As soon as math class ended and the teacher walked out, two boys came up to Hiro Saitou with curious, envious looks.
At the same time, several girls surrounded Hoshino Ai.
"I thought you'd be hanging out with us. Didn't expect the transfer student to start rebelling already," one of the girls said bluntly.
Another boy leaned in, asking, "Did you know Hoshino-san before you transferred here?"
"I didn't even know her last week," Hiro replied calmly.
The two boys were his so-called "friends" at school. Kento Yamazaki—shameless and loud—and Tetsuya Sato, who usually just went along with things.
Without them, Hiro would've been alone. Being friendless in school wasn't just lonely—it invited trouble.
No friends meant becoming a target for bullies. And in Japanese schools, bullying didn't always stay verbal. Once it turned physical, the numbers game kicked in. You might be strong, but they'll come in packs.
Hiro knew this firsthand. Back in elementary school, he'd kept to himself, uninterested in childish games or socializing.
That just made him a prime target. Upperclassmen gave him orders, treating him like a lackey. He refused—and paid the price.
Or so they thought.
But after reincarnating, Hiro came back with perfect memory and martial arts knowledge picked up from action films in his past life. So when they tried to "teach him a lesson," he taught them one instead.
One guy? He dropped him with a single kick.
He thought that would be the end of it. It wasn't.
A few days later, the guy returned—this time, probably with backup.
From then on, Hiro started skipping school early, avoiding being cornered.
But they didn't give up. Every day, they sent more than ten guys to trap him.
If Hiro hadn't memorized the school layout like a stealth game map, he'd have been done for.
This cat-and-mouse went on for over a week before they finally gave up.
And then, one by one, Hiro hunted them down after school.
He made sure everyone who tried to corner him got what was coming. Word got out fast.
Rumors spread: some cursed student had been stuffing people in sacks after school. Victims from multiple schools compared notes and realized they'd all been part of "welcome parties" for new or quiet students.
But no one reported it. Admitting they'd been beaten by a lone underclassman would just make them look stupid.
Hiro felt like he'd wasted a month on this nonsense. But at least after that, he had peace.
"I'm seriously jealous, man," Yamazaki said, laughing. "Not only are you good-looking, but you've got that whole storybook prince aura. I saw girls tearing up during your story."
Over with Ai, a group of girls was bombarding her with questions—where she used to go to school, why she transferred so close to finals, and so on.
They hadn't gotten a chance to speak with her earlier because class had gone overtime.
Hiro noticed they were the same girls who'd cried while listening to his story.
"Being handsome is just fate," Hiro said with a straight face. "But grades—you've got to work for those."
"Don't even start," Yamazaki groaned. "I can't do school stuff. I get bored. Half the time, I don't even hear what the teacher's saying. It's like being hypnotized."
"Then go learn hypnosis instead," Sato deadpanned.
"I'm great at everything except studying," Yamazaki declared proudly. "Oh, right—my parents gave me cash for a new game. Want to come play after school?"
"Count me in!" Yamazaki cheered.
"Sorry, I've got stuff to do," Hiro declined politely.
Last week, he might've gone with them. But now, he had something bigger on his plate—uncovering the mastermind behind everything.
The main story wouldn't kick off until three years later, but he wasn't about to spend ten years fumbling around like Akuya from his past life.
DNA tests? Too slow. Too expensive. Too unreliable.
He'd just start asking the president and his wife about Ai's whereabouts—training centers, schedules, affiliations. From there, he'd narrow the field.
He had time. Ten years was more than enough.
Still, he couldn't shake off the first episode's tagline: "The revenge has just begun."
Which meant—ten years, and they still didn't know the truth?
He remembered how the doctor had acted in his past life—like he'd just woken up. Maybe that was the author's intention.
Was the protagonist too young to grasp the bigger picture? Or maybe once the real plot started, the true villain would finally appear?
Hiro didn't know the full script.
If he had, he'd have known the doctors everyone suspected weren't the real culprits… and that the actual killer had died pretending to be a martyr.
But the story skimmed over a decade like it meant nothing—like vengeance was over and done with.
Could it really be that simple?
What if the mastermind had died for Ai?
No way.
Someone who cared about her that much would've never let her die like that.
If Hiro ever learned the truth—that the "dead" mastermind had still been alive after Ai's murder—he would've questioned everything.
He'd challenge the facts, ask around, and demand someone explain the ten-year gap.
Only then might he realize the hidden truth: the mastermind didn't die before Ai. They lived on... quietly in the shadows.
And Akuya—who'd taken over as the doctor—was supposed to be brilliant.
But to Hiro Saitou, his actions were laughable.
If this were a circus, Akuya would be the clown.
(P.S. Someone said the pacing was slow—should I speed things up or keep focusing on character depth?)
A few readers messaged me to say: don't rush. They're fine with the buildup.
And honestly, rushing through ruins characters. Growth has to feel earned, or it won't feel real.