#38: What It Means to Be a Beloved Harem Protagonist

The following Monday

I headed to school with Megucchi and Kurumi as usual and made my way to the classroom.

Fujiko was already seated in the chair next to mine.

I had decided not to treat Fujiko as a heroine anymore.

So from here on out, I’d maintain distance between us. That said, I wouldn’t ignore her or refuse to talk to her. Before being a harem protagonist, I think ignoring someone is just… wrong.

But honestly, handling this is going to be extremely difficult.

• • Don’t flirt, don’t whisper sweet words—this is easy. I just have to not do it.

• • Don’t give ambiguous signals, don’t get her hopes up—I’d like to think I can manage this too. Though my protagonist powers have a habit of activating unintentionally, so there’s still anxiety there.

• • Dodge any advances from her—I think I can manage this too. As long as I stay constantly vigilant, it should be fine.

• • When she corners me with things like “Have you been avoiding me lately?” or “Do you hate me now?”—this is the real problem. I mean, I’ve spent all this time sweet-talking her. So what am I supposed to say now that she finally understands?

For example, the classic “I’ve fallen for someone else” won’t work. Because I’m a harem protagonist, and I actually do have other girls I like.

Then there’s “I’ve lost interest” or “You don’t appeal to me anymore.” These sound harmless enough on the surface, but words like that can actually make the other person think they still have a chance. That can drag things out indefinitely.

Which means I’d have to cut things off cleanly with harsh words like “I hate you” or “I don’t want to even look at your face.”

But words like that could shake the very foundation of my existence as a harem protagonist. I don’t think I can use them.

The difference between being a worthless woman-chaser and a beloved harem protagonist—that’s where I draw the line.

So my approach to Fujiko has to be careful and deliberate. And to make matters worse, since she sits right next to me, there are plenty of opportunities for conversation, and each time I’m faced with serious challenges.

“Good morning, Fujiko.”

“Good morning, Norio-kun. Huh?”

Fujiko picked up on something off about me right away, but I intentionally ignored it.

“Norio-kun, you seem kind of down today. Are you okay?”

“No, no, I’m fine. My heart is as clear and blue as the Caribbean Sea. Though I’ve never actually been to the Caribbean.”

Crap! I expanded that sentence unnecessarily! My bad habit kicked in!

“I, I see… Norio-kun, you’re as funny as always.”

“W-well, thanks…”

This really is difficult. Up until now, all my conversations with girls have been focused on making them fall for me. Doing the opposite—having a conversation where I’m trying not to interest her—is way harder than I expected.

“By the way, Norio-kun, about club activities today…”

Oh, that’s right. Lately during club time, everyone’s been suspiciously absent, so I haven’t actually run into Fujiko at club in a while.

“Yes, what is it?”

“The other three members are taking the day off, so it’ll just be you and me.”

“Oh, then I’ll take the day off too. Let’s cancel club activities for today.”

“Huh!? No, that won’t work! I need you to come!”

“There’s no reason it won’t work. Rank-wise in the literature club, I’m basically at the bottom.”

“That’s not the point! In any case, I need you to come!”

While we were going back and forth like this, Kyouko came into the classroom and homeroom started.

Hmm, Fujiko’s acting kind of strange today.

Usually, when I tried to close the distance, she’d slip away smoothly. But today it’s the opposite. When I try to slip away, she gets emotional and chases after me.

Did she predict I’d change my attitude? Or is this just a coincidence?

Oh, now that I think about it, last Wednesday and Friday, when Suzu and the Konda twins got chummy with me, I brushed them off and left. Did she pick up on my attitude change and decide to push back herself?

Either way, this isn’t some romantic game between protagonist and heroine.

It’s like that battle between Zhou Yu’s greed and Zhuge Liang’s strategy that Kyouko loves so much. In this case, Fujiko’s Zhou Yu, and I’m Zhuge Liang. It’s a test of whether I can make it safely to Jingzhou.

I took a breath and refocused. I’ll make it safely to my kittens waiting for me, and spend a fun, lovey-dovey time with them!