What am I even doing here?
When Suzuki was dragged into the principal's office, he assumed he was going to be questioned about his martial arts or his flawless Element control. Instead, Minori Rokujo simply gestured for him to sit on the plush leather sofa while she stood over Kodama and the mysterious claw-wielding girl, scolding them like misbehaving children.
As for the identity of the mysterious girl, her name was...
"Inaho Kushiya?"
Similar to Haruko, Inaho's body was absolutely top-tier. She boasted massive, bouncing breasts, impossibly soft-looking thighs, and round, incredibly lewd buttocks.
Yet, if Suzuki had to choose, Haruko was much closer to his type. Inaho had a very distinct, almost cat-like energy. She had short hair, a constant, energetic smile, and a deeply impulsive streak that made her act before she thought.
She wasn't bad by any means, but Suzuki felt that dealing with her hyperactive personality would be exhausting.
"Who is she anyway?"
While Suzuki casually observed, Takeru was completely laser-focused on Inaho, especially after she loudly declared her reason for protecting him.
"Because I'm his fiancée!" Inaho declared proudly.
"Are you absolutely sure you don't know her?"
Besides Takeru, the one taking this sudden declaration the most seriously was Haruko, who had followed them into the office to make sure Takeru was okay.
"Of course I don't know her! If I knew I had a fiancée, don't you think I would have mentioned it?!" Takeru panicked, shrinking back under Haruko's terrifying glare.
"That's a bit cruel, isn't it?" Suzuki deadpanned, looking at Takeru in sheer disbelief.
"That's what I'm saying!" Haruko crossed her arms, firmly agreeing with Suzuki. Even though she felt completely helpless in the face of Inaho's stubborn insistence, Takeru's blunt denial was harsh.
"Suzuki, are you seriously taking her side?!"
"Think about it," Suzuki reasoned smoothly. "She probably appeared during your childhood. You probably made a careless, cliché promise to marry her, and she remembered it."
Suzuki knew his words might soften the eventual dramatic reveal of Takeru's suppressed memories, but he felt it was just too cruel for Takeru to completely dismiss the girl.
"My childhood?" Takeru muttered.
"Yeah. You probably said something stupid like 'I'll marry you when we grow up' while playing in a sandbox."
"...." Takeru fell into a daze, genuinely trying to search his memories.
Did he?
"Well? Did you?" Haruko narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"I..."
If it had been earlier that day, Takeru might have vehemently shaken his head. But now?
"It's a memory from when you were very young, so it's normal that you might have forgotten," Suzuki offered helpfully.
"No, that's literally impossible," Takeru suddenly declared, shaking his head with absolute certainty.
"Why?" Suzuki looked at him strangely. Where did this idiot get such immense confidence in his memory?
"Because she is an incredibly cute girl with huge boobs!" Takeru stated proudly. "How could I ever forget meeting a girl like that?!"
"..." Suzuki and Haruko stared at him in utter silence.
"Anyway..." Haruko pinched the bridge of her nose, deciding to ignore her idiot childhood friend. She turned to Suzuki and bowed deeply. "Thank you for your help earlier, Tanaka-kun."
She was incredibly grateful. She knew that if Suzuki hadn't stepped up to block Kodama, Takeru would have been severely injured, or worse. She wasn't sure why Kodama had suddenly snapped, but knowing Takeru's sheer stupidity, she assumed he had inadvertently done something to provoke the upperclassman.
"..." Takeru, oblivious to Haruko's thoughts, continued to stare at Inaho.
"Anyway, you two need to stop fighting immediately! As punishment for this reckless behavior on your first day, you two are going to be roommates!"
Minori, who had finished scolding Kodama and Inaho, suddenly slammed her hands on her desk and delivered her verdict.
"Eh?!" Kodama and Inaho gasped in unison.
"Tanaka-kun, you don't mind keeping an eye on them, right? They will be staying in the dorm room right next to yours." Minori turned to Suzuki, her decision absolute.
When she thought about how effortlessly Suzuki had handled both Kodama and Inaho on the stage, she felt incredibly reassured assigning him as their unofficial supervisor.
"Eh?!"
This time, all four students gasped.
Takeru was startled; he had never expected to live right next door to two incredibly powerful, beautiful girls. But Inaho and Kodama were absolutely thrilled!
Inaho and Kodama looked at each other, their previous animosity vanishing instantly. They nodded firmly and shook hands. For the sake of living right next to Suzuki (Takeru), they decided to make peace and become best friends.
"Wait! Wait! Wait! Hold on a minute, Principal!"
"What's wrong, Haruko?"
Yes, the one reacting the most violently to this new arrangement was Haruko!
Why? Because she was being entirely left out!
She didn't mind Kodama. Haruko had noticed Kodama making moves on Suzuki, and honestly, she felt relieved. If Kodama started dating a reliable, level-headed guy like Suzuki, it would be great for both of them.
But there was absolutely no way Haruko was going to let this bouncy, self-proclaimed "fiancée" live right next door to Takeru completely unsupervised!
"I..."
Haruko scrambled her brain for an excuse. How could she insert herself into this arrangement? She glanced at Suzuki, and an idea suddenly clicked.
"Principal!" Haruko declared smoothly. "It would be incredibly careless to just dump all the responsibility onto Tanaka-kun. He's only a freshman! It's too irresponsible. Therefore, as an upperclassman, I volunteer to move into the room with Inaho-chan and Kodama-chan!"
"Eh?"
Inaho and Kodama stared at Haruko suspiciously.
Who was Haruko really aiming for? Was it Takeru? Or... was it Suzuki?
"What?! Haru-nee is going to live right next door to us too?!" Takeru panicked, realizing his freedom was officially over.
Suzuki remained perfectly calm. Honestly, he preferred this arrangement. In the original story, Haruko, Kodama, Inaho, and Takeru had all been crammed into the same room, resulting in an endless nightmare of ecchi misunderstandings. Having the three heroines in a separate room next door while he shared a room with Takeru felt much more stable.
"I'll be keeping a very close eye on you, Take-chan. Don't do anything stupid!" Haruko warned, pointing a finger at Takeru.
"I wasn't planning on doing anything!" Takeru whined helplessly.
Satisfied, Haruko turned to Suzuki. Her stern expression melted into a soft, breathtakingly gentle smile. She bowed her head slightly. "Please take care of me from now on, Tanaka-kun."
"....." Suzuki.
"Tanaka-kun?" Haruko looked up at him, her beautiful eyes sparkling with hope.
Suzuki took a deep breath. He forcefully gathered all the degenerate, highly inappropriate memories of her bare legs, bouncing chest, and absolute territory, and violently tossed them into the mental gutter.
"Yes," Suzuki nodded politely. "Please take care of me too, Senpai."
While Takeru and Inaho didn't think much of the exchange, Kodama's eyes narrowed dangerously, recognizing a potential rival.
Clap!
"Excellent! Then it's settled!" Minori cheered, completely ignoring the complex romantic tension brewing in her office. "You five get out of here, go back to the dorms, and become great friends!"
With that single command, the lives of the five students became permanently intertwined. Suzuki just hoped this setup would lead to healthy, normal character development instead of the absurdly degenerate situations from the manga.
Yep. Healthy is definitely best.
However, his hopes were immediately dashed.
The moment they returned to the dorms and began unpacking, Haruko slipped away from the others, casually cornering him in the hallway.
"Say, Tanaka-kun..." Haruko leaned in close, her massive chest brushing against his arm. "Do you like Kodama-chan?"
"..." Suzuki.
Ten minutes later, while he was carrying a box of books, Kodama suddenly appeared out of thin air, blocking his path.
"Hey, Suzuki," Kodama whispered, her eyes sharp. "Do you like Haruko?"
"..." Suzuki.
This school is going to be the death of me, he thought tiredly.
While the Maken-Ki Suzuki was desperately trying to navigate a dangerous, hormonally-charged high school life, his alternate self in the Solo Leveling universe—Kim Min-Jun—was absolutely thriving.
His life had completely transformed the moment he had awakened as an S-Rank Archer and officially joined the prestigious Hunters Guild!
---
Yup, the one you've all been waiting for!
Kim Min-jun, the Solo Leveling!