Someone Who Believes They Can Live Normally in a World Where Chastity Is Reversed (Did You Think You Could Live Normally in a World With a Male-To-Female Ratio of 1:5?)

“Hello! I’ve heard a bit about you from Koiumi~ Nice to meet you!”

…Huh?

Somehow, I feel like I’ve heard this voice before…

Though I had heard about him from Koiumi, the young man standing in front of me was very handsome.

He was around 175 cm tall. He wasn’t muscular, but he wasn’t overly thin either.

His white loose-fitting T-shirt, along with the leather necklace he wore around his neck, provided a nice accent without being too assertive.

His gentle smile conveyed no ill intentions towards me.

“…Mizuho?”

(No, no, no! Even though Koiumi likes him, I’ve already decided on my destined person…!)

I thought this while Mizuho, looking worried, called out to me. I mustn’t forget to return the greeting properly.

“Gah! Forgive me! You’re Masato-san, right?! I’ve heard about you from Koiumi-doo!”

“R-really?”

It seems like it, huh?

Recently, Koiumi’s gushing about him has become something of a tradition among our friends.

I thought she might be looking at him through rose-colored glasses, but maybe not so much after all.

Throughout our conversation, the young man in front of me kept smiling. Koiumi also smiled, following suit.

It was really dazzling.

(How lucky Koiumi is… I wonder if I could be like this too, if I found my destined person…?)

I haven’t even met them yet.

Since that person was so kind, would it be okay for me to dream like this?

—

While Koiumi went to retrieve her forgotten item from the classroom…

Oh right, I hadn’t made my request yet, so I turned to Masato-kun.

I have to let him know! I don’t know where or what hints might be lying around!

“Actually… Masato-kun, I want you to help me find my destined partner!”

“Huh?!”

Masato-kun widened his eyes in surprise. He’s quite expressive.

“You see, I can’t go into details, but… I have a destined person. And that person is probably… a first-year student at this university!!”

“H-Hoho…?”

“So, if you’re okay with it, Masato-kun, I’d like you, as a guy, to help me find that person!”

“That’s… quite something.”

There were various reactions from Masato-kun.

“So what’s his name?”

“I don’t know!”

“You don’t know?!”

When I made a big gesture with my arms, Masato-kun exaggeratedly recoiled. His reaction was fun!

“Well, then at least tell me their department or some characteristics…”

“I don’t know their department! I think they’re probably a first-year student at this university, but I’m not sure!”

“That’s a tough condition, isn’t it?!”

It’s a pretty strange request, even to myself.

But I can’t give up!

“But they have an all-back hairstyle, and their height is… about the same as yours, Masato-kun?”

“I see… an all-back hairstyle is certainly rare.”

Yeah, if he’s always with that hairstyle, he might be relatively easy to find! I haven’t seen many people with an all-back hairstyle around the university!

“Masato-kun, if you could use your guy network and… please let me know if you find them!”

“Well, I’ll try to help if I can…”

Masato-kun looked troubled. Maybe asking him something like this out of the blue was too much…?

Thinking that, I glanced at Masato-kun’s expression.

“I… don’t really have any friends.”

Unexpected words came out.

“What?!”

Masato-kun gave an embarrassed smile. This handsome guy, even his embarrassed gestures are picturesque!

“So, if I happen to find someone like that, I’ll let you know… is that okay?”

“Seriously!! Thank you! I really appreciate your help!”

Come to think of it, Koiumi said Masato-kun has few friends since he entered the university late… I feel bad about this…

As we chatted, Koiumi came back running from the other direction.

“Sorry, thank you~! Shall we go?”

“Sure, let’s go.”

“Koiumi! Masato-kun is also helping me find my destined partner!”

“Oh, that’s great! Masato, do you have anyone in mind?”

“Nah, I have no idea.”

Walking towards the station with Koiumi and Masato, it felt like university life was going to be enjoyable from now on!

—

It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the university to the nearest station. With the three of us chatting, the time passed quickly.

“Alright, this is my train! See you tomorrow!”

“Okay, see you!”

“Bye!”

By chance, Masato and I were on the same train, while Koiumi headed in a different direction.

As we walked to different platforms after seeing Koiumi off, I realized I hadn’t asked Masato yet, so I turned to him.

“I actually wanted to ask you something, Masato-kun.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s about Koiumi. What’s your relationship with her really like?”

“Huh? Uh, it’s nothing suspicious, we’re just friends.”

“Oh, really?”

I nudged Masato’s side with my elbow, hoping to see a reaction, but…

“Koiumi’s just really kind. She’s been so kind to me, someone who didn’t have any friends… I’m really grateful. So, I guess I just don’t want to betray that kindness.”

“…”

Masato was serious. Very serious.

Hmm, at this rate, it doesn’t seem like he’s realized any feelings of attraction…? Hang in there, Koiumi…

“I’ve heard from Koiumi that Mizuho-chan is a really nice girl too. You guys seem close.”

“Yeah! Koiumi sometimes does good work! Yes, I am a good girl!”

“Haha, you’re saying that yourself!”

The conversation with Masato was pleasant and enjoyable. Maybe that’s why I let my guard down.

And then it happened. Walking towards us was a pair of people… I felt my spine freeze instantly.

“Huh? Mizuho-chan?”

I quickly tried to hide behind Masato, but it was too late.

“Hmm?”

The pair approaching us… They were my senpai from the badminton club, Keito-san, the person I confessed to, and Satsuki-senpai, a third-year student who’s close to Keito-san.

I hoped they wouldn’t notice… but as they passed by, my eyes met with Keito-san’s.

“…Oh, it’s you, what was it, Tonosaki…? Mizuho, was it?”

“…”

This is the worst.

Of all times, why now…?

“Oh yeah, the first-year who confessed to you?”

“Yeah, that’s right! Satsuki, you said something like being wary of first-years, so some delusional girl was born!”

“Huh, is it my fault?”

…I want to leave as soon as possible.

I muttered to Masato, “Let’s go”, urging him to go, but…

“Wait a sec.”

But Keito-san didn’t allow it.

“What? You confessed and already moved on? Nice, changing so quickly. Do ugly girls have to flirt with guys to survive?”

“Keito, seriously…”

I could recognize the voice without even seeing their faces. It was a tone dripping with mockery, undoubtedly accompanied by sneering glances. I didn’t want to see it.

“Hey, since your crush is talking to you, why don’t you look this way? It’s disgusting, isn’t it?”

This was the worst. The fact that Masato-kun was witnessing all of this. Despite having just started to get along, he would surely be disappointed…

Memories of that unforgettable confession day came flooding back.

I didn’t want to cry embarrassingly again…

“I’m an outsider here, so I don’t really know what’s going on…”

Before I knew it, Masato-kun was standing between me and the seniors.

“Excuse me, can you retract that?”

“…Huh? Who are you?”

“I’m, well, a friend of Mizuho’s.”

“Yeah, I thought so. But there’s no way she’s your girlfriend. No way a guy like you would date such an ugly girl.”

“That’s right.”

I couldn’t see his expression. But I could tell from his tone that he was getting agitated.

“She’s not ugly. Mizuho-chan is cute.”

“…Huh? Where’s that coming from?”

“I don’t really know the details. I’ve only heard bits and pieces. But if there’s one thing I can say for sure, it’s that you’re wrong. She’s not ugly. Not in her character, nor in her appearance. She’s a kind, wonderful girl.”

“…”

“What? Do you understand? Just a few days ago, this girl confessed to me. So technically, I’m in a superior position here. And then…”

“Superior? Is the one being confessed to automatically in a superior position?”

“Well, obviously. The one who’s liked…”

“That’s a gross misunderstanding. It’s revolting. To treat someone who confessed their feelings to you like that…”

“Y-you…!”

Keito-san approached Masato-kun.

…I had to stop this.

But…

Why was my heart pounding so loudly?

Why was my face burning up like this?

I grabbed the back of Masato-kun’s shirt tightly from behind him.

“So, are you saying you can date her? I can’t date an ugly girl like this, but can you?”

“I don’t want to discuss her in the same context as someone who views her as nothing more than a tool to reaffirm their own worth.”

“…You’re an idiot. Despite being fairly good-looking… I’m done. It’s a mood killer. Satsuki, what are you doing? Let’s go.”

…

Keito-san and the others walked away.

Left behind were just me and Masato-kun.

“Ah… sorry, Mizuho-chan. I made it difficult for you to go to the club… I shouldn’t have done something like this without thinking…”

“…”

It doesn’t matter. The badminton club was already hard for me to go to anyway. But I felt more sorry for dragging Masato-kun into this.

But more than that…

“I know I shouldn’t have poked my nose into it without knowing what was going on, but… I just couldn’t stand it. I’m sorry.”

“……”

Stop it. Please stop.

You’re being too kind.

But… I have someone I’ve set my heart on, and this person in front of me is the one Koiumi has feelings for.

“Ah, want something to drink? I’ve been curious about the new drink at that café over there. Let me treat you as an apology?”

His awkward smile pierced my heart uncontrollably.

My heartbeats couldn’t be suppressed.

Ah, I’m envious.

Koiumi can openly declare her feelings for this person. Taking a deep breath, it only slightly alleviates the pounding in my chest.

I silently encourage myself, “Hang in there.”

“Thank you, Masato-kun! Ah, it’s embarrassing to be seen like this! Yes, that’s right! I confessed to that person and got rejected completely! It was so humiliating! If I had known what kind of person they were, I wouldn’t have confessed—”

Suddenly, he placed his hand on my shoulder.

“You don’t have to force yourself.”

“Huh…?”

“You don’t have to force yourself. It’s okay to say it’s hard when it’s hard. I’ve only been with you for a few hours, but I can tell you’re trying to be cheerful. But you don’t need to force yourself until it hurts. Nobody can take hurtful words without getting hurt.”

“…”

“I’ll buy the new drink from that café! So just wait a bit. Use that time to sort things out. I’m here to listen whenever you’re ready. So, don’t force yourself.”

Saying that, Masato-kun walks towards the café. His figure disappears from view.

All I could do was crouch down and hold my chest.

“It hurts…”

Tears overflowed. But the reason for these tears must be different from back then.

Was I always this weak…?

Why? That voice, that figure, resonates within me uncontrollably.

I know the name of this overwhelming emotion. But if I put it into words, it would be no good.

Because…

—There’s someone destined for me.

—It’s Koiumi’s crush.

“I have to endure… I have to endure!”

The guilt towards Koiumi.