I Thought It Was a World Where Chastity Norms Were Reversed, But It Turns Out I Was Just Surrounded by the Overly Intense Girls in My Class

Chapter 18: Fragile Guys

The necktie issue is pretty much settled, so I’m thinking it’s about time to officially start the shogi club.

To be recognized as a proper club, I need four members and a faculty advisor.

But the road ahead is long.

Right now, there’s only me. I still have to recruit three more people.

…Except I don’t have many friends.

Unfortunately, I barely have anyone I could even ask.

The only people I really talk to are Yukimi and Kagurazaka Kana, and I only recently started chatting with Wakabayashi. Everyone else is just work-related small talk.

I’m honestly shocked at how narrow my social circle is.

But it can’t be helped. Even in my previous life my friendships were limited, and just because I got reincarnated doesn’t mean that would suddenly change.

People don’t change that easily, after all.

For now, I’ll definitely invite Yukimi and Kagurazaka Kana…

Even if both of them join, I’ll still need one more person.

“Baba, wanna pair up?”

And I already have someone in mind for that last spot.

It was during PE.

Our class was doing softball together with the class next door, so we were all gathered on the school field.

First we had to warm up and play catch, and right at the start the teacher told us to get into pairs.

That’s when Wakabayashi called out to me.

“Of course. Actually, I was just about to ask you.”

“No way, seriously? Guess we really are on the same wavelength!”

Wakabayashi broke into a happy grin.

If he hadn’t spoken up, I probably would’ve ended up as the leftover throwing with the teacher. I was honestly really grateful.

We lined up as pairs and started warm-up exercises.

Not just the usual radio calisthenics; we were also doing stretches. I stood behind Wakabayashi, who was sitting with his legs spread, and pushed against his back.

Even a light push and his body bent like rubber. Man, he’s flexible. His fingertips—no, his entire palms—easily touched his toes.

“Hey, Baba, listen to this.”

While I was busy being impressed by his flexibility, Wakabayashi spoke up without changing position.

“I got locked up again yesterday.”

“Oh?”

Quite the opening line.

“Getting locked up itself isn’t new, so that’s fine, but the reason this time was awful. Last night I was watching a drama with my little sister, and at one point the main character cheated.”

“Cheated…”

“Yeah, and the moment she saw that, my sister got super pissed and started yelling that cheating is unforgivable while dragging me off to lock me up. See? Totally unfair, right? This time I literally did nothing.”

“That’s pretty unreasonable.”

“Right?”

“I told her not to mix up reality and fiction, but she wouldn’t listen at all. So yeah, that’s why I’ve got this crazy bed hair again today.”

His hairstyle today was indeed a little unusual—different flavor of bedhead from yesterday.

“My condolences.”

“What about you, Baba?”

“Huh? Me?”

“You’ve got bed hair too. Something definitely happened at your place.”

Linking bed hair directly to “something happened” is a bit of a leap.

Though in my case Big Sis did attack me, so something definitely did happen.

“I just got attacked, the usual.”

“Attacked?”

“I wasn’t locked up or anything. Not as big a deal as what happened to you.”

“That’s still a huge deal! You’ve got dark circles under your eyes!”

“Look who’s talking.”

Bed hair or dark circles—compared to being locked up, that’s nothing.

Once Wakabayashi’s stretch was done, it was my turn. He pushed my back from behind, and my hamstrings screamed as I tried to stretch.

“Gah—I can’t go any further.”

“You can, you can.”

He was surprisingly strict; even when I said I couldn’t, he kept pushing.

“No, seriously, I’m at my limit. Look around—no one else is going this hard.”

I glanced around while complaining.

“…Huh?”

Right next to us was a very familiar face.

“Yankees?”

Doing stretches beside us were the sunglasses guy and the Mohican.

“I can’t stretch any more than this.”

“What’re you talking about? Flexibility is important in sports, got it?”

The sunglasses guy had his legs spread while the Mohican supported him. Seeing them in gym clothes created a crazy gap.

Also, is it really okay to wear sunglasses during class?

That’s probably not allowed, I thought—then noticed the sunglasses looked different from before.

“Hm? Did you get new sunglasses?”

“…Uwah!?”

The moment I spoke, both yankees jumped like I’d shocked them.

“The frame color’s different too. Are those the sports version?”

“…I lost the old pair.”

When I asked curiously, the sunglasses guy muttered quietly.

“I looked everywhere and couldn’t find them, so I had no choice but to buy new ones at Uniqlo, got it?”

The Mohican added an explanation.

“I see. The new ones look more intense—suits you.”

“…R-right.”

When I honestly complimented him, the sunglasses guy bashfully looked away. He’s surprisingly shy.

While I watched them with a warm smile,

“You know those guys?”

Wakabayashi asked with round eyes.

“Yeah. They really helped me out once.”

“Eek—”

“Why’re you scared?”

“Just your imagination.”

There’s no way they’d be scared of me. After all, those two are my saviors.

“…That time really was a battlefield, huh.”

“Battlefield?”

“Long story.”

Getting attacked in the shogi club room and all that. As I recalled it and made a bitter face,

“That guy’s dangerous.”

“No joke—he probably went around crushing dojos and walking through hell, right?”

“The level’s just too different.”

The yankees were whispering among themselves.

What on earth are they talking about?

While I was wondering, Wakabayashi spoke with genuine admiration.

“You’re amazing, Baba. You’re close with Yukimi and with those guys? Your social circle is huge.”

“Not at all. I have barely any friends—that’s why I can’t even gather club members.”

In terms of friends, Wakabayashi obviously has way more. He’s always surrounded by guys in class.

He definitely could’ve paired with someone else today if he wanted.

“Club members? You’re in a club?”

“The shogi club. Well, the one I’m trying to start.”

“That’s awesome. So you’re not just strong in fights—you’re smart too.”

“Fights?”

I feel like there’s some kind of misunderstanding, but my life is so far removed from fighting that I have zero clues.

Whatever—this is the perfect chance to bring up shogi.

I absolutely want to recruit him while the topic’s hot.

“Have you ever played shogi, Wakabayashi?”

“I tried a little when I was a kid.”

“Really?”

“I went to a shogi classroom event once. I at least know the rules.”

That’s great news.

He’s the first person at this school who’s actually played, so trying to stay calm, I opened my mouth.

“Then, if you’re interested, how about joining the shogi club? Oh, just a trial session is fine too. Right now it’s only me, so it’d just be playing against me.”

The moment I asked, I immediately regretted being too hasty.

Getting invited out of nowhere would surprise anyone. I should’ve eased into it more.

“Shogi, huh… That could be fun.”

I heard Wakabayashi murmur behind me.

The reaction didn’t seem bad, though he sounded like he was thinking hard.

After a little while, he spoke again.

“I’m actually pretty interested, but sorry—can I think about it for a bit? Joining a club might cause some trouble.”

“Trouble?”

“It’s not about shogi itself. Joining any club is… kind of complicated for me right now. I need to think it over.”

“Got it. If you ever feel like it, just say the word anytime.”

I didn’t fully understand, but he probably has his own circumstances.

Looks like officially starting the shogi club is still a long way off.