Chapter 23: As You Go On to Higher Education, You Make More Friends. However, Since the Number of Friends a Person with Social Anxiety can Make is Limited, You Only Make a Few at Most

As You Go On to Higher Education, You Make More Friends. However, Since the Number of Friends a Person with Social Anxiety can Make is Limited, You Only Make a Few at Most

Even I, if I wasn't a high-spec person, would probably have forgotten who Shota-kun was.

To be honest, he's not the most memorable type, and if a normal kid were to bring him up as a memory 10 years from now, they'd probably wonder, "Was there really a kid like that?"

Have you never thought about how it feels to be someone who's always forgotten by everyone? Isn't that sad? And by sad, I mean cute. A forgotten child is cute, a forgotten child, hehe. Well, he's several levels less cute than me, though.

I'm cuter, and Shota-kun's not.

It's obvious which one is better, and the ranking is complete. I'm on top, and Shota-kun's on bottom.

This is a fact that won't change unless something extraordinary happens–

.... Ah, so that's why Shota-kun suddenly started talking about a duel. 

He once had such a bitter taste of defeat that it was ingrained in him, so he tried a rematch to wipe that feeling away and convince himself that he wasn't a loser.

Well, I won plenty and then ran off with the victory. I couldn't help but smile, thinking that he must have 'enjoyed' that defeat so much that he still remembered it even after so many years.

"Rejected. Such a barbaric thing. No way."

I flatly refused with a smile. There's no point in dueling. As a good citizen, I obviously wouldn't do such a thing. And yet, Shota-kun, standing before me, seemed surprised, as if he'd been turned down. He must be a bad citizen, huh?

"...Barbaric? Huh, Mashiro Hikari, ran away from the fight?"

I wonder what kind of barbarian I've become in this boy's mind. I'd like to open his head a bit and find out. But even as I think about it, I'm a beautiful, respectable girl, so I won't let it out. It's better not to ruin an image once it's been established, especially if it's a good one.

"...Look, I don't know what kind of delusion you have, but I can assure you, I'm not the person you think I am. Just the thought of a duel scares me, and I don't want to do anything dangerous like that."

Actually, I have a vague idea. Maybe you think I'm a battle junkie who gets joy from defeating others, or a sadist who enjoys seeing others suffer.

....

That's a complete misunderstanding!! A terrible misunderstanding!!

"Are you scared? Is it dangerous? Don't mess with me! Why do you think I got a sports recommendation for karate? It was all to beat you. I was number one in my district, did well in the prefectural tournament, and competed at the national level. It was all to beat you!"

I could clearly tell that this kid had worked hard in many ways, behind my back, but this was the worst situation and place to convey that.

Why did he have to put on a spectacle like this so soon after starting school, in front of half a group of people I don't know?  

Hikari looks like she's about to cry.

"So, you want to crush a weak girl like this with the power you've honed single-mindedly for years? Martial arts are about mind, technique, and body—what have you been learning at the dojo?"

I couldn't help but ask this question, and the class became one with me. After all, in contrast to Shota-kun's impressive build, from practicing karate all his life, my body, inherited from Mama, is small and soft-looking. Even with this, I have a little heart, but there's no way I could beat a fighter competing in the national tournament.

That's obvious, so everyone around me looks at Shota-kun coldly. I worry about whether he'll be able to make any friends.

Shota-kun was at a loss for words, so I told him I wouldn't duel him again and sat down.

You're the fool.

If you'd called me properly, instead of here, I could have done a better job.

"It's been a rough start to school, huh. I'm Miho Mana. Nice to meet you."

Once Shota-kun realized I had no further interest in him, he sheepishly backed away.

As I saw him off, I felt a poke in the back and the girl sitting behind me introduced herself.

What's up with this girl? I don't recognize you. Are you from the outside group?

I gave him a vague "Yeah, likewise," and introduced myself back. "Mashiro Hikaru, 15 years old!"

We giggled and chatted for a bit. By the way, this girl started talking to me without any hesitation right after my conversation with Shota-kun. Normally you'd think she'd hesitate a bit, but maybe she's mentally unstable?

This girl might be a real talent... I thought, but perhaps because she's a good talker, or perhaps because I felt very calm while talking to her, I continued on. I wonder, is it charisma or something?

As I talked to her, my guard seemed to ease, or perhaps I felt a strange sense of nostalgia, or perhaps just calmed down.

What is this ability? It's perfect for getting along with people. I want to acquire it too.

If we become friends, I'll be able to enjoy her many talents up close!

Following the natural thought process of a reincarnated person, I tried to learn how this girl, Miho-san, speaks.

Her intonation, her tone of voice, are certainly a bit quirky, but they don't match the materials I'd previously researched.

Could this be because she's just a natural flirt, and not the result of advanced technique? Or is it 1/f again? Is her fluctuation really that refined?

Though feeling a little turbulent inside, I continued speaking with a smile, wearing the patchwork chimera cat costume of the perfect beautiful girl. It's fun to talk to her.  

This is probably a fun experience that Tomohiro-kun won't understand. What a shame.

Miho-san blurts out something like, "It doesn't feel like the first time I've met Hikari-chan," as if she were trying to pick up a girl.

I'm impressed by how well she closes the distance, or maybe this is just how natural a girl should be, I murmur, twirling my tongue, and replying that it doesn't feel like the first time either.

...This is really the first time we've met, right?

There's no way we'd met in the past and I just didn't know about it... I guess it's not even in my high-spec brain that it's there. It's strange.

Could this girl be my soulmate...?

I ponder this fantasy in my mind, but then I realize that if she were my destiny, she would be more brilliant than this. She's probably pretty good since she got into our high school, but from the looks of it, she doesn't seem to have any amazing talents hidden within her. There's probably no need for us to be overly friendly.

If that's the case, I need to make an effort to respond more appropriately, otherwise it'll be a hassle if she declares me her best friend and clings to me.

I have my dad, Snack-kun, and I also have Satoshi-kun, who's in a different class but whom I'm fond of. It was an unexpected reunion, but Shota-kun, who I'd met earlier, must have some talent, since he was here on a sports recommendation.

There may be plenty of talent in the other students from outside the school, and I don't have the time or energy to spare. It's better not to have such strong relationships with friends.

Thinking a little sadly that I'd have to give up this comfortable feeling at some point, I talked, and as time passed, my homeroom teacher arrived. Well, the teacher introduced herself, congratulated us on our admission (and on to higher education), and said a few words about the entrance ceremony. 

I felt strangely stared at, not because she was surprised by my beauty... but because she was the math teacher with whom I had a history. 

Sensei, aren't you embarrassed to chase after a female student? How could you do something so embarrassing.

My homeroom teacher, Shota-kun, and Miho-san. It's been a while since I've been accepted into high school, so I'm feeling a lot of anxiety.

What on earth have I done?

All I've done is get the perfect score in mock exam every time, instill a sticky habit of losing in my impressionable childhood friend, and distort the sexual habits of a promising young man.

I haven't done anything wrong, so why did this happen to me... Forget about the last one, but the first two were really innocent. Why am I being targeted so much? It's so unfair.

To be honest, the only people I can think of who might resent me are my family, Tomohiro-kun, a little bit of Satoshi-kun, and the less-than-sparkly people on the internet.

My family wouldn't resent me, and I don't need to worry about Tomohiro-kun. It's the same for Satoshi-kun; the less-than-sparkly people probably wouldn't even be able to find me.

In other words, I have no idea. I'm a pure, honest, and excellent student, and everyone thinks the same.

Reaffirming that I hadn't done anything wrong, I listened to the grateful speeches at the entrance ceremony. There was a patchwork of more than half-standard student speeches from the current student representative, the PTA members who probably say the same thing every year, and the principal's speech, which he said would be brief because he thought everyone would get tired of his long speeches, but it was still long. It was a standard entrance ceremony that you could probably see at any school.

Where was I as I was thinking about this?

Well, I was sitting in the seat representing the new students. It was right in the center of the front row of the entrance ceremony seats, where the student council president from middle school should have sat, but for some reason I ended up sitting there.

The other students had declined, and I was top of my class. It was also a good opportunity to impress the outside students, and I accepted because I knew if I let this one slip away, I'd never get another chance like this.

I'm still a gifted kid, but it's about to get tough.

My search for sparkle wasn't progressing as well as I'd hoped, and I was starting to feel a sense of crisis.

After waiting a little while, my name was called, and I replied enthusiastically, "Yes!" I stepped up to the stage, tossed the cue card I'd been given, and gave a speech. The content itself was something the teacher had thought up. I could have thought up the speech myself, but since I was suddenly given this role on the day, I hadn't prepared a humorous one.

I spoke in a safe manner, and the only individual touch I added was that I was looking for sparkling talent. Even with something like that, the applause was louder than the principal's, thanks to the power of face I inherited from Mama.

All hail Lookism!

A beautiful face trumps everything!