In This World That Favors Men, I... ~Starting a Sweet School Life in a World With a 1:8 Gender Ratio~ - 22-23

Chapter 22: Adventurers’ Teahouse

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The results of the class placement test came back. Yeah. Just as expected. I was confirmed to take extra classes for social studies. But as a male student, my class wouldn’t change, so the damage wasn’t that bad. On the other hand, some of the girls looked really down, probably because they were at risk of being placed in a lower class. 

With that mix of emotions in the air, the weekend arrived and the early download for “Sengoku Emaki Kafuuden: Battle Flower Gale” began. This meant that avatar creation and the tutorial were now accessible.

Hmm… What kind of avatar should I make?

I already decided to increase my character’s age and change the hair and eye color. Other than that, I didn’t have a specific image in mind yet. I guess I should just experiment and decide as I go.

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This was the avatar I came up with.

Since this game was based on a Sengoku warlord, I went with long black hair. For the iris color, I chose a deep brown. My real body—Yuusei Takeda’s body (in other words, me)—had naturally pale features, so just these changes already made a significant difference in impression. I did try out silver hair, as well as colorful shades like red and blue. But none of them felt quite right. After experimenting with different options, I ultimately settled on black hair.

Also, since my skin tone was a bit too pale, I changed it to a slightly tanned look. Then, I increased my character’s age by ten years, making him 26. This made him look way more mature. Now the armor should suit him perfectly. Apparently, you could modify your avatar’s appearance later using paid items. Since the paid items were not too expensive, I figured I could make adjustments if needed.

For my class, I chose the warrior-type “Samurai.” My initial skill set included the martial arts skills 【Spear】, 【Sword】, 【Bow】, the physical skills 【Strong Arm】, 【Flash Step】, and for a magic-based skill, I selected【Wind Blossom】 from the “Hana” skill category.

The tutorial provided me with beginner’s armor and starter weapons—a spear, sword, and bow—based on my selected martial skills. It also taught me how to use them.

Since the game was designed as a casual RPG, battles were made easier with an auto-movement system that activated whenever a skill was used.

I can’t wait for the full release.

The game also included gacha and purchasable item sets. I planned to play without spending money, but the Starter Support Gacha seemed like a great deal. I was a little tempted to buy it. Still, I didn’t want to dip into my precious stimulus money and using my allowance from my parents felt a bit wasteful. 

A summer job? Maybe I should look for a short-term gig…

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Summer break was here. With remedial lessons over, I felt much lighter. At last, today marked the official release of “Sengoku Emaki Kafuuden: Battle Flower Gale.”

I adjusted the air conditioner and closed the curtains. Getting heat stroke while gaming would be incredulous. In the dimly lit room, the lime-green operational light on the VR device and the red standby light on the headgear glowed faintly.

Alright, time to lie down on my bed and log in.

＊

The game’s introductory story played out like a movie trailer. The setting was Neo-Wakoku, a fictional world resembling the Sengoku period. Players arrived at a time when war had temporarily subsided and a brief era of peace prevailed.

　《Travel through famous castle towns and hidden villages to obtain rare items! Gifu Fortress, ruled by the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven… Jurakudai, under the control of the Monkey Face Warlord… Legendary heroes await you on countless battlefields!》

As the cinematic ended, the screen changed.

　《You are about to descend into Neo-Wakoku. Are you ready?》

I pressed the flashing [OK] button.

For a brief moment, I felt as if my consciousness was being pulled in. The next thing I knew, I was standing in a historical town unlike anything I had seen before.

《Welcome to Neo-Wakoku. This is Ukishima, a town built upon water. Prepare for your adventure here.》

I found myself in a spacious, square-shaped plaza. Traditional machiya houses with lattice windows surrounded the area on all sides. Beyond them, I glimpsed an intricate canal system and a vermillion-colored taiko bridge. The game’s launch period tended to be crowded, so I had deliberately set our meeting time two hours after the release. Thanks to that, the area wasn’t too packed, and the atmosphere was rather relaxed.

Let’s see… Our meeting spot was somewhere in this plaza… “Adventurers’ Teahouse,” right?

The Adventurers’ Teahouse functioned as an adventurer’s guild. True to its name, the exterior had the traditional charm of a teahouse, but inside, an expanded space with a free resting area came into view. All of this info came from Yuuki. It really helped to have friends who knew their games.

Oh! Could that be it?

I entered “Adventurers’ Teahouse” and immediately started looking for the resting area.

There they are.

A group of guys was gathered in a spacious area with chairs, benches, and tables. From a distance, it was obvious they were all male, which made them stand out quite a bit. There were a few groups of female players nearby. They were whispering among themselves while glancing at the group of guys.

“Hey, aren’t they handsome? I wonder if they’re real men?”

“I wouldn’t mind if they were Onee-samas, but their bone structure looks masculine. They’re probably real guys.”

“Oh, right. This game doesn’t let you change that kind of thing much, does it?”

“Ah! Another one just showed up! Whoa… He’s seriously good-looking.”

“Wow. You’re right. He’s ridiculously handsome.”

The chatter around me grew louder. As I passed by the female players and approached my group, they noticed me and raised a hand in greeting.

“Sorry for the wait. You guys got here early.”

“Nah, two people are still missing. We just secured a spot in advance, just in case.”

The ones who arrived before me are Yuuki, Houjou, and Uesugi.

“Let’s form a party. It helps with privacy settings and other stuff. Also, let’s register as friends. The three of us already did.”

Following their lead, I accepted the party invite and sent friend requests to the members who were already there. Then came the crucial step—activating Privacy Protection Mode in the user settings. This feature automatically muted my registration info from players outside my party or friend list, preventing my real name from being visible. It was an incredibly useful feature.

“Saitou sent a message. He’s running a bit late. As for Imagawa, he should be here soon… Oh, speak of the devil.”

The surrounding chatter grew even louder. I followed Yuuki’s gaze and I froze.

A dazzlingly beautiful young man, as if he just stepped out of a Renaissance painting, was approaching us with a graceful smile on his face.

Imagawa-kun…He’s so gorgeous… No, he’s seriously really gorgeous. No. He’s an absolute masterpiece!

It seemed he didn’t alter his age setting. After all, there was no way a guy with that face could be 25. 

“We’ll introduce ourselves later. First, turn on Privacy Protection Mode.”

I completed the friend registration with Imagawa-kun.

“It’s been a while, everyone. I’m happy to see you all again. And nice to meet you, Takeda-kun. I’m Haruto Imagawa. Looking forward to playing with you.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Takeda Yuusei. Likewise, looking forward to playing with you.”

“Takeda-kun, you’re seriously cool. You’re exactly what everyone said. No, you look even better than their description.”

◇ Haruto Imagawa

Birthday: July 21 (Cancer)

Height: 170 cm

Blood Type: B

Motto: Together through thick and thin.

Reputation: “Refined noble,” “Exquisite,” “Should be displayed in a museum.”

Marriage Slots: 11/12 (Married: 1)

Even though it had been a while since I last saw a profile screen, that motto part really stood out. He had gotten married and left school, huh? I guessed he must have had a great relationship with his spouse.

When we gathered like this, I couldn’t tell if it was a coincidence or if it had been planned, but we ended up as quite a colorful group. Yuuki’s hair was a vivid blue, Imagawa-kun’s was a refreshing green, Uesugi, surprisingly, had chosen a bold orange, and Houjou’s was a bright shade of purple.

Everyone except me had a fantasy color. Huh? Did I end up looking a bit too plain?

“I was a bit worried about what would happen to the class after Imagawa left, but things have calmed down a lot since Takeda arrived.”

“I’m really sorry for all the trouble I caused back then. Hearing that really puts my mind at ease.”

“When Takeda skipped his first day, it gave me a scare.”

“Yeah, since he was absent without notice, I thought he might be the type to fold under pressure, but I was happy to know I was wrong. It turns out he’s a total big shot.”

While we were chatting excitedly, catching up with Imagawa-kun after so long…

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Saitou-kun, who had let us know he’d be late, finally arrived.

Oh?

I had heard he was playing as a monk, but his hair and eye color were a near-white gold, probably as part of his theme color. He looked like a completely different person. Changing hair and eyes’ colors really made a huge difference. After adding Saitou to my friend list, our party was complete.

“Saitou, you look really divine. White really suits you.”

“Yeah? Thanks. Takeda, you went with black hair, huh? That’s a pretty classic choice.”

“Yeah. I tried other colors, but nothing really felt right.”

“Since your natural look is already flashy, black actually gives you a sleek and refined vibe.”

With everyone gathered, we decided to head out to our first field. Our destination: the East Gate. Beyond it lay the “Slime Grasslands,” a field scattered with grasslands and shrubbery. The main enemies here were weak, tutorial-level monsters.

Our formation had Yuuki and me at the front, Uesugi and Houjou in the middle, and Saitou and Imagawa in the rear. We decided to try this setup for now. After fighting in the grasslands for a while, we were shocked to run into a party of girls from our class. Not just once—but four times.

“What a coincidence! We just started today too.”

“It’s crazy that we keep running into each other like this.”

“I didn’t even know the guys were playing Battle Flower Gale! What are the odds?”

“Wow, meeting you guys here is such a surprise!”

Wait a minute. Does that mean… Our entire class is logged in right now?

Considering it was launch day and this was a beginner field, running into familiar faces wasn’t that strange. But literally everyone from our class? That was surprising. I had heard that this game was expected to be popular among girls, and it seemed like that prediction was spot on.

Our hunting session in the grasslands went smoothly. Yuuki, with his stealth skills, handled scouting. I played a light warrior build of the samurai class, acting as a skirmisher. Uesugi, also a samurai, was the main attacker with a balanced warrior build. Houjou, another samurai, had a tank build, making him our defender. Imagawa was a Hana Master, and Saitou played the monk role. Thanks to Yuuki’s planning, our party balance was perfect, and we took down enemies efficiently.

“『Water Spear』 incoming! Clear the line!”

Imagawa’s Water Hana spell exploded among a mass of Red Slimes. The water pressure deformed the slimes, exposing their cores, which then shattered and dissolved.

Whoa, that’s amazing.

Watching this kind of attack magic really drove home the fact that this was a game. I could also use Wind Hana techniques, but since I wasn’t a Hana Master, I didn’t have any offensive magic yet. Hopefully, I could unlock them soon. A tornado slash or something would be awesome.

At first, I had wondered what it would be like to play in an all-male party. But with just guys, there was no need to be self-conscious, and we could mess around freely. Now I understood what Yuuki had meant when he invited us to play this game.

In this world, which was mostly populated by female players, it was nearly impossible to avoid the constant awareness of being watched. It was nice to be able to hang out just with the guys, even if it was just in a game. 

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Chapter 23: SNS 07: My Heart Skipped a Beat

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《2-A Group Chat》

Mika: Alright. Everyone, sit properly.

Ran: What’s going on? A lecture? What’s about to start?

Mika: Let’s talk about everyone’s suspicious behavior today.

Yuuko: Suspicious? What do you mean?

Mika: As you all know, today the A-Class boys with Imagawa-kun’s party logged into BatFla.

Saki: Yeah. They really tweaked their age settings a lot. They looked more mature, but everyone was really cool.

Shizu: Only Imagawa-kun stayed young for some reason. But as always, his beauty was on another level entirely.

Yuuko: Yeah, yeah. I’m just glad he seemed to be doing well.

Mika: We can talk about that later. What we need to decide first is the shift schedule.

Hina: Shift for what?

Mika: Obviously, a shift for when we’re allowed to approach the boys’ party.

Kyoko: Huh? Why do we need a shift in-game?

Mika: Come on, let’s think about this from the boys’ perspective. It’s their first time logging into a new game. They must be excited for adventure, right? So, what happened the moment they stepped into the field?

Yuuko: Umm… They encountered monsters?

Mika: No. “A-Class girls appeared.” Then again, “A-Class girls appeared.” And once more, “A-Class girls appeared.”

Hina: Ah, I see what you’re getting at. Since we have four different parties, even if we only ran into them once by chance, for the boys, it must have felt like they were running into classmates every few steps they took.

Mika: Exactly. Since today was the first day, everyone’s login times were probably similar, and maybe the boys generously assumed all four “coincidences” were just that. But what happens if we leave things as they are?

Kyoko: Every time they log in, they’ll end up getting followed around by their classmates.

Mika: And that’s a problem. We’ve been getting along with them so well lately… I’m sure you would’ve hated it if they started resenting us, right?

Yuuko: Of course!

Chika: But how do we set up a shift? We don’t even know when they’ll log in.

Mika: I’m not saying we should control everything too strictly. That would be impossible. The point is, when we see the boys online, we shouldn’t swarm them like ants.

Hina: So what exactly are you suggesting?

Mika: The first group to encounter the boys’ party that day gets priority. But once they’ve interacted with them, they should hold back for a while. How about that?

Kyoko: And how long is “a while”?

Mika: Maybe…A week?

Chika: A week feels a bit long… But wait. You said the “boys’ party,” right? Does that mean this only applies when they’re in a party?

Mika: Yep. If they log in alone, it’s a different story entirely. There’s no point making endless rules about interactions. As long as we use common sense, it should be fine. What do you think?

Yuuko: I agree. It’s summer break and the boys will probably go on trips too, so they won’t always be playing in a party.

Hina: Yeah. Let’s try it out, and if it doesn’t work, we can adjust our next step accordingly.

Shizu: Alright. It’s decided then. Enough with the shift talk. Let’s chat about the game instead!

Chika: Agreed! First topic… The boys’ avatars.

Yuuko: The prince looked so manly! He was super handsome. The black hair really suited him. He looked wilder than usual.

Kyoko: Right? I kept thinking, “So this is what he’ll look like when he grows up?” It totally made my heart skip a beat.

Hina: Hmm… Houjou didn’t change much, though. Even when he gets older, I feel like he’s still going to be the soft and fluffy type.

Shizu: Yeah. Maybe it’s because of his color scheme, but Houjou has a babyface anyway.

Chika: Saitou-kun surprised me. He gave off a softer vibe than usual.

Ran: Right? I didn’t expect him to be a monk. Imagawa-kun as a Hana Master made perfect sense, though.

Yuuko: Totally. He’s the definition of a beautiful mage.

Shizu: Speaking of surprises, wasn’t Uesugi-kun’s coloring unexpected too? It suited him, though.

Saki: You mean the orange? It’s totally different from what I expected from him, but it works. Maybe Uesugi-kun is the type who gets even cooler as he ages.

Ran: Personally, I think all of them were handsome. Maybe I just have a weakness for older guys.

Saki: Yuuki-kun and Houjou-kun don’t change much, though. They’re the forever-young types. But the other three? Definitely future cool uncles in the making.

Yuuko: Agreed. And when the prince does become a cool uncle, I want to be the one standing beside him.

Hina: Uh-oh. Yuuko, are you daydreaming again?

Mika: Yuuko, you’re actually in a pretty good position already, so be careful not to come on too strong.

Yuuko: Wait, really?! Am I in a good position right now?

Mika: Right now, I’d say you’re the girl he’s closest to in class.

Yuuko: Closest? As in, the CLOSEST?!

Hina: Yuuko? Hello? …She’s gone. She’s completely floating away in the land of dreams.

Mika: Haah… Hurry up and come back to reality.

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