The New Transfer Student is a Weirdo

Japan, Tokyo, Toyogasaki Academy.

The roof of the main school building.

"Just asking, are you planning to jump? The wire fence here is three meters high; it's not exactly friendly to lady jumpers." Because he was skipping class to sleep on the very top level of the rooftop—

That is to say, the highest point above the stairwell enclosure.

It was called a rooftop, but it was higher than the actual roof, a secluded place that ordinary people wouldn't necessarily find even if they came up here.

However.

Precisely because of that, a certain boy who had been sleeping soundly while skipping class to read a novel was woken up by the sudden commotion, and then, the boy looked at the source of the noise and posed the most logical question.

At the very least, in his view, it was perfectly reasonable.

Utaha Kasumigaoka had been very irritable lately. After standing head and shoulders above the rest in grades at Toyogasaki Academy, her amateur interests had piqued.

A few months ago.

"Yo, this novel is really good."

"The author is amazing, being able to depict the male and female leads so thoroughly."

"..."

Listening to the surrounding chatter, Utaha Kasumigaoka couldn't help but frown. Give me a break, as an author, is it really that hard to depict the leads thoroughly? What on earth are these guys reading?

This was her first contact with light novels.

Light, interesting, a pleasant reading experience—that was what a light novel was.

I see.

Utaha Kasumigaoka nodded, half-understanding.

But then she thought, what's the big deal? I could do that too!

And so, after diligent research, she put pen to paper.

The inspiration constantly surfacing in her mind, combined with her decent literary foundation, made it feel as if she were divinely assisted.

The first volume of her novel was signed and published without a hitch.

Although it couldn't be called a runaway hit, for a newcomer, it was already an incredible achievement.

Of course, it was nothing special; she was Utaha Kasumigaoka, after all!

However, due to her lack of understanding of the industry, coupled with the loss of inspiration, the sales of the second volume plummeted, reaching the point of near-cancellation.

What could she do? She was desperate too. She had clearly put so much effort into writing it, so why weren't the readers buying it?

At the end of the day.

Utaha Kasumigaoka was just an ordinary high school girl.

During this period.

Although her editor, Sonoko Machida, had said: "Poor sales aren't your fault, Utaha. It's all those idiots in the marketing department; they don't promote newcomers' works at all."

These words weren't false, but the self-reproach and disappointment in Sonoko Machida's eyes only made Utaha Kasumigaoka feel more depressed.

To her, this unmarried woman in her twenties who was her editor was probably already a friend, and she, Utaha Kasumigaoka, couldn't live up to her friend's expectations.

The sales were truly dismal...

And at school, the only place where Utaha Kasumigaoka, who had to maintain her cold, aloof persona, could catch her breath was likely the school rooftop.

For those in the 2D world, the Japanese school rooftop was a place where countless plots had unfolded.

But in reality, to prevent students from being ostracized into jumping, the rooftop door was usually locked. Of course, that couldn't stop Utaha Kasumigaoka. As the top student in her grade, combined with her cold persona, both school administrators and teachers would rest easy handing the key over to her.

It's just that...

She hadn't been catching her breath in her own little world for long today before she was woken up by a single sentence.

At first glance, he was a handsome boy.

However.

"Just asking, are you planning to jump? This..."

"Tap, tap, tap!" Just hearing halfway, Utaha Kasumigaoka felt a fire surge within her, and her legs began to tremble involuntarily.

Her dissatisfied little feet tapped out a rhythmic beat on the rooftop.

This guy in front of her actually thought she was a girl who wanted to jump. She, Utaha Kasumigaoka, was the No. 1 at Toyogasaki right now!

And so.

Once the boy finished speaking.

Utaha Kasumigaoka entered her turn.

"Hey, hey, have the gorillas of Ulda evolved? They've started taking the initiative to strike up conversations when they see a troubled female? Wow, or did I only sleep for a day, and paramecium have evolved intelligence? Hmm." She held her head high, looking at the boy, her wine-red eyes full of mockery.

Hearing this, the boy rolled over, sat cross-legged, and scratched his cheek, saying:

"Ugh, so this is what they call a sharp-tongued attribute? It's truly troublesome. Hey, girl, I was just writing a book review for a troublesome tsundere young lady and her sister—who is read as a young lady but is actually a total waste of space..."

"As for you..." The boy looked at Utaha Kasumigaoka and said.

"Your facial expressions are quite the performance, girl. I watched you go from full-blown rage to bitter resentment, and finally, to a look of complete resignation. Given the situation, it's only natural to assume you were planning to jump off the roof. Tell me, are you a drama student?"

The boy, who clearly had a death wish, smiled brightly.

And then.

"Heh..." Utaha Kasumigaoka felt dark energy surging through her entire body. In that moment, she wasn't alone; she was channeling Yuno Gasai, Kotonoha Katsura...

"So, you saw everything I just did, didn't you?"

Watching the person before him on the verge of a breakdown, the boy chose to play it safe.

"Just kidding. Didn't I say I was busy writing a review for a novel recommended by a certain tsundere young lady and her useless sister? Where would I find the time to pay attention to anything else? If you hadn't tripped the wire fence, I probably wouldn't even know you existed."

Utaha Kasumigaoka: "..."

She was angry, so angry. Although she usually didn't want attention from other males and had snapped at plenty of boys, the way this stranger completely ignored her made her want to hit him even more.

Turning around and walking away was a privilege every girl possessed...

However, as Utaha Kasumigaoka turned, she happened to see the boy holding a novel, nodding his head while typing something into his phone.

At this, Utaha Kasumigaoka fell silent for a long moment.

Then, she stared at the boy and asked, fidgeting, "I'll ask you this much: what do you mean by writing a book review?"

"Thanks to a certain awkward tsundere young lady, I'm using phrases like, 'It's not like I'm begging you or anything,' and 'Why is this book so good yet not popular...'"

The boy said without looking up.

"And what do you think?" Upon hearing the word 'good,' the corners of Utaha Kasumigaoka's mouth lifted involuntarily, though she abruptly cut him off.

"What?" The boy looked slightly surprised.

"Do you think the novel in your hand is good?" Utaha Kasumigaoka pressed him further.

This situation left the boy speechless. Seriously, this was already the third girl to ask for his opinion on this novel. Could it be that this book was some kind of walkthrough guide?

The boy couldn't help but glance at the cover of the novel again: Love Metronome.

Sure enough, girls really do mature faster than boys.

"Name?" The boy sat up slightly.

"Huh?" Utaha Kasumigaoka said, looking slightly surprised. "Don't you recognize me?"

"That's a narcissistic answer." The boy smiled. "Do you think a new transfer student is required to recognize every celebrity in a new school?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka: "..."

Indeed, the boy's face did not appear in her memories.

The boy continued to smile. "Well, when asking a stranger for something, introducing yourself first is just basic etiquette. Please, begin your performance."

You jerk!

Utaha Kasumigaoka felt that the boy was doing this on purpose. It was just an introduction; why say 'begin your performance'? Did he think she was a performing monkey?

Suppressing the rage in her heart, Utaha Kasumigaoka spoke with feigned composure.

"Utaha Kasumigaoka, second year..."

"Sogo Doma. By the way, people say I'm a sadistic piece of trash. But watching you all look so furious yet completely unable to do anything about me... it's truly delightful!" The boy—no, Sogo Doma—stood up and interrupted her.

His smile was radiant.