SYSTEM MESSAGE

Ding.

A bell-like sound rang and Shiro could hear it. He raised his head from the table and opened his eyes.

He was sitting at the back of the class, close to a window on the left side.

Teacher Nero was still giving lectures but Shiro paid no attention to the teaching.

He looked in front of him, and a transparent blue panel stood facing him.

Too shocked to speak, he stretched his hands towards it, and it passed through.

The whole class noticed his behavior and everyone's eyes turned to look at him.

He didn't seem to notice until the teacher called his name.

"Shiro, do you have a question?" Teacher Nero asked him.

Teacher Nero was a male in his late thirties with dark yellow hair that fell backward. He had the build of an athlete and his skin was a little lighter than others. Today, he was wearing a very dark blue set of suits.

"Me?" Shiro asked the teacher.

"Yes, you raised your hand so I thought you wanted to ask a question or was I wrong?" Teacher Nero asked again.

'No one's asking about what's in front of me even though they're all staring at me. Am I the only one who can see this?' His brain kept working even though he was silent.

"Ah, pardon but I wanted to use the bathroom." Shiro finally spoke after what seemed like an eon.

"Oh, feel free to go then." The teacher permitted him and Shiro dashed out of the class.

'Something seems wrong with Shiro.' Hina, a classmate, and friend of Shiro said to herself.

She was a beauty with long dark purple hair and eyes. She was of average height and she was well proportioned in appropriate areas.

*****

Shiro was in the bathroom, his head in the washstand. He poured water on his face and washed his eyes.

He raised his red-haired head and looked at the mirror hanging just above the washstand. He could see his reflection. His hair was rather curly unlike most of his age mates with spiky hair.

The blue panel could be seen in the mirror too. He had been too shocked to even read what was written on it.

Looking at it, he read the words written on it.

A message icon was drawn and just below it, was a text. "You Have A New Message!"

He tried clicking on the message and this time, it worked.

It opened and Shiro could see what the message entailed.

{Esteemed player, the world as you know it will come to an end in 20:56:37.} The time kept dropping every second.

The message continued.

{Horrible things beyond your understanding will begin to happen once the countdown comes to a stop. You are one of the seventy humans granted the privilege of becoming a player.}

"What the hell is this supposed to mean? The first part was all bullshit and now it's telling me I've become a player?" Shiro kept complaining every time he read a new paragraph.

{The primary mission of all seventy players is to survive for as long as possible until the ¶|¶|¶ comes.}

"Is this a game or what? Why the hell are they even censoring words?" Shiro was going crazy little by little.

Not like the message was going to reply to him.

{Those who survive until the ¶|¶|¶ comes will be granted a special request. These players are scattered all around your world. It is up to you to meet up with them or survive on your own. Your first mission will be available once the countdown comes to its end.}

"I don't even know if this is just me hallucinating or something. I'll just have to close…" The panel vanished before he could finish his sentence. "...this rubbish."

He couldn't believe that the panel vanished when he said the word 'close'.

"Open." He said again, and the panel appeared.

"Holy shit!" He tried to keep quiet but ended up yelling.

Another message was written on the panel.

{May the Stars be with you Players.}

"Close." Shiro said once more and then he turned to walk out of the bathroom.

He was never going to tell anyone what he just experienced. They would think he was nuts if he told them.

He walked into the classroom.

"You took longer than you should have. Care to explain?" Teacher Nero asked him.

"I finished and was about to return but number two happened." Shiro explained and everyone had to hold in their laughter.

"I see. You may return to your seat then." Teacher Nero replied.

"Thank you, sir." Shiro returned to his seat.

"Well, the class will end in a few minutes. Tomorrow's gonna be quizzes all through. You all better be prepared." Teacher Nero spoke to the whole class.

Ring…

The school bell rang two minutes after the teacher left the class.

Shiro had already packed his bag, preparing to leave when Hina called him.

"Shiro. What's wrong with you? You seem unwell since you returned from the bathroom." She spoke with a sad tone.

"It's all fine. Thank you for caring for me. If that's all, I'll take my leave now." He gave her a bow and walked out of the class, heading home directly.

"I really hope all is well with him." Hina seemed bothered like she was his mother. She took her bag and left the class too.

*****

Shiro arrived at home, a four-bedroom one-story building. Although he stayed in such a big house, he stayed alone.

He entered the shower in his room and had his bath. He just lay on the bed when he came out and then closed his eyes. His past came crashing on him when he closed his eyes.

His mother died after childbirth and his father died of lung cancer when he was twelve. Turns out he had been smoking too much after the death of his wife.

All the wealth had been passed down to him. He could afford whatever he wanted since his father owned a multimillion-dollar company that now belonged to Shiro, but he didn't even spend the money.

He had an aunt who would always come visiting once in a while to check up on him. But for a year now, she hadn't visited. He wasn't bothered by the loneliness.

He opened his eyes and then spoke again. "Open."

The transparent blue panel popped up. He was going to read this damned message once more and determine what his plans would be.