The classroom before homeroom begins.

Having arrived at school long before the warning bell rang, I was carrying a tote bag separate from the one used to hold materials for class.

“Here you go.”

I handed carefully wrapped cookies to the boy in front of me.

“O-oh, are you sure I can take these?”

“Yeah. They’re leftovers from making sweets with my two little sisters yesterday, if that’s okay.”

“O-of course it is! Getting handmade sweets from Hayama… I’ve never been this moved in my life!” [TL: This isn’t Yaoi, just thought it needed to be put here lol.]

“You don’t have to cry… I mean, there’ve definitely been plenty of days more moving than today.”

It feels like an overreaction, but since he’s that happy about it, it doesn’t feel bad.

“Well then, I’m off.”

Inside the tote bag I was holding were still plenty of wrapped sweets. I had to finish handing them out before homeroom started.

“Ah hold on, Suzuki-kun.”

When I called out to the tall, tree-like boy, Suzuki-kun slowly turned around.

“These are for you too.”

“M-me?”

“Yeah. If you don’t dislike cookies. I made something slightly different for the sports club members. You know, you all want protein for building your bodies, right? So I mixed some protein powder in.”

“I see… you even thought about my physique…”

“Yeah. If you don’t mind them, eat them, okay?”

“Right. I’ll treasure them and display them…”

Gazing at the cookies through the wrapping with deep emotion, Suzuki-kun stared at them.

“Hm… I’d prefer if you eat them before they go stale.”

* * *

After that, every boy I gave them to reacted in roughly the same way.

I’m glad they’re happy, but isn’t everyone being a bit too dramatic for reactions to sweets received from another guy?

But since they’re that pleased, oh well.

Once I finished handing out cookies to the boys and tried to return to my seat, some fidgeting girls appeared in front of me.

“H-hey Hayama-kun… d-did you maybe have some for us too?”

“Of course. Just wait a moment.”

I pulled another tote bag out of the backpack I use daily.

When I handed over low-calorie cookies aimed toward the girls, they smiled brightly in delight.

“By the way, Hayama-kun you said earlier, ‘they’re leftovers’ when you handed them out, right? But you made them for everyone, so they aren’t leftovers at all, are they?”

“Well… I thought saying I made them specially for everyone might come off a bit heavy…”

“That’s not true!”

“There’s nobody who’d feel troubled getting a gift from Hayama-kun.”

The girls poked my cheeks teasingly.

Even though I’m a boy, I’m not intimidating and I’m small, so I’m probably easy to tease. I don’t mind, it’s just embarrassing.

“Seriously, Hayama-kun is so cute~ Just what you’d expect from someone chosen number one on the ‘Ranking of Who You’d Want as a Bride’!”

“Feels like the champion standing tall. Voting was worth it~”

The classmates chatter excitedly.

Number one on the Ranking of Who You’d Want as a Bride.

This strange title I received at the cultural festival has become a phrase that symbolizes me now.

Well, when I was first chosen, I was confused, I mean, I’m a guy, so what do you mean bride? But I gradually got used to it.

I know everyone picked me out of goodwill.

If that’s the case, I’ll just repay that goodwill.

After handing out the cookies, I left the classroom to use the restroom before the homeroom teacher arrived.

Fortunately, nobody was there, and after finishing my business calmly, I looked into the mirror while washing my hands.

Brown-tinted natural hair and large youthful eyes.

Skin showing no signs of breakouts for now.

A small and slender build.

The mirror reflected a face with such a soft atmosphere that I could probably pass as a girl.

Just to be clear, my name is Hayama Yuuki, a genuine second-year high school male student.

But it seems the people around me don’t see it that way.

‘…I’ve even startled a guy who ran into me in the restroom once… A girl’s using the boys’ urinal!? he said…’

That happened right after enrollment, back in first year.

‘Because of that, I’ve had to use stalls since then, so it’s gotten a bit inconvenient.’

This kind of treatment didn’t start now.

That’s why, until middle school, I hated my face, which didn’t look masculine.

But just because I couldn’t accept it didn’t mean I could sulk forever.

If I obsessed over my face and sniffled crying at home, my mother who people say looks exactly like me might get hurt thinking her son hated her own face.

Near the end of middle school, I made a firm resolution.

I wondered whether there was something only someone like me could do.

I’m not athletic, nor especially intelligent. I’m not comedic, I’m short and I stay skinny no matter how much I eat.

But I was confident in housework due to family circumstances and since I take care of my two younger sisters often, I’m good at looking after others.

So I decided I’d use what I’m good at as my strength at school.

As a result, in last year’s cultural festival event voting, I received the title ‘Number One on the Ranking of Who You’d Want as a Bride’.

Apparently it’s a running joke project at this school and from the image carried by the words ‘someone you’d want as a bride’, all past winners were girls, I’m the first boy to win.

It’s complicated, but seeing it as the result of everyone evaluating me, it’s still something to be happy about.

That said, with this appearance and behavior and that title, people do tend to misunderstand me a bit.

‘…It’s not like I’m a guy who likes guys though.’

Even someone like me has a girl I’m in love with.