《Extra C is Secretly Overpowered!》


 Chapter 1: Extra C and The First Encounter (1)

    It was only last year that I realized that the world I had been reincarnated into was the world of the Romantic Comedy book ''Heaven Waits, Hell Grabs.'' As the name suggests, the romantic comedy was usually overpowered by the dark and gloomy events of the world. What''s more, the person I had reincarnated as was someone featured in the book!


    A running gag character who the Main Characters ran into at the most random times, of no use, and who would disappear as quickly as he appeared. An Extra C.


    Last year. A year before starting High School.


    It was already too late to realize my reincarnation was in a book.


    Extra C had already...


    ***


    The setting sun sent a crimson glow spiralling through the serene classroom. A sight one would generally call beautiful, but the two people inside were sharing anything but a serene moment.


    "I am sorry, Anna... I don''t think we can be together."


    With his back to the window and a slightly awkward smile playing on his lips, the handsome young man looked straight into the girl''s eyes.


    "R-right... I see..."


    "I mean, I never saw you that way... We are childhood friends, and uh."


    Anna, the blue-haired girl, shook her head at his words. Her eyes were trembling as she avoided his gaze, but she held it in, clutching her fists behind her back.


    "Right. Right. You don''t have to explain it anymore," Anna chuckled, finally raising her head. Fleeting as it was, a single drop of tear slipped down her eye, contrasting with her fake but wide smile.


    It was a sight that perfectly matched the setting sun.


    "I shouldn''t have said anything, right? Things will be awkward, haha. I''ll just... uh, see you later?"


    "Anna¡ª"


    She didn''t wait. The girl simply turned around and charged out of the classroom, and he took a step but didn''t chase her.


    The handsome boy could only stand still as he looked at the door the girl had left through. Moments later, another young man walked in through the door.


    "Oh?" the handsome boy''s eyes widened. "Abel... wasn''t it?"


    The newcomer looked at the boy and nodded. He walked to the back of the classroom and picked up a small burner phone from a desk, seemingly his own.


    "Fancy running into you here."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Is it?" asked Abel.


    "Yeah... Did you... hear all that?"


    Abel looked at the boy, staring into his eyes. "Hear what?"


    "Nothing. Don''t worry about it."


    The two nodded, and Abel walked out.


    The second week of high school was eventful for everyone. It was an age full of change and a period of growth.


    Youth. Spring.


    It was here.


    ***


    ''How could I have forgotten this?''


    As I walked through the packed evening city streets, I spun the small phone in my hand. Thinking back on the events I had just witnessed made me cringe slightly.


    Kids... If it was just that, I wouldn''t have thought about it. But running into one of the side characters of the romance novel right after he rejects a heroine, it really drove home something I didn''t want to accept.


    I had reincarnated into this world as Extra C, the gag character that runs into the protagonists at the most random moments.


    "What a hassle," the words left me on their own.


    My footsteps were the only ones ringing through the streets as I made my way back home. I just wanted to crawl under my blanket and go to sleep while there was still time. At least, that was the plan until another sound interrupted my thoughts.


    ¡ªCRASH!


    A glass bottle broke somewhere; a tumble resounded right after, as if something heavy had fallen.


    "Bitch, we''ve had enough! You better pay our money back, or we''ll make you cough it up some other way."


    "I-I will! I promise I will, just a little more time¡ª"


    Tap, tap, my footsteps led me to the small alleyway on their own. In the narrow path between the houses where ages-old trash was laid out, two men were cornering a blue-haired girl.


    The girl was dressed in the uniform of a waitress from a nearby restaurant, and the two thugs, clearly ten years older than her, kept screaming at her, holding a log in their hands.


    "Alright, if you can''t pay up." One of them grinned, his voice truly horrible. "We might be willing to forgive some of the loan if you do a job for us."


    "A-a job...?" the girl asked.


    "It''s nothing much, and you''ll be paid well¡ª"


    A sigh escaped me. This was clearly a trap, and a sticky one at that. Perhaps a sense of empathy had risen in me for someone in a situation out of their control, much like myself, or maybe it was simply because of what I had seen earlier in the day, but it felt as if this girl had suffered enough.


    I took a deep breath and wore a soft smile, then I charged into the alleyway. "Anna! There you are, I was looking for you."


    The three people all turned my way. I ignored the two thugs and walked straight to the blue-haired girl, grasping her hand in mine. "Let''s go. We should be getting back."


    Anna was completely confused, but I could see her tenseness lessen a little. We were in the same class, after all, and while I was supposed to be Extra C, I think my behavior as Abel kept me from being isolated.


    "R-right..." she said, catching on to my intentions.


    As I took a step ahead, my eyes shot to the two thugs.


    "Hey, you¡ª" one of them tried to intervene, but the other man shot ahead to hold him back.


    "John, no."


    "But..."


    "No. Not now," and then in a faint whisper I could clearly hear, he said. "Not him."


    The two made way, and taking Anna along, I left the alleyway.


    I never thought that this small action of helping someone would end up starting a domino effect in my high school life.


    A domino effect of bothersome events that could only be described as something straight out of a shitty rom-com story.

 Chapter 2: Extra C and the First Encounter (2)

    No words were exchanged as Anna and I walked through the streets. I had let go of her hand a while back, and she quietly followed two paces behind.


    At this point, I wouldn''t even mind if she just up and left. This was awkward.


    After walking for a short time, I noticed a park right near my apartment complex and decided to head there. It was a little late, and this area behind my apartment was a bit deserted, so there was no one in or near the park.


    I stepped in and she followed, her head kept low as if she were a child caught doing something bad. I pointed at the swing, and she took a seat while I stood near the other one. Then I sighed again and sat on the swing next to her.


    "You smoke?" I asked, reaching into my pockets.


    "Oh?" Anna looked at me, finally raising her head. "Oh... no. I don''t."


    "You mind?"


    "Not at all, go on."


    Awkward. This was seriously awkward. The lighter clicked, and the cigarette lit up. Blowing out a plume of smoke into the night sky, I turned my gaze up. The nicotine didn''t even hit these days, but the act of holding a cigarette was just as calming.


    Maybe it was not right to talk about the situation right away. And to be honest, I wasn''t very interested. The story of *Heaven Waits, Hell Grabs* was quite dark in its own way. Most of the characters were involved in unfortunate circumstances, but that was life.


    A few encouraging words, a pat on the back, and then we both should be on our way.


    "The worst thing about growing up is the lack of swings, right?" I muttered. "There are barely any we can fit on."


    Anna lowered her gaze. The swing creaked a little as she slightly moved it, hooking her feet on the ground.


    "My parents..." she began. "They have a lot of debt. Those were loan sharks, private collectors since no bank would give us any money."


    I glanced at her hands at those words. Cuts and small, tiny abrasions littered her palms and the backs of her hands, even some burns. Her hard work was rather visible.


    "My education is funded by the state, and I would eventually make more money if I learn, right? Otherwise, I would have quit school to work a while back..."


    Anna looked my way, her eyes on the cigarette in my hands. I gazed straight back at her and then slowly moved it toward her.


    The girl took the cigarette, and I looked ahead again. Instead of smoke, a small whimper escaped her lips.


    "They didn''t have good intentions, right?"A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    They didn''t.


    "I was such a fool, thinking everything would work out."


    I didn''t say anything.


    "Making conclusions on my own... thinking people like me..." she sniffled.


    There was no need to say anything.


    The girl cried and cried, faintly, holding herself back with every sniffle. Just like the world had stifled her, she stifled her sorrow.


    I didn''t light another cigarette.


    Perhaps it was half an hour later, or maybe just ten minutes; it felt quite long, but she eventually stopped crying. Anna stood up straight, the cigarette completely fizzled out in her hands now.


    "We haven''t talked properly before, but you still helped. Thank you very much, Abel."


    "Don''t mention it," I said.


    "Do you live close by?"


    "Right there, the apartment complex over there."


    My house was in a rather high-end building; it was visible even from the park. Anna looked at it for a few seconds and nodded.


    "I work on Tuesdays and Thursdays at this shop," she pulled out a pamphlet and handed it to me. It was a takeaway menu stores would hand out with newspapers. "Come visit sometime; I can get you dessert on the house."


    "Sure, I might take you up on that."


    I stood up from the swing as well. Anna looked at me, then behind her, hesitating, but in the end, she bowed and turned away, leaving at last. Instead of moving, I watched her for a bit.


    "How tiring. This wasn''t in the original story, was it?"


    To be honest, Anna was just a character there to help set things in motion for the main character and his encounter with many people. She also wasn''t a member of the Helping Hand Club the main character formed, but rather a character that seemed to swoop in with perfect advice at the best time.


    A gentle embrace that made it seem everything would be fine. To think she was going through something like this...


    Right then, from the turn she had left, Anna came running back. From the entrance of the park, she waved at me and said out loud.


    "Abel! Let''s be friends, okay? I''ll see you in school!!"


    My eyes widened. For a second, I couldn''t respond.


    "Y-yeah!" It was my turn to stutter with an answer. The small ''yeah'' was satisfying enough for her as she smiled and turned around.


    I smiled and stepped ahead, taking the opposite turn from her on my way to my home. There was no need to drop her home; no one would mess with her.


    I was sure of that.


    Friends, huh? That sounded tiresome.


    "What should I make for dinner today?"


    ***


    The next day came like any other. I had gotten a little less sleep than I wanted to, but nothing else had changed for me.


    Except in the classroom, when the first lectures ended and time for lunch rolled around. One of the more popular kids in class did not go to her usual group of popular friends.


    "Anna, what do you have for lunch today?"


    "Should we head to the park? It''s quite sunny."


    "Hey, Eric, you''ve been a little cold to Anna all day. Did something happen between you guys?"


    Anna, the blue-haired girl who was at the center of her friend group, did not move.


    "Sorry, I have to meet with someone else today," she said.


    Oh no. Nope. I knew this kind of development perfectly. She turned toward me at that very moment. Before she could say anything, I quickly grabbed my lunch and stepped out of the classroom as fast as I could.


    "Ah, wait!" Anna yelped. "Guys, sorry! I''ll come back later, okay?"


    She followed me out of the classroom, empty-handed. "Abel, wait! Would you like to eat with me?"


    NUH UH.

 Chapter 3: Rejected Heroine and Extra C

    I made a new friend; his name is Abel. To be honest, it is possible that I am the only one who sees him as a friend.


    He is a bit of a unique guy. Someone who barely talks to anyone in school, but he wasn''t ''unapproachable,'' per se. If someone talked to him, Abel would reply quite nicely and calmly¡ªin fact, it was a little charming¡ªbut he never initiated conversation with anyone.


    His face was always plain as well, or what was that word, stoic? Right, that. Taciturn and stoic, good-looking but not particularly striking. Maybe if he styled his hair differently and wore clothes that were a size smaller, he would look better.


    Speaking of which, his hair was long. Quite long. It was a bit of a mess with the bangs, but it could probably be styled into a ponytail and would look pretty good; their light brown matched well with his hazel eyes. He smoked as well; he might look cool like that.


    Even in sports, Abel wasn''t bad. Nothing that stood out, again, and it seemed most of the boys in the class knew his name, but no one really talked with him.


    I felt a little proud about that, since these days...


    "How is work going?"


    Sitting with me on the stairs leading to the roof of the old school building, he opened his lunch box and posed the question. It was Saturday, and Abel and I had been having lunch together since this last Wednesday.


    "It wasn''t bad!" I said, taking a big bite of my flavored bread. Though I had a different job on Friday, the restaurant incident was more funny. "There was this one customer who ordered, like, seven bowls of rice, but without any side dish? It was just rice, nothing else. How does that work?"


    "Is that so? Sounds interesting."


    I may have forced him into having lunch with me. To be honest, two events had happened on that Monday. Abel had helped me with one, but the other was me being rejected by my childhood best friend, Eric.


    He knew a bit about my situation, not how bad it had gotten now, but a bit. I would frequently turn to him to vent, and many times I thought I was expressing my affection clearly, but...


    Perhaps it was all in my head.


    Argh. Just thinking of it frustrated me. I took a bigger bite of the bread, eating furiously. As usual, Abel looked at me and leaned away a little, but this time, I noticed a small smile on his lips.


    I was planning to learn not to assume things, but maybe it would be okay to call us something like friends, right?


    ***


    Monday.


    It was quite fun, to be honest. Making a new friend. Most of the connections I had made in high school were very rapid; everyone was worried about making friends, so it made it easier for us to be friends. Since everyone wanted to be nice to everyone, it also made all those friendships just that much shallower.


    It wasn''t the case with Abel. Even if my time knowing him was shorter, there was a certain authenticity in our bond. Neither of us had to pretend, maybe?


    "What is that?" I asked, peering at the screen Abel held up.


    "It''s not good to peek into others'' phones."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Right, sorry. What is that, though? Looks scary."


    "Stocks," Abel said. He usually sat two steps below me; he shifted a little so I could see his phone better, and I peeked in from behind his shoulder. "See this graph? It shows the value of the stock over time."


    "Oh... why are you buying this? Isn''t it very red?"


    "You buy low. This stock will probably jump up soon." Abel then looked up at me. "Do you have cash? I can buy some for you too."


    I quickly stuck my tongue out. "Not happening; I don''t gamble with my money. Stocks *is* just gambling."


    "As you wish."


    ***


    I had come to look forward to those times we spent together. Don''t get me wrong, it wasn''t an attraction or something, but rather more like the only bit of fun I got to have in my day.


    What I felt for Abel was mostly gratitude, but spending time with him had become a safe space for me; anyone would enjoy such times too.


    While working, I would end up looking for stories to talk to Abel about since he rarely spoke on his own, and I also got a way to be away from the awkward situation with Eric. Honestly, it was great.


    As I returned from work, sometimes I would feel scared, as if someone was watching me, or maybe as if someone was following me. The fear of that day stuck. Which was another reason why I enjoyed being with Abel so much; if he wasn''t around, things could have gotten worse. It was a reminder of my debt of gratitude.


    ***


    Tuesday.


    Sometimes Abel and I would run into each other on our way to school. It was nice to walk to campus with a friend, and our conversations were becoming livelier too.


    "I am not a fan of Mega Evolutions. It feels like one of the worst gimmicks P*kemon could have come up with."


    "Excuse me?" Abel said. "I''ll have you take that back."


    "Alright, I just remembered that Gigantamax thing."


    "Right¡ªoh, sorry."


    Abel reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, a second one, a burner phone he kept on himself. These phone calls were pretty frequent for him too.


    He stepped a few paces ahead, and I deliberately slowed down so he could talk privately, a giddy smile on my lips.


    Fun little conversations like these were becoming common.


    ***


    Wednesday.


    It certainly wasn''t just me. I was a little more sure of that each day, that we both were definitely becoming friends.


    The physical education class had just ended. I sat exhausted in one corner of the field after the tense volleyball match. The football match between the boys had just ended as well, but most of them continued playing since we had time.


    Heaving, I looked on from a distance while the rest of the girls and some of the boys who had opted out from playing watched from right next to the field.


    Then, a cool sensation touched my cheek. I looked up to find Abel holding a cold bottle of water for me.


    "Here," he said, his face as plain as ever.


    "Thanks," I took the bottle with one hand and patted the grass next to me with the other. Abel quietly took a seat next to me.


    "How much longer before this class ends?" I asked. Abel pulled out his phone and showed me the time on the lock screen; it was 12 minutes to go. More than the time, though, my eyes were caught by the picture on the lock screen.


    "Who is this girl?" I asked. A cute little girl, someone who looked just a little younger than us, was on his lock screen. When he tapped the buttons again, the picture changed to one of the sky; it was a rotating lock screen.


    Abel seemed to know, though. He only looked at his phone and said softly.


    "My little sister."


    "You have a sister?" I asked. "She''s really cute."


    Abel didn''t say anything but only nodded with a soft smile. For some reason, I felt as if he wasn''t quite happy about this topic, so I quickly changed it.


    "Ah, when are you coming to the restaurant?" I asked.


    "When I feel like some Oriental?"


    "Hey, our restaurant also has great Western food."


    "You guys serve Western? I am not too excited about a place that tries to hit every box like that."


    "Rude much?"


    "Hah."


    Right, we were surely becoming friends.


    ***


    Thursday.


    I waited and waited, but Abel did not come to school today.

 Chapter 4: Extra C and Dark Dark Romance Novels (1)

    The din of the evening crowd flowed around me; busy people returning from work or going off to another spot filled the roads lit by the streetlights.


    Quite a few people turned to look my way, their eyes on my tattoos or the piercings on my ears, sometimes at the ponytail.


    "What should I make for dinner?" I wondered as I made my way closer to my home. As I checked the time, my eyes fell on the date.


    "Thursday..."


    School... had to be missed today. There was something more important. A voice flashed in my mind.


    [When are you coming to the restaurant?]


    [We have good western cuisine too!]


    Really. This was really troublesome. It was the first time I felt like I was making a friend, getting close to someone, since *that* day. The idea hadn''t even entered my mind.


    But now...


    "I feel like noodles."


    ***


    The Bamboo Shoot was a fairly well-off establishment. It was located on a comparatively posh street and was big enough to attract people from all walks of life without any ruckus. A kind of restaurant that some families would visit regularly in the name of ''going out'' to eat.


    I entered the restaurant and was guided to a seat by one of the waitstaff. The interior was just like the exterior, with pale yellow lights setting a beautiful atmosphere against the ivory walls. Fake paintings and plastic bamboo plants decorated the place.


    "Can I take your order?" one of the waitstaff, a girl this time, approached. I expected to see a familiar face, but it was someone else.


    "Right, actually, is Anna here?" I asked. The girl here to take my order immediately narrowed her eyes; she was focused on my sleeve tattoos. "I am a friend of hers; she told me about this place, so I dropped by."


    Her eyes softened a little when I mentioned being a friend.


    "Are you? That''s strange. Anna hasn''t come to work today... did she invite you here?"


    Though she hadn''t, I nodded. "She said today would be good."


    The girl placed a worried hand on her cheek. "Anna doesn''t miss work; I wonder if she is sick."


    I pursed my lips. So she hadn''t shown up.


    Normally, it would be safe for anyone to assume that she might be sick or maybe some other plans came up, but I couldn''t let that pass.


    My own paranoia mixed with the fact that I had helped her from a rough encounter just a few days ago. One of those loan shark bastards seemed quite thick-headed too...


    This really didn''t sit well.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Can I get a glass of water first? I''ll look over the menu until then."


    "Sure!" the girl said and turned around. As soon as she left my sight, I quietly stood up from my seat and made my way out of the restaurant.


    Even though I had decided not to get too involved, that was just impossible now. I clutched my fist and cursed myself, stepping out of the restaurant.


    "Just this once. I am going to be a fool just this once."


    My eyes narrowed on their own. I reached into my pockets and pulled out a cigarette. Lighting it, I ran through the streets toward my home.


    Damn this.


    I quickly rushed to the top of the building and entered my flat. Before turning on any lights, I grabbed some keys and burst into my room. The papers and the threads on the floor were pressed under my feet as I opened the drawer and then pulled up the hidden bottom.


    My hands froze for a second...


    "Hah. I don''t need anything else for idiots."


    I grabbed a bag and stuffed the items inside it. The knife and a pouch went into my pockets, while the rest went into the bag, before running down again. This time straight to the parking lot.


    At the back of the parking lot was a single black bike, a modified model with a helmet hanging from one side. I rushed on top of it and grabbed the helmet, putting it on my head.


    The engine revved with a twist of the keys; the clutch clicked, and the gears changed.


    With a bam, the bike shot out of the spot and straight out of the place.


    My eyes were trained on the road, the cars and the road turning into lines behind me as I pulled the accelerator back. I didn''t have a way of finding Anna, nor did I have her contact information or any way to locate her phone.


    Even her address was not in my hands, and there was no one I could ask about her location. The thought of asking that Eric guy came to mind, but I had no way of contacting him either. In the end, the best way was through the school.


    The motorbike twisted and turned through the roads, turning onto sparsely walked roads as I made my way to the school much faster. It barely took 15 minutes on the bike, but that was still precious time.


    It drifted to a stop. I quickly put it on its stand and looked at the gate. The guards were still here. Instead, I ran toward another side of the campus; our school was quite big, and there were enough unmonitored walls. In a swift move, I kicked the wall down and grabbed the top of the fence, pulling myself up into the campus.


    With trained movements, I hid next to the walls and, without making a sound, made my way inside the buildings. Every step on the dark stairs felt long today; they took time I didn''t have.


    On the third floor, where our classrooms were located, I turned again and made my way to the teachers'' office. The door was locked here, but that didn''t matter.


    "Stupid locks." I reached into my pockets and pulled out a pouch; from within, I grabbed a pair of pins and drove them into the keyhole. The door opened within a minute of tinkering with it.


    There was no time to consider my actions right now. The moment my hands fell on our class teacher''s desk, I started rummaging through it wildly but also made sure to put things back as they were.


    Finally, I found it. Anna''s address. It was about 20 minutes from here, a five-minute distance from my home in a very run-down street that was mostly filled with shanties.


    It was easy to leave the same way I came in. This time, lighting another cigarette, I got on the bike and set navigation on my phone before driving off.


    Driving as fast as I could, I reached the place mentioned in the documents as Anna''s home. A completely broken house, no better than the shanties around. Mold filled the cracked walls, and spider webs and dirt were all around the place.


    The door was open too, left ajar. I pushed it and stepped inside.


    "Who are you?"


    "How the fuck did this guy..."


    There was no sign of Anna inside; both her parents were sprawled on the floor. Bottles of alcohol were laid all over the place, and on the table was a single document.


    I ignored her parents and grabbed the paper.


    [Parent approval for work¡ª]


    ¡ªCRUSH.


    The document scrunched in my fists.


    These bastards... They had sold off their daughter.

 Chapter 5: Extra C and Dark Dark Romance Novels (2)

    "You can''t just walk in here, dude¡ªAGH!"


    I kicked the man with the balding head in the face. "Shut up for a minute," I said.


    My eyes scanned the place. The stench of rotting food and something similar to urine filled the air, alongside a gagging amount of cigarette smoke. Perhaps a rat or two had died here; blood was dripping on the ground.


    It was quite clear that Anna''s parents were violent with each other, judging by the many wounds on them, but their skin was a clearer indicator of something worse: drugs.


    Seriously, how was that girl living here? How was she able to be cheerful while surviving in such an environment? It made no sense to me. Anyone in her position would break completely.


    "Y-you... leave that thing." The woman in the room, probably Anna''s mother, pointed at the paper in my hand and whimpered. Her eyes were completely out of it.


    Both of them were still on some kind of hard drugs, probably methamphetamine. Instead of saying anything, I reached down and grabbed the man by his collar.


    I didn''t even want to call him Anna''s father. This scum didn''t deserve a word like that. Pulling my hand back, I punched him in the gut.


    "Kwah." The man spat, his body twisted like a pulled-back bow. He dropped to the ground as I turned around.


    There was no point in staying here. As I walked out of the house, I grabbed my burner phone and made a call.


    The line rang twice, and soon a voice came from the other side.


    [Yoohoo, isn''t it my favorite little customer?]


    "It''s urgent," I flipped open the crumpled document in my hand. "Astro Financing, what do you know about this company?"


    [Hey, hey, is something wrong?]


    The woman tried to follow me out, reaching for the paper in my hand. I moved it away from her grasp, and she tripped over nothing, falling flat on her face.


    Unreal.


    [Astro Financing, I remember. That is the front these small-time money lenders use to trick people. John and James Mason, I believe. Brothers. What did they do?]


    I noticed the name on the document. It was John Mason.


    "Is James the smarter one?" I asked.


    [That''s right. Ah, I checked my documents. I remember they have started kidnapping young adults and teens these days. They trap them with money, then force them with a strange contract saying they''ll forgive the loans in return for work.]


    "And what is that work?"


    [Servicing high-profile clients, naturally. I am guessing you want their location? I''ll send it to your personal number, free of charge, of course.]Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "Thanks," I said. "Why free?"


    [They are worthless. Say, my little customer, why the sudden interest in such small bastards? You usually ask about scary people, you know?]


    I sat on my bike and revved it to a start. My eyes turned to the house once again. Slowly, the woman was still crawling out.


    "My... daughter..." she said. "Give me Anna back..."


    Her eyes were trained on the papers in my hands.


    "They just did something to piss me off."


    The call cut.


    ***


    James Mason made his way to the building serving as the office of his company. His brother had called him urgently, saying they had managed a big score.


    The desolate building in the middle of nowhere was a complex that had been abandoned for redevelopment a few years ago, but no progress had begun. A perfect place for their activities. Seeing his employees standing guard on the ground, James nodded at them and climbed the stairs.


    The lights of the passageway flickered. The scent of smoke and takeout burgers wafted through the space.


    "Yeah, hey, that''s a flush."


    "Oh! Damn, good one."


    "Someone light the damned joint."


    "It''s still rolling, bitch."


    Some of his staff were playing poker on one floor, and on the next, some were rolling their weed. He could hear the whimper of the captured ''products'' on the third floor and also the sound of their ''keepers'' banging on the doors wildly.


    Finally at the top floor, James walked straight to the only room on the floor that they had turned into their office. A team of about 20 people, with him and his brother in the lead. Every time James walked through here he smiled; it wouldn''t be long before he could be one of the big players around these parts of town.


    He could already see the day when he would be influencing local elections and making more money, a life of power.


    Lighting a cigarette, he entered the office premises.


    "John, I am here. What did you want to show me?"


    James stopped at the entrance. His brother was sitting at a desk, while on the couch, with her hands tied down, was the blue-haired girl they had been eyeing for a while.


    John looked at his brother with a wide smile and tapped the papers on the desk.


    "Her parents handed her over. I forgave the loan, not like they would be able to pay anyway." He stood up and stepped to his brother. "That''s not all, James. I just received word that Nick''s gang has disappeared. We can take their neighborhood now¡ª"


    "Wait, what happened to that boy who was with her?" James asked, his smile vanishing.


    "The boy? Oi, girl, was he your boyfriend or something?" John asked and broke into a snicker as he saw Anna sniffle. "Hah. Some kid, it doesn''t matter."


    "No, I stopped you because I thought I had seen that kid. He was definitely snooping around Nick''s business one day."


    "Huh?" John was bewildered by his brother''s reaction. "What, maybe he was scum, peddling weed? Of course, such bastards would be around sluts like her."


    "No, you dimwit!"


    John couldn''t understand his brother''s reaction.


    "Nick''s gang is gone! Haven''t you heard the stories?!" James screamed at his brother. He ignored Anna on the couch and moved to the window. He could feel it; something was wrong, something was amiss.


    "What stories? It was one person." John slammed the desk, unsure why his brother couldn''t just celebrate with him. Each ''item'' was good news for them, and this new one was quite valuable. "Ok, maybe you are worried, but our people are on watch right downstairs, nothing will happen¡ª"


    "They''re gone," James said, his palms on the window, peering out. His voice was cracking.


    "What...? Who is gone?"


    "The watch... they are gone."


    John rushed to the window and looked down as well. Where his people should have been standing guard, now nobody stood. The only thing left there was a small splash of blood on the ground.


    Something... was coming.

 Chapter 6: Extra C and his Friend (1)

    "Excuse me, is this the place where you give out loans to people?"


    "Huh? A brat? Hah, bro, come here, look at this kid."


    "Hm. What do you need money for? What''s in that bag?"


    "I just need a couple hundred bucks, I am sure this time. This time I''ll win and make three, no, ten times the amount! Just once."


    "Bro, a gambler."


    "What luck, we should use him."


    "Kid, you seem like a rich brat, some money huh¡ªAH!"


    A jab straight to the Adam''s apple made one of the guards stop in his tracks. I quickly grabbed his collar with one hand and his hair with the other before smashing his head into the other one''s teeth.


    "Guh!"


    For good measure, I hit them both in the jaw again, and they fell down to the ground like toppled dominoes. Dusting my hands, I looked up at the building. Leaving the bike right outside the compound was a good idea; this place was clearly deserted.


    The windows looking down here had their lights turned on. It wasn''t smart to let them know I was here. Quickly, I dragged the two guards to the walls. For the last step, I pressed a foot on the shin and pushed down.


    ¡ªCRACK!


    Good enough.


    "I should have asked them questions..." It was too late to think of that now. Someone else would have to be unlucky, I guess. I stepped inside the building and started climbing the stairs.


    The lights overhead flickered. A scent of cigarettes and old mold filled the air. The building''s paint was falling off, and the dim lighting barely helped.


    Sounds of people playing poker resounded on the first floor. If I climbed above, things would get messy while coming down. It was best to eliminate everyone on my way up.


    I pressed myself against the wall at the turn of the staircase, which offered a view of the room where the game was on.


    A knife... but if they were only as good as the ones below, there would be no need. Instead, I reached into the bag on my shoulder and rummaged through it. Inside was a flare, the kind that let out a large amount of smoke to signal things from a distance. I had grabbed a bunch of them from home.


    The first thing I did was bang on the steel railings of the staircase.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "What''s that noise?"


    "Damn, is someone fighting?"


    "I''ll check it out. I need to take a piss, too."


    One of them walked over after hearing the noise. As he came closer, I kept banging on the railing, and right before he took the turn, I hid, sticking to the wall.


    A burly man stepped out of the turn. I tapped his shoulder. Surprised, he turned to me. "Who are¡ª"


    A kick, straight to the nuts, sent him wheezing within a second. I grabbed his head and smashed it into the railing next, continuing the sound. Then pulled him back, and smashed it again. And again, and a couple more times until blood pooled at his feet.


    "The sound didn''t stop."


    "What''s going on?"


    "We should check, too¡ª"


    Right then, I used my lighter to light the flare and tossed it down the passageway.


    "What''s that!?"


    "Fuck, smoke!!"


    I charged into the smoke right after throwing the flare. Hidden in the smoke, I nimbly knocked them out one after another. A jab to the jaw, the back of another''s knee, and then a punch in the neck. The solar plexus, the crotch, and smacking the ears.


    They dropped like fleas before the flare even ran out. Without wasting a moment, I moved back to the stairs and started climbing up.


    The sound was enough to attract a bunch of them; they had started coming downstairs.


    "Alright, this makes it much quicker," I said.


    "Get this bastard!"


    I ducked and tossed the first one down the stairs. The next swung a metal bat at me. I moved to the side. He swung it again, and I dodged again. This time, the metal bat hit the stair railings.


    Seeing the chance, I pushed his hands down and struck his face with the back of my fist. The man''s grip on the bat loosened, which I quickly picked up and struck him again on his chest.


    With the metal bat in hand now, there was no way I was going down. Even though being the one climbing was disadvantageous, my eyes were set on their weak spots.


    When they fell, I made sure to smack them a couple more times so they wouldn''t get back up.


    I reached the third floor, and more people came rushing down from the next one. Before they could get here, I pulled out another flare from my bag and lit it up.


    They reached the landing right then.


    "DIE!!"


    "Clench your teeth while fighting~" I shoved the flare inside the mouth of the first one and pushed him onto the others. Panicked, he ran around, throwing the smoke right at their faces.


    Without missing a beat, I swung the metal bat, which had bent now. Punches and kicks all missed me by a hair''s breadth as each of Astro Financing''s employees fell to the ground.


    Silence remained as the last of them dropped to the ground.


    I could hear small whimpers.


    "Is there someone?"


    "P-please, help!"


    The captives, it seemed. Instead of going to them, I grabbed the last guy I had punched and slapped him until his eyes opened.


    "The girl you brought in today, where is she?"


    "T-t-the girl...!" His eyes trembled in fear. "Top! The top floor, with the boss¡ª"


    Another hit to the jaw, and he fell right back to sleep. The metal bat was unusable now. I tossed it aside and climbed up. Anna was my priority here.


    Tap, tap, I walked up the stairs. As soon as I reached the top floor, the gate leading to an office room came into my sight. Unlike the other floors with passageways on the left and right, this one was straight ahead of the stairs.


    Suddenly, the door opened on its own, and a breeze of wind whooshed past me. A knife embedded itself in the wall behind...


    ...and a drop of blood trickled down my cheek.

 Chapter 7: Extra C and His Friend (2)

    The two burly thugs I had seen that day stood in front of me, both looking my way from beyond the door. My eyes fell on Anna, sitting on a couch.


    Her hands were tied. Her eyes were red; tears seemed to have dried. A small swelling was on her cheek, probably from a slap, and a bit of blood was on her lips as well. She didn''t say anything as she saw me; only shock filled her face. This was more natural than someone screaming in her position; confusion made more sense.


    Clothing a little ruffled, hair messed, but not much.


    One of them was near her, a little cautious, with his hand on his waist; the other was at the entrance, probably the one who had thrown the knife. Amateurs, both of them. They hadn''t even kept her as a hostage.


    "There you are," I said, walking into the room as I ignored the two amateurs. "I was looking for you quite a bit today, Anna."


    Revenge. Making them go through the same pain. None of those thoughts crossed my mind.


    "Hey, hey, aren''t you quite a brave scoundrel?" the one at the front said. "James, maybe this kid will sell too."


    "Hah... I was a little worried," the one named James continued. "But seeing you now, you are just a kid. Are you too scared to understand your position?"


    When I didn''t bother responding and continued straight toward Anna, the one who had thrown the knife, John, came closer and put a hand on my shoulder.


    "Hey, kid. Snap back to reality¡ª"


    I immediately grabbed his finger with one hand and reached for my knife with the other. In a single breath, I twisted his finger back until a snap rang out.


    "GAH!"


    "JOHN¡ª"


    There was no time for them to process things. Before I had even let go of the broken finger, I dived in closer to John and stabbed him in the armpit with my knife. Blood gushed out as I pulled the knife out and completely twisted behind John.


    I grabbed his hair and kicked the back of his knee, lowering him to my height as the knife went to his neck, at the carotid artery.


    "Ah, nuh-huh," I turned John toward the other guy. James already had a pistol out and was moving to grab Anna as a hostage but was too late. I wanted to whistle; a pistol was nice, but his brother had been captured. They were overconfident, thinking a child would be no match for them.


    Sure, these two were different from the riff-raff below.


    But a slightly bigger bug was still a bug.


    James raised his hands as I looked at him. His brother was a hostage; there was no way he could move. His brother, on the other hand, was screaming in agony as he tried to hold his wound shut with his working arm.Stolen novel; please report.


    A gesture made him drop his knife. I pointed away from Anna with my chin, and James, having dropped his weapon, moved away.


    "Anna," I called out to my friend, dragging John closer. She was still trembling, and her eyes were still just as wide, but she recognized me, and that seemed to have calmed her down ever so slightly. "This one brought you here, right?"


    Anna nodded.


    "Did he slap you?"


    She nodded again.


    "I see..."


    James moved back, and I moved closer to Anna. Slowly, with John in hand, I moved behind her, and James came to a stop a few paces away. Behind the couch, the window looking down was just behind us now.


    The rest was just as fast as the start.


    Instead of reaching for Anna, I pulled John''s head and smashed it on the window behind me.


    ¡ªSMASH!


    The window shattered, and with the falling shards of glass making their way down the building''s height, I sent John along.


    "W-wait! AHHH!"


    His scream echoed for a second before dwindling in the distance; John had fallen out the window. Without wasting a breath, I switched my grip on the knife in my hand and lowered my stance. My feet slid on the ground.


    In front of me, James, the other brother, had dived for his gun. His hand was about to reach the weapon when¡ª


    The knife cut through the air. A gruesome, gnarly sound of a blade skewering something wet rang out. Instead of the gun, my knife had embedded itself into James'' eye.


    "That''s how you throw," I said, standing upright and dusting my clothes. I still didn''t go to Anna but rather walked up to James and stepped on his hand.


    "GAHHHH!"


    A crack resounded as his fingers broke. I kicked the gun away, and then with the same leg, kicked him in the jaw.


    The man fell on the ground, thudding to a complete stop. That was it.


    "Where was I...? Right." I turned to Anna again. This time, I knelt in front of her and looked in her eyes. Relief, confusion, shock, surprise, pain¡ªa bunch of emotions were mixed in her pupils.


    "Anna, I''ve been looking for you. Shall we leave here?"


    Mixed with them was a shred of fear.


    I pursed my lips as I untied her hands. This was for the best; helping her once was enough from me.


    She would probably be safe now, and I would be free from this connection as well.


    As soon as her hands were opened, Anna dived ahead and wrapped them around me. I flinched in surprise at the sudden embrace.


    "What the fuck was that..." I could feel her shaking in my hands as she whispered softly. "What was all of that? T-they just showed up at my home..."


    Her words turned into whimpers, she was barely holding herself back from crying again.


    "And then suddenly you showed up... oh god, I was so scared."


    "Huh?"


    Anna clenched her fists, still hugging me. Her body lost strength but her voice was tense.


    "You could have gotten hurt, idiot! Why did you do that? I thought it was over for me, I almost accepted it, so why?"


    "D-did you not see all that?" I asked, a little confused as I gently embraced her back. "I was not the one getting hurt¡ª"


    "Shut up! Idiot! Bastard! I hate you, why did you come here!? Ahh..."


    Tears fell from Anna''s eyes, drenching my shoulders. Her grip around me only tightened.


    "I was so scared..." she said. "I was scared for you."


    In the end, the words that I wanted to say.


    "What would I have done if something happened to you, idiot?"


    She said all of them as she cried.


    As if...


    I was the one she was here to save.

 Chapter 8: Extra C is Secretly Overpowered — START

    It took a few minutes for Anna to calm down; thankfully, she seemed to realize staying here wasn''t safe, and she was quite exceptional at stopping her tears from the first time I''d seen her. Still sniffling, she looked around the room.


    I followed her gaze, both of us stopping at the now direct connection this room had to the outside.


    "So... you threw someone out of the window," said Anna.


    "Well, would you believe me if I said he slipped on his own?"


    "Not really, nope."


    "Didn''t think so. That''s what happened though." With a soft smile, I pointed at the other brother next. "And that guy just dove into a knife right there."


    Anna looked at me as if she didn''t know whether she was supposed to find me funny or serious. I could only shrug, too; what else was I supposed to say here?


    We both stepped back, and I helped Anna stand up. Once I was sure she was alright enough to stand, I got to work.


    I walked to James, who was still out of it, and checked his pocket. The keys and wallet in his pockets were just what I was looking for.


    Now equipped with what I needed, it was time to rummage through the office.


    "Safe... safe..."


    Anna observed me with widened eyes as I tried every hiding spot in this room. Finally, behind a painting, I found a giant hidden safe. The keys went right in; it also needed biometrics, so there was a need to borrow the fallen guy''s thumb.


    "Abel, what are you doing?"


    "Why is this fucker heavy... Ah? Can''t you see?" The thumb went on the biometric scanner, and the safe opened with a small click. My smile widened as the thick wads of cash and the rows of gold jewelry inside shone brightly. A couple hundred thousand dollars, just what I would expect from someone like them.


    Anna peered over my shoulder, her eyes widened.


    "Are you robbing them?" she asked. I grabbed just two bundles and put them in my bag, leaving the rest behind.


    "Just taking a small cut."


    Anna suddenly grabbed my sleeves. "T-there are more people here," she said.


    I was about to smirk and tell her about all the lackeys that were probably down on the ground but then realized she was talking about others. The rest of the people who were also captured like her.


    "We... won''t be helping them."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Right..." Anna lowered her gaze. "Right, we should leave."


    Practical. I liked that.


    "Yes, and the police will need something to arrest these guys and hold them in for a long time," I tapped the safe, the rest of the money still inside. "And this money will go to the right people as well, minus another small cut for the cop."


    "Huh? You mean...?"


    "Yes, they''ll be here any moment." A contact in the police force was the best thing one could have, especially for days like these. "I am sorry, but that''s all I can do for these people..."


    My eyes fell on James again. He was still limp.


    Actually...


    "Maybe there''s something else..."


    ***


    The heavy steel doors that kept the light out slowly cracked open. All the people, teenagers and young adults who had completely succumbed to the asphyxiating pressure of the dark, found their gaze turning up.


    Just like always, they thought one of them would be dragged out again. And when they came back, they would go through things no one would talk about, with wounds on their bodies that no one would try to bandage, since they all would know that the wounds their minds suffered were far worse.


    Just like always, they thought.


    But instead of dragging anyone out, the person who always came to drag them was suddenly dropped in the gate.


    His hands tied, his feet bound, tongue gagged, and eyes full of fear.


    "MMM!" He tried to scream. "MMMMMM!!"


    Light had crept into the dark place that held them captive. It was a fleeting light; the door closed again.


    Now the person dragging them out was inside as well. He would have no choice but to see the darkness enveloping all of them.


    ***


    A breeze blew my now-loosened hair back as we drove through the night streets. Anna put the helmet on, and we started going off. Her hands were tightly wrapped around my back.


    At one point, we passed a fleet of police cars.


    Her hands around my back would tighten at times, and sometimes it seemed as if she was shaking again. The way back to my place wasn''t so long, but I knew the girl sitting behind me had lost everything, including her family.


    There was no need to rush back. I drove through the streets, almost aimlessly. We crossed the beach, the abandoned roads, some of the local monuments as well before going in circles again.


    "Where do I go now?" she asked.


    I thought for a few seconds. I knew exactly how many layers were under that single question.


    But for now, perhaps, there was a need to address just one.


    "I have an extra room. As long as you don''t enter mine, I won''t mind having you for a while."


    Anna pressed closer to my back.


    She didn''t say anything, but I had a feeling she nodded against my back.


    I drove back. The stars and the streetlights seemed to merge from the sheer tiredness in both our bodies. When I parked the bike, when we got on the lift and entered my apartment, it was all a blur we both couldn''t remember.


    All I knew was that she fell asleep in the room I was about to show her in no time.


    I watched her sleep for a bit.


    ***


    Click.


    The retractable pen in my hands clicked.


    Papers crumpled, and pins and threads strutted about when my feet fell on them. Shirtless, I walked across my room and turned to the wall facing my bed.


    "Ah..."


    Click.


    Right. I also had to do this. With the pen in hand, I walked to the photo at the very corner of the wall.


    [Nick] It read, a picture of a man I had taken when he was walking around. Unfortunately, no one would recognize him anymore even if they saw this photo.


    Click.


    With the pen, I made a large cross on his face. My eyes almost naturally traced the red thread connecting him to the other pictures on the wall.


    And as always, my lips pursed when the thread ended abruptly, leaving just a blank all the way to the center.


    Click.


    The center where the photo of the three people who lived here once still remained, remained for the last four years, all alone on that wall.


    "I won''t rest," I muttered to myself.


    "Not until I get my revenge."


    Click.


    Click.


    Click.

 Chapter 9: Extra C and his Roommate

    ¡°An unfamiliar ceiling.¡±


    I woke up and immediately cringed. Really, Anna, really? I mean, I had been awake for the last ten minutes and just didn¡¯t want to get out of bed, but still. A short breath escaped me.


    To be honest, my heart was still pounding. Everything that had happened yesterday, from the moment I was about to head to work, and then those people¡­ ending up here in this house¡­


    It was hard to accept. It was hard to breathe. Feeling the lump still stuck in my throat, I slapped my cheeks and pushed myself up. Put on a smile; that was what I did best.


    The door opened, and as soon as I walked out, the smell of tobacco mixed with a strange sandalwood aroma hit me. The sound of a vacuum cleaner whistled, softened by a lo-fi rendition of Ghibli music. There, cleaning the room in a white shirt, was Abel.


    His hair was tied back, and he seemed to have some kind of face mask on. Even the tattoo running from his shoulder down to his arm peeked out from spots on the thin fabric.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Abel tapped the cigarette on the ashtray next to him and nodded at me. ¡°Morning,¡± he said.


    ¡°Morning¡­¡± I answered. Honestly, I was a little stumped. What was I supposed to say?


    ¡°How are¡ª¡± Abel pursed his lips and paused for a second. ¡°Coffee?¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s alright, I will¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tsk. Why are you being shy?¡± Abel took a last drag from his cigarette and stubbed it out. His eyes scanned around the room very quickly. It was something I had a feeling he always did, but now these small actions were much clearer.


    He was¡­ not an ordinary student. These small actions of his were far more noticeable now.


    Abel walked to the counter at the other end of the room. A dining table was set up right there, a large living room and kitchen combination. I could only look around the room while he was busy. So awkward¡ª


    ¡°Can you finish vacuuming?¡± He asked suddenly. ¡°Just the living room is left.¡±


    ¡°S-sure! I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Three sugar cubes?¡±


    ¡°One will do¡­ thank you.¡±


    ¡°One it is.¡±


    Could this guy read minds? Gosh.


    ***


    Abel made me sit at the dining table as he cleaned some utensils. The smell of cigarettes was now completely replaced by the slight aroma of bread from the toaster.


    I sipped the warm coffee. It was good. We had both missed school today.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    The pounding in my heart disappeared every few seconds and then came right back. Thoughts of what in hell I was supposed to do now came and struck my head like lightning, and as if I couldn¡¯t handle all that pressure, they would disappear every few moments only to return. A stifling wave that ebbed and flowed.


    Was I supposed to say something? I had to say something. Abel was a quiet person anyway. He had helped me so much.


    ¡°T-thank you¡­¡± I managed to squeeze those words out.


    Abel looked at me, a soft smile on his lips, and nodded. With his hair pulled back, his eyes seemed to hold a lot more emotion, or maybe I had just gotten close enough to see it?


    ¡°For helping me,¡± I continued. ¡°Who knows what would have happened¡­ Thank you so much, Abel.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± he said calmly and turned back to the dishes.


    Silence took over us again. The toaster finally clicked. Abel quickly served the toast onto two plates, brought some butter and jam, and placed them on the table before sitting down as well.


    ¡°Alright, there is no point in dragging this out,¡± Abel sighed. He looked tired of being so careful around me. I preferred it like this too. ¡°To start with, I know you have nowhere to go now.¡±


    My breath hitched. ¡°Did you go to my home?¡±


    Abel nodded. He finished spreading butter on two slices and pushed them toward me.


    ¡°Like I said yesterday, as long as you don¡¯t go into my room, you can stay here in this house.¡±


    ¡°But, your family¡­?¡±


    Abel¡¯s eyes shifted to the side. ¡°They aren¡¯t in the picture right now. I live alone, due to some circumstances.¡±


    He was helping me a lot; Abel was also my friend. And after yesterday, there was no one I would trust more. My mind raced, and some thoughts came in, intrusive thoughts about what if he betrayed me, but for some reason, I felt as if I would accept that at this point. I was too tired, and really, that was just disrespectful to the only person who did help.


    ¡°Money¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you rent¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather you stabilize yourself than take money from you,¡± Abel said. ¡°If you plan to move out, then that cash would help even more.¡±


    ¡°But, I can¡¯t impose on you like this¡ª¡±


    ¡°I get that. So let¡¯s just say I am buying your silence.¡±


    My eyes widened at those words. I looked up at Abel to see him with a small smirk.


    Really, what the hell? Even though his expressions were subtle, he looked very different from the Abel I knew in school. Right as I thought that, Abel suddenly pulled the hair tie out and let his hair fall down. His bangs messily covered his forehead, making him look similar to the quiet boy in class.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about my appearance, but my actions. It¡¯s best if you think of me as a simple student with some eccentricities.¡±


    ¡°And I guess¡­ You don¡¯t want me to ask anything? About all that you did yesterday¡­?¡±


    Abel nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest,¡± I continued. ¡°I am a little scared and confused, but you are not just my friend but also the only person who saved me. I trust you and won¡¯t do anything to harm you.¡±


    He nodded again. Then he grabbed his hair and tied it up once more.


    ¡°That¡¯s basically it. You ignore things you must ignore and don¡¯t enter my room. In return, you can stay here as long as you like. Deal?¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± I said.


    Abel and I both picked up the toast now slathered with jam and bit into it together.


    And just like that, we started living together, I guess.


    Abel and I then discussed what had happened yesterday. I wasn¡¯t allowed to ask questions, but he asked me for details of what had happened from my side. When we finished talking, I realized something.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Abel asked.


    ¡°I-I¡­ need to go back home one more time.¡±


    Abel¡¯s eyes widened. He tensed slightly. ¡°What do you need to go there for?¡±


    ¡°My documents¡­ and clothes and stuff¡­¡±


    Abel¡¯s face hardened like stone. He seemed strongly against the idea.


    ¡°Nothing will happen. I doubt my parents even remember anything from yesterday; they were out of their wits¡ª¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I mean, can¡¯t you buy new things?¡±


    ¡°Those¡­ get expensive. And I still need my documents. I¡¯ll go alone, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Abel looked to the side. ¡°You¡¯re right. Nothing will happen. Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be safer. Since we took today off, it would be better to use it to smooth things over for this new living arrangement.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    The two of us took another bite.


    ¡°That bike by the way¡­ can we ride on that again?¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­ sure.¡±

 Chapter 10: Extra C and Group Projects (1)

    ¡°Did you grab your lunch?¡± Anna asked me as the door to the apartment clicked, the lock setting in.


    ¡°Yes, thanks again. Also, I might return late today so keep the keys.¡±


    The two of us set out of the complex after checking our items one last time. Only three days had passed since we started living under the same roof, but we adjusted fairly well.


    Taking the public transport bus from near my place, we reached the school in fifteen minutes. It was still a short walk from the bus stop, and we ran into a lot of other students on our way.


    I looked around the streets. The blossoming flowers were starting to turn green and vibrant. Summer was slowly etching closer after spring, the start of school season.


    ¡°ANNA! Morning~!¡±


    A voice tore through from behind us. In no time, a blonde haired girl ran up and hugged Anna from behind. I quickly side-stepped. The girl who seemed chipper yet careful like a cat was one of Anna¡¯s friends. From behind them, another girl walked up. She gracefully held her bag in front of her with both hands and had a soft smile.


    ¡°Morning Anna,¡± she said too.


    ¡°Emily, Lia, morning!¡± Anna answered, hugging Emily back. From behind the three girls, two boys found their way as well.


    ¡°Oh, everyone is late today!? Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°We are on time, dolt. You are on time too.¡±


    The ¡®dolt,¡¯ a refreshing youth with brown hair, was named Sebastian if memory served right. And the one who had tapped his head with a fist was Eric. Anna¡¯s childhood friend, and the person who had rejected her.


    This was probably the most popular group amongst the high school freshmen, and also the core group in the story of the book, ¡®Heaven Waits, Hell Grabs.¡¯ Some more members frequently went in and out of their clique, but these five always stuck together.


    I quickly moved aside from Anna. She seemed to be looking at me, but I had already mentioned how I was not interested in being involved with her friend group. It was alright to say hi to everyone, but there was no need to make friends here. I was quite busy.


    I stepped through the gate before the others and walked inside. The PE teacher who always stood on guard at the gate, ready to close the door, looked at me.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Abel,¡± said he. ¡°I recently hit a new PR.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± I said. ¡°Next time I¡¯ll spot for you.¡±


    ¡°Right. Now run in, your homeroom is about to begin.¡±


    Yeah. He was a friend from the gym. I stepped inside the main campus, the highschool building.


    ¡°Hey hey, did you do your homework?¡±


    ¡°I want to get crepes after class.¡±


    ¡°Dude. I should have never joined the football club. They make you workout so much.¡±


    ¡°Look look, I got a new match on Hinge. Wait, isn¡¯t this girl in our school!?¡±


    ¡°Ew, I matched on Hinge with YOU!?¡±


    The din of a school campus. It had become a pleasing background noise.


    As I walked up the stairs, I noticed the first floor and stopped for a second. This floor¡¯s classrooms were usually used as clubrooms for the high school students.


    To be honest, while Anna¡¯s clique was very important to the story, she was still someone who appeared periodically, unlike her friends. Calling any of them ¡®main characters¡¯ would be wrong. The story had a different central character.


    A club president. The Helping Hand Club, it was called.


    My gaze went to the other side of the floor, on the stairs leading up from the second entrance. There stood a tall young man, dressed impeccably even in the same school uniform. He stood out, pleasant to the eyes to anyone.


    An air of extreme calm surrounded him; for some reason, just seeing him was enough to make someone at ease. He traced his palm on the door of one of the classrooms.


    A main character, and an Extra C. It was hard to acknowledge I had ¡®reincarnated¡¯; the world barely felt different after all.


    If anything, this was where my life was. The only real world that mattered, I barely remembered much from ¡®an old life¡¯ which I had felt from childhood, and the story of the book was also rather sporadic in my memory.


    Everything here was all I was.


    I ignored the man and stepped up the stairs again. My eyes went to the different bulletin boards placed around.


    [Fairfax Academy¡¯s 45th Student Council Election!]


    [A vote for us is a vote for you!]


    ¡°This is also coming up¡­¡± I mumbled under my breath. School events were fun in their own right. Since I was here anyway, it would be best to enjoy them all¡ªelections, sports, or whatever.


    ***


    I thought today would be another day that ended without much talk. Just a simple day passing us by.


    But perhaps, karma does exist. One wrong that you commit usually comes back to bite you in the ass.


    I wasn¡¯t talking about stabbing a bitch in the eye or throwing a bastard out of the window, but something worse. Karma, or people, had a way to take revenge.


    In the third lecture of the day, an English lecture, the teacher of which was also our class in-charge, came up to the podium.


    She looked like a predator eyeing a buffet of prey, as if we were all in the palm of her hands. I could swear she even licked her lips.


    For the crime of having gone through her documents and stealing Anna¡¯s address, karma had come back to punish me and bite me in the ass.


    ¡°Next week¡¯s classes will be turned into a group project for English. Your assignment is going to be to write a story based on a real incident from your lives.¡±


    ¡°Aww.¡±


    ¡°Man, an assignment?¡±


    ¡°What are we, grade schoolers?¡±


    A few students groaned. I was still unperturbed. It was childish to whine at such things¡ª


    ¡°Please divide yourselves into groups of six for this assignment.¡±


    ¡ªAlright. Fuck you too, ma¡¯am.

 Chapter 11: Extra C and Group Projects (2)

    ¡°You can take this lecture to discuss your assignment amongst yourselves. You will have to present the story at the end, so do well.¡±


    Perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call it planned. That was only a fitting descriptor for the efficiency I had witnessed.


    Being a member of the classroom, I had done my best to maintain a simple social standing. While I was certain no one would particularly mind having me in their group beyond a ¡®oh, we¡¯ve barely talked, this might be awkward,¡¯ I was also certain that no one would go out of their way to invite me into their team.


    A six-person group assignment was the worst. Group assignments in general were the worst. I thought I would have to wait around and join the group of students who would be left out, but the very opposite happened.


    Sparks flew from one corner of the classroom. High-speed communication beyond the level of a mere student in a rom-com story took place.


    Lia and Emily, both of Anna¡¯s friends, suddenly stood up and grabbed their desks.


    ¡°Anna, over here,¡± said Lia.


    On the other hand, Emily whistled and pointed her chin at the two guys looking at them.


    Their destination? My desk.


    Before I could even react, the two girls had put their desks next to mine.


    ¡°Hey, Abel!¡± Emily tapped my shoulder, her blonde hair bobbing along with her head as she smiled brightly. ¡°You are Anna¡¯s good friend, right? Let¡¯s do this one together.¡±


    Lia nodded, her arms naturally resting on the joined table. The other three, Sebastian, Eric, and Anna also made their way here one by one, joining us. Three desks were enough, so they only brought their chairs.


    Anna mouthed a ¡®sorry¡¯ as she walked over, and I only nodded back.


    What was this situation?


    ***


    It took a few minutes for all the students to disperse and get into their groups. We were seated in a circle around the three tables quite perfectly, with me sandwiched between Sebastian and Eric.


    ¡°So!¡± Emily said, ¡°A story, does anyone have anything to go off of?¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh! I know,¡± Sebastian jumped right in. ¡°There was this one time Eric and I tried gambling online.¡±


    ¡°Sebastian, idiot. That¡¯s not a good story.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Oh right. I don¡¯t think I should talk about that.¡±


    ¡°Guys, seriously?¡± Emilia sighed, holding her head. ¡°It¡¯s barely been a month since school started and you¡¯re already doing this.¡±


    ¡°Disappointing,¡± Lia added. ¡°What is the site by the way? So I can avoid it.¡±


    ¡°Lia!¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Emilia shook her head and decided to change the topic. She turned to her left. ¡°Anna, tell them a proper story.¡±


    Anna seemed to be thinking; she shuddered and shot me a fleeting glance. ¡°H-how about a girl getting kidnapped by some criminals¡­?¡±


    ¡°Based in reality,¡± Lia said matter-of-factly. Sebastian and Eric, on the other hand, cracked a grin, holding back their laughter.


    ¡°Goof. Alright, Anna¡¯s out, but I like the idea of an action story. Abel! What about you, do you have any stories that would fit well?¡±


    Everyone turned to me at Emilia¡¯s words.


    An action story¡­ huh.


    I crossed my arms and thought for a second. A realistic tale, with some action¡­


    Anna audibly gulped from the side. When I looked at her, she seemed to be shaking her head.


    ¡°Sorry. Nothing,¡± I said.


    ¡°Won¡¯t Lia have something?¡± Sebastian said right away. It seemed deliberate, as if to take away any awkwardness from our conversation. ¡°Your dad was a marine, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my dad. There¡¯s no point to this. Whatever we come up with, it won¡¯t be a story about ¡®us,¡¯¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest then?¡± Anna asked. ¡°Do you think we should have an experience that includes everyone?¡±


    ¡°Right, exactly that,¡± Lia crossed her arms. Though her expressions and tone hadn¡¯t changed much, I could see her lips turn up a little this time. ¡°Let¡¯s go and create an experience with all of us. A story will pop up on its own.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eric said. ¡°As they say, a good storyteller can make even a trip to the corner store read like an epic.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s decided then,¡± Emilia said. ¡°Are all of you free after school today?¡±


    Everyone turned to Anna, who put a thumbs up.


    ¡°No work,¡± she said.


    ¡°Abel?¡± Lia turned to me. ¡°Would that be okay?¡±


    Now that I was in this, there was no escaping. If I had to do it, I should finish it sooner rather than later. And well¡­


    ¡­ It might not hurt to get along with Anna¡¯s friends.


    ¡°I¡¯m free.¡±


    This was precisely why I didn¡¯t want to get involved with them, though.


    ***


    [Anna: Sorry! U even said u¡¯ll be l8 2day >_<]


    [: What does that even mean?]


    [Anna: I thought it was funny.]


    [Anna: Anyway, I didn¡¯t expect Lia and Em to jump you like that. Sorry again.]


    [Anna: If you are busy we should reschedule this]


    [: You barely get free days. I am fine. Just will be late when I come home.]


    [Typing¡­]


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    I looked up from my phone as a refreshing blonde youth walked toward me. I was waiting near the gates for the others when Sebastian appeared. He tossed me a can of cold coffee.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said as I grabbed it. I was about to reach into my pocket, but Sebastian spoke again.


    ¡±Abel, no way. You don¡¯t need to pay me for this.¡±


    ¡°I insist.¡±


    ¡°No chance. Just buy me something next time instead.¡±


    I stared at Sebastian.


    He stared right back.


    ***


    Anna and Emilia were the last to reach the meet-up spot, which was just the main gates. The two of them sighed and apologized for being late.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Emilia said, raising her hands high. ¡°Now that all of us are here, let¡¯s go make some memories.¡±


    ¡°Where are we off to again?¡± asked Eric.


    ¡°That¡­ Huhu,¡± Emilia chuckled. ¡°I thought long and hard and concluded we should go to the arcade. Any objections?¡±


    ¡°You just want to play games, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No way, it has a lot of potential, Lia! Their gambling comment made me realize that even if nothing happens, the arcade can be made tense.¡±


    ¡°You just want to play games.¡±


    ¡°Alright, fine.¡± Emilia conceded. ¡°But like, I¡¯ve been wondering.¡±


    She looked at us, her brows scrunched. Sebastian and I were both standing with our arms draped over each other¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°When did you become so close?¡±


    ¡°Right now.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±