Chapter 3 - The World of Rom-Com
To cut to the chase, this world was indeed a romance comedy, without a doubt.
I came to this realization while observing a scene unfold in the classroom.
At the very back by the window, there sat an unremarkable boy with black hair, leaning on his hand and gazing out at the schoolyard with a gloomy expression. Beside him, a stunningly beautiful girl was seated.
"Hey, Raito-kun. Are you free after school today?"
"Hmm? Oh, I don’t have any plans."
"Then how about we hang out after school? There's somewhere I want to go."
The girl, with her long red hair cascading down to her waist, was so graceful and lovely that she could turn heads wherever she went. Yet despite her friendly approach, the boy next to her responded with a disinterested tone.
That alone could have been an ordinary scene from any regular day, not unlike what I experienced during my own youth. However, this is where the ordinary ends, for this is indeed the world of a romantic comedy.
As the unremarkable boy and the red-haired beauty conversed, the girl with dark blue twin-tails sitting in front of them turned around. She, too, was an exceptionally cute and beautiful girl with a well-proportioned face.
"Hey, Raito, you’re on cleaning duty this week, aren’t you? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten."
“…Ah, sorry. It completely slipped my mind."
"Geez, get it together, will you? You’ve always been forgetful like this, ever since we were kids. Don’t forget we’re on cleaning duty together today."
The twin-tailed girl sighed in exasperation—she was likely a childhood friend. The unremarkable boy scratched his head apologetically. At that moment, the classroom door swung open, and yet another shockingly beautiful girl appeared.
She had long, wavy blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, almost as if she were a foreigner. She, too, approached the boy with the bored expression.
"Raito-san, good day. Have you considered joining the student council?"
"Ah, sorry, Student Council President. Let me think about it a bit more."
"Let’s talk about it after school in the student council room. I need your help."
The unremarkable boy and the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty exchanged words in a familiar manner. The other beautiful girls in the room raised their voices in jealousy as they observed this scene. It was clear as day that all of these beautiful girls had romantic feelings for the boy.
Yet he remained entirely oblivious to this fact, showing no signs of embarrassment or happiness in front of these stunning girls. In fact, his reaction was quite the opposite—he looked thoroughly annoyed.
A traditional beauty with red hair sat next to him.
A lively, energetic, and cute twin-tailed childhood friend.
A smart and beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed student council president.
This plain boy sat at the very back of the classroom, surrounded by these gorgeous girls.
The dazzling scene was all too familiar, and I immediately recognized which rom-com I had landed in.
(So this really is a romantic comedy... And not just any rom-com, but the world of the mega-hit Fusekoi!)
The Fusekoi I was thinking of was a high school romantic comedy titled The Maiden in Love is in Love with Fusegawa-kun.
It was a series that had been quite popular ever since its comic serialization, and after it was adapted into an anime, it became explosively popular.
It was a harem romantic comedy, filled with sweet, sugary romance between the female characters and the protagonist, and it was my one source of solace in my hellish life as a corporate slave. I remember it well.
With its beautiful art, engaging story, and stellar voice acting, I had been completely hooked on Fusekoi in my previous life.
The protagonist’s name was Fusegawa Raito, and the characteristics of the three girls surrounding him matched perfectly with the heroines of Fusekoi. Even their conversation earlier was identical to a scene from the beginning of Fusekoi.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would witness this beloved scene from Fusekoi in real life instead of on a screen. Being reborn in another world really is the best—but even so, I couldn't help but feel uneasy.
As I watched the interaction between the protagonist and the heroines, I sat down at my own desk, right in front of the teacher’s podium. Understanding my situation more clearly now, I slumped over onto the desk with a heavy sigh.
Realizing that this was the world of Fusekoi, I also recalled who I had been reincarnated as—Shindou Ryusuke.
(There's no mistake... Shindo Ryusuke. He’s the ultimate villain in Fusekoi.)
He’s the character who sees Fusegawa Raito as his nemesis and harasses him in various ways. But it’s all just to push the protagonist to grow, and in the end, he gets thoroughly defeated by the protagonist.
Afterward, there’s no redemption or change of heart for him. Instead, he tries to exact revenge on the protagonist out of spite, only to have all his misdeeds exposed. By the third semester of his first year, he’s not just expelled but also arrested by the police, completely destroyed socially.
(He was the runaway last place in the Fusekoi popularity polls... And not because he was a forgotten side character, but because readers genuinely despised him...)
What a nightmare.
I had been reincarnated into the world of my favorite rom-com, Fusekoi, only to become the villain who meets a disastrous end.
Shindo Ryusuke’s role was to push the heroines into peril, only to be judged by the protagonist. His defeat helps the protagonist and the heroines overcome obstacles and come together—in other words, he was nothing more than a villainous tool within the story.
But that’s only if I hadn’t been reincarnated. In my past life, I had nothing but a strong sense of responsibility, and now that I’ve been reincarnated as this villain, there’s no escape. I have no choice but to face this head-on.
I’ll do it. The possibility isn’t zero.
No matter how much of a delinquent I may have been until now, I’m still just a first-year high school student.
Moreover, it’s still the first semester.
The protagonist won’t defeat me until the third semester, so I still have time to turn things around.
And I have the knowledge of the original story—knowledge of the future. If I use that knowledge to my advantage, I should be able to avoid a fate where I’m condemned by the protagonist.
After all, I’ve been given the chance to live in the world of Fusekoi, my favorite rom-com. It would be a waste not to enjoy it.
I’ll make sure this second life ends with no regrets, and I’ll secure myself a happy ending.
I clenched my fists tightly, solidifying my resolve.
hopefully not a haren...
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