I didn't see Renko at all for the next two weeks.
Did she give up? Renko… maybe I overestimated your determination to torment me.
I ended up falling asleep in Mr. Yu's class, snoring loudly, completely relaxed.
Dad got drunk last night, and I had to help him with his store orders. It was a bit humiliating, but it's still an income source. That meant I stayed up really late, packaging a ton of… questionable products before the courier came in the morning. Hopefully, Dad would be sober by then.
I slept in class because Mr. Yu is, frankly, a coward.
He teaches English and looks like a thin stalk of bamboo. His face is always anxious, his voice barely above a whisper, and he doesn't look like the teacher in charge of our class. Ever since he got roughed up by some delinquent during class, he's been even more timid.
Speaking of my class—2-3—I should explain my place in it.
There are always roles in a class: the top scholar, the teacher's pet, the mischief-maker, or the kid everyone picks on.
Whenever I enter a new class, I calmly analyze everyone, assigning roles based on their strengths. I make sure I'm never in the "victim" group.
Over time, I became the lone wolf—the fierce one nobody wants to mess with.
I've never mentioned it, but my face is… terrifying.
Especially my eyes. Long, narrow, small pupils. Smile, and I look like a killer. According to Dad, I wasn't always this scary. Maybe years of being bullied by Renko slowly transformed my face into a weapon.
Once, I laughed out loud in the hallway at a joke Dad told me—and a younger girl walking toward me cried on the spot.
Yeah… I'm the kind of kid who stands out in a crowd for all the wrong reasons.
I used to think I was cute as a child, but Renko ruined that.
Now I'm the tallest in the class, best at fighting, and I sit in the last row, back left, with no one next to me. Probably they feared for their own safety if they sat near me.
Mr. Yu probably never wakes me up because he's scared of getting hurt.
I've never hit a teacher—and apart from taking down a few hooligans who extorted money, I've never bullied anyone. But in my classmates' eyes, I've probably killed dozens. They probably imagine me ending up in juvenile detention, prison, and eventually facing execution.
Really, people are underestimating the police. If I'd killed dozens, do you think I'd still be sitting in class?
Whatever. I needed a nap.
Then, I had a nightmare.
I dreamt Renko transferred into our class and was assigned the seat next to me. Mr. Yu, in the dream, said since she'd been homeschooled, she wasn't used to school life and hoped everyone would help her integrate.
Everything in the dream was fuzzy, except the voices—they were crystal clear, right by my ear, mono, like only one channel was coming through. Maybe because I'd been sleeping on my right side? Why did it feel so real?
Renko in my class… sitting next to me? Ridiculous. Manga-level ridiculous.
I tried to adjust my posture, turning my face right. There had been an empty desk there… but suddenly, a smiling girl was sitting there.
If it's not Feng Jie, a girl's smile should be beautiful.
This girl… she was beautiful. But her expression was strange—like she wanted to laugh but didn't dare, wanted to look at me but was afraid, wanted to speak but couldn't figure out how. Odd, weird, unnervingly intense.
Especially her eyes. They revealed a boundless desire for me… like I was a piece of meat, and she couldn't eat.
Cold sweat broke out over me. I jumped to my feet.
"Are you trying to scare me to death with that tiger-like grin?!"
And… wasn't this Renko? Her hair was longer than the last time I saw her, and she was wearing a beige skirt suit. Cute as hell. What's your goal, Renko?
She still wouldn't let me go. She even followed me to school to finish me off. A PVP outfit that gives +10 charm, no less. Transfer students need to wear uniforms too! I'll get you the ugly blue-and-white sports uniform tomorrow!
"Haruya… are you… sleeping in class?"
She finally spoke, after what felt like an eternity.
"Don't talk in class! Pay attention!"
Mr. Yu would never believe I was helping maintain order.
"But… I haven't seen you in a while…" she said, playing with a cartoon pen, acting all cute.
"Who allowed you to call me that? Add 'classmate' after my name!"
"Why? Aren't we childhood friends?"
Childhood friends? When? I don't need a violent childhood friend who can't even tell their own gender!
"I don't care. Just don't call me directly by my name," I said firmly.
She muttered, "All right then… Haruya classmate," reluctantly.
Mr. Yu droned on at the lectern, clearly unbothered. A few classmates might have noticed us talking, but we weren't loud. They probably think I'm bullying her. Perfect.
I will bully my neighbor, Renko. Make her stumble before she attacks my castle.
Just imagining her finally snapping and shouting, "I hate you!" or punching me… I shivered with excitement. Same thrill as a carefully set trap in a strategy game or comic book villainy.
"Haruya… your face is red?"
No! I'm thinking about how to bully you! Stop disrupting my thoughts!
"Haruya… you're shaking!"
I stared at her with my killer glare. Any other girl would cry. But Renko blushed and turned away.
"Haruya… umm… do I look good in a skirt?"
Don't misunderstand! My expression clearly said, "Keep talking and I'll kill you." Not a compliment!
"This is my first time wearing a skirt in public… Seeing you shake, I'm nervous too… Is there a tear? Am I exposed?" She pressed her hands over the hem of her skirt, trembling.
"Stop that tone! You're a girl already. What's there to expose?"
Her face lit up, and I had no idea what she was thinking.
I need to plan my next move while she's quiet… so why can't I think of anything? Why do I actually want to pay attention to Mr. Yu's lesson?
Five minutes later, she poked my elbow with a ruler. I ignored it, but she poked harder. Finally, I turned, irritated, and saw she'd tied a square piece of paper to the end of the ruler.
Not taking notes? I thought she'd never been to school. How does she know high-level note-passing skills?
I angrily opened it. Beautiful handwriting:
I grew my hair longer and wore a skirt. Do I look more like a girl now?Can you reconsider my request?P.S. I was too embarrassed to say it out loud, so I wrote it. Please reply in a note!
And she drew a huge red heart. My vision might just explode.