Today I went to school earlier than usual but because of the incident where Ena-san started crying, I ended up arriving at the shoe lockers at almost the same time as always.

That said, there was still plenty of time before the morning chime, so there were only a few students scattered around the shoe lockers.

“Good morning, Tachibana-shi.”

“Wah—! Oh, it’s Arasaki-san. Morning.”

Being suddenly spoken to from the shadows startled me.

As always, she was expressionless, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.

“About the other day… thank you.”

“The other day? Ah, the thing with Toramine… kun.”

For her to speak calmly like this to the very person who got into a scuffle with a male student from the class where she served as class representative showed she had a surprisingly strong nerve.

Arasaki-san isn’t even a character who got talked about, let alone a named character, in the game, but she’s actually quite distinctive and memorable.

“…I want to apologize first. It’s likely that the Nemuro family will take actions that harm you. I’m sorry.”

Saying that, Arasaki-san bent deeply at the waist in a formal bow.

The act of exposing the back of her head so defenselessly made it seem as though she was offering herself to be punished in someone else’s place.

“Ah, that. Yeah, I know.”

Apparently they’re even planning to send in a private armed organization.

That’s obviously not something I can say here though.

Still, what is it?

Arasaki-san seems to be Toramine’s childhood friend and fiancée, but is it really okay for her to leak that kind of internal information to me?

“I see… You’re a strange man.”

“I think you’re pretty unusual too.”

Most other girls are a lot easier to read.

As you can tell from how most girls react happily when a guy talks to them, they generally like boys and most of the girls at this co-ed Honey Academy fit that pattern, including the girls in Class 2.

And very rarely, there are women like Vice President Morito who actually dislike men.

But Arasaki-san doesn’t fit into either category.

“I’m not a weirdo. My emotions are just flat.”

“Is that because you have the leeway of having Toramine Nemuro as your fiancé?”

“It’s not leeway… I just don’t feel like I’m living my own life.”

“Your own life, huh…”

Well, you’re all game characters anyway… but that would be a tactless thing to say.

“My family has close ties with the Nemuro family due to our family businesses. By the time I graduate from this school, the marriage will likely be made official.”

“Then why did Toramine come to a co-ed school?”

If he already has a fiancée, there’s no real need for Toramine, a man, to attend a co-ed school.

In this world, men have a duty to marry, but if he already has both the intention and the prospect of fulfilling that duty, then why go out of his way to do this?

“To look for candidates for a second and third wife. Also, he doesn’t dislike being doted on by women. However, he’s rough in how he treats girls, so I need to cover for him. How much I’ve had to do until now…”

I see…

From the way Arasaki-san spat out her complaints, I could easily imagine the hardships she’s endured up until now.

It seems Arasaki-san’s family is also a fairly prestigious one and her engagement to the Nemuro family appears to be a foregone conclusion.

In a world where polygamy is allowed, even the position of second or third wife is more than attractive enough for girls.

But precisely because of that, it doesn’t make sense that the girls of Class 3 would abandon Toramine as a male classmate so early, in April of their first year.

How did they manage to unite so completely?

“I made a mistake with my opening move… As Toramine’s legal wife, I proposed second and third wife candidates and that provoked the girls’ anger… They had their hearts stolen in an instant by an irregular existence that appeared and were taken over by frenzy.”

“Irregular existences and frenzy?”

“You. Tachibana Tomoki.”

Huh, me?

“When the girls of Class 3 were forced to face the reality that no matter what they did, they could only ever become second or third wife candidates, they saw that the girls of Class 2 in the neighboring class were getting along with a man who was like a treasure embodying every female ideal. Once they realized they had the right to challenge and steal that treasure, they couldn’t be stopped anymore.”

“...You don’t have to make such a painfully tragic face, like a politician who was forced into war by public opinion…”

Still, thinking about it, Ena-san from Class 1 was also on the verge of a mental breakdown from the stress of managing her class.

Being placed extremely close to male students and taking care of them at this school must come with a lot of resentment from other girls.

If that’s the case, then maybe it wasn’t wrong for someone like me, who practices universal kindness and treats all girls gently, to act that way.

…Sorry about that.

I was just getting carried away by the excitement of being in the world of the Honey Academy game.

“What’s worse, I can’t leave Toramine’s side as his fiancée, so I need to stay in the same class. If we win against Class 2 in the class replacement match, honestly, that would be bad… My family has also emphasized that point… But if we deliberately lose and remain in Class 3, my relationship with the other girls in the class will be irreparably damaged. And Toramine will act on his own for the sake of his pride… No matter what, it’s checkmate…”

“Ugh…”

Seeing Arasaki-san with lifeless eyes and a face full of despair, I was left speechless.

This is that pattern.

A middle manager caught between unreasonable demands from above and pressure from below, crushed by excessive stress until they break.

That’s exactly why being a middle manager is called a punishment game.

“I’ve complained too much… It wasn’t something I should say to you, my opponent in the class replacement match… Well then.”

Saying that, Arasaki-san bowed once more and turned on her heel.

Her back looked small and slender, like it might snap at any moment…

Now I understood why she was expressionless and seemingly emotionless.

She was protecting herself so her heart wouldn’t move after being scolded from all sides.

If she didn’t, her heart would break.

It’s far too heavy a burden to place on a girl who’s only just become a high school student.

Forcing something like this on her could be called the darkness of society in this distorted chastity-reversed world with a 1:99 gender ratio.

I can’t just leave Arasaki-san alone like this.

But at the same time, for me from Class 2 to openly reach out to Arasaki-san, the representative of Class 3 who we’re actively competing against in the class replacement match, would be…

Ah, that’s it!

“Arasaki-san, wait a moment! There’s someone I want to introduce you to!”

“…Someone you want to introduce?”

Stopping and turning back with a suspicious look, Arasaki-san faced me.

Her face was still expressionless and I couldn’t read her inner thoughts from it, but I decided to meddle anyway, hoping to help her regain her emotions.