The Final Play

I found myself sitting in that chair, staring at my notebook. A gentle breeze entered through the window, and birds sang their usual sweet melodies. The teacher hadn't arrived yet, which made me happy. The subject we were about to study was one I despised—yes, mathematics! I thought bitterly as I opened my notebook and glanced at today's assignment. No matter how simple it seemed, my head felt like it would explode from all the numbers, letters, and symbols. Every result mocked me.

Sigh. The equations appeared like a vicious snake about to bite and kill me. I was so focused that I forgot about the incident that had happened earlier that morning. But when I remembered, I felt a murderous aura, like someone was aiming a sniper rifle at me, ready to pull the trigger. I tried to locate the source of that aura, quickly glancing in every direction, and finally found it. There she was—the silver-haired girl surrounded by a crowd, living her happy life with friends while I stood in the shadows, like an irrelevant side character.

They laughed, walking through the classroom and hallways, chatting about their vacations and relationships. Sigh. Ha! It felt like an endless game for me. They leveled up while I was stuck in an endless tutorial. I felt worthless and empty, blaming my misfortune. As always, I lived a life in the shadows. Yes, I was used to nobody speaking to me. I'd always been alone in this world, with only myself, anime, video games, manga, and virtual girlfriends—who, for some strange reason, always dumped me. I'd end up crying and laughing at myself, repeating the phrase: "I can't even do this right."

The sliding door to the classroom suddenly opened, revealing a man in his thirties. Yes! It was my math teacher entering the room. He wore slightly casual pants, a sweatshirt, and glasses. He pulled out a book and dropped it on the desk, the sound echoing throughout the room, causing everyone to jump in their seats. The teacher introduced himself clearly and simply: "My name is Takeshi. From today, I'll be your teacher. I hope you're ready to dive into the world of numbers."

Class had started, but it still felt like a serial killer was among us. I discreetly glanced around and saw her again—the silver-haired girl who terrified me. She was there, talking to her friend while giving me such a chilling stare that a shiver ran down my spine. Her friend was Akane, the second-most beautiful girl in class. She was the class representative, with a slim figure and captivating brown hair. It wasn't just her appearance; her aura was almost identical to that of the silver-haired girl, though somehow, she could never surpass her. The two were inseparable, like a pet that follows you everywhere.

"I need to find out who that silver-haired girl is!"

As I got lost in my thoughts, Professor Takeshi continued his lesson, asking questions to everyone in the class. "Roxy, can you solve this problem?" he said aloud.

She stood up gracefully, replying, "Yes, the answer is..."

"Excellent, Roxy. You may sit down," the teacher said.

Her bright blue eyes mesmerized me, and I stared at her without thinking. My heart raced, and a wave of nervousness washed over me. She was like the protagonist of an anime. Her skills seemed to be at LV 99999+. Suddenly, she turned to look at me again, inspecting me like a hitman about to hunt their target. I glanced at her for two seconds, then timidly and fearfully averted my gaze. My hands were shaking so much that I ended up dropping everything on my desk. The sound of objects hitting the floor made everyone turn toward me. Embarrassed, I bowed my head and hid behind my book.

Then, the recess bell rang—a loud noise echoing through the hallways as if God had taken pity on me. I overheard Akane talking to Roxy.

"Hey, Roxy, is something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's nothing."

"It's just that you seem distracted, always glancing back at Iwase-san's seat."

"It's nothing. Let's go eat lunch in the cafeteria."

At that moment, I headed to the cafeteria, as I always did. Walking down the stairs calmly, deciding which anime to watch that night, someone tripped me. I immediately fell, hitting my elbows, face, and chest. The pain left me gasping for air, rolling around like a pig in mud. As always, a group of bullies was looking for an excuse to start trouble. People just watched, too scared to intervene, afraid the gang would turn on them.

Annoyed, I said, "Are you crazy? Why did you trip me?"

They laughed sarcastically. "Do you even know who I am? Why would I trip a loser, stinking otaku like you?"

Angry, I pushed him and said, "You—!" I grabbed him by the collar, forgetting that his friends were there. They grabbed me from behind, laughing, "Haha, look at this guy! He's like a mosquito trying to bite someone." They started hitting me in the face, chest, and stomach. My luck hadn't changed; everything was still the same.

Then Roxy's group appeared—Akane and another tall, attractive guy. All the girls ogled him lustfully. Without hesitation, he ran toward me and started fighting my attackers. He looked strong, capable of defeating them all in one hit, like a superhero. Serious and angry, he muttered, "Why do you always have to beat people up and cause trouble?"

At that moment, I ran away like a cowardly dog. He turned around to ask, "Are you okay?" but I wasn't there anymore. From a distance, I could hear the murmurs:

"Tch, what a coward. He couldn't even fight back against those thugs, and then he runs away after the handsome Ren saves him."

"Guys like him are disgusting. How can such a pathetic person exist? He didn't even thank him," the girls sneered.

I climbed the stairs to the rooftop, tears streaming down my cheeks. Sitting there, I furiously threw all my food away and began crying, wishing I hadn't been born, lamenting my miserable life...