The next day
Tanaka Masao got up, washed his face, brushed his teeth, had breakfast, and then headed to school wearing his uniform.
The Sōbu High University uniform was actually pretty nice—it was just that his own body was a bit on the chubby side, so it didn't look particularly flattering on him.
He reached up and lightly touched the armor core hidden beneath his clothes, right over his chest.
Doing so made him feel much more at ease.
After finding out yesterday that this was a multi-anime crossover world, Tanaka Masao realized something important:
This wasn't necessarily just a peaceful slice-of-life setting.
If he ended up mixed into a supernatural or superpowered world, things could go south very quickly.
So, for the sake of his own safety, instead of storing the Mark armor in the system inventory, he decided to keep it on him at all times—just in case he ran into danger and didn't have time to react.
...
Tanaka Masao had transmigrated during the last two days of Golden Week, and now it was early May.
The weather was extremely comfortable.
As he got closer to the school, he could already see small groups of students walking together, all wearing the same uniform as his.
Recalling the social circle of his previous self, he thought:
"An entire month since the semester started, and not a single friend. I haven't even exchanged more than a few words with anyone. That means I don't have to worry about being recognized. Honestly… that's kind of great."
Even so, Tanaka Masao still felt a twinge of loneliness.
In his previous life, while he wasn't exactly a social butterfly, every time he advanced to a new school or class, he'd at least have a few friends going with him.
Nothing like being completely on his own like this.
...
He arrived at school and opened his shoe locker.
No love letters.
No missing indoor shoes.
His previous self had been bullied before—his indoor shoes were often thrown away or deliberately dirtied.
But after enrolling here, he'd learned his lesson and tried his best to minimize his presence.
And since it had only been a month since the start of school, there hadn't been any bullying incidents yet.
After changing into his indoor shoes, he headed to his classroom.
First Year, Class D.
The entire first-year cohort consisted of seven classes: A, B, C, D, E, F, and J.
Each class had a little over twenty students, with fewer than two hundred students total in the year.
Class J was the international class—commonly known as the elite class.
Yukinoshita Yukino was in Class J.
Meanwhile, Class F was the so-called "main character class,"
where most of the Oregairu cast belonged.
Hiratsuka Shizuka was also the homeroom teacher of Class F.
...
Tanaka Masao found his seat.
Not the classic back row by the window—the legendary "king's seat."
Instead, it was slightly toward the back, near the middle.
A perfectly unremarkable position.
After sitting down, Tanaka Masao started playing on his phone while casually observing the classroom.
Most students had formed small groups, chatting among themselves.
Looking around at the various red, yellow, blue, silver, and even green-haired students, Tanaka Masao couldn't help but mentally comment:
[As expected of a crossover anime world—hair color diversity is wild.]
Still, after scanning the room, he was certain:
There were no anime characters he recognized in his class.
Sure, the hair colors were flashy, but their looks were pretty average.
A few students were somewhat attractive, but none were at the level of a main character.
Satisfied, Tanaka Masao withdrew his gaze and focused back on his phone.
...
About ten minutes later—
The classroom door opened.
The previously noisy classroom was suddenly muted, as if someone had pressed a silence button.
Tanaka Masao lifted his eyes from his phone and looked toward the door.
A beautiful girl walked in.
She was tall and well-proportioned, with silver hair tied into a high ponytail, and an aloof, icy presence that made her look almost like a delinquent girl.
Every single person in the class turned to look at her—yet she paid them no attention at all.
She even lazily covered her mouth and yawned.
With just one glance, Tanaka Masao knew.
She was definitely a main character.
That overwhelming aura, the clear gap in presence, beauty, and figure compared to everyone else—there was no way she wasn't.
That appearance, combined with where he was right now, made the answer obvious.
Kawasaki Saki.
One of Oregairu's main characters.
Although she didn't have much screen time, she was incredibly popular.
With just a single episode's worth of focus, she could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuigahama Yui.
Kawasaki Saki's popularity came from two things.
First, her flawless appearance.
Second, despite her cold exterior, she was incredibly gentle on the inside.
She doted on her younger brother and, to avoid burdening her family, worked part-time on her own to pay for supplementary lessons.
She was good at sewing, cooking, and housework.
Gentle, capable, independent—a textbook example of the ideal wife and mother.
...
Tanaka Masao noticed Kawasaki Saki walking straight toward his direction and immediately pulled his gaze back.
Kawasaki Saki stopped at the empty seat in front of him, glanced at him briefly, and sat down.
After lightly organizing her desk, she took out a book and began reading seriously.
Once she started reading, the classroom—which had gone quiet because of her arrival—slowly became lively again.
Though noticeably quieter than before, as if everyone was afraid of disturbing a queen.
Staring at Kawasaki Saki's back, Tanaka Masao felt confused.
[Shouldn't Kawasaki Saki be in the main character class—Class F?
Why is she in the same class as me…and sitting right in front of me?
Did the system tweak the world a bit as some kind of bonus?
Probably not… but still…]
Before he could think it through, his thoughts were quickly dragged elsewhere.
[She's really beautiful.
No wonder she's a 2D beauty—even in 3D, there isn't a single flaw.
And that figure… Eriri would probably cry if she saw it.
Among people our age, there are barely any who could compete.]
[Also… how does she smell this nice?
Ever since she sat down, there's been this faint, pleasant scent.
Shampoo?]
[Come to think of it, Kawasaki Saki doesn't really have friends, does she?
Being seated directly behind her gives me a huge positional advantage.
But with how I look right now, if I tried to strike up a conversation, I'd probably get looked at like a piece of trash.
Just imagining it is… kind of exciting.]
[Ahem—no, no, that's not right. What am I thinking?]
[In the original story, Kawasaki Saki works part-time so she won't burden her family.
She works at a bar, right?
And she technically shouldn't be working at a place like that.
So if I took some evidence and said— 'Kawasaki-san, you wouldn't want people finding out you work at a place like that, would you?']
[No. No way.
I'm a decent, upright person. I can't do that.]
...
And just like that, thanks to Kawasaki Saki's appearance, Tanaka Masao spent the entire morning lost in pointless, wandering thoughts.