Here's how the first week of classes should have gone.
Monday would have been the Gate Exploration class where we got introduced to Roland and the other main characters, showing how much he had to grow even among his peers.
Tuesday would be the Villain Subjugation class where students got assigned to either a Hero or a Villain for the class period and paired up to fight. Basically an excuse to intro the rivalry between Roland and Isaac Frostblade.
Wednesday was Magical Theory, where Marisa would realize that Roland didn't just have an affinity towards healing magic, but could use healing magic in ridiculous ways after he nonchalantly solves a problem that wasn't supposed to be solved.
Thursday was Combat Theory where Roland would run into Evelyn and the readers got a peek into her troubled past as she's crying after answering a question wrong.
And then Friday was where we'd get the first hints that something was up in the story as Sophia takes a trip outside and a schoolwide announcement is given that students couldn't leave, despite being a free day.
Then the weekend would have Roland training and exploring the woods behind the school, where he'd pick up the Angel's Tears by chance.
A neat, perfectly organized, and very deliberate organization of events.
Monday was beyond salvation, but the other days should be doable.
So, with that thought in mind, I attended class, silently praying that this would go smoothly.
And thankfully, it seemed like it would.
The professor did rollcall, had a one-hour lecture emphasizing the dangers of Villains and that we should strive to uphold the role of a Hero and not fall into the selfishness of Villainy.
Then he paired us up for sparring sessions.
And as he should, Roland was paired against Isaac Frostblade, with the latter playing the role of a villain.
Evelyn was paired against Marisa.
And I was paired against another 'extra.'
Light brown hair, brown eyes, and wielding a sword. He'd been assigned the role of a hero, while I was assigned the role of a villain.
"Get ready, Villain! I, the hero will-"
Before he could finish talking, I sent a compressed ball of air towards his ear and then let it explode.
"Gah?!"
He instinctively reached up to clutch his ear. But then his eyes started spinning and he fell down on the floor, unconscious.
Honestly, his fault. Who told you to mouth off in front of a villain, even if pretend?
But anyway, that gave me free time to check on the others.
Isaac Frostblade, true to his last name, was a cold and sharp young man with light blue hair and matching blue eyes. The son of an Earl, he maintained a dignified and sharp image at all times, even training in swordsmanship despite being an accomplished mage. He also held pride in his talent as an Earl's son, which was why he couldn't accept that Roland, the son of a Baron, could catch up.
I rubbed my chin and stared at the two as they dueled.
Was it because they were in class and being considerate?
The two were fighting at a speed I could actually follow.
And from what I could see, Roland was barely holding on despite Isaac cornering him with a barrage of icicles and swordsmanship. Which of course pissed Isaac off, despite his calm composure.
Basically, par for the course.
Since that was the case, I shifted my attention to Marisa and Evelyn.
I didn't write their duel in the book, but I was curious to see how it'd play out. They had a tense rivalry, so it should be a close fight.
…Except both girls seemed distracted.
Marisa was attacking with half-hearted spells that didn't land anywhere close to Evelyn, and the princess constantly missed the timing for counterattacks.
And then they both suddenly stopped and turned to look at me.
I blinked, caught off guard.
Right. Superhumans with superhuman senses. They'd definitely realize they were being watched.
Before I could react, I saw both the girls shift their gaze to my incapacitated opponent before back to me.
And then they suddenly turned into flashes of light that I couldn't follow anymore.
…Hah.
I hated these developments. What was a good way for me to break out of it…?
"Oho?"
A gruff voice echoed from beside me.
I blinked and turned around to see the professor walking over.
He was a retired Wandering Hero, the sort that took on odd jobs and hunted Villains for money. He also had the appearance to match it, with a scar-filled face, grizzled hair, and sharp eyes.
"Looks like a record time. I matched you two up since you seemed pretty close in ability, but it seems I was wrong, eh?"
"I just got lucky." I pointed at my opponent and said, "He started mouthing off, so I sucker punched him."
The professor let out a boisterous laugh and then walked over to clap my shoulder. "Great job! Even if we aren't Villains, there's nothing that says a Hero can't fight smart. Or take advantage of dumb things their opponent does."
"I completely agree."
The professor smiled and poked my chest. "I like you, Kid. But you know, this is supposed to last for another hour."
"...Yes."
"...Which means you don't have a partner."
"...And?"
The professor's smile turned to a grin.
===
[Story subquest: The Battle Crazed Prof!]
Objective: Survive
Success: +1 to all physical stats
Failure: Infirmary visit
===
My eyes widened and I instinctively jabbed the man's throat.
He knocked my hand aside before it connected and laughed. "Good instincts!" He stepped back and cracked his knuckles. "Well then. Let's see how long you hold up against Jake- Whoa!"
I clicked my tongue in disappointment as the professor… Jake?
Anyway, Professor Jake easily dodged my knock-out tech.
And the response to it was to grin even wider. "We've got a fighter over here, eh? Doing anything-"
I held up my hand and sent a blast of icicles at him.
But they just casually shattered against the man's steel-forged muscles.
Dammit.
Professor Jake laughed again and gave up on talking. Instead, he suddenly rushed forward.
…Well. Time to see how good my cardio is…
===
Roland set down a tray of food in front of me and then laughed. "You fought pretty well for a discharged patient."
I gratefully took the tray from him and sighed. "It was that or get sent back there. Thanks for the food by the way."
"No need." Roland sat down across from me with his own tray of food and said, "You deserve it after that hell."
It was lunch time, and also the end of class.
After this, it would be the mandatory personal training time until dinner when students could finally let loose.
Professor Jake, full name Jake Crusher, had spent the entire class period attacking me and progressively increasing the intensity.
Meanwhile, I had spent the same period frantically defending. So much so that the class eventually just stopped to watch.
Which meant a complete farewell to being lowkey.
But I definitely wasn't going to get sent back to the infirmary again, so it was just a tradeoff I'd have to take and work into my plans coming up.
Roland, epitome of knight's honor as he was, had offered to treat me out to lunch after the whole mess…
And here we were. Me and the MC I wrote into existence, seated across from each other with burgers, fries, and a soda.
I had to say, it was a strange feeling.
I hadn't had the chance to think about it much since we'd just briefly interacted, but Roland definitely had the MC vibes around him.
He naturally had a slight smile on, and his blue eyes were soft and observant. His red hair was also messy, but in the cool way that girls loved instead of a floppy mess like mine.
This was the hero of my story. The one who'd have to suffer quite a bit, but who'd turn out for the better and marry Marisa Sagewind after her character arc development.
And here he was, sitting in front of me, living, and breathing.
Roland noticed me staring and frowned. "Are you sure you're well? You seem to be spacing out a bit."
I nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just surprised at how you don't have women throwing themselves all over you."
And that was the other thing I'd noticed.
A guy like this in real life would definitely get mobbed.
And yet we had walked back from class together without a single girl so much as looking his way.
Roland laughed. "I'm flattered you think I'd be in that situation. However, I'm much more boring than you can imagine." He smiled and said, "I believe that the women here can sense that about me."
"...Uh huh."
X to doubt.
Handsome guy with knightly mannerisms, a good personality, and compassionate enough to hang out with a loner commoner like me?
Again, X to doubt.
Maybe it was because he was with Evelyn? The order of events where they met had been swapped around, so maybe people thought she was interested in him or something.
Meh. Interesting, but not that important.
Roland ate a few fries and then said, "Since you asked that… could it be that you have your eyes on some ladies, Alexander?"
"You can just call me Alex, Roland. And no. Too busy."
Between anticipating the random story developments Rob was throwing in, sorting out what had to happen in order to have the world not collapse, and training so that I didn't get killed off as collateral damage, I didn't have time for women. Even if literally every woman I'd seen since getting here was a 10/10 in the looks department.
I shook my head and then sipped on my soda.
Roland smiled. "Alex then. And truly? Because I believe the princess is interested in you."
I choked and then smacked my chest.
Roland chuckled.
Dammit! Was this my trait? Did 'dramatic effect' mean cliche stuff like that too?
How do I disable this damned thing?!
After coughing a bit more, I wiped off my face and the table with a napkin before saying, "Be real. The princess would never have interest in a nobody like me."
"A nobody?" Roland shook his head. "You may be a bit lacking in combat, but you definitely make up for it in intelligence and experience. I still recall the ease with which you guided us in class."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. And I was dumb enough to pull off a suicidal move on instinct against a fake monster."
Roland nodded. "I agree that wasn't the smartest decision… but you're alive even after that. So you can't say that you're a nobody, right?"
"..."
Roland smiled.
I sighed and started eating some fries.
Roland took the time to start eating his burger.
For a while, we just ate in a comfortable silence. But when Roland finished his burger, he said, "Alex."
"Yeah?"
"If it's too rude to ask, you don't have to answer. But… what made you go to such lengths to stand where you are now?"
I blinked.
Roland stared at me and frowned. "You lack the strength, but you clearly possess actual experience in exploring gates and fighting monsters. You mentioned that you lost your family, but…" He cut himself off, maybe not wanting to seem insensitive by making light of my situation.
I paused to think about that.
He was right. Seen objectively, my actions were overkill.
A young man, barely eighteen. Even so, one capable of clearly navigating an unknown gate, pinpointing monster weaknesses… and now surviving by the skin of his teeth against an accomplished Hero.
It could only be seen as the result of a guy who threw himself into danger at every opportunity.
Since that was the case…
"It's simply what I have to do."
I gave a clear answer. One that wasn't a lie, since Roland had great intuition about those things. But also one that wasn't the complete truth either.
Roland stared at me, mixed emotions crossing his face. But then he smiled and said, "Understood. Then I'm looking forward to working beside you in the future as a fellow Hero."
It was an obvious change in topic.
But I let it slide.
"In any case." Roland continued talking and said, "My favorite color is green."
I blinked. "What?"
"Ah. My mother said that in getting to know a friend, it's best to begin with a simple fact about yourself. As for myself, my favorite color is green."
"...Mine is pink?"
"Really now?"
"It's a peaceful color to look at. Much better than red, which reminds me of blood."
"..."
"Uh… I also like to write in my spare time?"