The Reader's Origin

Tap... tap... tap...*

The sound of typing on the keyboard could be heard from the corner of the lecture hall. The lecture hall was spacious enough to accommodate 200 hundred students comfortably.

The seats were arranged in a circular descending manner towards the front stage which had a huge projection screen. The hall was mostly empty as students had the most awaited time of their lives - lunch break.

At the corner of the hall sat the culprit responsible for the typing sound.

A youth who looked no older than 16 to 17 years old but was actually 19 years old. He wore a black Hoodie and simple white pants.

He had curly black hair which was currently a mess and an average face that was not too good to be called handsome nor too bad to be called ugly but the most noticeable part of his face was his dead-fish-looking dark brown eyes and deadpan facial expressions which gave him an emotionless look.

He was typing rapidly on his laptop with bloodshot eyes as if his life depended on it.

But to observers, he still looked emotionless as ever and had a natural aura that felt like it was saying 'not be approached '

- - -

I've been working on this Assignment for a week now, and the deadline is just 2 days away!

Type fast.. type fast...

Ahhhh!

You can do it!

Just a little more!

Is this my karma for watching anime instead of attending classes? But! I don't regret it!

Finally, I got to watch my favorite anime's new season! It took the anime production company 1 year 30 days 20 hours and 5.66 seconds to release it.

How can I let go of my anime-watching time after such a long wait?!

Aaah! Focus I have to focus...

At the same time, all of this was occurring in the youth's mind, his expressions still looked emotionless as ever to the observers.

- - -

A few Moments later...

Finally!

Huff, I breathed out in relief.

"Ahh finally done just have to sav-"

Snap*

My precious maple laptop was forcefully closed before I could save the annual work assignment that I had written with my own sweat and blood.

"ADI-"

"Nooooooooo!!!"

I dropped to my knees and cried out in despair. The few people present in the hall turned and stared at me oddly.

I noticed the odd looks they were giving me and composed myself. Control... Take a deep breath...

I took a deep breath and glared at the person responsible for my whole week's worth of work flowing down the drain.

There stood a handsome and pretty young man who looked to be in his 20s with golden blonde hair which was shoulder length and feminine facial features. His most notable feature was his flawless white Perl-like skin, which gave even beautiful girls a run for their money. On top of that, he had natural red plump lips which both men and women would fall in love with.

Like icing on the cake, he had ocean-blue eyes with long eyelashes. He was wearing a designable yellow shirt with fashionable jeans and expensive-looking sports shoes.

"Aa sorry for that Adi, let's hang out. It's been a while since you've been holed up in your dorm room doing weird things~"

The corner of my mouth twitched as I looked at his smile.

The hell! This dude disturbed me and got my week's worth of work in the gutter and he doesn't even feel sorry!

He even dares to mock me!

I glared at him, my expression changing from anger to sadness.

My face still looked emotionless except for a few changes which were not noticeable due to my special condition but the guy in front of me still noticed them.

A glint passed through Rey's eyes as he looked at his friend on the verge of tears of blood. This was completely ignored by the guy whose mind was in dismay at the time.

Rey hit his palm like he had a sudden realization.

"Ahh! You were doing this term's exam assignment right. Don't worry, as your close friend and only friend I'll let you copy my assignment as I have already made a separate one for your sorry ass. I know your Otaku hibernation habit very well. That's what you get for not coming to college all year. I'm not sure who allows it. That's karma" he said in a playful tone while sticking out his tongue.

Look at this guy... A vein popped on my head.

Sigh*

A sigh escaped my lips as I surrendered. This guy did this intentionally because he knew I didn't do the annual assignment. Before I could react he retrieved a Pendrive from his shirt pocket and put it into my pants pocket.

He put his slender finger on my lips and hung his arm around my shoulder.

"let's go! Let's go! It's been a long time since our last hangout. Pretty please," he said as he put on puppy eyes.

As I saw his ethics, I had a sudden urge to punch his face, but I accepted the Pendrive without hesitation. Who wouldn't accept a free meal?

I felt a bit better knowing that this guy ranked #1 in the country. His assignment must be better than my week-long scrambling.

Rey Carnage, my only friend in this University.

He is a very smart guy and on top of that extremely wealthy and handsome. He has become the definition of an ideal guy a girl could ask for. A far cry from how he was in his childhood. As of now, he resembles a character from a novel or manga.

Haa~

"I give up. you win Rey let's go out I also need some fresh air"

Burr~

My stomach started singing in protest.

Since last night, I was so involved in work that I missed my breakfast this morning. I didn't even get a wink of sleep.

"And food too," I said with my deadpan face as I gave Rey a wary smile.

"Then what are you waiting for? Come on, let's go! Let's go!" Rey replied in his chirpy voice.

I shook my head as Rey dragged me out of the hall.

I am Aditya Shinde.

Currently, I am a 2nd-year student in the computer science sector at Justin University, London.

As my family originated in India, I spent most of my childhood there. After Rey's persistence and support, I came here to study.

Throughout My childhood, I suffered from a very rare condition called Expression Decency Disorder, a very rare condition in which the patients are unable to express emotions on their faces due to a weak connection between their facial muscles and their brain.

I had a rough childhood due to EDD as My mother died while giving me birth and I don't even know the bastard father of mine who left my mother when she needed him the most. My aunt's family was kind enough to raise me but even they were creeped out due to my condition, I don't blame them as even I got scared looking at my face in the mirror in my childhood once. adults misunderstood me due to my condition and labeled me as being rude. I never had friends and Rey is my only friend from my childhood who understood my condition and accepted me as his friend.

I can still remember vividly how we met. He was shorter than me and a timid, snotty-nosed boy, and look at him now.

Rey Carnage is the most beloved and talented son of the biggest businessman in the country if not the world. He is taller than me and probably the most famous guy in the university and due to his cheerful personality, many girls have crushes on him unlike me. A dull-looking guy with an average face, dead fish eyes, and messy curly black hair.

It would be a lie if I said I was not jealous of him but what can I do about genes? But in friendship it doesn't matter we treat each other equally, I want him to grow and be happy. As his childhood friend, I support him as much as I can. In recent years, however, our roles have switched and now he helps me at university whenever I am in need.

The corner of my lips turned upward in a smile that came on my face subconsciously as I recalled past events. If not for an incident in our childhood we would have never met each other. Well, since when did the mega-rich kid start hanging out with someone like me, who comes from a poor background?

- - -

9 years ago...

On the upper floor of an abandoned construction building. A bone-chilling scene was playing out.

Blood covered the flood as the bodies of 3 disfigured unconscious men lay bare on the cold floor. Metal pipes, knives, and metal bats were scattered on the ground.

At the center of it was a boy who looked 10 to 12 years old, his hand covered in blood. He was holding a metal bat in one hand and a half-ripped comic book in the other. he wore simple sandals and a simple shirt and shorts.

In the orange light of the drowning sun, his face looked emotionless as if he didn't even care about the blood on his clothes and on his hands. He looked terrifying.

Sob* sob*

Aditya turned his head toward the source of the sobbing sound. There he saw a small child his age who looked less than 9 years of age curled up into a ball in the corner of the room.

He didn't know what to do. He threw the stuff in his hand and walked over to the crying child. he looked down at his bloodied hands and wiped them clean with his shirt in a childish manner.

"Hey- hm Aaem I beat all the bad uncles you are safe now don't cry... look they even tore the precious manga book that I bought with my pocket money, look I'm not crying and don't worry I have already called the police they will take you to your home" Aditya consoled the guy in his childish voice with a touch of sadness for losing his treasure.

After a long min, the little guy turned his face building up a bit of courage. However, he was again terrified looking at Aditya's expressionless face and blood-stained clothes.

He started crying even louder...

At that moment, Aditya got an up-close look at the kid's face, a pretty face with baby fat and smooth white skin, his natural short blonde hair which looked fluffy and smooth to touch and ocean blue eyes covered in tears. His face looked more like that of a girl than a boy.

If not for the snot and tears-filled face, he would have looked even more attractive.

While watching the little guy who looked like a scared little animal, Aditya felt the urge to pet his head. That he did.

Flich*

Frightened, the little guy flinched in fear and began vibrating. However, after a while feeling the gentle touch that reminded him of his father, he stopped crying and finally looked at Aditya.

A small boy taller than him with messy curly black hair and dead-fish eyes which gained their luster while stroking his head like he was a cat. He saw him trying to make a smiley expression on his face with little effort as his facial muscles trembled as he finally succeeded in smiling.

The little guy was stunned as he looked at the kindest smile he had ever seen. he quickly got out of the daze and finally murmured in low voice.

"Rey.."

"Huh did you say something?"

Aditya asked still petting his head. Aditya loved petting fluffy animals to the point of addiction, and the little guy's hair was heaven for him to touch.

"REY Carnage! my name is Rey Carnage, C-can you stop petting my head now"

Due to the differences in their height, Rey had to look up to see Aditya who again returned to his emotionless expression.

"Oh Sorry! I forgot we were strangers. Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Aditya Shinde.." Aditya replied still petting Rey's head.

[Memory End...]

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