Ren couldn't remember the last time he felt genuinely interested in anything school had to offer. Actually, life in general.
His history teacher's voice droned on, barely more engaging than the hum of the ceiling fan. "The rise of ancient empires marked a turning point in—" blah blah blah. Ren didn't even pretend to be taking notes. His pen hovered over a blank notebook page, just in case the teacher looked his way.
He stared at the clock. Still fifteen minutes left. How was that possible? Time must be trying to spite him!
He shifted in his seat, trying to stretch his legs. The desk wobbled. His chair squeaked. The air smelled faintly of pencil shavings and teenage apathy.
Ren didn't hate school. That would've required effort itself. Mostly, he tolerated it the way any normal teenager would.
The teacher turned to the board and started drawing... Something. Ren's eyes wandered to the window. The sky outside was overcast with clouds almost making it seem like it might rain. A wind rattled the windowpane. It was kind of nice. Dramatic. Like something might happen.
Nah
It didn't. It wouldn't.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at it under the desk.
*Studying for the test tomorrow?* His friend Taro, a fellow backbencher asked.
Ren snorted softly. *Define studying,* he typed back.
Taro replied with a skull emoji
Ren tossed the phone back in his pocket and looked around. Half the class looked dead inside. A few were actually trying to pay attention. One guy was asleep with his mouth open. Part of Ren wished a fly would just dive in.
The bell finally rang. Freedom!
Ren stood, slung his bag over one shoulder, and filed out with the rest of the students. Taro caught up with him in the hallway.
"You seriously haven't studied at all?"
"Yep." Ren said without looking up from his phone.
Taro groaned. "You're gonna bomb it."
"Well, it's too late to study now. I hope my natural intelligence is enough to pass." (this is actually my attitude. Moving on...)
Ren closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he tried to calm his racing thoughts. He knew he should probably be studying. He'd always managed to get by on his natural intelligence. It was a bit of a gamble, but he was confident that he could..or might, pass the test without too much trouble.
Ren's mind began to wander. He thought about the test, and how he'd probably just wing it and hope for the best. He thought about his friends, and how they'd been studying for weeks. It really just gave him stress, and he decided to forget about how much effort his friends put in.
They reached the school's front steps. The wind hit Ren's face like a breath of actual life. The sky was still a moody gray.
He paused at the gate, watching the clouds roll in. Something about today felt...off. Like the start of an anime episode where the main character gets hit by a truck or wakes up in another world
'Yeah right. That's too cliché. Truck-kun period is over man. Besides, isekai just happen in anime and manga.' Ren thought to himself.
He narrowed his eyes at the empty road.
"…Nah," he muttered. "Way too cliché."
Still, he didn't move.
The wind tugged at his uniform. The leaves rustled dramatically, as if nature was staging a moment of foreshadowing just for him. But nothing happened. No magic circle. No mysterious light. No busty goddess crashing through the sky.
Of course not. Because that kind of thing only happened in anime. In manga. In games. In stories.
And yet...
Ren had always wanted it — an escape, not from life, but from THIS life. This predictable, boxed-in routine that never changed no matter how many days passed. Deep down, in that dusty corner of his heart he rarely acknowledged, he wished he could be isekai'd.
Not because he hated his life — okay, maybe a little — but because he believed there had to be more. A bigger stage. A world where things actually mattered. Where effort translated into power, and failure meant more than just a bad grade. Where he wasn't just one of millions grinding through the same copy-paste day.
He wanted to fight monsters in labyrinths and dungeons. He wanted to unleash world-ending magic by accident. He wanted to be called "Hero" by a kingdom on the brink of collapse, even if he had no idea what he was doing.
And, yeah — he wanted a harem. Not because he was some thirsty loser (okay maybe a little)
Ren let out a breath and adjusted his bag and crossed the road.