Chapter 6 - Exposed?
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My sister is just too unique. Any other girl in her place would have cherished the opportunity dearly, but my sister doesn't follow those conventions.
Michelle nodded swiftly in agreement to my words, turning her glance towards one particular boy. Isn't that... the timid-looking boy of the trio? Um, what was he called again??
Michelle didn't wait for my confusion to settle as she spoke,
"But, Ricky seems a bit different, right? I mean... Warren and Danny look so scary."
"Oh... yeah. Maybe you are right."
Michelle smiled at my acknowledgement of her opinion. But seeing Michelle sneaking glances towards Ricky... did make me feel a bit stifled and anxious. A very uncomfortable feeling.
I could tell that I was becoming possessive over my first good friend, but I didn't want it to get the better of my judgment, not wanting to screw everything up at just the first instance.
Trying my best not to let it show on my face, I glanced over at Ricky's side, and the guy seemed busy with his phone, staring downwards, not interacting with the girls around him.
I guess that he's feeling it tough to handle being surrounded by curious girls on all side. Damn riajuu, go explode!
Still, lady luck was smiling at me when I was brought to this world. Being stuck as a guy might not have turned out to be as enjoyable as I previously thought it would be.
Michelle quickly lost her interest in the quiet boy, whispering to me as if discussing some big secret,
"I am sure that many girls from our class would find him likable."
Oh? I did suspect that to be the case, due to all the gossip flying around a few minutes ago. But, I think that the other two happen to be popular too, even if weirdly so.
Maybe Ricky just happens to be Michelle's type, and that's why she felt so curious about him, thinking of him as popular with ladies?
Going along with the flow, I gave her a mumbling response,
"True, a rare one like him could be popular too..."
Michelle nodded at me as she began to ponder something on her own.
Soon, she turned the topic of discussion away from the guy as she excitedly spoke to me,
"You know, it seems that we have six boys in our class, even if only three showed up today. Unfortunately, the other three may not show up anytime soon. My senior from this school informed me that many boys just sign up with the school for benefits and don't bother attending the classes. Having three in one class is amazing! Back in my middle school, there was just one boy in the entire school, and he too didn't stay for long, as he complained about loneliness and stress from being the lone boy there."
Michelle's gossipy face looked cute, but I tried to keep my will firm and replied to her with an apt response,
"Isn't it possible that some of the boys in the class may be ill and attend school later?"
Michelle shook her head in denial as she responded,
"No, no, that's not how it is. You see, attending the school at the entrance ceremony is a must for registered students, unless they are physically incapable of doing so."
"And, it's a fact that those who don't bother showing up even today might only show their faces at the exam times."
Somewhat surprised by the certainty in her voice, I asked her,
"But, where did you get to know all of this? From that senior of yours?"
Michelle smiled smugly as she replied,
"Hmm, you might not know, but the girls our age gather information surrounding boys nearby very diligently! Every girl has the duty to report the activities and interactions they had with their friends or class group chats."
"None of us wishes to offend the boys for any reason, and the information helps us avoid obvious pitfalls. Also, the class representative for every class is responsible for setting up and managing the girls-only exclusive chat group, so it's a very important role every year. All kinds of things could be found in the group chat. That's how it's been so far, according to my senior. Since the class representative hasn't been picked yet, the group for our class may be set up later."
Michelle spoke to me, as if discussing common knowledge, while I was too shocked to retort to so many things.
A stalker's heaven! This world is a legit stalker's heaven, with no privacy left for the poor boys. God damn it, I really feel pity for the guys now. No wonder they act so rude and anxious, they have good reason to be so.
But, the limits to which the girls of this world could go to attract boys really opened my eyes to reality. It looks like my thinking was still too naive to be able to understand this world completely.
Oh, well. I ain't no boy, so no need to stress too much.
People from my previous world would have celebrated becoming a boy in this world, I mean, they could get popular with hot ladies instantly, and feel wanted wherever they go. But... wouldn't it be too awkward being surrounded by girls in heat all the time? Wouldn't one wish to have little privacy to themselves, not to mention being surrounded by stalkers... yeah, it would be like entering a zoo, only to be displayed around as a rare animal. No wonder they all pile up stress even when blessed by the Cupids.
Having suffered loneliness before, I wouldn't agree to that kind of life, no matter how enticing it may sound. Not to mention that being a boy wouldn't let me be this close to Michelle!
Being a guy could go to hell!
The first impression that Michelle gave off was that of a pure and innocent girl, yet she became so lively and gossipy around me, making me feel very satisfied with my first day of school. Rather, her worldly side made me feel very comfortable around her.
Returning to the discussion, I tried to pry a bit further as I asked,
"Is that kind of information gathered from those chat groups reliable? Wouldn't some want to monopolize her findings and report false information to bring down the competition?"
Michelle responded to my query with a serious face,
"I am sure that it's true most of the time, since verifying it wouldn't be that hard. And no girl wishes to become an outcast from the groups, which might be the end of their dreams of living a happily married life! Besides... I have insider news. Apparently... one of the girls from our class... might actually be a boy in disguise!"
What the..? H-How did something like that become the gossip of the class?! It isn't about me, is it??
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