In near-future Japan, a sudden genetic mutation has caused the birth ratio of men to women to collapse to 1:50. Men are protected by the state as living national treasures, while women fight desperately to win a man's heart and secure a future. High school student Yuma Arimura transfers into a mixed-gender school where boys are almost nonexistent. The moment he walks into class, girls scream, faint, snap photos, and whisper about wanting to be his. Yuma just wants a normal life, but everywhere h
National Treasure High - National Treasure Transfer Student
"They're saying starting today, you're to attend Seirei Academy."
I picked up the transfer order lying on the living room table with my fingers and let out a sigh. The thick paper bore the gleaming emblem of the Humanform Management Agency. The words printed in gold ink—"Designated School Transfer Order Pursuant to the National Treasure Individual Protection Act"—felt unnaturally heavy.
"Yuuma, breakfast is ready."
Mom called out from the kitchen. I set the order back on the table and sat down in a chair. Laid out before me were fried eggs, toast, and a small salad. It wasn't a special occasion or anything, but Mom had apparently put more effort into it than usual.
"...Thanks for the food."
I pressed my hands together, then bit into the toast. It tasted fine—normal, even. But my stomach felt heavy, and I couldn't quite swallow.
A thin screen was mounted on the living room wall. It powered on automatically, and the morning news began to play.
*'—Due to the effects of Karyus Syndrome, the estimated domestic male population now stands at 4.42 million. That is a decline to roughly four percent of the total population. The government is strengthening countermeasures centered on the Humanform Management Agency, but improvement in the birth rate has yet to be achieved.'*
The announcer's mechanical voice echoed through the room. The screen displayed a caption reading: "The Current State of Male Protection Policy."
I dropped my gaze to my left wrist. A silver band-type device—an Identag—sat against my skin, cold and gleaming. It tracked my location via GPS and monitored everything from my heart rate to my body temperature. Proof that I was a state-managed "national treasure."
Removing it was prohibited by law. Violation carried a three-year prison sentence.
(*National treasure, huh...*)
I muttered inwardly. Just because I was born male, everyone made a fuss about protection this and management that. I couldn't even walk outside freely. Because it was "dangerous," guards constantly watched my surroundings. Honestly, it was suffocating.
"Yuuma, are you okay?"
Mom peered at my face with concern. She held a coffee cup in her hand. In the morning light, I could see fatigue etched into her profile—deeper than her age would suggest.
It had been eight years since Dad got caught up in a kidnapping attempt. Mom had been worrying about me ever since. The security gate at the entrance had been replaced with the latest model, and the living room had an emergency alert button connected directly to the Management Agency.
"I'm fine. Transferring schools isn't exactly new for me."
I put on a bright smile. So I wouldn't make her worry. Because living as a man in this world meant making the women around you worry, too.
Mom smiled faintly and placed her hand on my head.
"You've always been like that, you know. Forcing yourself to smile."
"...I'm not forcing anything."
I shrugged lightly. But she'd hit the mark.
―――
I arrived at the gates of Seirei Academy around 8:20 in the morning.
A co-ed school located in the northern part of Mitaka City. Student body of about six hundred twenty, of which only seven were male. It was one of only forty-three precious co-ed schools in the entire country.
(*I really am nervous.*)
The moment I passed through the gate, the first thing that hit me was the crowd of female students lined up in rows.
The uniform was a standard blazer and pleated skirt design. But the sheer number was anything but normal. Nearly a hundred girls were packed near the gate, and every single one of them had their eyes fixed on me.
"...A real boy..."
"Wait, wait, wait—he's seriously transferring to Seirei?!"
"Oh my god, he's cuter than I expected. His face is so small, and his skin is so pale..."
Whispered voices washed over me like waves. I put on a smile and started walking.
The stares hurt. It felt like they were piercing into my body. Like I'd become some kind of spectacle.
The boys' uniform—a navy blazer with gray slacks—stood out in reverse among the girls' flashy uniforms. A plain color that should have been inconspicuous felt strangely vivid here.
"Eek—"
Suddenly, about ten meters past the gate, one of the girls collapsed. Her knees buckled beneath her, and she caught herself on the ground with her hands.
"Hey, what are you doing?! Get a hold of yourself!"
"But he's real...? A live boy, that close..."
Two girls who seemed to be friends of the fainted student rushed over in a panic. All around, smartphones—no, the camera functions on wrist gears—were aimed at me all at once.
*Click, click, click, click.*
Shutter sounds. I couldn't even tell who was taking pictures. Just that countless lenses were trained on me.
(*...What am I, a panda at the zoo?*)
I cursed inwardly. But I didn't let my expression crack. Smile. A plastered-on, ingratiating smile.
If a guy showed even the slightest hint of displeasure, there'd be girls wailing about how "the boy hates us." If he smiled instead, they'd get all worked up about how "he looked at me." Either way, it was a pain in the ass.
The path to the school building felt impossibly long.
―――
When I entered the Class 2-A classroom, the room was wrapped in dead silence.
A classroom that should have held over fifty students was utterly, completely still. All girls. I was the only boy.
"Well then, this is the student who will be joining our class from today... Arimura Yuuma-kun."
The female homeroom teacher—her name was, I think, Midou Suzue... no, this class's homeroom teacher was someone else. A young woman with platinum blonde hair tied back behind her. She introduced me with a nervous voice. I could see a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead.
"Um... I'm Arimura Yuuma. Please take care of me."
I bowed my head.
A moment of silence.
The next instant, shrill screams erupted from all corners of the classroom.
"KYAAAAAAAAH!"
It was less a scream and more a shriek. A girl sitting near the center of the room slid right off her chair.
"Someone, help! She's fainted!"
"A real boy... transferred in..."
*Buzz, buzz, buzz.*
The classroom erupted into chaos all at once. Excited voices, shrill cries, hushed whispers. And from within that noise, I could clearly make out certain words.
"...I want him to hold me."
"I want to make him my mate... I have to take the Pairing Exam..."
A chill ran down my spine. Those weren't words I wanted to hear, even as a joke.
"Arimura-kun! Exchange contact info with me!"
A girl in the front row suddenly stood up and rushed toward me. She reached out, trying to grab my hand.
"Hey, stop right there!"
Two guards at the back of the classroom reacted instantly. One was a woman. The other was also a woman. Both wore black suits, with guard rings hanging from their waists.
"Unauthorized contact with a male student is prohibited. Please return to your seat."
One of the guards stepped in front of the girl who had stood up. The girl shot back a dissatisfied look and reluctantly returned to her seat.
I just kept smiling through it all.
(*...I feel sick.*)
My face. My reproductive ability. That was all. I wondered how many people in this classroom actually saw me as a person.
―――
Lunch break.
I headed to the boys-only protective wing, the "North Wing."
A separate four-story reinforced concrete building connected to the main school building by a covered walkway. A thick security gate stood at the entrance, with two guards stationed permanently.
"Welcome back. Please confirm your Identag."
One of the guards took my left wrist and held up a wrist gear. *Beep.* An electronic tone sounded.
"Confirmation complete. You'll be using the cafeteria today?"
"Yes."
The gate opened with a mechanical sound.
Unlike the main building, the inside of the North Wing was very quiet. Only natural, since there were just seven male students. The hallway was nearly empty, and surveillance cameras mounted on the walls tracked my movements.
Seven private dorm rooms, each about twelve square meters. Plus a shared lounge and a dedicated cafeteria. I took a tray in the cafeteria and sat down at an empty table.
The meal was a balanced set: simmered fish, miso soup, rice, and a small side of vegetables. It didn't taste bad.
But I had no appetite.
As I picked at the fish with my fork, I glanced toward the entrance.
Beyond the security gate, several female students were standing there. They hadn't come for an approved visit or anything—they were just peering in at me.
"...Is that the transfer student who came today?"
"Yeah. Arimura Yuuma-kun from Class 2-A. Cute, right?"
"I get it... he's got that, like, 'I want to protect him' vibe."
The stares stung.
The cafeteria was glass-walled, so I could see outside clearly. And if I could see out, that meant I was completely visible from outside too.
(*Enough. I can't eat like this.*)
I stood up with my tray and returned the barely-touched meal to the drop-off counter.
―――
I opened the door to the rooftop garden.
No one was there.
The rooftop of Seirei Academy was the one place where male students could rest without worrying about female gazes. The small garden had a flower bed and a single bench. Overgrown shrubs swayed in the wind, looking a bit unkempt.
Through the fence, I could see the cityscape of Mitaka. The white building of the "Lucere Mitaka" shopping mall in front of the station, and in the distance, the West Kanto branch office of the Humanform Management Agency.
The wind blew.
It brushed against my cheeks. The scent of early summer. Blue sky. Clouds drifting slowly by.
I took a deep breath, then let it out.
"...I just want to be seen as a normal person."
I muttered it aloud.
No one could hear. But I couldn't keep it in.
―――
After school.
The day was finally over.
On my way from the shoe lockers to the school gate, I got surrounded by several female students.
"Arimura-kun! I'd love to get your contact info, if that's okay!"
"Me too! Not Instagram—just your wrist gear ID is fine!"
"Hey, do you have time after this? Want to go to a café or something?"
Five or six of them. All talking at once. The cloying smell of perfume and hair oil mixed together, making me feel nauseous.
"Ah, um... contact info is... a little..."
I smiled vaguely and tried to decline.
But they wouldn't back off. They pressed in even closer. Hands reached out, trying to touch my arm.
"Just for a little bit! Okay?"
"I just want you to remember me...!"
Surrounded. Trapped.
(*This is bad. I can't get away.*)
That's when I heard it.
"—I'm terribly sorry. Might I have a moment?"
A clear, dignified voice came from behind me.
I turned around.
She was standing there.
Straight black-purple hair that reached down to her waist. Calm, narrow eyes. Her light-colored irises looked translucent in the evening sun. She was about a hundred sixty centimeters tall, with a delicate build. Even through her uniform, I could see the slender, supple lines of her body.
Hikami Sumika.
My childhood friend.
"...Sumika?"
She walked up to me and gave the girls a slight bow.
"Arimura-kun has a prior engagement with me after this. I apologize for any inconvenience."
Sumika's voice was quiet and gentle.
But for just an instant, a chillingly cold light flickered in her eyes.
The girls who had been swarming around me moments ago fell silent and stepped back.
"...Hikami-san..."
"Wait, what do you mean, engagement..."
No one tried to complain further. Sumika deepened her smile once more.
"Is something the matter?"
Her tone was soft. But there was an undeniable pressure behind it.
The girls exchanged glances, then scattered one by one.
Sumika turned back to face me, her eyes narrowing just slightly.
"...Yuuma."
Just one word.
And with that alone, her whole atmosphere seemed to soften.
"C-Can we... walk home together?"
"Of course. That's why I came."
Sumika smiled faintly and fell into step beside me.
Then, in a voice only I could hear, she whispered clearly:
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