Hero. Sage. Advanced Knight. Even Priest showed up for some. Out of the 21 summoned students, almost everyone got some kind of high-tier combat job. And then there was me. My job was... Healer.
Healer probably meant a recovery specialist, right? If my understanding was correct, that had to be it. Hold on, though. Maybe in this world, Healer was secretly some top-of-the-top advanced class that even outshone Hero. I needed to check first.
"Um, excuse me."
Aries turned to me. "Yes, what is it?"
"I'm the only one who hasn't had my status properly checked yet. Could you take a look?"
"Of course. Pardon me."
But as soon as she saw my status, her expression twisted bit by bit.
"This is..."
"What's wrong, Aries-san?"
Saeki popped up from the side.
"Oh, it's Hidako. Hey, what job did you get anyway? Fine, this great Sage Saeki-sama will take a peek for you."
He seemed really pleased with himself for getting Sage. Saeki leaned in to look at my screen. Then he burst out laughing.
"No way! Pfft... Bwahahahahaha! What the hell is this? Hidako, come on, this is too much. Healer? Even Majima got Priest, and you're stuck with this?"
He pointed at the girl clinging to Ichijo's arm.
"Aries-san, what exactly is a Healer in this world?"
I ignored Saeki's opinion. I needed the actual standard here. There was still a tiny chance.
"Healer is a healing job. In other words... the weakest job."
"The weakest..."
I was speechless. No way. Everyone else got advanced jobs. Why was I the only one stuck with the weakest? It didn't make sense. No matter how I thought about it, something was wrong.
"Let's confirm the numerical values in your status first."
Aries's voice had turned cold.
"Name"Hidaka Masamune "Level"1 "Job"Healer "Race"Human "Life Force"60 "Magic Power"50 "Attack"10 "Defense"10 "Magic Attack"10 "Magic Defense"10 "Stamina"10 "Agility"10 "Intelligence"10
"Status"Isekai Syndrome "Title"Reincarnator "Unique Skill"Goddess's Blessing "Magic"Heal
"I always knew you were useless, Hidako, but this? You're on another level of genius."
"How's it so funny, Saeki?"
Kida came over. "Let me see Hidako-chi's status... Hmm, let's have a look."
He patted my shoulder like "better luck next time."
"Saeki-kun! You're bullying Hidako-kun again!"
It was Kawachi-san. Honestly, I hated her. She always fueled Saeki's anger. She never said anything useful... And because of her, Saeki always got even more pissed.
"Come on, Healer? What did this guy even come to this world for? To heal people? No way. We were summoned to fight demons, right? How am I supposed to not laugh at this?"
"Knock it off already," Ichijo said.
"You again?"
"Your attitude toward people is disgusting. It's unpleasant."
"Unpleasant? I've been meaning to say this for a while, but you're the unpleasant one. Always surrounded by girls, acting all high and mighty like some saint. It's nauseating."
"Saint, huh..." Ichijo went quiet for a second. "Fine, sorry. I was out of line. But that's separate from how you're treating Hidako-kun. It's way over the line."
"You're not even sorry, are you?"
"Seriously, why are you snapping at Ichijo-kun?" Majima said.
"Yeah, he's just saying Saeki's the one bullying Hidako," Kihara added.
"Shut up, girls!" Saeki roared.
The two hid behind Ichijo.
Then Albert appeared and peered at my status.
"Albert, what is it?"
"I noticed something curious. Why is this boy the only one with 'Reincarnator' in the title field?"
"Reincarnator?" Aries looked puzzled.
"Indeed. Everyone else has Hero, yet this one has Reincarnator. Still, the reason should be simple enough to ask him directly."
Suddenly, Albert and Aries, and then everyone else, were staring at me.
"Um, actually..."
I couldn't say I jumped off the roof. I didn't want to.
"Hmm, I see. It's hard to say, is it? Very well, I understand the situation roughly. We'll set this aside for now. Your Majesty." Albert turned toward the throne. "May we continue?"
"Do as you wish."
Albert bowed and faced us again. "Now that everyone's status has been checked, let's discuss your future. First, you will all enroll in the academy. There you will learn magic, swordsmanship, and gain the power needed to fight the demons. We will now transfer you to the student dorms via teleportation magic. Once there, follow Lady Aries's instructions."
"Everyone, please gather here for the transfer."
As people started moving, Saeki walked up to me.
"See? You really were only good for buying our drinks." He grinned nastily. "Well, do your best. It's better than nothing, right? At least Healer has some use. If this never happened, you'd have graduated high school and become a NEET anyway. You should be grateful to the people who gave you a job here. Don't you think?"
Even in a new world, I was still getting bullied by this guy.
"Saeki-kun, I told you to stop."
"Shut up!"
Ichijo again. I was sick of all of them. Saeki, Ichijo, Kawachi-san. All of them.
"Ichijo-kun."
He looked surprised. Like, "Hidako, who never talks, is actually speaking to me first." That face said it all. In the end, he was the same as the rest.
"Please stop doing that kind of thing."
"Huh? What's wrong all of a sudden?"
"Are you playing the hero? Looking at you makes me sick."
He only "helped" me to look good. Or pretended to.
Saeki laughed loudly. "Right, Hidako? He's gross, isn't he? I get it."
"You too, Saeki. Does bullying me make you happy?"
The root of it all. Saeki. If not for him, maybe my life would have been better.
"Look at you, talking big now." Saeki glared, nose wrinkled. "You know what happens next, right?"
"I don't care. You're nothing to me."
My usual blank face. But maybe because I finally pushed back, he looked a little shaken.
"Kawachi-san, thanks for always 'helping.' It must have been a hassle."
"I didn't mean it like..."
"You don't have to lie."
She was just like Ichijo. A self-righteous class rep type. Drunk on being the "just" one who helps people. Which was worse, Ichijo or Kawachi? Didn't matter. They were the same as Saeki.
"All of you pretended not to see when I was getting bullied." I turned to the whole group. "I didn't want your help. What I said to Ichijo-kun was real. But don't think you're innocent. You and the classmates who didn't get summoned... you're all part of it."
Some might not have even known about the bullying. But I didn't want to let them off just because of that.
"Albert-san, you asked about the 'Reincarnator' title earlier, right?"
"Indeed."
"But it's not strange at all. Because I died once."
"Hmm, I suspected as much. Reincarnation means exactly that. And looking into your eyes, it's clear. So that's how it is."
"Yes. I killed myself. I jumped from the school rooftop..."
The students' reactions were surprisingly flat. Maybe real shock doesn't show on faces easily.
Of course. They killed me. They were the bystanders who let me die. They couldn't even look sorry. They didn't know how to atone. Regret it. Feel guilty for abandoning me. Bow down and apologize. Say you're sorry.
"When I was falling and my consciousness was fading, I saw a light. Probably the summoning light."
"Hmm, quite an interesting tale."
What was with this old man? That's all? Too casual. Creepy.
"That's it?" Saeki asked, still smirking.
"Huh?"
"I said, that's it? Who cares if you tried to kill yourself? It has nothing to do with us."
"...What?"
"Did you think we'd cry and apologize? Idiot. If we felt regret, we wouldn't have done it in the first place. It's your fault for being useless anyway!"
My fault? What was he saying? I killed myself. They killed me. How could those words come out?
"Saeki-kun, stop it!" Ichijo again.
"You heard him, Ichijo. He said you make him sick. That's the kind of guy he is. Spits venom even at someone trying to help. Total trash who only thinks about himself."
Shut up. Be quiet. Die. Just die already.
"If you wanna die so bad, do it yourself. You'd be doing us a favor. Whining about wanting to die right when we're about to face unknown dangers? Pathetic. Don't fish for pity."
What was this? Words failed me. Everyone was staring. What were those eyes? Stop looking. Stop looking at me.
"Hidako-kun, ignore Saeki. Come on, step into the magic circle."
"Ichijo..."
Don't talk to me, bystander. You think being a bystander makes you innocent? That you're not involved?
"Hidako-sama, please come this way for the transfer."
"I'm not going..."
"What?"
"I said I'm not going."
"I see." Aries sighed in disappointment. "Your Majesty, may I have permission?"
"Do what you must."
I had been blind. I thought these people had hearts somewhere. I was wrong. I should have realized. They were monsters wearing human skin.
"Hidako-sama, to be honest, the moment we knew you were Healer, we decided you would be sent somewhere else. Separate from the others."
"...What do you mean, somewhere else?"
"The transfer location is random, and even we cannot predict it. This is our mercy system."
"Mercy...? So I get saved? There's hope for Healer after all?"
It seemed there was still a chance for me.
"What are you misunderstanding?" Her voice was low and icy. "This mercy is for us!"
"...Huh?" I was stunned.
"Don't you see? Do you know how much mana and time this hero summoning cost? And that's not all! It required sacrificing lives of our people! We went that far, and what do we get? A Healer! Who could have imagined? How am I supposed to explain this to those who gave their lives?"
What was she saying? Why was I the one being blamed?
"Hah... hah... hahahahahaha." I started laughing.
The laughter just kept coming.
"You! I'm talking to you, Hidako-sama! What's so funny? Summoning someone as useless as you, and then having to protect you too? This kingdom has no room to coddle the incompetent!"
Yeah. I guess I really shouldn't be alive.
"Albert, prepare the transfer! Send this incompetent away!"
"Ho ho ho, understood, Princess."
Princess?
"So you're this country's princess..."
Pathetic. This was a princess? Give me a break. No way a princess should be like this.
"I have no obligation to teach the likes of you!"
Right. This was their true face. This kingdom's true face... Hah. Who's the incompetent now?
A blue circle of light formed at my feet. This was it. I'd be thrown away. Everyone was looking at me and laughing. What happened to the isekai life I dreamed of?
"See? Told you he was useless." Saeki laughed too.
"You wasted the lives of everyone who helped with this summoning! Atone with your body!"
That's when something hideous rose inside me. Why did only I have to suffer like this? Why was I always the one who lost?
They laughed. They enjoyed it. And they would keep enjoying it forever. They'd live the isekai life I wanted, with magic classes and sword training. While I got tossed aside, mocked and cursed.
"No matter where in this world you're sent, you won't survive! This world is that harsh! Know some shame!"
I'll kill them. No, I have to kill them. The thought came naturally.
"This country's trash anyway. Yeah. I'll erase it. The whole kingdom..."
Impossible, of course. But it was the best defiance I had right now.
"Is that your last word? A fool who can't even understand shame!"
"You monsters..."
I glared at Aries. At Saeki. At everyone in my sight.
"Go ahead and laugh if you want."
But...
"I'll come back... and kill every single one of you."
That was all I could do. Just glare. My chest felt like it would burst from rage. I never closed my eyes until the end. I burned this scene, their faces, this feeling into my heart. So I would never forget.
Every last one... I'll kill them all...
The last thing I saw was that woman's sneering face and their condescending eyes.