「 CHAPTER 12: Heavy Feelings」
"Are you perhaps, also a [ Player ] ?" Trish asked me with a serious gaze.
I froze in place, my eyes slightly widened and my jaw dropped a little, shocked and speechless.
A player is a person who has had experience playing video games, in this case,
[ LEGACY ].
'Also'? So there's a chance that there may be others like me and Cad including her?
[ LEGACY ] is a popular game over the years so it wouldn't be strange if someone in my school happened to be a player. But what I'm more worried about is, what kind of player they are...
I became calm but guarded. I clenched my fist and took a deep breath, looking into Trish's eyes with a steady, serious gaze.
"Yes."
Trish smiled softly.
"Are you also a player?"
"Yes, I am"
"Then you must know the situation we're in."
"...Yes."
Well... things just got more interesting.
"Then I see, you must have some knowledge about this world and how it works?"
"Somewhat, yes."
I casually sat on a chair, opened my Inventory and grabbed the dagger that emerged from it. Trish was shaken as soon as she saw my dagger being pulled out.
"W-what a-are you d-doing...?"
"I simply want to ask you, are you a friend or foe?"
"W-what do you m-mean?!"
Oh? Would you look at that! She acts scared but her breathing is completely stable and her body is calm. This girl is something else.
I played around with the dagger a bit more while threatening her.
"So? Your answer? Friend or foe?" I placed my hands on my cheeks and smiled at her menacingly.
Tirsh felt shivers come through her body and quickly answered.
"Y-yes! I'm a friend! I have no intentions of hurting anyone!" Her voice trembled.
With her answer I doubt that she's a bad person, my guts tells me so.
"So? What now? Is that all you want to ask?"
"U-uh... I wanted to ask how can I get strong like you?"
"Forget it. I just got lucky finding stuff at a dungeon while exploring. This isn't a game you know? People die and don't respawn!"
"Even so! J-just please! Teach me, tell me how to be strong like you, so non of those things can happen again!"
I'm speechless right now. I didn't expect her to say something like that. This girl is interesting. I walked closer to her and asked.
"Why do you want to get strong? For power? For strength? For desires?
To which she replied with a straight, serious face and a gaze on my eyes.
"I want to live and protect. But do that, I need power and strength. So I ask you, Kayden, will you teach me how to get strong?"
I smiled, and I chuckled.
"No. I'm not gonna teach you how to get strong, I'm gonna teach you how to be strong."
Trish, with no hesitation said. "Yes, please!"
...
...
...
[ Day 1/7 ]
Last night was a crazy event. I didn't expect a fellow player to be my schoolmate and suddenly became my student. This is my 1st, I have 6 days left to stay here and I need to think of another plan.
I, who was laying down on the bed with his eyes closed was startled by loud bangs and knocks on his door.
* KNOCK *
"OKAY HOLD ON! I'LL BE THERE!"
I stood up, got dressed, and opened the door. "Who is it?" I opened the door with an awfully forced smile.
"Are you, Kayden Polaris from CE-1K?" the person asked. I was caught off guard when I opened his eyes to find a group of my classmates—faces I vaguely recognized but couldn't put names to—standing at my front door.
"Yes, I am..."
The boy at the front spoke up. "My name is Dominic Reyes. We're from the same class, along with everyone behind me." Dominic gestured to the group behind him.
I gave a half-hearted, awkward wave to my classmates, who responded with similar awkward waves.
My expression quickly shifted to something more serious, a shadow falling over my features.
"Is this about the funeral?" I asked, my voice dropping as I raised a hand to my face and sighed deeply.
Dominic nodded, his own face mirroring Kayden's sadness. "Yes. The School Head asked us to get you and let you know that the funeral is starting now."
Kayden exhaled slowly, nodding in resignation. "Alright, I understand. I'll be there soon. You guys go on ahead."
His classmates thanked him softly and began to move away from the door. Kayden watched them leave, then retreated back inside, closing the door behind him.
The weight of the upcoming farewell settled heavily on his shoulders as he stood alone in the silence of his room.
Kayden sat on the edge of his bed, his hands covering his face, trying to block out the reality that Cad's funeral was about to start. His shoulders hunched, and his breath came in shaky bursts as he struggled to compose himself.
The weight of grief pressed down on him, heavy and unrelenting, each second ticking by like a cruel reminder of the loss he couldn't bear to face.
In the dim solitude of his hut, he felt utterly alone, consumed by sorrow, as the world outside prepared to say goodbye.
"I thought I'd already accepted that you were gone, buddy, but I thought wrong."
"You just had to make me cry again to make fun of me, huh? *CHUCKLE*"
I took a deep, long breath, trying to steady my racing heart and calm the storm of emotions within me. The weight of Cad's passing sat heavily on my chest, a constant reminder of his loss.
Yet, despite the ache in his heart, he knew he had to be strong—for Cad, for himself, and for the others. He needed to keep it together. After a moment of gathering his thoughts and finding a semblance of composure, he stood up.
Resolute and determined, he made his way out of his hut, ready to face the funeral and say his final goodbye.
As the funeral for the 24 students who died unfolded, Kayden stood far back, hidden from the others' view. His expression was empty, a blank canvas of suppressed emotion as he watched the scene before him—so many graves, so many young lives lost in one place.
The School Head spoke solemnly, offering words of comfort and praise for those who fought bravely and those who died innocently.
When the ceremony ended and the crowd began to disperse, Kayden made his way to Cad's grave. He stood silently for a moment, feeling the weight of his grief pressing down on him. Finally, he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.
"So... this is it, huh? I'm sorry that, because of me, you died." Tears began to fall, dripping onto the dirt that covered his friend's grave. Memories of Cad flashed through his mind, each one more painful than the last.
As if mourning alongside him, the sky opened up, and rain began to pour—oddly comforting in its familiarity, just like the rain on Earth.
After a while, the tears stopped, and Kayden took a deep breath. He wiped his eyes and offered a final farewell. "So long, buddy. Watch over me, and enjoy wherever you are now."
He stood up, feeling a strange sense of relief. The heavy burden on his heart felt a little lighter. Soaking wet from the rain, he turned and walked back home, leaving behind the weight of his grief, at least for a moment.
「END OF CHAPTER 12」