章 56: Normal School Day
I finally recovered from my grievous injury. It was a long month, and Deron has long taken the spotlight from me since the enrollment arc.
Well, the wall has ears. During my hospitalization, I had my piece of entertainment as I watched the coming and going of whispering among students.
Deron was making quite the ruckus as he built his reputation in the academy. His confrontation with the second years was definitely a hot gossip that will definitely escalate to something bigger later, or maybe it has already happened.
The fact Cain and Lorie were also joining in the chaos was not helping at all. Well, it helped me. Hahahaha, I am back again to my obscure identity of a nameless mob.
Hooray!! With stories of me being buried by bigger stories, my infamy started to go down
I entered the classroom for Class A.
"Looks like I came just at the right time... Ain't that nice?"
…
I pushed the door cautiously. Slowly, but surely… The door creaked but it isn't audible enough to earn the gazes of my fellow students. Remaining invisible is my top priority right now.
So, rule no. 1 of mob life, never ever act eccentric!!
You must have a normal walk, a normal speech pattern, and a normal presence. It sounded so easy, because… IT IS EASY!!
I've been an extra in my entire past life whether it was the 17-year-old version or the 27-year-old version of me. I arrived at the classroom not too early and not too late.
The first person I looked for was Heather's seat. Hehehe… Heather was still not here. I am gonna steal her seat. If I remembered correctly in the novel, she was surrounded by nobodies. It was the perfect spot for me.
From the novel, I believed her seat was somewhere in the middle. I sat comfortably there feeling like a general that had won the war.
Exactly at that moment, Heather entered the classroom. I'll definitely turn her away. Not that I am proud of it. With my record of beating women, I bet she would let me have this seat. I have to be subtle about the intimidation though.
Destroying my expectations, Heather sat beside me. Huh? What's this?
Hmmm… Maybe, she chose to seat on another seat knowing that someone already occupied hers. A bad premonition rose from my mind.
A browned-haired guy on the shorter side entered the classroom. He approached me. And then that was when I knew I screwed up. I missed Heather's seat.
"Excuse me, but that's my seat," Brown-hair said.
My thoughts raced. What should I do? If I turn him away like I originally intended, I might look like an oppressing bully or an inflexible guy that everyone in the classroom will hate. If I were to make a commotion, my classmates' attention will be on me.
If it were Heather, I am confident I could easily shrug her off while maintaining my mob persona easily.
There was only one way. Remain low, act friendly, and maybe score some brownie points while at it. This brown hair looked mob material to me.
"Ah— I am sorry. I was absent for a month due to some heavy injuries. The enrollment exams were quite hectic." I politely said, establishing an amiable facade.
"T-that's okay, I am Pedro Picard. Nice to meet you." He timidly said.
Like what I expected, he's a complete nobody. The perfect wingman I need. Like how birds of a feather flock together, I am going to stick to this guy like a chick to a mother hen. I just ruined a great metaphor, but meh… Still, it was reasonable I give up this seat.
"I am Alfir. I am really sorry. Can I make it up to you? Let's have lunch later."
"A-ah, okay."
When I heard his okay, I immediately hightailed out of the way. This way, Pedro won't be able to take back his words. Sadly, the seats were almost filled up. The only seats left are the ones beside Sheila or Cain.
Now, I have two choices— Sheila or Cain? It took me no time at all to think of a decision.
Sheila, it is… That's the safest bet. Sheila has a quiet personality. The chances of her speaking to me is less than 5%.
I looked at the seats, and I realized there are 18 of them. There was an extra chair compared to what I initially assumed. Professor Merrick then entered the class.
"Good day everyone," He greeted the class perfunctorily. "We have a transferee from class B, he just reached 41% and is deemed eligible for Class-A. Bon Bon, come here."
I heard some laughter from my classmates. Even I who personally knows the guy even laughed. What kind of name is Bon Bon? Of course, my laugh is not too exaggerated. Just enough for my classmates to think I don't know Bon Bon.
"But really… Pffft… Hahaha."
There was a grimace on Bon Bon's face. He looked terrible as he sitted beside Cain. Good luck with that. There is a reason why Cain is drearily evaded. It's because this germaphobe imposed quite severe rules on his seatmates.
"Do you have disinfectants in your person? Cotton? Clean handkerchief?"
"U-uum… No, I… u-u-uu…"
Bon Bon stuttered at Cain's interrogation. Honestly, I was stunned that Bon Bon managed to transfer to Class-A this fast. It must be because the academy deemed it necessary.
Three months from now, the academy will be put into an emergency war state. Students have to become stronger than they could ever be in the duration of three months.
For the first time since I enrolled in this academy, I was able to attend my class. The class continued normally. With things to be learned and theories to be taught, it was surprisingly a very normal school day.
Lunch.
Pedro and I went to the cafeteria to eat some brunch. We weren't talking much as Pedro is a very reticent person. I made jokes sometimes making him laugh but that's it.
We won't be improving our relationship much very soon, but I am confident we'll be buddy-buddy after lunch. And after the whole class? We'll be more than just buddies.
I smirked at the thought.
After lining up, we sat in our seats. I have some beef with a thick broth, some rice, and side dishes. Pedro had a burger, miso soup, and lots of veggies on the sides.
"How's the academy life going for you?" I asked while digging into the rice with my spoon.
"It's fine," Pedro calmly replied, it looks like he's getting used to my presence now. "At first, it was difficult. But I made friends with Heather, Trom, and Nika so everything is going well."
It was then that Pedro's tray of food was flipped over. The soup was spilled on Pedro's clothes. The veggies were scattered. Someone grabbed the burger patty and smeared it on Pedro's face.
The humiliation was intense. Even though I who was a very patient person, was about to blow my lid off. Still, in the end, I suppressed my emotions. I have to remain low-key.
I watched Pedro grit his teeth on the verge of breaking down. The bully responsible for this is Rodney and his friends. If I remember correctly the two lackeys by his side were called Lee and Hitch.
"Ow'right, how's the burger?" It was Hitch, he slapped Pedro on the back of his head. Rodney watched in amusement as it was he who started it.
Lee who is contesting for his leader's attention grabbed my bowl of boiled beef and splashed it on Pedro's face. "Sorry bud, Pedro here looked hungry, you don't mind me helping him, do you?" He told me as if he were doing me a favor.
I would love to punch his face. A mediocre guy won't punch him, right? Or am I?
I looked at Pedro who I wanted to raise his affection points to me. This opportunity ain't so bad. I have to thank Lee for it.
SLAP!
Punching him is too much so I just slapped him in the face. It was crunchy.
"How dare you!?" Lee grabbed me by the collar of my uniform. I left him be. His intimidation at best is about an elementary schooler's level. Picking a fight with Lee isn't a big deal as he was about my level I think?
I don't mean level by strength, but by status. He seemed like the kind of guy that would vanish if you don't pay much attention to him.
"Stop it," Coming to the rescue is my hero, Deron. Yeah, tell them to stop. "You don't know what you lot are getting to," Deron spoke up for me.
Rodney warily glanced at me made aware of my placing in the Tournament Setup. Though he might not look like it, he is quick to catch up.
However, that's not the same for Lee and Hitch.
"Mind your own business, tomato head."
"Yeah, eat your damn food."
Rodney annoyingly picked at his ear. "Hey, you two. Stop and let's go, I haven't eaten anything yet." He called to his two lackeys.
I nodded in Deron's direction in gratitude. He nodded back at me. I reached for a cloth from my [Inventory Storage] and gave it to Pedro to wipe with.
"Thanks." He said, but I am of a different opinion though.
"No thanks," I snarkily said back. "Don't you get tired of those bullies? Why don't you fight back?"
"It's useless."
"Why?"
"…"
I gave him some time to think. It looked like he was having a difficult time. Bullies are only strong in front of the weak. I've been there, and I survived. Though not in a glorious manner, I did fight back.
Kids like Pedro are the kind of people that tried to survive by enduring in silence. In my opinion, that was a very suicidal move. It's either you broke down, or your bullies would find another toy.
"I am weak," Pedro weakly said. "When your Special Ability is like mine, you'd be helpless too. Though I have a relatively high potential grade, my ability is shit." He added in a remorseful tone.
"Heh… There's no way. Even if it's not that lethal. You can still fight back right?"
To my derision, "My Special Ability is to glow…" Pedro revealed his Special Ability.
"…"
I grew quiet. Just how in the world did this guy survive the enrollment? Admittedly, there's a high percentage that an applicant will pass almost 99% of the time.
However, if you were deemed totally incapable of surviving the enrollment assessment, especially the second assessment, you are automatically deemed as a failure. Pedro might actually be a hidden gem. To think that he was able to overcome the enrollment assessment with such a shitty mutation.
"So what if the only thing you can do is glow? You survived the enrollment assessment, you are deserving to be here. Rodney, Lee, and Hitch? They meant nothing. You can shove them, trick them, and trample them just like the way they do to you… They won't see it coming, because they aren't aware just how weak they truly are."
With a malevolent smile, I whispered to Pedro. "But you? You know you are weak, and that's what makes you strong. Tell me, Pedro, you desire power, do you? You desire it because you are weak!! Tell me, what is it that you are willing to forsake to become strong?"
"Everything…" In a small voice, Pedro answered.
"That's right. Nurture your desire for power." I shortly said back.
Because you were weak, you have to get stronger. And this awareness is what will let you keep on moving on. Weakness is a hunger that no power can ever satiate.
Turns out, the normal school day I was expecting wasn't that normal after all.
From a distance, I saw Zia glancing my way. I asked for something since she last visited me. Information of all kinds. I hope she got it for me.
"Pedro, midnight… The rooftop of this building. We'll meet there, be covert." I said to Pedro in one breath and immediately left off.
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