Yukinoshita Yukino was a clever girl. Even faced with such an absurd situation, it didn't take her long to regain composure.
Something had definitely happened to her something she wasn't aware of. First things first: the optimal way to break through this crisis was to understand exactly what was going on and find the source of this strange disruption.
[System suggests optimal action to resolve crisis: Shout loudly "Actually, I like girls!"]
Yukinoshita Yukino: "...Who are you?"
The voice was like a mechanical trigger, responding only when specific keywords were spoken. Without them, it was as silent as the grave.
She didn't know what it was, but still responded with righteous indignation. "Deceiving others without reason is wrong."
The voice stayed silent.
Troubled by the thought that she might be hosting some kind of alien parasite, Yukino decided to find answers on her own.
To prevent her belongings from being thrown away again, she well-practiced in the art of surviving bullying packed up her things and headed for the bathroom with a perfectly calm expression.
Though she had never set foot in this school before and had no idea where the restrooms were, she relied on observing foot traffic and made her way there with a composed demeanor.
Japanese school bathrooms, especially in newer schools, are exceptionally clean and well-deodorized. In school manga, it's common to see socially anxious or ostracized students eating lunch in the restroom this isn't as exaggerated as it sounds.
Not that Yukinoshita had fallen so far as to dine in a bathroom stall. Once inside, she locked the door and took out her phone.
It was an unfamiliar phone, pulled from her still-damp backpack, decorated with flashy stickers and charms that made her eyes hurt. As a minimalist, she found it borderline offensive.
But thankfully, it was waterproof.
When the fingerprint sensor lit up and she saw the date on the screen, her pupils quivered again. It had been more than a year since the night she fell asleep.
She quickly opened a browser and logged into various social platforms, scanning the news headlines from the past year news she had never seen or heard of.
A once-stable president was now poised to lose reelection. An idol who swore off dating at debut had just been exposed for juggling three partners.
That's when it hit her.
She had somehow lost a year and three months of her life.
Yukino bit her lip, then logged out of the mainstream social apps and instead accessed the private student forum of Sōbu High School.
Most schools had something like this an informal online space where students posted questions, shared gossip, or vented complaints. Think of it as the Japanese equivalent of a school-specific message board.
Yukino had just recognized this school as the one her family had chosen for her yesterday. She was desperate to find out what had happened to her.
She entered her name, "Yukinoshita," into the forum search bar. The moment she clicked search, a barrage of results filled the screen.
She didn't even have to read the posts just the titles were enough to make her stomach turn.
From top 3 in entrance exams to bottom 10 in just a year classic Yukinoshita rot ^_^
Yukinoshita confessed to Hayama-senpai? No wonder Miura-senpai flipped out, lol.
I heard she even confessed to that weirdo from Class 2-F, Hikigaya. Crazy, right? Yui still treats her like a friend.
She's probably slept with half the guys in Sōbu High by now. That takes a certain kind of talent, lol.
Heard she even tried to hook up with boys from Toyonozaki and Shuchiin.
Always flirting, but never lets anyone touch her? That's Yukinoshita for you.
Don't bother defending her. She's a shameless bulldozer Sōbu's very own hundred-man slayer!
Yukinoshita: "…"
Were all these posts really about her?
She had mentally prepared herself for something unpleasant, but still, the sheer volume made her head throb.
In the past, she could face the world with her cold, aloof demeanor because she knew she had done nothing wrong. But now, she wasn't sure she could say that anymore.
The photos attached to these posts countless candid shots of "Yukinoshita Yukino" confessing to one boy after another left no room for denial.
An entire year and three months of memories had been stolen from her. A stranger, a foreign soul, had inhabited her body and used it to do all kinds of disgraceful things. Her reputation had fallen to rock bottom.
In today's internet lingo, this was what you'd call being "body-jacked." Someone from another world had reincarnated into her.
But why had she been targeted?
And worse would it happen again?
As she exited the school forum, her face expressionless, the mechanical voice finally spoke again apparently triggered by a keyword.
[System suggests optimal course to prevent further possession: Redeem your image in the eyes of high-popularity characters through a series of option-based missions.]
"High-popularity characters"? The popular kids?
So, if she didn't turn things around quickly, there was a chance she'd get hijacked again by another spirit malicious or not.
A chill crept down her spine.
No.
This, she would never allow.
After lunch break, when Yukinoshita Yukino returned to the classroom, she wasn't surprised to see her desk soaked with dirty water.
Her expression didn't change. Under the gazes of her amused classmates, she calmly took out her phone and snapped a photo.
She was so composed, it didn't even look like she was the one being bullied.
The classroom laughter gradually faded.
After storing her phone, Yukino turned to the ringleader of the prank. "If something like this happens again, Haru Takada, you'll be the first person I hold accountable."
Haru Takada scoffed. "And what makes you think anyone's gonna listen to you, Yukinoshita?"
"Rumors about my relationships are baseless hearsay," she replied. "But bullying is a real crime. Mr. Sano turns a blind eye because he sees me as the source of trouble but the Parental Oversight Association won't see it that way. Isn't that right, Mr. Sano?"
The Parental Oversight Association in Japan was known for poking into every aspect of school life. Whether it was the length of a student's skirt or the conduct of a teacher, they had the power to stir up real consequences.
When school bullying incidents escalated, it wasn't just students who paid the price. Teachers often had to bow and resign.
The middle-aged teacher who had just entered the classroom opened his mouth uncertainly. "Yukinoshita…"
Haru folded her arms and sneered. "Please. Like the Oversight Association would bother with someone like you someone who threw away her own dignity."
Yukinoshita didn't even glance her way. "That's unfortunate for you. My mother happens to be one of the Association's board members."