Chapter 1: The Anime Club

A/N: Go easy on this first-time author. This occurs during Episode 3 of the anime.

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"Nozaki-Kun! It's okay!" Sakura smiled with a relieved expression on her face. "Kashima is a girl, so Mikorin isn't cheating with another boy!"

"Hai! Sakura! It's indeed very relieving!"

"O-Oi!" A red-faced Mikoshiba protested indignantly from behind. "What stupid things are you talking about, Sakura?! Noza..."

"H-He's here!"

...

A sudden shout broke off their conversation; as a solemn hush descended on the passageway.

Both boys and girls parted apart like the Red Sea before Moses, and even Kashima, the ever-confident 'Prince of the School' who had had multiple girls hanging off her arms, quickly stood in attention.

"Mi-Mikorin?" Sakura whispered, her voice trembling slightly at the sudden change in atmosphere. "What's happening!? Who's coming he..."

Step!

Step!

Step!

A pair of footsteps resounded through the corridor, sounding somehow way more intimidating than any footsteps should be, although probably because of this strange, silent corridor.

"That's..." Mikoshiba's face was solemn, his voice deep, as if he were about to announce something highly classified. "He is..."

Step!

Step!

Step!

The approaching figure finally appeared within their eyesight.

"...isn't it..." Nozaki's expression was a little weird. Emerald green eyes, dark blue hair bound in a short ponytail, sharp jaws, broad shoulders. "...another Kashima?" Sakura was surprised too.

"No, you idiot," Mikoshiba corrected solemnly. "That's Kashima Aoi, twin brother of Kashima Yuu and the 'Silent Prince of Roman Academy'!"

Twin?

Brother?

Silent Prince?

Comically large question marks appeared over the heads of Sakura and Nozaki; as they turned to look again.

Ah.

Indeed.

Although this new person does look like Kashima at first sight, there are a lot of differences when you look closely.

Like those broad chest muscles that wouldn't look out of place on a professional male model, or the exaggerated biceps that feel like bursting through the seams every time he folds his arms even slightly... (cause he had worn his sister's shirt when hurrying for school today, which thankfully; remained hidden inside the blazer.)

Basically, while he does resemble Kashima in his looks, his physique is more similar to the Kyudo Club Coach of Kazemai High School in Tsurune.

Just a bit shorter; since he's still much younger than him.

"Then... why's everyone afraid of him?" Nozaki looked at Mikoshiba surprisedly.

Clearly, you people can accept Kashima Yuu as 'the Prince of the School' and everything... Then why the heck are you treating her look-alike brother like this?!

Because he's a guy?

Nozaki's expression was weird.

Is this sexism?

Was he studying at a school of sexists all along?

"Don't be stupid, Nozaki..." Mikoshiba rolled his eyes. "No one here is afraid of him. They're just giving space to Aoi in case he wants to talk with anyone among them. And remaining silent so that they can listen to it too."

"...huh?"

"It is said that listening to his voice can make you succeed at everything you do, ranging from love to school grades and even to club activities."

"This..."; Sakura is skeptical; and perhaps hopeful as well, thinking about her yet-to-start romance with Nozaki-Kun. "Is there any proof for it?"

"Of course! There's that one time when he answered a maths question to one of his classmates, and the guy got a girlfriend the next day! And another time when he laughed at something that a senior sister had said, and she topped the college entrance exam in the entire prefecture!"

"And the biggest proof is undoubtedly Kashima," Mikoshiba pointed excitedly. "The only person in the entire school Aoi talks with regularly. Surely, you can see how well she's doing, right?" Looking as if he could have done it too, only if Aoi had talked to him instead.

First in her grade, best in her club, super popular with every person in the school- Hisss!

Sakura sent a furtive glance at Nozaki standing beside her.

Is Kashima Aoi a miracle maker?

"It's just a pity that he treasures his words like gold, and not even the teachers can make him talk when they ask him questions in the class."

Sakura's expression became subtle.

Or is he just stupid?

"And the fact that he looks like Kashima doesn't hurt either. Hence, the name 'Silent Prince of Roman Academy."

...

Green eyes scanned through the crowd parted before him, looking for the target he had come searching.

These idiots...

Black lines appeared on his forehead, watching the eager expressions of the students gathered.

'Talking less' had actually been a coping strategy he came up with to deal with his rebirth. To act like and get along with his rather 'young' peers, when he already had the consciousness of a high schooler.

And while the plan was to return to normalcy when they grew up to his mental age, clearly, he had underestimated the brain circuits of people in an anime world, coming up with something as embarrassing and middle-school as 'Silent Prince' and miracle voice... and somehow managing to land him in such a ridiculous situation- that breaking the act now is way more troublesome than actually continuing it.

Not that it doesn't have its own perks... like better management of fan girls than his sister, avoiding stupid high-school dramas and annoying teachers, and causing 'miracles' that they claim; which are nothing but simple coincidences caused by his popularity.

For example, in the first case, the girls had thought Aoi was giving his phone number to that guy instead of the answer to a maths problem. And out of the numerous girls who had hounded him to get that number, he managed to snag one of the timider ones, someone who was satisfied enough to settle with the 'good friend' of the Silent Prince.

And as for the second case, after all her girlfriends stopped talking to her out of jealousy, she naturally found enough time to prepare and ace her exams.

Similar explanations exist for the other 'miracles' as well, just unknown since neither he nor his beneficiaries had ever found it necessary to announce them.

"But why's he here?" A sudden whisper broke him out of his thoughts.

'A re?'

'Isn't this him?'

Kashima Aoi stepped forward with a slight grin on his lips.

...

"But why's he here?" Nozaki asked finally.

"To talk with Kashima probably..." Mikoshiba shrugged. "That's the most common..."

Step!

Step!

Step!

However, contrary to his guess, Kashima Aoi turned to walk towards them after patting the shoulder of his little sister, ignoring her curious gaze.

"Nozaki." A gentle but steady voice entered the ears of all present; as numerous jealous glances became directed toward a flabbergasted Umetarou Nozaki.

"Ye-Yes?"

Green eyes blinked.

"Oh, sorry..." He corrected himself with a smile. "Yumeno Sensei. Please join the Anime Club."

"..."

"..."

"...eeeeehhhhh?!"

The surprised shouts were obviously from the lips of Nozaki and Sakura, surprised at the sudden reveal of the 'Mangaka identity'; while the other students just glared even harder, jealous because they hadn't gotten a chance to join this one-member club despite their best efforts.

After all, a one-person club can't be a school-certified club anyway, and had acted more as his excuse to deny invitations from other clubs. Meaning, even the teachers hadn't been able to convince him to take in more members.

If the gazes directed at him were jealous before, the current ones looked murderous enough to kill.

"I-I..."; Nozaki gulped, sweat visibly streaming down his face. I have a manga to draw, big brother! A deadline I can barely fulfill by fooling my innocent friends to work! "I will... join it?"

A frown appeared on the lips of Kashima Aoi; as his eyes fell upon the holographic box floating above his head, invisible to all but him alone.

[Main Mission-1: The First Employee]

[Objective: Hire a suitable animator for your team]

[Time Remaining: 11:08:09 (Complete within 24 hours of activating the System)]

[Completion Rewards: Based upon the Degree of completion]

[Mission Status: Not Completed]

Yes.

System.

The promised birthright of all traversers.

And something that he had finally managed to activate last night... after officially living longer in this world than he had in the previous one; being reborn as a twin to Kashima Yuu.

But the mission is still showing incomplete.

His eyes fell on the nervous expression of the high school mangaka standing before him.

Ri-rip!

The arms of his shirt ripped apart, unable to bear the flexing of his biceps, as he placed his hands on the trembling shoulders of Nozaki before him.

Green eyes stared into black.

"You will join it... won't you, Nozaki-Kun?"

Nozaki could almost taste the killing intent of other students in the air.

Dare to ignore Aoi's invitation, stupid mortal?!

Their expressions seemed to say.

"Ha-Haiii!"

[Mission Completed!]

[Animator hired: Umatarou Nozaki]

[Qualification detected: Professional Mangaka]

[Additional Qualification detected: Anime Protagonist]

[Mission Completion Degree: Mythical!]

[Skill Received: Professional Animator (Lv 1)]

[Ding!]

[Found similar skills already existing: Amateur Animator (Lv Max)]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

.

.

.

[Level up!]

[Skill Received: Professional Animator (Lv Max)!]

A broad smile slowly appeared on his lips.

In this peaceful, slice-of-life world where Manga and Anime are way more influential than they used to be, it is finally time for him to make his mark here, standing on the shoulders of giants from his previous world.

His eyes fell upon the bitter expression on Nozaki's face.

Hmm.

Although he had practically forced the poor guy into his club to complete the mission; working with him, the traverser with a system; will undoubtedly be good for Nozaki's career...

A smile appeared on his face.

...and his love life.

He'll personally make sure of it.

But before that, for lying to me, and causing my shirt to rip...

Nozaki: (╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴

Obviously, it's your fault for tearing it, okay?!

"Oh, and Nozaki." He looked innocently at the young mangaka standing before him. "Make sure to bring your friends too."

"..."

"..."

"No-Nozaki-Kun! We're best friends, right?!" "Nozaki-Kun!" "Have my Bento!" "No-Kun!" "Here's 1,000 yens!" "Ki-Kun!"

He walked away with a slight grin on his lips, leaving the poor guy at the mercy of the students who were suddenly hungry for his friendship.

Anyway.

His eyes fell upon the short girl with her signature red bows, as Sakura seemed torn between just jumping on Nozaki like the other students, and protecting him from them. The shy, red-haired guy standing in the corner, with a face redder than his hair for some reason; an insomniac, masochistic Basketball player, Hori-Senpai who came running to scold his foolishly smiling little sister back to the drama club... and so, so many others.

No matter who, or how many come... I'll only accept the main characters anyway.