The break was ending, time for the next class to start.
Ten minutes.
I had ten fucking minutes to come up with a logical, structured, functional plan to approach Elin and establish minimal contact. Something that would at least prevent me from looking like an idiot.
And what did I do?
Think.
Think a lot.
Too much, maybe.
I thought so much that I ended up right back where I started.
It's like my brain is a hamster running on a rusty wheel. It spins and spins… and stays in the same mental cage.
Every plan I came up with in my head led to the same destination: rejection.
And not even the kind, compassionate type of rejection. No. I'm talking about the rejection that feels like a kick in the emotional balls.
With my zero social skills, trying to talk to her would be like trying to defuse a bomb without knowing what a wire is.
For now.
If I can't advance, at least I can observe. Gathering information is the only way to build a decent strategy.
I watched the girl with the fiery hair.
She looked exhausted, obviously. How could she not be tired after talking to fifteen idiots at the same time? I'd be on the verge of a mental breakdown with that much chatter.
You have my respect, Elin.
The teacher in charge of the class arrives, bringing me back to reality.
Haaah... Here we go again.
——
Twenty minutes of class passed.
I was carefully observing Elin's every move. I needed that information. Even just a tiny detail. Something that would allow me to bring up any kind of conversation.
…
I have an idea.
Yes...
What if I force an interaction?
Of course! That's it! That could work!
Shit, Eiran... you're a damn genius.
I can pretend I forgot my eraser or something… and then ask her if I can borrow hers.
"Uh... Elin, right?" I asked, trying to sound casual, though my voice trembled a bit at the end.
She turned slowly towards me, and for an instant her green eyes, the color of a summer forest, locked onto mine.
Shit. She's too cute. Come on, nerves… don't fail me now.
"Could you... lend me an eraser... please?" I managed to say, feeling my throat go dry.
"Oh, sure," she replied with a kindness that seemed natural to her, as if sympathy came effortlessly.
She held out her hand and gave me her eraser.
For a second—just one second—our hands brushed.
A simple contact.
But for me, it was like an electric spark had touched me.
Instinctively, I pulled my hand back, as if I'd been burned.
"Ah... thanks!" I blurted out quickly, looking down, hoping she wouldn't notice the slight tremor in my fingers.
She looked at me, slightly confused. Maybe she didn't quite understand why I reacted like that.
I proceeded to apologize mentally:
SORRY FOR ACTING LIKE AN IDIOT!
Damn it, Eiran.
She touched your hand. A simple brush.
And what do you do? You jump as if she pointed a gun at you.
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?
No, you can't afford these stupid mistakes. You need to keep your composure.
If I keep going like this… I don't have much time left.
YOU HAVE TO GET USED TO THIS, YOU COMPLETE MORON!
Do you really think you can win her over by acting like you're allergic to human contact?
It wasn't even a full second of contact and you already look like you're in post-traumatic shock!
Breathe.
Breathe, damn it.
Social life shouldn't feel like a suicide mission.
But here you are, sweating over asking for an eraser.
I feel a tingling in my spine.
And the system appears with just one message:
[…]
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
…
AND WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?!
Do I have a parasitic system whose only purpose is to laugh at my social misery?
You don't even give me useful skills or stats, and on top of that, you mock me!
"Excuse me."
An almost angelic voice echoes in my ears, interrupting my internal complaints.
"Are you going to keep using the eraser? I need it," says the girl with the dazzling hair.
"Ah... Sorry," I try to return her eraser.
Her fingers brush mine as she takes the eraser back.
This time I don't pull back. Point for Eiran!
Although… inside, my soul is still screaming.
AAAAAAAAH!
She nods slightly and turns her attention back to the notebook in front of her, as if nothing happened.
But I…
I need an emotional defibrillator.
I look straight ahead. Pretend to be normal. But the ringing in my ears won't go away. That sentence… her voice…
"Are you going to keep using the eraser?"
I didn't know something so simple could sound so heavenly.
I'm in trouble.
Serious trouble.
——
The end of this class left me satisfied.
I managed to generate an interaction with her, albeit minimal.
Is it settling? I don't deny it.
It's better than nothing, honestly.
There's nothing more I can do now, because of those leeches who have been stuck to her since the beginning of the break.
So yes, for today… I'll settle.
One word. One touch. One damn eraser.
It might have been small, but for me, it was like climbing half of social Everest.
Sure, now all those guys are stuck to her like flies on sugar, smiling like idiots.
But I already made my move. A small one, yes… but a move nonetheless.
Tomorrow… tomorrow will be another battlefield.
…
Just as I was about to step through the classroom door, a deep voice stopped me in my tracks.
"Hey, Eiran," the teacher said, in that dry tone he always uses when he's about to ask for something.
I turned around, half resigned.
"W-what is it, professor?"
"I need you to help me with some things. Can you?" he tossed out, like a disguised order.
I had a thousand urges to say no. A thousand excuses screamed in my head.
But I just couldn't.
——
After ten minutes of lugging books like a mule, I decided that was enough for today.
I went to get my backpack, which I had left behind in the classroom.
…
And she was there.
Elin.
Alone.
With an expression that was hard to read. Not anger, not joy… just a silence that weighed more than any words.
But there was something I could clearly notice, even if I denied it to myself.
She looked sad.
For a moment, I hesitated to enter.
I could turn around, pretend I saw nothing, and continue with my pathetic existence full of mental analyses that lead nowhere.
But her eyes…
They weren't the same as before.
They were like an overcast sky after a storm that hadn't completely passed.
I took a step into the classroom.
I made the decision to do it.
Not because of the stupid system mission.
But for something else.
Something I can't name yet… but that was burning inside me.