CHOCO

Everyone is present, I see. Well, then. Time to start the short homeroom period...”

Yamada Maya, our vice homeroom teacher, smiled in front of the blackboard. She was fairly small, about as tall as a student. Perhaps her clothes were too big for her, but they fit too loosely, which made her look even smaller. Additionally, her black glasses were pretty big and looked out of place. It seemed unnatural, like a child putting on an adult’s clothes... I had a feeling she was trying to make herself as tall as possible, but it might have been my imagination.

“Okay, everyone. Let’s get along during the next year.”

“.........”

There was an awkward nervousness in the classroom, and not a response was uttered.

“O-Okay. Please introduce yourselves. Um... The same sequence as the class roster, please.”

I felt sorry for our flustered vice homeroom teacher, and figured I had to respond somehow, but alas, that would have been foolish. You see, the reason was simple: All my classmates were girls.

It was the day of the opening ceremony. The beginning of a new life. That was great. Honestly, it was. The problem was, really, that I was the only man in the classroom.

—This... is going to be harder than I thought it would be...

I wasn’t imagining it; everyone was looking at me. The seat I’d been assigned was part of the problem. It sat in the front-middle of the room. Whether you wanted to or not, you drew attention like hell there.

I looked over towards the window.

“.........”

I had hoped to be rescued by what I would see there, but my heartless childhood friend, Shinonono Houki, was gazing out the window instead. The cruel girl. Was that how anybody treated their childhood friend after seeing them again after six years?

—Hm... Maybe she hated me now?

“...ra.”

“Orimura Ichika.”

“Y-Yes?!”

I was startled to hear my name spoken so loudly. Predictably, the others giggled. It became harder and harder to calm down. I wasn’t particularly uncomfortable around girls. There were just... limits to it. Even if you love ramen, if you ate it three times a day you’d soon get sick of it. Not that I had tried. I didn’t even like ramen all that much... Anyway, that wasn’t the point.

The point was, I was the only man in the class. All other 29 students were girls. The vice homeroom teacher was a woman. And the homeroom teacher was... probably a woman. I hadn’t seen her yet. That just raised the question of what was she up to?

“Um... I’m sorry if I startled you... A-Are you upset? Are you... I’m sorry. Really sorry. But... We started the introductions at A and now we’re at O... Like Orimura... So... I’m sorry, all right? Can you introduce yourself? Or... N-Not?”

Yamada Maya, my vice homeroom teacher, was apologizing profusely to me. Her strangely large glasses were moving back and forth, and I was afraid they would fall down; that was all I could bring myself to pay attention to. Was she really older than I was? I wouldn’t have doubted someone who told me she was my own age.

“Oh, uh, it’s all right. Don’t apologize... I’ll introduce myself. Please calm down, Ms. Yamada.”

“R-Really? Really, really? P-Promise me. Promise me!”

I could see the enthusiasm in her eyes as she looked up and took my hand. I was the center of everyone’s attention again. Well, that wasn’t going to scare off a real man, was it? I had to introduce myself. Besides, if I made a bad impression right off the bat, things would escalate in the wrong direction. I didn’t want that.

I stood up and turned around. All those gazes I had felt upon my back were now aimed squarely in front of me. Even Houki, that heartless girl, was now looking directly at me, instead of away. With everyone looking at me, I couldn’t help but be on edge despite not having a problem with girls. Even if you really like curry, you see— No, I already talked about that.

“U-Um... I’m Orimura Ichika. I hope we can get along,” I said, bowing politely