"We're here," Alfred's voice broke through Neaf's thoughts.
After the incident, Neaf had spent three days confined to his bed, following the same monotonous routine of eating, sleeping, and waking.
Neither Alisa nor Alfred had pressed him for answers or tried to push him. Perhaps they were afraid after what had transpired at the hospital. But Neaf had finally convinced them to let him return to school.
He couldn't bear to sit idly by; there was a world out there waiting to be explored, and despite his temporary circumstances, his curiosity burned within him.
Since that day, Axtral had not made an appearance, which was both frustrating and concerning. It wasn't that Neaf missed him, but rather that he had spoken of tasks and yet provided no further guidance.
To be honest, the body he inhabited seemed to be in no immediate danger, leaving Neaf puzzled as to whom or what he needed to protect it from.
"Aren't you coming?" Alfred asked, opening the car door for Neaf, who seemed lost in thought.
"Yes," Neaf replied, snapping back to reality as he stepped out of the car.
"Let's go. Don't worry, if anything happens, you know who to call, right?" Alfred reassured him.
"I know," Neaf sighed. Alfred had repeated this countless times since they had prepared to leave. It was becoming excessive. But what could he say? He had caused quite a stir, and his life had become nothing short of a drama. The overbearing concern of his new parents was becoming increasingly irksome.
"I should meet your teacher first. I need to inform your homeroom teacher about your condition," Alfred said, guiding Neaf as they entered the building.
Neaf glanced around at the bustling students in the corridor, his heart pounding wildly as memories of his own school days flooded back. He had never felt safe in these hallways, always subjected to disdainful glances that made him feel utterly repulsive in the eyes of his peers. He lowered his gaze, attempting to quell his rising anxiety.
Knock! Knock!
Alfred rapped on the door.
"Come in," came the reply, and Alfred and Neaf entered the room.
The classroom was adorned with a beautiful mix of bright green and white decorations that could captivate anyone's attention.
"Miss Richa, I informed you about my son Neaf's situation," Alfred said as he pulled out a chair to sit.
Meanwhile, Neaf stood awkwardly before the teacher, who seemed too young to be an educator in his eyes, with her blonde hair.
"Of course, as I assured you, I will ensure that no issues arise. You don't need to worry," Richa replied in a professional tone, offering Neaf a comforting smile.
Neaf awkwardly returned the smile. Since arriving, he had grown accustomed to receiving sympathetic looks from everyone. It was a welcome change from the disdainful glances he was used to.
At least his father was here with him, and that mattered a lot. In his previous life, his parents had never attended any parent-teacher meetings or shown any interest in his affairs, not even on his birthday.
But that wasn't the case with Alfred, and even Alisa had been willing to come.
However, Neaf had made a concerted effort to dissuade her. He simply couldn't handle that woman; she is overly anxious when it comes to him. Even though it was somewhat new, he still felt guilty about accepting love that wasn't meant for him.
He wasn't her son, so he didn't deserve her care.
"I'm certain of that, but I hope I'll be notified if anything goes wrong. And as you know, Neaf doesn't remember anything, so his academic performance might suffer," Alfred expressed his concerns.
"Mr. Alfred, Neaf has barely been passing his exams. I hope he doesn't fail, because I can't assist with that," Richa replied sternly, her gaze fixed on Neaf.
"So, he's not a good student," Neaf thought to himself.
Before his demise, he hadn't been an outstanding student, but at least he had made it into the top ten.
Now, inhabiting the body of an AI hybrid, who is struggling academically. How could a robot be so unintelligent? Or was it because he was half human that he struggled with his studies? That was certainly the biggest question for now.
"My son will work hard. His grades may not be good, but he excels in sports. That's a significant factor contributing to his academic struggles," Alfred argued nonchalantly.
He didn't place much value on achieving good grades. His son excelled in other areas, so it shouldn't be a major concern. Besides, expecting high marks from Neaf, who had lost his memories, seemed unreasonable.
"That's precisely why he's still enrolled here, Mr. Alfred. As I mentioned, he needs to pass at the very least. We're not asking for top grades, especially considering his athletic achievements," Richa stated with a composed expression.
Neaf looked at Alfred in shock. He had never heard a parent openly support their child's less-than-stellar academic performance. This was the first time he had witnessed such a stance.
Sports?
It was a completely new concept to him. He had never been physically active in any sport, in his previous life, aside from playing video games, and even then, not to an excessive degree. And now, here he was, inhabiting an athlete's body.
"I'm going to do my best, ma'am," Neaf stammered slightly, unsure if people here also addressed their teachers with the same "ma'am" or "sir" titles.
"Then it's settled. You're already running late, Neaf. Your classroom is number 24, on the left side of the corridor," Richa stated.
Neaf nodded and left the room. He took a deep breath and started walking down the now deserted corridor, realising that everyone was already in their classes.
He attempted to orient himself in the direction Richa had indicated, but he became confused amidst the numerous straight, left, and right turns. Standing in the middle, he opted to follow the leftward direction in an effort to make sense of the teacher's instructions.
"What a pain," he muttered under his breath.
"Move, kid!"