A Guy Who Thinks He’s a Villain in a World Where Gender Ratios Are Broken - Chapter 21: I’m a Villain, But I Choose You, Protagonist (…Maybe?)

Chapter 21: I’m a Villain, But I Choose You, Protagonist (…Maybe?)

“Hazumi, we’re here! You’ll be changing into your gym clothes in this locker room. I’ve gotta head back to the girls’ side, so I’ll leave you to it!”

With that, Ms. Oniki hurriedly walked off.

She was probably trying to avoid me bringing up my question from homeroom again.

“Is it really that hard to explain? Or… could it be a major clue about this world?”

While pondering that thought, I stepped into the changing room labeled ‘Boys Only.’

“…”

“……”

“Uh…”

There were already three guys inside… but they looked a little nervous.

Apparently, out of the total eight male students, three were absent due to feeling unwell.

Well, it’s April—the start of a new school year, so it’s not surprising that some people would catch a cold.

Still, I hope they recover soon and come to school.

With so few guys already, having even fewer made things feel even more isolating.

After changing into my gym clothes, I followed a few teachers leading the way.

The boys were assigned to the first gym, while the girls were in the second gym.

Two separate gyms on campus… pretty impressive, right?

The physical measurements went by smoothly after that.

Height, weight, vision, hearing… all the usual stuff I was familiar with from my previous life.

The physical measurements for the five guys present today finished quickly… and the teacher told us we could “spend the rest of the time freely in the gym.”

On top of that, they even gave us permission to take balls from the equipment room and play around.

I pumped my fist in my mind.

No matter what world you’re in, this kind of free time is always a win.

Before joining in, I decided to use the restroom first and stepped outside the gym.

Just then, I saw Ms. Oniki entering through the main entrance.

“Oh, Hazumi! Perfect timing. Let’s have a chat. Come with me for a bit.”

“Huh? Uh, sure…”

With that kind of direct order, I couldn’t exactly refuse…

So, I quietly followed Ms. Oniki.

We ended up in the break room next to the staff office.

I was here yesterday, but I didn’t expect to be back again on the second day.

I had a feeling this might become a regular thing.

“Relax, Hazumi. This isn’t a scolding or anything. Just take a seat.”

“O-Okay…”

I did as told and sat down, while Ms. Oniki took a seat across from me.

Then, with a serious expression, she got straight to the point.

“Hazumi… I heard you hit your head in an accident recently.”

“Wait… how do you know about that?”

I never told Ms. Oniki anything about an accident or hitting my head… so how did she find out?

“Well, to be honest, I was a little concerned about how you were acting yesterday… so I decided to ask your mother directly.”

Huh? I don’t think I did anything weird on the first day of school… so I’m not sure what she found concerning.

Come to think of it, yesterday Mom did rush out of the house after getting a call, saying something like, “I suddenly have to go out.”

Was that call from Ms. Oniki?

“According to your mother, Hazumi, you hit your head pretty hard, and your memory has been a bit fuzzy ever since.”

Uh-oh. So now my teacher knows about the whole memory-loss thing.

Well, the truth is, it’s not just a bit fuzzy—I have zero memories of the original Reito Hazumi, and I don’t even recognize anything from this world.

All I do know is that I’m definitely the villain here.

Of course, I couldn’t exactly say all that, so I just gave a small nod.

Seeing my reaction, Ms. Oniki seemed to think it over for a moment before suddenly looking more serious.

“I see… so your memory really is fuzzy. That would explain your oblivious behavior, and why you seem so different from how you were during the interview…”

“Sensei?”

She was mumbling to herself with a slightly downward gaze, and I couldn’t help but call out to her.

When Ms. Oniki snapped out of it, she looked up, startled.

“Ah, sorry about that, Hazumi. Still, you could have mentioned something like that during introductions or even told me personally beforehand, you know?”

“Well… I thought saying I had memory issues would just make people worry unnecessarily. Besides, I don’t want any special treatment.”

I responded with what I thought was a safe answer.

After all, right now, I’m keeping up with my routine—scrubbing floors, working out, and living a disciplined lifestyle.

I feel perfectly fine, and making people worry when I’m healthy… would just make me feel guilty.

“I’m doing just fine, so no need to worry.”

When I said that clearly, Ms. Oniki’s eyes widened in surprise.

She seemed genuinely taken aback by my response.

“I thought men would normally expect to be treated specially…”

“? Sensei?”

“Ah, no… never mind. If you say you’re fine, Hazumi, then I’ll take your word for it. Anyway… let’s get to the main topic.”

Wait—so my memory issue wasn’t the main topic?

After clearing her throat, Ms. Oniki gave me a serious look.

“About the question you asked this morning… Do you really want to know why you’re the only boy in Class E?”

“Y-Yeah…”

Sure, maybe it was just part of the original story setting… but once I started thinking about it, I couldn’t help but want to know.

Plus, this could be a valuable piece of information about this world.

“You’re actually going to tell me?”

“If you really want to know, I’ll explain. Besides, I’ve already gotten permission from the principal regarding this matter. But, I need you to promise not to tell anyone.”

Oh? So Ms. Oniki wasn’t trying to dodge my question earlier…

She actually went to get approval from the principal in a hurry?

Wow… I totally misjudged her.

“I’m sorry for doubting you, Oniki-sensei. And… thank you.”

I quickly apologized and expressed my gratitude.

Yep, Ms. Oniki really is a great teacher!

“O-Oh… I never thought I’d see the day when a man would thank me…”

She looked surprised, her eyes slightly wide.

For a moment, I thought I saw a faint blush on her cheeks… but it disappeared just as quickly.

“Ahem! Well, honestly… I was hesitant to discuss this with you directly, but if your memory’s really fuzzy, maybe it’s better if you hear it. Besides, it would be a problem if you decided to drop out. I’d hate to think what the principal would say…”

Towards the end, her words turned into a bit of muttering…

But her serious expression remained unchanged.

“Alright, I’ll tell you. However, some parts of this are classified, so I can only give you a general overview. Is that okay?”

“Y-Yes.”

Even if it’s just a broad explanation, I still want to hear it.

Seeing me nod firmly, Ms. Oniki paused for a moment before slowly beginning to speak.

“Actually… the placement of male students is determined based on their compatibility with female students and their ability to handle being around them.”

“Is that so?”

Considering compatibility with girls… I’ve never heard of something like that in my previous world.

“There aren’t many guys around, right? That’s why the school is always cautious. If a male student ends up feeling uncomfortable and decides to drop out… it’d be a huge problem for us.”

I slowly nodded, taking in Ms. Oniki’s explanation.

Hmm… so basically, now that the school has gone co-ed, they can’t afford to lose the few guys they have.

“That’s why we go through rigorous discussions and carefully plan class assignments. For example, we try to group boys who aren’t comfortable around girls together in the same class.”

Hmm, I see.

Even though they’re guys, some might have trouble dealing with girls or lack experience interacting with them.

And there are also cases like my past self, who came from an all-boys school.

It makes sense that being alone in such an environment could feel overwhelming.

But… based on that logic, then why am I—

“Hazumi, your case is a little different.”

“Huh?”

My case is different?

I tilted my head in confusion at Ms. Oniki’s words.

Meanwhile, she frowned slightly before finally continuing.

“Well… how should I put this… during the entrance interview. I was one of the interviewers, and, uh… your attitude was something else…”

Ms. Oniki seemed to be choosing her words carefully…

Yeah, I got it right away.

After all, the original Reito was a full-blown villain.

There’s no way he would have behaved himself just for the interview.

He probably acted just like he usually did—being rude and arrogant.

“I mean, you know… we figured it’d be better if you were placed alone. On the other hand, there was another male student who was much more mild-mannered and polite with the girls, so we decided he’d be fine on his own.”

Huh? Another guy?

I was confused for a moment, but after thinking it through, it made sense.

There were a total of eight male students.

And with five classes in total…

If they tried to distribute the boys evenly, two classes would end up with only one guy.

Which meant… I wasn’t the only one in this situation.

There was another guy out there going through the same thing as me.

“Hazumi, this is as much as I can tell you about your question. Anything beyond this touches on entrance exam selection and classified information, so I can’t reveal it.”

“I see. Thank you for explaining.”

The reason why I was the only guy in my class made sense now.

In short, I was considered a problem student.

It really fit my role as a villain, huh?

And… the other guy must also have a fitting reason for being placed alone.

“Oniki-sensei, can I ask one last question?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Can you tell me the name of the other guy… the one who’s also the only male in his class, like me?”

◆◆

As I made my way back to the gym, I had already decided what to do next.

“Alright… time to talk to the protagonist.”

After listening to Ms. Oniki earlier, I was convinced—the guy who’s the only male student in his class had to be the protagonist.

I mean, it just screams protagonist vibes.

There were a total of eight guys in the school.

But today, only five of them were here.

And let’s be real—there’s no way the protagonist would skip school on the second day.

That meant… he was definitely among the five of us present.

That said, I had already figured out who he was.

Actually, from the very first day… I knew it could only be him.

The only guy in his class.

I had already heard his name, and now it was time to confirm my theory.

As soon as I reached the gym, I walked straight toward the guy I had my eye on.

“It’s you, isn’t it? I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

“Huh?”

The boy I spoke to blinked in surprise.

He had blonde hair styled in a short undercut mash cut and clear blue eyes.

There was no doubt about it—this guy…

He was the protagonist.

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(A star would really motivate me to keep updating! m(_ _)m)