After Starting a Thread as a Reincarnated in an Unknown Otome Game, I Got Caught in a Battlefield of Beauties - Chapter 31: A New Friend

Chapter 31: A New Friend

—Why is this happening?

I sat alone at the edge of the classroom, holding my head in my hands. 

My classmates, standing a little distance away, whispered among themselves while glancing at me. 

That was still bearable. 

The real problem was…

“—H, Hi…”

“Y-Yes!? W-What is it!?”

“Oh, no… it’s nothing…”

…

“Uh, well… can you—”

~Runs away

—For some reason, everyone was terrified when I tried to talk to them.

I had already tried talking to about five people, but none of them could hold a proper conversation with me. 

Every time I looked at someone, they would immediately look away and run off.

It was really hurtful… This kind of exclusion really gets to me.

I thought I should be popular since I saved everyone from danger…

While I was feeling frustrated about the situation, a girl with short black hair and tanned skin, who looked different from the typical well-mannered girls, came over, laughing, and sat on my desk.

“Wow, they really avoid you, huh?”

“…Who are you?”

“Never mind that. Want to know why everyone is avoiding you?”

“…Eh?”

“Oh, you do want to know, right? Fine, I’ll tell you!”

The boyish girl ignored my question and continued talking on her own. 

It was a bit irritating, but I really wanted to know why everyone was avoiding me, so I held back my annoyance and listened.

Seeing my reaction, the boyish girl grinned and whispered in my ear.

“It’s because you became Leticia’s fiancé〜〜”

That made sense… If I were in their position, I’d definitely want to avoid me too. 

I immediately understood upon hearing those words.

Leticia, despite her current affection towards me, was known as the ‘Ruthless Lady.’ 

If someone upset her, it could turn into a serious problem, even to the point of considering the death penalty. It was natural for people to be afraid.

“And since you’re strong enough to defeat the student council president, they probably think their lives would be over if they did anything to upset you.”

“Uwa… when you put it like that, I’m a huge walking disaster.”

“Exactly.”

To everyone I talked to earlier… I’m really sorry.

Of course, you’d run away if a huge walking disaster like me approached you.

Feeling depressed at the realization, I noticed the boyish girl laughing and patting me hard on the back. 

Hey… that actually hurts.

“Come on, don’t be so down! I’ll be your friend. Let’s get along as fellow viscounts!”

“Really!? Yes… No more being alone! And no backing out later. If you do, I’ll definitely become a shut-in.”

When I said that, the girl looked surprised for a moment and then burst out laughing.

“Ahahaha! I won’t say that! Oh, my name is Maika.”

“I’m Alto. Nice to meet you, Maika.”

“Nice to meet you too, Alto.”

And that’s how I made my first friend at the academy.

At the same time, I never imagined I’d come to regret this.

“—Man, that was so awkward.”

“Ahaha〜〜 Yeah, even I couldn’t stay in that situation.”

It was lunchtime. 

Maika and I left the classroom to find a place to eat.

Why did we leave the classroom?

“—With everyone staring like that, I couldn’t eat a thing.”

Our classmates were so nervous and focused on us that it made us uncomfortable too.

It wasn’t good for anyone, so we decided to leave the classroom.

“Now that we’ve left, where do we go?”

“Don’t ask me. Not to brag, but I haven’t exactly had a normal school life.”

“That’s definitely not something to brag about〜〜.”

“S-Shut up! There’s a good reason for it!”

I tried to explain everything that had happened, but Maika didn’t seem to fully believe me, saying, “Really?” even though it was all true… 

Oh, I just remembered.

“I might know a good spot.”

“Oh, where is it? I’m curious〜〜”

“It’s behind the school building… Apparently, no one goes there. So, we won’t draw any weird attention if we go there.”

Plus, this way, if I ever need an excuse for seeing Aria getting bullied, it’ll seem more believable. 

It’s a perfect plan.

As I was feeling proud of my idea, Maika stepped back a bit and covered her chest with her hands.

“I see… So Alto, despite having Leticia as a fiancée, wants to do something indecent with me there? You’re so shameless.”

“N-No, that’s not it! Who would do that?! I just thought it would be a good place where we wouldn’t have to worry about people watching us.”

“Ahaha〜〜, I know. Well, they say ‘strike while the iron is hot,’ so let’s go quickly!”

“Hey, don’t grab my arm! And don’t pull me!”

With Maika pulling me along, almost making me trip, we headed towards the back of the school building.

“…Phew… First hurdle cleared.”

“I see… Well done, Maika. Continue to carry out the recruitment for our country.”

“Understood.”

Maika put her hand over her mouth to hide her pale, flawless skin beneath the thin, special mask that was starting to peel off.

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Sorry for changing things up so often. From now on, even if it takes a bit longer, I’ll make sure the story’s more satisfying before posting.

Thank you for reading this far! 

My writing speed depends on my motivation, so if you want to read more, please give it a rating and follow.