Chapter 30

The bell rings through the classroom, signaling the start of lunch. Students immediately jump from their seats, eager for a break.

Meanwhile, I'm still lost in thought, contemplating the idea of testing the system. That's why... "Hey, I am serious. Who's the most popular girl in our class?" I ask Chika, who's busy stuffing her face with yakisoba bread in front of my seat.

She glances at me, chewing thoughtfully. "Uh... why'd you ask something—gulp!—like that? Hmm... I'd say it's obviously Kaguya-san. Why? Don't tell me you're thinking of confessing to her? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Stop it and get a mirror. Are you crazy or something?"

After laughing her ass off, Chika asked me in a fairly innocent manner that could make any virgin die of embarrassment. However, I didn't get angry over something like that. A man should prove his worth through his actions by simply becoming... a man.

I sigh. "Nope, just asking. Uh, Kaguya... who?"

"What? You don't know our Ice Princess, Shinomiya Kaguya? On top of that, she's our classmate."

"Eh?" But then, I frown slightly. Shinomiya... as I start to get serious, I look at her, "Go on..."

"Alright... let me tell ya something. Kaguya-san is the youngest daughter of the Shinomiya family. More importantly, she's far more of a genius than I am. She can learn anything and everything in a short amount of time. Remember the book about the Meiji Era that Sensei told us to read? Yesterday, I heard she memorized the entire textbook word for word! And Yamato-sensei verified her genius. On top of that, you won't find anyone as beautiful as her."

Listening to Chika's endless rambling, I just hummed in response to everything she said.

"But, please, I hope you understand that she's someone out of reach, okay~ She's exactly like Princess Kaguya who is coming straight from the moon."

"...So, she's that popular, huh? Hmm..."

Noble family background. Wealthy. Intellectually gifted, capable of anything. And a beauty who might as well have come straight from the Moon. I chuckled inwardly. If she came from the moon, then I came from Brooklyn.

"Fufu~ Don't be shy, Masamune-kun. You can't deceive my senses, ya know? So, what are ya gonna do about her?"

"Nothing."

"So annoying. Well, if Masamune-kun doesn't want to tell me, I won't eat ramen with you again," she pouts.

"And who asked me to eat ramen in the first place, huh?"

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After school.

Normally, I wouldn't bother doing something like this unless I really wanted to. But today, I've decided to give the system a try.

I've confirmed that the girl named Shinomiya Kaguya is probably the most popular first-year student, and maybe even in the entire school. Just from hearing others talk about her, she's like a goddess or something. But nah, I don't care about that kind of stuff.

Chika gave me useful information after I promised to treat her to ramen.

Shinomiya Kaguya... My former family, the Hayase family, has connections with hers. It's interesting that the daughter of the Shinomiya family is here. Well, this academy is the most prestigious in Japan, so it makes sense for her to attend.

Chika mentioned that Kaguya joined the archery club and that she might come to the archery practice room for training every day. Alright, let's roll.

There's no reason for me to dress up or change my appearance. Even though I'm on the taller side, with these glasses, I probably give off an otaku vibe, like someone who has a waku waku moe pillow on his bed.

But why should I care? This is just an experiment. There's no need to stress over my image. My chances of success? Maybe 70ish%. Yeah, I've got this. I already have the rom-com god beside me.

I enter the archery practice room. Damn, it's huge. They built this entire facility for just one club? When I walk in, it seems there's no one here, no club activities today. However...

Tak!

As I walk deeper, I notice there's actually someone using the room, and it's only one person—a girl in her archery uniform. She has her long black hair tied in a ponytail. But her most noticeable trait is her red eyes and emotionless face, like her nickname: Ice Princess Kaguya.

[Would you like to see your potential partner's rating?]

Do it.

[S]

An S! Shit—maybe she's actually a female lead from an anime?

Whatever. Since she's an S-rank girl, I'll go for the biggest fish in my first test.

Approaching her, I say, "Hey..."

She turns her head slowly, exuding a nonchalant aura. "What do you want?" She lowers her bow as she looks at me.

I reach into my pocket and grab something. "Read this. It's my honest feelings."

She frowns a little but takes it anyway, opening the envelope to read the letter I wrote beforehand.

"No."

Hmm?

She hands the letter back to me with the same expression she had when I arrived, showing no sign that she cares at all.

Okay. Rom-com god my ass.

I've had enough of this.

"Sorry for wasting your time."

With a smile, I turn around and walk away without a second thought, not the least bit bothered by her rejection. Anyway, what am I doing here?

As I walk away...

Tak!

Behind me, the girl resumes her practice, seemingly unbothered as well.

Honestly, I expected it, but I'm not upset. I just regret bothering with the system. Yep, I just got rejected by a girl who is mentally younger than me.

As expected, Shinomiya Kaguya didn't give that day much thought afterward. Even when we pass each other, she never glances at me. That's fine. I didn't care enough to follow up.

And with that, any curiosity I had about the system is gone. From that day forward, I chose to ignore it completely and live my life on my own terms.

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[...are you sure about that?]

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