A great man once said, “Nothing ever happens.”

  And honestly? I’m glad about that.

  After that one-off incident on the second day of class, a few uneventful weeks had passed. It’s been almost a month since I left home to study at the institution.

  The Plan: How to Save your Favorite Heroine was in full swing. My current focus? Identifying the culprit behind the projection incident.

  At first, I suspected the more obvious, the pink haired gyaru class rep. But after spending more time as her desk neighbor, I realized it couldn’t be her. And no, it wasn’t because she’d charmed me or anything. I'm a real adult, after-all.

  Anyway, the classes were in full swing, not that I paid much attention. I had a bigger purpose, obviously.

  Classes were divided into three categories: theory, practical and field. Theory and practical were all about science and technology, while field training focused on combat and deviant hunting.

  Over the past month, I’d gathered a few pieces of information that would help me survive in the world. Sure, the world was following the same direction as the novel but there were details the story never covered, like my own background or Kiyara’s timeline before the main story began.

  But that wasn't my real motivation. My real goal was to find out who was behind that disgusting holographic stunt.

  I couldn't just let it slide, not even if it was a one-time thing. It had to be someone in our class.

  That’s why, after a little strategic begging ( and maybe some…light groveling) in front of the class rep, I finally got my hands on the class register – the holy library of student data.

  It listed everyone’s background profiles, family names and even their assigned forms.

  The plan was simple: comb through the records, look for clues and find people that could be potentially the culprit.

  Why was I going this far?

  Because even though everything looked normal on the surface, something felt off.

  Kiyara wasn’t being bullied outright anymore, nothing of the holographic filth. But there was a strange air around her. It was as if everyone pretended, she didn’t exist when she was in the room...and once she left, her name was whispered throughout the room.

  There were also disgusting rumors crawling through the class quietly and persistently like invisible vines.

  If not for the class rep, who told me about the rumors – half in joke, half in passing. I wouldn’t have even realized they existed.

  Apparently, someone had been spreading things through personal mail, messages sent directly to each student’s digital ID. The sender was a private and anonymous and almost impossible to trace due to multiple carriers and host points,

  If things kept up like this, Kiyara would slowly turn into that cold, closed-off shell I remembered from the novel. All my plans – her gaining confidence, making friends and eventually finding the courage to confess her feelings would fall apart before even starting.

  Ideally, I’d like to be her friend myself. But the tension in the class…and that incident made it complicated.The last thing I wanted was to make her uncomfortable. So I was waiting for a chance…no, maybe an excuse for myself.

  And well, I’ve never exactly been the “friendly neighborhood extrovert.”

  Not in past life and not here either.

  Besides, how do you even approach someone like her? A girl with her pedigree, her reputation, her aura?

  What if I walked up to her and she just said “I don’t befriend bugs.”

  Yeah. Poor me…

  Though, surprisingly, I did manage to make one friend. Daniel Rudolf, the guy sitting behind me. We started talking on the day I did my heroic little “cable-pulling” stunt and somehow, we hit off.

  He had blonde hair, green eyes and sharp features that were right on the border between handsome and average. Unlike me, his family was not what I would call a peasant family. They lived in zone 008 but his father was a renowned Atmatech deviant hunter. Basically, an elite.

  Which made our sitting arrangement a little baffling.

  His family was one of the rare ones that preferred to live in lower zones despite their position in the hierarchy of this world. Then again, Daniel said something that explained that a lot:

  “My dad says you can’t really understand what it means to be a deviant hunter unless you live close to danger.”

  Yeah. His dad sounded like the hardcore type.

  Anyway, back to my investigation. After going through the class register, a few names stood out, people who either had some connection to Kiyara, the attitude or just gave me that “main suspect” vibe.

  Starting from Marin Tsukuba:

  Next, Leo Yurei

  Next, Reina Aestos

  And then there were few other names who stood out for…existing: Aarav Yatsura, Tom cornwell, Leila Hendrickson.

  Each of them had something off about them. Something that made my detective sense tingle.

  They were all from similar zones – mid tier zones, not too elite, not too low class. In class their eyes trailed after Kiyara..and their mouths followed soon after.

  Why did I think it had to be one of them? Simple, No ordinary NPC would dare to pull something like that. You needed either strong malice or jealousy to make that kind of move.

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  Well, that was my working theory, until I came across one more name.

  A name that stood out like a thorn.

  Satora Minobe:

  His family had a non-science background, yet his residency was listed as Zone 001.

  And that’s the problem. Zone 001 wasn’t supposed to be livable. It was the most restricted zone in the world. It was the domain of the Deviant hunting association and core scientists who maintained the perimeter. No civilians or people from other than science backgrounds were allowed there. The entire zone covered only a few hundred square kilometers, surrounded by Klechonium-grade (a metal found only in this world) containment walls.

  And somehow, a kid from there was in our class?

  Yeah. That didn’t add up.

  Still, these were just suspicions, baseless scattered dots I couldn’t connect yet. And even though I so wanted to figure out the truth and who the culprit was, and believe me I would even if I had to go to depths of this world. But that wouldn’t magically fix Kiyara’s situation

  Hating the elite of this society was easy. They ruled and controlled everything, Kiyara, to many, was a symbol of that, a symbol that they despised. But she—she wasn’t at fault for being one.

  How could I help her?

  The question alone stole more sleep from me than any late-night cramming session ever could. Every time my eyes wandered towards her, I found the same sight.

  Kiyara Aryavane, sitting alone, wrapped in silence, swallowed by her own shadows that clung to her like ghosts. Around her, the classroom roared, laughter, chatter, footsteps, the constant buzz of youth and yet, none of it reached her.

  She existed in that noise like a still point in a storm.

  Even so, I decided to wait. For a real chance. I tried really hard to justify my reasoning, but deep down I knew it was because I needed an excuse to make a move.

  But I didn’t care. Even if it was an excuse. Today…that chance finally arrived.

  Our class teacher stood before us, dressed in a sharp white blazer over a cropped top, paired with flowing high-waisted pants that danced around sleek black heels. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun, and the red lipstick painted on her lips almost glowed against her fair skin. She wore long silver earrings that dangled like the blades of a clock. Honestly, she looked more like a fashion model than a teacher in a post-apocalyptic academy.

  Not that I was complaining.

  Anyway, she was talking about an upcoming event. I didn’t catch all of it at first, not until she mentioned the name.

  “Deviant Elimination Trials.”

  And just like that, I remembered.

  In the novel, this was a big event — a test where students of first year paired up to fight off robotic deviants in a stimulated survival battle. A pseudo battle royale where teamwork, quick thinking and raw nerve decided who would last till the end.

  Apparently, it wasn’t just limited to the advanced academy; even intermediate-level institutions ran it as part of their training. And the best part? The pairs weren’t assigned. Students could choose their partners. My heart practically did a backflip.

  This was it, the golden ticket.

  A chance to approach Kiyara Aryavane, not as fanboy, not as stalker from another world but as a classmate.

  If I could just ask her to team up with me...maybe, just maybe, I could finally step out of the shadows and actually take action.

  “The Deviant Elimination trials are scheduled for next month,” the teacher said, her voice sharp yet smooth, the kind that made students go silent on instinct. Each click of her heels against the floor nailed her authority. “I expect your team sheets on my desk by the end of this week. Four members per group. No exceptions.”

  She paused, her gaze sweeping across the class like a scanner and then coincidentally focusing towards me.

  “The results of these trials will directly affect your SPI scores,” she continued, her lips curling into the faintest of smirks. “For those counting on recommendations.. This might be your chance to make a step towards making it into AEGIS. So, try not to waste it.”

  Then she turned and left, her heels echoing like a countdown.

  The class was over.

  Footsteps filled the room, the sound of desks thudding and the low chatter of students swelled around me. Everyone had something to say, plans to make, names to call, but inside me, there was only silence.

  A deal calm in the chaos.

  My eyes drifted to Kiyara. She sat just ahead, partially hidden by the people in front, her profile framed by the dull glow of holographic boards.

  Reach out.

  Stand up.

  Break the chains of doubt.

  The words rang in my head. And so, I stood. The chair legs screeched against the floor, producing a sharp, but lone thud that sliced through the noise. My body moved before my mind could stop it–one step, then another, then another. The distance between wasn’t much, yet somehow it felt like walking through a storm.

  Was everyone looking? Probably. Did it matter? Not even a little.

  I stood beside her desk. Her eyes met mine. Cold, distant and beautiful.

  Some would call them lifeless, asking why would one find such eyes beautiful? To me, that was stupid question like asking a man why is the water wet? To me, they shimmered with a fragile depth, like a still lake under the moonlight, covered in haze. The kind of beauty that makes you ache, not because it shines but because it's elusive.

  The somber of elegance of her long lashes framed those hazy blue eyes that seemed to look straight through me. They weren’t just eyes; they were an ocean under twilight. Then, she made an expression that could be described as one of curiosity and confusion, as if vines of curiosity coiled around my chest, pulling me deeper, refusing to let me look away.

  Time lost all meaning.

  If I could, I would’ve stayed there forever, drowning in those eyes that held both sorrow and grace, reflecting a grief so fragile it almost shimmered. But the word wasn’t kind enough to stop for moments like this. The noise of the class pressed in, sharp, and loud, reminding me that reality still existed.

  And yet I didn’t care.

  If every eye in that room was on me, then good. Let them stare. That was what I wanted, an announcement, a declaration, a small defiance.

  That she wasn’t alone.

  That I was with her.

  That I am here with her.

  That I will be here with her.

  I opened my mouth and the words I’d held in my chest for so long finally forced out:

  “Miss Aryavane…please be my partner for the trials.”

  Silence.

  Maybe I didn’t need to bow my head when I said it. I mean, this wasn’t Japan.

  But I guess too much anime really does something to a man’s instincts.

  Maybe I should’ve asked her more casually.

  Maybe I should’ve done it through mail.

  Maybe I should’ve waited until she was alone,

  There were a thousand maybes, but none of them mattered. Because the moment those words left my mouth, the entire class erupted with a collective “Huh!?”

  And despite all the eyes, all the whispers, and red heat crawling up my neck, I didn’t care.

  It felt good.

  Good to reach out.

  Good to move.

  Good to do something.

  Whatever happened next, It was what it was.

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