In This World That Favors Men, I... ~Starting a Sweet School Life in a World With a 1:8 Gender Ratio~ - 107

Chapter 107: Let’s Go to the Open Campus

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“Onii-chan, let’s check out the website together.”

“Yeah, sure. I was just about to look it up myself.”

What we were talking about was the open campus.

I couldn’t keep relying on others, so I decided to check out the special open campus website with Yui. When we did, we realized there were way more events than we had expected.

First off, there was the university information session. Introductions to departments and majors, as well as campus tours. Next were open classes and trial lessons. Then there were student-organized events—cheerleading performances, university introductions in quiz formats, guided campus tours, and also—

“There’s even a talk event with students sharing their exam experiences. I don’t really need that, but wouldn’t it be helpful for you and the others?”

“Maybe. Oh, but look at this. They’ve posted videos from last year’s open campus and the year before. Maybe we can just watch those for now. We’ve still got a year left, so let’s pick things we can walk around and see together.”

“But are you sure it’s okay to go by my schedule?”

“Yeah. Sanae-chan and Haruka-chan both said we should prioritize your preferences since you’re a third-year student.”

Wow. Even the younger girls are being considerate. Yui’s friends are seriously such good people. I feel kinda bad, but I’ll gratefully accept the kindness.

“There’s so much going on, it’d be hard to attend everything. I’m really grateful for your consideration, Yui.”

“Right? So, which events are you interested in, Onii-chan?”

“Hmm, let’s see. I think I’d like to get a feel for the classes and the atmosphere among the current students.”

I guess the most important thing is the overall vibe? That’s the main appeal of open campus. 

After all, I’d be attending for four years, so things like whether the environment suits me would probably be really important. I also planned to check if the teaching style matched my preferences.

“Got it. What about the guided tours and performances?”

“I kinda want to look around freely without being restrained with schedules and stuff, so I think I’ll skip the ones that need reservations. Performances are fine if we happen to catch them.”

“Makes sense. Then we should pick a day when we can tour the campus and check out open classes and student life in general.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Then, how about we girls talk it over and finalize the schedule?”

“Alright. I’m counting on you.”

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And then, the day of the open campus arrived.

I’d debated a bit about what to wear, but after discussing it, we decided to attend in our school uniforms. We were heading to Soukei University, a prestigious co-ed private university said to be the toughest to get into.

You’re wondering if someone like me could really get into such an elite school?

Truth to be told, that was the most important question of all. In fact, I had already checked during career counseling whether I could get a recommendation to get there and it turned out, I could.  As expected of a top-tier school, a considerable number of students from Eika Shuuei Academy get accepted to this university every year. 

However, it seems that female students tend to bravely take the general entrance exam, so recommendation spots often go unused. For the Department of Education, Mathematics major that I was aiming for, I was told I could almost certainly get in through recommendation enrollment.

What had me slightly worried was the “almost” part. But I double-checked, and they said, “There’s no such thing as a 100% guarantee when it comes to exams,” so they wouldn’t state it outright. But with my academic record, I shouldn’t be rejected.

Thank goodness. I’d done my best with academics in my own way, but the girls around me were so smart that I’d started to lose confidence. Seriously, they were all so incredibly bright and hardworking.

One thing a teacher emphasized was that if I were going to attend an open campus, I should make sure not to reveal my target school or department. Instead, I should check out several places, including some decoys. When I asked why, I was reminded…

Ah, right. I’m a male celebrity.

Apparently, the schools that male celebrities were rumored to attend get a huge popularity spike each year, and if people found out which university and which major I was aiming for, the competition would become much tougher. Especially if the information got leaked before the recommendation enrollment was finalized. 

Yeah… That would be a problem, so I had to be careful about that.

＊

“Good morning.”

“Morning. You’re early, Haruka-chan.”

We were supposed to meet the others at the subway station nearest the university. I had arrived twenty minutes early, yet Sagara-san was already there.

Wearing my school uniform turned out to be a good call. The area in front of the ticket gate was packed with exam-aged students—mostly girls—and it would’ve been hard to find anyone if I’d worn regular clothes.

A few minutes later, I got a message from Sanae-chan saying she had arrived at the station. I saw her pushing her way through the crowd toward us.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“We weren’t waiting. Besides, we’re still way ahead of schedule.”

“Quite a few of our classmates are already here.”

I could spot a few Eika Shuuei uniforms among the people waiting around.

“Yikes! People are totally staring. Let’s get going.”

“Yeah, the crowd’s getting thicker.”

We climbed the stairs and emerged onto the street.

It was about an eight-minute walk to the main gate. The sidewalks weren’t particularly wide, but they were already packed full of people. A steady stream of prospective students was heading toward the same destination. Well, there was no chance of getting lost at least. It was clear to see where the university was. 

“I heard on general entrance exam day, this sidewalk gets so jammed you could barely move.”

Whoa. I can totally picture that.

“Well, it is Soukei, after all. Don’t they get like ten thousand people in one day?”

“I saw a video online of the exam day. It was insane. A literal wall of people.”

“So the general entrance exam is intense in more ways than one, huh?”

“Senpai, since you’re a guy, you’ll be fine whether you’re enrolling through recommendation or general exam. I heard the exam schedule for male students is being held on a different day from the female students.”

“Even for a recommendation enrollment?”

“They’re strict about protecting male students’ personal information, so I heard the university takes precautions to avoid any information leaks.”

I see.

“So… Does that mean even in co-ed universities, male students aren’t exactly welcomed?”

That part worried me a little.

“Not at all. At comprehensive private universities like Soukei, they really value having diverse personalities. I think male students are very welcome to attend, especially since there are only a few of them.”

“That’s a relief. But from the way you said that, things might be different at specialized or national universities?”

“Yes. Those universities have smaller student bodies, so male students really stand out. Especially national universities. They’ve been restructured due to population control policies. These universities have become science-focused, like research institutions, with the assumption that students will go all the way through to a PhD. Because of this setup, only people who want to become researchers tend to apply there to those universities.” 

The government—or rather, this whole world—is dead serious about population control. 

National and specialized universities didn’t offer male preference quotas, and I’d heard it was tough for guys to get in through general admission, so I hadn’t even considered them as options.

“I get it. So unless a guy has a really specific career goal, a comprehensive university is the better route.”

As we chatted, we finally reached the front gate. It opened onto a large bus rotary, and to the right stood a yellow-tinged classical building.

“So that’s Oogumaza Hall. The building looked cool in photos, but it looks really impressive when you see it with your own eyes, huh?”

“It’s a designated cultural property. This university has an architecture department, so I heard they really went all out when they built it.”

According to Sanae-chan, the clock tower on the left was still functional, and there was a bell set up at the crown-like top that rang six times a day.

“We might get to hear the noon bell.”

“You sure know a lot, Sanae-chan.”

“Hehe. I got all that from my sister.”

As expected of Tahara-san. Maybe I should go ahead and ask the question that had been on my mind.

“You see a lot of brown-brick buildings like this, but the yellow-toned tiles are pretty rare, huh?”

“They’re handmade ceramic tiles in the Shigaraki style, fired with glaze. They’re called scratch tiles.”

She replied instantly. Compared to her sharp older sister, Sanae-chan gave off a softer vibe, but maybe she was just as quick-witted as her older sister.

“That sounds like a lot of work.”

We must’ve stood there chatting for too long, because people had started gathering around.

“It’s the Pudding Prince!”

“No way! Is that really him? OMG, it’s him! It’s the real deal.”

“No way, he’s totally a real-life angel! He’s insanely handsome.”

“His uniform is sacred. Like, sacred sacred.”

“Is he a prospective student? If he passes, we’ll be classmates?! Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no.”

“Maybe we should head to the reception area soon.”

“Yeah, good idea.”

“You really do stand out a lot, Onii-chan.”

“We’ll stay close and guard you, senpai, so please don’t wander off.”

Wait, really? We’re inside a university campus. Do I seriously need bodyguards?

Despite feeling just a little uneasy, we made our way to the reception area for prospective students inside the main gate.

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