There's a sacred law in the universe.
A rule that governs all peaceful school lives.
Never eat lunch in the open.
For years, I obeyed this unwritten rule religiously. A quiet stairwell behind the science building, half-hidden by potted plants and a busted mop bucket. That was my space. No noise. No people. No surprises.
Until today.
Today… she found me.
"Oh-ho? What's this? Senpai has a secret base?"
The voice jolted through me like lightning through a puddle. I looked up mid-bite and saw her: Koharu Minami, leaning over my shoulder like a curious cat who'd just discovered prey.
Her eyes sparkled. She plopped down next to me uninvited, practically pressing her face to my lunchbox.
"Whoa. You eat like a retired monk. Where's the flavor?"
"It's called healthy," I muttered, nudging my rice away protectively.
"You're one pickled radish away from full NPC mode."
I frowned. "What does that even mean?"
"You know," she said, waving her chopsticks like a pointer stick, "like one of those background characters in a dating sim. You give out free advice, sigh dramatically, and vanish after two lines of dialogue."
"I'm not an NPC."
"Mmhm," she said, taking a huge bite of my tamagoyaki without asking. "So mysterious. So emotionally unavailable. Definitely an NPC."
"Stop eating my food."
"Nope," she said with a grin. "NPCs don't need food."
I glared at her. She grinned harder.
Somewhere deep in my soul, I heard the sound of my peaceful school life cracking.
Like ice underfoot.
---
By the next day, she was following me everywhere.
Not in a subtle, "maybe she just has similar classes" way.
In a blatantly stalker-ish, "is she hiding behind that vending machine?" way.
"Why are you here?" I hissed during PE, as she waved at me from the girl's side of the gym like we were long-lost lovers.
"Cheering you on!" she called back, cupping her hands. "Let's go, NPC-Senpai! Use that average stamina stat!"
I tripped over the basketball.
She clapped anyway.
---
It didn't stop there.
In math, she changed seats just to sit behind me and poke my back every time I zoned out.
In literature, she passed me notes filled with doodles of me as a pixel sprite, complete with dialogue boxes:
> "I'm just a background character..."
"Will anyone ever notice me?"
[ ] Console him
[X] Steal his lunch
In the hallway, she greeted me like we were on a first-name basis.
"Morning, Senpai! Did you dream of me? I bet you did!"
"Please leave me alone."
"Classic tsundere response!"
She high-fived a confused janitor and skipped away like she'd won something.
I tried ignoring her.
I really did.
But you can only ignore someone so long when they literally climb into your desk during break.
"Can you not?"
"It's cozy here," she said, curled up like a cat in my chair. "Also, I need help with my homework."
"You don't even have a notebook."
"That's because I knew you'd lend me yours. You're reliable. Very NPC-coded."
---
And then… came the rumors.
It started small. Whispers in the hallway. Side-eyes during lunch.
By day three, people were staring like I'd grown a second head. Or worse… like I had a love life.
"Is it true you're dating the Minami girl?"
"No."
"Didn't she feed you a meatball during lunch yesterday?"
"She stabbed it into my eye."
"Romantic violence... classic tsundere setup..."
"I'm not a tsundere!"
More whispers.
More giggles.
By the end of the week, the NPC was now known as the main character of a school-wide rom-com he did not sign up for.
---
I finally confronted her under the sakura tree after school.
Because of course she was waiting there, like this was a final boss cutscene.
"Koharu."
She looked up from feeding bread crusts to a squirrel. "Yo."
"You need to stop."
"Stop what?"
"Whatever this is. Following me. Eating my lunch. Sitting on my desk. Telling people I'm your—your—NPC boyfriend or whatever."
She raised an eyebrow. "I never said boyfriend. Yet."
I groaned. "That's not the point."
She tilted her head. "Then what is?"
"The point is…" I looked away. The wind blew softly, scattering cherry blossoms between us.
"I liked my life before. Quiet. Peaceful. Simple."
She was quiet for a moment. Then stood up.
"You really think you're happy like that?"
I hesitated.
"Look, I get it," she said, brushing crumbs from her skirt. "You don't want to be noticed. You don't want the pressure. You think being invisible is easier."
"…Isn't it?"
"Maybe," she said. "Until one day, you realize you've lived three years of high school and nothing's changed. No memories. No moments. Just... auto-skipped life."
She paused.
Then looked me dead in the eye.
"But I'm not letting you auto-skip anymore."
"Koharu…"
"You don't have to like me," she added, shrugging. "But you're not allowed to vanish. Not while I'm around."
I didn't know what to say.
So, naturally, I said nothing.
She walked past me, patting my shoulder like a coach dismissing a benched player.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Senpai. Bright and early. Maybe we'll unlock a new event."
I stood there for a long time after she left.
Watching the blossoms fall.
And wondering… why my chest felt so weird.
---
That night, I dreamed in pixels.
A flat, gray hallway. I walked forward, endlessly. Silent students passed by. No one looked.
Until someone tapped me on the shoulder.
A girl with wild hair and a crooked smile.
> "Are you going to keep walking like this forever?"
> [ ] Yes
[X] No
I woke up sweating.
And somehow... kind of smiling.
---
[To Be Continued]
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