[Blue Lock] After the Player Binds to a Popularity System

[Blurb in first person, main story in third person]

Here's what happened. I'm Morishita, an utterly ordinary Chinese high school boy, a total nerd with zero athletic ability. After playing a soccer-training game, I got into a car accident and woke up inside one of the game's characters. I was also forced to bind myself to a popularity System that needed approval from the audience.

Wait, why are there two settings that shouldn't go together?

With this character model and a despair-inducing status screen, I stepped into Blue Lock

...Anyway, I should figure out how to raise the protagonists' affection levels first.

Then, because of my social anxiety, I often let the System take over, and ended up becoming the "mysterious, beautiful, strong, and tragic" figure in everyone's eyes.

Didn't they say sports types were all idiots?! Why are you all imagining such elaborate backstories for me?!

[Scene One: First Meeting with Isagi Yoichi]

Me: Oh no, the first protagonist! My Japanese vocabulary is at 0%!

System takeover activated:

The boy gave an elegant nod, his voice cool as snow:

"Nice to meet you, Isagi."

Isagi Yoichi: ...He feels so distant. Is he the aloof genius type?

[Isagi got frozen by a beauty!]

[This new guy's aura is so strong! Maximum mystery!]

[That "Isagi" killed me!! Cool and distant is the best!!!]

System: [Likes +10!]

Me, coming back to myself: ? That worked?

[Scene Two: Chigiri Hyoma's Gaze]

Chigiri looked at my long hair. "You take good care of it."

Me, panicking in my head: What does that mean in Japanese? Is he complimenting me? Should I compliment him back?

The System was still on cooldown, so I had no choice but to stay silent and lower my eyes, twisting a lock of hair around my finger without thinking.

Chigiri raised an eyebrow.

Tch, ignored me?

[The young lady hit a wall! The beauty actually ignored Hyoma!]

[Twisting his hair is unconscious flirting, right? Confirmed tsundere!]

[Long-haired rivals-to-lovers storyline activated!]

System: [Likes +15!]

Me: Someone speak up for me.

Because of the persona I'd created for myself, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and answer:

"I don't have any family."

"I used to be pretty obsessed with soccer (training my skills), so I didn't have many friends."

"My eyes? That's because... I forgot."

The truth?

I'm just an ordinary nerd who wants to turn off the "beautiful, strong, and tragic" storyline, crawl to the cafeteria on limbs with zero athletic skill, and stay alive by relying on the "dumb beauty" label!

[Is his silence part of the reclusive genius setting? More, please!]

Stop!!

The main story follows the plot. The bonus chapters cover the romance, with Itoshi Rin as the CP.

They're a rather unusual pairing (

Theme: Anything goes.