My consciousness slowly returned, accompanied by a flood of memories I didn't recognize at all.
I was standing in front of a classroom.
In front of me, dozens of students sat neatly at their desks, looking at me with mixed expressions—some seemed impressed, others curious, while a few male students in the corner were sneering and whispering to each other, clearly badmouthing me without even trying to hide it.
"Ehm… Kurogane-san," a voice called out."You can introduce yourself now."
I turned to the side.
A woman in her thirties stood there. Her hair was neatly tied back, and she wore a simple teacher's outfit with thin glasses resting on her nose. Her expression was calm and professional—the kind of teacher who was already used to dealing with new students every year.
Then I turned around.
On the blackboard, a name was written clearly and neatly in kanji.
黒鉄 明Kurogane Akira
In an instant, I understood everything.
I had died—and transmigrated into this world, into the body of Kurogane Akira.
The new memories flowing into my head told me that this world was very similar to the game Galactic Defender. But this wasn't a virtual version. This was the real world. Swords could break, bullets could run out, and one small mistake while fighting monsters meant real death.
My chest felt tight.
Just moments ago, I had still been inside a metaverse capsule. That explosion—my body being thrown, blood pouring out, the pain that crushed my consciousness—
It wasn't an illusion.
I was sure I had died.
To confirm it, I dug my nails into the palm of my hand.
Pain shot through me immediately.
It was different from the virtual world. Inside the capsule, I could feel temperature and touch to increase immersion, but pain was deliberately removed. That system existed for the user's safety.
But this—
This was pain that couldn't be denied.
With a blank expression, I looked back at the people in front of me. Dozens of eyes were fixed on me, waiting.
I lowered my head slightly, out of habit.
"Nice to meet you," I said calmly."My name is Kurogane Akira. I look forward to working with you from today on."
Or rather, that was my new name.
Even though I wanted to deny this reality, it was pointless. The only thing I could do now was accept it and adapt.
The classroom fell silent for a moment.
A few seconds passed before the sound of chairs shifting and quiet whispers began to spread. Curious looks, silent judgments, and interest mixed together, all directed at me.
"Alright," the teacher said with a small nod."Kurogane-san, please take the empty seat at the back."
I nodded briefly again.
"Okay."
I walked down the aisle between the desks, passing under the students' gazes until I reached the empty seat in the back row near the window. The afternoon sunlight slipped in, illuminating the surface of the desk, which looked like it hadn't been used in a long time.
I sat down and placed my bag beside the chair.
"U-uh… hello. My name is Hoshino Nora."
That quiet voice came from beside me.
A girl with long, dull-blonde hair and a bandage on her cheek looked at me hesitantly. Her appearance was fairly attractive. She wore a Japanese high school uniform—a white shirt, black blazer, and gray tie. But the gloomy aura around her made her presence feel faint.
At a glance, I concluded that she was the quiet type who rarely spoke.
Just like me.
"Nora? That's a unique name."
"Eh… y-yeah."
Nora was actually trying to stay calm, but she couldn't hide her nervousness when talking to you.
A transparent blue screen—very similar to a game UI—suddenly appeared in front of me.
I was slightly startled, but within seconds I managed to return my expression to its usual blank state.
"Why are you nervous?"
"Uh… b-because… I usually like to stay quiet…"
Nora lowered her head, avoiding your gaze.
The reason sounded reasonable. But if that was the case, why did she try to talk to me in the first place? And earlier, she didn't seem nervous at all.
"That's not the right answer," I said quietly."Why are you nervous?"
"Because I'm not comfortable talking to strangers!"
Nora almost raised her voice, then quickly lowered it so the teacher wouldn't notice.
I saw her take out a pen and start fiddling with it between her fingers.
She starts playing with her pen—a habit when she's nervous.
This screen… it was literally describing what she was feeling.
Was this a system? Like the ones that often appear in novels? Was this what brought me to this world?
Various thoughts crossed my mind. In the end, I shifted my gaze forward and ignored the girl beside me.
Nora lets out a sigh of relief when you stop paying attention to her and tries to focus on the lesson. She looks calmer, at least for a moment.
Even so, she still feels that you don't really want to talk to her and are only tolerating her presence. She just hopes this class will end soon so she can go somewhere quieter.
"Wow… I wasn't even paying attention," I muttered softly.This system feels like a stalker system.
Time passed.
The bell rang, signaling the end of class and time to go home.
Nora quickly closed her notebook, grabbed her backpack, and left the classroom in a hurry. Her figure disappeared down the hallway in an instant.
I followed her out and headed toward the school garden.
There, I saw Nora sitting alone on a park bench, quietly reading a book.
I sat on another bench and began to sift through the memories of this body's identity. From what I recalled, Kurogane Akira was one of the Guardian agents stationed in this small, quiet city because his abilities were considered lacking.
The reason was simple: so he could join the city's defense force and start gaining real combat experience—according to his father's plan.
"System, are you there?"
I'm here.
"Can you explain more about yourself? Who are you, what's your purpose, are you the one who sent me here, and what is your goal?"
I can be called the Heart Resonance System. My function is to read and describe the hearts of others so the host can understand them.
Actually, this function is meant to be active, not passive. However, I provide guidance because based on my observations, the host is an individual who lacks concern for others. As for other uses, the host may discover them on their own. I cannot answer the rest.
Yeah… a pretty standard system template.
Whatever. It's too troublesome to ask any more.
"Hey, look at that! It's the weirdo! We finally found you!"
A loud voice caught my attention.
I turned my head.
In the distance, Nora was surrounded by several girls. She lifted her head, and from here I could clearly see the shock and fear on her face.
"Why are you still going to school?""No one wants you here!"
The girls hurled increasingly cruel comments, accompanied by loud laughter. They were clearly enjoying Nora's suffering.
Nora shrank back, trying to hide her face behind her book.
One of the girls grabbed her hair and dragged her away, followed by the others. Nora winced in pain, but didn't resist at all.
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue, irritation spreading through my chest.