I, well, Ken Yotsuba now, was never good at studying.
In reality or here.
So whatever this teacher is saying? I have no idea.
I glance at Momo. She's fully focused, writing neatly in her notebook like the perfect honor student she is.
Yeah… that's the Momo I know. Somehow, that calms me a little.
I try my best to follow along with the lecture when I suddenly feel someone staring.
I turn my head.
A guy was looking at me like he's witnessing a miracle.
Guess me actually listening in class is shocking.
I snort, stare back at the board, and whisper,
"First time seeing someone study?"
"S-sorry… it's just, uh… you opened the wrong page… It's page 32, not 15…"
He's timid but still says what he wants to say.
"Did I ask? Mind your own business."
"O-oh… okay…"
After the short exchange, I notice Momo glancing our way.
Still the same sharp, disapproving eyes.
Damn, that stings a bit.
Feeling annoyed for no reason, I rip a small piece off my textbook and crumple it into a ball, then flick it at the innocent kid sitting in front of me.
Right where Momo can see it.
Tap.
It bounces off his head.
Momo's eyes widen instantly.
If I keep going, she looks like she'll complain to the teacher without hesitation, so I casually raise my shoulders and look down at my book.
Then, making sure Momo can't see, I reach forward and poke the kid's back.
"My bad. Accident."
He nods slowly, like he's used to this.
Yeah… this Ken guy definitely bullied him a lot.
* * *
It's been 2 weeks since I arrived inthis world.
The familiar bell rings and class is dismissed.
I glance at Momo one more time, then I'm about to head home when...
"Ken! Ken!"
The moment someone bursts into the classroom calling my name, I frown.
My "friends" are approaching.
And of course, they look exactly like the kind of delinquents Ken would hang with.
Skipping classes is normal, and they don't hesitate to smoke or drink even though it's banned on campus.
I hate hanging out with them.
Not because of the school rules, but because they say disgusting things about Momo.
The way they look at her with those gross eyes?
Yeah, that pisses me off more than anything.
Momo should only be looked at like that by me.
Well… eventually.
I don't want to be associated with these idiots, but keeping a bit of distance while maintaining the connection isn't bad.
Why?
Because they're perfect stepping stones for raising Momo's favorability later.
Only problem is… I don't know their names.
Not that I care.
As I lean back in my chair and sigh, the guy with the most punchable face walks up.
"What."
"We going to Ikebukuro tonight, right? Got seats booked."
"Not going."
"Huuh? We booked already, man. Why not?"
Huh? Did he just "huuh" me?
That reaction is so anime-Japanese it's almost impressive.
Weird thing is… I don't feel any cringe.
Maybe I actually belong here more than I thought.
"I'm tired. Gonna rest."
"Rest? You? You sick or something?"
"Shut up. I said I'm not going. Go by yourselves."
"O-okay… fine then. Yo! Yaoyorozu! You good today?"
The moment the conversation ends, he moves to bother Momo.
She raises her lashes, clearly about to say something back.
And I take that moment to..
SMACK!
I slap the back of his head as hard as I can.
"AAAGH!"
I stare down at him with the most bored expression I can muster.
"This idiot's always like this. Get lost."
"Why'd you hit me out of nowhere?!"
"Because you're loud. Now piss off. My ears hurt."
"Tch… overreacting for nothing…"
Grumbling, he gathers the rest of the group and leaves.
Yeah, that should raise Momo's favorability.
A tiny bit.
But not enough.
She still sees me as one of them... no, worse.
'Still… slow change is still change.'
Holding onto that thought, I leave the classroom.
I don't look at Momo.
If I do, I probably won't be able to look away.
Once I get back home, I blast the AC and lie down on the bed.
Wouldn't want to oversleep and miss an important event.
Come to think of it… I fell asleep quickly before arriving here too.
Normally, I'd lie awake for hours, waking up repeatedly.
'If I wake up, I hope I'm not back in my original world… Not yet...'
Hoping that doesn't happen, I pull the blanket over my head.
* * *
It's been 3 weeks since I've entered this world. I was starting to get pretty used to school life.
However, I still wasn't able to get on positive terms with Momo.
I got transmigrated into an anime world, might as well make a harem...
The night was quiet, the usual kind of empty where even the streetlights seemed tired. I wasn't thinking about anything. Just heading home.
Then I saw her.
Momo, a few meters ahead, walking alone.
It wasn't unusual we would both exit school late at night. I always had detention and Momo studied late in the library.
It wouldn't be a lie if I said I'd intentionally get in detention to walk home at the same time as her without looking creepy.
Today was the same. Nothing weird… until a shadow stepped out of the alley beside her.
At first, it looked like he was going to ask for directions. Then I heard his voice. Low, breathy, too close to her ear.
"Pretty thing like you shouldn't be walking alone… you know what happens at night?"
Momo froze. Her bag slipped from her shoulder.
He pressed a hand to the wall beside her head, caging her in. His other hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer. His smile twisted under the hood.
"Relax… I'll make it fun. Don't scream, yeah?"
My chest tightened.
Oh.
So that's what this trash was planning.
Momo pushed at him, trembling. "P-Please… let go—!"
"That's cute," he whispered. "Begging already?"
Something in me snapped.
And at the same time… a tiny grin tugged at my lips.
The typical cliche. Saving the heroine.
If I save her now…
Momo's definitely gonna look at me different.
I don't even expect overly positive emotions towards me. At least she would not look at me like I'm total trash.
Before I even realized it, I was already running.
I slammed into the guy, ripping him off her and throwing him to the ground. He hit the pavement with a grunt, surprised.
"Ken?!" Momo gasped.
I didn't look at her. My eyes were locked on the bastard slowly getting up.
In this universe, I am pretty overpowered. I've been doing my daily quests. One thing that's annoying is that there are no gates to farm exp but whatever...
"You," I said, voice low. "Were you really about to try that on her?"
The thug laughed, wiping his mouth. "Tch. So what? Girls like her always end up crying anyway."
I smiled.
Not a nice one.
"Oh? Then cry for me."
He lunged with a knife he'd hidden in his sleeve. His motion was fast and clean.
But that was fine. I stepped aside, grabbed his wrist mid-swing, twisted until something popped.
He screamed.
I wasn't done.
A knee to the stomach.
An elbow to the jaw.
His head slammed against the wall hard enough to shake dust loose.
"You said she'd cry, right?" I hissed, pinning him by the throat. "Let's see you cry instead."
He clawed weakly at my arm, eyes rolling.
Behind me, Momo's voice shook. "K..Ken!"
I let the guy drop. He collapsed, gasping, trying to crawl toward the knife like a pathetic worm.
I kicked the knife far away and turned back to Momo, brushing off my knuckles.
"You okay?"
Her face went pale.
"K...Ken… what did you do? He's... he's not dead, right?!" Momo's hands shook as she backed away. "I-I'll call the heroes! W-We need to call someone!"
I crossed my arms. "Shouldn't you… y'know… thank me first?"
She whipped her head toward me, eyes wide. "T-Thank you?! Ken, you didn't need to go this far! You almost killed him!"
"Tch…" I clicked my tongue, looking away. "If I didn't step in, he would've..."I glanced at her, then at the wall behind her. "You know exactly what he was planning."
Her breath caught, but instead of calming down, she wrapped her arms around herself tighter.
"I-I know but! This… this was too much…! You look like you were going to beat him to death!"
I shrugged. "He deserved worse."
She stepped back. "Stop talking like that! I already called the heroes. Please just… don't make this worse…"
Heroes.Of course she called them.Tch. Figures.
The sirens grew louder until eventually the street filled with hovering drones and bright lights. Hero agents jumped out, surrounding the scene, checking the unconscious man and interviewing Momo.
And me?They pulled me aside like I was the criminal.
Nice.
One agent eyed me like I'd been caught skinning someone. "You used excessive force, kid."
"He attacked her," I replied flatly.
"Still excessive. Why didn't you just restrain him?"
I raised a brow. "You wanna try?"
"…Just answer the questions."
Ugh.This was going to take forever.
And it did.
By the time they finally let me go, it was ridiculously late. The streets were empty, the kind of silent where you could hear your own thoughts too clearly.
Momo walked next to me. Our homes were in the same direction so it wasn't a big surprise.
"You shouldn't use excessive force like you did today."
"Shouldn't you thank me first? Why're you lecturing me instead?"
"I-I'm not lecturing you, I just… huh…?"
Momo's voice dropped suddenly. Her eyes lowered to my hand. Then she flinched.
She saw the blood slipping down between my fingers.
Of course I wasn't actually bleeding from the fight. I had made it intentionally to get some bonus points from her.
"K..Ken, your hand… you're bleeding."
"I'm used to it."
"U-Used to it…? At least wipe it off with this…"
She closed her eyes like she couldn't stand the sight, rummaged through her bag, and held out a handkerchief.
Pure white. Snowflake-white.I shook my head.
"If it gets stained with blood, you'll never get it out."
"That's not the point right now…"
"It's fine. I'll wash it in the bathroom."
"I-I mean… still…"
"If you really feel bad, buy me a drink from the kiosk later. I'm going. Take care."
I waved lazily without looking back and headed into the bathroom.
I carefully wiped my hand clean at the bathroom and stepped back out.
"Ken. Did you finish?"
Momo's voice hit me from practically right next to my ear.
I jumped so hard I nearly died on the spot.
There was no universe where I expected her to still be here.
"Holy fuck! you scared the shit out of me."
The small number of people still on the streets turned to look at me.
Momo, embarrassed, put a slender finger to her lips, signaling me to quiet down.
"Can you not yell like that…? You're scaring everyone…"
I bent forward, clutching my chest, breathing hard.
"Haah… maybe don't sneak up on me then…"
She just stared at me quietly.
Then suddenly...She smiled.
A small, gentle smile, barely tugging her lips.Not as radiant as the ones she gave other people… but still enough to make my vision swim for a second.
God, how can someone be that pretty…?
I forced my heartbeat down and answered her in the rudest tone I could manage.
"W-What? Why're you grinning like that?"
"…Thank you."
"…What?"
"T-Thank you… for saving me…"
Saving her was definitely worth it.No... Being born was worth it.
Feeling awkward, I scratched the side of my head.
"It's fine. I didn't do it expecting you to thank me."
"You literally asked me to earlier."
"I didn't think you'd actually do it."
"What do you take me for? I know how to show gratitude, you know. Unlike someone…"
"That 'someone' better not be me."
Instead of answering, Momo changed the subject.
"And Ken… you should really stop swearing so much."
"First you say I talk cheap, now this… stop nagging and just go already."
"Aren't you coming too?"
"Yeah yeah whatever."
We walked home together that night.