Chapter Nine: On the Road (2/2)

“How did things get so tense…? We’re all in this together. The sooner we find the extra person, the better for us,” Old Snake stepped forward to ease the mood. “Right now, what’s important is figuring out what to do. We can’t just stand around here until night falls.”

“I have something,” the shut-in said, pulling a card from his pocket.

It was a student ID.

On it was written: Yomiyama North Junior High, Zhao Weijie.

“I have one too…” Long Xiang suddenly took out a card from his own pocket, glanced at it, and said with astonishment, “Turns out I’m a middle school student? The Lord God must be out of his mind.”

Everyone looked from the photo on the card to Long Xiang’s face, then burst out laughing.

It read: Yomiyama North Junior High, Long Xiang.

“Congratulations on your newfound youth,” Zhen Qianting said with a smile. She hugged her own student ID. “I’m your classmate as well. Please take care of me.”

Student ID: Yomiyama North Junior High, Zhen Qianting.

“I really don’t want to go back to middle school. What’s so great about that place?” Tao Yunchuan waved his card in his hand. It read: Tao Yunchuan, Yomiyama North Junior High, greeting everyone.

“Welcome, Tao Yunchuan,” Old Snake said, laughing as he produced a work ID from his pocket, flashing it before the group. “It seems I’m the homeroom teacher for Class 3-3 at Yomiyama North Junior High.”

Liu Mengchao said nothing, just curled his lip. The abilities of this Lord God’s agent were truly abysmal—at least ten thousand times worse than his own.

What sort of emotional response could these identities provoke? Had anyone ever seen a middle schooler with a full beard? No common sense at all.

He, too, had a student ID in his pocket. It read:

Yomiyama North Junior High, Liu Mengchao.

“The time now…” Long Xiang, who had been a mercenary, looked up at the sky and said, “It should be about six in the morning. I think the Lord God gave us these student IDs so we’d go to school.”

“How clever,” Zhen Qianting said with a smile.

“Wait!” Zhao Weijie suddenly jumped up. “Every year, Class 3-3 pretends that one person doesn’t exist.”

“What do you mean?”

“They act as if that person isn’t there. So the extra dead person is disguised, since one person is treated as nonexistent. That way, the numbers are muddled, and they can avoid the curse!”

“A nonexistent person?” Liu Mengchao turned to look at a man standing by the street.

He wore the Yomiyama North Junior High uniform, his brown hair giving him a frail appearance.

“That’s the protagonist of the anime,” said the shut-in, standing up and watching the boy from afar. “His name is Kouichi Sakakibara. The extra person is his aunt, the assistant homeroom teacher for Class 3-3, Ms. Reiko Mikami.”

As soon as the words left the shut-in’s lips, Liu Mengchao heard a system voice in his ear.

“Another World, countdown begins…”

Gulp.

They all suddenly realized that until just now, they’d been under the Lord God’s protection! Death had only just arrived at their side.

10…

9…

8…

7…

…

3…

2…

1…

A chilly wind slowly brushed past Liu Mengchao’s ear. As if it had only just noticed him, it circled him deliberately, then dissipated.

“So I’ve been found, Death?” Liu Mengchao smiled and shook his head. “No, probably just a middle schooler with twenty-five years of chuunibyou.”

He laughed and followed after the story’s protagonist, Kouichi Sakakibara. The other reincarnators exchanged glances and stepped forward, walking toward death.

Liu Mengchao walked slowly, just like the girl ahead of him, as if he were severed from the entire world, as if she alone survived.

Loneliness. The word clung to her like a label.

Looking at Mei Misaki’s figure, Liu Mengchao couldn’t help but sigh. For a moment, he remembered someone he hadn’t seen in a long time: Kotonoha Katsura.

The phone she had given him was still in his pocket, though in the last Reincarnation World, it had been ruined by an EMP burst.

Lost in thought, Liu Mengchao took out the phone.

The blue phone could now only be used as a photo album. Only the standby screen remained: Kotonoha’s smiling face, beaming at him.

“That’s Kotonoha!” the shut-in suddenly rushed up, exclaiming excitedly, “I didn’t know you liked her too, boss! Have you experienced the School Days world?”

Without a word, Liu Mengchao drew the gun at his waist.

Black ebony.

Click.

The safety’s snick sounded clearly in Zhao Weijie’s ears.

“Less talk, more action.”

“Boss… Liu…” The shut-in was on the verge of tears. “Just now…”

“What about just now?” Liu Mengchao asked blankly, not noticing that the reincarnator before him was nearly scared out of his wits.

“Just now… the girl who passed by… that was Mei Misaki!” the shut-in nearly screamed.

“Oh. The heroine?” Liu Mengchao glanced indifferently at the girl in the distance. This time, he hadn’t spent any lottery points to create the world, so there was no need to save points for the agent, was there?

Pursuing the heroine? No need.

Still pondering, Liu Mengchao pocketed the phone.

Suddenly, he stopped walking.

A café appeared to his right. Its décor was rather tasteful, quite stylish for a small town.

Click.

The café door opened, and a red-haired boy stepped out, smiling.

“Good morning, Liu Mengchao!” The boy stopped, glanced behind Liu Mengchao, and said, “I didn’t think you were telling the truth last year—this year so many exchange students are coming to our school!”

With that, the red-haired boy greeted the group behind Liu Mengchao.

“Nice to meet you all, I’m Yuya Mochizuki. Please take care of me.”

“Hello… Hello…” The reincarnators greeted Yuya Mochizuki in turn, though their eyes kept drifting to Liu Mengchao.

So this is the treatment a veteran gets? The way the story’s characters treated him was clearly different from the rest of us.

Or was it some enhancement of his?

Each reincarnator was lost in thought, lowering their heads.

The old conman, however, laughed and stepped forward. “Are you a student of Class 3-3 as well? I’m your new homeroom teacher, Zhang Han, and also the leader of these students.”

“Yes! I’m a student in Class 3-3.”

The moment Yuya Mochizuki spoke, every reincarnator’s gaze fell on him. Could he be the extra?

Probably not.

Having seen the series, the shut-in would never have missed something so important. After all, his own life was at stake!

“We’re in Class 3 as well.” Long Xiang strode up, laughing, and patted Yuya’s shoulder. “Don’t be fooled by my beard—I’m only fifteen!”

Yuya Mochizuki glanced uncertainly at the reincarnators before him, then gave an awkward smile.

“Are you heading to school, Mochizuki?”

“Yes, Teacher Zhang.” Yuya nodded.

“Perfect, we’ll go together,” Old Snake said amiably.

Truly, a conman can play any part. Liu Mengchao couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. No, his acting was excellent—sometimes it even fooled himself.

Smiling, Liu Mengchao watched the guide ahead and shook his head.

There was still another question to consider: should he let these reincarnators survive?

Probably not. Liu Mengchao gazed coldly at the others ahead, making up his mind. After all, identifying which were his fellow reincarnators one by one was too troublesome.

Lost in thought, he suddenly realized the group had stopped.

A four-way intersection.

They stood across the road.

Yuya Mochizuki was waving at classmates on the opposite side.

“Yumi Ogura! Matsu Arita! Manabu Maejima! Good morning!”

Two girls and a boy turned and looked at Liu Mengchao’s group, nodding and waving with bright smiles.

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Just got home, made it in time… Whew… Have to go out for an exam early tomorrow… So annoying -_-# I want to sleep in…

And someone’s already spoiled the plot in the review section…

Thanks to Moonlit Sea, Wail of the Dragon, Xuan Yuan the Killer, Moonstream, and Rainbow’s Transition for your generous rewards~~~~~~~