"Miku-san… I love you!"
The entire hall fell silent. My voice echoed, stretching into the distance as every person froze mid-step—including her. Anyone else would've died of embarrassment on the spot, but not Ren. He was a hopeless simp for her, madly and irrevocably in love.
She slowly turned around, her long brown hair sweeping through the air with the motion. A single loose strand covering a part of her face, enhancing her beauty instead of hiding it. And then her eyes—clear, blue, and deep like the open sea—met mine, pulling me in with a force that made me want to drown in them.
(AN: I know that originally all five sisters have the same hair color and eye color, the anime and illustrations made it different for us fans to not confuse them. Though die hard fans like me could still recognize them instinctively, I still choose to follow the anime setting.)
*Thump. Thump. Thump.*
My heart pounded harder than it ever had, each beat threatening to rip out of my chest as I waited for her response. Miku stared at me for a brief moment before parting her lips.
"…Who are you?"
Her tone was flat—completely uninterested.
At the same time, the murmurs of the onlookers seeped into my ears.
"Hey, isn't he that delinquent who's always causing trouble?"
"He's hitting on the new transfer student?"
"How shameless. She just arrived today."
"Was it love at first sight or something?"
"No way, hahaha! There's no way someone would date him."
I don't know who any of these people are, and honestly, they can say whatever they want—annoying weeds whispering in the background. Everything will fade soon anyway.
"I am Ren Hayama," I declared, ignoring the crowd entirely. "I've always loved you… and I've longed for the day we would meet."
I lowered my head in a polite bow—the kind you offer when confessing your heart.
"Why?" Miku asked, her voice still soft and flat, though this time there was a faint trace of curiosity. "Have we met before? I don't really remember."
"No," I said, stepping closer to her with a gentle smile. "We've never met… but I've watched you from afar. You changed my life."
"Do you enjoy watching others from afar?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
So freaking cute!
I let out a short chuckle. "I don't have that kind of hobby. I just—"
I couldn't finish. A sharp, furious voice cut through the air.
"Get away from her!"
Instead of fear, my heart kicked into overdrive. That voice—so protective, so fierce—it only made my pulse quicken.
A girl stepped forward, placing herself firmly between me and Miku like a human barrier. She was beautiful as hell—the type who followed every fashion trend without missing a beat. Her long, straight salmon-pink hair drew my eyes instantly, and her gaze, the same striking shade of blue as her sister's, pierced me with a colder, sharper edge.
Nakano Nino.
Another girl I loved just as deeply.
She shot me a murderous glare.
"I know scum like you very well. If you think you can hit on her just because she looks like a quiet, easy girl, think again. I'll destroy your social life."
I quickly raised both hands in surrender and took a step back.
"You're misunderstanding me, Nino-san."
Her eyes widened visibly.
"…Why do you know my name?" she demanded, suspicion dripping from every word.
"He said he watched us from afar," Miku added quietly from behind her.
"Hah?! A stalker?!" Nino recoiled, looking at me as if I were some kind of walking trash bag.
The whispers from the students around us exploded into a storm.
"N-no, that's not—"
But once again, my explanation was cut short—this time by a familiar, cheerful voice echoing down the hall.
"What's going on here?! Why are you two taking so long?!"
From over their shoulders, I spotted three very familiar girls approaching.
Wait. Something was wrong.
A creeping realization washed over me—my dreams never lasted this long. They always ended by now.
A chill ran down my spine.
No way…
No way that voice was real.
No way this is real.
No way I actually got transmigrated into "The Quintessential Quintuplets".
My grip tightened around the handle of my bag, knuckles turning white.
I needed to get out of there. I needed a moment to think—to breathe. Staying any longer would only complicate the future.
Without another word, I bolted, rushing past the three incoming sisters.
In my panic, I failed to notice a certain pair of curious eyes following me… along with the sly grin curling on her lips.
-------
I didn't stop running until I reached a small, empty park far from the school. I staggered to the slide, one hand gripping the cool metal, the other braced against my knee as I tried to catch my breath.
Then—*bam*—I punched my own cheek, hard.
*Thk.* A bit of blood touched my tongue as I spat, but I didn't care.
What mattered was the feeling bubbling inside me.
I couldn't stop grinning.
My hands trembled uncontrollably.
This was real—so real it terrified me.
That voice was real.
This world was real.
They were real.
I actually got my wish granted… just like that.
"Wh-what should I do…?"
I clutched my chest, feeling my heartbeat echo through the empty park—loud, wild, and overflowing with excitement and anticipation.
"I actually… confessed my love to Miku."
A silly grin stretched across my face, one that didn't match my rough, delinquent-like appearance at all.
"But I think Nino hates me now…" I muttered, slumping down as the adrenaline slowly cooled.
I racked my brain, desperately trying to figure out how to fix things between us—how to clear the minefield I'd just walked straight into.
But then I let out a long sigh.
"We'll see about that later," I murmured.
Right now, I'd just follow my feelings. It's not like I expected them to love me back. They could hate me, sneer at me, refuse to even look my way—none of that would change how I felt about them.
I just wanted the freedom to keep expressing my feelings.
To keep loving them in my own selfish, stubborn way.
Yes… I am selfish like that.
"Anyway… where do I live?"
The question slipped out before I even realized it, and the park fell silent—quiet enough for me to hear the soft hum of the evening breeze. The sun had already begun to set, stretching long shadows across the empty playground. Darkness was slowly claiming the sky.
I leaned back against the slide, letting the cool metal steady my thoughts.
Let's think this through.
I hadn't transmigrated into some existing character like in the usual fiction tropes.
No… I arrived here "as myself".
Yet from the whispers I heard back at school, the students clearly recognized me. They "knew" me—as if I had always existed in this world, living a life I had no memories of.
Not to mention…
I dragged a hand down my face, practically facepalming myself.
Of course they "remembered" me—from the days when I was still an active delinquent.
Back in my original world, after discovering this anime, I'd just been about to start high school. That was when I made the decision to change. I gave up violence, stopped picking fights, stopped causing trouble. I stopped skipping classes and actually went to school every day.
Little by little, I blended in.
By my second year, I no longer stood out—aside from my looks, anyway.
It's not like I made any friends.
I didn't need people who judged me by appearance alone.
The Nakano sisters… they were more than enough for me.
And now, here I was—back at the starting point again.
Thrown into a world where my reputation as a delinquent still clung to me like a curse I had to break all over again.
I let out a long, resigned sigh.
If I managed to fix my reputation once, then I could do it again. It wouldn't be easy—but it wasn't impossible.
Anyway… by that logic, my home in this world should be the same as it was in the real one, No?
This anime takes place in the fictional city of "Kurikami", modeled after the real-life "Tokai City" in Aichi Prefecture.
And coincidentally… that's exactly where I lived back in my world.
Which meant i know to navigate through this place.