I slouched in my chair, staring blankly at the blackboard while Mrs. Anderson droned on about calculus. My body was in the classroom, but my mind was drifting far away.
I sat back, crossing my arms, thinking about my situation. How should I act from now on? When I first arrived in this world, I fumbled through every conversation, like I didn't belong. My words were awkward, my body language uncertain.
I glanced out the window, catching a glimpse of the sunny campus outside. It felt weird, knowing that in my past life I'd struggled with basic things like talking to girls or understanding schoolwork. Now, in this life, I've slept with two women in two days and...most importantly, I was a high school student when I died. I am now a college student. Yet, when I look at the board, it feels weird because I can understand and know what mam is teaching. Calculus? It's higher grade studies yet I am finding it surprisingly easy.
"Alright, class, who wants to solve this problem?" Mrs. Anderson asked, pointing to a complex equation on the board. It was one of those calculus problems that I can't possibly know because I have no memory of studying it ever.
She scanned the room. Her eyes landed on Tim, a guy who sat in front of me.
Poor Tim. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. He stood up, stammered something, and then trailed off. The whole class started laughing at him.
Mrs. Anderson sighed. "Alright, Austin, how about you?"
I blinked, taken aback for a moment. Me? But then, something inside me switched on. I stood up slowly, glancing at the board. Without even breaking a sweat, I answered, "The derivative of 5x² is 10x."
Mrs. Anderson smiled. "Correct. As expected from Austin."
A murmur of admiration rippled through the classroom. "Wow, Austin is so smart," someone whispered. "Of course, he got it right," another said.
I just gave a casual nod and sat down, acting like it was no big deal. But inside? I was grinning. It felt good. A weird sense of accomplishment swelled up in me. And that's when it hit me—I was starting to understand the game. I wasn't some clueless guy anymore. I was Austin—a reincarnated hero, a chad, with secret powers and a growing reputation. I couldn't act like a bumbling fool anymore. People saw me differently now. I was cold, smart, capable. I had to own it. I was the cool guy.
The superhero Zero, no one knew about. Well, except for Lily and my shadow mystics.
"Hehehehe this is cool." I said to myself in my mind.
Soon, the bell rang, signaling the start of recess.
I glanced over at Lily. She was sitting with her group of friends, chatting and eating. She looked as calm and composed as always. Then there was Kyle at the back of the class, laughing about something with his buddies. Everyone was doing their own thing.
So, I decided to take a walk, clear my head a bit. The college campus was huge, much bigger than anything I had been used to in my old life. As I walked down the hallway, I marveled at the size of the buildings, the number of students wandering around, oblivious to my real identity.
Turning a corner, I noticed two teachers walking toward me. They were laughing together, clearly enjoying their conversation.
"I can't believe you gave them that test," He said, laughing.
"Well, Mark, you have to keep them on their toes," She replied, her eyes twinkling.
Their voices sounded familiar. Really familiar. And then it hit me—they were the same teachers who had been fucking up in the bathroom that day when I entered in his world.
I smirked to myself. They still having their good time I guess with the woman's husband unknown about her affair.
Shaking my head, I continued toward the canteen. I grabbed a sandwich from the counter and paid for it, shoving it into my mouth as I strolled with one hand casually in my pocket. It was nice to feel a bit carefree, even if just for a moment.
Then, out of nowhere, two girls approached me. They were practically bouncing with excitement, their eyes wide as they looked up at me.
"Hey, Austin!" one of them chirped. "We've been meaning to talk to you."
I raised an eyebrow, keeping my expression as casual as possible. "Yeah?"
The other girl giggled, looking at her friend before turning back to me. "You're, like, so tall in person! And... even more handsome up close." Her cheeks flushed as she spoke.
I chewed on my sandwich, giving them a bored look. "Thanks."
They both laughed nervously. Then one of them stepped closer, her voice dropping to a more playful tone.
"So, there's this event happening and we like to see there as well."
"Ohh. What event and where is it happening? I asked.
They leaned in closer and their boobs almost about to touch me. One girl held my hand on her chest and answered.
"It happens on every saturday night. It's like a pleasurable fun land and there'll be tons of girls and good drinks there. You should totally come."
I kept chewing, and thought over how I should response.
"If I'm free, I'll stop by," I replied straightforward, while brushing my hair.
"I'll keep the VIP room for you as well." She said.
"Sure! I'll be there." I said coolly.
I couldn't resist over the thought that there will be lots of girls + VIP treatment right off the bat.
Thought, I kept my face straight while answering.
Their faces lit up like Christmas trees. "Awesome! We can't wait to see you there, Austin!" they said in unison, before walking off, still whispering and giggling between themselves.
I watched them leave, and once they were out of earshot, I muttered to myself, "What's this sorority house thing all about?" Throwing the sandwich wrapper into a nearby bin, I sighed. "I've already got enough girls around me and I want to research over my enemies as well."
Just as I was about to turn away, I twitched with a surprise when I saw Lily standing right in front of me, her face serious.
"Ahh—Don't scare me like that," I said,
"I'm sorry," Lily said, her voice low. "But can you come with me? It's important."
"Where to?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Somewhere private. There's something urgent you need to know."
I shrugged. "Alright, lead the way."
Lily didn't say another word as she led me to the terrace of the building. I followed her, wondering what could be so urgent that she had to pull me away during recess.
The breeze on the terrace was refreshing, but there was a tension in the air. Lily's expression was tight, her usual calm demeanor replaced by something more worried.
"What's going on?" I asked as we stopped in front of each other.
Lily glanced around, making sure no one else was there before speaking. "There's something strange happening."
I crossed my arms. "Like what?"
"Students are going missing," she said, her voice almost a whisper.
I blinked. "Missing? What do you mean?"
"Over the last few days, students from different divisions have just disappeared. Two boys from B division. One from D division. Four from our A division. It's happening in different courses too."
I narrowed my eyes. "Where are they going?"
Lily looked down, biting her lip. " We have a hunch. I got to know from Gamma who infiltrated the place as my informant."
My curiosity piqued. "Ohhhh?"
"They all disappeared after going to the same place."
I leaned in, intrigued. "And where's that?"
Lily looked me dead in the eyes and said,
"The Sorority House."