“F-For now, I think it’s better if you stay quiet. Homeroom’s about to start, and we should try not to draw attention to ourselves.”

“…Got it.”

I nodded at Aoi’s advice. He was right, standing out in this situation wouldn’t be smart.

I didn’t want to attract attention in some strange way either, so I decided to go along with it.

“Okay! Good morning, everyone! Please take your seats!

Bursting into the classroom with a bright, energetic voice was a woman in a gray suit with a stack of documents tucked under her arm.

She looked to be in her mid-twenties, with light brown hair styled in a medium-length cut that flipped outward at the ends, giving off a cheerful, slightly fashionable vibe.

“Nice to meet you all! I’m Sakura Shio, and I’ll be in charge of this class. And despite how I look, I don’t have a lover! …Anyway, I’m looking forward to working with you all for the next year!”

—Wait, she’s bringing up her love life right off the bat!?

She might be trying to close the distance by sharing something personal, but…

If this really is a yuri world, then the possibility of a teacher approaching students while fishing for a chance isn’t exactly zero. Yeah, seriously, that’s scary.

“Alright, let me explain today’s schedule. We’ll be heading to the gym for the entrance ceremony shortly, but before that, we’ll have a self-introduction session. I’ll hand out these sheets, so please fill them out accordingly. Some of it’s a survey, so I’ll collect them afterward.”

With that, Sakura-sensei began handing out the papers.

Even Asuka, who had ignored me earlier, placed the sheet neatly on my desk, albeit in a purely businesslike manner.

…So even if she rejects me, she still does the bare minimum of what’s expected.

“You’ll have five minutes! I’ll give you five minutes, so please think it over during that time!”

That’s surprisingly short. Thinking that, I lowered my gaze to the paper—

“…Huhhh!?”

I couldn’t help raising my voice. 

In an instant, all the girls in class turned their eyes toward me. 

“K-Kazuto-kun!”

“Ah—sorry…”

Even though Aoi had warned me so firmly to keep quiet, I’d gone and done the opposite.

Panicking, I bowed my head and turned my gaze back to the paper.

The items listed were my name, personality, hobbies, the club I wanted to join, and so on. Up to this point, everything was perfectly normal.

But the problem lay in the survey section below. 

“Virgin/Non-virgin” 

“‘Uribou: Necessary/Unnecessary’”

“…Huh?”

My mind froze.

What kind of nerve does it take to casually ask first-year high school students whether they’re virgins in a survey like this!?

When I looked up, I saw a few girls with flushed cheeks. …So it wasn’t normal for them either.

Seeing that expression made me think they were cute for a moment… but it was still abnormal. 

And then there was this Uribou thing… That was a word I didn’t recognize.

If I circled Necessary, would I get one issued to me too? Was it some required student item!?

And if Unnecessary was even an option, that meant some people already had one, right…?

“I forgot to explain earlier, but please don’t lie in the survey section. It’s for class reference, so answer honestly!” 

—Class!?! 

Why does being a virgin or not relate to classes?! 

Isn’t the sex education here way too open!? Don’t tell me this is actually the world of an eroge?

And on top of that, there wasn’t even a checkbox asking whether men were virgins.

Does that mean in this world, men are virgins by default…? 

The moment that possibility dawned on me, a shiver ran through my spine.

Because it meant there was a very real chance that, in this world, I’d never lose my virginity for the rest of my life.

Five minutes passed, and soon the self-introduction session began.

“…I’m Kokonoe Touka. I won’t be joining any clubs. My hobby is… reading. I also like reading old documents. …It’s nice to meet you.”

The girl finished her self-introduction in a small voice.

She was the bookworm type, with long pink hair reaching her waist and round glasses perched on her nose. She seemed shy, with a somewhat gloomy air about her, but the way she spoke gave me the impression that she was intelligent.

For a brief moment, I thought she glanced my way… was it just my imagination? 

“Shiramine Sanzu! I’ve been playing soccer for a while now, so of course I’ll join the soccer club! Everyone, let’s get along well!” 

She had blonde twin-tails, with a pair of small fangs peeking out when she smiled, and an incredibly energetic smile. Though short, the unmistakable aura of an athletic girl radiated from her.

Soccer club… Since I used to be in one myself, it caught my attention. But this school probably doesn’t even have a boys’ soccer team. That meant I couldn’t be involved as a player anymore. A faint ache ran through my chest.

“Yuuki Sena! If you thought I looked like a gyaru, then you’re absolutely right! I love fashion, but feel free to talk to me about anything! Oh—and I’m joining the track team. I worked hard in short-distance events back in middle school!”

She had short, light-blue hair and small earrings. Her uniform skirt was cut a bit shorter, giving her a flashy look. At first glance, she looked like a tanned gyaru, but her demeanor was soft and approachable.

As the self-introductions continued one after another, it was finally Asuka’s turn.

“I’m Otomi Asuka! If I had to say what I’m good at, I guess studying would be it. I’ve never joined a club before, but I think I’m reasonably athletic. If we get along, I’d love to hang out at family restaurants, go to karaoke, and do lots of fun, high school girl stuff! Please feel free to call me Asuka! I’m looking forward to this year with all of you!”

—Yeah. I knew it.

This was the Asuka I remembered.

She looked prim and proper at first glance, but her personality was brightly cheerful, and she got along with everyone equally. That was the Asuka standing right there in front of me.

But the look she’d given me earlier compared to the smile she was now showing her classmates…

They were completely different—so much so that it was hard to believe they were coming from the same person.

Was this rejection really because I was a man—an inferior species?

…And then, once the girls’ self-introductions were over, I realized something.

While Asuka is certainly cute, the girls in this class are generally adorable.

I still didn’t know much about the other classes, but maybe the overall level of girls at Bira High was just high. Honestly, it was hard to know where to look.

And finally, it was Aoi’s turn. The only boy left besides me.

I felt relieved knowing there would at least be time for our self-introductions.

“H-Hareruya Aoi. N-Nice to meet you…”

…That’s it?

Aoi’s self-introduction amounted to nothing more than stating his name.

Despite how cute he looked, the atmosphere in the classroom was cold, and the weight of the gazes directed at us dug painfully into my chest.

And finally, it was my turn.

“I’m Fukase Kazuto… nice to meet you.”

I kept it as brief as possible, just my name. 

The teacher didn’t ask about my hobbies either, so I was spared from having to explain anything in detail.

But right after that, hushed voices from the girls reached my ears.

“Isn’t he kind of tall?”

“I’ve never seen a guy that tall before…”

“He feels… different from normal boys… like his build is more masculine…”

…Huh?

My height was just over 170 centimeters, about average for an adult man. Neither short nor tall.

And yet, the girls’ reactions were strange.

Come to think of it, Aoi was fairly small, around 160 centimeters tall.

Could it be that the boys in this world are generally short? 

If that’s the case, then maybe my appearance already made me stand out as an anomaly.

Gradually, the differences in this world’s common sense were becoming clear.

The position of men—labeled as an inferior species.

Just what was going to happen to my school life from here on out…?

“Alright, we’re heading to the gym now!”

At Sakura-sensei’s call, we formed a line and made our way to the entrance ceremony.