Episode 0

Scramble Love.

In an era when paper books have disappeared, it was a blockbuster boys’ manga that achieved record sales of 10 million copies.

It received high praise for its story, which was shamelessly faithful to the essence of love comedy, fitting the motto ‘Return to the Old Times’, while incorporating the unique color of the author.

I came to know this manga because the internet’s fandom erupted, in a bad way, when the final volume of Scramble Love ended with the unexpected childhood friend ending, defeating all the renowned heroines.

I heard that the childhood friend who became the true heroine was ranked fourth in the overall popularity poll or something.

Honestly, up to this point, I had only encountered it as an internet drama and considered it a story completely unrelated to me.

But…

I never dreamed that I would be thrown into that comic.

Not to mention a 5700-character-long postcard that I had never read in my life.

—*

“Class President, greet.”

“Yes! Attention, everyone! Salute to the teacher!”

While the homeroom teacher, who looked like a fiery sports teacher, was calling the roll, I turned my head to look at the schoolyard outside the classroom.

Pink cherry blossoms were in full bloom along the long commuter road.

It was a scene you could never see in Korea, where the new school year starts in March, unlike Japan.

“…Moto Yuji.”

“Yes!”

While I was momentarily distracted, names were called in the order of attendance numbers, and finally, my name, which I had been waiting for, was called.

“Kim… Ryu-sei?”

“It’s Kim Yu-seong.”

“Ah, Kim Yu-seong. I’m sorry for that.”

“It’s okay.”

Despite his fierce appearance like a gorilla, the homeroom teacher genuinely admitted his mistake.

This was also a cliché of school stories.

After I graciously accepted the apology, the homeroom teacher, who had finished calling the rest of the attendance, cleared his throat with a ‘cough! cough!’ once the roll call was completed.

“I know it’s only been a day since the new semester started, and it’s noisy, but let’s be quiet for a moment.”

Then, like magic, the classroom became quiet.

As everyone’s attention focused on him, the homeroom teacher nodded with a satisfied expression and said,

“We have a transfer student in our class. They’ve come from far away, so there’s a lot that’s unfamiliar to them, so please pay special attention.”

The classroom became incredibly noisy at the teacher’s sudden bombshell announcement.

“A transfer student? Is it a boy or a girl?”

“I hope it’s a cute girl.”

“Has anyone seen the transfer student in the staff room?”

Amidst the cringe-inducing flood of words, the homeroom teacher called out in a calm voice to the transfer student waiting outside the classroom.

“Hey! Come inside!”

As if waiting for this, the classroom door opened.

The moment the transfer student appeared, time in the classroom seemed to pause.

Dazzling like melted gold, her blonde hair shone, with mysterious green eyes and delicate features like a bisque doll.

The exotic beauty, with physical characteristics never found in native Japanese, confidently walked into the classroom.

As she stood in front of the podium, the homeroom teacher said,

“Introduce yourself.”

Then, the blonde girl smiled like a cat and, striking the podium with her hands, she said,

“My name is Kishimoto Rika! I came from Shizuoka! I like cats, sweets, and natto-jiru! I’m looking forward to this year with you all!”

She’s a girl brimming with energy at just a glance.

For someone like me, who lacked presence, it was daunting to even speak normally to such a popular, flashy type of girl.

“Then, Kishimoto, your seat will be… over there, I guess.”

The homeroom teacher looked around the classroom, and pointed to a spot, and I realized it was the seat next to Sakamoto Ryuji, the protagonist of this comic.

It made sense because, as their eyes met, they both exclaimed in surprise as if they already knew each other.

“You! The one I bumped into in the alley this morning!”

“The pervert from this morning!”

“Who are you calling a pervert?!”

Feeling dizzy from their rapid-fire banter, as if it were a rehearsed act, I pressed my forehead.

‘This is crazy.’

Thinking that I had to witness this madness for two more years, I seriously considered transferring schools.