I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

After school.

Instead of going home, I stayed in the classroom, waiting for Ayabe-senpai.
At first, I wondered if it would be better for me, the junior, to go find her, but I figured we might miss each other if I left, so I decided to stay put.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Still no sign of her.

She didn’t run away again, did she?
If she had, I’d be going straight to the third-year classrooms tomorrow.
Slide!

Fortunately, my worries were unfounded. Senpai eventually appeared, albeit late.
"S-sorry. Did I keep you waiting long?"
Her face screamed nervousness.

I quickly stood to greet her, making sure to show I wasn’t dangerous.
"No, I haven’t been waiting long."
"R-really?"
"Please, come in and have a seat."

"Okay…"
The classroom filled with an awkward atmosphere.
I had been stalked for several days, but this was actually our first real conversation, so the awkwardness was inevitable.

Why would someone like her follow me?
Ayabe-senpai radiated the vibe of a trendy high school girl.
Her permed black hair and slightly upturned, catlike eyes.
The stylish cardigan draped over her uniform screamed “fashionable.”

Different from Rika, but still a total “insider” type. And on top of that, she was smart—a perfect superhuman, really.
As I looked at her, studying her expression, she stared back at me.
Finally, she broke the silence first.

"You’re not as bad-looking as I expected."
"Excuse me?"
"I mean, judging by the rumors, I half-expected you to look like some kind of three-faced, six-armed ogre."

"……."
That was quite a prejudiced statement.
"So, why exactly have you been following me for the past few days?"

"Oh, that. Well…"
She looked embarrassed as she twisted a strand of her hair around her finger and avoided my gaze.
"The truth is, I’m putting out my last school newspaper for the cultural festival."
"And?"

"It’s my final high school festival, so… if I’m going to publish something, I want it to get as much attention as possible."
"Attention?"
What did that have to do with me?

But she wasn’t done.
"So, would you… agree to do an exclusive interview with me?"
"…An exclusive interview?"

"I think it’s a good deal for you too. I’ll give you a public chance to clear up all the ridiculous rumors about you."
"That’s…"
Honestly, not a bad idea.

This might be a romcom-type world, but the weird rumors surrounding me popped up just by breathing.

Sure, a few rumors were based on truth, but most were just misunderstandings or outright slander.
"I’m sorry for tailing you these past few days. But rumors don’t pop up completely without basis, so I wanted to observe you from a distance first, to see if you were someone I could interview."

I waved a hand at her sincere apology.
"Apology accepted. You didn’t actually do anything to harm me."
"Thanks for forgiving me."

"Anyway, what exactly does this interview involve?"
"Think of it like a one-on-one Q&A at a café. If you agree, I plan to put the entire Newspaper Club’s resources into this interview."
"I see."
From her description, I imagined something like a magazine or newspaper interview.

I’d never done one, but I’d seen plenty on TV.
Ayabe-senpai ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) looked at me anxiously.
"So… will you do it?"

I nodded without hesitation.
"Honestly, not doing it would be a bigger loss."
She’d get her big story, and I’d get the chance to clear up the strange rumors about me.

A win-win.
"Yes!"
Ayabe-senpai practically jumped to her feet with excitement at my answer.

Then, as if she’d just remembered, she extended her right hand.
"Let me properly introduce myself. I’m Ayabe Nanaya, third-year and president of the Newspaper Club."
"Kim Yu-seong, second-year. Student council secretary. Pleased to meet you."

I shook her hand.
"Your hand’s huge."
When we finished shaking hands, she smiled warmly.

"I get that a lot."
She’d looked timid earlier, but smiling, she was actually quite pretty.
"So, can I get your email? I’ll send you the detailed schedule soon."

"Just a second."
I pulled out my phone and exchanged emails with her.
"Okay, all set."

After fiddling with her phone for a while, she grinned slyly and asked,
"By the way, you’ve got almost nothing but girls’ numbers in your contacts. Guess the rumors about you being surrounded by girls weren’t false, huh?"
"What? Wait—you looked at my contacts?"

"Hey, I didn’t mean to. My finger slipped, that’s all."
She laughed playfully.
At that moment, I realized she wasn’t someone to take lightly.

After finalizing our deal, we left the classroom and parted ways at the school gate.
"Let’s hope this turns into a great interview for both of us."
"Yes, I hope so too."

Ayabe-senpai waved. "I’ll be in touch," and headed home first.
Left alone in front of the gate, I glanced back at the school, then started walking toward the subway station.
***

The next day.
"What?! Ryu-chan, you’re doing an interview with the school newspaper this weekend?!"
While we were eating lunch, Rika leaned across the table, eyes wide in shock.

"It just sort of happened."
The way her chest pressed forward as she leaned in was… distracting, so I forced my eyes sideways.
"Isn’t that school paper basically tabloid trash?"

"Come on, they’ll keep it professional. No one wants to deal with the backlash otherwise."
Sasha and Karen chimed in, exchanging opinions.
"So what exactly are they going to ask?" Satoru, who’d joined us for lunch today, asked.

I showed him my chat with Ayabe-senpai.
There were around thirty predicted questions, with a note saying I could skip anything I didn’t want to answer.
Satoru whistled after reading the list.

"Wow, looks like she’s planning to cover every single rumor about you."
I nodded and popped a rice ball into my mouth.
"That’s actually perfect. I can clear everything up in one go."

"Honestly, I don’t get it. Sure, you’ve got a scary face and a body made of pure muscle, but you’ve never done anything bad. There weren’t any rumors like this in first year."
"Back then I wasn’t this ripped."
"…Fair point."

The nasty rumors only started spreading after my rapid muscle growth in the second semester of first year.
My hard-earned reputation as the top incoming student hadn’t helped once that happened.
I’d basically gained muscle and lost people.

Still, I didn’t regret my choice.
"Anyway, I need to prep properly. The last thing I want is to say something dumb and create a black mark on my record."
"Yeah, good luck."

As Satoru nodded and started eating his pork cutlet rice bowl, he suddenly asked,
"By the way, the class trip’s coming up. Who are you pairing with?"
"Me? I haven’t thought about it yet."

"You should decide soon. It’ll be hard to find someone last minute."
"Who are you pairing with?"
"Me? Please. I’m popular. I’ve got plenty of invites."

"But mixed pairs… yeah, that’s impossible because of the dorms. Gotta share a room."
"Obviously."
I scratched my cheek.

"Looks like it’ll just be you and Ryuji."
"…Wow. You really don’t have friends."
"Ouch."

A brutal truth, but one I couldn’t deny.
I didn’t have many (male) friends.
Most guys spoke to me in formal speech the first time we met. Hard to get close under those conditions.

At the gym, at least, I had muscle bros with common interests. But at school? Nothing.
"Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Ryuji for you. You don’t have to lift a finger. That’s what friends are for."
"Satoru…!"

"What? Why are you looking at me like that? Creepy. Stop it."
"Thank you…!"
I meant it. No one treated me as normally as Satoru did.

Looking embarrassed, he averted his eyes, then apparently decided enough was enough—he shoved a rice ball into my mouth.
"Shut up and eat!"
Listening nearby, Karen looked envious.

"I wanna pair with Rika too."
"But you’re in a different class," Sasha pointed out bluntly.
"Ugh!"

Karen clutched her chest in mock pain. There was no arguing with that—different classes meant different groups.
Anyway, with the second semester packed with events like the class trip, cultural festival, and sports day, I reminded myself to handle this weekend’s interview properly first.