Chaos was everywhere—screaming kids, clanging lockers, and those little green freaks tearing through the hall like rabid dogs. Goblins. Actual goblins. I could hardly believe it. They looked like something out of one of those cheap fantasy games—yellow eyes, crooked teeth, and dull knives that somehow still managed to catch the light. I froze, gripping my backpack strap like it was a lifeline.
One of them noticed me. Of course it did. The little bastard darted toward me, blade raised, its disgusting face twisted into a snarl. And what did I do? The first thing that came to mind.
I shoved Sakura in its way.
Her sharp gasp sliced through the noise as the knife skimmed her arm. She stumbled back, clutching the gash, her eyes locked on me with something I'd seen before—betrayal. But hey, better her than me, right? Survival 101.
I didn't wait to see what happened next. My legs moved before my brain caught up, carrying me down the hallway, away from the screams, the green freaks, and the mess I'd just left behind. My heart slammed against my ribcage, and the air felt thick, like I was breathing through cotton.
"Everyone, calm down!"
The voice cut through the chaos like a knife. I skidded to a stop, craning my neck to see. It was Rei—the bodybuilding club president, of all people. The guy looked like he belonged on the cover of some ancient war novel. Perfect hair, chiseled jaw, not a single speck of panic on his face. I hated him immediately.
"They're goblins," Rei said, standing tall like some kind of knight. "Weak as hell. Their knives couldn't cut through paper, let alone us."
Yeah, sure, Rei. Easy for you to say when you look like you bench press full-grown bears in your free time.
Still, I couldn't deny the magnetic pull of him. The students around him—panicking just seconds ago—were suddenly listening, their eyes wide, their breaths slowing. Even I found myself moving toward him, though my steps were slower, more calculated.
I caught sight of Sakura on the floor, surrounded by a few classmates who were trying to patch her up. Her arm was bleeding, but not too bad. She'd live. Her eyes, though—those were fixed on me, filled with something I didn't want to name. I shook it off and kept moving.
"Yo, Rei!" I called out, trying to sound casual, like I hadn't just used someone else as bait. He turned his head, one eyebrow raised, just as he socked a goblin so hard it crumpled like wet paper.
"Oh. It's you," he said flatly, dodging another goblin's knife with annoying grace. "Aren't you the guy always borrowing money from me?"
I forced a grin. "That's me. Got a knife I can borrow too?"
He pulled a rusty blade from his belt and tossed it at me without a word. I caught it awkwardly, testing the weight. It felt wrong in my hand, like it was too heavy for something so dull.
"Thanks," I muttered, though I wasn't sure if I meant it.
We stood side by side, hacking away at the goblins. Well, he hacked. I flailed. Every swing of that stupid knife felt clumsy, like my arms were too weak to keep up. I managed to land a hit on one of them—a shallow slice across its shoulder. It shrieked, its blood oozing out in this dark, sickly green. I froze, staring at the sticky mess on my hands.
"First kill?" Rei asked, his voice annoyingly calm.
I nodded, swallowing hard. My throat felt like sandpaper.
"You'll get over it," he said, already moving on to the next goblin. "Or you won't. Doesn't matter. Just keep going."
I tried to follow his lead, but my hands wouldn't stop shaking. Every time I swung, it felt wrong. Like I wasn't supposed to be here, doing this. I wasn't a fighter. Hell, I wasn't even a runner. I was just…bored. All the time. And now I was supposed to be killing things?
Rei didn't seem to care about my internal crisis. He kept moving, his punches sharp and precise. It was weird watching him fight—like he'd done this before. Like it was second nature.
When the last goblin hit the ground, I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. My whole body felt like jelly, my muscles screaming from the effort. Rei dropped down beside me, barely out of breath.
"How the hell do you do that?" I asked, my voice coming out shakier than I wanted.
He smirked, running a hand through his perfectly tousled gray hair. "It's not that hard if you've got some brains and muscle."
"Brains, huh?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
"Books," he said simply, like that explained everything. "I've been reading about stuff like this for years. Goblins, dungeons, the whole deal. It's not new to me."
"So, what, you're saying being an otaku makes you a badass?"
He laughed, a low, genuine sound that made me hate him a little less. "Maybe. You'd be surprised what books can teach you."
I didn't have a response to that, so I just stared at the blood on my hands, trying to ignore the knot in my stomach.
"Hey," Rei said after a moment. "You want to survive this? Stick with me. I'll show you the ropes. But the first lesson—survival's not about strength. It's about knowing when to fight and when to run."
He glanced toward Sakura, who was still sitting with her classmates, her gaze flicking between me and her bloody arm.
"And sometimes," he added, his voice lower, "it's about who you're willing to protect."
The words hit harder than I wanted to admit. I looked at Sakura, her face pale, her expression unreadable. For a split second, I felt something like regret. But I shoved it down. Regret wouldn't keep me alive.
This wasn't about her. It was about me.
It was always about me.