A sudden shock ran through my body. My sweat was cold and I felt like I just woke up from a horrific nightmare.
Looking around, I realized I was still on the corner of the sidewalk, waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green.
Seeing the sight of this familiar place, my limbs started to shake, making me stumble on my feet.
Struggling to stand up, I put my hand on my head as I hyperventilated intensely, lightly leaning on the post of the lights for support.
Multiple drops of sweat traveled down my chin as I tried to calm myself down.
What just happened...? Was I day dreaming just now?
But that felt too real... No, I must be imagining things...
Trying to catch my breath, I suddenly hear footsteps and the voice of a child towards my left.
"C'mon mom! Hurry hurry! I wanna get home now!"
A sudden chill ran down my spine as a strong feeling of familiarity washes through me. I've seen this before.
"Just wait a bit longer, okay? We're close to home now."
Looking towards the direction that the voice was coming from, my eyes widened from surprise. It was the same mother and child from my memories.
The kid, holding the same model kit from earlier.
Many questions started to pop up in my head. 'Did I just see the future?' 'Did I die and travel back in time?'
Whatever the case, the two of them are having the same conversation from my memories. Which means...
A gruesome image flashed through my mind, as I remembered what happened to me. I covered my mouth with my hand as I felt like puking but held it in.
I stood there and let the events play out normally to confirm my suspicions.
As it went on, My body started shaking from how accurate my memories are to what's happening before me. I heard De ja Vu is a common occurrence, but this is just too intense of a case.
After a while, it came to the point where the child goes to pout in silence. And with this sign, I knew what was going to happen next...
I stood there like a madman, glancing back at the child's hand holding his mother's.
I'm sure it was only for a moment, but waiting for it felt like an eternity.
I waited, and waited... And then...
'THERE!'
The moment the mother's grip softened, the child pulled away too.
Without wasting another second, I immediately went to grab the kid by his shirt's collar. I wasn't going to let him slip away this time.
Surprised from the sudden pull, the child looked back at me with a shocked expression.
"Huh?! Wha-?"
"Just what are you doing?!-"
The child's mother protested at me, before a speeding truck passed by, creating a strong gust of wind that blew our hair back.
We stood there silently for a moment, before I opened my mouth to speak.
"Don't go rushing off into the road, kid..."
I said nervously, trying to make my intentions clear.
Realizing her mistake, the mother immediately apologized and instead thanked me for saving her child.
"Ah! I'm so sorry, young man! I misunderstood."
"N-no, it's alright."
I said to her, shaking my head.
"Is there anything you want as thanks?" She offered generously.
I wanted to act like I was grateful.
But right now, the only thing I wanted to do is go home. My mind had too many things to process.
Thinking of a way to excuse myself, I told them it was fine and that I was in a rush.
"I see, well thank you again."
She said, bowing to me slightly before crossing the road. As she did, she pinched her son's cheek while scolding him.
"Why you- what were you thinking?!"
"Ow ow ow!!! Sorry mom!" He said, as tears welled up in his eyes.
"That's it, you can't play with that new toy until the weekend! That'll teach you to be more patient!"
"What?! No!!!"
"QUIET!"
She yelled out before gritting her teeth.
I stood there, watching them before they turned a corner and disappeared from my sight. I let out a small sigh before looking at the hand I used to grab the boy.
It was shaking.
________________________________________
I stood at the front door, trying to find the right key before finally unlocking it.
The train ride felt so long, I couldn't even remember anything past that. It's a miracle how I was able to arrive home in the first place.
Leaving the meat buns on the kitchen table, I quickly head towards my room and collapse onto my bed.
I was exhausted both mentally and physically. I didn't have an appetite either.
I laid there, unmoving with my eyes slightly opened and staring at the ceiling.
But despite my tiredness, I couldn't sleep. My heart was beating so fast, it started to hurt.
Just what the hell did I see? Or did I actually experience it? I didn't know which. All I know is that those events really were about to happen unless I did something to change the outcome. The memories were too accurate to deny it.
Calming myself down, I start to theorize.
I haven't had anything like this happen to me before, so this is new to me. Could this possibly be my ability?
But this is the first time this has ever happened to me. Usually people awaken their powers when they reach the age of three.
Some cases even report that children can awaken their powers in the womb or the moment they're born.
But why did my powers awaken this late, though? Was it because...
Sinking my head deeper into the pillow, I remember the moment I got hit by the truck. It felt horrible to think about, but with this, I was able to make a hypothesis.
Is it possible my powers only activate when I die? It could be.... But we can't go into any conclusions yet though.
We're not sure if it was only a one time thing or if an outside force was acting behind it. There's still a possibility that someone with time looping powers coincidentally happened to use them the moment I died.
If that were the case, isn't someone having that kind of power a little scary?
But why am I the only one who remembered? The kid and his mom should've known what was going to happen, but no. They were clueless, and the sequence of events that happened in my memories, played out as I saw.
Ruffling my hair, I turned to lay on my side.
"...I don't wanna think about it anymore. I'll worry about it in the morning."
I said as I covered my body with my blanket.
________________________________________
I saw a blinding flash of light before I felt myself fly several feet before falling down. My skin, feeling the burn of the rough asphalt as I slid through.
I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move, my heart was beating quickly, the sky was painted in a deep crimson red.
All I could do was lay there helplessly as darkness slowly swallowed me up.
I don't want to die! I don't want to die!
I don't want to die! I don't want to die!
I don't want to die! I don't want to die!
I don't want to die! I don't want to die!
I don't want to die! I don't want to die!
I DON'T WANT TO DIE!
"!!!"
I jumped awake with a scream as I turned to look around my surroundings. Trying to see if there was any danger close by.
But as I searched, I realized it was the same old sight of my room. Seeing this, I calm myself before laying back down and covering my eyes with my palms.
"Just a dream..." I said as I breathe intensely, wiping away my cold sweat.
It seems like I couldn't get over what happened just yet.
I look at my alarm clock and it shows it was still early in the morning, plenty of time for me to spend getting ready for school.
"I need a drink..."
I stood up from my bed to get myself a glass of water to calm my nerves. As I did, I also noticed the fact that I slept in my uniform from yesterday.
Considering the amount of running I did, I must be really sweaty. I pinched the collar of my uniform and took a small sniff.
Sure enough, sleeping on a day's worth of sweat doesn't smell good...
"And a shower too."
I said, sighing as I walk out of my room and close the door behind me.
________________________________________
I couldn't focus in class. Every single word the teacher spoke sounded muffled to me as I thought about yesterday's events. I still haven't figured out how or why those things happened, and it's starting to take a toll on myself.
My mind started to get even fuzzier as I started to sink deeper into my thoughts. That was until i felt something bump my head which snapped my mind awake.
"!!!"
"Ouch..."
I look up to see the teacher with his arms crossed. His face showing a stern look. It seemed like he threw a piece of chalk at my head. Impressively enough, it hit the middle of my forehead, a perfect shot.
"I've been calling your name repeatedly for the last minute, Aranea! What's the matter with you?"
"Oh! I'm sorry, I... didn't get much sleep last night."
"I understand that this is just the second day of class, but I'd appreciate it if you were to show a bit more formality."
"Yes sir, it won't happen again."
I said as I bowed to apologize.
Sighing, the teacher gestured to raise my head.
"It's alright, I was young once. Anywho, please answer the question on the board."
"Yes sir
Listening to the teacher, I nervously stood up and walked over as I picked up the piece of chalk that was thrown at me.
Looking at the board, it showed an illustration of an interesting design for a suit of armor. It's so complex to the point where I started to wonder why this is a topic for just the second day of school.
"It's a little glimpse of a study I'm doing. If you're able to point out a flaw, or give a suggestion to its design that I like, I won't only let you off the hook, but I'll also give you a bit of extra credit."
Surprised by how generous the teacher was being, I turned to look at him.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because no one in this class has given me a satisfying answer before. So if you do answer it, we can just say you were paying attention from the start."
He said as he cracked a wide smile.
From the corner of my eye, I see a few students snickering at me. Probably assuming I'd fail. I don't blame them though, this looks pretty hard.
I'm not going to let that stop me, though.
Looking back at the teacher, I gladly accepted the challenge before turning my attention towards the board.
Surprisingly enough, I already had a bit of knowledge on the subject.
Mr. Brok told me something similar to this a while back. The Augmented Humans Project.
As far as we know, everyone has an ability except for me. I might be the only one throughout the entirety of Lucida's history to not have any powers.
Putting myself aside however, a large part of Lucida's population has people that possess powers that don't really benefit them that much. Because of that, the amount of exceptionally powerful Distortion Divers are few and far between.
Most of these people with unimpressive abilities either just go on to have regular jobs once they graduate, or are too stubborn to give up on their dreams and die as regular infantry men while Distortion Diving.
Most of the time, they don't make it due to the job's high mortality rate.
As such, officials have raised funds for the Augmented Humans Project.
With this project, each and every one of those expendable infantry men could have the power to compete with Knight Ranked Distortion Divers, and form groups to complete elite rank missions.
In Distortion Diving, there are several ranks.
From lowest to highest, the rankings go from Civilian, Infantry, Knight and Elite. With each rank having three levels that indicate how strong they are in that particular rank.
Most people usually rank up through taking official tests, being promoted by a well known individual, or performing impressive feats that show others that you are capable of performing on that level.
There are even higher ranks beyond elite, too.
These are General, King, and Emperor. The hero Luke, being the prodigy that he is, already reached the General rank at the age of 15.
Even more impressive, he holds the record for the fastest rank up in history.
Seeing that I still haven't given an answer for a while, the teacher took away the piece of chalk from my hands.
"Stumped, eh? It's alright, go back to your seat."
After saying that, he turned around to continue the lesson. But I stayed there in the same place deep in thought. I won't be satisfied if I go back now, and so I chewed on my thumb and observed the illustration as hard as I can.
After standing there for what felt like an eternity, I finally cracked it.
"I found it."
"Oh?"
Intrigued, the teacher pushed his glasses up.
"What is it then?"
"I can't seem to find any mention of a power source. What's with that?"
I said as I looked at him before pointing at the board.
After hearing my answer, the teacher smirked.
"Yes, that's the main flaw of the current design. Good job picking up on that!"
The teacher said, clapping his hands.
"I'm a bit curious why though. Surely you would've already found a solution to power it up?"
"Well, we did."
Scratching the back of his head, he continued.
"But the cost to power the suit far outweighs the benefits it can provide. Especially since it's supposed to be a mass produced model."
"But why can't we just use normal fuel tanks and batteries like cars? And I've seen some cases of cyborgs in the city, right? Why can't we just use them as a reference to power the suit too?"
Happy to see someone answering and being so actively engaged, the teacher's smile widened.
"Yes! I'm liking the enthusiasm, Aran! All good points, but there's still problems in those two suggestions."
"Oh? Like what?" I asked.
"First of all, your point about giving the suit a fuel tank and battery. Where are we going to put those? This suit is meant to be worn, not ridden like a vehicle."
Biting my thumb, I started to think of ideas.
"Maybe we could put those on the suit's back? Like a backpack that contains the fuel and battery."
Without skipping a beat, he immediately responded with the burning hot passion of a thousand suns.
"Haha! Interesting idea, but the problem with that is it hinders the suit's mobility and is exposing an obvious weak spot."
Taking a small breath, he continued.
"And considering the type of technology we're working with here, commercial fuel could only do so much. Maybe power the suit for a few hours tops. With Distortion Diving usually lasting weeks at the minimum, this wouldn't be good for the wearer."
He concluded without any sense of doubt or hesitation in his words.
"But that was a good try though! You're on the right track, Aran."
"What about my second point?" I asked him.
"Ah yes, the one about cyborgs? Yes, cyborgs are a good idea. They've become advanced enough to sustain themselves through eating food just like everyone else. They can also use other sources to power their bodies up."
"If that's the case, then why not just-"
Before I got another word in, he immediately made me stop by raising his hand.
"Aran..."
The teacher's voice suddenly became deeper as he looked at me. His smile, remaining the same way, but at the same time, the pupils of his eyes turning into dark circles devoid of emotions.
Seeing this, the entire class got quiet.
"Do you know how cyborgs are made?"
It was such a simple question, but I held my breath in fear of saying something wrong.
"Before they were cyborgs, they were once people like you and me. People who were unfortunate enough to have their bodies ripped apart but still remain alive and breathing."
Hearing him describe cyborgs in such brutal detail made me sweat bullets.
'Their bodies ripped apart'
'But still remain alive and breathing."
For some reason, after what I experienced the day before, I could relate to them in a way. The pain of being on the verge of death... I could vividly remember how I felt then...
The teacher continued with his emotionless tone.
"Their old limbs, replaced with cold and unfeeling metal. Some of them can't even remember the warmth of a human touch. Do you know what I'm trying to say here, Aran?"
"A little bit..." I said to him.
"...When one becomes a cyborg, they lose their original body and parts of their humanity along with it."
No one in that room could say anything. Everyone held their breath as the teacher continued.
"Once you lose it, you can never get it back. Now tell me, does anyone here want to do that to themselves just to get stronger?"
He asked before turning to look at the class.
"...I don't think so, no."
I said nervously in response.
"Yes, forcing that kind of life onto our infantrymen isn't right. It was a good idea, Aran. But this method crosses the line of ethics."
"I see..."
I looked down towards the floor from disappointment.
Seeing this, the light returned to the teacher's eyes before he scratched his head as if thinking 'I went a little too far there.'
Walking up to me, he gives me a smile.
"W-well, we have thought about your proposed ideas before. We're in the same position as you, so don't feel down about it. Like I said, I'm stumped to find a solution too..."
He said as he tried to comfort me.
Walking towards the window, he turned to look at the view of the city outside.
"Unless we find some sort of special battery that can provide enough energy, the possibility of this being a reality is still far away. Honestly, this idea seems almost like science fiction."
Stretching his back, he went ahead to continue the lesson and told me to return to my seat.
"Oh by the way Aran, you still get those extra credits I was talking about. I'm honestly impressed you were able to notice the problem and give ideas on top of that!"
Chuckling a bit, he extended his right arm to give me a thumbs up.
"Good job!"
Surprised, I looked at him stunned.
"O-oh! Thank you very much!"
I thanked him as I lightly bowed to show my respect before walking over to my seat.
That wasn't so bad. Actually, it was a fun little distraction, you can say.
As I went back to my desk however, I noticed my classmates staring at me with faces that seemed as if they were looking at a huge creep right now.
It was only until a little later that I realized my face was wearing a smug, shit-eating grin as I laughed to myself quietly like a damn psycho.
Ehehehehe... Free credits, woohoo!
________________________________________
Morning classes were over and all of the students could now eat lunch. Seeing as my classmates were forming into groups to eat together, I figured I could do the same.
Feeling nervous, I took a deep breath to gather courage and stood up and headed towards Ed, Toto, and Pincer who were talking to each other.
"Hey guys, want to eat lunch together?"
"Huh?"
Hearing my voice, they all looked at me. But for some reason, I felt as if they were avoiding my eyes as I noticed small beads of sweat forming on their faces.
"Oh uh... Hey Aran..."
Ed said as he nervously waved at me.
"I was thinking of getting something to eat, so I wanted to ask if you guys want to come with!"
I happily told them, but was sadly rejected.
"Thanks Aran, but we..."
"We're already full, y'know."
They told me.
Feeling a little confused, I try to reason with them.
"Huh? That's strange, lunchtime just started."
"Well, uh we all had a heavy breakfast... Hope you understand."
Ed told me as Toto anxiously fidgeted his fingers and Pincer sat silently.
Not wanting to give up, I try to compromise.
"I see... Well, that's alright. Maybe next time then! What day are you guys free to- BAM
A loud sound echoed through the classroom as Pincer slammed his hand on his desk.
"Ugh, can't you just take the hint already?!"
"W-what?" I asked with a mixture of shock and confusion.
"We don't want anything to do with you!"
Pincer yelled at me loudly as the entire classroom stared at us. At first, I was stunned. But as I finally processed his words, I felt a sense of anger swell inside my chest.
Getting ticked off, I shot back.
"What the hell did I do, man?! We were getting along so well yesterday!"
"The fact that you're here is what's wrong!"
He said without even an ounce of guilt. It was as if he believed his words were an objective truth.
Appalled, I turned to look at Ed and Toto, as to make sure they're seeing what I'm seeing.
"Aren't you guys going to say anything?" I asked them as my voice shook.
I expected them to at least calm Pincer down, but was instead met with the opposite as they sided with him.
"...Sorry man, but he's kind of right."
Ed told me as he avoided my gaze. Toto, knodding his head.
"What...?"
"No offense, but we really don't think you deserve to be in this school."
He said, as my heart sank to the ground after hearing it.
"Do you know just how many kids want to be in Potentia? A lot, that's for sure."
"Then what does it have to do with me?" I asked them.
"That's exactly it Aran, you don't have any abilities. By all accounts, you're worthless."
"The hell are you-"
Before I could say any more, Pincer interrupted me with his voice full of anger.
"I've had a lot of friends who despite their incredible talents, still failed to get into this school."
Gritting his teeth, Pincer took another breath before continuing.
"I saw them cry their hearts out from working hard only for their efforts to not be rewarded. Seeing someone like you, who doesn't have anything going for him get in? It's just ridiculous!!!"
Hearing this, I was stunned silent. I could only imagine how much it would've hurt if I was them. But still, it wasn't as if it was my fault!
Looking up to speak, I saw everyone's faces.
Seeing the expressions they were showing, I held my words back.
Not a single word came out of their mouths. But despite that, it felt as if all of them were on Pincer's side. Like an unspoken agreement made between them.
I knew that if I did one wrong move, the situation will get even worse and end up being a huge problem.
Feeling as if I wasn't welcome there anymore, I gave up.
"Fine, I... I get it. I won't talk to you anymore..."
I said to them quietly before leaving the classroom.
________________________________________
What the hell is wrong with them?!
I thought to myself as I walked through the halls of the school. In my mind, what just happened was too much. I was so angry I could almost cry.
Walking down a set of stairs, every step of mine felt heavy.
So what if I don't have a perk? That doesn't mean you can just say stuff like that to me, you jerks!
Stepping out the back door of the school I walk towards an isolated area without any windows or people.
Standing there, I take a deep breath before screaming from the top of my lungs to help relieve the emotions stirring inside my chest.
"AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!"
It was a weird thing for me to do. What type of student goes outside just to scream...
But with everything that just happened yesterday, hearing them say all those things to me finally made me break.
The stress that had built up just poured out of my chest like an open faucet. I just hope a teacher didn't hear that.
Realizing just how dumb I was being, I quickly walked back inside the school and got as far as I could from the place I screamed.
This wasn't the first time I was treated differently for not having any powers. I'm just so sick of it all.
Honestly, I was ready to punch them right then and there.
But I knew if I did, I would only cause trouble for me and Mr. Brok.
Besides, they would definitely fight back.
If that happened, it'll be a repeat of the past...
"I'm so weak..." I whispered.
Gritting my teeth, I walked towards the school's bathroom and locked myself inside a stall.
As I grinded my head on the solid wall, I teared up as my frustration started to hurt my chest.
"Fucking assholes..."
________________________________________
It took me a while to calm down, to the point where lunchtime was almost over. The entire time, I was just leaning my head on the wall as I kept punching it.
Looking at my knuckles, they were red from all the punching I did.
At first, I didn't notice the pain because I was so angry, but now that I calmed down, my entire hand felt a numb pain pulsing repeatedly, especially on my knuckles.
"Ow..." I said as I slightly winced.
I opened the stall and walked out. Thankfully there weren't any people close by. I was lucky enough to pick the bathroom that was located in the hall where students rarely walk to.
Looking at the mirror on the bathroom's walls, I noticed my eyes were swollen.
"...How am I going to walk back to class looking like this?"
Seeing this, I walked towards the faucet to wash my face.
"I've cried two days in a row now... I'm so lame..."
I said to myself as I dried my hands and face
Walking out of the bathroom, I suddenly hit something. For some reason, this event feels familiar.
I just hope it isn't the same guy from yesterday. I don't wanna get chased around again...
I looked up to see who I bumped into this time, but as a twist of cruel fate, I did end up running into him again... And this reunion isn't a happy one.
I felt a shiver run down my spine as I saw the familiar figure standing in front of me.
The blonde hair that looked like strands of gold and eyes so intimidating that they activate your urge to run away.
There was no doubt about it, he was definitely the guy who chased me yesterday.
Can I please just get a break?!
I thought to myself, angrily.
Not wasting another second, the boy leaned over to me and stared daggers at me. His eyes, looking scarily sharp.
I felt every fiber of my body telling me to run away now, but despite everything, I was too tired to even try.
'Whatever.'
I thought.
If he beats me up, I can just rest at the infirmary. I don't wanna go back to class anyway...
As I thought this, the boy took a deep breath before I closed my eyes tightly, preparing for a punch to hit my face.
But the punch that I was expecting never came.
...Huh?
Confused, I slowly opened my eyes to see the boy sweating bullets as his mouth shook like he was struggling to speak.
Meeting his gaze, he started to stutter.
"S-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s"
"What the-?"
Is he trying to imitate a snake or something? Maybe that's his ability? Something related to snakes?
Well, whatever it is, just get it over with... Don't drag it out please....
I thought to myself as the boy continued to... hiss?
I wasn't sure what to call it. All I knew is that I wanted it to be done quickly. And so, I waited for the strike to hit me.
"S-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s"
Anytime now...
"S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S!!"
Anytime...
"SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS"
JUST HOW LONG IS HE GONNA TAKE?!
"C'mon just do it-!"
"SORRYYYYYY!!!!"
He apologized loudly.
"...Huh?"
Surprised from what I just heard, I had to do a mental reboot just to process it.
"Uh... What?"
The moment those words left my mouth, the boy started to shake violently as if he was being held at gunpoint.
"Sorry!!! Please don't get mad, I'll do anything!!! I already ate my lunch, but there's some watermelon candies inside my uniform's left pocket! That's all I have! Please forgive me!!!"
The boy said as he bowed down, looking like a desperate gangster apologizing to the head honcho.
Feeling more confused, I repeated myself.
"...What???"
"Eek!!" He jumped back from surprise.
This interaction is way too strange for me.
Just a second ago he looked like he was about to kill me, and now he's apologizing and begging ME to not get mad...?
Seeing him shake as he formed into a nervous ball of anxiety, I sighed and tried to collect my thoughts.
Alright, he won't be able to talk if he's shaken up. I gotta calm him down somehow.
Approaching him like a dad trying to stop his kid from crying, I spoke to him to get his attention.
"Okay, time out. Repeat after me, breathe in..." I said before inhaling, with the boy following my instructions.
"Breath out... Hoo...." Having said that, the boy exhaled and calmed down enough to actually form cohesive sentences.
Seeing that things are manageable now, I walked towards a set of stairs and sat down on one of the steps, urging him to join me.
"So, are you fine now?" I asked him.
"Y-yes... Sorry about that, I must've looked weird earlier."
"No, it's alright." I told him.
But if I'm being honest, yeah that was weird.
But I just got him to calm down, so I'm not going to say anything.
"Anyways, you were the guy who was chasing me yesterday, right?"
"Ah, y-yes I am!"
"I see... So, uh... Can I ask why you were chasing me?"
"Okay, hm... I guess I should start at the part where it led up to it."
"Alright, go ahead."
Taking a breath, the boy tries to recollect his memories of yesterday.
"Well you see, after the entrance ceremony, we were told to go explore the school, so I did. But after a while I got lost and was panicking in the middle of the hallway. That's when I suddenly felt something hit my back. And when I turned around, I realized someone bumped into me."
"I'm guessing that person was me, right?"
"Yes, you were! I was so scared I just froze up while looking at you. But I was happy to see you were a nice person and weren't mad in the slightest!"
"Oh, I see..." I told him.
But in reality, I was actually really scared by his intimidating appearance and only wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
I mean, this guy looks like one of those tough-guy delinquents you'd see inside of comics.
You really can't judge a book by its cover...
I thought to myself before the boy continued to speak.
"I just kept standing there, not knowing what to do. And then I noticed that you were already quite far away, so I knew I had to do something quick or you'd think I was just some rude person..."
He said as he hung his head low.
"...And so the first thing you thought of is to chase me down with the eyes of a wild beast?"
I said as a joke, but the boy didn't see the funny part of it and just felt even more guilty.
"I wasn't trying to look scary!"
"!!!"
I slightly jumped back from surprise.
Realizing he just yelled, he quickly apologized.
"It's alright, I was just joking. Still, why'd you chase me?"
"I just wanted to apologize, but you suddenly ran away and I eventually lost track of you. I'm sorry for scaring you..."
"I see..."
I said quietly. Seeing this, the boy turned his gaze towards the floor again.
"I knew it... It's because of my eyes again. People get scared off when they see them... I'm sorry..."
He said as he looked down at the floor, wearing a sad—looking smile.
Looking a bit closer, I could notice a few tears forming on his eyes.
I felt a sense of solidarity between us when he said that. 'He's a loner like me, huh? Didn't expect that.' Were my thoughts.
I automatically assumed he was someone bad, but he's actually a big softie at heart. If I wasn't a guy, this could be the build-up to a shoujo manga plot or something...
Sighing to myself, I scratch the back of my head before standing up to stretch.
"Today's just filled with crybabies like us, huh?"
"Eh...?" The boy let out in a surprised tone.
"C'mon, big guy. Pick yourself up." I said before I extended my hand towards him.
"I'm Aran by the way. Aran Aranea. What's your name?"
He took my hand and stood up. Wiping his eyes with his sleeve, he spoke.
"Elio Tonitru..."
As he introduced himself, I took a deep breath and tried to speak as cheerfully as I could, chuckling slightly.
"Hehe..."
"?" Elio tilted his head.
Time to use my acting skills one more time!
"Well nice to meet you, Elio! As it turns out, I also suck at making friends! So whaddya say we became friends right now? Like an alliance between loners or something."
I said with a big smile, trying to look as friendly as possible.
As he heard me say that, Elio's eyes widened from surprise.
"But if I became your friend, others wouldn't try to get close to you either. I'd feel bad if that happened."
Elio said, trying to be nice. But I didn't care. I've already hit rock bottom in my class' social hierarchy. One friend is better than none, after all! Like hell I'd let this chance pass by!
"It's completely fine!" I said before laughing all high and mighty.
"I don't have any friends either! You being my friend is basically an upgrade! Besides, I don't think you're so scary after talking to each other."
I said to him as I extended my hand towards him again, signifying a handshake.
"So whaddya say? Let's be losers together!"
As I said that, his tears and snot started to flow before he took both of my hands and shaked them like crazy.
"Sniff... Thank you! I'd be glad to!"
If someone were to pass by, they'd think I made a delinquent cry. But alas, this delinquent is just a normal guy who struggles to make friends.
"Hehe..."
I stood there trying to keep my smile as my hand tried to dodge the small drops of mucus falling down towards it.
________________________________________
The school bell rang, signaling to the students to get back to their classrooms. Hearing this, Elio and I parted ways, but not before agreeing to go to the arcade after school.
It was sort of like an apology for chasing me yesterday and a celebration of our friendship. Two birds with one stone as they say.
But after everything that's happened, it feels kind of surreal.
Honestly, the past two days have been weird. I still haven't figured out how I didn't die yesterday. Was it because my powers awakened? Or just a coincidence?
Anyway, I'm not stupid enough to test that theory though, I wouldn't risk dying permanently...
As I thought that, I finally reached my classroom. I could feel a few eyes aimed towards me. It seems like the mood hasn't died down yet.
The air was thick with pressure. The silence was loud. I glanced towards my side and saw Pincer looking at me, still wearing his irritated expression.
Whatever man....
I tried my best to ignore them and walk towards my desk. After a few minutes of waiting, the teacher walked inside to begin our lesson.
At that moment, I was still unaware of what was going to happen when I hang out with Elio...
In a way, I kind of regret it..