I Reincarnated as Astolfo in DanMachi
I’m just an ordinary guy living in Japan. The only thing that makes me stand out is my height and my annoyingly pretty face: girls look at me with admiration, while boys glare at me with open disdain. That face has brought me more trouble than benefit. In every other way, I’m utterly average: no friends, struggling with studies, and that’s exactly why, even at nineteen, I’m still in high school. Yes—that’s right. I was held back in my final year. It was my own choice, and a huge mistake — over time, people started laughing at me. “The dimwitted pole”—seriously, what kind of nickname is that?
Once, the most popular girl in school confessed to me, and for a while we dated. But soon enough, she dumped me, leaving nothing behind but emptiness and an even stronger sense of inadequacy. Maybe it’s because of her that I never made any friends—she spread rumors about me. Perhaps I deserved it, I don’t know. Honestly, I didn’t care anymore.
Then came everything else: the sideways looks, the mockery, the bullying. Being the “big dumb giant” who failed to move on made me an easy target. So I lived, counting down the days until graduation, dreaming of the moment I could finally escape this hell.
I have no family—just memories, and a large inheritance that left me with plenty of money. You’d think that would help, but wealth doesn’t erase loneliness. And on the very day I finally drew close to freedom, I was hit by a truck...