9 Attending School

I raise my head and lock my eyes at the familiar face of the man wearing the same raven jacket-like suit over his uniform. He walks towards the board and slowly faces us with his head burying within his hands. It almost feels like he fears talking in front of a crowd, despite the action that he have displayed not too long ago.

"We have another student coming into class!" Ms. Ai energetically announces. "Would you kindly introduce to us your name?"

The boy wearing his nerdy eyeglasses scans our faces and shyly lowers his head. It is hard to notice his personality upon seeing it once, but I have seen his character reform once he takes off his lenses.

Well, I can only assume his character when I first saw him turned evil yet confident yesterday.

"My name is Nickson Buoyant Park, and I am a Korean."

Abruptly, the girls from my class desperately hide their shrieks as they see and hear his low-pitched voice. All of them are fans of the rising era of Korean pop stars, making their wish come true after realising that a handsome Korean is attending this class.

Should they be chasing after different types of men? My question leaves me hanging inside my head.

Why do I know, you may have asked? It's because of their keychains and designs from their notebook that give away their hobbies and likes. Each of these accessories has these lead singers on top of the stage. On the right side of the book, one could notice the Hangul texts describing the band with their unique fashion that makes them stand out.

It makes me somewhat disturbing once I see many of them scattered on their desks. I am not against who my classmates like or support, but witnessing countless pieces of these popular bands makes me out of place.

It irritates me that these ladies are ogling the man who stole my book and adapted it into a comic. I cannot change their mindset and order them to hate the same guy that I dislike.

I cannot control them. Oh, how I wish I could do that in a different timeline, far from the present.

I look around and recall the phrase that Roxy told me moments ago. As I shift my head, I spot the only vacant chair near me, thinking about the nastiest idea in my head.

"Please don't let him sit beside me!" I clutch my hands and pray silently to the unknown deity watching over us. However, my luck turns against me as the teacher pronounces him to take a seat.

Nickson gradually strides towards me and perches himself on the empty chair. He has nothing with him other than a sling bag big enough to fit something square and fragile.

'Like a tablet,' Roxane murmurs, as if reading my mind while she slightly kicks my feet.

"Are you that happy?"

She feverishly nods without turning an eye and gives me a sarcastic thumbs up.

I could only heave out a sigh and continue with my life despite sitting with the boy I have talked about ever since stepping foot inside this academy.

Two hours deliberately pass by as Ms. Ai proceeds to her lesson plan. She lectures us students about human anatomy and finds it interesting yet boring at the same time. To put matters short, she's talking about Science.

I know I need these sessions to improve my writing style and describe what I see from the skeletal model. I am also planning to summon innumerable armies of undead warriors made of bones from my novel.

'It must be because those lessons are difficult for me to grasp?' I ponder to myself while fighting my urge to sleep amidst the ongoing class. I even try punching myself in the face, only to receive a kick and hinder me from the thought.

"I know what you're trying to do." Roxy marginally gyrates her head and whispers to me while giving me a wicked wink.

"It must have been your imagination," I retort, while crossing my arms and averting my gaze.

"Am I hearing bees?" Ms. Ai interrupts herself in the middle of class and looks around for the origin of the voice.

We immediately place ourselves in position and act as if we are listening to his lecture.

Having found nothing, she resumes her lesson and concludes everything before hearing the bells of the school.

"For your assignment, please submit a five-hundred worth of words about what you have learned for today," Ms. Ai utters while writing the things she says on the board.

Everyone holds their breath and avoids letting their groans escape their mouth. As soon as the bell chimes, we hurry outside and release our mewl.

"I can't believe she left us with homework!" Roxy scratches her head, thinking about when to finish the activity. She is the type of person to maximise her time by playing multiple games with no disturbances. Hearing such terrible news like homework and projects is enough to shatter her soul, knowing that will eat her time later this evening.

Before we can even eat our lunch, the two of us head towards Nickson, who is about to go to the cafeteria. We still have some unfinished business with this mangaka.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I ask, while waving his leather bag.

"Can we please talk about this for later?" Nickson grunts while shooing me away with his hands. "I have enough problems with the principal this morning."

"Why?" Roxanne curiously asks while leaning closer to him with glittering eyes.

Nickson steps back for a few steps before giving her a reply.

"Since I was late, I had to go to the principal and meet with Mr. Yamamoto. He even brought up the incident that YOU TWO dragged me." He explains while waving his hands and stretching them skywards.

During his narrative, Roxy covers her mouth and tries hopelessly not to laugh at his explanation. But, with a quick snap of his fingers, Nickson changes his tone.

"Aigo, nojaem! That is not funny!" He hysterically sweeps his hands for more, this time with his feet stomping the ground.

It is hard to admit, but he looks childish rather than angry in my eyes as I continue to watch his retaliates from the side.

"And the dean also wants you two to come with me after school," He appends, making our frown turn upside down within moments from laughing.

"Wait, what?" I raise my brow, thinking what nonsense that this guy has been saying to us suddenly. It is not like we did something wrong, have we?"

"They saw the three of us and thought that we were horsing around in the middle of the teacher's working hours. He even told me that actions are not tolerable inside this school. Hence, our summon. So, thank you very much, and you'll be coming with me." He ends the conversation by quickly grabbing the leather bag from my hand. Nickson then tosses the sack flawlessly on top of his armchair, hitting nothing or anyone along its way.

If that sack had hit someone on the face, that would have been hilarious and miserable for the classmate, and I would have felt that way right now.

"Hey, wait for a second!" I call out, but he is already in the middle of the crowd, heading towards the store, selling packed rice and tuna for lunch. The meal itself is not a disgusting combination, but enough to stir my digestion.

It is to puke everything inside of me because of the taste and appearance of the food. That is my sole reason I am hesitant on buying anything outside and not homemade.

Roxy and I pay him no mind while we head over to our favourite spot-outside, where nobody is around. Only the peaceful breeze and the dancing leaves are present in the scene, creating a mood suitable for us to digest our lunch.

We notice Nickson going back to the hall with his food set on his palm as we finish our meal. However, he keeps glancing from left to right as if lost inside the university.

"Do you want to help him?" Roxane suggests while gobbling the spoon filled with rice and pork from our previous dinner.

"Do I look like I want to?" I give her my response while continuing to munch over the pieces of meat inside my mouth.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try to repel the boy inside my mind, I have these thoughts bugging me to help him. Soon, I rise from my seat and hastily enter the school grounds, hoping to catch up to the speedy Nickson. I cannot bring myself from letting the new guy wander around the corridor while searching for our room instead of eating his grub.

"Hey!" I call out for his attention while tugging the fabric of his expensive jet-black suit away from the mob.

"I hate to say this, but you need to eat too." I pull him towards the exit, where Roxy is waiting for our arrival. We could even see her hands ridiculously waving outside the windows while eating his beloved meat.

"I can find my way,"

"You're lost!" Roxy interposes his excuses, leaving him no more rooms to retort.

Admitting his defeat, Nickson sits on the cemented ground and opens up his disposable lunch box, only to see the sickening soup and pork swimming on top of the brown rice.

It is hard to distinguish the name of the meal despite knowing various kinds of cooks Roxy and I have been watching these weeks.

"You're going to eat that?" I direct my finger at the dish while slowly scooching off beside him.

Even the ignorant Roxy knows what sorcery is inside that tiny cup, waiting to conjure poisonous spells to the user.

Nickson fights off his desires and devours the poor dish in five swoops with his metal spoon. If he did not consume the nourishment, then his stomach would have been grumbling right now. It is the bravest thing I have ever witnessed in my life since the news of a drunk man swimming with crocodiles.

"May you live to see the sun for tomorrow." Roxy and I close our eyes while we silently pray for his health.