Chapter 1: The Gloomy Recluse and the Radiant Friend

“Who is that person constantly trailing behind Watanabe-kun?”

“Ugh, what a gloomy vibe. He must be one of those shut-ins who only plays games after school.”

“Why does Watanabe-kun let a guy like that stick around him? I wish I could be with Watanabe-kun too…”

‘Is that what you call whispering? I heard every single word.’

‘Yet, just as they surmised, I, Aoyama Ren, am an undeniable, gloomy recluse.’

‘Despite being a moss-like figure who should be relegated to the shadows, I happen to have a supremely charismatic and socially thriving best friend.’

The person walking ahead of me is named Watanabe Hayato.

We’ve been playing together since we were three years old.

And that remains true, even to this very day.

Not only is he handsome, but he possesses a gentle nature and comes from a good family, with a mother who is a university professor and a father who is a doctor.

Little wonder so many girls are enamored with him.

Given all this, I, in my current state, truly shouldn’t have continued to associate with Hayato after entering high school.

Not only would it expose me to unwanted scrutiny, but it would also inevitably tarnish Hayato’s reputation.

To be honest, I couldn’t care less what people say about me; after all, it was Hayato’s family who took me in after my parents passed away.

They are truly wonderful people, and it was solely because of their kindness that I, still so young at the time, was spared from being sent to an orphanage.

The kinder Watanabe-kun was to me, the more guilt gnawed at me, as if I had become nothing more than a burden.

“I’m in Class 2-1. What about you?”

Watanabe-kun said.

“Class 2-3… We didn’t get into the same class again this year.”

‘I silently trailed behind Hayato.’

Along the way, numerous students greeted Hayato, even upperclassmen from the third year.

‘Is this the extent of the connections held by the top student in our grade, the student council vice-president, and the basketball team’s ace player?’

‘A shiver of apprehension ran through me.’

“Good morning, Watanabe-kun. And Aoyama-kun, have you thought about joining any clubs this year?”

A stylishly dressed, lively girl jogged over, and after exchanging greetings with Hayato, her attention shifted to me.

I knew her: Shiraishi Kisa, the second-ranked student in our grade, the student council secretary, and, like Hayato, an undisputed ‘normie’ (TL Note: A  slang term, ‘jūjitsu-kei riajuu,’ referring to someone with a fulfilling real life, often used in contrast to otaku or hikikomori.) at school.

Only such a bright, sociable person, capable of conversing with anyone, would bother speaking to me.

‘Of course, it was likely even more important that Shiraishi-kun harbored feelings for Hayato.’

The reason I say this is because I possess a unique talent: the precise perception of human emotions.

‘As for why it’s specifically ‘human’ emotions?’

‘Perhaps it’s due to my peculiar wish to ‘become human’.’

When Shiraishi-kun drew near Hayato, the scent—a distinct blend of honey and marshmallows—became overwhelmingly apparent.

Thus, I can state unequivocally that love is not a foul, sour stench, but rather an incredibly sweet aroma.

Incidentally, whenever Hayato is with me, his mood is like a clear morning spring: calm and refreshingly sweet.

I know Hayato doesn’t dislike me; he feels completely at ease in my company.

That is why, to this very day, I can still shamelessly continue to be his friend.

“Ah, ah… hmm… I’ll consider it.”

‘Under Shiraishi-kun’s gaze, I hastily averted my eyes to the ground.’

‘I’m sorry, Shiraishi-kun, for becoming an obstacle on your path to romance.’

‘But I will strive to overcome it. I truly wish you and Hayato happiness in your relationship.’

‘Therefore, starting this year, I’ve decided to enroll in academic tutoring classes. I’ve already discussed this with Hayato’s parents, and they are fully supportive of my ambition to attend university.’

‘I just haven’t had the chance to tell Hayato yet.’

‘Still, I’m certain he’ll be utterly surprised when he learns of my plans.’

‘My goal is to at least be able to attend university with Hayato.’

‘After all, Watanabe-kun is my only friend, so this seems like a perfectly reasonable aspiration.’

“Is that so? What do you think, Watanabe-kun?”

‘Shiraishi-kun, your tactics are truly underhanded.’

‘Yet, I couldn’t help but glance at Hayato; his opinion held significant weight, even if I had no intention of changing my mind about attending university.’

“Well… Ren, if you want to join the basketball club, I can help you, but I think you’re more suited for the manga club.”

Hayato said, his gaze fixed on me.

‘Indeed, besides playing games, I also enjoy watching anime. My preferences are quite transparent to anyone.’

“Just like the basketball club has competitions, the manga club also has to produce manga for the school paper every month, you know.”

‘Shiraishi-kun poked her cheek with her finger, a truly endearing gesture.’

“Alright, I’ll join the manga club.”

‘How utterly spineless of me.’

‘Still, participating in a club wouldn’t conflict with attending tutoring classes.’

After bidding farewell to Hayato and Shiraishi-kun in front of the classroom, I located my seat in Class 2-3 and stowed my bag.

Around me, small cliques had already formed, students gathering in twos and threes.

Some had likely met in clubs during their first year, while others were using topics like horoscopes and TV dramas to strike up conversations.

As for me, no one would ever be interested in befriending an otaku (TL Note: A Japanese term for a person with an obsessive interest, typically in anime, manga, or video games.), so I had long given up on proactive social interaction.

Even Shiraishi-kun only spoke to me because I was Hayato’s friend.

‘I was well aware of my place. Therefore, no matter the circumstances, I never allowed myself to harbor high expectations for interpersonal relationships.’

‘This was a survival rule I had forged through countless rejections in real life.’

‘As for the possibility of isolated individuals being bullied…’

‘Perhaps it was due to sheer luck, or perhaps it was because of my close relationship with the supremely popular Watanabe-kun, but I had yet to appear in local news as a victim.’

‘God bless.’

Furthermore, the entrance exam deviation score (TL Note: A standardized score used in Japan to indicate academic ability relative to other test-takers.) for Shinonome High School was exceptionally high, meaning students here placed a significant emphasis on academic rankings.

Though I couldn’t compare to Hayato or Shiraishi-kun, I could at least maintain a rank hovering around the top fifty in the entire grade.

Aside from knowing everything about anime and being slightly better than average at video games, studying was one of my few true aptitudes.

‘Right, time to start memorizing English vocabulary.’

Just as I made this decision, a sound akin to a gas canister exploding suddenly erupted from outside, immediately followed by the school’s alarm blaring continuously over the loudspeakers.

“All students, please evacuate under the guidance of your teachers…”

I rose to my feet, my gaze involuntarily drawn to the chaotic scene unfolding outside the window.

A colossal, monstrous figure stood on the sports field, its massive arms thrashing wildly.

With shocking force, it ripped a swing set from the ground and hurled it toward the gymnasium.

A ping-pong table, clutched in its hand, appeared as light as a plastic stool.

ROAR—

The purplish-black monster bellowed, its voice ragged.

Students on the field screamed and fled, but even the most robust physical education teachers were utterly powerless against such a creature.

It had lost all reason, driven mad, destroying everything in its sight.

In modern society, monsters often appeared with such suddenness.

Some online theories claimed that these monsters were, in essence, failures who had despaired of life, mutating after their minds broke.

Such conjectures had never been officially confirmed, yet their highly inflammatory nature led many to staunchly support the so-called “Unfortunate Individual Assessment Program” in the name of maintaining social peace.

The only entities capable of eliminating these monsters, besides powerful conventional weaponry, were Magical Girls—beings of love and justice, just like in anime, who always brought about miracles.

Having vented its fury, the monster fixed its gaze upon the fleeing students.

Despite its mountain-like bulk, it ran with surprising speed, rapidly closing the distance with the terrified group!

The terrified screams were chilling to hear.

Just then, a beam of pink light descended from the heavens, striking the monster’s neck.

The ground cracked like a spiderweb, and the immense impact instantly sent the creature toppling, rendering it immobile.

—Magical Girl Sakura Tsui!

A student from the next class excitedly shouted, pulling out their phone to take pictures.

Upon hearing the Magical Girl’s name, the students in my new class stopped their hurried evacuation, instead crowding to the windows.

She was one of Nagawa City’s guardian Magical Girls, clad in a pink dress, her magic as resplendent as cherry blossoms.

Her adorable appearance was irresistibly captivating, earning her immense popularity online.

However, I knew that was Shiraishi-kun, the very same Shiraishi Kisa who had just been chatting with Hayato and me.

‘If only I could, I would tell Hayato that the hugely popular Magical Girl Sakura Tsui was actually Shiraishi-kun, and that she liked him!’

‘—Of course, I couldn’t do that; it would only cause trouble for Shiraishi-kun.’

It was a well-known fact that Magical Girls seemed to be protected by a strange cognitive distortion field, making it impossible for people to connect them to their real-world identities.

‘Yet, emotions could not be concealed. That distinct scent of honey and marshmallows, mingled with unrequited love, confirmed it for me: she was, without a doubt, Shiraishi-kun.’

Whenever a Magical Girl appeared, the monster was invariably defeated, for Magical Girls were the embodiment of miracles.

As excitement surged through the crowd, I silently cheered Shiraishi-kun on.

An elegantly intricate bow materialized in Magical Girl Sakura Tsui’s hands.

With a mere gentle draw of the string, an arrow shimmering with holy pinkish-white light appeared.

After aiming it at the black crystal embedded in the monster’s chest, she released her fingers—

THWACK!

A beam of magical energy pierced the monster’s body, shattering the crystal within.

The monster let out a roar of unwilling defiance, yet it was powerless to prevent its body from dissolving into black mist.

Under Sakura Tsui’s gaze, the monster swiftly vanished into nothingness.

Beyond the chaotic state of the sports field, nothing remained to prove that the monster had ever appeared.

Cheers erupted, echoing ceaselessly.

‘That was incredible, Shiraishi-kun.’

‘If it had been me, facing such a terrifying monster, my legs would undoubtedly have been trembling.’

“Alright, everyone, calm down. I am your homeroom teacher for Class 2-3, Fujiwara No. The school has already contacted the relevant authorities, and there have been no casualties. Now, I hope you can all compose yourselves, and we will continue with our classes today…”

On the podium, the middle-aged teacher, having written ‘Fujiwara No’ on the blackboard, spoke loudly.

After sitting down, students couldn’t stop whispering, and the first lesson was a self-introduction session.

I painstakingly tried to memorize each person’s face and their corresponding name.

Meanwhile, like everyone else, the monster’s image remained vividly etched in my memory, much like the nightmares I had almost every night, recalling that unforgettable twilight of blood, fear, and maternal love.

In short, I was the only one in my family who survived.

I later learned that had Hayato not slipped into the collapsed house when no one was looking, no one would have discovered me, curled up in a corner of the ruins.

Though I often wondered, in that moment, if it wouldn’t have been better had I not called out Hayato’s name, and simply drifted to sleep in my mother’s arms, her body gradually growing cold, her breath already gone?