Hiro kept turning the whole situation with Rin over and over in his head while he made his way toward the final lecture of the day.
Something about her today just didn't sit right. The thought tugged at him like a puzzle piece that refused to click no matter how hard he forced it.
So many uneasy feelings had piled up already, yet that weird glitch on her type stood out the most. It had never happened with anyone else before. Could it actually be some kind of deliberate barrier?
Kaito had mentioned her in passing the other day. Did he already know about her unusually high level and simply chose to stay quiet?
Hiro ran through the mental breakdown of her analysis again, even though a sharp pang of guilt hit him like a slap from a wet towel.
First off, she gave off enough jealous aura to fill the fuel tank of a jumbo jet, and it had flared up well before any normal friendship would justify it. They were solid friends, sure, but he hadn't made any real moves yet.
Second, that level. Chiara was at level twenty-two, which made sense given how hard she trained, but Rin? Not even close.
Third, the type glitch itself. What exactly was it hiding behind those scrambled letters? Rin texted him constantly, the kind of messages that felt more like something from a girlfriend than a regular friend, and he had been okay with it because, well, anime girls were just built that way.
Still, something about the whole pattern nagged at him. The signs and the glitched Type on her profile was making him tingle.
It was that one random letter buried in the scramble that probably wasn't random at all.
Fourth, her skill list. Deep Slash was at level fifteen. Holy hell, Hiro could only dream of levels like that. And Triple Thrust. These were straight-up blade techniques.
So, she has skill with a blade, her Type is glitched, and massive jealousy that told him something bigger coming later. Deep Slash was at Level15, while she herself was at level eighteen overall.
'Oh sh*t.'
Hiro's anime trope senses slammed into overdrive.
'Not Rin. Not my friend.'
He wanted to yell at the sky until his voice gave out. She was funny, witty, and genuinely pretty in that effortless way. Still, weren't they all?
Even so, she had shown zero red flags openly.
'Damn it. If Rin turned out to be exactly what I fear and Kaito had known the whole time, I'm gonna unleash absolute hell on him before bolting out of this world entirely.'
His last class of the day actually helped clear some of the fog, leaving him with a small, private smile of satisfaction.
[You have reached Crafting Level 3! The world of creation is becoming clearer to you!]
The relief didn't last long. As soon as he stepped out of the lecture hall, the worries came rushing back.
How had he missed all those warning signs? He shook his head to push the thoughts aside. He wasn't supposed to be some clueless harem protagonist, yet he had let the tropes push him straight into what might become a nightmare.
Now, he felt like an idiot, and he may end up paying for it.
In the meantime, he decided to kill a little time in one of the quiet private study rooms tucked away in the academy library. The space was empty except for the student assistant lounging behind the counter, a girl with short platinum-blonde hair styled in messy twin tails and oversized glasses perched on her nose.
That's when he remembered the slim volume still sitting in his inventory. He pulled it out carefully.
[You have found the Tome of Instant Stride. Item value: Priceless.
Opening this book will teach you the Special Ability: Instant Stride. Warning, it will vanish after one use.]
Just like before, the tome shimmered with intense golden light that dissolved into sparkling motes, flooding knowledge straight into his mind like a perfectly downloaded program.
[You have learned the Special Ability: Instant Stride!]
[Let it be known that Special Abilities, unlike Special Attacks, can be efficiently used outside of battle. They will still consume MP.]
Suddenly, the study room door slammed shut with a heavy thud and hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Hiro jumped up from his chair and rushed after whoever it was. By the time he reached the main library area, no one was in sight. The platinum-haired assistant hadn't even looked up from her phone, her headphones blocking out the world and her calm vibe making it clear she hadn't noticed a thing.
"Did you see anyone run through here?" Hiro asked.
She shrugged without glancing away from her screen. "No idea who she is."
"She? What did she look like? What color was her hair?"
"I don't trust you, creep," she muttered, then tuned him out completely.
"Are you serious?" Hiro said, frustration building. "Oh my—"
He stormed out of the library, but before he could head off to find Kaito, his eyes landed on the suggestion box mounted on the wall. He scribbled a quick note: "Tell your student assistant, the girl who works after school, to actually do her damn job!" and slipped it inside without signing his name.
'Hehe, anonymous all the way,' he thought with a small smirk.
Hiro turned to leave and spotted something lying on the floor just a few steps ahead.
Another card!
This was exactly what he needed right now, another random annoyance dropping into his lap. Why did these things keep showing up around him?
[You have found an Echo Strike Card. Item Class: Bizarre.
Description: A card said to be a tool of a once legendary deck. The card's effects and abilities cannot be revealed to you until the contract is formed.]
Hiro shook his head and tucked it away in his inventory anyway. Maybe he could sell it for decent cash later if nothing else. He fired off a quick text to Hanako calling for an emergency meeting.
She, Kaito, and Lumina agreed to meet him up on the rooftop. While he hunted for the nearest stairwell, that familiar prickling sensation of being watched washed over him again.
"Shit," he muttered under his breath. He activated Instant Stride and blurred around the corner, only to collide straight into the popular girl with the neat light brown Japanese bob cut. "F*ck. Sh*t. Sh*t."
Liora
Level: 8
Type: Egomaniac
Relationship: unknown
HP: 100%
MP: 100%
Stats: Relationship isn't high enough.
Special abilities: Relationship isn't high enough.
Skills: Are we really doing this again, birdbrain?
Magic abilities: see above, dumb dumb.
Secrets: see above, Goofball.
"Sorry about that," Hiro said, trying to step around her.
Liora blocked his path with a smug little smirk on her face. "What's your name, new guy?" she asked, stepping right into his personal space. Her body language screamed seduction, like she either trusted her ridiculous fan club to appear out of thin air and rescue her or simply didn't care about any potential danger.
"It's Hiro," he replied, trying to move past her again, but the egomaniac wasn't letting it happen. She blocked him once more, still smiling like she owned the hallway.
Hiro's temper was finally starting to bubble up because this day had already gone to hell, when Kaito suddenly stepped between them. His easy manner disappointed Hiro a little.
"Oh, Liora," Kaito said, a faint blush creeping up his neck. "Hey."
Hiro could feel the pure dislike radiating off the girl, yet she kept that friendly mask firmly in place.
"Hi, Kaito," she answered, her eyes never leaving Hiro. Kaito gave her a blank stare, clearly a bit insulted at being half-ignored.
"Anyway, Kaito, let's go," Hiro said quickly. "We still have that thing to talk about."
Liora looked like she wanted to protest, but the two of them were already halfway down the hall. 'Not today, b*tch,' he thought with satisfaction.
Sadly, as Hiro took the last step onto the rooftop, his thoughts drifted back to his friend. His friend who might not be quite right in the head after all.