What the Hack? I'm In a scripted game!

Chapter 3 - Red-Eye – Time for School

Whatever the case was, I had to get to Beaver High School and meet Ayana. I pushed the unfounded thoughts out of my head, put on a pair of sneakers, and left the strange house.

I had checked the school's address before leaving, and it was only a short distance away. Since I was unfamiliar with the city, I had to ask people for directions; some looked at me oddly because they had no idea where Beaver High School was.

Eventually, I was able to find the school. There was a record of admission for Kayden Parker as a third-year student. Each floor of the building was divided into the students' academic year; I made my way to the corresponding level.

The class hadn't begun when I arrived, so students were scattered in the corridors. I cautiously looked around and then took out my phone to dial Ayana's number.

"Is this Ayana?" I spoke first.

"Eh?  Well… yes, it's me," Ayana's reaction was bizarre.

I only realized later that I wasn't supposed to dress a woman by her first name if we weren't good friends. I decided to ignore it anyway because the pronunciation of Ayana was a lot easier than saying Suzakaze. It would be more awkward to make the change after my first comment, plus I just had to pretend I didn't know anything about Japanese culture.

"Have you arrived at school yet?" I asked.

"Yes," Ayana replied.

I felt odd suddenly since it seemed that I could hear Ayana's voice beyond the phone. I put the phone down and looked around and quickly spotted a girl with purple hair. She was standing in front of a window in the corridor and about ten meters away from me.  She was wearing the school uniform and was holding a purple mobile phone in her hand, on a call with someone.

If I remember correctly, Ayana had said that her phone was purple, so I walked toward her as she continued to look out the window.

"Kayden, Kayden? Can you hear me? Why are you not responding? Are you all right?" The girl looked very confused, "Is the signal still okay?"

She began to notice my approach through the reflection of the window; I was right behind her as she turned around and looked at me suspiciously.

"What can I do for you?" The girl asked cautiously.

From the look on her face, I could tell that she was worried and anxious since a stranger had approached her in an unfamiliar place.  I showed her the screen of my phone, which had her name on it.

"So…You are Kayden Parker?" Ayana froze for half a second, then gave a slightly surprised expression.

Although we had never met, being on the same boat was supposed to establish an unconvincing relationship of trust. I didn't think she was comfortable with me, yet at least we could understand each other. We were destined to work together, given that we were both the victims of this plot.

That said, it seemed inappropriate to call this incident the "black phone" since Ayana's phone was purple.

Let's call it the Black Curtain from now on.

"It's me!" I hung up the call and put my phone away, "Have you seen the third person?"

"Do you mean Eric Alphonse on the contact list?"

"Yes"

I tried to call Eric's number on the way to school, but he hadn't answered for some reason. I didn't understand why he didn't pick up. It could have been because he didn't have the phone on him, or maybe there was a chance he had skeletons in his closet.  

I did assume that whoever was on the contact list should offer some clues about what was happening. Or they should be at least facing the same problem. Therefore, it was a surprise when Eric didn't answer immediately as Ayana had.

Eric was quickly adding another layer of mystery in my head, given that he seemed to be avoiding the rest of us.

"I haven't seen him," Ayana replied, "I called his number, but he didn't answer. Why isn't he answering us?"

"Maybe he had his reasons," I said, "By the way, do you know what class you're in, Ayana?"

The student handbook didn't have the student's class on it, and I didn't know what class I was in.

"I actually do know," Once again, Ayana surprised me, "I was approached by a girl soon after I entered the school; I think she was an acquaintance of mine from this world. I exchanged a few words with her and found out what class I was in.

Ayana looked like she was more relaxed. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and Ayana was no exception. In contrast, I am relatively incompetent if my powers were taken away.

I couldn't help but take a closer look at this girl. Her face was cute, and her skin looked soft and pale, like porcelain. She had a petite build that was accentuated by her school uniform and bright purple hair. Her youthful energy and small frame gave the impression that she was barely old enough to be a junior high student.

"What, what's wrong?" Ayana noticed that I was sizing her up.

"Nothing," I answered her and thought that maybe a high school student was just Ayana's identity in this world; perhaps she was a junior high student in the other world.

"By the way," Ayana stated, "Kayden, you're in the same class as me, so just follow me to the classroom."

That's great.  I didn't have to find which one was my classroom.

"The names of the students are posted on the desks, so you'll find your seat accordingly," Ayana continued, "There was a desk with Kayden Parker on it, so I am assuming you are the only one."

"That's great," I said.

A few moments later, it was time for class, so Ayana and I entered the classroom. We were seated very close together; Ayana's seat was right behind mine.

I found it hard not to daydream, and as I have said before, I am a nobody without my powers. This was particularly true when it came to my academic studies; perhaps Kayden Parker in this world was just like me. The teacher didn't say anything, so they must be used to me not paying attention. Things had to be difficult for Ayana though, it had to be hard for a junior high student to be part of a senior high class.

I asked her about it, Ayana, after school.

"No, I'm not!" Ayana blushed, "I'm not a junior high school student!"

"No? Does that mean ......" I looked at her in surprise and wondered if all elementary school students were so well developed.

Ayana seemed able to read my mind and got even more flustered, "I'm not a primary school student either!"

"Well, I am sorry that I misunderstood you. I didn't think that you were a high school student," I said.

"No, I graduated already; I am a member of the working class," Ayana tried so hard to clarify.

"How old are you then?" I could hardly hide my disbelief.

"Eighteen," Ayana replied.

"I can't believe you're older than me ......," I was speechless.

This girl, whom I had previously misunderstood as a junior high school student, was, in fact, older than me and already had a job.

"Speaking of which, how old are you, Kayden?" Ayana asked.

I can't believe she picked this moment to ask me this question; I really couldn't tell if she did it on purpose or by chance. Just as I thought I should tell her the truth, there was a crash from the corner of the classroom.

Both my attention and Ayana's were diverted to that direction.

I saw a girl suddenly stand up and stare expressionless at the students around her. I could see her eyes were beginning to shine with an eerie bright red glow.