"Seriously... Out of all timeslots, it has to be at that time?" Kichiro muttered as he looked over the gloomy sky.
He looked at the massive clouds up above, painted in grey. They push each other slowly toward the end of the horizon while some birds can be seen flying past, looking for refuge.
No more chirps could be heard after the last birds flew past him. They have made themselves comfy in their fuzzy nest, waiting to pass the weather to come...
*Drip-drop*
"Come on! Does it really have to be now?" Kichiro exclaimed in an annoyed tone while putting his bag over his head, "Apostle of Luck, my ass..." He muttered as he started running.
An armada of violent soldiers is released by Fujin to hold the boy back. He tries his hardest to push through, but the wind against his body is proven to be tough.
Soon, the drum of Heaven echoed throughout the skies.
*BOOM!*
Hearing the sound of the war drum from Raijin, the soldiers of wind turned more violent as Heaven blessed the earth with rain.
Kichiro's uniform fluttered following the wind's direction while some of the spots were getting wet. He picked up the pace as he cursed upon the Heavens.
***
Students with umbrellas could be seen approaching the gate while some unlucky ones like Kichiro rushed through, not even paying attention to the puddles on the road.
As his calves slowly felt the burn while he gasped for air, he finally made it to the getabako. His ragged breathing is no match to the time when his first time was taken virtually by the three older sis of his...
Compared to the lustful breath back then, this one is filled with more suffering... he needs to try his best to breathe in condensed air because of the humidity caused by rain.
With his uniform slightly damp from the rain and his breath still labored, Kichiro went to the classroom after changing his shoes. The hallway was filled with the chatter of students, their laughter and conversations echoing off the walls.
As he made his way to his classroom, he couldn't help but notice the vibrant array of colors that adorned the walls. Student art projects, motivational posters, and notices for upcoming events decorated the otherwise plain corridors.
Whispers and murmurs could be seen as he strolled through the hallway; even some of the Teachers looked at him in disbelief before they smiled and patted him on the back while complimenting him.
"Didn't expect you to be someone like that? Well, what would I care?" A male teacher looked at Kichiro with disappointment before he continued on his way.
Kichiro didn't pay attention to it...
Kichiro's thoughts wandered back to the moments he spent in the virtual world of Ashen Fantasy Online. It felt like a distant dream now, a world of adventure and excitement far removed from the mundane routine of school life.
He finally arrived at his classroom, where the familiar wooden door stood adorned with a neatly printed class number. Kichiro took a deep breath, preparing himself for another day of lectures, assignments, and exams.
As he entered the classroom, the usual hubbub of students fell silent. All eyes turned toward him, and a hushed murmur of surprise swept through the room. Kichiro's classmates were staring at him with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
He scanned the room and realized that they were all looking at him, but it was clear they weren't seeing the Kichiro they knew from their everyday lives. Instead, they saw Ioki, the famous player who had taken the world of Ashen Fantasy Online by storm.
A boy with glasses rushed over to him excitedly, "Kichiro! I never take you as one to play Ashen Fantasy. I asked you to play with me when it first launched, but you rejected it! I thought you were not interested in games." He said with a bright smile.
The boy in front of Kichiro is Toshiro, Iida Toshiro. He was probably the only friend he had in this school who always stayed with him no matter what.
Spiky black hair that glosses from the reflection of the light because of his bad habit of overusing hair wax...
Despite his look accompanied by thick glasses, Toshiro is quite an athletic student. It's probably the reason why he got close to Kichiro in the first place.
Because of the height difference between the two, people would always look at them as a sibling.
"I swear to God, you'll be bald one day before we even graduate..." Kichiro replied while ignoring his earlier comment.
Toshiro put his hands on Kichiro's shoulder and stared him through his thick glasses annoyedly, "That's all you have to say?! You--- Ioki, I swear to God. You are different from what the clips showed... did you develop a personality disorder?"
With a smile, Kichiro chuckled and put Toshiro's hands away. "What personality disorder, old man?" He laughed before he realized the whole class was actually staring at him.
Some of the students from outside the class even get a glance at him.
Kichiro felt a rush of embarrassment and unease wash over him. He had hoped to keep his virtual life a secret from his classmates, but the secret seemed out.
Whispers and murmurs filled the air as his classmates exchanged astonished glances. Kichiro could hear snippets of their conversations.
"That's Ioki!"
"No way... Iori-san looked really different. Was that even him?"
"Should have picked the cue when you always find him missing every time the P.E. class started. He must have been packing those hard rock abs under it."
Kichiro's face turned several shades of red as he approached his desk. He could feel the weight of their expectations and curiosity bearing down on him.
As he sat down, he couldn't help but wonder how this revelation would change his life at school.
Toshiro did not let Kichiro away easily. He even followed him to his seat. He dragged an empty chair and sat next to Kichiro while staring at him intently.
"Yesss? Do you have anything to say, Shiro?" Kichiro asked playfully.
Toshiro lightly slapped Kichiro's back with a hint of anger, "I told you to not call me by that name!"
"What do you want then? The class is almost starting soon. What is a class leader's business sitting with an outcast?" Kichiro remarked with a teasing smile.
"Seriously, stop with that! If Aya-nee listened to what you just said, I would end up in trouble!" Toshiro replied with a panicked expression.
"Now, what does that have to do with Himura-san? I wonder..." Kichiro replied while putting his index finger on his chin.
"YOU!!!" Toshiro finally had enough before putting his hands on Kichiro and shaking his body violently.
As the storm raged on, the sound of laughter and chatter echoed throughout the school's inside.
***
"Iori-san is in his class right now." A student reported packing his sports bag and putting it in his locker.
Another student could be seen tidying the golden trophies in front of him, "Seriously, what are our juniors doing if they never clean this place a bit..." He asked while scratching his head.
The student in front of the locker could only stay silent, hearing his retort.
"Come along with me. I am really curious about this Ioki... If I suffered a lot as a Monk, how can he make it all that way, staying classless?" He spoke as he looked at his reflection through the golden trophy.