I Was Not Popular With Girls in My Previous Life, but I Was Reincarnated Into a World Where Harems Are the Norm, and a Mentally Unstable Elf Beauty Follows Me Around

Don’t I Count as a Potential Partner?

In a forest prowled by monsters, a girl was yanking out herbs all by herself. She seemed impossible to ignore, so I called out to her.

“Are you hitting on me!?”

“Not at all.”

She wore an outfit like a mage’s, mainly white, but with a short skirt and bare legs for quite a revealing look. Her hair was pink in a loose, fluffy medium perm. Her age seemed about the same as mine or maybe a bit younger. Cute.

“I got worried seeing a girl here all alone.”

“So you were concerned about me?”

“Yeah.”

“That elf girl over there too?”

“Yes, I did find it strange.”

“I see, thanks. But I’m fine. I came here on purpose.”

“So you’re here to gather herbs?”

“Nope, I’m here to relieve stress.”

“In a place like this?”

“You know? These herbs pull right out with just a little force. They’re ridiculously easy to yank. It’s so fun!”

(This is bad; I don’t get it at all…!)

“Oh, don’t worry, I take the herbs home and use them properly for medicine. Despite appearances, I’m pretty good at compounding.”

Yeah, that wasn’t what concerned me, but anyway. I decided to ask about the thing that bugged me most.

“If I didn’t mishear, didn’t you say something? Like ‘I want a boyfriend’ or whatever.”

“Oh man, you heard that? I actually just failed a confession.”

“Ah, that’s rough. I get it; I’ve been there.”

“Really!? So everyone has. How many losses do you have in a row?”

“Why assume it’s a streak of losses?”

“Oh, right. I took you for like me.”

“Sorry, my bad. I’ve only confessed once, actually. So no streak possible. After that, I just developed this aversion to romance somehow.”

That was a bitter experience from when I was in high school.

“I see, you’ve been through a lot… Want to yank some herbs with me?”

“Sure, if you’ll excuse me… Wow, it’s true! They come out so easily it’s fun. And there’s just the right resistance for that satisfying feeling. This really does feel good…!”

“Right!? It clears your mind somehow.”

And so I yanked herbs vigorously with this girl whose name I didn’t even know.

“You two, that’s not how you use herbs.”

Airi scolded us seriously.

“Sorry, I got carried away. But I feel like we’d get along. If you’re okay with it, mind telling me your name? I’m Meg.”

“I’m Kaito, and this is Airi.”

“Kaito and Airi, got it. Hey, since this feels like fate, want to head to the guild together?”

“Our herb gathering finished earlier than planned, and splitting up from here would feel weird, so sure.”

And so the three of us headed to the guild. Along the way, I learned that Meg was twenty-two, the same age as me. Her race was human. She was a C-rank adventurer with the job of mage. And she was on a ten-loss streak with confessions.

Hmm, so being cute isn’t enough? Is it something else? Or bad timing? I had a vague idea what “something else” might be, but I decided not to dwell on it.

“So that’s it; you want to get married early, Kaito.”

“Yeah. A guy like me who doesn’t attract women has to act fast or I’ll regret it when I’m older. Right now when I’m younger… It’s weird that I became an adventurer just to get married.”

“Oh! Don’t say ‘a guy like me.’ You need more confidence. And it’s not weird at all. Everyone has their reasons.”

“Thanks. I know that myself, but maybe I say it without thinking.”

“If you’re serious about wanting to get married, how about registering at a marriage agency?”

“Do they exist?”

“Yeah. I’m registered too.”

Seriously? I had no idea. Even in this world, people have the same troubles as in Japan.

“I didn’t know… Airi, did you?”

“Yes, I knew.”

“Then couldn’t you have told me?”

“Don’t I count as a potential partner?”

“Airi, that’s bold…! So you two are in that kind of relationship.”

“Ahh…! Say more like that!”