《FATAL ERROR: Heartbeats Outside Parameters》


 An Ordinary Night

    The quiet hum of the fan filled the room, mingling with the soft rustle of pages turning. Xu¨¡n sat on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, eyes scanning the dense equations in the book resting in his hands.


    Next to him, Y¨¨ Xian was anything but quiet.


    "¡ªAnd, oh my god! Did I tell you? Lumi is so cool! I mean, she''s pretty, smart, and mysterious!"


    Xu¨¡n sighed. "You told me this yesterday too."


    Xian shrugged. "Did I? Oh well, either way¡ªlike I said¡ªyou should try it out! It''s such a cute game! Also, amazing lore and plo¡ª"


    With a calm yet clearly exhausted expression, Xu¨¡n snapped his book shut and turned to face his devil of a sister.


    "I¡¯m not interested in fictional girls."Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Xian scoffed. "Oh, please. Are you serious? And reading math is more interesting? Come on. You just finished exams! Take a break."


    A small, barely-there smile stretched across Xu¨¡n¡¯s lips. "Maybe if you ever bothered picking up a math book, you wouldn¡¯t be failing the subject."


    Xian immediately sat up straighter, glaring at him. "Excuse me?! I don¡¯t¡ª"


    Whatever snarky reply she had prepared was cut off by a gentle throat-clearing from the kitchen doorway. Their older sister, Y¨¨ Ying, stood there with a fond, affectionate smile.


    "Are you two done?"


    "No, we aren¡¯t!"


    Both twins responded in unison, earning a soft giggle from Ying. She adored her younger siblings.


    "Actually, Xian, could you run to the store for me? I need some ingredients." She waved a notepad in her hand.


    Xian frowned. "What for?"


    Ying¡¯s smile widened. "It¡¯s your birthday tomorrow. I¡¯m making a cake."


    Xian¡¯s expression softened. "Oh. Ji¨§jie, you don¡¯t have to."


    "Of course I do! It¡¯s your 17th birthday! I can¡¯t believe you two will be seniors soon."


    Xian averted her gaze. "Oh, well¡­" She hesitated before dramatically clutching her stomach. "I would go, but¡­ it¡¯s so cold, and¡­ my stomach hurts!"


    Ying¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. "Is that so¡­?"


    Before she could say more, Xu¨¡n stood up from the couch. "I¡¯ll go."


    Ying¡¯s expression immediately brightened. "Thanks, Xu¨¡n. Make sure to wear your jacket. Here¡¯s the list."


    She handed him the notepad, and he took it, grabbing his discarded navy-blue jacket from the couch.


    Xian flashed him a cheeky finger heart in thanks. Xu¨¡n responded with an exaggerated look of disgust. He never got tired of teasing his sister, who was far more expressive and temperamental than him.


    With that, he left the house.

 Fleeting Heartbeats, Fleeting Lives

    As soon as Xu¨¡n stepped out of the door, he was hit with cold and chilly air. For once, he was thankful he had listened to his ji¨§jie''s advice.


    It was a cold winter night. The walk to the bakery was a solid ten minutes. He could already picture Xian whining and complaining about her legs hurting if she had been sent to go get the ingredients.


    He entered the bakery, which was much warmer than the cold streets.


    As he walked towards the counter, he heard a group of middle school girls squealing, "Have you tried Fleeting Heartbeats, yet? It''s so cute!"


    "I know right!? Suzumi is so cute!"


    "Kaito''s confession in Tsuki''s route was the best!


    "I know! Glad I didn''t choose Saeko. I would have passed out if I had to hear her voice more than necessary."


    "Seriously, couldn''t they atleast choose a better voice actor? Her personality is already boring."


    Again?


    Xu¨¡n had heard a pair of high school boys also talking about the same game. It must be famous, then.


    He passed the list to the girl at the counter, still distracted by the conversation going on between the young girls. He wasn''t a creep, okay! He can''t help if they shout like this in the bakery. It''s night too...they should be at home. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    When he turned his head to face the girl in front of him, he was met with a smile that was just a little too wide for simple courtesy. He ignored it.


    The woman, probably in her early twenties, skimmed over the contents of the list. "You must have a sweet tooth."


    "It''s for my sister."


    He replied quickly.


    "Ah...what a nice brother. You don''t get to see such nice men often."


    Xu¨¡n nodded, "I am just running an errand."


    The woman, Li Hu¨¢, her name tag read, put all the stuff in a plastic bag and passed it to him, leaning over the counter.


    "So late at night, don''t you think this meeting is fate?"


    Xu¨¡n blinked. Twice.


    Turned around, the bag in his hand, and left the store.


    "Rude", he heard the woman say, she was definitely offended.


    He was again out in the cold. The breeze was especially cold that day.


    He walked on the side walks, fished his phone out of his pocket and absentmindedly clicked on Play Store.


    He typed in the name in the search bar¡ª Fleeting Heartbeats.


    The game popped up, the icon was bright  with a blonde haired girl. He looked at the few pictures and scrolled down to the reviews.


    "Nice game! Events are interesting and there are so many different endings!"


    "Yesss! Finally a new event for my queen Lumi!"


    "When will you remove Saeko? Add another character instead of her at this point tbh. Why is she even an option. Lol"


    "Why isn''t there any new event for Suzumi? I am waiting!"


    Xu¨¡n read the reviews.


    He was about to put his phone back but someone bumped into him, his phone slipped out of his hand and fell on the road.


    He heard the man give a non-committal apology, not even stopping to check up on him. Son of a nice lady.


    Xu¨¡n sighed and crouched down to pick his phone up.


    Then, he saw it. A glitch. And the screen didn''t have the too bright and colorful pictures on it anymore. But instead, it was glitching.


    Xu¨¡n''s eyes widened as he saw a rabbit like creature. It was definitely supposed to look cute, but for some reason, he felt a shiver ran through his body.


    Then he heard a blaring sound.


    A horn.


    He turned his head, but it was too late. He was blinded by the bright lights of the car. It was too fast. It couldn''t stop now.


    Crash.


    He felt his vision go blur, the driver came out and ran to him, fretting and panicking.


    He felt blood trickling down.


    And even at that moment, all he could hear was a ringing sound. Deafening, he heard a few statics. And amidst that, a c


    old, chilling voice spoke,


    "System loading... complete. Welcome, Host."


    Black.

 Trapped In a Game

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Slowly, Xu¨¡n opened his eyes. Everything was blurry. The light was too bright. He could smell the faint scent of medicines.


    "Am I in a hospital?"


    He thought


    His head was dizzy. He kept blinking. Finally, his vision cleared a bit.


    He sat up, and was amused to find no IV drips or any other extravagant medical equipment. Not even bandages. He did get hit by a car. It was no small accident.


    Sounds of heel clicking, and suddenly, there was a nurse in front of his face. Too close for his liking. But honestly, his personal space tends to be really large.


    He noticed the pink walls and...wait, is this an infirmary? Am I in...school? That made no sense. His next school year doesn''t start until next month. And he got hit by a car!


    He suddenly realised the nurse was still talking to him.


    "Kid, are you okay? Can you hear me? You took quite the hit back in P.E. Just make sure to put some ice on it, and you''ll be fine!"


    Xu¨¡n felt the pain in the back of his head. Definitely not by a car accident. He is so confused right now. What was even going on?


    Just as his mind scrambled for answers, he heard a snap. And saw the...same creature. The same one he saw on his screen.


    It was sitting on the Nurse''s desk.


    "What...? Who are you?"


    The...thing jumped down, but didn''t touch the ground, it floated towards Xu¨¡n, floating closer and closer to his face.


    Xu¨¡n leaned back. The creature was somehow eerie and cute at the same time.


    "Host. Took you long enough to wake up."


    Xu¨¡n felt his throat dry. He couldn''t say anything. He was confused and startled. You can''t expect a guy to be coherent when he just got hit by a car. Even if the said guy is an academic weapon.


    "Aww, don''t be so confused, host. You have transmigrated!"


    "Trans...what?"


    The thing seemed unamused.


    "Seriously? You don''t know what transmigration is? Isekai? Ever read a novel?"


    The bunny continued after the lack of response.


    "In simple words, it''s when you take over someone else''s body."


    Yup. Now that he thought about it, how did he not think that he might be dreaming? He looked at the clock for confirmation, and fair enough, it was paused.


    Wait.


    He belatedly realised that the nurse had also stopped mid-sentence. Her lips slightly parted.


    He swallowed. Suddenly, the surroundings seemed less bright. It was dull.


    "Ah! Introductions! This system is called ''System 1415''! Or, you can call it ''Syntar''!"


    "Syntar...?"This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    The boy repeated.


    System? What was going on? His brain was a mess. He just really wanted to bury himself in math books at this point. Math is much easier.


    "Ah, Syntar will explain everything. Don''t worry, host."


    The system giggled. It was anything but pretty. A chilly giggle.


    And then, everything resumed, the nurse kelt talking.


    "-it still hurt?"


    Xu¨¡n got up from the bed, "I am fine."


    The nurse sputtered, "wait! You should-"


    He had already left the infirmary.


    As soon as he stepped into the hallways, it was noisy. Students here and there. Some chatting casually. Some studying and while others were on their phones.


    He was standing aimlessly. Confused, like a lost puppy.


    Then, the bunny...no. Syntar appeared in front of him. And started talking.


    "So host, to put it simply, you are in the body of a character of the game- Fleeting Heartbeats. And no. You are not the main character."


    "Then...what am I?"


    "You are a minor antagonist. Pretty simple, you are the character who causes trouble for the MC, which leads to a convenient situation for the main character to romance the female leads."


    Xu¨¡n was offended. Because how could he be just a...a..."love bridge"?!


    "This is ridiculous. I want to go back."


    "No. You can''t."


    The system looked serious. It''s systematic voice filled the air.


    Then, suddenly, someone tapped Xu¨¡n''s shoulder. It was a boy.


    "Hey, dude. Who are you talking to?"


    Xu¨¡n glanced at the boy and then to the system.


    So others can''t see the system. Wow. He must look like a lunatic.


    He turned around and left, the system followed him while the other boy looked confused.


    He looked around and entered a store room. Empty. Obviously.


    "What if I refuse to...play along? I don''t want to do this."


    Xu¨¡n questioned.


    "If you refuse, you''ll go back to your real body. Syntar will send you back."


    Xu¨¡n was relieved. He could leave after all. "Then I want to go bac-"


    "But host. Do you want to go back?"


    The system cut him off.


    "You were hit by a car. Do you think there are any chances you are alive? This is your second chance at life. Might as well savor it."


    Xu¨¡n gritted his teeth. This...


    "You have no choice, host. But to play along."


    Syntar snapped. And a holographic screen appeared in front of him.


    ? [Kaito Sakuragi] ¨C Main Protagonist


    ? Background: A scholarship student from a modest background.


    ? Attributes: Exceptionally intelligent, excels in academics and sports.


    ? Appearance: Tall, conventionally attractive, the ideal "prince" type.


    ? Role: The central love interest, destined to attract the female leads.


    "Ah, of course. A guy who¡¯s ¡®exceptionally intelligent¡¯ and excels at everything. How original. I bet he¡¯s also a heartthrob and has no flaws."


    ? [Tsuki Shimizu] ¨C The Shy Bookworm


    ? Personality: Reserved, soft-spoken, deeply passionate about literature.


    ? Background: Frequently targeted by bullies due to her timid nature.


    ? Role: The "damsel in distress," often requiring the protagonist¡¯s rescue.


    "Great. Another shy bookworm who gets picked on. Must be nice being the ¡®helpless one¡¯ in the story. The prince charming must save her everytime."


    ? [Lumi Vasiliev] ¨C The Ice Queen


    ? Personality: Intelligent, elegant, distant¡ªunapproachable yet captivating.


    ? Background: Comes from an influential family, maintains a perfect academic record.? Role: The untouchable "princess" of the school, waiting for someone to break through her icy exterior.


    "A perfect academic record, ¡®untouchable.¡¯ Yeah, right. Typical cold princess stuff. How very creative. Besides, I bet I am smarter."


    ? [Suzumi Hasumi] ¨C The Spoiled Tsundere


    ? Personality: Proud, quick-tempered, struggles to express her emotions properly.


    ? Background: Daughter of the academy¡¯s largest benefactor, used to getting her way.


    ? Role: The "rich girl" who pushes people away but secretly craves genuine affection.


    "A tsundere, huh? Quick-tempered, spoiled, and pushing people away, but secretly craves affection. How...unexpected. Sure, I''ll pretend I have never seen that one before."


    ? [Saeko Hoshikawa] ¨C The Aspiring Idol


    ? Personality: Cheerful, energetic, always looking on the bright side.


    ? Background: Dreams of becoming a famous idol despite the challenges ahead.


    ? Role: The childhood friend, she is supportive and very close to the protagonist. She has known Kaito for 10 years.


    "And  ofcourse, the childhood friend. A cheesy romance can''t be completed without that."


    Xu¨¡n''s eyes narrowed at the descriptions. Tch. What was this? Some stupid story written by a 12 year old? It''s so clich¨¦.


    "Host, these are the main characters. As for you...your goal is to give...a happy ending to Saeko."


    Xu¨¡n stared at the creature in confusion.


    "Huh? Why?"


    "Well, just the luck of the draw," Syntar said, its voice too cheerful to be trusted. "Just complete and then, you''ll be able to jump to another game."


    Xu¨¡n clenched his fists. Next world? Was he supposed to keep jumping form one game to another? Surely there was a way out. He could figure it out. He would. It''s him after all.


    "Host. Just an advice. Never go against the game."

 First Encounters

    "So...I basically have to reach the ending for Saeko''s route?''


    Xu¨¡n crossed his arms.


    "That''s right," the system nodded.


    Xu¨¡n sighed. Well, he might as well. After all, how difficult could it be?


    Xu¨¡n left the dark storage room and entered into the hallways. He didn''t  know if it''s because this was a game world, but the colours are awfully bright, almost as if mocking his not so bright predicament.


    He sighed.


    The system had once again disappeared, to who knows where. But Xu¨¡n could feel it''s presence still in the air around him.


    His face was so so tired from all the confused and irritated expressions he had been making, he could feel his face muscles hurt! Enough expressions for the month.


    He was lost in his thought until he saw a girl stumbling towards him. She had a large cardboard box with various musical equipments.


    It looked to heavy for the girl to carry alone as she was clearly struggling.


    She ended up colliding with Xu¨¡n. He was now on the ground. His gaze turned from the equipments scattered across the floor to the girl who was now scrambling to gather all the equipments.


    She had soft pink hair that tumbled past her shoulders in loose waves, slightly messy from the fall. Her warm brown eyes, bright yet carrying an unspoken depth, darted between the fallen instruments and Xu¨¡n before she huffed in embarrassment.


    Wait. Xu¨¡n knew who this was.


    "I am so sorry! I swear I didn''t see you there!"


    She explained as she picked up the microphone that had rolled towards Xu¨¡n, almost touching his hand.


    Saeko.


    "What''s your name?"


    The pink haired girl smiled brightly as she put the last instrument inside the cardboard box.


    "Xu¨¡n."


    "Oh! Xu¨¡n....? Oh! You are from class 2-1!" She smiled and picked up the cardboard again. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Xu¨¡n was just about to offer help before his ears were bombarded with blaring alarms and his eyes were blinded by a too-bright holographic screen infront of his eyes.


    [OOC warning!]


    At the same time, the System returned with an annoyed groan.


    Xu¨¡n was confused. Did he do something wrong?


    "Host! You aren''t supposed to help people! That''s not how your character is! That''s OOC! Moreover, you might take the protagonist''s chance to shine!"


    What bullshit! Xu¨¡n couldn''t even help a girl anymore? This was ridiculous. Even his sister wasn''t that ridiculous.


    Xu¨¡n glanced at the girl still standing there with an infectious smile on her face.


    "Alright! I''ll see you around, Xu¨¡n!"


    With that, Saeko walked past him, heading in the opposite direction.


    "Host, you need to be careful not to break any rules. You are at least smart enough to understand that, right?"


    Was that an insult?


    Xu¨¡n glanced at Syntar with his usual expressionless face, did this system not know?


    "I am the smartest person I know,"  Xu¨¡n thought.


    "You talk too much," He said.


    From his peripheral vision, he saw a boy take the box from Saeko. He turned his attention back to them. Fair enough, it was the protagonist¡ªKaito, Kaito Sakuragi.


    He was helping her like the good protagonist he was. It pissed him off for some reason. Wasn''t this all so predictable? But he didn''t let it show.


    "That''s great! They are progressing. The protagonist is very nice and charming as always!"


    "Aren''t you too excited?"


    The system just giggled in response. Or at least as close to a giggle an electronic voice could manage.


    ~~~~~~


    Xu¨¡n was in the library. He didn''t have anything better to do so might as well study a bit.


    He slammed the numerous books he had taken out from various sections atop the wooden table. Two books about math. One about Physics and one about Chemistry.


    Ah. The scent of new books. He was practically floating with glee. Of course, his face remained stoic and nonchalant.


    He opened the math textbook and looked at the numerous equations and theorems written in the pages.


    This was his Roman empire.


    He sighed, content.


    But, his happiness was short-lasted as the realised that there was someone else in front of him, sitting on the seat opposite to him was....none other than another female lead. Lumi Vasiliev, her name tag read. She must be a transfer student.


    The girl fixed him with a cold, icy glare. Her dark brown hair reached her waist. She also had a textbook in her hands, a biology one.


    Somehow, Xu¨¡n felt intimidated from her presence alone. It felt like she was judging him.


    Xu¨¡n turned his attention back to his math textbook.


    Moments passed by in silence and Lumi returned her attention to her own book.


    The library had a few other students too. It was a big library, But oh god, then why did he end up sitting with her?


    He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.


    Lumi broke the silence.


    "You are from my class."


    Xu¨¡n nodded. He honestly didn''t know. He hadn''t attended any class yet. It was already club time when he woke up after the "P.E" accident, and he wasn''t in a club. So, he just trusted the girl''s memory.


    Lumi made a ''hmm'' sound and drowned back into her books.


    Xu¨¡n was glad the conversation ended. Well, it wasn''t a conversation. Either way, it ended.


    Xu¨¡n was...lost in thoughts again. Was he really dead? Or was this a sick dream? Maybe a stupid prank by his sister¡ªHe''d much prefer that. Hell, maybe he could be in a coma? And this was some long vivid dream he was experiencing?


    That''s all wistful thinking. It didn''t make sense. Clocks don''t work in dreams, but here they did. So he has to live with that.


    He was stuck. Probably forever. Does that mean he would never get to see his sister again? What about his birthday? He missed it too.


    He hoped his sister wasn''t being too hard on herself. Knowing her, she was probably blaming herself.


    He was pulled out of his reverie by the system''s voice.


    It''s ugly and technical voice rang through his ears.


    "Host, shouldn''t you go back now? You don''t have anything to do today."


    Xu¨¡n got up, picked the books up and put them back in their respective places.


    He exited the library and soon the school. A luxury car and a personal butler picked him up.


    He opened the door of the luxurious mansion and stepped inside. It was so unfamiliar. But so, so big and beautiful. Well, his family wasn''t poor. But they weren''t rich either. They were average. So, to see such a big and luxurious house, he is excited, to say the least.


    But then, a lively voice called out to him, he looked up to see the owner of the voice descending the stairs.


    He froze and his throat suddenly felt dry, it felt like his throat was on fire. Because....


    What the actual fuck?

 The Systems Gift

    This couldn''t be happening. Was he hallucinating?


    "Xian?"


    The said girl skipped down the stairs and ran to hug him.


    "Xu¨¡n! Why are you home so late today? Did you join a club?"


    What was happening? How was his sister here?


    He looked at the shorter girl and gently pulled her off of himself.


    Y¨¨ Xian just smiled at him in return. That was....weird. His sister was not the one to smile like that if she saw him. Something was definitely wrong.


    The system giggled from behind him, its voice, as always, ugly to Xu¨¡n''s ears.


    He glared at the system, annoyed and confused.


    Syntar floated closer and feigned an innocent expression and smiled.


    "Why host, don''t you like the gift? The system prepared it just for you!"


    Xu¨¡n was angry. Was this a joke? He wanted to lash out at the system.


    He''d had enough.


    ''Xian'' kept questioning him about his day and Xu¨¡n felt a sharp headache. He handed his bag to a random maid and walked towards the stairs.


    "I am tired. Don''t disturb me."


    He explained and walked up the stairs.


    Well, now, there was a problem. Which room was his? This mansion had too many rooms!


    After a few minutes, he finally found his room as a maid bowed to him, exiting a room, and said, "your room is cleaned, young master!"


    He internally cringed at the term but nodded and went inside his room. He locked the door and turned to the system that has been following him.


    "Explain."


    Syntar just giggled and sat down on the bed.


    "Well, host looked like he was missing his family! So, system thought to add your sister! Doesn''t host like it? It took the system a lot of time to come up with all the data and make a perfect clone of his sister!"


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Xu¨¡n was beyond angry. He frowned at the system.


    "This is unnecessary."


    Syntar just shrugged. It floated and stopped near his face.


    "Why? It took Syntar a lot of efforts to perfect the appearance! It would be a waste of its efforts to delete it now. Host should be-"


    "I said I don''t need it."


    Xu¨¡n repeated. His voice slightly raised.


    "Ah, sorry. But Syntar can''t do that. It takes a lot of coding to add or delete characters. An error might occur. Host is too sensitive."


    Xu¨¡n rolled his eyes and sat down on the bed.


    "You are an ass."


    Syntar just snickered.


    "And here Syntar thought that the host was innocent and didn''t curse."


    "Shut up."


    Xu¨¡n sighed and leaned back.


    He looked around the room and...found nothing of his interest. The room considerably big and spacious.


    It had been just cleaned and was spotless.


    There was a PC on the desk.


    A small shelves with books. But all of them seemed to be mangas or such. He went and picked one up, turned the pages. He immediately shut the book after looking at the content. He put the book back and made a mental note to get rid of them later.


    Xu¨¡n didn''t like the room one bit.


    It was so unfamiliar and so ugly. What kind of taste did the original owner of this body even have? He must have been a disgrace to humanity.


    He sat down on the bed again, a soft sigh escaped his lips. Syntar just kept staring at him.


    Then, he heard a knock. He turned his gaze towards the door.


    "Who is it?"


    "Young master, you should go take a bath. The dinner will be ready in an hour. Today, Mr and Mrs Y¨¨ would be present at the dinner.


    Wow. He has to meet ''his'' parents too now? Hopefully the system didn''t make his parents'' clone.


    ~~~~~~~


    Apparently, the system was too lazy to clone each member of his family because now he found himself sitting on a large table with two random strangers who were supposedly his ''parents''.


    The dinner was very quiet. No one tried to make any small conversation except for the clone¡ªhe refused to call that clone his sister.


    The dinner ended without any events. Which was a good thing for Xu¨¡n.


    Xu¨¡n was back in his room, lying on his bed.


    He was exhausted from everything that happened today. First, he got hit by a car. Then he woke up in a stupid game. Can''t you give a smart guy a break? There''s only so much geniuses can handle.


    He hoped when he woke up this time, it would all have been a dream.


    That none of this was real.


    He desperately wished that this was all fake.


    He just wanted to go back.


    Slowly, he felt his eyes grow heavy. Soon, he fell asleep.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    He was back at school. A driver had just dropped him off in a luxurious car.


    He entered the school grounds. There were students everywhere. A few waved at him, but he ignored them. First, he didn''t even know them, second, it was awkward.


    The system followed him around as usual.


    "Host, today you must participate in the story! Since the canon plot has officially started you''ll have to do lots of work and do your role properly."


    "You mean I need to play matchmaker."


    Syntar just giggled in response. Doesn''t it know that it''s mechanical voice is ugly to hear? It should especially not giggle.


    "Either way host. Today, you have a total of one task!"


    "Yay. I am so excited."


    Xu¨¡n remarked with a nonchalant, sarcastic tone.


    He made sure to keep his voice low so others wouldn''t hear him talk to ''air''.


    "Host has a unique enthusiasm."


    "It''s called sarcasm."


    "Your task, host."


    A blue holographic screen appeared in front of him and he read the text.


    [Task 1]


    Ensure the protagonist stays at school long enough to meet Saeko.


    "What is this?"


    "Your task!"


    The system offered helpfully.


    Yeah no shit, Xu¨¡n thought the blue screan was a freaking dog.


    "I meant, this is stupid. As much as I don''t want to be the petty antagonist, this task is too small isn''t it? Can''t you atleast give me a real task?"


    "Don''t whine host. You are a minor character. Remember? You aren''t even the main antagonist or villain. Besides! This is important! If Kaito and Saeko don''t meet, it will postpone their first key interaction!"


    "Sure. I don''t care."


    The system floated closer, a mischievous glint in its eyes.


    "If you need ideas, then Syntar can help! Considering your character, maybe host should lock him in a storage room. Or maybe host could push the protagonist down the stairs, and send him to infirmary!"


    "No way." Xu¨¡n responded dryly. "By any chance, are you sadistic?"


    "Sadistic? Systems can''t feel pleasure...or anything in particular. So, unfortunately, no."


    "Keep your ideas to yourself. I''ll figure it out."


    "As long as you stay in character."


    Xu¨¡n belatedly realised a group of girls looking at him suspiciously and he speed walked inside the school building. It was going to be a long day.

 Unseen and Unnoticed

    He was already tired of all the stares he was getting. Sure, maybe it was his fault for talking to ''himself'' in front of so many students.


    Well, Xu¨¡n didn''t care about what these characters thought of him, anyway. They were just that¡ªcharacters. Not humans with feelings or minds of their own. They were nothing but mere puppets.


    But he had to think of a plan now. Not that Xu¨¡n was interested in the stupid task. A part of him was curious about what the system would do if he refused to listen. But, he did want to live an easy life in this world. He didn''t want to be an object of contempt for anyone. Especially not the system.


    He would try to be as subtle and invisible as he could. Something at the back of his mind nagged at him. This was going to be difficult.


    His sister had told him a lot about her favourite web novels. Had he known he''d get isekai''d into a game himself, he would have actually paid attention once in a while.


    He sighed. It was all no use now. But it wasn''t THAT bad.


    He looked around himself, he saw students roaming around. They are all NPCs.


    Not alive. Just...a bunch of codes.


    That thought made him feel....something.


    Didn''t that mean he was the only one who was actually alive in this world?


    He wasn''t the one to ever feel lonely. But what was this weird feeling growing inside him? He didn''t want to be alone.


    "What''s wrong, host?"


    "I want to be alone," He thought.


    "Nothing. Why don''t you leave? Go on. Rest. I won''t cause trouble. I am a good kid."


    He muttered dryly.


    The hallway was too loud. No one would notice him talk to himself anyway.


    "Oh no. It''s Syntar''s duty to help and look after host all the time!"


    "You need to stalk me 24/7."


    He remarked dryly.


    He reached his class. Just as he went past the classroom door, he bumped into someone.


    He stepped back, about to say sorry. But when he looked up to see who the person was, the apology died then and there on his tongue.


    "Oh, I am sorry. Are you okay?"


    The other guy said. He was just slightly taller than Xu¨¡n.


    "Host! Don''t just stand there! It''s the best opportunity to make first impressions! Stay in character."


    "Can''t you watch where you are going?"


    Xu¨¡n blurted out without thinking. The system was urging him to say something rude. What else could he do? His face was devoid of any expression. His cold eyes stared at Kaito.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    The guy was definitely good looking. Which was to be expected of an Otome game''s MC.


    He had slightly messy dark blue hair, and equally dark brown eyes.


    His not-so nice reply earned him a slight frown from the taller boy.


    "I am sorry?"


    Xu¨¡n walked past him, not bothering to engage in any conversation. It wasn''t OOC, right? He said something rude.


    He sat down at his desk and saw Kaito exit the classroom.


    "Host, you were rude! It''s good you are following your role well."


    "I thought I was being nice. Thanks for clarifying."


    Xu¨¡n opened his textbook and saw that it was practically as good as new.


    "Just what kind of character did you put me in. Does this kid not study at all? This book looks like it was never touched."


    "Host''s character wasn''t smart or the studious type."


    Syntar replied, still floating around his desk.


    Xu¨¡n skimmed through the content of one of the chapters from the chemistry book. He was proud when he realised he remembered everything as clear as day.


    The bell rang, students came back to class, and sat in their designated seat. Kaito returned too. The teacher came in soon after.


    Xu¨¡n was ready to answer any question asked by the teacher. It was his time to shine.


    ------------


    Was this a joke? The teacher didn''t even look at him! He raised his hand for every question, but the teacher only looked at Kaito. And of course, the latter answered with ease.


    Was he invisible? Was it because Kaito was the protagonist of this world? That was not fair. He could have answered every single question that the protagonist did.


    This world was cruel. It wouldn''t even let him shine in one thing he was good at.


    The bell rang and Xu¨¡n soon realised that it was the P.E lecture next.


    He hated P.E.


    The system was still present, talking to him. Rambling on and on about the plot and his role.


    Xu¨¡n ignored it.


    Why did he have to go experience everything so thoroughly? Nobody would like repeating a school year they just finished. Especially when their friends aren''t there. And Xu¨¡n never had friends. Not even in the real world.


    Xu¨¡n sighed and went to the locker room along with the rest of the students.


    In a few minutes, all the students were gathered on the ground.


    He recognised only two. Lumi and Kaito.


    The P.E coach had told them to run a few laps around the track.


    Xu¨¡n wasn''t the athletic type, and by the time he was down with the running, he was sweaty and gasping for breath. It kind of pissed him off because no one was as tired as him.


    Could it be because they weren''t even humans? That must be it.


    He heard footsteps and looked up to see who it was.


    "You look like you ran a marathon," Lumi remarked, clearly amused by the boy''s exhaustion.


    "Is that so?" Xu¨¡n straightened himself, he was a bit relaxed now.


    The girl looked completely fine. As if she hadn''t just run at all.


    Stupid game. Stupid world. Stupid characters.


    The system giggled from behind Xu¨¡n, "host, she is right! You look like you are gonna pass out any minute."


    Stupid system.


    "Yes. I didn''t know you were so weak."


    Xu¨¡n frowned at the ''insult'', "I am not weak."


    Lumi observed him for a few more seconds before walking away.


    Xu¨¡n crossed his arms. "Just wait. I''ll beat you in a test," he thought.


    The system spoke again, "Host remembers his task, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Watch out," he heard someone yell, and when he turned his head towards the voice, he was hit by a ball in the face.


    ---------


    That''s how Xu¨¡n found himself in front of the infirmary. His nose was bleeding.


    When the nurse saw him, she had to stifle the chuckle that threatened to escape her lips.


    "Oh my, is it you again? It seems you got hit by a ball again."


    "Host has extreme bad luck, it seems," Syntar remarked.


    Xu¨¡n just nodded.


    "Don''t worry. It''s just a nosebleed. Lean forward a bit. I''ll get you an ice pack."


    Xu¨¡n sat down on one of the beds, and leaned forward. The nurse returned quickly with an ice pack in her hand.


    Xu¨¡n took the ice pack and pressed it against his nose.


    The nurse sat back on her desk, going back whatever work she has been doing before he interrupted her.


    Xu¨¡n looked around infirmary and wasn''t surprised to see the brightly coloured pink walls. It wasn''t his first time here. He woke up here the day before.


    Once his nose stopped bleeding, he exited the infirmary. He was going back to the ground when he heard a strange sound.


    He looked in the direction of the sound. It seemed it came from the storage room.


    Now, Xu¨¡n had no business to go check the room. He was not obliged to. But, there were still a few minutes left till the P.E lecture ended. And after embarrassing himself, he''d rather not go back yet.


    So, he opened the storage room''s door and was completely flabbergasted to see a certain pink haired girl sleeping on the floor, her back to one of the racks.


    She was even lightly snoring.


    Was this normal?


    "Don''t worry, host. It seems it''s normal for our female lead here," the system whispered from next to Xu¨¡n.


    "You can hear my thoughts?" Xu¨¡n asked, completely baffled.


    "Ah, did Syntar not tell you? It must have forgotten."


    "You made me look like a fool. You did this on purpose." Xu¨¡n said with an annoyed expression. As close to an annoyed expression he could make.


    "Don''t be childish, host."


    Xu¨¡n saw the girl move slightly. They must have woken her up. Her eyes fluttered open and she moved a little. Her movement caused the rack behind her to shake, causing one of the small boxes full of art supplies to fall down.


    "Ow- Ow-!" Saeko squeaked in pain as the box fell on her.


    Saeko looked up at him and grinned, "Xu¨¡n! What are you doing here?"


    "That''s my question," he said dryly.


    Saeko got up from the floor, still giggling.


    "I was playing hooky~!".


    "Why would you do that?" He crossed his arms.


    The girl smiled twirling a strand of hair in her finger, "It was math. I had to skip it!" She explained cheerfully.


    Suddenly she gasped, and her expression became even brighter¡ªif that was possible, "Are you ditching class too?"


    "No," he replied.


    "Host! What are you doing? Why interact with the female lead? Let''s just leave!"


    Xu¨¡n sighed at Syntar''s voice. He glanced at the girl one last time before leaving.

 Scripted Encounters

    The rest of the day went by in a blur. Xu¨¡n wasn''t really interested in learning what he already had, so he was scribbling in his notebook all day. That, or he was busy thinking about his task.


    It was club time and Xu¨¡n was ready to complete his task.


    He leaned against the wall, tapping his foot lightly against the floor. He was waiting for Kaito to show up, so that he could move ahead with his plan.


    Maybe it wasn''t fair to call it a plan.


    He had just decided to lie to the protagonist and make the two love interests meet each other. All he has to do was direct Kaito towards Saeko''s club so they could somehow bump into each other.


    It was more luck and brain. So if it didn''t work out, it would be on him. He would have to listen to the system scold him.


    Syntar was present as always, floating around. It was quiet for the moment. Something Xu¨¡n was grateful for. He didn''t like the system''s mechanical voice.


    Then, he saw Kaito walking towards their classroom, along with two students.


    He blocked Kaito''s path and crossed his arms.


    The latter looked at him with a raised eyebrow, while his friends greeted Xu¨¡n with a ''hi''.


    Obviously, Xu¨¡n ignored them. Because who even cared about them? They were just extra characters. Probably never appeared on the screen in the whole game. He couldn''t be bothered.


    "Oh, it''s you. Xu¨¡n, right?" The blue haired boy smiled at him, and it felt like he just looked up at the sun itself.


    "Of course, he is the protagonist."


    He could practically see flowers around him. What was this stupidity?


    His expression must have given it away, that, or Syntar was just good at observing others'' expressions. Its giggle was ugly as ever.


    Xu¨¡n let out a small sigh, "oh. The physics teacher was looking for you, maybe something about homework or assignments."


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "Ah, is that so? Where is she?"


    "On the second floor. Near the clubrooms. Make sure to look for her."


    Xu¨¡n replied, and Kaito walked quickly past him with a quick ''thanks''.


    When Xu¨¡n glanced back at the two boys who were hanging out with Kaito, he realised that they had stopped talking, staring blankly at him. As soon as Kaito left, they resumed their conversation and walked away.


    Xu¨¡n was reminded again that he was inside a game. No one here except for him was real. All hollow characters.


    The system came into his view, a wide smile, just as ugly as its voice. But Xu¨¡n might have been biased, after all, the reason of his sufferings might as well be this thing.


    "Congrats, host! Your first task is complete!" The system cheered happily.


    "Sure."


    "Let''s just hope they do meet. After all, if host fails, Syntar will have no way but to punish host."


    Xu¨¡n stiffened at the implication. That sounded like a threat.


    The system giggled again.


    "Don''t worry host, Syntar is generous~"


    Xu¨¡n sighed and rolled his eyes. They hurt now with how much he had already rolled his eyes ever since he woke up and met this annoying bunny.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª :)


    Kaito walked around the hallways of the second floor, and, unsurprisingly, there was no teacher in the floor.


    He always had a feeling that spoilt boy didn''t like him one bit. But seriously, what was the point of this?


    He turned around, ready to leave when he heard a melodious voice. It was coming from one of the clubrooms. Definitely the music club.


    It was a beautiful voice. He recognised it quickly. There was no way he wouldn''t.


    He walked closer to the room, the door was slightly open. He peeked inside to see, and wasn''t surprised to see Saeko standing in the middle of the room, a paper in hand.


    The room was empty save for her. The other members must have not come yet. She was always a little more dedicated. Always spent most of her time in the club room.


    "Ugh! I just can''t get this part right!"


    The girl exclaimed, stomping her foot with frustration.


    Kaito smiled and stepped inside the room, "I think it sounded nice, though."


    Saeko turned around, startled by the sudden voice.


    "Toto!"


    Saeko skipped over to him, her usual big smile on display.


    "I told you to stop calling me that," Kaito smiled as an exasperated sigh left his lips.


    "Never~" she giggled. "Say, what were you doing, stalking me?" She asked playfully.


    "Ofcourse not. I was just passing by and heard your voice." He stuffed his hands in his pocket, and looked down at her, his eyes overcome with a feeling of nostalgia.


    "Just as pretty as before."


    "Oh come on! It''s not that good!" Saeko giggled, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.


    "I mean it." He said with a sudden seriousness.


    Saeko sighed and sat down on the sofa in the corner of the room.


    "See? There you go again. That face you make when you think about the past. Didn''t I tell you? Stop thinking about it. It''s not because of her....or him. I just really need to practice more."


    She smiled up at him, smallest than before, he couldn''t help but notice.


    "It''s not like that," he lied. Both of them knew.


    "I know, my voice is so good you couldn''t help but come and give me a compliment," she grinned, pressing her hands against her cheeks.


    She got up, and gently pushed him out of the room.


    "But you should go now! My other members will here soon! Besides, don''t you have your part time job?"


    "Oh, yeah. That''s right." Kaito nodded slowly, he turned around to say goodbye and the girl replied with enthusiasm before shutting the door close.


    Right, his part time job. He checked the time on his phone, the screen was cracked, but he didn''t mind. It worked just as good as it did.


    When he saw the time, he hurried down the stairs and quickly the left the school. He was going to be late!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Xu¨¡n watched from a distance as Kaito left.


    He heard ''ding'' as a bright pink screen appeared,


    Mission accomplished!


    Saeko~ +4?


    "Look host! Saeko''s affection points for Kaito have increased by 4! Keep up the good work host!"


    Xu¨¡n eyed the screen with annoyance. What was this stupidity? Yet, he couldn''t escape this childish game.


    Soon, Xu¨¡n also exited the school campus.


    Somehow, in this stupid game world, time was constant. He had to suffer for 24 hours a day without any break. At least he was rich in this world. Though, he had yet to find a way to enjoy that fact.

 Sweet Distractions

    When Xu¨¡n returned to the mansion, he was again assaulted by the view of that ugly clone who pretended to be his sister. It didn''t even act like her. No bickering. No rants.


    He missed her talking about the game. Oh what he would do to listen to her rambling about the game instead of being in it.


    He avoided the clone as best as he could and made a beeline towards his room.


    After changing into more comfortable clothes, he sat down on the bed.


    "Host, you did a great job today. You didn''t mess up! If you keep this up, everything will be perfect."


    "I get it. Don''t repeat it again and again." Xu¨¡n replied with an exasperated expression.


    ?


    ?


    ?


    It was already night when Xu¨¡n had decided to go out for some fresh air.


    The system obviously followed him.


    "Can''t you leave me alone? I am not a kid."


    "Host is still just 17 years old. That''s still considered a minor."


    "Oh isn''t that right?" He replied dryly.


    "And how old are you?" The system''s existence did intrigue Xu¨¡n, because, how did it exist? Why did it exist? Just for this?


    "Syntar is 2 years old. It was born on...1st of January. Yes. 1st of January is Syntar''s birthday!" The floating bunny exclaimed cheerfully. It was weird how the system was more cheerful than Xu¨¡n.


    He was walking around in the streets, the street lights were on. It felt empty. There were barely any people.


    After walking for quite a while, he realised he had walked too far from home. As he glanced around, he noticed a quiet, small park.


    It looked old, with broken swings and slides.


    He sat down on one of the old and rusty benches. Even if the park looked old and abandoned, the bench was quite clean.


    "What is host doing?"


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    "Are you blind? I am resting my legs for a bit." He replied dryly.


    "Host gets tired quickly. Tsk tsk, how lazy."


    Xu¨¡n sighed.


    "Just shut up."


    "But I didn''t say anything."


    He got up from the bench, startled at the unexpected voice and looked at the side to see Saeko.


    "Who are you talking to?" The pink haired girl tilted her head in confusion, still smiling slightly.


    "No one." Xu¨¡n replied coldly. What was this girl even doing here?


    "Hmm~ I see."


    She smiled and walked closer.


    "What is the rich young master doing around here?"


    "What?"


    "Why would you come here at this old park at night? It''s so late too. Are you here to meet your girlfriend?" She giggled slightly as she rummaged through a plastic bag in her hand.


    "No."


    "Then, did you come out for fresh air and ended up walking this far from home. You are definitely not from around this area."


    "Then, what about you?"


    Saeko grinned, suddenly, there was an icecream in front of his face.


    "Here! I got an extra. Take it!" She waved the ice cream.


    Xu¨¡n was taken aback by the offer. Wasn''t she a bit too friendly? But her character was meant to be like that.


    Syntar only made a small remark about how he should just go back home quickly and didn''t try to stop him when he accepted the ice cream.


    He sat back down and Saeko followed, taking a seat next to him.


    "I used to play here often. So I came here on my way back home. I came to meet a friend. Kaito, he is in your class, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Are you in a club?" The shorter girl asked enthusiastically.


    "No."


    "You should join my club! It''s fun and-"


    "No. I don''t intend to join any club. Besides, I can''t sing." He dismissed her offer as soon as it left her mouth. Why would he even join her club? Why would she even ask...


    "Oh come on! You could always try. Or maybe an instrument...?"


    "No."


    Saeko lowered her head in defeat. With an exaggerated gasp, she dramatically moved her hand to rest on her chest, as if deeply hurt by his rejection.


    "You are so mean."


    "You are dramatic."


    "Aren''t you so boring?"


    Xu¨¡n sighed.


    "I am going to go." He got up from the bench.


    "I just gave you an icecream! No ''thank you''s?"


    "Sure."


    He could hear the girl giggle as he left the park, leaving the girl alone


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    On his way back home, Syntar was back to scolding him.


    "Host shouldn''t talk to the female leads very much. Only when required!" The lavender furred bunny reminded him with a high pitched electron voice.


    "I was craving ice cream. Besides, she had the chocolate one. It''s my favourite."


    The system just gave him an annoyed glance.


    "Host never listens."


    Once Xu¨¡n was back to his house, he entered his room and shut the door.


    He quickly turned off the lamps and slid under the covers.


    Everything still seemed so unreal. But he had accepted it. Dreams aren''t that long anyway. If this was a dream, jt should have long ended.


    He really wanted to go back. Was there really no way to escape? Even if there was, he probably didn''t survive that car accident. So he really was stuck here.


    He shut his eyes close and soon, fell asleep.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    He sat down in his seat, keeping his bag down. It was all boring. Just like his life in the real world. School to home, and home to school. But that didn''t matter. There were far more important things than boredom.


    He rolled his pen idly in this hand, looking at a literature textbook splayed across his desk. But it was boring. He wasn''t a fan of literature anyway.


    When he looked up, he saw Kaito entering the classroom alongside...huh, he hadn''t seen that girl yet.


    She had short blonde hair and peach-pink eyes. She was quite short, barely reaching 160 cm.


    "That''s another female lead! Suzumi. You remember her, right, host?"


    The system sat down on his desk, atop his textbook. Xu¨¡n merely let out a heavy sigh.


    "Sure."


    The girl was clearly and obviously a living example of ''tsundere'' with the way she held herself, glaring at Kaito with a pout that he didn''t understand why others thought was cute.


    He found it annoying and had to stifle the urge to scowl and roll his eyes. That would be a waste of energy for his face muscles.


    He really did hope the girl would grow some height, she looked like a kid standing next to the taller protagonist. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration but not too far from the truth.


    He sighed and leaned back in his chair, swatting the system away.


    "So mean, host! This system has only been helpful and look at you!"


    "Helpful. Right."


    He tapped his fingers against the desk.


    The girl lo


    oked so flustered that Xu¨¡n wondered how the protagonist didn''t even notice it.


    He rested his head on the desk, closing his eyes for a bit.


    He didn''t realise when he fell asleep.

 The Overly Friendly Menace

    He opened his eyes to see a pair of large brown orbs staring into his heterochromatic ones. He was a bit startled and almost flinched.


    He looked at the girl and cleared his throat, he glanced at the system who was floating beside him but soon turned his eyes back to the girl who was crouching in front of his desk.


    "Syntar tried to wake host up. But host is lazy."


    Xu¨¡n ignored the system, "What are you...doing?"


    He stared at Saeko with slight confusion, the girl simply grinned back, propping her elbow down on the desk as she leaned forward.


    "You looked so cute!"


    "Huh?" Xu¨¡n was a little taken aback from the...compliment?


    "You were sleeping so soundly. Well, I was just going to my club and saw you sleeping here all alone in the class."


    "Club? Is it club time already?" How could he have slept for that long.


    The system just pouted as it settled itself on a chair in front of Xu¨¡n''s desk. Seemed like the system finally learned that Xu¨¡n wouldn''t listen to the rules anyway.


    But hey, Xu¨¡n would like to differ! This girl is the one who always comes up to him, and starts yapping her mouth off. He would very much like to be left alone too!


    "Ofcourse not, silly!" Saeko giggled and stood from her crouching position.


    "I was skipping. Well I am going to skip maths. What about you? Are you skipping too? I saw your class go for P.E lecture. You don''t like P.E?"


    The girl just kept leaning forward and into his personal space so much that their noses were almost touching.


    "She really does talk a lot, huh?"


    "No. I just...I guess I fell asleep."


    Saeko nodded as she clasped her hands behind her back. She moved to sit down on one of the desk free desks. Thank God she didn''t sit on his desk. He wouldn''t put it past her, she seemed really reckless. Too touchy and talkative. Exactly what Xu¨¡n found annoying.


    "Say then, Xu-Xu, do you wanna come with me to the club? I was going to-"


    "Xu-Xu?" Xu¨¡n repeated with a expression of complete and utter disbelief. What did this girl just call him?


    "Eh? You don''t like it?" She giggled. "Come on! Don''t be like that. I think it''s cute!"


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "No. Don''t call me that. Never."


    "Anyways, let''s go to my club then!"


    She got up and grabbed his arms while the system failed his small paws in the air and shook his head. Xu¨¡n thought it might reach the speed of light.


    "No."


    "Ehhhh? Why! Come on. It''s not like you can go now. The teacher will think you tried to skip the class, then, he might make you run extra laps!"


    That was...not exactly pleasant to think of. He didn''t want to be drenched in sweat but...


    "Don''t think too much! Let''s go!"


    -_-_-_-_-


    So in the end, she ended up dragging him all the way to the music club. It was empty since not everyone liked to skip classes as much as the pink haired girl that Xu¨¡n found irritating.


    The system was NOT pleased. Syntar floated slightly above him and had an angry expression. Well, it wasn''t really scary as his angry expression consisted of an ugly pout. Maybe others might find the pout cute, but he didn''t find it cute at all.


    "Host! It''s your fault! In the end, ofcourse you couldn''t resist the cute female lead!" Syntar huffed in annoyance.


    Xu¨¡n glared at the system as subtle as he could.


    "Hah! What kind of person does this stupid bunny take me for?" Hah! As if. He doesn''t give two shits about the cute female leads. Heck, he didn''t find them cute


    Saeko was sitting cross legged on the ground, holding a blue acoustic guitar in her hand.


    "Say, Xu-Xu, do you really don''t want to learn to play any instrument?"


    "No."


    Xu¨¡n replied from his position on the small yet cozy couch.


    "What a shame. I could really teach you how to play a guitar!"


    "You know how to?"


    "Well, I am not that good. But I can play it just fine. I mean, I am more focused on vocals rather than instruments but I am learning some other instruments from my friends too! This guitar, I have been learning for 2-3 months now."


    This girl really did talk a lot. Even his sister didn''t talk that much. He wasn''t the most religious person to exist, but oh god, he wished that God would somehow help him out of here.


    Saeko stood up and put the guitar back to its place after playing with its strings for a bit.


    She hummed some random tune as she moved around in the room.


    "Is this what you do everytime you skip maths?"


    Saeko sat down next to him with a wide grin. The system had to float away from its own position in the couch so as to not get crushed by the pink haired girl. He wouldn''t actually get crushed, but it''s still not preferable.


    "No. Sometimes, I sleep, or sometimes eat some snacks...oh! Right!"


    She quickly got up again and ran to the other part of the room, opening a small drawer placed in one corner of the room. After a while of rummaging through what appeared to be a bag, she came back to sit on the couch, her hands full with various different chocolates, chips and other snacks.


    "Well, our group stores some snacks for if one us wants to skip any classes."


    "You must be the only one."


    Saeko giggled and kicked her feet. Xu¨¡n always found her movements slightly exaggerated. But he figured he would have to get used to it.


    The system sat down on the arm of the couch in Xu¨¡n''s side. It''s cheeks were puffed, no doubt it was angry that its warnings fell on deaf ears.


    "Aww! You can''t out me like that! Come on, come on!"


    She passed a packet of chips to Xu¨¡n, practically shoving it in his chest. Xu¨¡n took it after a bit of hesitation. It''s not like he didn''t like fast food. He probably didn''t like the one who was giving him the snacks much.


    Where did that hatred come from? He doesn''t know. It was just... every single...character in this world was so painfully plain. Just a few overused tropes out together in a same school. It felt like he wasn''t even talking to a real person. It irritated him that someone who wasn''t even a human was acting so much like one.


    He opened the bag of chips and took a chip...and ate it!


    It reminded him of a certain scene in one anime his sister forced him to watch with her...


    In the meanwhile, Saeko kept rambling off about some maths assignment that she would totally fail in-Xu¨¡n had no doubt about it. Even now, she was skipping math. Not everyone is born genius like him. She should study.


    "Why do you even hate math? It''s not even hard."


    Saeko looked at him widened eyes, an over exaggerated expression of shock.


    "No way. Are you crazy?!" She gasped. "You are one of those...first rankers? Geez. Get out!"


    Xu¨¡n was about to get up but was pulled back down by Saeko, landing with a thump on the couch.


    "I am kidding. Geez, you are so serious all the time!"


    Xu¨¡n just sighed. He tried to tune out the rest of the conversation. He really did, but she was too loud and the conversation stretched over till he heard the bell rang. Once he heard the sound of the bell signalling the end of the P.E lecture, he was out of the club room.


    A small ''bye'' was the only thing he said to the shorter girl as he left for his class, the system following him. The girl in return had enthusiastically waved back at him with a loud ''see ya, Xu-Xu!''


    He sure did hope they never end up in such situations again. The least thing he wanted to do was get close to any of these characters and ruin the flow of this world. Also, the system''s nagging wasn''t pleasant to hear. After all, the ugly bunny wasn''t an idol or singer.


    ¡ª_¡ª_¡ª_¡ª_¡ª