I’m tired. I have been doing too much. We round up all 27 annoying freshmen players, including Gideon. The juniors apologized, as they were all led by Julius. Now, I understand that he was being manipulated, but even in the game, he was a little…rough. He has an elder brother who was better than him in everything yet still refused the seat for the throne.

And…that guy became an instructor for the Prime Minister…you know, I never knew. I always focused on the girls, so the BL paths I never touched. However, the girls loved to talk about it.

I learned from Yidris that the feeling she felt towards me was the same as the one she got when Bucco came storming into the room to save her. She said she realized that it wasn’t love and instead was a form of admiration or close to it. But…lately…she has been hanging out with the other rotten girls…

I don’t feel safe. I can hear her heavy breathing now whenever I talk to Bucco. Has she gone crazy trying to see which of us is cooler and then thought that both of us together would be cool? I don’t get it, but this was what I was worried about. I think I am getting sick from the stress.

Ah, I am eating chips. I didn’t even notice.

For kidnapping the princess and Saintess, Gideon was tried and jailed. However, his death wasn’t decided, though Ophia’s father and the Pope both wanted his head upon a pike. He was too busy crying and blubbering like a baby to think or talk, as he just wanted to have all of the girls.

What a waste of humanity. Is this how he was in his previous life? I am not sure I want to see the rest of the freshmen players. I really don’t think that this is all of them. In fact, there might still be some players in my grade I haven’t found just yet. I wonder who they could be…

>>>

It was back in the real world…for him, anyway.

A young black man was sulking around the park when he saw a guy handing out balloons. They were in all sorts of shapes. Animals, flowers, and even airplanes or mermaids. Thinking of his little sister back home, he decided to buy one with the dirty money burning a hole in his pocket.

“Hm? You didn’t even clean it off? What if I accidentally overdose while counting money?”

The old man was laughing jovially, but he had cut right to the matter. Hard drugs were still illegal. This guy could call the cops and his life would be over. All of a sudden, the weight of what he was doing fell on him. He collapsed onto the nearby bench.

The fact that a single person could ruin his whole life. This was the first time he had ever thought of it.

“Hm? Has life got you down?”

“…yeah. I did some bad things.”

“And? So have I.”

“You? You hand balloons to kids. No, did you…”

“No, no! I stole stuff before. Back when I was your age.”

“I have done worse.”

“Haha! It’s not a competition.”

“I am saying that you don’t understand what I am dealing with.”

“Oh? But can you understand what everyone else is dealing with? How about your family? You know them a lot, right?”

“My family? Ah, my sister and mother. They…they hate what I do. It makes them angry and sad.”

The man twisted a sword and swung it at the black youth, but all it did was bounce off.

“So those feelings only amount to this much? Do you like what you do?”

“…no. Of course not. But, I have to keep my family safe and healthy.”

“Do you need drug money for that?”

He handed the youth the sword and made another, only this time, it was made with multiple balloons and looked pretty cool. The balloon guy swung his blade and easily knocked away the half-hearted youth’s sword.

“No. I guess not. But how can I get a good job and help my family? I didn’t finish high school.”

This time, the youth kept his sword up and blocked the next swing, but the balloon guy pulled off an actual sword move and twisted around, easily striking the youth on the shoulder.

“Haha! Ahem. Then go back and finish it.”

“Then when I get out, who would hire me?!”

The youth was getting angry at the flippant behavior of the balloon twister and decided to swing for real. For some reason, he decided not to use the arm of the shoulder that was ‘cut.’

“Then just find a job, get experience, and get promoted!”

“Like hell that works! The world doesn’t work that way anymore!”

Suddenly, the man pulled out another sword that the youth recognized as one that was placed on the man’s table.

“I know. The world is unfair. Are you going to give up?”

His words were infuriating and sharp, cutting right to the point.

“Like hell! I want my family to be happy!”

“Then! Make! It! So!”

With every word, the man swung his swords and blocked the youth’s strikes as he pushed closer and closer. However, in a last desperate attempt to stop his rush, the youth ducked. With the two swords hanging in midair, the youth struck upwards, poking the man in the chest.

“Ah! I have died!”

The man collapsed comically onto the ground, but something was turning in the youth’s head.

“Hehe, sometimes, you have to lower your head to rise to the top.”

The words of the man shocked the youth as he paid for the balloons and rushed home. The man said that if he couldn’t find a job, that the youth could work with him. The next day, he turned himself in and began to clean his slate.

However, the other members of the gang were furious. They didn’t hurt his family, as he didn’t snitch on anyone, but the fact that he left without saying anything pissed everyone off. The day he got out of jail, in seven years, a car drove by and shot him up. As he laid on the ground awaiting death, he could have sworn that he saw a balloon. With the last of his strength, he turned to see his mother and sister throwing down a welcome home sign.

As they ran towards him, he even caught the glimpses of the balloon guy heading his way. Even though he hurt, for some reason, he was happy. With his last thought while conscious, he decided to treat his family better.

Bucco awoke from his dream covered in sweat. He looked around and noticed Mico was still asleep. He sat up, calmly trying to catch his breath. He pondered for a while and decided to head home once more during the summer break.