Instructor Gale clapped his hands, gathering everybody's attention. "Great job, Class. You are dismissed now, and don't forget to practice on your own."
As we started to leave, Ruby lingered by my side.
"So, about that manga talk... maybe after class sometime?"
"Uh yeah, sure." I replied.
"Great." She gave me a small smile, then walked off.
Cain sneaked right behind me and said, "Oh, this will be fun to watch."
"Shut up." I muttered, getting tired just from thinking about the teasing they will do.
I headed toward the door, ignoring Cain's chuckling behind me. Sam joined in, casually slapping my shoulder. "Don't worry, Buddy. We'll be rooting for you."
As if that made things better.
"I'd rather you wouldn't do that. It is annoying." I said.
Cain dramatically grasped his shirt, as if he was having a heart attack. "So... you hate us now? How heartless, just because you get a girl you forget your friends."
Sam nodded and clicked his tongue as if he was judging me. Tch Tch
"You guys need to get some hobbies, touch grass or something." I groaned.
"We have hobbies. It is teasing you." Cain said, grinning.
I swear these guys... whatever.
I left the classroom quickly, hoping to escape their nonsense. The hallways were filled with students chatting and heading towards whereever they should go to.
It seemed like Instructor Gale dismissed our Class early since it is the first day. Because I still had around a hour before the next Class.
I decided to go grab a drink and some snacks and maybe read something new if it interests me.
As I was walking, I felt a familiar presence beside me. Ruby had caught up.
"Are you free now?" She asked casually.
"Yeah, I was actually about to get a drink then look around for anything interesting."
"Oh, do you mind if I tag along then?"
"Sure, why not?"
Ruby and I made our way to the cafeteria. The chatter of students filled the air, but surprisingly, walking with her didn't make me feel nervous. It was rather... calming.
We both got Iced tea. Mine's flavor was peach while her's was lime.
Afterward, we wandered over to the snack section.
There was silence for a bit before I spoke up.
"Do you like anything in particular?"
She scanned the shelves. "Meh, not really. I like trying new things. What about you?"
"Chips, I guess." I said, grabbing a bag of potato chips.
She chuckled softly, picking up a small packet of cookies. "You need to try new things a little, Douglas."
"Right, coming from the person who just picked cookies." I replied.
"Fair point, but I haven't tried this cookie at least. I am pretty sure you've eaten that brand of chips before." She said, trying to make a point.
But little did she know, I never tried any of these brands. Well, I did try a few brands since I had to eat to live but I haven't tried most brands in this world.
"It might be a bit surprising but no, I haven't tried this brand before."
"Oh."
We paid for our stuff and stepped outside, heading toward a quieter area on campus. There was a small space like a park with benches and trees. It was the perfect spot to relax for a bit before our next class.
As we sat down, Ruby pulled out her phone and started scrolling. "So, what other manga do you read besides Linear Ascent?"
I was about to reply when I remembered I don't know for sure if the mangas I read in my past life was in this world too.
Shit.
"Douglas?"
"Uh oh, yeah sorry. I forgot the name and I can't remember it, but it was about a boy transmigrating in a story he read in a extra's body and becoming overpowered thanks to his system. He was really cool. " I just talked about a similar plot to Linear Ascent, hoping that it wasn't a unique manga.
"Oh... that doesn't really narrow it down, but it sounds a lot like Linear Ascent. You really like the extra genre, huh?" She replied, genuinely interested.
"Yeah... what about you? What type of mangas do you read?"
"Oh uh... I am currently reading... that time I got reincarnated as a shit stain in a house full of beauties." She muttered, clearly embarrassed.
What the f*ck?
"That time I got reincarnated as a WHAT!?"
"...as a shit stain." She said with a low voice.
"So what exactly does this... shit stain do?"
"Uhm... well he was a perverted, single man in his forties before he got reincarnated as a shit stain in a female filled household and... yeah I should probably shut up."
"Yeah, yeah you should." I sighed and decided to take a small risk just to break the Ice.
"Have you seen Second Life Author?"
Ruby's eyes lit up at the mention of Second Life Author. "Wait, you know Second Life Author?"
I internally let out a sigh of relief. Looks like it exists here too.
"Yeah, I've read a bit of it." I said casually, trying not to let my surprise show.
"That series is amazing. The way the main character balances his second chance at life while trying to avoid the mistakes of his past, and how his knowledge from his previous life changes everything in the new world." She leaned forward, clearly excited.
"Exactly." I replied, matching her enthusiasm. "And the way the author writes those intense moments? Like when he outsmarted that corrupt noble in the auction house, it still gives me chills to this day."
Ruby nodded eagerly. "Yes, and don't even get me started on how well the character development is done. You can actually feel the weight of his decisions. It's rare to find a story that good."
For a moment, I forgot about how weird this situation was. Talking about something familiar like this felt... normal.
She added, "How about we give each other recommandations every now and then?"
"Sure, as long as you don't recommend anything like That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Shit Stain." I jokingly said.
"I thought boys liked stuff like that. And I read it just because I was curious I swear."
"Sure, sure," I said, smirking.
The campus bell rang, signaling the end of our break.
"We should probably head to class," Ruby said, standing up.
"Yeah, lets go."
As we walked together toward our next lesson, I couldn't help but think that maybe having Ruby as a partner wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.