Chapter 2: Mass Love Lessons and a Cliché Corridor Collision

Bearing the coffee stain on the tip of my red necktie, I walked briskly down the sidewalk toward Seiza High School, keeping my head down the entire way.

My strategy was simple: act as if nothing had changed, avoid eye contact with everyone, sit in the back corner seat of the classroom, and bide my time until I found a logical way to undo my stupid wish from last night. As long as I avoided interacting with any of the female lead candidates from that game, not a single romantic route should trigger. At least, that was the new plan I had laid out.

However, the moment the iron gates of Seiza High came into view, the sound of hurried footsteps sprinting up from behind shattered my hopes. Before I could even turn around, a pair of very familiar hands suddenly covered my eyes.

"Guess who!"

From her voice alone, I knew exactly who the culprit was. It was Tomoka Shiraishi—my childhood friend and the mastermind who had left that cursed dating sim at my apartment last night.

"Good grief, I already know. It's you, Tomo-chan, isn't it?" I replied flatly, peeling her hands off my face.

"Heeh, you're no fun at all, Sentou," she said, puffing out her cheeks in a mock sulk because I had seen right through her guess.

Yet, her pouting expression didn't last long. Tomoka fell into step beside me, scanning the area around the gate with a furrowed brow. "By the way, Sentou, don't you feel like something is weird today?"

"Weird?" I asked back, feigning confusion.

"On my way here, I kept seeing everyone on the street holding hands. Even the garbage collector near my house—who's usually super grumpy and hates cats—was grinning to himself while watching a female cat walk by," Tomoka recounted with a dead-serious look. "Is the whole world under some kind of mass spell or what?"

I shot Tomoka a sideways glance. So the memories of the people in this world hadn't been completely brainwashed—they were still aware that this phenomenon was unnatural, yet the compulsion of the new law of nature was forcing most of them to submit to the romantic atmosphere. And because Tomoka had spent the night at my apartment, it seemed she had also gained immunity to the initial stage of the brainwashing effect.

"Maybe everyone just has too much time on their hands," I replied curtly, quickening my pace past the school gates. "Come on, hurry up and get inside. The bell's about to ring."

"Hey, wait up! Don't just leave me behind like that!"

Tomoka matched my stride again, though this time she walked much closer than usual—practically pressed up against my left arm—while rambling on about how bizarre the morning atmosphere was. Her normally cheerful face looked slightly uneasy every time another student couple walked past us.

I was just about to tell her to keep her distance so we wouldn't draw unnecessary attention, but the morning bell rang just then, forcing us to split up and head to our respective classrooms.

Unfortunately, my suffering didn't end there. Throughout the morning periods, every single teacher who walked in abruptly altered their lesson plans. Whether it was math, history, or literature, every lecture somehow devolved into a speech about the importance of building relationships and finding a life partner. It felt like being trapped in a mandatory, hours-long mass matchmaking seminar.

By the time the lunch bell finally rang, my head felt ready to split open. I slipped quietly out of the classroom and headed toward the cafeteria, hoping to calm down alone in some secluded corner and cool off my stressed-out brain.

However, because I was too absorbed in mulling over today's madness, my steps grew careless. As I turned the corner at the end of the corridor leading to the cafeteria, my shoulder accidentally collided with someone, nearly knocking both of us off balance.

I looked up to apologize, only for the words to catch in my throat.

Standing right in front of me was a female student with pale, bluish-white hair and a pair of striking green eyes. Her model-student aura stood out unmistakably amid the crowded hallway.

Goosebumps instantly prickled across my skin. Hold on a second... A cliché collision around a corridor corner with a girl sporting such a distinct appearance... Isn't this beat-for-beat the exact opening scene where the protagonist meets his very first main heroine?!

Could the girl standing right in front of me be Hiyori Tanaka—and did my first Heroine route just officially begin at this exact second?!