The entire class went silent.
Some students had their mouths hung open. Others stared at me like I had just committed a crime.
And the teacher?
He wore the kind of awkward smile people use when a situation has gone completely off the rails.
'Ah, hahaha.' He laughed nervously, 'I think what he meant to say is that he loved school, but his Japanese isn't very good yet.'
I turned to him.
'I meant exactly what I said.' I replied, 'School sucks. All you little shits remind me how miserable school used to be.'
The class froze again.
I continued rambling about my past school experience while the teacher desperately tried to cut me off.
Sorry mate, they deserved to hear the truth.
Eventually, the teacher managed to regain control of the situation.
'That was… not quite the speech I had in mind.' He said, adjusting his glasses, 'Ku-reiji san, please take any empty seat.'
I scanned the classroom.
There was exactly one seat left.
The back corner.
The sacred protagonist seat.
'Of course.'
I walked over and dropped into the chair.
The moment I sat down, I folded my arms on the desk and planted my head on top.
Sleep time.
I could hear whispers spreading through the classroom, but I didn't care.
Let them talk.
These little brats can gossip all they want, but if anyone tries shoving me into a locker…
I'll teach them a lesson their parents should've taught them years ago.
While the teacher droned on about maths, I half-dozed off while checking something important.
The gift God left me.
However, I couldn't make out what it was, as all that was displayed was.
[???????????????????
???????????????????]
That was it.
No explanation. No descriptions, just question marks.
I scrolled through the system, but nothing helped.
*Ring ring *
The school bell rang.
The next subject was…
Actually, who cares?
Let's skip straight to lunch.
_________________________________
It was lunch break.
Being the ever-prepared man that I am, I headed somewhere quiet where nobody could see me and bought food from the system store.
While these kids were eating convenience store lunches or meals cooked by their mums. I was out here eating food prepared for kings and queens.
With most students in their classrooms and teachers in their offices, the school grounds were my domain.
Maybe next time I should try the classic protagonist hangout spot.
The rooftop.
Actually… Why not go now?
So I headed towards the rooftop with my food in hand.
Halfway there, I spotted someone else out here.
Another fellow wanderer.
I was about to walk past her. Like, why would I want to socialise with these kids?
But then. From the corner of my eye, I saw something inside her lunchbox that made me stop dead in my tracks.
'You're gonna eat that?'
Inside her lunchbox was food.
Technically.
But on top of it was a mountain of salt.
Is she preserving the food? Does food in this world spoil that fast?! I need answers
The girl slowly looked up at me.
Her eyes were empty like a robot waiting for instructions.
I held up my bread roll.
'Here. Try some real food.'
I gave the bread roll a little shake.
'But remember, once you taste it, there's no going back.'
She stared at the bread roll.
Her nose twitched as the aroma hit her.
But she didn't move.
'You're too slow.'
I tore off a piece and shoved it into her mouth.
At first, she panicked.
Then she chewed.
And suddenly… Her expression melted.
The emotionless face disappeared, replaced with pure bliss.
'How is it?' I asked, 'Good, right?'
She nodded rapidly with one cheek still puffed out with food.
'Good.'
I pointed at her lunchbox, 'Now let me try yours.'
Before she could stop me, I grabbed a piece of chicken completely covered in salt and shoved it into my mouth.
*Chew chew chew*
*Shallow*
'You people eat this much salt?!'
I stared at the lunchbox in horror.
'Do you also drink seawater?'
Seriously.
Who eats food like this? You might as well just eat salt directly. It would've tasted the same.
Back in my hero days, there was a town famous for its salty food.
But even they weren't this insane.
The girl shook her head.
'Then why eat it?'
She looked down at her lunchbox.
Her mouth opened.
Closed.
Opened again.
No words came out.
Instead, tears began falling into her food.
'I…I' She cried, 'I ha-ha-hate it.'
She wiped her eyes, but the tears kept coming.
What started as a drizzle quickly turned into a full storm.
'I… I don't like it… I wish everyone were g-gone.'
'Oh…'
Panic mode activated.
How the hell do I comfort a girl?
If Chad Prince were here, he would know what to do.
Think me, think.
What did he do again?
Ah. That's right.
'There, there.'
I awkwardly patted her head.
'Everything will be alright.' I said.
Wow.
Her hair was fluffy.
The moment I patted her hair, she cried out even harder.
Fuck.
Damn you Chad Prince. Look what you've turned me into. I made a girl cry.
Now what was I supposed to do?
'Sigh.'
With no better ideas, I sat down beside her and waited.
Eventually, the storm would pass.
__________________________________________
'You still hungry?'
*Nod nod*
After I fed her the rest of my bread roll, piece by piece, there was only a tiny bit left for me.
'…You can have the last piece.'
I dropped it into her small hands.
Since there was still time before class resumed, I figured I'd head to the protagonist's hangout spot and grab another meal from my system.
'You feeling better now?' I asked.
'Ye-Yeah.' She whispered.
'Good. I'm heading to the rooftop.'
As I stood up, I suddenly felt a tug on the back of my shirt.
I turned around and she was holding onto it.
'Students aren't allowed on the rooftop.' She said.
'What?!'
'It's against the rules.'
I stared at her in confusion.
Every anime protagonist goes to the rooftop.
'That's unacceptable.'
'What's unacceptable?'
'They can't break tradition like that.'
She blinked.
'I'll be damned if I am the one who breaks the cycle.'
I started walking.
However, she still held onto my shirt.
'You'll get in trouble.'
'Who cares?'
*Shake shake*
'You're stubborn.' I said, 'Then don't blame me.'
I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder.
'Then we'll get in trouble together.'
I walked towards the rooftop.
She squeaked in protest the entire way.
'L-Let me go.'
'S-Stop.'
Of course, I ignored her.
This was punishment for eating all of my food. Even if I technically offered it.
Eventually, we reached the rooftop door.
'The door is locked, you can't open it.' She said.
I held on to the door handle and it twisted open.
'H-Huh?' She let out.
The power of the protagonist.
I pushed the door open and stepped into the holy land.
'I see why protagonists hang out here.'
The rooftop was easily the best place in the entire school.
The breeze constantly slapped your face.
Light objects threatened to fly away.
A tall fence surrounded the edges, which made the place feel like a prison yard.
And the sunlight?
Perfect.
Honestly, if you sat up here for a while, you could get a tan.
Ahh.
I felt alive.
I set the girl down, then I slipped my hand into my pocket and opened the system menu.
After scrolling for a moment, I bought another food item.
It appeared directly in my hand, inside my pocket.
I pulled it out and I pretended it had been there the whole time.
The last thing I wanted was to become a government lab rat.
I tore open the wrapper and took a bite.
'Hey.' I said in between bites, 'Aren't you going to stay?'
The girl had already started sneaking towards the door.
She froze when she heard my voice.
'I-I'll get in trouble.' She said softly.
'But doesn't it feel great up here?' I gestured toward the city, 'No one to bother you. Just you staring out at everything from above.'
I took another bite.
'If you ask me, this is how school life should be.'
'Not being trapped in a classroom arguing about who's the prettiest or most handsome.'
She shifted nervously, 'I… I just don't want to get in trouble.'
'Suit yourself.' I waved her off.
She quietly slipped through the door.
The rooftop fell silent.
I stared out at the city while I ate.
'…As much as I hate to admit it.' I sighed, 'I miss them.'
Back then, it had been a complete cock fest.
But they were people I could truly call friends.
Thrown into a strange world with no idea what was going on. They were the ones who taught me everything. Who dragged me through thick and thin.
And moments like this. When everything went quiet. That's when I realised just how heavy silence could be.
*Drip*
'…Ah.' I wiped my eyes, 'Damn. I'm getting emotional.'
*Squeak*
The rooftop door slowly opened.
'Oh.' I glanced over, 'You're back, little one.'
She stood there awkwardly.
'Umm….' She hesitated, 'I didn't get your name.'
'My name is Dylan Crazy.' I said, 'What about you?'
She stared at the floor, then quietly repeated it to herself.
'Di-ran… Ku-reiji.'
'Di-ran… Ku-reji.'
Before she told me her name…
*Squeak*
The door closed again.
She was gone.
I blinked.
'Strange one she is.'