I Got Dumped by My Childhood Friend Fiancée Who I Didn’t Even Like, I Thought I Could Finally Have a Peaceful School Life… But Then I Got Targeted by SS-Class Beautiful Young Ladies

Chapter 28: [I’m Always the One Denying Myself] Seems Like the Mega-Wealthy Heiress Is Seriously Gonna Remake Me…

A few days had passed since that fun, fun family dinner at the Kirishima house.

For the first time since that day, I showed up for club activities and found myself standing in front of the Polishing Research Society clubroom.

But just standing there, I couldn’t bring myself to go in. I felt all fidgety and restless, hesitating to step into this place I was already getting used to.

The reason—I knew exactly what it was.

Without thinking, my fingertips brushed against my uneven bangs.

I’d cut them myself the very day I got back from home. Now the hair that used to hide my eyes was completely out of the way. My field of vision had opened up a lot… but in exchange, it felt like the stares from everyone else had suddenly become way sharper too.

Even the classroom already felt uncomfortable enough, but lately people had been giving me these really weird looks… like the kind you give someone who messed up big time.

Of course I was aware of it. From the outside, this probably looked like a super-late high-school glow-up attempt. And the failed version, at that.

I’d never cared even a tiny bit about how I looked, so everyone—including me—had me pegged as this gloomy, barely-there shadow of a guy.

Since it never really caused me any trouble, I just stayed that way the whole time since starting school… until that day. Yuzuka told me “Fix your appearance already,” and for some reason I actually went and messed with my bangs.

…Well, yeah. “Messed with” is putting it nicely—I basically butchered them.

No way the mean-spirited heiresses here wouldn’t stare at me like I was some bizarre creature.

“…Haa.”

I let out one heavy sigh.

I couldn’t just keep standing here forever, so I steeled myself and grabbed the doorknob.

The door felt a little thicker than usual as I pushed it open. Inside, the three girls who’d already arrived turned toward me.

The moment I stepped into the room, three pairs of eyes locked onto me all at once.

I met each gaze one by one, but none of them said a word. They were probably so shocked by the current me that they literally couldn’t speak.

…Yeah, figures.

A few seconds of silence so thick it felt like time itself had been abandoned. But their eyes—far more eloquent than words—stayed glued to me, staring intently, curiously, like I was some rare specimen.

Guess that old saying about wanting to crawl into a hole if one existed is real. The person who came up with it probably thought of it right after they butchered their own bangs.

After a long quiet stretch, Rei-senpai tilted her head a little and finally spoke.

“…Image change?”

“Ugh.”

A groan of pure suffering slipped out of me.

I couldn’t tell if she meant it to hurt or not. Either way, that single comment made me feel ten times more embarrassed.

I looked away and picked the most decent excuse I could think of.

“Uh, well… the other day my sister told me to pay more attention to my appearance, so…”

“…Hmm?”

“I mean… I know this doesn’t really suit my character or whatever…”

I added that last part and gave a self-mocking little laugh, trying to brush off the embarrassment.

Yeah, you really shouldn’t do stuff that doesn’t feel like you.

I was half forcing myself to accept that conclusion and close the topic—when—

“…Character?”

Azusa murmured the word like she genuinely didn’t get it, then tilted her head and kept going.

“Whose character are we talking about, exactly?”

Charlotte nodded along, her face clearly showing the same confusion.

…Huh?

Their reaction wasn’t anything like what I’d braced myself for. I froze up for a second.

Whose character? Come on, it can only be mine…

“Uh, well… obviously mine…”

“…Yoichi-kun’s?”

“Like, the plain, doesn’t-stand-out, gloomy-introvert vibe, y’know…”

“…………”

The weird atmosphere in the room made me answer quietly. But no one replied.

The three girls who were usually so noisy had all gone completely silent.

And this silence felt scary in a completely different way from before.

The solemn pressure in the air was getting too much. I slapped a fake smile on my face to try and end this conversation fast—when Rei-senpai cut through it by turning to Charlotte.

“By the way, Charlotte-chan, we still haven’t decided on today’s activity, right…?”

Charlotte gave a small nod.

I was about to grumble something like “Then why’d you call me here if there’s no plan,” but the second I saw Rei-senpai’s bright, sparkling smile, my mouth snapped shut.

Whenever she smiles like that, nine times out of ten she’s about to say something awful—

“Yuzuka-chan told you that, didn’t she?”

“…Yuzuka? Wait, senpai, you know her…?”

“Of course, same grade and all… but anyway, that doesn’t matter right now. More importantly…”

I was honestly more curious about how Rei-senpai knew my sister than whatever came next, but she brushed it off lightly, then pointed straight at me with a snap. And with the same momentum she declared,

“Let’s make that today’s polishing!!”

Her curious stare stabbed right into me. Nothing but extremely bad vibes.

The other two heiresses around me lit up like “That’s it!” as if she’d just hit the bullseye. Charlotte even stood up on reflex.

Before I knew it, all three of their gazes had turned into the intense, predator-like focus of researchers who’d just spotted perfect prey.

“…That?”

“Yup yup! I mean, Yuzuka-chan told you to fix your appearance, right?”

“Uh, yeah… pretty much, I guess…”

She didn’t say it quite that harshly, but yeah, that was basically the content.

I nodded hesitantly. Rei-senpai’s lips curved up in a slightly mischievous way.

“When someone tells our Yoichi he’s got bad visuals… how could we just stay quiet? We’re heiresses—we’ve got pride on the line here, y’know…?”

“No, please don’t bet your heiress pride on something like this… Also I don’t belong to anyone, so…”

She didn’t actually straight-up say my visuals were bad or anything.

But once these girls latch onto something that piques their interest, there’s no brake in their brains—so of course they weren’t stopping.

Before I realized it, the three of them had me completely surrounded.

They were studying me from every angle like they were appraising an object.

Completely lost on what they were doing, I slowly opened my mouth.

“W-what are you guys doing…?”

Rei-senpai answered casually without even meeting my eyes.

“Hmm? Today’s polishing, obviously?”

“…Right. I’m asking what exactly the polishing is…?”

“Eh~? Yoichi, I seriously can’t tell if you’re sharp or super dense sometimes. Okay then, President! Go ahead and tell Yoichi what today’s polishing is!”

She tossed the words—and her gaze—at Charlotte with a hint of exasperation.

Charlotte took one small step back so I could see her clearly, then summoned that signature projector from the ceiling and proudly read out what was written there.

“Today’s polishing subject is… you!”

“…Huh?”

“In other words… Yoichi-kun’s visuals! We’re calling it ‘If It’ll Shine When Polished, Polish It Quick! Let’s Mess Around With Yoichi-kun’s Look!’ …Yay!!”

…Sorry, Yuzuka. You went out of your way to warn me, but I don’t think I’m gonna be able to keep my appearance in check after all. Looks like I’m about to get thoroughly messed with by some seriously eccentric heiresses starting right now…