A Late Bloomer's Powerful Restart ~My Second Life Starts at a Prestigious School Where the Gender Ratio Is Totally Off, and for Some Reason, All These Talented Girls Get Attached to Me...!?~

Chapter 22.1: Actually an Amazing Person?

◇◆◇<First Loop>◇◆◇

The stylist job I started through a college acquaintance suited me more than I ever expected.

For someone like me who never got recognized in studies or sports, having my sense of beauty acknowledged felt like a strange sensation at first.

But being able to serve others, hearing direct “thank yous” from people… it gave me a sense that my existence actually mattered.

That’s why when I met Amane Misaka, I got completely obsessed with wanting to make this perfect material shine.

Her visuals were so striking that I couldn’t understand why she was unknown… Her personality was reserved, yet she even carried an air of elegance.

“Kashiwado-san, you’re really amazing. To be able to work with so much confidence…”

“You’re different, Misaka-san… right?”

“I always just go with the flow.”

I thought there was no way that could be true.

Didn’t she admire Juri Omi and aim to become an actress? …I almost said it out loud, but she continued.

“Actually, I have a twin older sister. Same face, but she could do anything… She was my idol.”

“A beauty like you, Misaka-san, existing twice in the world—that’s the biggest surprise of the year.”

“Guys always say things like that. But my female friends constantly compared us… High school was really tough for me.”

Watching her speak so calmly, my words caught in my throat.

What lay there was a bottomless abyss… a darkness that should never be touched.

But I couldn’t just stand by and watch.

I had been constantly compared to guys who were smart by chance, athletic by chance… and every time, I got mocked for it.

I thought I understood that pain.

“Your sister sounds heartless. Not protecting her little sister—I can’t even imagine doing that.”

“…………Yes. She really was heartless.”

Suddenly, I noticed tears streaming down her cheeks.

I didn’t understand why I had made her cry… How could someone like me possibly understand.

—Yes, I didn’t understand at all.

No matter how much I reached out… someone who was no longer in this world couldn’t come to help.

That level of heartlessness was beyond words.

◇◆◇<Second Loop>◇◆◇

From what I heard from Kagurazaka, Misaka was in a very weak position within a certain group of girls.

The reason was precisely because her twin sister hadn’t enrolled.

I hadn’t known, but Misaka was apparently the young lady of the major fashion brand ‘Cleart.’ She herself wasn’t very active socially, but in contrast, her twin sister had strong connections to the Nanamiya Group and seemed quite well-known.

Yashima Electronics was more of a company that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the two major groups, so outside of the October meeting, I had no ties to that social world.

“The weird thing is, the group Misaka-chan is in is completely filled with young ladies from companies connected to the Nanamiya Group.”

That much was obvious just by looking.

But I couldn’t figure out why they had targeted her.

“Especially Morozumi-san—she seems to treat Misaka-chan like her personal enemy, almost like there’s some private grudge… I couldn’t find out anything more than that.”

That was more than enough.

Morozumi Riko… a girl with noticeable red hair and a gal-like appearance.

From what I heard, she was apparently a third-generation celebrity or something.

Misaka’s family background seemed higher in status, yet somehow Morozumi had become the center of the Nanamiya faction.

Was it because Shika, who should have been at the center, wasn’t controlling things and just left it alone?

Since there was no memory of her in my previous life, she probably wasn’t someone who would achieve great things in the future… but for Misaka, who would eventually aim to become an actress, she might turn into a real obstacle.

…That’s annoying.

“Anyway, you’re not even part of that girls’ group, so how do you know so much about it?”

“Because Sara-chan’s group was always conscious of them~”

In short, unlike the Nanamiya faction that united by sacrificing Misaka, the Kokonoe faction had weaker group loyalty. Still, they couldn’t completely ignore them… that was the situation.

However, Shika was always alone… She didn’t seem to have much connection to the girls’ group Misaka was in.

Thinking of it as mutual checks between factions without leaders really showed how cruel society could be.

The conflict between general admission and recommendation students suddenly looked cute in comparison.

“Tsukimi doesn’t have siblings, but being called the defective twin sounds really pitiful~… To think this is the true nature of the flower garden where young ladies gather from all over the country—I’m honestly disappointed.”

“Totally. …So, after hearing all that, Kagurazaka, you never thought about helping her?”

“No way, no chance at all~! Did Tsukimi really look that devoted, like I’d jump into the fire for someone? That’s too heavy for a commoner like me.”

I couldn’t picture it. Unless someone was incredibly foolish, they wouldn’t deliberately make enemies of people in power.

Because the next target might end up being themselves.

“Yeah, that makes sense—Ugh!”

In that instant, something was brought close to my mouth, and a soft thing touched my front teeth.

When I looked properly, it was a financier.

“What are you doing?”

“This is a Western sweets shop, so I want you to savor it more. Understand? Tsukimi put her heart into baking these sweet, delicious treats, and yet Taiki… you’re eating them like they’re just snacks?”

…There was no alcohol, but I couldn’t exactly deny the vibe.

In exchange for keeping her part-time job a secret, she was listening to my romance troubles, but this was pretty far from that.