"Hasumi, we're here! Change into your gym clothes in this changing room. Alright, I need to go attend to the girls!"

With that, Oniki-sensei quickly departed. She probably didn't want me to bring up my question from morning homeroom.

"I wonder if it's that hard to say. Or perhaps it's a big clue about this world..."

Lost in thought, I stepped into the changing room marked with a 'Men Only' sign, where I'd been directed.

"..."

"..."

"Ah..."

Inside, there were already three guys... but they all seemed a bit timid.

And while there should be eight boys in total... three of them were absent due to illness. April, the start of a new life, often brings health issues, doesn't it? But I really hope they recover quickly and come to school. After all, the already small number of boys would become even smaller.

Once I changed into my gym clothes and came out, I followed behind several teachers. It seemed the boys would be in the first gymnasium, and the girls in the second. It's amazing that the campus has two gymnasiums.

After that, the physical examination proceeded smoothly. Height, weight, vision, hearing... all familiar items from my previous life. The measurements for the five boys present today quickly finished... and the teacher told us we were "free to spend time as we pleased in the gymnasium." We even got permission to take balls out of the storage room and play.

I gave a fist pump in my heart. This kind of freedom is welcome in any world. It was when I stepped out of the gymnasium to use the restroom before playing.

I saw Oniki-sensei enter through the main entrance...

"Oh, Hasumi! Perfect timing, coming out just now. Let's talk. Come with me for a bit."

"Eh? Ah, yes..."

If she said that, I couldn't refuse... I quietly decided to follow Oniki-sensei.

We headed to the staff lounge next to the faculty room. I'd been here yesterday, but I never expected to come two days in a row. I have a feeling I'll be coming here again in the future.

"Hasumi. This isn't a lecture, so you don't need to be nervous. Well, even if I say that, you're a boy, so you're probably still nervous... Just sit down for now."

"Y-Yes..."

At her words, I took a seat. Oniki-sensei sat across from me. Then, Oniki-sensei began, her demeanor formal.

"Hasumi, you... it seems you hit your head in an accident."

"Eh, how did you know that...?"

I hadn't told Oniki-sensei about the accident or hitting my head...

"Actually, yesterday I was a little concerned about your behavior... so I spoke directly with your mother."

On the first day of the entrance ceremony, I didn't think I'd acted strangely... so I don't really understand why she was concerned about my behavior... Come to think of it, Mom got a phone call yesterday and then rushed out saying she "suddenly had something to do." Was Oniki-sensei the one who called her?

"According to your mother, it seems Hasumi's memory is a bit vague due to hitting his head hard."

Oops. My homeroom teacher knows that my memory is vague. Well, in truth, it's not just vague; I have no memory of the person named Hasumi Reito from this world at all, nor do I recall any original story. The only thing that seems certain is that I'm a villain. Of course, I couldn't say any of that... so I just gave a small nod.

Seeing me like that, Oniki-sensei made a thoughtful expression for a moment, then suddenly her face turned serious.

"...I see. So your memory really is vague. Then, your unconscious actions make sense, and it also makes sense why your demeanor is so different from your interview..."

"Sensei?"

She was muttering, looking down slightly, so I instinctively called out to her. When Oniki-sensei does that, it makes me nervous, wondering if I've done something wrong.

Oniki-sensei looked startled and raised her head.

"Ah, my apologies, Hasumi. Still, you could have told me that beforehand, during your self-introduction or to me personally, you know?"

"No... I thought if I said my memory was vague, I'd make people around me worry. Besides, I don't like being given special treatment."

I replied that. I think it's a safe answer. Besides, right now I'm doing chores and muscle training. I'm living a regular life and I'm healthy. Having people worry about me when I'm perfectly fine... it makes me feel a bit guilty.

"I'm fine, really. No need to worry."

When I clearly told Oniki-sensei that... for some reason, her eyes widened. She seemed surprised by my statement.

"I think it's normal for boys to get special treatment, but..."

"? Sensei?"

"Ah, no... it's nothing. If Hasumi says he's fine now, I'll believe his words. More importantly... shall we get to the main topic?"

So my vague memory wasn't the main topic. Oniki-sensei cleared her throat... and looked at me with a serious expression.

"Regarding the question you asked this morning, Hasumi... do you want to know why you're the only boy in Class E?"

"W-Well..."

The original story might have such a setting... but since I'm curious, I want to know. Besides, it could be valuable information about this world.

"You'll tell me?"

"If you want to know, I'll tell you. Besides, I've gotten permission from the principal about this matter. However, I need you to keep this to yourself, alright?"

Oh? Could it be that Oniki-sensei wasn't running away from my question, but actually went to quickly get permission from the principal? Wow... I seem to have misunderstood.

"I'm sorry, Oniki-sensei. Thank you very much."

Here, I immediately offered both an apology and my thanks. Yeah, Oniki-sensei really is a good teacher!

"O-Oh... I never thought the day would come when a boy would thank me..."

Oniki-sensei's eyes were wide. I also felt her cheeks were faintly red... but that was only for a moment.

"Ahem! I-I hesitated to talk about this in front of the person themselves... but well, if your memory is vague, perhaps it's good for you to remember. Besides, we'd be in trouble if you dropped out of the academy. What would that principal say..."

Oniki-sensei's voice trailed off into a mutter towards the end... but her serious expression remained unchanged.

"...Alright, I'll tell you. However, some of it is classified information... so it'll be a rough explanation, but is that okay?"

"Y-Yes."

Even if it's rough, if she's willing to tell me, I want to hear it. After seeing me nod vigorously, Oniki-sensei paused for a beat... then slowly began to speak.

"The truth is... the class assignments for boys are decided based on whether that boy has a tolerance for girls. We also consider compatibility and such."

"Is that so?"

Considering compatibility with girls... I've never heard of that in my original world.

"Boys are few in number, right? That's precisely why everyone around them is always on alert. If such a boy has a bad experience at school and drops out... that would be a problem for us."

I slowly processed Oniki-sensei's words to understand them. Hmm, hmm... so it means if they made it co-ed and then the few boys they managed to gather quit, they'd be in trouble.

"That's why we've had strict discussions... and decided on class assignments. For example, placing boys who have no tolerance for girls in the same class as each other."

Oh, I see, I see. Even if they're boys, some might be bad with girls or not used to interacting with them. Or, like me in my previous life, some might come from an all-boys school. Such boys would feel uneasy alone. But by that logic, I would be—

"Hasumi. Your case is a bit different, you see."

"Eh?"

My case is different? At those words, I tilted my head considerably. Meanwhile, Oniki-sensei frowned somewhat... and began to speak.

"How to put this... during your entrance interview. I was one of the interviewers... and your attitude at that time was quite something, you see..."

Oniki-sensei was choosing her words very carefully... but yes, I understood immediately. After all, the original Reito was a villain. It's unlikely such a villain would suddenly behave docilely just for an interview. He probably acted like his usual self during the interview too... and displayed an unpleasant attitude.

"Well, anyway. We thought it would be better to put you alone. And as for the other boy, conversely, we predicted he had a calm personality and would interact gently with girls, so we judged that he would be fine alone."

Hm? Another boy? I wondered, but... thinking calmly, that's right. There are eight boys in total. And five classes. Even if they try to place a boy in each class... two of those classes would end up with only one boy. So, besides me... there's one other boy. Another boy in the same situation.

"Hasumi. This is as much as I can tell you regarding your question. Any more, and it would lead to information about entrance examination selections and classified data, so I can't reveal it."

"I see. Thank you."

I understood why I was the only boy in the class. In short, I'm being treated as a problem child. Very villain-like, isn't it? And... the other person, too, seems very much the protagonist type.

"Oniki-sensei. May I ask one last question?"

"Ah, what is it?"

"—Could you tell me the name of the other boy who, like me, is the only one in his class?"

As I returned to the gymnasium... I had decided what I was going to do.

"Alright... maybe I'll try talking to the protagonist."

After hearing Oniki-sensei's story just now, I... thought that the person who is the only boy in their class must be the protagonist. Because it certainly sounds like it, doesn't it?

The protagonist is among the eight boys. But today there are only five boys present. The protagonist wouldn't skip school, so... the protagonist must be among these five.

That being said... I had already narrowed it down to one person. No, from the very first day... I'd thought it could only be him.

The only one in his class. I've heard his name too, so I can confirm it right away.

Upon reaching the gymnasium... I made my way towards the boy I had an eye on.

"It's you, isn't it? I've been wanting to meet you."

"Eh?"

The boy I spoke to... blinked his eyes in surprise. He had blond hair in a buzz cut and mushroom cut style, and clear light blue eyes. Without a doubt—he was the protagonist.