Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Teacher's Nest
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I felt a strange tremor, but hearing my name—Iris Plumeria—snapped me back to my senses.
Turning toward the voice, I sensed the people below the platform staring at me intently.
There weren't many of them, but those gazes brimmed with curiosity. I even forgot the fact that I had a surname attached to me that I hadn't chosen myself, and simply dipped my head in a slight bow.
Applause rang out, and the introductions moved on to the next staff member—Michelle, standing right beside me.
'Sword Instructor...'
Confirming it matched the information I knew, I felt a bit of my tension melt away.
Apart from that, though, an overwhelming sense of helplessness washed over me.
'What the hell is going on?'
It was now clear: I'd entered the game I'd been playing just moments ago. Right at the very start of it, no less.
Two major questions swirled in my mind now that I'd grasped that much.
Why had I ended up inside the game?
And...
If that was the case, what had become of my real body back in reality?
...Was there even a place to return to in the first place?
That fleeting pain I'd felt earlier made it clear something serious had happened to my body.
Given my pathetic social life, I could only imagine I'd ended up like some late-stage mustachioed dictator—a gruesome corpse.
It was the weekend, so no one from work would come looking for me.
'Even if it'd been a weekday... slim chance.'
They'd probably just think, "It finally happened."
...The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.
Layering on my personal grudges like that, a stray thought crossed my mind: maybe it'd be better to just live here.
As all these thoughts churned in my head, the entrance ceremony must have wrapped up—I could see the students filing out.
I stared blankly at the sight until a voice called out.
"What're you doing?"
"Gah!?"
"Why so jumpy?"
No, seriously... if you shove your face right in front of mine out of nowhere, of course I'd freak out!
Michelle just shrugged and stepped back. With her went the faint, nutty scent that had been wafting toward me moments before.
I cleared my throat awkwardly from the surprise and looked at her again... only to feel a bit dazed.
'She's pretty.'
Michelle in the flesh was far prettier than anything my mental graphics card could cook up. I immediately felt its pitiful limitations.
Her soft black hair swayed neatly just above her shoulders, and the slightly form-fitting clothes laid bare her toned physique. Her bust was average, but those wide hips more than made up for it.
Her golden eyes, tinged with fatigue, gazed down at me—ever so slightly—with a spark of curiosity.
Those tired eyes jogged her profile in my memory.
'...She's not supposed to act like this.'
My recollection was fuzzy since she was staff, but I remembered her being utterly lazy outside of swordsmanship.
Which meant... she should be holed up napping in some corner or drilling in the training hall right now.
The ceremony was over, so there was no reason for her to stick around here.
...Let alone chat me up.
She must have read my expression in that brief moment. She scratched her cheek and murmured softly.
"Looks like you're wondering why I'm acting so chummy."
"Uh? Ah, yeah... a little."
It was the truth.
I might come off as careless for thinking it, but her straying from her established character intrigued me to no end.
In the end, a game was just a game. Things were different now that it had become reality?
But what came out of her mouth was perfectly sensible.
"You heard earlier that I'm the sword instructor."
"Yeah."
Michelle gave a faint smile and continued.
"Figured getting friendly might make things easier down the line. Seems like I'll be relying on you quite a bit."
"Ah..."
So it was just because this body was the health teacher. Got it.
'Come to think of it...'
The health room had been unlocked, right?
Maybe this world reflected that change?
A new variable had entered where there hadn't been one before... so of course things would shift.
I nodded gravely, and Michelle—misreading it—flustered a bit, her face tinged with unease.
"...Disappointed?"
"No. I was just lost in thought for a sec... Ah, anyway, looking forward to working with you."
"Glad to hear it. See you at dinner, then."
"Uh... sure."
Dinner?
Was she talking about grabbing a meal in the cafeteria or something?
With that, she turned away, saying she had to go see the professor. She seemed in good spirits—her bushy tail even swished a little.
I stared blankly at the sight until I snapped out of it. I glanced back at the ceremony hall one last time, then started walking.
There was only one place I could go anyway.
...The health room, from which Michelle had dragged me out earlier.
Anywhere else was out.
No matter how much I'd grinded that game...
...the graphics had jumped from 2D to 3D, so knowing the layout on paper didn't mean squat in practice.
'Might figure it out just by wandering, though.'
First things first, I needed to check that book on the desk again.
'It mentioned info synchronization, right?'
Whatever the case, it might prove useful.
I confirmed no one was around and headed for the health room. Before long, a hush fell over the vast auditorium.
"Nngh..."
I'd barely made it back to the health room, dragging my inexplicably exhausted body to make contact with the book.
That pretty yet mechanical voice announced it would synchronize the information again.
Honestly, though, there wasn't anything particularly useful.
It was mostly just knowledge for performing my health teacher duties.
...Though even that felt a bit off in two ways.
"Undine."
Bubble bubble...
I opened my palm and murmured the name. A translucent, tiny girl rose up above it.
"...It actually works."
I scratched my cheek as I gazed at the adorable little spirit.
The treatments done in the health room weren't anything serious anyway, but they were all handled by this 'spirit.'
In game terms, it felt less like a health teacher and more like a spirit healer.
The sticking point, though, was that no such job existed in the original game.
No sense dwelling on it. I let out a light sigh and dismissed Undine.
That covered the job-related stuff.
The rest was info on this Iris Plumeria person...
...but nothing specific came to mind. Either the sync wasn't complete yet, or this body had been prepared just for me—her past was spotless.
Like she'd dropped straight out of the sky.
Everyone here was a total stranger to 'Iris Plumeria,' so I could act however I pleased. That part was a relief.
Still, I couldn't shake that nagging, sticky feeling no matter what.
Like I was being toyed with by some higher power.
'Maybe I should try to go back after all?'
But how? Was there even a body left to return to?
I ruffled my hair in frustration and flipped through the book with my name on it.
It listed my personal details and assorted info.
Most of it was blank pages.
Perfectly pristine, as if saying, "Fill it in from here."
"Frustrating."
I wished a status window would pop up in front of me and bluntly say it'd send me home once I saw the ending.
"Status screen. Stats on."
Nothing.
No one was around to see, but my face still heated up.
Glancing outside, I saw the sun setting.
No one had come by the health room the entire time I'd been fumbling around in here.
Makes sense—why would anyone visit on the first day?
'...Right?'
The health room's very existence was probably unknown, so yeah.
A strange loneliness settled in as I stood up. My mental stamina had run dry for any more pondering. Realizing that made my stomach growl, so I recalled the synced info.
Apparently, I was set to live in the academy staff dorms.
Nothing else came to mind.
'No answers at all.'
If I hadn't ended up in this weird health teacher spot, being an academy student would've been way better. At least then I could've tagged along with the kids nearby.
...I might've even recalled some of those crudely rendered text scenes.
I locked the health room door with the key from the desk and headed to the dorms, following faint memories.
Dorms were the only option anyway.
Whatever the case.
On the way, I spotted some girls I figured were academy students.
Watching their fresh-faced innocence—girls who'd enrolled right after coming of age in this world's lore—a fond smile tugged at my lips.
Seeing in person what had made me smirk at text descriptions all day was only natural.
Laughing even in a situation like this... yeah, I was a hopeless case.
The dorms were even roomier than I'd expected.
Too big for one person, honestly.
And incomparably cleaner than my old place back home.
'...'
As I stepped inside, feeling oddly out of place—
Click.
The door opened behind me, and a wave of heat hit my back.
"Hm? Teacher Plumeria, you're already here."
I turned in confusion to find Michelle standing there, drenched in sweat.
Her sweat-soaked clothes clung transparently to her healthy skin. A sticky, oddly erotic scent tickled my nostrils wildly.
I jumped back in alarm and stammered,
"Wha—what are you doing here, Instructor...?"
"You used my name earlier, now it's 'Instructor'? Anyway, what're you doing here?"
Michelle shrugged as she shut the door.
"I'm your roommate, aren't I?"
"...Pardon?"
News to me.
While I stood there stunned, Michelle stepped inside and started stripping off her clothes without a care.
Her sweat-drenched garments piled up on the floor one by one, revealing her toned figure.