A Guy Who Thinks He’s a Villain in a World Where Gender Ratios Are Broken - Chapter 16: I’m a Villain, But My Self-Introduction Was Normal? (No, It Wasn’t)

Chapter 16: I’m a Villain, But My Self-Introduction Was Normal? (No, It Wasn’t)

And so, the first homeroom session began.

“Congratulations to all the new students on your enrollment. This year, Sotei Academy had quite a high competition rate. You all made it through that tough competition and are here today—well done. I’m your homeroom teacher for Class 1-E, Akira Oniki.”

Standing at the podium was a woman with long, light brown hair and a red tracksuit—she had a strong sports vibe written all over her.

Her sharp gaze swept across the entire classroom, giving off a strict aura… but at the same time, there was something reassuring about her, like a dependable big sister.

“For the next year, I’ll be training you all hard, regardless of gender, so be ready for it. Let’s work together!”

Her powerful voice echoed through the classroom, making everyone’s backs straighten instinctively.

It wasn’t just me—everyone, including the girls, adjusted their posture with a slightly nervous expression.

After that, Ms. Oniki gave us a brief explanation about Sotei Academy.

The first-year students were divided into five classes, from A to E.

But apparently, it wasn’t based on grades.

The class divisions were done in a way that balanced academic levels fairly.

In other words, there were no “honor students” or “problem students” in any class.

Nice, nice! If they ranked us, things would get tense between classmates, even though we’re all the same year. A fair class division is definitely the best!

“Well, it’s not just about grades. Especially in today’s world…”

Ms. Oniki muttered with a tired expression, as if she had seen her fair share of struggles.

After all, in life, even if you’re smart, things won’t go smoothly if you lack communication skills.

Yeah, teachers with a lot of life experience really have a way of making their words hit differently.

“Oh, and one more thing… I hate dealing with hassle. Arguments, indecisiveness, staying past my working hours—I can’t stand any of that. So, we’re setting things straight from the beginning.”

After taking a short breath, Ms. Oniki continued.

“There won’t be any seat changes. And whenever you need to pair up for activities, your partner will always be the person sitting next to you. That’s final!”

“”EEEEHHHHHHHH?!””

The moment she declared it, a wave of protest erupted from the girls in the class.

“Sensei! Do you even know why we enrolled in this academy?!”

“Are you trying to take away our youth?!”

“Isn’t this an abuse of authority?!”

The girls were up in arms, voicing their complaints loudly.

Well, I guess they had a point. Seat changes were one of the small joys of school life.

Back in my old world, I had friends who would ask the teacher, “When’s the next seat change?” like clockwork every month.

And when it came to pairing up for group work, it’s only natural to want to team up with close friends sometimes.

If that’s taken away… yeah, school life might feel a little less fun.

But still…

“How are we supposed to enjoy school life without seat changes?!”

“Let’s change homeroom teachers instead!!”

“I’m gonna ask if I can transfer to another class right now!”

“Isn’t this the kind of situation where we gather the whole class’s signatures and take it to the principal?”

Are they… seriously protesting this much?

I mean, I get it—losing out on something fun is disappointing, but… going this far on the first day of school against a strict-looking teacher?

“Quiet down, all of you. Or do you all want to take a trip to the student guidance office on your very first day?”

““…””

With a single sharp warning from Ms. Oniki, the entire class fell silent in an instant.

Yeah… something tells me this won’t be the last time this kind of thing happens.

Still, no seat changes, huh?

That means… the person sitting next to me is also fixed.

I glanced at the girl beside me.

Sitting there was Nako.

She was probably seated next to me because she was assigned to support me.

Sitting next to me all the time… is she thinking this is the worst?

“…No seat changes… I’ll be sitting next to Reito-sama forever…”

See? She just muttered something under her breath.

Well, I shouldn’t overthink things.

I should just focus on figuring out how to improve Nako’s opinion of me in a positive way!

“Alright, next up. It’s time for self-introductions. This is probably going to be a hassle, so… Hazumi, you go first.”

“…Huh?”

I could’ve sworn Ms. Oniki just called my name.

At the same time, I felt like the entire class was staring at me.

Isn’t this usually the kind of thing where you start from the student sitting by the hallway window and go in order?

“What’s the matter, Hazumi? Nervous? Well, it’s the first day, so I can introduce you instead if you want.”

No, no, that would just make me stand out in the worst way possible.

“N-No… I’ll do it myself.”

“Good. Then stand up and introduce yourself. Name, hobbies, and at least one goal for the year.”

Hmm, the classic self-introduction pattern.

Instead of trying to act like a villain… it’s probably better to just keep it normal.

I stood up, took a deep breath, and started speaking.

“My name is Reito Hazumi. As for hobbies… well, recently, I’ve been into exercising and working out. My goal for this year is… let’s see…”

““Gulp…””

Huh? Why does it feel like everyone’s paying extra attention to me?

Even if they are, I’m just saying normal stuff…

“To get along with everyone. Let’s have a great year together!”

I said that with a gentle smile at the end.

Yep, that was a perfectly normal self-introduction.

No issues at all!

As long as I keep being nice to the girls in class, I should be able to live a normal school life—even with this villain reincarnation thing!

Feeling satisfied, I sat back down…

But the class reaction felt a little off.

“Could Hazumi-kun be… a sheltered rich kid? Is that why he’s so clueless about the world?”

“Now that you mention it, he came to school with a bunch of maids and bodyguards this morning.”

“After that intro, I’ve decided—I’m going after him.”

“Does Hazumi-kun even realize what he’s doing~?”

The girls were whispering among themselves, but I couldn’t quite catch what they were saying.

“Huh? He’s completely different from what I heard…”

Even Ms. Oniki was staring at me, furrowing her brows like she was deep in thought.

W-What’s going on?

“R-Reito-san, you shouldn’t say things like that so carelessly…”

“Huh?”

Nako, sitting beside me, whispered with a concerned look.

Saying things like that carelessly… what does she mean?

I had no idea what she was talking about, so I just tilted my head in confusion.

“Ahem! Next! The one sitting next to Hazumi!”

At Ms. Oniki’s words, the attention finally shifted away from me.

The one next to me… which meant Nako.

“Y-Yes.”

Nako flinched slightly, then stood up, gave a small bow, and began speaking.

“My name is Nako Nijou. My hobby is baking sweets. My goal for this year is to create lots of happy memories with everyone in this class!”

Hmm, a safe and simple introduction.

But yeah, this kind of normal introduction is the best.

Maybe I should have said something like making happy memories with everyone too.

“And… as I’m sure everyone has already noticed, I’ve been assigned as Reito Hazumi’s support. So, please keep that in mind as well.”

The moment Nako said that, the girls in the class started murmuring among themselves.

Nice move, Nako!

Bringing up her support role right from the start of introductions—smart!

“So she really is his support, huh?”

“I kinda figured when she gave the freshman representative speech.”

“But being Hazumi-kun’s support… that’s gotta be tough.”

“I wonder how things will go from here…”

As the murmuring grew louder, Ms. Oniki chuckled slightly and said,

“Good attitude, Nijou. I knew choosing you as his support was the right call.”

Wait… does that mean Ms. Oniki was involved in picking Nako as my support?

With that, the introductions continued.

“I think I’ll make a great wife in the future!”

“I’d like to have around three kids…”

“Hmm, my soulmate is definitely in this classroom. We’re destined to be together.”

But at some point… everyone’s yearly goals started sounding more like life goals.

And for some reason, I kept making eye contact with a few of them.

Well, I guess it’s only natural since I’m one of the few guys in the class…

Yeah, that’s all it is. Nothing more, right?!