During homeroom, Shuu sat in the second-to-last row by the window, eyes half-lidded as he gazed outside.
The petals drifting past the glass reminded him again—he really was inside Horimiya.
An anime world where nearly everyone was in a relationship by the end. The classic "everyone gets paired off but the protagonist" setup.
"Even if it's peaceful here, this situation is a nightmare."
Originally, in Horimiya, the focus was on the romance between Hori Kyoko and Miyamura Izumi. But by the end, almost every side character got their own love story too.
Except for Iura Shuu, the guy he'd become.
A character bursting with energy, likable, cheerful, and funny—but ultimately left single.
Shuu sighed and turned his gaze across the room.
Sitting beside him was Kouno Sakura—a quiet, gentle girl with long black hair, reading a book as usual.
Shuu narrowed his eyes.
"She likes Ishikawa in the story, but feels she's not good enough and keeps it to herself. She cooks well, studies hard, is kind... and in the end, gets nothing."
Honestly, Shuu thought that was unfair.
But more importantly—she was single!
Which meant... a target!
Shuu subtly observed her. Even from the side, Sakura had elegant features, and the serious look in her eyes as she read made her seem calm and mysterious.
"Hmm. Looks, check. Personality, check. Skills, check. She's just a bit lacking in self-confidence. If I step in and help her grow, wouldn't that be the perfect sweet high school romance arc?"
At that moment, Sakura turned slightly, noticing his gaze.
Their eyes met.
"...!"
Shuu quickly looked away, scratching his head awkwardly.
Crap. That probably came off as creepy.
But before he could recover, the door to the classroom opened—and in walked none other than...
"Good morning, everyone!"
Hori Kyoko.
The female lead of Horimiya. Bright, beautiful, and charismatic.
And right behind her...
"...Hey."
Miyamura Izumi, the quiet, gloomy-looking guy who always wore his long hair down.
The moment Hori entered, the class lit up. Everyone greeted her with big smiles and sparkling eyes.
Meanwhile, Miyamura... was ignored.
Classic.
Shuu smirked.
This was how it all began.
Miyamura looked like a loner, but secretly had tattoos and piercings. Hori discovered his secret by chance, and their relationship blossomed from there.
A classic boy-meets-girl story.
Of course, Shuu had no intention of interfering with the canon couple. He actually liked their dynamic.
"I'll just watch from the sidelines... and work on my own route."
As he thought that, the door opened again.
In walked Ishikawa Tooru, their classmate—sunny, sincere, the quintessential good guy.
And behind him was...
"Morning~!"
Yoshikawa Yuki, energetic as ever, waving at her friends with a huge smile.
With those two present, the class felt even more lively.
Then came Ayasaki Remi and Sengoku Shou—the quirky student council couple.
And finally, bringing up the rear...
"Good morning."
A soft voice came from the front door.
Shuu looked up.
It was Kouno Sakura, returning from handing in homework.
She returned to her seat quietly, head slightly bowed, and immediately opened her book again.
Not a single person greeted her.
No one even noticed she was gone.
She was... invisible.
Just like her role in the anime.
Shuu stared at her silently.
After a long pause, he whispered to himself:
"If this were a gal game, Sakura would be the first to get a bad end."