04 - Got popular on the first day of school?

After several students were called by the teacher to come forward and introduce themselves in front of the class, it was finally my turn to step up.

"Ueda Yuichi, roll number 24, please come forward."

I awkwardly walked to the front. After spending a long time preparing, I finally managed to piece together what I should say during the introduction!

Come on, Yuichi! Your social life in this class depends on how good your first introduction is.

If you fail again, you’ll have no choice but to settle for only talking to Nagi for the next three years.

I took a deep breath to relax my body, and then I began my introduction with a loud voice. "Ni-nice to meet you! My name is Ueda Yuichi.. I don’t have any particular talents, but I’m really good when it comes to games." I then bowed my head. "I hope we can all get along!"

Honestly, I didn’t expect an extraordinary reaction from my introduction. But at the very least, I hoped to make one or two new friends.

To my surprise, suddenly the entire class cheered for me.

E-EH..!?

This is a totally different reaction compared to what Nagi got. It was a simple introduction, so why were they all cheering?!

I thought I’d just get blank stares from them before returning to my seat.

T-THIS IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I EXPECTED!!

"Ueda-san, what kind of games do you play?" a girl suddenly raised her hand and asked.

"Well.. I usually play visual novel games, but when I get bored, I mostly play FPS games.." I answered hesitantly.

"Uhmm.. Ueda-san, what kind of makeup do you usually use for your face?" asked another girl.

"M-makeup?! I don’t use any.."

"Ueda-san.. D-do you have a boyfriend?" asked a male student, who was being laughed at by two other boys who seemed to be his friends.

I guess he was forced to ask that by his friends.

"Well.."

I wanted to say no, but for some reason, my heart felt hesitant.

I glanced at Nagi.

Nagi, who had been gazing at the scenery outside the window, seemed to notice my stare.

He then pointed at himself several times.

I quickly responded by making a frustrated face.

"I don’t have a boyfriend," I said, without changing my expression.

When I looked back at the boy who asked, for some reason, his expression had turned gloomy.

..?

"Ueda-san! Do you have social media accounts?"

"Ueda-san, are you interested in joining the ghost-hunting club?"

"Ueda-san!"

"Ueda-san!!!"

So many questions flooded in all at once, leaving me unsure of which one to answer first.

From all their questions, it seemed like the sudden excitement in the class was caused by my female appearance.

I’m not being overconfident, but my gender-bent self is extremely pretty. Yeah, I could even make Nagi blush.

Although Nagi often complains to me about not having any female friends, it’s more like he’s the one avoiding them.

He always says, "2D is better than 3D." Even though we’re both otakus, his words somehow irritate me. I’m never sure if he’s being sarcastic or serious.

Well, as for the situation in class..

I let out a sigh of relief.

Even though I don’t like being the center of attention due to my introverted nature, I guess this isn’t so bad.

After I finished answering all the questions that were thrown at me, the teacher finally allowed me to sit down.

***

Time flew by, and after my question-filled introduction, the introductions continued with each student stepping to the front of the class.

However, when the roll call reached number 28, suddenly the atmosphere in the class became silent.

The teacher seemed nervous, constantly adjusting her glasses even though they were fine.

"Y-Yamashita Akane-sama.. Roll number 28.. Please come forward for your introduction," the teacher said nervously.

Why did the teacher’s tone suddenly become anxious?

I saw a girl elegantly walking to the front of the class.

Like a character stepping straight out of a visual novel, the aura of an "ojou-sama" was palpable just from her presence.

Yamashita Akane, she had a very cute and pretty appearance. Her shoulder-length hair was a striking green color, with a duck-shaped hair clip attached to the side of her bangs.

She had a small face that enhanced her cuteness, and round glasses that added to the charm. As for her height.. I think she’s shorter than my female version.

If this world were an anime or novel, people would call a girl of her height a "loli."

"Hi! My name is Yamashita Akane."

Not only was her face cute, but her voice was also soft.

But why did everyone suddenly look nervous? Just now, the teacher also called her with a respectful title.

"You can just call me Akane, and if possible, please don’t add ‘san’ or ‘sama.’ I really want to be close friends with all of you," Akane said.

"Uh, greeti-!" As Akane was about to bow, the teacher quickly stopped her.

"Ah-! You don’t need to do that, miss.."

"Ah.. It’s okay.." Akane’s expression looked a bit bothered by the teacher’s overly concerned attitude.

I still don’t understand, why is the teacher treating her like this? Who is this girl anyway?

Could she be the daughter of some famous entrepreneur with limitless wealth? Hm? Is this a novel? I’m kidding! Two hours later, I regretted that joke.

Besides, her behavior seems strange to me. Is it just my feeling, or has she been staring at me this whole time..?

***

"WHAT?! Nagi.. You’re not lying, right? Akane-san is the daughter of Yamashita Shigeki..??" I asked, in disbelief.

"If you don’t believe me, just check Google," Nagi replied.

I felt shocked and confused after hearing Nagi's explanation. I already thought it was strange when I saw the teacher and other students' nervous behavior in the classroom.

I thought she was just the principal’s daughter, but I didn’t expect her to be on this level..

Yamashita Akane, she’s the third child of Yamashita Shigeki, the owner of a very famous company. Her father, besides being the most powerful figure in the clothing market, also owns several popular tourist destinations in Japan.

But.. why would the daughter of someone like him attend a private high school?!

There are so many elite high schools that would beg for Akane to enroll, even though she's not very bright, there's so much thing that would happen only because of Akane's presence, it would boost most of the school’s reputation.

I still don’t get it.. It’s impossible her father decided to enroll her here, I’m sure Akane herself requested it.

But why..? Why would Akane choose this school over others?

"Mm.. Nagi, would you believe me if I said.."

"Said what?" Nagi asked, curious.

"If I told you, Akane-san is going to come here in a moment," I explained.

"No way."

"Just wait and see.."

At that moment, Nagi and I were eating lunch together on the rooftop. Although I hadn’t told Nagi yet, I actually already had Akane's contact saved on my phone.

But suddenly, she sent me a message saying that she would come to where I was in two minutes without any clear reason.

And two minutes had already passed since the message was sent to me. She should be arriving any second now..

One.. two-

BAM-!!

The sound of the door creaked, producing a loud noise as the iron door was forcefully opened by someone.

A girl started to appear from the gap in the door as it slowly opened, and that striking green color made me immediately recognize who it was.

Akane?! She really came..??

"Yuichi-chan!! Good morning, are you having breakfast? I came here to play with you!" Akane shouted energetically.

TO BE CONTINUED.