章節 1: Consolation Prize?

"I was never the type of guy with big reasons to live... I always went through life on autopilot, as if nothing really mattered. And yet, something in me buzzed during that competition. It's strange... I could have won easily, but of course, the Great Ryan had to make a dramatic entrance. Had to be 'the guy'. A catchphrase, a little extra showmanship. And guess what? I lost."

Ryan sighed, his eyes fixed on the classroom window. Outside, the sky was a dull gray, mirroring the mood he'd carried since the defeat. His thoughts swirled, more vibrant than the monotony of the lesson ahead of him. "But honestly? This high school life isn't so bad. No real responsibilities. No serious expectations... and of course, I still have my looks." He let out a smug smile, a reflection of the ego that kept him standing, even in moments like this.

His head rested lazily on his hand, his gaze fixed on the world beyond the class, when a sweet yet slightly annoyed voice yanked him out of his reverie:

"Hey, Kuze! Don't tell me you stayed up all night gaming again?"

He turned slowly, as if weighing the effort, and found Alya. Her face, framed by long silver hair, bore a mix of irritation and concern. Arms crossed, she looked like a mother scolding her stubborn child. It was hard to ignore her—not that he wanted to. Alya was practically the embodiment of a high school dream: hypnotic blue eyes, delicate features, and that graceful aura that earned her the nickname "Ice Princess" among their peers.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, a playful grin forming on his lips. "Oh, come on, Alya. You know it's part of my charm. This sleepy face and my laid-back attitude are practically my trademarks."

She puffed out her cheeks slightly, trying to keep her voice low to avoid the teacher's attention.

"You always say that, but I'm the one who ends up suffering! Every time you forget your book, I'm the one who has to share." Her tone softened slightly, her words faltering as a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. "I've told you, I'm not going to keep doing this forever... hmph."

Ryan chuckled quietly, amused by the way she avoided his gaze, embarrassed. Despite her scolding, there was something about Alya that always put him at ease—maybe it was the fact that, unlike most people, she genuinely seemed to care. He shifted his posture, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at her with mock innocence.

"You say that, but I bet you love being my savior. Don't you, Ice Princess?"

She frowned, clearly trying to maintain composure, but the redness in her face gave her away. The teacher cleared his throat in the background, pulling their attention back to the lesson, but not before Alya whispered with a hint of defiance in her voice:

"Keep calling me that, and I swear I'll let you fend for yourself next time."

Ryan smirked, turning his gaze back to the window. Even with the dullness around him, Alya's presence made everything... less boring. "Maybe this high school life is better than I thought," he mused, letting the gray sky fade from his mind as the lesson grew increasingly distant.

"Hmmm... now that I think about it, did I accept all this too easily?" Ryan murmured to himself, his eyes fixed on the horizon beyond the window, as if searching for an answer that would never come. He sighed, a tired smile forming on his lips. "I was fighting to be God... alongside that annoying girl. And look at that, I got killed by her in the most ridiculous way. What could be more pathetic?"

He rested his chin on his hand, his mind drifting to sharper, more painful memories. "The survival game... my final mission. Something I gave myself, like a purpose. Sure, I wanted to die. But I never really expected it to happen. Let alone lose." He let out a low, bitter laugh. "I mean, seriously, what would I have done if I'd won? What kind of God would I have been? It's probably for the best it ended the way it did..."

For a moment, his thoughts went silent, letting him absorb the weight of his new reality. "And now, here I am. It's been about three days since my memories came back as they were before, but with a new name: Kuze Masachika. Before, Ryan Gosting. Funny, isn't it? From a respected mobster to... a model student." He laughed, shaking his head as he muttered out loud without realizing:

"Fuck, it just doesn't fit."

Before he could think further, a light kick to his shin pulled him from his thoughts. He blinked and turned to see Alya's disapproving look. "Watch your language," she whispered in his ear, her sweet voice trying to sound stern. But what caught Ryan's attention was something else: she had said it all in Russian.

Internally, he almost laughed. "She still doesn't know I understand perfectly what she's saying..." A sheepish smile appeared on his face, the kind that made it clear he was pretending not to understand. Alya narrowed her eyes, wearing the serious expression of someone who had grown used to Kuze's—or Ryan's—antics.

"It'll be your fault if we get kicked out of class!" Alya complained, still in a hushed tone, though her adorably frustrated voice undermined any attempt at authority.

Ryan tilted his head, a mischievous glint in his eyes, as if planning a cheeky retort. "Oh, Alya..." he thought. "If only you knew how much fun it is watching you think you're lecturing me..." But he just laughed inwardly, letting the silence speak for him as he turned his gaze back to the window, a faintly ironic smile on his face.

"It's curious how life can feel so different depending on how you choose to live it," Ryan murmured, his fingers drumming lightly on the desk as his thoughts tangled in a web of existential theories. He tilted his head, letting out a frustrated sigh, and began gesturing as if trying to shape his ideas in the air.

"I've got this weird feeling, you know? Like I've always been myself in this body... and yet, not. Like, my theory is this is some alternate timeline, parallel universe, or something. But then that happened... and bam! My mind just took over this body, like someone swapped pieces in the middle of the game." He paused, his gaze fixed on nothing, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Man, it's complicated. Philosophy level 'to be or not to be,' and I'm more lost than Hamlet trying to piece together a puzzle with missing parts." He let out a light, tired laugh, gesturing in the air as if the words could take shape. Ryan's expression oscillated between fascination and exasperation, as if he were amused by his own confusion.

His thoughts flowed, but not without stumbling. Each idea that surfaced seemed to open a new door to more questions, and he knew there were no clear answers waiting on the other side. "Maybe that's it, huh? It's not about understanding. It's about accepting that nothing makes sense... and making a joke out of it while you still can." A crooked smile formed on his lips, his usual way of masking the chaos bubbling in his mind.

While Ryan was submerged in his own thoughts, the inevitable happened. The firm voice of the teacher echoed through the room, cutting through the silence like a blade.

"Masachika Kuze, could you please point out the correct answer?"

Ryan blinked, snapping back to reality as if forcibly yanked from another world. Before he could react, he heard a stifled giggle next to him. It was Alya, who cast him a satisfied glance while murmuring something in Russian:

"I warned you, didn't I?"

He ignored her comment but couldn't help the short, carefree whistle that escaped his lips—a reflex of someone more accustomed to being reprimanded than avoiding trouble. Slowly, he stood up, stretching his arms as if waking from a nap.

"Well, professor…" he said, wearing that signature grin that made it clear he was winging it. "I think the answer is... option B."

The classroom erupted in muffled laughter. The obvious blunder was impossible to miss. Alya covered her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter, while the teacher adjusted his glasses with an exasperated look.

"Masachika-kun, please pay more attention in class! The correct answer is option C!"

Ryan—or Kuze, as everyone knew him now—flashed an awkward smile and shrugged, as if it were no big deal.

And then, as if someone had hit rewind, reality seemed to reset. The teacher asked the same question again, his firm voice cutting through the room.

"Masachika Kuze, could you please point out the correct answer?"

Ryan stood up with the same calm demeanor, but this time, his smile was confident.

"The correct answer is C."

The teacher raised his eyebrows in surprise, even hesitating before confirming.

"Y-yes, that's correct, Kuze-kun. Well done."

Ryan sat back down, crossing his arms triumphantly, while Alya gave him a suspicious look, clearly trying to piece together what had just happened. Internally, he laughed at himself, his thoughts laced with his usual sarcasm:

"Oh, right, I should probably mention that I've got some fun new tricks now… Let's call it a consolation prize?"

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