Volume 1 Chapter 2 High School Entrance
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”So, this is high school…”
I, Tanemiya Minoru, stood before the school gate where I would spend the next three years of my life. Six years had passed since I recovered my memories of Japan. Somehow, I had finally made it this far.
I closed my eyes, and the past came rushing back.
After recovering those memories, I think I managed to course-correct reasonably well during elementary school. I learned the hard way that “sorry” only works as an excuse while you are still a small child.
Our elementary grade had three classes, with ninety students in total. The system was arranged so that each elementary school had only one Tsuyo-osu (Strong-Male) per grade level. Over those six years, every Tsuyo-osu was thoroughly taught that he belonged to the elite. Each school had six Tsuyo-osu. As one of them, my every word and action was constantly scrutinized. Looking back, I suspect that environment was part of what made me so arrogant.
My family, the Tanemiya house, was a respectable sorcery family in this region. The head house, the Takekami family, was an old, famous, deeply entrenched clan within the central government. We were one of their distant branch families, living on the outskirts while assisting the Takekami and collecting scraps from their success. To put it bluntly, we had spent generations as foxes borrowing the tiger’s might.
To avoid disgracing the head house, the head of our family was expected to be thoroughly accommodating. Surveillance here in the countryside was not constant or suffocating, but if any scandal reached the capital, a “punishment squad”—officially called an “educational unit”—would come knocking. Apparently, my reform came only one step before that squad would have been dispatched. I escaped thanks to my grandparents’ desperate efforts to contain the rumors, along with the fact that I was still young enough for my behavior to be dismissed as childish pranks.
Several generations ago, a young Tsuyo-osu related to the family head supposedly got carried away and received the head house’s “education.” Legend says his personality was completely rewritten afterward. The gruesome stories my grandmother told me were far too specific to brush off as fairy tales. Education in an age without human rights is a terrifying thing. I am sincerely grateful that I managed to turn myself around in time.
With that background, I was reborn as a diligent elementary student.
With an adult’s knowledge, school assignments were easy. I poured nearly all my spare time into sorcery. I doubt any other elementary student spent as many hours studying theory and practicing spells as I did.
I became obsessed with a craft that rewarded every ounce of effort. The knowledge and techniques an elementary student could safely handle were limited, but my grandmother doted on me, so I managed to obtain and practice more advanced methods. Thanks to that, by the time I entered junior high, I was already known in the region as a fairly talented sorcery user.
”Is something the matter?”
As I looked back on that long path, Takino Chifumi—the girl walking behind me—asked in her usual slow, languid voice.
”No, it is nothing, Chifumi.”
She was 160 centimeters tall, a beautiful girl with long hair reaching down her back, part of it tied with a ribbon into a side tail. Chifumi and I had known each other since elementary school. For all intents and purposes, we were childhood friends.
In elementary school, each class assigned to a Tsuyo-osu was also assigned several Tsuyo-Mesu (Strong-Female). Predictably, by the time I entered elementary school, there were five Tsuyo-Mesu in my class. Every one of them ranked high on the “beauty deviation score” among our peers.
They had been carefully selected for future house alliances and were flawless in both appearance and personality. Some people sarcastically called such girls “Initial Tsuyo-Mesu,” girls placed around a Tsuyo-osu through adult machinations.1 Generally speaking, the stronger the house, the greater the number of Initial Tsuyo-Mesu. In that sense, I had hit the jackpot in both the “parent gacha” and the “initial gacha.”
Naturally, as an elementary student, I was thrilled to be so popular. …At least, until I recovered my memories.
Four of the five were steadily gaining weight. In other words, the beautiful girls of this world who surrounded me were cute, chubby girls.
Being pampered by girls who were adorable in both looks and personality was a dream that any normal boy in this world would want to experience at least once. But at the time of my awakening, I had not yet learned to see obesity as beautiful, so the situation troubled me immensely. As a result, I gradually distanced myself from them and found common ground with the only girl whose physique remained relatively light.
That girl was Chifumi.
”Were you thinking about Manaka and the others?” Chifumi asked.
”Ah, a little.”
”Do you regret parting ways with them?”
Manaka was the leader of the five Initial Tsuyo-Mesu. Before I realized it, a hierarchy had formed among them: Chifumi was the subleader, and Manaka stood at the top.
The fact that I valued Chifumi—who was clearly inferior in appearance to the chubby “beauties” prized by society—must have frustrated Manaka and the others deep down. Beyond their looks, all four of them were truly excellent girls. Even so, they never showed any dissatisfaction that I could detect.
Or perhaps I should praise Chifumi for how skillfully she managed relationships.
”No, I am fine. I do feel a little lonely. But would it not be better for them to be free now rather than stay tied forever to a weirdo like me?”
”…Who can say?” Chifumi murmured.
I had not seen Manaka or the others since junior high graduation. By the time I entered junior high, I had come to accept this world’s common sense, and my feelings toward plump girls had softened. At one point, I even tried to close the distance between us again. But Manaka and the others always remained polite, distant, and careful never to cross the line.
Even so, they stayed within my circle. Was it for appearances, or because their houses pressured them? There was no way to know now.
…Well, there was a way to find out, but my mental health could not endure the answer I expected.
In this world, everyone recognized Manaka and the others as beauties. Since I appeared close to them from the outside, the jealousy I received from other Tsuyo-osu and ordinary boys in junior high was intense. Fortunately, both my house and I had enough strength to keep them at bay.
For Manaka and her group, staying near me—someone who did not overstep—was probably convenient. It allowed them to enjoy a peaceful junior high life without being approached by every random boy. For me, having them nearby helped me maintain face as a Tsuyo-osu. Our interests aligned.
That arrangement worked in junior high, but high school changed everything. When the time came to choose our paths, I subtly asked which high school they were aiming for. With the same composed expressions as always, they named a private school. At that moment, I felt as though I had seen their true feelings. Our paths diverging was inevitable.
Chifumi and I enrolled at the national high school where local sorcery users gathered. Manaka and the other four chose a private high school.
In any case, I had wanted to apologize for all the trouble I caused, but the opportunity never came, and we went our separate ways. Chifumi seemed to keep in touch with the four of them, so she could probably arrange a meeting if I asked. Unfortunately, I was too scared to do it.
Had I firmly insisted, “Come to the same high school as me,” would they have followed? It was too late now, and the question no longer mattered.
”Minoru, you’re a coward,” Chifumi teased.
”Hey!” I snapped.
”Oh, pardon me. That was my honest opinion slipping out.”
”That makes it worse!”
Unlike the four who always treated me as though they were walking on eggshells, Chifumi had no such restraint. She looked like a benevolent angel, yet her tongue was sharp enough to draw blood. She insulted me often.
But that contradiction was part of Chifumi. The trust between us, and the ease with which I could speak to her, made her indispensable to me now. Especially considering the life ahead of us.
”Are you really sure about coming here with me, Chifumi? There is no turning back now.”
”You are a complete idiot, Minoru,” Chifumi said, her lazy tone sharpening. “I made up my mind ages ago. Do not start wavering after dragging me this far. …And please, try not to sound so pathetic in front of other people.”
”…Yeah.”
She scolded me in a serious voice. I had meant to be considerate, but apparently she found it irritating when I reopened a matter she had already settled.
”Look. Everyone is watching,” she urged. “Stand tall.”
Female students, presumably new arrivals, passed by as we stood before the gate. All of them were chubby or plump. Among them, several glanced our way with interest. Chifumi smiled and waved, likely recognizing some of them.
”Got it. Follow me.”
”Yes, sir,” she chirped.
I led Chifumi through the gate.
—
Summary:
Tanemiya Minoru stands before the school gate as he begins high school, reflecting on his six-year journey since regaining memories of his past life in Japan. He recalls the social pressures of his childhood as a “Tsuyo-osu (Strong-Male)” and his complicated relationship with his childhood friend, Chifumi, and the “Initial Tsuyo-Mesu (Strong-Female)s.” The chapter concludes with Minoru leading Chifumi through the gates, marking the start of a new, uncertain chapter in their lives.
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Trivia:
The Tsuyo-osu (Strong-Male) system ensures that each elementary school grade has only one elite male.
Minoru’s family is a branch of the Takekami family, and they historically avoid scandal by being “accommodating.”
A “punishment squad” exists to “re-educate” those who tarnish the head house’s reputation.
Chifumi is the only one of Minoru’s original peer group who did not gain weight.
Minoru and the others’ paths diverged when choosing high schools, which Minoru feels was inevitable.
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Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Minoru – A high school student and practitioner of sorcery who resides in a detached dwelling on his family’s expansive estate. He views himself as a leader and is preoccupied with scouting potential recruits for his group, while harborering lecherous thoughts he keeps hidden. A male student with an aesthetic-focused personality who is obsessed with slender, beautiful girls. He is a sorcerer student at the 13th High School needing to build a group for dungeon exploration. A student with a high appreciation for facial aesthetics, often misunderstood as having a specific fetish. He is a pragmatic individual who keeps his preferences private. A young male student who has retained the memories of his past life as a 21st-century Japanese university student. He is a member of a sorcerer lineage and possesses high aptitude for magic. A young man who reincarnated with memories of Japan. He is a talented sorcery user who navigates the social hierarchies of Strong-Males and Strong-Females while dealing with his own past arrogance.
• Chifumi – A beautiful girl with long hair tied in a side-tail, childhood friend of Minoru since elementary school. She is known for her sharp tongue and direct attitude. A girl who is close to Minoru and acts as his confidante, often conducting investigations on his behalf. She displays a teasing, occasionally cynical attitude toward Minoru’s schemes while remaining loyal to his requests. A childhood friend and group member of Minoru. She has a bubbly, high-energy personality and is currently helping him scout new members for their dungeon group.. A close associate of Minoru with a high-functioning negotiation ability. She is noted for having a thin build which is often overlooked due to her attractive face.
• Manaka – The leader of the five Initial Strong-Females who formed a social hierarchy with the others during their time in school.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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