Sitting in the classroom, I attempt to spin a pencil which is difficult to do with utility gloves on. I sit near the window; because that is where anime MCs always sit, so this was my attempt at manifesting myself into being one myself.
My red jacket rustles as the long-sleeved compression shirt emphasizes my build. I read somewhere online that they help blood flow, meaning I will have an edge when I get into a fight!
...a fight that will likely never happen.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a black-haired boy sneaking into the room.
"Think fast Nox!" The boy throws an eraser at me.
I catch it with my almost superhuman reflexes. But quickly throw it aside as though it bit me.
Inspecting my hand, the brown utility gloves I always wear begin to stain red.
I see that the object I had caught was an eraser that had thumbtacks in it.
"Ow, what was that for Shikra?"
He laughs.
Shikra has black hair, and radiating blue eyes, he's the typical "pretty boy".
On the outside, he has a calm and collected atmosphere, as though life itself was a fun game to him. Despite his "cool guy" look, he is unimaginably weak.
Shikra sits down at the desk before me.
Ignoring my bloody glove, I rest it against my cheek continuing to look out the window.
"That was a dirty trick." I scoff.
He giggles. "You fell for it."
"Fair enough." As I look out the window I can't get a question out of my head, so I decide to ask Shikra.
"Shikra?"
"Yeah?" He turns with excitement.
"Let's say, you had a pet dog, one you grew up with, one that joined you on every journey of your life; he was more than a companion, they were family. His kinless radiated to those around, never jumping nor biting, every time you cried, laughed, grieved they would be by your side..." I question.
"This again? c'mon, how many times are you going to ask this?" Shikra sighs.
"One day this dog gets Rabies. No cure, no treatment. Its mouth foaming as it snarls with hatred. A newfound hatred that's not its own.
...Would you let this dog live with your loved ones? Or would you put it down?" My eyes are depressed, as I'm not sure which answer I wanted to hear
...no, I knew the right one.
Shikra takes a moment as he thinks it over, he scratches his head as he awkwardly laughs.
"I've told you my answer already. For the sake of both the dog and my family, the dog's death would be my answer."
His words hurt more than he could have known, but a part of me feels reassured that he is so confident with his answer.
I just hope he holds this certainty when faced with this analogy.
Footsteps tap behind us, as a tall purple, and Navy-haired girl walks in. The mole under her lip when matched with her large breasts gave her a very mature atmosphere, she even has a turtleneck and jeans to match.
The girl sits down at the seat beside mine
Her voice is almost motherly. "Good morning."
"Good morning, Raze," I say, turning to her.
She sees my bleeding glove and lunges forward, wiping my face as though I were a kid who got hurt at the playground.
"How'd this happen? Did someone try and hurt you? Tell me who did it!"
"No, No, it's nothing like that. Shikra tricked me is all." While it's kind of her, Raze would lose a fight against a nun.
She stares daggers at Shikra.
Shikra just puts his hands up, with a carefree snicker.
Raze attempts to take off my glove but I snatch my hand away.
"Raze, you don't have to play mother every time Nox gets a boo boo" Shikra mocks.
"He's right, I'm fine," I say, attempting to wave her away.
And yet she persists. Just then the teacher walks in. He's an old man who is unnecessarily buff with a blindingly bald head.
"I feel like his bald spots getting bigger every time" Shikra states with a chuckle.
"It's like Pangea"
With a concerned expression, Raze looks at me. "Nox, that's not how Pangea worked."
"Everyone take your seats! Homeroom is starting."
The three of us turn to each other.
"Did you study for the test today Nox? Mr.Fitz said it's going to be worth 20% of our final grade."
Looking at Raze, I give a smug reaction as I wag my finger.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You worry too much Raze, I have a simple
trick that guarantees success... God."
"God?" Raze says with concern.
"I don't choose my fate, I leave it up to god! Meaning I choose whichever answer god tells me is right."
"Isn't that just guessing?" Shikra states equally confused.
"Nox! You really should study if you want to graduate!" Like an angry mother, Raze attempts to scold me.
Yet I only shrug it off, for I am the one disappointed in HER ignorance.
"It seems you two can't comprehend the greatness of luck. Just don't come asking me for tutoring lessons when I ace the test."
Shikra sits, seemingly confused how one could tutor someone in luck.
With that, we began our test, our teacher Mr.Fitz paces around to ensure there was no cheating. Incidentally, his bodybuilder muscles push desks out of the way as he saunters past.
Sitting there, I attempt to make a face out of the fill-in-the-blank answer card.
Shikra whispers to get my attention.
In order to better focus my luck, I ignore him.
Yet he does not yield until he gains my full attention.
Looking up only to see Shikra making a funny face.
Looking both ways, eventually, I falter, attempting my own funny face.
After a few exchanges of goofy expressions, Shikra looks in fear.
Looks like my face was too scary for him.
Suddenly I hear heavy breathing behind me. With confusion, I turn in horror to see Mr.Fitz towering over me as he was watching the whole thing.
The test comes to a close, Shikra and Raze are talking as they walk down the hallway while I'm lagging behind.
As punishment for my "distraction," I'm now holding an almost unreal amount of water buckets.
I didn't even start it and to boot, Shikra managed to talk his way out of punishment.
But, thanks to my awesomely buff physic, these water buckets are just a Tuesday of training for me.
I hustle towards my friends. I'm sure to show off my score of one hundred percent as it's taped on my back.
What can I say?... I'm lucky.
Shikra turns to the two of us with excitement. "Hey, are you two doing anything after school tomorrow? I found a cafe to try."
Raze lowers her head. "I have clean-up duty tomorrow."
"You should know better than anyone, I have nothing," I state depressingly.
"Then we'll help Raze, and we can all go together."
"You guys would do that?!"
"Sure, the more people we have the faster we can get it done"
******
Later that day Raze and I are walking home together.
"You don't have to do this, I told you I gave up on it."
The reason this tall purple-haired beauty Shepards me home is related to my one-hundredth suic- isekai attempt.
Despite it happening a year ago, I remember it as though it were yesterday.
It was a warm summer day as I whistled a joyful tune, strutting into the street, intentionally ignoring the red walk sign.
Suddenly the wind was knocked out of me as Raze had put her hand out, preventing any further isekai attempt.
I had no clue who she was at the time, but we both turned to each other equally annoyed.
And so, ever since then, she has demanded that I walk home just to be sure.
"It's fine, I want to do this. Plus, my house is in this direction anyway." She states with uncertainty.
Attempting to imagine a visual map of the town, I'm almost certain her house is in the opposite direction.
The excitement of the buzzing city surrounds us as we walk.
The peace is interrupted as a woman's scream is heard, a man with a ski mask grabs her purse.
With a sigh, I hand my backpack to Raze as if clocking into a nine-to-five.
The masked man pushes his way through the crowd. I put my arm out, clothes lining the robber.
As the masked man falls to the ground, the last thing he sees is my unnecessarily villainous smile as I prepare to axe-kick his face in.
Before I even strike, the robber falls unconscious.
"Alright gang, Let's see who's really under this mask!" Like opening a goody bag, I excitedly unmask the purse thief!
I gasp as though unveiling my arch nemesis (unfortunately I don't have one), but quickly realize...
"I have no clue who this is..."
A woman and her daughter walk up to me.
As they bow, I scratch my head in embarrassment caused by the attention.
"Thank you so much!"
"Haha, no worries, I was just walking by. I would call the police if you want to push charges."
The little girl looks up at me with starry eyes, as though I were a Gandhi...
I'm not entirely sure what Gandhi did to make himself so popular, I think he walked kinda far holding salt...or was it to get salt?
While I'm lost in Gandhi thought, the girl cheers.
"Are you a superheros?"
Like any good superhero, I do the noble thing and...correct this five-year-old's grammar.
"It's, superhero, no s."
This doesn't seem to shake the girl's admiration. And suddenly my ego is boosted as I realize... I was called a superhero!
"Me? A superhero? Why yes I am! They call me… steel man?… No, four god of lighting. Bag man? ...and I fight for … justice!" With every stupid word I uttered, my ego deflates.
The daughter as if an NPC, still, somehow admires me. The mother, however, looks a little more concerned for my sanity.
"Um… I must go... there is more justice to serve." Attempting to salvage my image, I flee.
Retreating back to Raze my head is hung low.
"Steel Man? What kind of superhero name is that" I mutter as I drag myself towards her.
Raze gives a supportive motherly look. "I thought it was cute." But it falls short for the currently depressed me.
"Superhero names aren't supposed to be cute. Whatever, let's just go." I sigh.
"I didn't know you knew how to fight?" Raze hands me my backpack.
"I had trained myself so I could be ready when I reincarnated, but that day never came. :l"
"Why do you want to be reincarnated so badly? If you are so good at fighting here, you would make a great neighborhood hero!"
"When you put it that way it sounds lame. I always thought big picture, fighting a demon king or an evil organization." Slugging forward, I do not falter on my depressed slouch.
"Well...I'm sure you would be a great hero!"
"Hero?"
"And my dad would be happy to have you at the police department"
"That's a great idea Raze! I'm going to be a superhero!" Suddenly jumping with a newfound confidence brought about by my epiphany.
"Ye- That's..." Raze mishears me and gives a supportive nod and quickly realizes that I contorted her words, twisting them to my own ideals. "not what I said?"
Eventually, the two of us make it to a quaint house, the shades are all down, and there are no cars in the parking lot. The grass seems to have gotten too long for any activities in the front yard to be possible.
"Bye! I'll see you tomorrow at school Nox"
"See you." Waving to Raze, I make my way inside the house.
Sauntering through the barren rooms of the house, I make my way to the man cave of a room I've built. The walls are flush with anime figures and posters of women showing off their... beauty.
Flopping onto the bed, I begin to contemplate the idea of being a hero.
What is there to lose?
It's not as though my evenings are filled with anything productive. Even if it's grasping at the straws of fantasy, at least it's something!
But first, I needed motivation!
Turning on my dusty computer, I proceed to watch an anime about a boy who gains immeasurable strength by eating some buff guy's blond hair.