The morning sun crept into the cramped, single-room apartment, painting streaks of dust-filled light across the tatami mats. It was 6:30 AM. For Kenzuki Goddomori, this was the agonizing precipice between blissful ignorance and the harsh reality of being nineteen, broke, and painfully average.
He sat on the edge of his futon, staring blankly at a water stain on the wall that vaguely resembled a depressed walrus.
"Right," he muttered, his voice raspy with sleep. "Another day, another dollar... actually, probably just fifty cents. Inflation is a bitch."
Kenzuki moved with practiced, lethargic efficiency. He slipped out of his pajamas and into the crisp, slightly itchy Jerochiko General Academy uniform. Grey collared shirt, blue necktie fastened with a sloppy knot, black trousers that were just a fraction too short, and a pale grey blazer he left unbuttoned because buttoning it made him feel claustrophobic.
In the tiny kitchenette, he scrambled two eggs—the last of the carton—and tossed them onto a piece of stale toast. He ate standing up, watching the neighbors through the cracked window pane arguing over a newspaper.
They look happy, Kenzuki thought cynically, chewing slowly. They have passion. I just have hunger.
After washing his dish, he grabbed his academy handbag, checked his pockets for his wallet—three hundred yen and a receipt for a chocolate bar—and stepped out. He locked the heavy iron door behind him, taking a deep breath of the stale city air.
As he walked down the narrow street toward the main road, the monologue began, a constant, nagging narration of his own tragicomic existence.
Yeah. This is Me. A Dude with a weird name, Kenzuki Goddomori. Parentless. Poor. Average looks—not ugly enough to be a joke character, but not handsome enough to be a main character. Lazy. Nineteen years old, second year. No girlfriend. A total, absolute loser. I am the side character of my own damn life.
He pulled his blazer tighter around himself.
My parents died on their twentieth anniversary. The cruise ship they were on sank right to the bottom of the ocean. The ultimate, dramatic romantic exit. Luckily, I'm an introvert, so I didn't follow them on that crowded, expensive trip. Now, I'm alive. Just... hanging around.
He arrived at the massive, imposing gates of the Jerochiko General Academy. It was a place for high school graduates who either didn't know what to do with their lives, or who actually wanted to learn more—mostly the former. Since the academy started from first years at eighteen, Kenzuki was right in the middle of the social hierarchy of mediocrity.
He stood at the threshold of Class 2B. His stomach gave a traitorous flutter of anxiety, which he immediately suppressed with a mental shrug.
Yeah. Average... Class B. Not the best, not the worst. Just... there.
He stopped, checked his reflection in the glass of the door, and adjusted his necktie. "Gotta stay Cool," he whispered to himself, adopting a facade of calm indifference that took immense energy to maintain.
He slid the door open. The classroom was already humming with the morning buzz. Girls whispering about makeup, boys boasting about video game scores, nobody looking at him.
Perfect.
He navigated to the back corner, the holy grail of classrooms: the window seat. He dropped his bag onto the desk, sat down, and sighed. The chair was hard, but it was his hard chair. He arranged his pens in a neat line, not because he was organized, but because it gave his hands something to do other than shake.
He looked out the window, watching the campus life unfold below. The spring breeze carried the scent of sakura petals and apathy.
Just then, drama unfolded in the courtyard. A frantic-looking first-year boy was kneeling in front of a third-year girl, holding out a box of chocolates with trembling hands.
Kenzuki watched, uninterested at first, then intrigued by the spectacle.
The girl didn't even stop walking. She just shook her head, said something Kenzuki couldn't hear, and kept going. The boy stayed on his knees, head bowed, the chocolate box clutched to his chest.
Kenzuki smirked, a cynical twist of his lips.
Pffff- bro thought bro was filming a Romance Movie, he thought, his inner dialogue dripping with sarcasm. This is real life. You don't get a montage, you get rejected in front of everyone. I have never been rejected, though. Because I've never confessed. Checkmate, universe.
He rested his chin in his hand, watching the boy finally stand up and wipe his eyes.
Life is Boring... Why did I even come here? Ah, yeah. Because I want a good and easy job after Academy Graduation. I want a cubicle. I want to stare at a computer screen and be yelled at by a manager who makes five times more than me. That's the dream.
He turned away from the window and scanned the classroom, analyzing the social structures, the fleeting alliances, and the quiet despair of his peers.
Two figures stood out.
Sitting near the front were a boy and a girl, deeply engrossed in a conversation. They were childhood friends—you could tell by the way they didn't need to look at each other to know what the other was thinking.
The boy was Hitashi Monoki.
Name: Hitashi Monoki
Age: 19, second year.
Race: Human.
Height: 5.7 feet.
Appearance: Pretty boy, with a cool vibe that actually worked.
Build: Slender.
Hair: Orange hair, messy, middle-parted with curtains, cut into a wolfcut that somehow never looked messy.
Eyes: Arctic blue irises that seemed to lock onto whatever he was looking at.
Signature outfit: Academy Male Uniform: Grey collared shirt, blue necktie, black trousers, brown shoes, buttoned pale grey blazer—he actually wore it correctly.
Personality: Kind, Warm, Dense as a black hole, Caring, Protective, Silly.
And the girl next to him, laughing at something he said.
Name: Aris Kataromi
Age: 19, second year.
Race: Human.
Height: 5.6 feet.
Appearance: Pretty, breathtakingly beautiful, the kind of beauty that made you look twice and then feel bad about yourself.
Build: Lean, C-cup breasts, fit body ratio that hinted at hidden athleticism.
Hair: Silver, waist-length, fluffy hair, sideburns framing a face that was almost too symmetrical, fluffy bangs.
Eyes: Deep purple iris eyes.
Current outfit: Academy female uniform: Grey collared shirt, light blue necktie, black round below-thighs-length skirt, white thigh highs, brown female shoes, grey blazer.
Personality: DereDere, Caring, Protective, Cool, Friendly, Silly.
Kenzuki watched them, a pang of something akin to envy—but too exhausted to be true envy—passing through him.
She's beautiful, his inner monologue continued, analyzing the scene. But she would never look at me anyway. I'm just part of the background scenery, like a potted plant in a horror movie. And she seems to like her childhood friend... He's a lucky guy.
He narrowed his eyes, observing the dynamics.
Another BUT, that guy, Monoki-san, isn't interested in her...
He watched Hitashi glance away from Aris, his eyes drifting toward the front of the class.
He's interested in The Class Topper, Ruki Osawan. I'm seeing the patterns... it's a love quadrangle, or maybe just a sad circle. Sigh... Love life is a bit complicated, and these are not my business.
Kenzuki followed Hitashi's gaze to the subject of his affection.
Name: Ruki Osawan
Age: 19, second year.
Race: Human.
Height: 5.7 feet.
Appearance: Elegant, almost untouchable, with a posture that radiated superiority.
Build: Athletic, B-cup breasts, thicc thighs that were hidden perfectly by her skirt.
Hair: Cyan, hip-length hair, sideburns, held back by a hairband, middle-parted bangs.
Eyes: Yellow irises eyes that seemed to look right through people, currently hidden behind round glasses.
Signature outfit: Academy female uniform: Grey collared shirt, light blue necktie, black round knee-length skirt, black thigh highs, brown female shoes, grey blazer.
Personality: Tsundere, Kind, Caring, Somewhat Cold, Cool, Calm.
Ruki was currently writing notes, ignoring everyone, completely focused on the impending lecture.
Kenzuki looked back out the window. The sky was turning a brighter blue, the clouds drifting aimlessly.
Yeah, Kenzuki thought, leaning back and closing his eyes, letting the sounds of the classroom wash over him. Just another side character in the drama of life. Hopefully, the plot doesn't drag me into it.
To be continued.