There's an unspoken and rather ridiculous rule in Japanese schools. Even when bullying occurs, there's an unspoken agreement between the bullies and the victims.
No telling the parents. No telling the teachers.
Break this rule, and you'll be mocked for being a coward who tattles. Worse, you'll invite even harsher bullying or complete social exile.
Yukinoshita scoffed at such nonsense.
It's not that she would willingly run to her parents for help. She just really didn't want to deal with her mother unless absolutely necessary.
"The first rule of surviving school bullying: you have to look stronger than everyone else."
Yukinoshita, a seasoned anti-bullying tactician.
Ms. Miwa, the teacher, tried to ease the tension. "Yukinoshita, please..."
But the girl's cold gaze sliced through the room like a whip of lightning. "If you don't want to lose your job, then stay silent."
Yukinoshita was seething.
She had gone to sleep in one timeline and woken up in another where her bright high school life had shattered. Her hair had turned blonde, her reputation was in ruins, and now some bunch of clueless idiots were trying to play bully.
Fine. You want to play games?
Then let me show you what the real adult world looks like.
The classroom fell into complete silence.
"In this class, or any other, if this kind of thing happens again, I won't hesitate to report it to the Guardian Council. People will get disciplined. People will be forced to resign."
"And the Yukinoshita Corporation will not sit idly by either. Expect legal letters from our attorneys. Trust me, you won't win against a team of twenty lawyers."
Ms. Miwa was utterly stunned.
Yukinoshita was infamous in the International Etiquette Class, Group 2-J. On the surface, she was just another delinquent blonde girl who looked like trouble. Quiet and reserved when she wasn't flirting with boys she had always seemed easy to pick on.
Ms. Miwa had never liked her, thinking she was a bad influence and choosing to ignore the signs of bullying.
Until now, Yukinoshita had never once mentioned her family background.
Now, Ms. Miwa was practically in tears. If Yukinoshita had said something earlier, she never would have let the bullying escalate.
Yukinoshita then turned her eyes toward Haruna Takada and sneered, "Did you really think that just because no one saw you, there wouldn't be consequences? Did you forget that the Public Safety Bureau has fingerprint databases?"
The so-called "villainous side character" nearly burst into tears right there.
After scaring her nearly senseless, Yukinoshita finally went to fetch a rag to wipe the dirty water off her desk. Then, she sat back down and tried to focus on the lesson.
That's when she realized she couldn't understand a thing.
Yukinoshita: "…"
It wasn't that she had gotten dumber. The lesson material was just from over a year ahead of what she remembered.
Damn that body-snatching bastard.
Since she couldn't follow the class anyway, Yukinoshita decided to test that strange presence in her mind.
[Have I now reversed the negative public perception of me?]
A keyword triggered something.
A translucent screen popped up in front of her. Yukinoshita glanced around quickly. Seeing that none of her classmates seemed to notice, she turned her attention back to the screen.
After being framed, possessed, and having her reputation completely ruined, she had become nearly numb. Very little could surprise her anymore.
The screen displayed a human silhouette completely filled in with black.
Got it. The idea is to "de-color" or change this.
The screen faded away.
Either way, whether she needed to "lighten up" or change her image entirely, black was definitely not good.
Threats didn't help either. That wasn't a "positive persona." In fact, it only made the silhouette darker.
[The system has selected the optimal breakthrough option for your current situation: Confidently declare to everyone that you actually like girls!]
Shut it.
Was there seriously no other choice?
Another keyword triggered the options screen again, this time displaying three choices:
A: Enter a stable relationship with an honest, decent boy and build a model girlfriend image to redeem your reputation (Success Rate: 46%)
B: Achieve top academic rank. People always forgive the strong (Success Rate: 66%)
C: Declare loudly, "Actually, I like girls!" (Success Rate: 88%)
Yukinoshita dismissed the first two without a second thought.
Option A would only hurt everyone involved, and it would take too long to pull off. Option B wasn't much better. Not only was she over a year behind in coursework, but again, the timeline was too slow.
What she needed was a quick way to shut down any more potential body-snatching. Every day she delayed was another day at risk.
So ironically, the most outrageous option was the most practical one.
Once she said she liked girls, all those girls obsessed with silly romantic rivalries might just stop projecting their hostility onto her.
Of course, there was a risk. Scorn, ridicule, maybe even complete isolation.
But to Yukinoshita, that didn't matter. She had long grown accustomed to solitude.
People isolating her?
No. It was she who had chosen to isolate herself from them.
While Yukinoshita ran through strategies in her head, Haruna and her little clique were still fuming with impotent rage.
"Wasn't she the one who was dating Hayama and then tried to flirt with someone else?"
"She totally made Yuigahama cry by hitting on Hikigaya from Class 2-F. That was all her!"
"She's scum! Why does she still get to act all high and mighty?"
Her best friend, Maeda, awkwardly patted her back. "Haruna, don't cry…"
His eyes drifted again toward Yukinoshita. He wasn't the only one. Many in the classroom were watching her.
Her hair was still a messy blonde, her makeup heavy, and her nails as bright as ever.
Yet somehow, today, Yukinoshita seemed… different.
In the past, she had always seemed dark and sensitive. She was cruel to the girls, emotionally distant, always looking like someone or something was chasing her from behind. And no matter how badly she was teased or bullied, she never fought back.
Someone so mean, yet easy to bully, was a natural target.
But today, she was different. She was composed. Cold as fresh snow.
Messy hair. Dark makeup. Yet somehow, she radiated a strange purity something untouchable.
After school, Haruna, unwilling to let her pride be crushed, made one last desperate move.
"Don't think you've won today. Sugiki would never fall for someone like you!"
Not far away, a mild-looking boy in the crowd turned around awkwardly at the mention of his name.
Yukinoshita calmly packed her things before finally turning back.
"You don't have to worry about that ever again."
Beneath the heavy makeup and the disheveled hair, her eyes were cold and clear like a hidden spring, or a shard of crystal.
"Because I actually like girls."
[Choice complete. +1 to Mental Strength]