Chapter 3: To Survive, do I even have to Call Out Dad?

Before entering the elementary division of Ōka Academy, Ishikawa Yuka still had a little time to prepare. Enrollment in Ōka Academy was an unavoidable fixed event, but at least she could change her relationships with the people around her.

The top priority: she had to alter her relationship with that “fiancé candidate,” Noyama Hiroki.

Wait, no!

Crap… thinking carefully, Noyama Hiroki would eventually grow into a top student, an all-around athlete, a “self-absorbed brat” that even delinquent boys would steer clear of…

Last time, she had the upper hand. Naturally — with her mind of an adult — dealing with a pre-school kid’s punches and kicks was easy.

Even though her own physical ability had regressed to a pre-school level, at this age, the difference in strength between children — boys or girls — wasn’t significant.

But that would change as he grew up. Following the original path, Noyama Hiroki would become a monster capable of single-handedly taking down delinquent high school leaders with ease.

Compared to that, Lady Yuka would continue to run straight toward the “simple-minded, physically unskilled, clumsy young lady” direction.

Right now, it was fine. With the advantage of her adult mind and the small differences in child-age physical abilities, she could cope. But if she continued to antagonize Hiroki to avoid becoming his fiancée… eventually, the power balance would reverse.

On top of that, there was the gap between their families.

Even the globally operating Ishikawa Group was slightly inferior to the Noyama conglomerate.

Moreover, in the game, the Ishikawa Group would be exposed for illegal activities under several story routes, leading to the company’s decline and the fall of the Ishikawa family.

If she sat idle, history would likely repeat itself. She had to find a way to avoid these bad endings!

Alright! Decision made. Time to launch the “tactical plan” — acting cute to plead!

****

That night, timing her father’s return home, Yuka quietly approached him. Just as she had planned during the day, if she successfully persuaded her father, she could change her fate!

“Dad~~”

“Hm? What is it, Yuka? Rarely do I hear you call me ‘Dad’.”

Indeed. In her previous life, she had rarely used “Dad” or “Mom” to address her parents. So even after reincarnation, she rarely called her current parents by those titles.

But it wasn’t absolute — she had noticed that this seemingly shrewd dad especially liked hearing her say “Dad.” To make him happy, one simple “Dad” was guaranteed to work.

“Yuka has something she wants to ask Dad~~~~…”

“Oh? What is it? Tell Dad.”

Heh, heh… as expected, a total daughter-obsessed dad. Good… seems promising…

“Hubby! You’re spoiling Yuka again! Not allowed! Yuka, you too!”

“Oh, it’s just a small thing, what’s the problem?”

Tsk… mother appears, plan blocked. Father tried to resist slightly, but it was clearly futile.

“I said no means no!”

See? Father falters in front of mother — happens in any household. But Yuka had already expected this. She knew that flirting with her father would probably be stopped by her mother. This time, she was prepared with a method to convince her mother.

“Mother, please hear me out too. I want to attend some enrichment classes.”

“Eh!? Yuka, you want to take enrichment classes? You used to resist them so much! What’s gotten into you today? Why didn’t you say earlier!?”

Her mother’s attitude did a complete 180, smiling brightly. She had long wanted to enroll Yuka in various enrichment classes, all previously refused.

Could she blame her? The things her mother wanted her to learn were mainly flower arranging, tea ceremony, neon dance, guzheng — all designed to cultivate “lady-like” qualities.

How could she have wanted to learn those?

After rejecting those, her mother began suggesting instruments: piano, violin, flute… Yuka had wanted to ask what exactly her mother intended to cultivate. That’s why she had firmly refused all previous suggestions. Now that she proactively expressed interest, her mother took the bait.

“Then what does Yuka want to learn?”

“Hm~… a supplemental academic class, swimming, and one more… I’m still undeciding which one to choose.”

In the game, Lady Yuka was basically a “ditzy sweet girl.” Not only was she bad at academics, but she was also naïve, with thoughts so whimsical that normal people couldn’t understand. The game explicitly mentions her grades were at the bottom of her class.

In her previous life, she had at least graduated from a real university, but she couldn’t take this lightly.

Ōka Academy was a prestigious school, with high school students who were genuine top scholars. She didn’t need to rank at the top, but being too far behind was unacceptable. At minimum, she needed to maintain at least above-average grades.

So, she thought it necessary to hire a tutor or attend a cram school. However, private tutoring might not be ideal.

Even if she had a tutor, for a university graduate to study first-grade elementary courses would be a waste of time.

But if she suddenly started solving high school-level problems fluently, it would raise suspicion. Plus, one-on-one tutoring had little meaning.

Lady Yuka had grown up in a greenhouse, naïve to the real world. So she needed to go out and experience society.

Some might think that her previous life as a working adult gave her experience, but she didn’t know the world’s specifics.

Though the basic setting was roughly like modern Japan, firsthand contact with society was better.

Additionally, cram schools could offer courses tailored to the student’s level. If she got an unreliable tutor who thought, “No need to take this young lady too seriously, just passable grades are fine,” that would be a problem. Going to a cram school reduced this risk… hopefully.

Next, to train her body, she wanted sports. But she remembered hearing that excessive training as a child could be harmful.

Swimming had low physical strain, suitable for all ages from child to adult. She thought it would help improve stamina and full-body fitness.

Finally, she wanted to learn one more thing. Last time, she had thoroughly angered Noyama Hiroki. Fine, it was her own fault, but she couldn’t sit idly by. To avoid future revenge from Hiroki — who could single-handedly take on delinquent leaders — she needed self-defense skills.

The idea was good, but the question was what to learn. Best to avoid weapons-based activities, as she couldn’t carry weapons daily. So kendo, naginata, kyudo, etc., were out.

“Hm… giving up naginata is a bit painful… hand-to-hand combat? Or women’s self-defense? Maybe jujutsu or aikido? Which one should I finally pick…”

In her ideal vision, she still wanted military combatives: survival in any environment using objects or weapons, unrestricted — the ultimate. But military combatives for elite soldiers — would it really suit her, a delicate young lady?

So the fallback was “soft techniques overcoming hard,” i.e., jujutsu or aikido. Judo, being competitive, starting from gripping the gi, wasn’t suitable. Recent competitions show it’s essentially wrestling with different rules.

She didn’t disdain judo but worried that foreign competitors’ techniques — grabbing legs directly or modifying collars — would make it effectively a wrestling art for larger fighters. Judo might end up as a technique better suited for robust physiques.

In contrast, practical-focused jujutsu seemed good. But jujutsu and aikido focused on forms, so she worried about real combat applicability.

Of course, mastering them would be powerful, but she worried ordinary dojos would turn training into something like tai chi exercises. She couldn’t decide which martial art to choose.

“Yuka… what movie have you been watching this time?” Father asked, puzzled.

“Dad, no. I’m not imitating a movie,” Yuka replied helplessly.

He probably thought she was mimicking a film scenario. That would have been easy. But this was about her life. Having offended that self-absorbed brat, she needed to train enough to defend herself.

“Such things — she can’t learn them!” Mother suddenly erupted.

“Eek!” Yuka jumped.

Why did mother suddenly get so angry? Could it be… early menopause?

“Yuka, go to your room immediately!”

“O-okay~” Yuka obediently replied.

Now was not the time to defy her mother. Perhaps she should wait for a chance when mother was absent to convince her father alone? She thought while leaving the living room — and saw her brother Ishikawa Yōta at the doorway, trying to suppress a laugh.

“Brother, what’s wrong?”

“Pft… hehe… n-nothing…” Yōta’s shoulders shook suspiciously. “Yuka, why are you bringing this up suddenly?”

In the game, Lady Yuka had a brother — this one, Ishikawa Yōta. Though appearing as a pampered rich kid, he was actually smart. Though still an elementary student, his grades were good and he understood social nuances.

Yuka knew he had secretly done mischief, yet always cleverly avoided parental notice. If she could get her brother’s help, given his trust with their parents, he might help convince mother.

“Brother, Noyama Hiroki holds a grudge against me. He said he wants to settle scores. To protect myself, I need to learn some self-defense. Please help me talk to mother.”

“Hiroki-kun? What happened?” Yōta raised an eyebrow.

Her brother might know that self-absorbed brat. Five years older than her, he’d be in 6th grade when they entered Ōka Academy, only overlapping with her in elementary for a year. Still, being familiar with other families wasn’t unusual. If she persuaded him, he might talk to mother.

“That brat told me to ‘get out.’ I told him, as the heir to the Noyama family about to enter Ōka Academy, shouldn’t he know ladies first? He got furious, swung at me, and I dodged and tripped him.”

“Ah… so that’s why mother reacted like that…” Yōta said, understanding dawning.

Hm? Seems he knew part of what happened during the interview. Promising!

“He now bears a grudge and will surely seek revenge. Right now, male-female physical differences are small, but later men will have a clear advantage. I must learn techniques to handle situations despite strength or size gaps.”

“I see… understood. Alright, I’ll try talking to mother for you.”

“Thank you, brother!”

Great! Trying really was worth it. Brother, unlike her, had mother’s trust and was eloquent. He should manage to convince her mother.

“Then go back to your room for now.”

“Okay, brother. I’ll take my leave.”

Yuka bowed to her brother and returned to her room.

If he could convince their mother, she could smoothly enroll in the academic supplement class, swimming, and a martial art.

Then she wouldn’t be so easily dominated by that self-absorbed Hiroki. The remaining question: which martial art… probably best to choose one not reliant on strength or physique.

In the game, Lady Yuka’s physique was unremarkable. Yes, an ordinary young lady, average… After all, if the villainous rich girl in an otome game became a muscular Barbie, the game genre itself would change.

But in the game, Lady Yuka was famously clumsy — each challenge to the heroine ended in a crushing defeat.

Yuka felt her current physical ability wasn’t particularly poor. So it was likely her upbringing and personality that caused the issues.

From now on, training properly should bring her to an average level. What to learn… too many options were overwhelming…

***

“Eh!! Already decided where and what to study!?”

The next morning, Yuka eagerly went to the living room, wanting to see the result of her brother talking to mother. But the answer was: her enrichment class locations and content had already been completely decided!