Chapter 4: Yamazaki Miki

Neat, ear-length short hair. Bright amber eyes. Tanned skin glowing healthily under the light. Even a first meeting would tell you: this girl named Yamazaki Miki is the ultimate tomboy. And Shangguan He isn’t meeting her for the first time.

Ignoring their backstory as friends since junior high, in his first playthrough, Yamazaki Miki was the person Shangguan He interacted with most, aside from his six romantic targets. Of course, he considered adding her to his conquest list. It wasn’t about being desperate. First-playthrough Shangguan He wasn’t some rabbit scared to nibble the grass near its burrow. If there was grass, he’d shove it in his mouth.

But, sadly, Yamazaki Miki seems to be an unromanceable special character. From his first playthrough, Shangguan He pegged her role as “the protagonist’s best friend and intel provider for beautiful girls.” In short: she’s the wingman helping him pursue other heroines. As for why his “bro” lost their manhood to become a girl… He suspects it’s a nod to the pre-transmigration trend of “no guys allowed” in gaming circles.

Thinking back, nearly every named character around him in this world is a beautiful girl. Is that reasonable? Hell no, it’s absurd as f*ck! Is it awesome? Hell yeah, it’s awesome! What otaku could resist a world where gorgeous girls revolve around him? Shangguan He sure can’t.

But the current situation is unusual. In his first playthrough, fresh off transmigration, he couldn’t accept reality. On January 13, he stayed home, scouring the internet for info about his old world. It wasn’t until January 14 that he gave up, accepted his fate, and stepped into his role as the protagonist, heading to school. So, he always thought January 14 was when the game truly started, with January 13 as a buffer. But reality just flipped that assumption.

On the night of January 13, by coming to this family restaurant, he triggered an encounter with his friend Yamazaki Miki. Is this a second-playthrough-only easter egg? Or intel he missed in his first run? If it’s the latter, could leaving the house at different times on January 13 trigger other events? Could those hold the key to clearing the game?

Damn it! Did he waste eight hours today!? No, wait. If he hadn’t gone to that elite school, he wouldn’t know the mysterious sailor-suited girl can’t leave campus freely. So it wasn’t a total waste, right? His expression shifts wildly as a flood of thoughts hits.

Yamazaki Miki, unbothered by details, casually scoops a big chunk of his katsu-egg rice, shoves it in her mouth, and chats while chewing. “Why the full name all of a sudden? One spring break, and you’re acting all distant?”

“Nah, nah, it’s just you’re so cool, Miki. I thought some extroverted, charming dude was getting chummy with me. Scared me stiff…” He’s not lying. As a textbook tomboy, Yamazaki Miki has a slim, athletic build and strikingly refined features. In simple terms: a hot guy with boobs. Put her in a suit, and she’d be every girl’s dream prince charming.

Today, she’s in comfy casuals: a green-and-white checkered shirt over a T-shirt with a weird cat print, baggy jeans, and trendy sneakers. She looks like a model who escaped a fashion shoot.

Shangguan He recalls meeting her in his first playthrough on the way to school. Back then, she wore Yingcheng High’s uniform, all pink and white, a stark contrast to her casual vibe. Side note: a tanned tomboy in white stockings? Pretty damn hot.

“Extroverted charming dude? Me?” She sets down the spoon, turns, straightens her back, and puffs out her chest proudly. In one word: Voluptuous. In two words: Absolutely stacked. In short: Massive boobs.

“Yup, I see it now.” Shangguan He, visibly shaken, keeps a straight face. “Miss Yamazaki, you’re definitely not an extroverted charming dude.”

“What?”

“You’re an extroverted charming dude who got his junk stolen by this world.”

“Haha, if I had that thing, you’d be the first I’d take down.” Miki bares her teeth in a mock grin, her smile not reaching her eyes.

“Haha—” Imagining that scene, Shangguan He instinctively covers his butt. Bro Miki, no!