The Vice-Principal was an old man. Not the "kind grandpa who gives you candy" type. The "I fought a dragon with a toothpick and actually won" type.
He stood behind the wooden podium, his voice magically amplified to shake the entire building, recounting some war story that had already gone on for forty-five solid minutes.
"AND THEN!"
The Vice-Principal roared, slamming his wrinkled fist down onto the podium hard enough to make the wood crack straight down the middle.
"I RIPPED THE HORN OFF THE ARCH-DEMON! WITH MY TEETH! BECAUSE BOTH MY ARMS WERE TIED BEHIND MY BACK!"
The entire auditorium gasped right on cue.
"THAT IS THE SPIRIT OF THE FRONTIER! IF YOU LOSE YOUR SWORD, YOU USE YOUR FISTS! IF YOU LOSE YOUR FISTS, YOU USE YOUR TEETH! IF YOU LOSE YOUR TEETH, YOU GUM THEM TO DEATH!"
Kaizen just stared straight ahead at nothing, his eyes completely glazed over like a dead fish.
'Please. Please just let me go home. I promise I'll never complain about bad graphics settings ever again.'
"Dude," a whisper tickled against his ear.
Kaizen flinched hard. It was Leo. Again. Of course it was.
The Hero's eyes were actually sparkling with excitement. He was leaning in way too close, practically vibrating with pure enthusiasm like an overly friendly golden retriever.
"That's so amazing, right?" Leo whispered, gesturing enthusiastically toward the terrifying old man on stage. "He's a living legend! He actually served on the Northern Frontier for fifty straight years. Do you have any idea how insanely high the mortality rate is up there?"
'Yes. 98 percent. That's exactly why I'm absolutely terrified of him, you complete lunatic.'
"It's just so cool," Leo continued, completely unaware that Kaizen was currently having a panic attack right next to him. "To actually live long enough to tell stories like that... that's what true strength looks like. Don't you think so?"
Kaizen really didn't want to answer. Answering meant establishing a dialogue tree with a Main Character. Establishing a dialogue tree meant becoming a Friend Character with an actual name. Friend Characters got character development arcs and emotional death scenes.
But Leo was staring directly at him with those big, honest, stupidly heroic protagonist eyes. The kind of eyes that believed in the goodness of humanity. Ignoring him completely would be rude. Being rude to the Protagonist might trigger some kind of Rivalry Flag or worse.
Kaizen forced his neck to move in a stiff nod. He stretched his lips into something that vaguely resembled a human smile.
"Y-yeah. S-super cool."
"Right?!"
Leo's face lit up like the sun. He slapped Kaizen on the back in what was probably meant to be a friendly gesture.
SMACK.
The impact nearly folded Kaizen in half. The slap had the physical weight of a speeding truck behind it.
'He just knocked 5 HP off my health bar with a friendly pat. A FRIENDLY PAT.'
"I'm Leo, by the way," the Hero said cheerfully, still grinning. "I don't think I caught your name yet."
'Don't say it. Don't tell him your name. Stay completely anonymous. You can still escape this.'
"Kaizen."
His traitorous mouth said before his brain could stop it.
"Nice to meet you, Kaizen! Let's both do our best here!"
Leo turned back toward the stage, practically radiating pure happiness and good vibes.
Kaizen slumped down in his seat like a deflated balloon. It was completely over. He was now officially Kaizen, the Guy Sitting Next to the Hero. He'd been upgraded from nameless NPC to actual named Side Character.
He rubbed both hands down his face, trying desperately to massage away the stress and mounting horror. His gaze drifted past Leo's bright red hair almost on accident.
He froze completely.
Sitting directly to Leo's right side was another boy.
He was handsome in a sharp, dangerous kind of way. The kind of handsome that came with warning labels. While Leo was slouching comfortably in his seat like a normal person, this boy sat perfectly straight with flawless posture, like a marble statue that had been given life.
He wasn't even watching the Vice-Principal's dramatic speech. He was reading a thick book titled "Theoretical Applied Mana Dynamics" and looking utterly, completely bored by everything around him.
Klaus Silver.
The Demon King Candidate. The secret Final Boss of the entire game.
Kaizen felt his stomach drop straight through the floor and just keep falling until it hit the basement level.
'He's here. He's sitting right here. Right next to us.'
The Hero (who had sworn to kill all demons and destroy evil) was sitting shoulder to shoulder with the Demon Prince (who secretly wanted to conquer all of humanity and burn the world).
And Kaizen was sitting directly next to both of them.
This wasn't just dangerous. This was a literal powder keg with a lit fuse. If Klaus sneezed the wrong way, or if Leo's protagonist instincts suddenly sensed Dark Energy radiating nearby, this entire row of seats would instantly turn into a smoking crater.
'I'm in the splash zone. I'm literally sitting in the blast radius of what's going to be the Final Boss Fight.'
Kaizen couldn't help it. He looked directly at Klaus.
Klaus glanced up from his book at the exact same moment.
Their eyes met.
Klaus's eyes were red. Not some natural reddish-brown that normal people sometimes had. These were blood red. Demon red.
Klaus raised one elegant eyebrow. He glanced at Leo (who was practically cheering for the Vice-Principal like a kid at a sports game), then he looked at Kaizen (who probably looked like he was about to burst into tears), and his lips curved into a tiny, almost imperceptible smirk.
It was a look that clearly said: 'You and I are the only two intelligent life forms in this entire room.'
Kaizen immediately looked away like he'd been burned. 'Don't bond with me! I am NOT going to be part of your tragic dark backstory arc!'
He turned his head sharply to the other side, desperate to find literally anywhere safe to look.
He glanced across the aisle and slightly behind him.
A pair of eyes were burning a hole straight through his skull.
Lance Wind.
The Trash Young Master Villain was sitting exactly two rows back, surrounded by his loyal goon squad. His handsome face was twisted up in an ugly scowl. He was staring absolute daggers at Leo's back.
'Look at me!' Lance's entire expression seemed to scream. 'I am your destined rival! Acknowledge my existence!'
But Leo was way too busy being genuinely inspired by the Vice-Principal's speech. He was ignoring Lance's existence completely, like the guy didn't even register on his radar.
So naturally, Lance's burning rage needed to find a new target.
His eyes shifted across the crowd.
He saw Leo leaning in close to Kaizen. He saw Leo slapping Kaizen's back like they were old friends. He saw them whispering to each other like best buddies sharing secrets.
Lance's eyes narrowed dangerously.
'Oh no,' Kaizen thought with growing horror. 'Don't do it. Please don't do it. Your logic is completely flawed. Don't connect those dots.'
Lance connected the dots anyway.
'That worthless peasant... he's actually friends with the Hero? They're sitting together? Laughing at me behind my back?'
Lance's gaze locked directly onto Kaizen with laser focus.
The background noise of the auditorium seemed to fade away completely. It was just the two of them now.
Lance slowly, very deliberately, raised his right hand. He flattened his palm.
Then he drew his thumb across his throat in one smooth motion.
The universal Neck Slice gesture.
A death threat. A promise of incoming pain. A declaration of personal war.
Kaizen just stared back in absolute disbelief.
'I didn't do anything!' his mind screamed internally. 'I literally just sat down in an empty seat! I just wanted to not get expelled! Why is the Main Villain already targeting me?!'
Lance smirked, clearly satisfied that his threatening message had been properly received and understood. He turned to whisper something to the goons sitting around him. All the goons looked over at Kaizen and started cracking their knuckles in unison like they'd rehearsed it.
Kaizen sank even deeper into his chair. He tried to slide down far enough that he could become one with the upholstery itself.
To his left: An Elf Princess who thought he was worthless trash. To his right: A Hero who might accidentally break his spine with a friendly hug. Further to his right: A Demon King who might casually incinerate him. Directly behind him: An annoyed Dwarf who could crush his skull. Two rows behind him: A Villain who now wanted to straight up murder him.
Kaizen closed his eyes tight and took a shaky breath.
"Mom," he whispered quietly to the ornate ceiling above. "I want to drop out of this school."
A beat of silence passed.
Then he added in an even quieter whisper: "Actually, I want to drop out of this entire world."