Chapter 24: Mai Sakurajima and Utaha Kasumigaoka
A seemingly ordinary day quickly passed for Shunsuke, but for the members of his class, it was anything but simple. The dynamics within Class F were beginning to shift, with rival factions starting to emerge.
Though Kunimi and Sakuta treated it all as a joke, Shunsuke was serious.
He pulled together a small group with Kato Megumi and Futaba Rio, shaking up the dominance of the Hayama-Miura clique, which currently ruled the class.
Each of Sakuta, Kato, and Futaba had their reasons for being on the fringes of the class hierarchy—more specifically, at the very bottom.
Sakuta's standing was as bad as that of "Hachiman," Futaba was the stereotypical introverted girl prone to bullying, and as for Kato... who was she again?
Even with these three "main character, heroine, and supporting character" assembled, not even the combined social prowess of Shunsuke and Kunimi was enough to carry them forward. Otherwise, the battle would have been decided long ago.
If Shunsuke were bold enough to recruit the likes of Hachiman Hikigaya and Matsuzaka Sato, forming a group with four boys and three girls to match the Hayama-Miura clique, the outcome might already be decided—just in the opposite direction.
How did this little Class 2-F manage to gather so many "main characters, heroines, and supporting characters"?
"Fujii-kun, you're making things a bit difficult for me," Megumi said, "introducing me to others without warning like that."
"What, Kato, you don't like it? I was only trying to help," Shunsuke replied, feigning hurt. "With your low presence, don't you want more friends besides me? I'm trying to help you increase your visibility!"
"Eh, friends? Since when?"
Shunsuke was stunned. "Kato, are you joking?"
"No," Kato quietly observed him. "It seems like your standards for making friends are really high, Fujii-kun. If someone as unnoticeable as me took up one of your friend slots, I'd feel pretty bad."
"…Kato-san, are you mad?"
"No."
"Miss Background Character, are you mad?"
"No."
"Someone's mad?"
"I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day, Fujii-kun."
"I was wrong!"
After confirming that Megumi wasn't actually angry at his presumptuous behavior, Shunsuke breathed a sigh of relief, feeling free to continue "training" Megumi.
Meanwhile, Hachiman, who often slept between classes but was in fact always observing the world around him, watched their interaction with his usual dead fish eyes, utterly unmoved.
As expected, these normies really are something else. So kind, but I hate kindness. Kindness is just a lie. I hate kind girls, and for girls, kind boys must be just as much of a lie, right?
"Hey, Hikigaya, were you calling me?" Shunsuke suddenly turned around.
"...No."
Hachiman broke out in a cold sweat, trying to play dead, but in the end, he had no choice but to respond honestly.
.....
After school, Shunsuke made his way to the school library.
As a national high school, Sobu High's library was vast, filled with various resources, and packed with people—students as well as some outsiders with special permits.
Shunsuke headed to the modern Japanese literature section, running his fingers lightly over the spines of the books, carefully examining them. He came across two pieces of good news.
First, renowned 21st-century authors like Haruki Murakami and Keigo Higashino didn't exist in this world.
Second, going further back in time, literary giants such as Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Natsume Soseki, and Soichi Uemura, who laid the foundation for modern Japanese literature, did exist.
This meant that, in terms of thought and writing style, Shunsuke could mimic works that would seamlessly fit with the literary culture of this world.
Excited, Shunsuke selected a thick stack of books, all written by literary figures unique to this world. He intended to carefully study them.
With his "Star Platinum," he could speed-read these works in no time.
However, Shunsuke suddenly noticed a sultry bunny.
She wore glossy high heels, her slender legs wrapped in skin-revealing black stockings.
A tight black bodysuit accentuated her curves, and her wrists were adorned with white cuffs, emphasizing her identity as a bunny.
Naturally, a black bowtie was tied around her neck.
This seductive bunny girl casually strolled through the library, occasionally playing pranks on the reading students, but none of them paid her any attention.
After a while, likely growing bored, the bunny girl picked a book from the shelf and sat down at a table in the back, where another imposing girl was already seated.
This girl was Sakurajima Mai—the bunny girl knew her.
She was the aloof genius, Kasumigaoka Utaha, a stunning and cold third-year student with no friends.
Though she often slept through class, she consistently ranked at the top of her exams.
Utaha was one of the two great beauties of Sobu High's third year, sharing that title with the second-year "Snow Woman." Though in terms of personality and behavior, she was Utaha's complete opposite.
Sitting at the same table as Kasumigaoka meant there was little chance that strangers would crowd around, forcing the bunny girl to quietly relocate.
Utaha, sitting at one corner of the table, didn't react until Shunsuke dropped his stack of books with a loud "thud" next to her.
Utaha raised her eyes slightly and shot him a cold look, her aura repelling everyone around. "Junior, there's a spot across from me too."
"You're mistaken," Shunsuke replied truthfully.
However, it seemed Utaha didn't believe his honest reply, as her brows slowly furrowed.
However, the library was a public space, and Utaha couldn't control where Shunsuke chose to sit.
Even though sitting this close to a boy made her feel uncomfortable and annoyed, all she could do was retort sarcastically, "It seems like you need to get your eyes checked, junior."
Shunsuke replied with utmost sincerity, "I think, Kasumigaoka-senpai, you'll feel ashamed of that comment someday."
"You know me?" Utaha's chair subtly shifted as she grew more cautious. "I understand that my beauty can captivate the average person, but using such a crude excuse to hit on me? That's beneath even a baboon. Stalker junior, should I call the police for you? Don't thank me—getting a few days to cool off now is better than ending up in jail."
Shunsuke smiled, unbothered by her sharp tongue, treating her insults like a breeze.
After all, in this world, The Metronome in Love didn't explode in popularity because of Aki Tomoya's grassroots support—it was thanks to his own recommendation.
The story started when Utaha's editor, Ayano Iida, asked a mutual acquaintance, Suzu Hiiragi, to help with some promotional efforts. Eventually, the request made its way to him.
It's an age-old tradition in literary circles: helping boost a new author by having a well-established writer endorse their work.
Though Shunsuke had no recollection of this at the time, after reading the first volume of The Metronome in Love, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu along with a twisted kind of enjoyment that made his stomach hurt.
A phrase popped into his mind—panesthetic euphoria.
Intrigued by the work, he accepted Ayano Iida's request and promoted the book under his writer alias, which led to its huge success.
Afterward, The Metronome in Love's author, Kasumi Utako, expressed her gratitude online, addressing him as "senpai" and thanking him profusely.
They exchanged many conversations and even became online friends. Recently, they had been planning to meet in real life…
Shunsuke was very much looking forward to seeing this proud woman's awkward and hilarious expression once she discovered the truth.
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•Mai Sakurajima [Bunny Girl Senpai]
•Utaha Kasumigaoka [Saekano]
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