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?)

Saturday.

For me, Saturday had become the day of reckoning once a week.

“Got to hurry home…!”

After finishing my morning classes, I dashed home at full speed. I needed to hurry back, take a shower, and put on cute clothes. Preparing for the arrival event of Masato-sama.

“Hmm?”

At that moment, my smartphone vibrated in my pocket.

It was a notification from social media.

Has Masato-san already contacted me?

(Gathering of Saints)

<Miaki>: [You rushed home too fast, Shiori.]

[You forgot about the printouts, didn’t you?]

<Mana>: [LOL]

[Shiori, it’s that isn’t it? Because it’s Prince Day, right?]

<Hatsumi>: [Oh~ I see, I see. Can I have the image?]

[I still don’t believe it.]

It was a group chat.

They’re saying whatever they want, huh?

Sure, Masato-sama is like a prince, but taking pictures requires permission…

Secretly taking pictures? No, that’s too embarrassing…

<Shiori Shinomiya>: [Sorry, lol]

[If it’s okay, can you take a picture of the printouts tonight?]

It wasn’t such an urgent task. While grateful to my new friends… I thought I’d just ignore it until I got home… But the notifications kept coming.

What’s going on here. Feeling annoyed, I reluctantly opened my smartphone again.

<Miaki>: [Huh? LOL wait a sec? lol]

[Shiori, was your icon always like that? lol]

<Hatsumi>: [ lol wait why is your full name showing up lol]

[Weren’t you ‘Shioricchi’ until recently lol]

<Miaki>: [So you’ve exchanged contact info with the prince lol]

<Mana> : [Wait lol one word has changed lol]

[Don’t set BGM]

<Miaki>: [Ouch lololol my stomach hurts]

[Hey. Wasn’t it ‘I want to put my favorite’s face on my room’? Change it back.]

<Hatsumi>: [Your icon was an anime character, right? What are you doing. Change it back.]

[You had an icon taken from behind at some unknown beach. Stop it.]

[And anyway, it’s probably not even you.]

<Manai>: [My stomach hurts lol]

[If it’s not the person herself, who is this lol]

<Miaki>: [Don’t set the BGM to the popular songs from the band group. You’ve never even heard them lol]

[And you never said ‘I like autumn’ lol you didn’t listen lol]

……

Phew.

I closed my smartphone.

Alright.

It was a short time, but—

I’m going to stop being friends with these guys. Suddenly, I closed the novel I was reading and glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was about to be 3 p.m.

Usually, the intercom at home would ring 10 or 5 minutes before, but Masato-sama still hadn’t arrived.

“…How unusual?”

From my perspective, Masato-sama was… no, probably even without me, he’s a perfect superhuman who rarely ever runs late.

And 30 minutes ago, he had messaged me properly, as always, saying “I’ll be at the station soon~”.

If that’s the case, he should have arrived by now. I left the room and went down the stairs.

Of course, Masato-san was nowhere to be seen.

“Mom, Masato-san still hasn’t arrived, right?”

“Hmm? That’s strange. He usually arrives around this time.”

I checked the clock in the living room. It was exactly 3 p.m. There were still no notifications on my smartphone.

If he had arrived at that time, there shouldn’t be anything strange…

But I had a bad feeling about it.

“Mom, I’m going to the station for a bit.”

“Eh?”

“It’s basically a straight road, so we should pass each other. I’ll be back soon.”

With a sense of foreboding, I quickly put on my shoes. If nothing happens, that’s fine. But he’s such a cool guy. It wouldn’t be strange if he got caught up in something. I rushed out of the house.

—

With my smartphone in hand, I proceeded.

I told my mom, but although there were multiple routes from my house to the station, if I take the straightforward one, it’s just a single road.

Surely, Masato-san is also coming this way.

I’m getting close to the station by now…

In the distance, I saw someone familiar.

Today, as usual, he had a refreshing style with a wheat-colored vest over his white T-shirt. There’s no mistaking it.

It’s Masato-san!

He was surrounded by two women in suits. Huh, are they hitting on him?!

“Please consider it! We won’t force you to do anything!”

“Ah~ I’ve been saying it since earlier, but I can’t do that, and besides, I’m in a hurry…”

For now, I got closer. From what I heard… it doesn’t seem like they’re hitting on him. Maybe it’s some kind of model recruitment…?

Certainly, Masato-san is undeniably handsome, so he might get this kind of attention…

But isn’t he too tolerant?! Is it okay not to listen to them and just push through like that?!

He’s surely a good person.

He must have listened carefully to their story. And now he’s having trouble refusing… is that what’s happening?

Wait a minute…

One possibility flashed through my mind.

If I help out here, could my likability skyrocket?!?!

I-it’s coming… a likability skyrocketing event… if I help out this gracefully…!!!

[Fufuf. Are you okay, Masato-sama…]

[S-Shiori-chan… I like you. (Heart thumping)]

Kitaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

Great victory. I won.

Alright, let’s get started–.

…Wait, hold on a moment.

How do I gracefully rescue him?

[Excuse me. Could you please leave my boyfriend alone?]

The hurdle is too high!

I can’t just suddenly act like his girlfriend!! What else?

[Sorry~ Onii-chan, were you waiting?? Come on, let’s go home quickly? (Giggles)]

The character is too intense. I can’t pull off the little sister move.

Do I have any good ideas at all?!

“Well, would you mind exchanging contact information at least?! Can you do that?”

“Uh, well…”

“Just the phone number is fine. I’ll contact you later…”

This is bad!

I can’t stay like this.

Before Masato-san exchanges contact information with them!! I-it’s not a well-executed move at all, but I have to help him!!

I dashed towards Masato-san at full speed.

Anything goes now! I-I have to do it!!

“U-umm!!”

“…?”

Perhaps my voice was unexpectedly loud, as the two women in suits looked this way.

Oh, the pressure from these people.

Do they think I’m some kind of earthworm or something??

B-but I won’t lose.

I summoned up my courage.

“Oh, you’re quite spirited there. Who might you be, lady?”

“…? Who are you?”

Oh no. The setup is already completely messed up.

I wasn’t supposed to read historical romance novels or something like that.

Do I even really know the word “graceful”? Should I look it up in the dictionary?

Ah, geez! I’m totally being suspected! I gotta do something, Knight! Just like a knight, you know! (Intense Ultra Gag)

“Ah~ As a humble Iga kunoichi, I’ve lived for 17 years. I had decided to use this technique only for important occasions… But there’s no other choice now. Here I go!!”

(T/N: Kunoichi meaning Female Ninja, Iga, Koga, and Fuma comprise the 3 “ninja cities”. Accessible from Kyoto, Osaka, and most easily from Nagoya, Iga is a quiet town which embraces the ninja culture and history.)

“Huh?? Creepy… Hey, wait a minute!!”

It’s over. What was I even saying?

I was completely dumbfounded the whole time as I grabbed Masato-san’s hand and started running. Anything goes now! Run away, and I win!!

—-

“Huff…! Huff…!”

That’s right. I’m seriously out of shape, like a slug. I got exhausted before even reaching home.

But it seems like no one’s following me. I somehow managed to shake them off…

“Masato, -sama… Are you okay?”

Ugh, this is the worst. My plan is ruined. I was supposed to rescue him in a cooler way and make him fall for me… And it was so cringeworthy when I think back on it.

He must be grossed out… How do I cover this up?

“Hehe…..Hahaha!!!”

“Masato-san?”

When I turned around, Masato-san was smiling with tears in his eyes. As I stood there stunned, he wiped his tears and said,

“Thank you… Thank you, Shiori-chan! Also… Shiori-chan, you can speak like that?!”

“Uh… I mean, if you could just forget about that… I was really just nervous…”

It’s over… He heard everything perfectly well… Well, of course he did. This is the worst… I was doing so well, playing the perfect refined young lady… (according to myself)

“I’m really sorry. It’s not the time to laugh, right? Thank you for helping me. I really appreciate it. And I’m sorry for being late. They were quite persistent… Couldn’t shake them off.”

“Um, yeah. They sure were persistent…”

“But, you know,”

“…?”

Oh, right, our hands are still… touching.

“I might want to see more of that side of you, Shiori-chan.”

“…Huh?”

“Cause, you know, Shiori-chan, you always seem to be putting up walls with me. But earlier, you looked like you were panicking for sure, but… it seemed like you were having fun? So… I don’t just want to see the face you show me, but also various other faces.”

“…”

I accidentally squeezed his hand tightly. I didn’t want him to feel my heart pounding. I wanted to hide it.

No, this won’t do. It’s definitely not okay.

If I show this side of me, I’ll definitely be disliked.

But still…

Somewhere inside me, I want him to see me as I truly am.

Not as the heroine of a story.

The selfish desire emerges to want him to fall in love with the real me, just a simple villager “B”.

“I’ll… think about it.”

“Yeah.”

I let go of his hand.

My heart is still pounding loudly, and it’s not just because I ran all out.