(POV change)
Several elementary school bullies circled around a boy with black hair and blue eyes. His smile remained friendly and warm, even though several scratches and bruises could be seen all over his body. The leader of the gang of bullies stepped out of the circle, now directly facing the young boy.
"This guy's insane. He isn't even crying" he said, which made the others laugh. "He's crazy alright" one of them said. The bully standing at the head of them stepped closer, now practically touching the foot of the boy. The boy sat huddled up against the wall, his smile still as warm as ever.
The bully then began to kick the boy, yet nothing happened. "No reaction" said the bully, who then looked to the window right above the boy's head... "Pass me something strong" said the leader. "Uh... will a brick do?" Asked one of the other kids. Where he found a brick remained unknown.
"Perfect! Though I'm afraid to ask where you found that" said the leader, who took the brick from the young boy's hand. All the other kids began to back away, bumping into school desks as they did so. A smile spread across the bully's face, along with several nods of approval from his subordinates.
*CRASH* A loud sound could be heard as the bully threw the brick through the window. Though the bully remained at a distance, the boy he bullied still sat under the window. Though the glass fell outside for the most part, some stray prices went flying towards the boy.
"H-he isn't even crying..." said the bully, who was now dumbfounded at this discovery. After taking a moment to regain his composure, he walked up to the boy in a fit of anger. The bully then picked the boy up by the collar, surprised at how light the boy was.
"This'll do the trick" he said. The others crowded around him, attempting to stop the bully. "You... you could actually hurt him... he could break a leg or something. We're on the second story..." said one of the kids, who tugged on the bully's sleeve, though to no avail.
*Yeet*
"Looks like this is it" I muttered as I plunged down. My life flashed before my eyes. It wasn't a very interesting life, though it was filled with many kind people. I reached my hand out in front of me, grabbing the air as I fell down to the hard ground that awaited me.
A red rope with a frayed edge could be seen in an all-black room. Part of the rope ripped even further, leaving a few broken strands. The ground came closer and closer into view. I hit the ground. All the air burst out of my lungs as what felt like flames coursed through my body.
A cracking sound could be heard on impact. I thought I'd broken some bones. Even so, I didn't seem to feel any pain. The only thing left was an emty shell. My vision soon begun to blur. I could hear the faint sound of an ambulance right before I blacked out.
(POV change)
I was one of the first to arrive at class, soon followed by a group of three students. More and more students filled the room until finally only one student's seat was left open, along with the teacher's. Silky hair entered my view as a young girl in the school's uniform covered in a white shaw entered.
"Woah... who's that?" Asked one of the students, though he was quickly silenced when a pair of elven ears flickered into view. "No way..." another student muttered as the elven princess sat next to him. Students began to murmur as the classroom disrupted into chaos.
Soon, the teacher arrived. She quickly silenced everyone, then walked to her spot in front of the blackboard. She began writing strange symbols on the wall... similar to the characters I'd used in my previous life. "Welcome, class E. You have been assigned to this class for a specific reason" she said.
She tapped her chalk on the words she had written on the whiteboard. ♡{Romantic Fantasy}♡ was all that was written. Murmurs began to fill the room. It seemed I wasn't the only one who could read this writing. "Welcome to the world of an otome game!" Said the teacher
A few laughs, cries, and gasps filled the room. "That's right, students, each and every one of you has reincarnated into this world from one known as Earth. Though some of you may only recall bits and pieces of your former world, I can assure you that your memories will all come back" she said.
"Guess you were right" I muttered to the cat sitting on top of my desk. "Now, each of you have your assigned roles in this game, which I hope you'll work with to the best of your ability. Each role was matched to each of your personalities, but each of you have the right to decline your position" she said.
"So... everyone else attending this school... are they kinda like NPCs?" Asked the elven princess. 'I guess all that fancy talk from before was just a cover-up' I thought. "You catch on quick. Yes, only major roles have been chosen to reincarnate into this world" said the teacher.
"B-but... it's been a year or so since I reincarnated... did we reincarnate into different times?" Asked a student. "No, it's just that time passes a little differently in this world than it does ours. Think about it: Would you want to play out every single day of a game in real time?" Asked the teacher.
"I guess we get the point" said one of the students. "Anything else we need to know?" Asked one of the students. The teacher smiled, then slowly erased the letters written on the board. "Anything else you want to know will have to be learned or asked" she said.
"Alright, class, from this moment forward, no one is to talk about reincarnating in any form. No talking about random manga from your world, or anything else that doesn't exist in this one" said the teacher. "Mrs, are you from our world as well?" Asked another one of the students.
"Yes. But I reincarnated before you. Feel free to do the math, I'm 47 in this world" she said. "Do we know exactly how much time passes in the real world compared to here? You said around a year, but that doesn't exactly give us any ideas. Especially when some of us are older than others" I said.
"True, but you'll just have to find that one out yourself. This class will be, at least for the most part, hands-off adventure! Though if we think you're getting out of character, we'll ask you if you truly want to continue your role in this world. If not, we'll find someone else to replace you" she said.
"So we're free to choose if we want to go back to our regular world?" Asked one of the students. "Yes, but someone else will take your place. Though rest assured, we'll make sure it's a role perfectly suited to them just as we did each and every of you" said the teacher.
"Is there only one God?" Asked another student. "Yes. His name is Marian. That's all the questions I'll be answering for now, so you'll have to find the rest out on your own! But before we start our official academy experience, after class ends, you all should head to the cafeteria" said the teacher.
"Cafeteria?" Asked another student. Murmurs erupted through the classroom, which were all quickly silenced by the teacher standing before us. "And... begin!" She said, then continued class like nothing ever happened. She continued on to explain the fundamentals of this world.
In essence, the storyline of the game tells of a hero who became intertwined with the very fabric of this world by defeating a demon who had possessed their mother. After slaying the demon, this hero was found by academy scouts and recruited into this academy.
Though the hero doesn't know it, several nobles have been placed all around them to make sure the hero doesn't become aware of their true power. All of them, of course, will be from this very class. After a while, a group run by the main villain of the game will learn of the hero's powers.
After that, the rest of the story is mostly the hero avoiding assassination plots, growing closer to the gaurds placed around them or breaking free from the kingdom's rule, and finding out how to control their power before it's too late. It sounded like the type of game I'd either really enjoy or hate.
The game can end badly in one of three ways. 1. The villain succeeds in one of their assassination attempts. 2. They defy the kingdom without gaining favor from the elven princess, in which case they are executed. 3. One of the main secondary people die as a result of their actions.
Though those are the main bad routes, the game is programed in a way that the player is free to choose any kind of outcome they want as long as one of those three things doesn't end up happening. They can wage war on a kingdom, make contracts with demons, etc.
Because of that, they needed real people as the hero's main interactions. After all, real people can adapt to situations without the need for further programming. The only thing that could cause issues is if one of us decided to abandon their role, in which case we'd be thrown out.
Since we were chosen to a role that suits us, it isn't likely any of us would want to leave. Especially after spending so much time here. After an entire year has passed, most of us have become connected to our assigned families in this life. It's hilarious, honestly.
They get people to willingly work for free, and it's perfectly legal. Not only that, but they make millions of dollars off of our happiness. It's a win-win situation all around. Since I really don't plan on defying them in any way, playing along with this villian role seems like the best course of action.
However, it wouldn't be fun if I couldn't play this game how I want to. With the role of villain, I can practically do anything I want as long as it's in direct contradiction to whatever the hero wants to accomplish. Indeed, a role filled with all the freedom I desired back in my previous life.
Though something seemed off about this entire school. The atmosphere the students gave off, the way the teacher refused to explain further, the way this school spouts off promises it doesn't have any intention of keeping. Maybe it was just my imagination, but something felt wrong.
(After class)
We all lined up into 2 rows of 10 students, with a few stragglers hanging onto the ends of the 2 rows. The teacher stepped out in front of us, then clapped her hands in order to get our attention. "Alright, class. You'll all be tested for magical aptitude today" said the teacher.
A few of the students were confused at the sudden appearance of magic in this world, but most of us had already figured it out. "First student on the right, step up. You'll be placed under a spell that'll track your mana output for 24 hours. Then tomorrow, you'll receive your results" she said.
The student nodded before stepping out of line. The teacher quietly muttered a few words I couldn't make out, and then a small tattoo appeared on the back of the girl's hand. "Next" said the teacher. This process repeated until, finally, I was the person receiving the spell.
"Oh... that's... interesting" Muttered the teacher, though loud enough for me to hear. "Is there something wrong?" I asked. "Oh, uh... nothing" she said, though her expression betrayed her. 'I can tell when someone is lying' I thought as I looked at her weary smile.
[A/N: Uh oh! Things are about to get interesting! Thanks for reading this far]