Prologue

"Look! You see this guy?"

"Ah? That weirdo in coat and... these are fingerless gloves? What about him?"

"He, somehow, got in top 10 in math within first year."

"What? He? Who did tell you that?"

"Well... the teacher showed me his results as an example and said, that it is never too late to take your studies seriously, so I should try harder next year..."

'Hey, you know, that I can hear you, right?' I lightly grumbled in my mind. 'Also, according to inward policy of Sobu, exam results shouldn't be announced to other students but instead told in person to the ones whose these results are, sensei! Though, I suppose, this rule was created to defend those with low grades, not the ones with high...'

Hello there, I am Zaimokuza Yoshiteru, one of side characters in OreGairu, and this is my life.

The catch – I kind of reincarnated a week ago.

I still don't know, I truly reincarnated and just remembered my past life or I somehow took control of this body and gained its memories.

And during all this time I have been questioning what to do with this life.

While I recognized who I was now and knew some future events of the show, where my new self had been depicted, being a side character in a romantic comedy doesn't exactly give you much of advantage in life. I can't even be sure, that this world history will take the same turn as my previous one or even if novel or anime future would become true, especially with such unknown variable as my questionable self.

I also don't know why or how I was reincarnated, what also bothers me.

But let's come back to the current situation.

What could be seen at this moment was my slightly overweight body which was walking through the Sobu High School to the staff room, where I have been called, while majority of my "new" schoolmates were on their way home and either moving out of my way, like they would catch some kind of disease from me, or just straight up ignoring me. Though, there were some exceptions, involved instead into gossips about my academic achievements, but only few of them.

It couldn't be said, that Zaimokuza was really bullied, but he wasn't the most likable character in the school. He certainly gained reputation of a strange otaku within first-years and some of second- and third-years.

I haven't really tried to change it, because I was not really a social person and I considered such reputation fine. Moreover, it partially freed my hands in the matter of Yoshiteru behavior changes. If someone would question them I may pretend, that it was because of my "new" chuunibyou passion. Besides, even if I wanted, there hadn't been enough time for that; closing ceremony had been scheduled for Friday of the current week. With so little time it would be easier to do something about it after the start of a new school year.

"Oh, Zaimokuza-kun, it's you? Good, I waited for you. We have some things to talk about," came out soothing voice of my homeroom and English language teacher, after which from behind the door appeared its owner.

She was a fairly young woman. It seems like she always wears relaxed expression on her face. Though I can't remember her in anime adaptation of OreGairu, but, on other hand, I am not so sure about the light novel, as I hadn't read it much, and even more so I am not sure about the visual novels.

"Hai, Satou-sensei," I answered the call and followed after her lead to the part divided from the rest of the room.

Though, it turned out, that someone already was there... Also it seemed it had been a smoking area.

"Fu-a... N-n?" Person in lab coat, that was sitting before us, exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke, while looking like mature aloof lady... But her actual character was different from this image. It was, of course, Hiratsuka Shizuka, teacher of Japanese and homeroom teacher of 2-F class in original work... though, at that moment it should had been 1-F yet.

She is depicted as kind and understanding to her students, someone who tries to be close to them and their problems. Despite her experience, she keeps pace with the times and enjoy the same things as younger generations. Also, she is something like a chuunibyou... well, almost. While my precursor was a heavy chuunibyou, Hiratsuka case wasn't as severe as his. She just likes to make an image of "cool" sensei and behave according to it, not openly proclaim herself as "Blademaster General" or something like that... though, she does give her punches anime-esque names.

And her image, honestly, works. At the moment, when I saw her, my "Yoshiteru" side of mind declared, 'As expected from The Great Scholar Hiratsuka! This view of thoughtful and experienced mentor, that always have a lesson for her pupils. So cool!'

Of course, I immediately suppressed this part of myself – even if main I was partially agreed with it, I rather felt adoration with how cute and childish her reason for such behavior was.

"I'll be done soon. If I am bothering you, then... I guess, you have to go with it."

"No, you don't bother us at all, Hiratsuka-sensei. You also teacher of Zaimokuza-kun, so it's not like this doesn't concern you."

And so, my game on the edge in interrogation by teachers about my changed academic abilities had started.

"Congratulations, Zaimokuza-kun. You have passed exams with flying colors. You've scored 77 in Japanese, and 89 in English. Your results are above 80 in Science and above 70 in Social Sciences. But your most considerable achievement is the score of 96 in Mathematics, that puts you around 10th-7th places within First Year," Satou-sensei started pretty neutral, only by stating scores. Nevertheless, her cheerful voice was gradually losing emotions, until she ended her statement with almost completely flat tone, "however... Zaimokuza-kun, such results show very drastic improvement in comparison with your last exams... I cannot help, but wonder, how did you achieve it?"

As I knew due to Yoshiteru memories, usually teachers here don't really question grade improvement, only decline, but my situation, apparently, was an exemption.

It was a problem. I hadn't cheated, but I couldn't tell the truth. Straight up asking to repeat the tests if there were any problems was too direct and could provoke a conflict. While a possible plan "B", that allows to avoid questions, it leads to an undesirable outcome... also I was too lazy to repeat the tests.

But I had known that I would possibly be questioned, so I tried to arm myself with a plausible argument beforehand.

"Well... I just properly prepared for an exams this time... Usually I ignore everything and quickly reread study materials just once or twice right before a test, so I end up with an average score. But this time, for the final exams, I really used my time to study questions... Though, I suppose, I didn't really managed to keep such attitude for an entire week, he-he... But who decided, that exams must be held for 4 consecutive days?"

This wasn't even a lie, but the truth relevant for my previous life. Though, even for exams I in best case dedicated only one or two hours of preparations for one subject at best. And it was enough for me to get excellent or, at least, above average grades, so I continued to use the same tactics till... my reincarnation, as I died as university student.

"Ha-?.." Hiratsuka had finally woken up from stupor and stopped gawking. "In other words... you had low results before not because you had some problems... but because you were lazy?!"

"E~e-.. Etto..." I tried to object something, but while I was good with fast planning, it is different skill from a momentary improvisation that I needed there, "it sounds bad with such phrasing."

"Because it is!" Fiery sensei abruptly stood up with trembling fists. It seemed, that she held her punches only because of presence of other teacher. "I thought, that you raised your grade on Japanese through hard study, blood, sweat and tears, but actually you were just slaking off before!"

"Em-m... in fact, I think that you, sensei, would prefer for me to study language passively, than cram kanji to forget afterward. That way I will actually use it. "

"It mainly works only if you really make efforts to improve yourself and already knows a theory, so you may grasp it with a help of literature!"

"Erm... Exactly my point! I study a little and seek practical usage of what I studied in books afterwards! If someone looks at my results over the course of the year, they will see that my scores were steady raising! Maybe my score didn't increased so sharply in exam, but you can't just say, that I didn't work on my Japanese! I just have my own pace of learning languages comparing with other subjects."

Though, even if I said so, actually the results have been raising only because of original Yoshiteru work in preparation to become a novelist.

"It is so, Zaimokuza-kun?.. " Suddenly I was asked by Satou-sensei, that for a while just silently watched my vocal skirmish with Hiratsuka.

"Yes?.." I questioned for a second, why she intruded in our honorary verbal duel, but quickly remembered, what subject she teaches. 'Wait, she is going to...'

"Then what about your English scores, that have jumped up in the exam?" She noted with a soft smile.

'You, damn!..' I inwardly cursed the teacher, but forcefully relaxed facial muscles. That was harder than in my previous, more used to it body. "I-It's different from..."

"Stop, I understand," I was cut off by Hiratsuka words.

"Really? I don't think so..."

"No-no, don't doubt it, I understand," Hiratsuka tried to convince me with a smile, but it didn't really reassure my doubt. Actually, it only enforced it. "You can go home and relax..."

I felt uneasiness, but couldn't do anything with it, so I stood up and started to walk out of the room.

"Oh, and give me your contacts, please."

I turned back to Hiratsuka... and noticed, how she winked to my homeroom teacher.

'What did I get myself into?"

—————

After arriving home I was greeted by the silence of an empty house.

"Welcome home..." I took off my outdoor school shoes and put on my indoor slippers.

If think about it, my life hasn't really changed from my past one. Right, maybe I have a different body, I am 16 again and I live in Japan, but I didn't really have to change my way of living.

Core of Zaimokuza's life almost mirrored my own. Though, the details of what and how it happened are often opposite.

Parents of Yoshiteru live in Tokyo with his sister, near the college where she attends. They decided, that leaving their young looking daughter, who just graduated from the school, to live alone is too dangerous. Forcing her to use train for 5 days of a week to travel from Chiba to the central Tokyo and back would be too... uncomfortable for her, so they decided to move together with their daughter. I personally do not think about it as some big issue, because it is literally 1 hour 50 kilometers ride from Chiba, while train from one side Tokyo to another may take more time. They literally used to live in the same way, because they work in Tokyo. Though, because of it, this decision also eased their own life. I suppose, they actually planned it a long ago.

In previous life I lived in similar situation with a minimum of parental intervention in my life from an early age, earlier than Zaimokuza's, and I prefer to continue it.

And so, I live in this house alone and relatives of this body can't really question, why my personality switched.

'Should I cook myself dinner or skip it and play games? But I don't have my library here anyway... What about books? It's quite exciting to read Japanese novels in their original language... though, it will go away with time.'

If in my previous life was something I missed here, it was my library of games... and, I suppose, my cat. Zaimokuza preferred arcade games, so his home library can't be compared with my.

'Maybe it is better to search for some freelance work? But I don't really have things, that needs that much money... Although, having some money to spare can't be bad.'

My new parents also send me 50 000 ¥ every month for my daily expenses, considerable amount for a highschooler. It is more than 10 times my monthly pocket money during a high school in previous life, though in Japan price of everything is times higher in comparison to my previous life country. Though, I wasn't complaining, because salaries there also were many times higher.

Anyway, I had enough money to spend. I don't eat much. In previous life I used to eat light snacks with only one normal meal in a day. Sometimes two, sometimes without one at all. As result, I was quite skinny, almost unhealthy so.

Zaimokuza, on other hand, while occasionally missed breakfast, had hearty dinner and supper, at times in fast food restaurants, like Wacdonalds. Besides, he also didn't disdain snacks. But it doesn't really affect me, because I have already broken the diet, the sleeping schedule and a majority of this body habits.

'But, I also should think about what Hiratsuka has come up with and somehow counteract with it,' I sighed, 'on other hand, it is improbable to guess what exactly she is planning, so should I even try? Most likely I will be forced to make up something on the spot.'

Guessing someone's thinking, predicting their actions... while you can make guess based on your information about them, there is nothing certain, especially taking into account the "human factor". Because of it, any plan, that involves human behavior, have high probability to fail.

'It is unlikely, that she would just force me to study, so she would try to give me some motivation for study? But how?..' I tried to wonder a bit about, what she could use against me and my lazy demeanor, but quickly gave up and switched to other actions, that she could undertake. 'Hm... now, when she noticed me, she also may try to socialize me, like Hachiman. Would she send me to Service Club?.. But if it's so, then she would need more reasons, than me just lazing arou...'

In next moment, my thoughts were stopped by something unexpected, something... supernatural.

Though, it would be inaccurate to say, that this was completely unexpected, because from the moment, when I was dumped in this world at the first day of Zaimokuza's final exams, I waited for something like that. Some reason, why I was reincarnated and not just an assumption, that multiverse reincarnation machine somehow bugged during the process of my case.

And, it seems, such reason was given to me...

It was floating before me. Light-blue translucent screen with the writing of slightly darker color.

[Installment finished]

[World Savior System greets USER!]