After deciding to give up, I became popular

After deciding to give up, I started to become popular

Author: 冰霜千雨 (Frost and Rain)

Introduction:

Involves "Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend," "Oregairu," "Kaguya-sama: Love Is War," "The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten," etc. Not a direct copy.

Utaha Kasumigaoka, Yukino Yukinoshita, Kaguya Shinomiya, Mahiru Shiina...

When these "waifus" from your fantasies stand vividly before you, can you resist the urge to get close to them?

Regardless of what others think, at least Kanade Natsukawa cannot suppress the impulse in his heart.

So he launches an attack—retreats, regroups—retreats again... repeatedly.

No matter what strategy he tries, or even if he changes the target, it just doesn't work.

Kanade Natsukawa then realizes that the girls in his fantasies simply do not exist.

In that case, he should just go back to being himself...

—In short, this is a story about an "ordinary person" who comes to the world of anime.

Main Text

001. You Win, I Lose

"Sorry, I'm not ready to be in a relationship yet..."

"Sorry, Kanade, I'm not currently thinking about dating..."

"Kanade, you're a good person..."

"..."

Kanade Natsukawa opened his eyes, staring at the familiar ceiling without saying a word.

He had this kind of dream countless times. At first, the faces of every girl who rejected his confession were very clear and distinct, but gradually they began to blur.

Did he forget and let go? Of course not, it's just that he became numb from repeating the same experience every day.

It's like habitually eating a piece of bread every morning, but if asked why he eats bread, he can't answer at all.

Because it has become a bodily instinct.

"Today should be the last day, time really flies..."

Slightly awake, Kanade Natsukawa turned off the alarm that had been ringing non-stop since just now, and then began to dress and wash up.

The sky outside was just beginning to dawn, and a ray of light shone into the room through the curtains, imprinted on the sheets as if sprinkling a layer of frost.

This couldn't help but remind Kanade Natsukawa of a poem by a famous Tang Dynasty poet, the artistic conception was the same, except that his was morning instead of night.

"I really do want to go back a bit..." Kanade Natsukawa muttered to himself.

Unfortunately, just like he didn't know why he fell asleep in class and transmigrated here, he also didn't know how to return to his original world.

No golden finger, no guidance, no goal, and no mission, it was as if a certain god was playing a small joke on him, sending him to this unfamiliar place without explanation.

Kanade Natsukawa certainly liked to read novels, so he once fantasized that he had come to this world with a certain mission, but as time passed, he soon discovered.

The world he was in was almost no different from the world he originally lived in. There were no villains trying to destroy the world, and no tragedies that he needed to save. The only thing that could be considered a characteristic was that the two-dimensional girls who originally only existed in anime truly appeared before his eyes.

Yukino Yukinoshita, Kaguya Shinomiya, Utaha Kasumigaoka... one by one, "waifus" emerged from the books and began to have conversations with him from a real-person perspective.

He was of course overjoyed.

No one would not want to see their favorite girl appear in front of them, especially when you know that she was originally impossible to "exist."

Naturally, Kanade Natsukawa regarded them as his goal and motivation in this world.

Recalling plots, formulating plans, approaching targets, and launching strategies.

To this end, Kanade Natsukawa abandoned his habits and personality that he had cultivated for many years, and forcibly approached the "heroines" in a way that he was very unfamiliar with.

His abilities were certainly not bad, but it was naturally not enough to reach the point where the heroines were infatuated, so he had to constantly imitate until he became the ideal "protagonist."

This process was not easy.

Cooking, musical instruments, tea ceremony, the same hobbies... almost every day he had to spend one-third of his time learning these things so that he could do something when interacting with the heroines.

The initial situation was very optimistic. As planned, the heroines' relationship with him gradually deepened, and he became their friend, confidant, and even best friend.

More than friends, but less than lovers.

It seemed that with just a gentle final push, Kanade Natsukawa could fulfill his dream and reap a long-awaited love.

He believed so, but the reality was completely the opposite.

When Kanade Natsukawa created a perfect date, eager for a happy harvest at the end, he was ruthlessly rejected by the heroine.

Light words, unconvincing reasons, Kanade Natsukawa certainly didn't want to accept reality, but no matter how close he got, all he got in return was constant alienation.

What's going on? What exactly is going on? Clearly... he felt like he was about to succeed?

Did something go wrong in which link? Could it be... that his timing for confession was wrong? Maybe he should cultivate his feelings a little more?

However, no matter what the truth was, his first love ended just like that.

But he was unwilling, how could it end like this? Of course, he was unwilling to give up.

Fortunately, there were many "heroines" here. Although the first love ended without success, he could have a second, or even...

So, turning all the regret into motivation, Kanade Natsukawa quickly devoted himself to the second love.

The same steps, but the strategy method was different, the initial situation was also optimistic, but the final result... was also rejected.

Why? Why exactly?

Unwilling to believe it, Kanade Natsukawa started his third love... fourth... fifth...

However, no matter which time, the result he got was—NO.

It wasn't that they said NO from the beginning, but after the relationship between the two deepened and the feelings gradually warmed up, when Kanade Natsukawa decided to charge.

Ah... so that's how it is... he, sure enough, is not their protagonist...

No matter how much he imitates, no matter how sincere his feelings are, a fake will never replace the real thing.

The funny thing is that he has been unwilling to recognize this reality, until the emptiness called "truth" gradually expanded, and finally covered his entire sky, dyeing his world with a thick haze.

Fortunately, all of this will end. From today onwards, he will be himself again, and he will no longer need to use all kinds of personalities to decorate himself.

...

"President, good morning."

"Morning."

Looking at the students who kept greeting him on the corridor, Kanade Natsukawa felt a little emotional.

Student council president, and still the student council president of Shuchiin Academy. Becoming the student council president in this consistent aristocratic school based in Minato Ward, Tokyo, from kindergarten to university, his future is naturally bright.

Whether it is making friends with famous noble children or getting admission applications to world-renowned universities, it is easy for him.

It's like opening his mouth to be fed, as long as he wants, he can get it.

However, he has no interest in all of this. The reason why he chose to run for student council president was just to pursue a certain girl—Kaguya Shinomiya.

The daughter of the Shinomiya Group with total assets of 200 trillion yen, an all-rounder genius who can perform excellently in anything she does.

She was also the heroine that Kanade Natsukawa once thought he might spend his life with.

Unfortunately, the other party didn't think so.

Completely different from the image in his impression, the Kaguya Shinomiya here has never shown him even a trace of "goodwill."

Whether it was feeling unwilling after being defeated in the grades bet, or joining the student council and working with him after keeping the agreement, Kaguya Shinomiya always looked businesslike and never showed Kanade Natsukawa any emotions other than competitive hostility.

Even if he chose to back down and confess everything, it would not make that indifferent girl cast even a trace of affection on him, only endless struggles.

He was tired, so today he would end all of this.

There was no emotion on Kanade Natsukawa's face, but his heart was extremely firm.

He pushed open the door of the student council room, looked at the people who cast their eyes on him, and uttered a sentence clearly: "Shinomiya, you win, I lose."

002. Determined to Let Go

"Shinomiya, you win, I admit defeat."

Facing the girl he once loved so much, Kanade Natsukawa showed apathetic emotions for the first time.

It's not that he's heartless, but if he softens now, he's afraid that he will be the one who gets hurt in the future.

So let go, not as their "protagonist" surrounding them, but as an ordinary passerby, witnessing them usher in a romantic ending.

"Admit defeat? ...President, what do you mean..."

The girl who responded to Kanade Natsukawa first had an extremely gorgeous appearance. Her hands were folded in front of her abdomen, she stood upright, her posture was dignified, her silky smooth black hair was scattered behind her head, her skin was as white as snow, her facial features were exquisite and flawless, and a pair of beautiful deep red eyes firmly contained Kanade Natsukawa's figure.

Kaguya Shinomiya, a girl with great personal charm, and also the girl Kanade Natsukawa used every means to invite to become his vice president.

Just like Kaguya Shinomiya's eyes only have Kanade Natsukawa at this moment, Kanade Natsukawa is also only staring at her, as if he wants to imprint all the final beautiful scenes in his mind.

"Sorry, Shinomiya... and everyone, because of my personal reasons, I will... resign from the position of student council president."

Scanning the colleagues in the student council room, Kanade Natsukawa said with a slightly apologetic tone.

He didn't directly answer the girl's question, but thinking about her intelligence, she should be able to understand his thoughts.

The student council of Shuchiin Academy has great autonomy, and the student council president is elected by the students, and after becoming the president, he can designate anyone to become a member of the student council.

Kaguya Shinomiya, Miyuki Shirogane, Yu Ishigami... and Chika Fujiwara.

Except for the last one who cried and insisted on joining the student council with Kaguya Shinomiya, all the others were invited by Kanade Natsukawa one by one.

Perhaps because of a trace of guilt in his heart, or out of appreciation and love for certain characters, Kanade Natsukawa almost collected the original members of the student council like collecting cards.

But perhaps the problem lies here.

It is because of the existence of Miyuki Shirogane, so even if he becomes more like him, it is impossible to win first place in the Miyuki Shirogane imitation competition.

After all, most people like the real thing rather than the fake thing, just like Yukinoshita who is calm and always right...

"I have submitted my resignation to the headmaster, and the result should be available today without any accidents. I have also made notes on the specific handover matters. The newly elected student council president can adapt to the work as long as he follows the steps."

"But that's only for other people. For you... honestly, I hope the next student council president is you, Shirogane."

Kanade Natsukawa did not hide his inner thoughts.

From becoming the student council president to now, the few of them have worked together for a long time. Even if they don't know each other well, they have a clear understanding of each other's work ability. Although Kanade Natsukawa is preparing to step down due to personal reasons, it doesn't mean that he will resign irresponsibly and leave.

Deciding on a suitable successor, imparting relevant experience, handing over work, and arranging follow-up matters, no matter what kind of person the next student council president is, and whether he is willing to listen to some suggestions from him, the predecessor, he always has to make some arrangements.

In terms of love, Miyuki Shirogane is naturally his rival in love, his opponent, but in terms of real life, he is a very capable subordinate, a friend who can entrust his true heart.

Of course, in addition to this, there are some selfish motives in Kanade Natsukawa's heart—just as compensation for Miyuki Shirogane, some compensation for taking his position as "protagonist."

"Sorry, Shinomiya, although you won, you only won against me, you didn't win completely, at least Shirogane hasn't lost yet."

Kaguya Shinomiya's fighting spirit is very strong. Except for the initial bet with him using the aggressive method, the subsequent struggles between the two, both overt and covert, were almost all initiated by Kaguya Shinomiya.

Although Kanade Natsukawa doesn't like to be competitive, his heroine wants it, so he can only accompany her.

Once, twice, three times... Kanade Natsukawa can't remember how many similar things have happened between him and Kaguya Shinomiya. At first, he accompanied her with great interest, but the more he went on, the more numb he became.

He can't see the future, he can't see the end.

Even the most cumbersome task still has a progress bar as a reminder, but love is like a maze without reminders. You can decide the starting point, but once you enter it, you don't know whether you are heading towards a dead end or an exit.

But perhaps, the so-called "dead end" is also an exit?

Even if you say it's an excuse for cowards, so what? If you can really get rid of the pain, then escape.

"Shinomiya, I know you have always been unconvinced by me, ever since the grades competition, but you probably won't have a chance in the future."

"Of course, I have also found a good opponent for you."

After taking a deep look at his former heroine, Kanade Natsukawa turned his gaze to Miyuki Shirogane.