I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

I finally managed to finish all the overdue homework a little past midnight.

It took longer than I’d expected, but it was still within the expected range.
「You’re actually good at studying, huh.」
“Why, do I not look like it?”

「Yeah.」
“……”
Getting a serious answer to what I’d tossed out as a joke felt like taking a hit straight to the bone.

I cleared my throat and said,
“I personally don’t hate studying. Same with working out—studying and exercising are two of the few things where, if you keep putting in consistent effort, you see results.”
Once you get to a certain level, talent does start to matter, but at least that’s how I see it.

Not that other fields don’t need talent either.
「That’s amazing. I used to hate reading books.」
“Really? That’s unexpected. You were sick a lot, so you must’ve spent a lot of time lying in bed. Wouldn’t that naturally make you look at books?”
「Who reads books these days? Maybe games or TV, sure.」

A strangely realistic observation.
And honestly, not wrong either.
These days, a lot of people don’t even finish a single book in a month.

“Anyway, I should get to bed soon. Can’t be late on the first day of school.”
「I’ll get to see Ryu-chan there, right?」
“Yeah.”

「Then go to sleep quickly.」
Saya said that, patting the futon laid out on the floor.
‘Only quick to act at times like this.’

I stared at her in disbelief, then sighed deeply.
“Yeah, yeah. You sleep well too.”
And so, the last night of summer vacation came to an end.

***
The next day, 4 a.m.
“Eel rice bowl!”

Determined to make up for yesterday’s mistake, I woke up sharp at dawn, and only after checking the time on my phone did I feel relieved.
It wasn’t that my biological rhythm was wrecked from slacking off on exercise lately; I’d just overslept because my body, which had shrunk, was now rebounding as it grew again.
While Saya was still lost in dreamland, I changed into my training gear and went to wake her up for jogging.
「Uuuh—five more minutes….」

Her half-asleep mumbling was kind of cute, but there was no way I was going to break my two-year-old workout routine for that.
“Saya, get up. We need to exercise.”
When I kept shaking her shoulder, she sat up groggily with a dazed expression.

I wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, then pulled her to her feet by force.
“Come on, let’s go.”
Saya, still half-asleep, nodded off like a little kid as she followed behind me.

“Phew—haa—”
The early morning air was as refreshing as ever.
After stretching in front of the house, I started jogging at an easy pace.

Not too fast, not too slow—that’s the best way to avoid stressing the knees and soles of your feet.
Running as hard as you can doesn’t necessarily make it better.
As I quietly followed my usual route, Kazu, my gym buddy, naturally joined in.

“Hyung-nim! Good morning!”
“Morning.”
Even though we’re the same age, Kazu still calls me “Hyung-nim.”

Since he looks even older than me, we often get mistaken for yakuza when we’re together, so I’d asked him to drop the honorific—but he never listens.
“Once a hyung, always a hyung,” he says, like some kind of marine.
“New semester starts today. How’s school treating you?”
“Same as always. Since I graduated from the biker gang, I’m studying hard for a certification to get a job after graduation.”

“What certification?”
“Thinking about becoming a motorcycle mechanic. I love riding, but I also like working on bikes.”
“Sounds like it suits you.”

“What about you, Hyung-nim?”
“I’m not sure yet. Don’t really know what I # Nоvеlight # want to do.”
“With how good you are at both studying and working out, you can pick anything you want, Hyung-nim.”

“You say that like I’m something special.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
“True enough.”

If anyone else heard me complaining about having too many options, they’d probably say I was spoiled.
There’s still time, but compared to the first semester, I’m honestly starting to feel anxious.
Maybe because I’ve already experienced failure once.

What do I really want to do?
“How about becoming a bodybuilder, Hyung-nim? I bet you’re in better shape than most pros.”
“Bodybuilder? Nah. Working out’s just a hobby for me.”

There’s a big difference between doing something as a hobby and making it your job.
And bodybuilders can’t even eat whatever they want because of strict body management.
There’s a reason they’re called the monks of the city.

For a big eater like me, that’s a fatal downside.
While chatting like that, we eventually arrived at the public park.
After a light workout there, I went home for breakfast.

Then I took a quick shower to wash off the sweat, and by the time I left the house, it was already past 7 a.m.
***
Following my usual route, I reached the subway station and took a train headed for Minato Ward, where the school was.

“Ah! Ryu-chan!”
「Ryu-chan?」
Saya looked around in surprise at the familiar nickname.

I immediately corrected her misunderstanding.
“Ryu-chan means me. My name in Japanese is Ryusei, so they call me Ryu-chan.”
「……」

Saya pouted slightly and thumped me on the head.
Of course, as a ghost, she couldn’t hurt me.
“Hi! First time since Comiket. How’ve you been?”

“Me? If you take away my health, I’m basically a corpse!”
Rika struck a pose, flexing her arm like she had muscles to show off.
Not that any would magically appear just because she tried.

“It’s been forever since we went to school, huh?”
“Yeah.”
It was just a month-long summer break, but this year it somehow felt longer than usual.

Rika excitedly chattered about everything that happened at Comiket, and as usual, I just nodded along.
It took about 30 minutes to get from home to school, with a few train transfers.
“Hey! What’s with that outfit? Is that skirt a belt? Wear it lower, below the belly button!”

At the school gate, Matsuda was, as always, checking students’ uniforms.
“Good morning.”
“Morning, Sensei!”

When we greeted him, he opened his mouth to say something about my loose shirt collar, then gave up and turned to Rika instead.
“Kishimoto, pull your skirt down too. Aren’t you cold like that?”
“Eeh~ High school girls don’t get cold that easily.”

Rika smiled brightly as she said it.
And, well, you can’t scold someone with a smiling face, so Matsuda-sensei just sighed and waved his hand.
“Fine, go on. I’ll let it slide since it’s the first day of the semester.”

“Yay! Thanks, Sensei!”
Rika and I bowed, then stepped past the gate.
***

Clatter!
As soon as I stepped into the classroom, it instantly went quiet.
It’s been half a year already—can’t they get used to me by now?

Students whispered to each other here and there as I sat down, half resigned.
“Yo! Long time no see!”
At least Satoru greeted me cheerfully from the front seat.

“Long time no see, Satoru.”
“Something happen? Why the long face this morning?”
“Just… something came up.”

I dodged the question and glanced at the window-side seat.
“Where’s Ryuji?”
“Not here yet. Probably going to be late again.”

Figures. Typical romcom protagonist stuff—late on the first day of the new semester.
I’d heard his little sister wakes him up every morning, so why is he late so often?
As I thought about that, I started unpacking my bag.

“Ah! The new issue! Can I read it first?”
The fresh Jump I’d bought at the convenience store this morning was snatched by Rika before I even touched it.
At this point, my Jump might as well be public property.

When Satoru naturally asked, “After Kishimoto, can I read it too?” I almost snapped for a second.
And so, our morning homeroom went by the same as in the first semester.
Finally, HR began.

“Alright! Quiet down, everyone! I get you’re happy to be back, but settle down for a bit!”
Standing at the podium, Matsuda cleared his throat and looked around.
“We’ve got a transfer student joining us from this semester.”

The classroom instantly buzzed with questions.
Matsuda gave the key details first—exactly what we all wanted to know.
“She’s a girl, from Osaka.”

“Is she pretty?!”
“She’s pretty.”
Waaaaaaaah!

The boys erupted with excitement, while the girls looked disappointed.
It was already the third female transfer student this year.
In the middle of the commotion, Matsuda called toward the door.

“Transfer student! Come in!”
Clatter!
The one who walked in was a healthy-looking girl with tanned skin.

“Hello! I’m Hattori Ayame!”
The transfer student from Osaka beamed brightly as she introduced herself.