Konosuba: Determined

A brown-haired girl with red eyes, dressed in a simple green jacket eyed the open book in her hands, "Eeeh... Not this. This manga sucks." Clara muttered, her finger lazily tapping the page. She flicked the book shut, and put it back in its place.

This was one of the rare moments she'd go out and see the world, although it was mostly because her mother had sent her to buy the groceries.

Clara was what one might call a shut-in. A completely lazy individual, living at the leisure of her parents' wealth. Her days were filled with binge-watching shows, reading manga, and aimlessly scrolling through her phone. She wasn't necessarily unhappy, but something about this life left her feeling... hollow.

She was content to stay within the safety of her room, away from the expectations of the outside world. After all, what was the point in trying when everything just felt like a blur of monotony?

Her phone buzzed with a notification and a wall of text with the food and other necessities that she needed to buy. "Here's the grocery list. You absolutely cannot forget the eggs, Clara." Her mother's voice, even in text, carried a sense of familiarity and impatience.

"Tch, fine." She scoffed, before responding to the message with an "Okay, ma.", and tucking her phone back into her pocket.

"I should check the dried foods section. Apparently, we're lacking noodles," Clara muttered to herself, looking around the dimly lit gas station shop. It was small, cramped, and filled with the usual assortment of snacks, drinks, and random convenience items. Nothing exciting.

Clara Aozora was a sixteen-year-old girl with striking red eyes, a result of a condition where melanin didn't form in her irises. It didn't bother her much, but it did make her stand out from others. After all, melanin's only purpose was to give eyes color—it wasn't essential for their function, and not having it wasn't painful.

She still went to high school, and often pulled all nighters, whether to study or to stay up gaming. Gaming, most of the time, usually with her cousin Marie.

Marie hadn't answered any of her messages in the past three days, though, and it greatly worried Clara. Had something happened to her? They were around two provinces apart, making it difficult to get in touch. Marie always used to respond within a few hours and was always down to play a few rounds of Call of Duty or Minecraft.

"Really, I wonder what happened to you," Clara said as she picked up a few cheap instant ramen packets, suppressing a yawn. She grabbed the other items her mother had listed and placed them in the bag.

The sleepiness was really starting to take over. She really shouldn't have stayed up all night watching anime.

'But it was so interesting. I wanted to see Rudeus during his stay at Ranoa.'

Truly, her cousin was amazing when it came to recommending good series to watch. Clara could always count on Marie to suggest something great. Well, almost always. There was that one time—when she first introduced Clara to anime—and recommended Redo of Healer. Horrendous.

That was when she took her last step into the abyss, and completely gave in to the darkness, the madness of questionable anime choices.

Damn Marie for corrupting her.

She sighed, rubbing her eyes, then glanced back at the items in her basket. Maybe she could take her mind off it with something sweet once she got home, and then just drop dead on the bed. Her mother wouldn't mind if she took a small chocolate bar with her, right?

'I'm sure she won't mind.' She mused, sneaking in a chocolate bar into the basket while snickering to herself.

With a final glance at the shop, she made her way toward the counter, already imagining the comfort of her bed. Staying up all day after an all nighter was tough, even when assisted by the power of pure caffeine.

"G'night." She greeted the cashier, before laying out every single item she intended to buy.

"Good night to you too, miss." The cashier smiled warmly as he scanned her items, but then his eyes lingered on hers for a moment. "You know, your eyes are beautiful. Are they natural? They're kind of like a ruby."

Clara blinked, a bit taken aback. She had heard it before, but it still felt strange every time someone noticed.

"Thanks," she replied, offering a small smile. "To answer you, it's just a condition I have. No melanin in my eyes, so they're naturally red. I guess you could say they're natural."

"I see, I see..." He continued scanning each item. "That's pretty cool, I've never met anyone with eyes like that. Bet you get a lot of attention, hm?"

Clara took out her credit card, "Sometimes, but it's not a big deal. People are usually just curious about it."

"Fair enough. Also, I must say, you've got good taste in snacks." He beamed, bagging her items. "Ichiran ramen. Personally, I like the Tonkotsu kind. Got a long night ahead?"

"Not really, no. Watched a bunch of series all night, and I'm struggling to stay awake. I might just drop down on my bed and just sleep."

He chuckled, "Wish I could do that. Job's got me working like a dog. What'cha been watching? I gotta say, I'm always looking for recommendations."

Clara paused for a moment, surprised by his genuine interest. "Uh... Heard of Mushoku Tensei?"

"Oh, isn't that one an isekai? About some man in his thirtys who gets reincarnated into some kind of magical world after dying."

"It is. It's kind of deep, and the main character is very weird at the beginning, but it gets good, I swear. Messy, but in an interesting way."

"Well, I like magic," he said thoughtfully, before continuing and finishing the transaction. "I usually go for romance-themed series, but it sounds good. I assume it's heavy in action?"

Clara mhm'd at him. "It is," she took the credit card back, "There's a good amount of action, especially when he gets to learn more about magic. What really shines about the show is the character development, though."

"I'll give it a watch later. Here's your bag," He handed her the groceries bag, "Take care, alright? Watch where you step, and especially look out for cars when you're crossing the street. You've been up all day after all, haven't you? I can see your eye bags."

"Yeah, I'll be careful. Thanks for reminding me," She gazed at him, her eyelids drooped.

He laughed. "Just looking out for you. Wouldn't want you sleepwalking into traffic."

Clara scoffed, adjusting the bag over her shoulder. "Geez, I'm not that sleep-deprived."

"Uh-huh, sure," he teased, leaning against the counter. "Next thing I know, I'll see you in tomorrow's news—'Local girl gets ran over by a truck after binging all night!'"

"Pffft—ahaha," she chuckled, "Won't happen, don't worry. I can take care of myself. See you later."

With that, she waved at the cashier and made her way out of the gas station. Claire hadn't really noticed earlier, but it was really cold and chilly outside at night. She had gotten too comfortable in the warm, slightly stuffy shop. The red-eyed girl took a deep breath, adjusting the grocery bag in her grip as she stepped onto the sidewalk.

'At least I'm better than Marie when it comes to talking to people.'

They were both shut-ins, but the difference was that Marie completely hated socializing or anything related to meeting new people. Clara, on the other hand, could manage when necessary. She wouldn't go out of her way to start conversations, but if someone spoke to her first, she could hold her own just fine.

Marie, though? The girl acted like basic small talk was a life-or-death scenario.

Her fingers twitched toward her phone. Three. Three whole days without a single message. The last message she had sent wasn't even on read.

"You alive?"

Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe Marie had just gotten caught up in something.

Still, her gut told her otherwise.

The last time Marie had gone this long without responding, it had been because she was sick with a fever so bad she couldn't even pick up her phone. But even then, she had at least sent a half-assed "im fcuknig dying rn" text before passing out.

This time? Nothing.

Whatever, she'd respond sooner or later. For now, she had to focus on getting back home and getting some sleep.

Clara stuffed her phone back into her pocket, shaking the pressure that kept building up in her chest. Perhaps she was just overthinking it.

She let out a yawn, her breath visible in the cold night air. The streets were quiet, save for the occasional passing car. Her house wasn't too far—just a few more blocks, then she could finally collapse into bed and never wake up.

While crossing the street, she had forgotten to check whether the light was red or not. She rubbed her eyes, and in that moment, she heard the honking of a truck.

Claire turned to the oncoming vehicle, her eyes widening, arms instinctively raising up, with only one thought in mind.

'Am I seriously gonna die...

...in such a cliché'd way?!'