megumi's naturally subdued aura because he had forgotten most of his previous life's memories, which prevented him from targeting her effectively.
But now, with his significantly enhanced mental acuity, he wouldn't make such a rookie mistake again.
In fact, he could even flirt with ease. "After all, it's hard to forget a beautiful girl like Kato after just one meeting, right?"
"Suddenly praising me won't benefit you," Megumi remained unfazed, and the earlier hint of wavering was nowhere to be seen.
"I'm just stating the truth."
"Is that so? But when we met again in high school, you still had to ask me to introduce myself. We were classmates in middle school, after all."
"Ah, is that how it was..."
Shunsuke struggled to recall. At that moment, he made an effort to remember, and gradually, a vague figure of the girl who used to sit behind him began to clarify—it was indeed Kato Megumi.
—System, you said this is a daily world?
[It is daily world.]
—Can a normal daily world have such a barrier? Tell me, which daily world has a barrier that can block memories?
[The world of "How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend."]
Damn it, what a hassle.
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•Shizuka Hiratsuka, Hachiman Hikigaya,Yumiko Miura, Ebina Hina, Saika Totsuka, Hayama Hayato, and others [Oregairu]
•Kato Megumi [Saekano]
•Sakuta Azusagawa [Bunny Girl Senpai]
•Koizumi-san [Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san]
•Futaba Rio [Bunny Girl Senpai]
•Matsuzaka Satou [Happy Sugar Life]
•Uesugi Futarou [The Quintessential Quintuplets]
•Hotarou Oreki [Hyouka]
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