My Third Life Is in the Future World! After Being Betrayed and Losing His Memory, the Former Hero Begins Sweet School Days in a World with a 1:50 Male-to-Female Ratio - 20

Chapter 20: Where Have I Met That Girl Before?

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『Cold sleep release… Releasing Reira.』

The machine voice announced, and Reira’s thawing process began.

“Regina-sama, is this really okay?”

“Well, we’d be wasting her if we didn’t use her, wouldn’t we?”

“That’s true…”

Even I, a woman, found her beauty astonishing. But she had no right eye and no left leg. Would any man really choose a beautiful woman with such handicaps?

“If he doesn’t like her, we can reconsider it. We already spent 320 billion wen to create her. It’s wasteful to keep her asleep, don’t you think so too?”

“Fwah~ I slept well… Oh? Who are you all?”

Even as she spoke, she appeared completely ordinary—like anyone you might see.

“Nice to meet you, Reira. I’m President Regina, and this is Vice President Poliak.”

“How polite…  And what is your purpose for waking me, a woman deemed unusable and placed in cold sleep? Even if I’m attractive, men today despise almost all women… It seemed pointless to wake me up.”

“That’s true. Men hate women, regardless of appearance. Even the most beautiful woman is rendered useless.”

“Exactly. That’s why I lost my human rights and was frozen in a cold sleep. So now… What are you going to do? Will you restore my rights and set me free?”

“Yes, Reira. Though most men still hate women, we’ve found one normal male…”

“Oh? And?”

“You are the ultimate beauty, made from the best genetics of beauties and young beauties of the past. Any normal man would love you. So we thought—Reira, would you consider becoming his?”

“Huh. What kind of proposal is this? If he’s a normal male, my charm would certainly reach him. I’m sure he’d fall head over heels… So… This time, will I finally receive human rights in full?”

She sounded extremely confident—yet what justified that belief?

“Of course.” 

Regina-sama said. It would indeed be cruel to leave a living human—artificial or not—in sleep with no rights.

“Then no objections, I presume. Also, I believe an artificial eye and leg were made just for me. Could you locate them, too?”

“I’ll have them found immediately. And I was thinking we should produce a video for the Men’s Exclusive Channel… After you’ve rested, of course.”

“Understood.”

Indeed, Reira was stunning, but was she really necessary for Ceres? For some reason, I felt this gnawing anxiety inside of my heart. Sure, she was a beauty, but Ceres had endless choices among beauties worldwide. I couldn’t stop myself from questioning the benefit of awakening Reira.

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Since returning to the school, I, Ceres, lay on my bed. I was thinking back on everything. It felt like courting women was always first-come, first-served.

Somehow I sensed most women wouldn’t refuse male advances. Not seriously seeking a partner felt wasteful. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it really was “whoever acts fastest wins” in this society. 

Whatever. It’s not like there are women as exceptional as Maria‑san…

As I idly watched the Men’s Exclusive Channel…

『Entry number 20022: Reira…』“

A woman appeared and sang. Her voice somehow stirred my heart. Why did it feel like I heard it in the distant past? Just listening to her voice conjured a vivid scene, and that scene felt nostalgic.

『I love… Being loved by you…』

But those lyrics struck me as odd. It described a man loving a woman. It seemed oddly consistent with my fragmented memories. And that appearance—long black hair, big eyes. If Maria‑san was a blonde princess, what was this woman? Somehow, being near her felt calming… Not just beautiful, but something deeper resonated in my heart.

『My destined partner… Who will adore me without me doing anything… Time doesn’t matter… Simply meeting is enough.』

The price counter beside her spun rapidly. Yes—I needed to press the button! I hurriedly clicked and the word SOLD OUT appeared on the screen. Within the next second, the image switched to another girl.

Less than fifteen minutes later, someone knocked at the door. That was incredibly fast… Surely not her, right? Who could it be? When I opened the door…

“Good evening, Ceres‑san! I am Reira, your destined partner! Nice to meet you.”

There she stood, wearing a coat. She was standing at my doorstep.

“…Um…”

“What are you spacing out for? Won’t you let me in?”

At that moment, I was utterly spellbound. She was seriously gorgeous. Her figure was incredible even when she removed the coat. But beyond beauty… Why did I feel nostalgic when I looked at her?

“Ah, yes—sorry. Please, come in.”

“Thank you.”

She passed by me and sat on the sofa. She immediately crossed her legs.

“Would you like some tea…”

But she cut me off before I could finish.

“Tea’s fine, but there’s something I need to ask before that… Is that alright with you?”

Her expression was serious. What could it be?

“Yes?”

“What do you think of my appearance?”

Her glossy black hair was mesmerizing. Her eyes were deep and radiant, her figure was perfect.

“I think you’re incredibly beautiful.”

“Isn’t that so? I am very beautiful. But… I’m defective. Would you still be willing to be with me?”

“Defective?”

“Yes?! I am beautiful, but not perfect. The truth is…”

She then pressed on her right eye and it popped out and fell to the floor. An artificial eye. Removing the clasp on her left leg, it came off. It was an artificial leg.

“…Um…”

“As you can see, I have only one eye and one leg… Would you still consider me as a woman? Would you still want to be with me?”

She stared at me earnestly. Even without one eye and one leg… Her beauty hadn’t diminished one bit.

“Yes…”

“Forgive my delayed introduction. My name is Reira. Pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise. I am Ceres.”

I had the overwhelming feeling we had met before… No—I was certain we hadn’t. But why did I feel this déjà vu when I looked at her?

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