I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 1

Chapter 1: It’s to Help Someone Else, so It’s Fine, Right?

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I wasn’t as interested in girls as the other boys in my class. But once we entered high school, people around me started dating, and the guys began talking about which girl was cute. They showed me photobooks of gravure idols, and pretty women appeared in my social media feed. So it wasn’t like I wasn’t aware of the opposite sex.

“Hey, hey, Sora. Which girl is your type?”

At the question from my best friend, Akira Takatou—who was very much seeking a girlfriend—my attention turned toward the girls in our class.

“It’s gotta be Mizuki Kiritani-san, the most popular girl in our grade, right?”

Kiritani-san, the clean-cut girl everyone relied on, was said to be the cutest in the class. She had neatly trimmed black hair and a serious personality. She had a good figure, talked to the boys normally, and was very popular.

“Or maybe Yua Miura-san?”

A cheerful, gyaru-type mood-maker, a girl with a large chest who caught the boys’ attention. She had long light-brown hair and a short skirt. She was friendly and had many friends regardless of gender.

“Personally, I think Asuka Hino-san is nice too.”

With tanned skin, the basketball club’s idol, always bright and greeting everyone, her boyish very-short hair gave her a sporty charm that made her very popular with the guys. But I didn’t think those top-three beauties were the type of girls who would match with someone like me or Akira. More than anything, as someone who wasn’t very interested in girls, there was another girl who drew my attention more than any of the popular ones.

“Hmm… Then I’ll choose Hiroko Anno-san.”

“Huh?! Are you serious?!”

Akira turned his gaze toward the long-haired, shaggy classmate who always ate lunch alone in the corner of the classroom. To be blunt, I didn’t think she was pretty. (Though I had never clearly seen her face.) She wore thick glasses that hid her eyes, and her heavy black hair covered her face. Her messy, untrimmed bed-head remained as-is. For a high school girl, she didn’t pay attention to fashion at all. But when I tried to avoid picking the same girl as everyone else while looking for someone who interested me, my gaze always drifted toward Anno-san.

“Are you into plain girls or something?”

“Not really. Anno-san is quiet and not noisy, so she’s nice. I like her vibe.”

“Haa…Sure, people have their preferences. But come on, there’s more, right? Like a cute face, big chest, being bright and popular—stuff like that.”

The beautiful, popular girls Akira mentioned all fit that criteria perfectly. I understood how he felt, but the way he laid his desires bare made me want to say, “That’s exactly why you’re not popular.” But I held back. I didn’t want to insult my best friend. Teasing him could be fun, but he was genuinely serious about wanting a girlfriend now. That was exactly why I didn’t want to make a scene in the classroom and lower Akira’s reputation.

“Okay, okay. But girls like that definitely have boyfriends. They’re cute, and there’s no way other guys would leave them alone.”

“Yeah, I know, but man, I wanna date a girl like that too…”

Akira wasn’t a bad guy. His face was average, his grades were average. Sometimes he said rude things about girls, but not to the point it would prevent him from getting a girlfriend. If this were a light novel, both Akira and I would be extras, not even worth drawing on the class background art. But this was reality, and I genuinely wished for my best friend to find a girlfriend.

“I wonder if there’s a girl out there who would say, ‘I love you more than anyone in the world!’ to me…”

“There’s gotta be, somewhere.”

“Where?!”

“Africa, maybe?”

“That’s too far! I mean someone closer!”

“You’ll meet her eventually.”

Akira’s reactions were so amusing that I couldn’t help teasing him. After that silly lunchtime conversation, the school day ended and it was time to go home. I didn’t join any school clubs; instead, I worked up a sweat at the karate dojo I had attended since elementary school. My master told me I had the skill to qualify for the black belt, but my father said that becoming a black belt came with certain responsibilities, so I gave up on earning it. The karate I practiced was practical and intense, but I enjoyed continuing it. There were tournaments like the ones you see on TV, and someday, I wanted to try entering one.

On my way home after finishing the hard training—

“Please stop!”

I heard a sudden voice and turned around. A girl wearing the same high school uniform as mine was being grabbed by two guys trying to drag her into an alley. People walked past, pretending not to see. It was the first time I’d seen something like this in person, but maybe they were apathetic, or they didn’t want to get dragged into trouble. I sighed and headed in that direction.

“Hey, guys, she doesn’t want this. How about you stop?”

I grabbed both of their wrists and twisted it.

“Guh?!”

“Wh–what’s with this guy’s grip strength—?!”

I grabbed them forcefully, the same way they had grabbed the girl. Of course, if they backed off quietly, I didn’t intend to hurt them, but getting attacked by them would be annoying, so I caught them without waiting for a reply.

“You two grabbed a girl’s wrist and didn’t stop even when she said ‘stop,’ right? So you won’t complain if I grab your wrists and crush them, yeah?”

“Wha—?! Please stop!”

“Huh? But you didn’t stop when she asked, right?”

“W-we’re sorry!”

“You’re apologizing to the wrong person, aren’t you? My grip strength’s over 100, so I could crush a human wrist if I wanted.”

I squeezed harder, and their bones creaked. It was actually only around 60, but it made for a good threat.

“Hii?! I’m sorry! We’ll never do anything bad to you again!”

“M-me too! I’ll stop! Please forgive us!”

The two guys tearfully apologized to the girl. Despite their dyed hair and bad-boy attitude, they gave in surprisingly quickly. But the girl had been frozen in shock since I showed up—unable to keep up with the sudden change in the situation.

“Still can’t forgive them? Should I just break their wrists?”

When I asked her, the freeze melted, and her eyes finally focused on me.

“N-no, it’s fine! Please forgive them!”

“Got it. You’re kind.”

As soon as I let go, the two tried to run, so I grabbed them by the collar and rolled them over.

“Hey, guys. If I see you doing something like this again, you know what’ll happen, right?”

“Hii! We’ll never do it again!”

“We will never trouble you again, sir!”

“Okay. Go. And keep your promise.”

I let them go. Phew. I didn’t like fighting people, but it was fine if it was for helping someone.

“Ah…! Uum!”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you very much for saving me.”

She had a pretty face, with shiny, well-kept hair. She wore the same uniform as me, but I had never seen her before. She was probably from another class or another grade.

“It’s fine. I’m glad you’re safe.”

“!!!”

I thought I smiled to reassure her, but it only seemed to startle her more.

“Ah…! Uum! I want to thank you properly. Could I have your contact information?”

“Mine? Hmm…You don’t have to worry about that. Ah, I’m Sora Mukei. If you ever need help again, call me. I’m good at that kind of thing.”

I walked her out to the main street. Maybe I should’ve asked her name, but… Well, I helped someone, so it was fine.

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