Even Though the Gender Ratio Has Changed, My Attempts at Flirting With Women Are Unsuccessful - Chapter 13-14

Chapter 13: I’ve Been Reincarnated as a Villain, but I Introduced Myself Normally

“There was an announcement in the plaza, but the classes are divided so that grades are balanced. Class B is just one of the classes. So, don’t feel disappointed or anything. Well, you can be happy that I’m your teacher, right?”

My homeroom teacher, Ms. Louise, grinned.

Her fiery red hair and sharp gaze stood out. She was tall with broad shoulders.

Plus, she had a huge amount of magical power.

I thought she wasn’t ordinary… and the reactions around me confirmed it.

“As expected, it’s Lady Louise, the former Northern Knights Commander!”

“I always read about Lady Louise’s exploits in the newspaper!”

“To be taught by Lady Louise, known as ‘Greatsword’…!”

“I’m so glad I came to this academy!”

The class got loud with excitement.

Some raised cheerful voices, and others clapped.

Looks like I got a good teacher.

Come to think of it, I think I saw a woman like Ms. Louise during my entrance exam…?

But right now, something else bothers me more!

Something’s clearly wrong.

There are five classes, A to E.

But there are only ten new male students this year.

If they split us evenly, each class should have two boys.

So why am I the only guy in this class?

Shouldn’t they balance the boys too⁉︎

While I protested in my head, Ms. Louise moved on.

“Since I’m your teacher, I’ll train you hard, so get ready. First, let’s have everyone introduce themselves. Just say your name, what combat or magic you’re good at, and one last thing. Keep it short.”

Yeah, that makes sense.

First, introductions.

Usually, they’d go in order, like starting with ‘A’…

“Too much hassle… You go first, Ark Nott.”

Ms. Louise looked at me.

In this world, do they sort by first name instead of last name?

Thinking that, I stood up, cleared my throat, and spoke.

“I’m Ark Nott. I’m pretty good at close combat. I want to have a fun academy life, so let’s get along. Nice to meet you.”

I ended with a slight smile.

Good, a safe greeting.

I didn’t mention being from the four noble families.

If I did, people might act distant.

This should make me seem approachable!

“Hey, the Nott family…”

“Did he just say ‘get along’…?”

“And a guy good at close combat…?”

“I’ve never seen a guy like that…”

But… the classroom started buzzing.

Huh? Did I say something weird?

“Hey! Clap properly! He gave a great first introduction!”

At Ms. Louise’s shout, claps echoed through the class.

I… I feel bad, like I forced them to clap.

“Next! The girl next to Ark!”

I’m at the back by the window.

My only neighbor is… Sheffy.

Probably because she’s my attendant.

Sheffy stood, bowed quietly, and spoke in a clear voice.

“I’m Sheffy Aim. My specialty is healing magic. And… I am Ark-sama’s attendant.”

““““―⁉︎””””

The class went… silent.

Huh? What? Were our introductions that shocking?

We didn’t say anything weird, right?

“So, please keep me in mind. I look forward to the year ahead.”

Sheffy finished and sat quietly.

No one clapped, so Ms. Louise shouted again.

“Come on, clap! From now on, go in order across the room!”

As we clapped… I whispered to Sheffy.

“Sheffy, nice introduction. Your voice was clear and easy to hear.”

“Thank you, Ark-sama. But I hope this introduction keeps things calm…”

“?”

Sheffy left some cryptic words.

I didn’t get it, but… for now.

I’m still bothered.

Why am I the only guy in Class B…!?

While my head swirled with questions, introductions continued.

“I’m good at wind magic, but also at baking sweets…”

“I have the strength to protect anything…”

“I came to this academy to find a wonderful gentleman…”

Everyone introduced themselves seriously.

Their final words were pretty specific too.

When it was over, Ms. Louise raised her voice.

“That’s it for today, but starting tomorrow, we’ll have intense classes, tests, training, and even class competitions. Since you’re in my class, always aim for the top! Dismissed!!”

Ms. Louise said it casually… but classes, tests, training, and competitions sound tough.

I don’t have original story knowledge or experience in this world’s academies, so I’m clueless… but the reactions around me tell me enough.

“Let’s do our best, Sheffy!”

“Yes, Ark-sama. But I think you’ll handle everything fine.”

Sheffy knows my skills, so she says that.

Having a friend nearby feels reassuring.

“If Ark-sama has any problem, it’s not academics or combat… but a crisis of chastity. We’ll handle that, though.”

I thought Sheffy muttered something… but it’s probably fine.

Sheffy’s reliable, after all!

—

Chapter 14: Is the Villain’s Childhood Friend a Troubled Person?

The homeroom was over, and the classroom was quiet as the students left. Only Sheffy and I stayed behind.

“Tiana’s late.”

After the entrance ceremony, we planned a joint celebration with the Keith family.

Mom and the others were excited about preparing, so they probably went home already.

We were looking forward to it too!

So, we agreed to meet in Class B beforehand…

But even after 30 minutes, Tiana didn’t show up.

It’s rare for Tiana to miss a time she set.

“Sheffy, did you hear anything?”

“No, nothing.”

“I see…”

If Sheffy doesn’t know, maybe Tiana had something urgent.

Or maybe she’s surrounded by classmates.

Tiana was the top student.

Her magic skills are top-notch, she’s beautiful, and probably popular secretly.

Maybe a bunch of students want to talk to her now.

I don’t want to interrupt, but on entrance ceremony day, I want her to prioritize us…

“Alright, let’s go find her!”

“I’ll follow your lead, Ark-sama… but is that okay?”

“Huh?”

“Tiana-sama said she wanted to sit next to you, so she’d come to Class B, right?”

“Oh… she did say that.”

She mentioned it when we were looking at the plaza’s bulletin board.

I thought sitting next to me in class was different from training together.

“Well, she can do that tomorrow, right?”

We have school tomorrow too.

“Yes. But tomorrow, I might not give up my seat.”

The only one sitting next to me is Sheffy.

I hope they don’t start arguing…

“Sheffy… don’t be too mean, okay?”

“It’s not being mean. Tiana-sama is my rival, so I can’t help feeling this way.”

“Uh, okay?”

Are Sheffy and Tiana competing over something?

If so, I want to cheer for both of them.

For now, we head to Class A.

But… no one’s there.

“Hm, I imagined Tiana being surrounded by people… Let’s check other places. Will you come, Sheffy?”

“Of course, Ark-sama.”

We decided to search the academy.

I thought about using my past-life knowledge.

Not this world’s original story—I don’t know why, but I have no clue about that.

But in many genres, the classic places where a heroine gets called out are…

“The courtyard or behind the school building.”

We headed to the courtyard first.

As we turned the corner to reach it…

“—Why are you with a guy after rejecting my confession?! That’s not fair!”

“!!”

A voice stopped me in my tracks.

“…Ark-sama.”

“Yeah, I think this is the place.”

To hear better, I hid behind the wall, peeking out.

There she was—Tiana.

But… others were there too.

A guy stood in front of Tiana, arms crossed, looking arrogant.

He seemed noble, but Tiana’s family outranks him.

I also noticed his followers: a maid, a classmate in uniform, and a guard with a sword.

All of them were women.

It’s common for a rich girl to have female followers…

But a rich guy with only female followers? That’s rare.

“You were right about the place and Tiana-sama’s situation, Ark-sama. Impressive.”

“The place, sure, but I imagined her surrounded by classmates, not like this…”

This wasn’t her being popular and chatted up.

It was a bad crowd troubling Tiana.

“Make friends with classmates, have fun, hang out after school—that’s what academy life and youth are about!”

“I never had that.”

Tiana’s past words flashed in my mind.

Did her words back then mean something else?

As the villain’s childhood friend, does she have struggles?

“It doesn’t matter who I’m with.”

“It does matter! You rejected me saying you’re not interested in guys!”

I get it.

He saw me talking with Tiana in the plaza and got the wrong idea.

He’s mad because she rejected him. Simple.

“I’m not interested in guys. But that person is special.”

Tiana said.

She’s vague about “that person” to keep trouble away from me.

Tiana’s kind like that.

We’re childhood friends.

We’ve built a special bond since we were kids.

“Young master, that’s enough…”

“Shut up, shut up!”

One follower spoke calmly, but the guy, unable to hide his anger, pointed at Tiana and yelled.

“Even if you’re from a duke’s family, a man’s status is higher!”

What kind of logic is that?

A duke’s family is obviously higher. It’s a duke’s family.

In this world, men are rare, but that’s it.

Does being rare make you superior?

Even if it did… I don’t like this arrogant attitude.

It’s like a villain’s attitude.

“Girls always come to me! So why did you reject my confession?!”

“I’m not like those girls. Don’t lump us together. I’m loyal, you know.”

Tiana said firmly.

Her steady attitude annoyed the guy…

This might get bad.

This is another world with swords, magic, and fights.

Unlike my past life, someone could easily get hurt in anger…

“If it comes to this—”

Before the guy could finish, I jumped out.

“I’m here to pick you up, Tiana.”

“““!?”””

Not just the guy, but his female followers were shocked too.

“I knew you’d come, Ark.”

“Glad I met your expectations.”

“You always do.”

Tiana ignored the guy, walked to my side, and smiled.

“Who are you, showing up like that?!”

“I’m Ark Nott from Class B. You know the Nott family, right?”

I don’t like using my family’s status, but I’ll use it now.

“The Nott family, one of the four noble families with a rare male heir…”

“That must be the Nott family’s only son…”

“Rumors said he was a shut-in…”

The guy got grumpy.

But his female followers realized who I was and started to pale.

“Are we done? We have important plans. And…”

“We’re engaged. Stop bothering us.”

“““!?”””

Huh? Tiana said that?

In many genres, the hero steps in when the heroine’s harassed and says, “I’m her boyfriend.”

But the girl saying it? That’s new.

I’m fine with it, though.

By the way, we were engaged at ten, but that fell through.

“Young master, you don’t stand a chance…”

“Angering the Keith family is bad enough, but the Nott family too, even for a rare male…”

The guy’s followers whispered to him.

“Tch, you should’ve said so sooner…”

Grumbling, he left with his followers, looking annoyed.

“Good job, Tiana.”

“Thanks, Ark.”

“No problem. We’re childhood friends.”

I grinned, and Tiana smiled back.

“But from now on, we’ll be more than that. No, we definitely will.”

“Uh, okay?”

I didn’t quite get what Tiana meant…

But we’ll be attending the academy together.

As childhood friends, classmates, and rivals!

“Let’s do our best!”

“Yes… I’ll make sure you understand.”

Tiana nodded.