Chapter 11: Why Act real with me
Hikari eyes was close as he was on his desk, he was board out of his mind as he was not even there literally, as do to being a God so many things came so easy to him, so easy that noting interesting matters to him everything was so easy, after all he was god
He was God that never wanted this second chance, as for his souls it was outside his body just floating as then he felt a tap he was dragged back to his body, he opned his eyes to see Natsuki.
Hikari put on his make smikes and make self. "Hey there Natsuki what is up".
Natsuki rolled her eyes, as she looked at him. "Drop the mask it is just us here".
Hikari smiled then failed, as his face went backt I a resting bitch face, or will a Ayanokoji face as he says. "Ok than, I cast [barrier model sound 2nd level]". He cast rrh speel, as then the whole empty class Rome was cover by a barrier, anyone that comes to this place feel like they have something to do so they will walk away unless Hikari wants to they can't come here. "So what do you need".
Natsuki just looked at him as she spoke. "Just one question why act like your real self with me".
Hikari rises and eyebrows, as he gets up and looked at her. "That because you saw through me, so I had noting to hide, I am just wondering how you did".
Natsuki's gaze softened as she stood there, looking at him. She took a step forward, her eyes steady. "You're not as good at hiding your emotions as you think, Hikari," she said quietly. "Even with the mask, even with the cold persona, I can still feel something. I don't know what it is, but it's there. And when you're around me, you don't seem like you're trying as hard to be someone else."
Hikari stared at her, his usual calm demeanor wavering for a moment. He wasn't used to someone seeing through him so easily. Most people were content to just accept the mask he put up, but Natsuki wasn't like that.
He let out a quiet sigh, folding his arms. "You're right," he muttered. "It's not like I care about showing the real me, it's just… it's easier not to. Easier not to feel anything. Easier not to care about anything."
Natsuki gave him a sympathetic smile, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "But you do care, Hikari. I can see it, even if you don't want to admit it. You wouldn't help people like you do if you didn't care, would you?"
Hikari's eyes narrowed slightly. "I help because it's convenient. It's an extension of my power, a way to pass the time. That's all." He paused, his voice dropping a little. "I'm not like MC. I don't have dreams or ambitions like he does. I don't have a need to save the world, to be a hero. All I have is… is this—" He gestured vaguely around him, to the classroom, to the world itself. "I don't know what else to do with it."
Natsuki stepped closer, her tone gentle but firm. "You don't have to be like MC, Hikari. But that doesn't mean you have to shut yourself off from everything. You're not just a god with power. You're a person too."
Hikari looked at her, his face unreadable, but there was a flicker of something behind his eyes. Something almost like doubt. Something he wasn't used to feeling.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to be, Natsuki," he admitted. "I've been told I'm supposed to be this all-powerful being, but I don't feel like that. I don't feel like anything at all sometimes."
Natsuki didn't answer immediately, her gaze softening further as she considered his words. After a moment, she spoke again. "It's okay to not have all the answers, Hikari. Not everyone does. But you don't have to face everything alone. I'm here. You don't have to keep pretending, not with me."
Hikari was silent for a long time, the weight of her words settling in his mind. He wasn't sure if he was ready to open up, to let anyone in. But for the first time, a small part of him wondered what it would be like if he did.
For the first time, he didn't feel the need to put on the mask.
"Thanks, Natsuki," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'll think about it."
Natsuki smiled, a small, genuine smile. "That's all I ask."
As she left the room, Hikari stood there, lost in thought. For the first time in a long time, he wondered if maybe—just maybe—he could start to care again.
Hikari sat back in his chair, the weight of Natsuki's words still lingering in his mind. He tried to muster a smile, but it felt forced, hollow, like trying to wear a mask that didn't fit anymore. It was the kind of smile that looked more like a grimace than anything genuine.
"She's annoying," Hikari muttered to himself, but the words felt empty, almost as if he was trying to convince himself. "Well, in a good way."
He sighed and leaned back, rubbing his temples. For someone who had spent so long keeping everything at arm's length, Natsuki's persistent honesty, her ability to see through the layers he built up, was both infuriating and strangely comforting. He couldn't decide if he liked it or hated it.
The truth was, Natsuki's words had cracked something inside him, something he didn't want to acknowledge. He had spent so much time hiding behind his godlike powers, behind the cold indifference he tried to project, that he had forgotten what it was like to be... human. To connect.
He let out a breath, his hands resting on the desk. The truth was, it was easier to keep everyone at a distance, easier to pretend he didn't care. But now, with Natsuki's words echoing in his mind, he wasn't so sure anymore.
"Stop it," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. "I don't need any of this. I'm fine on my own."
But even as he said it, the doubt remained. Something had shifted. Maybe it was the fact that, for once, he didn't feel completely alone. And that thought... was a little unsettling.
Hikari closed his eyes for a moment, his mind still racing. He didn't know what this all meant, but he knew one thing for sure: he wasn't the same as he had been before. And that, more than anything, scared him.
Hikari's soul drifted weightlessly, separating from his physical body as he floated through the empty classroom. He couldn't help but feel the familiar disconnection. Everything had started to feel like a distant dream, a haze of emotions he refused to indulge in. His thoughts bounced between curiosity and annoyance, his mind swirling with questions he didn't have answers to.
"Let's see what Monika is doing," he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible in the quiet space. He hadn't really thought about her much since his arrival in this world, but the thought nagged at him. Was she different here? Was she anything like the Monika he had known from the game?
But then, doubts crept into his mind. "How will that even work? Can she control reality here like she did there? This world... I still don't get how it functions." He felt a deep frustration. Everything felt like a puzzle with pieces that didn't quite fit together. A world of magic and strange rules, with no clear explanation, and a God who had tossed him into this mess.
He clenched his fist, the anger flaring up in him again. "Seriously, I hate you, God, for putting me in this mess."
Just as the words left his mind, the air seemed to shift. A sudden crack of lightning split the still sky, a flash of blinding light, followed by an eerie silence. Hikari's eyes widened, an unsettling feeling creeping down his spine.
"Fuck you too," he spat, his words laced with bitterness, directed at the unseen force behind his predicament.
The strange storm seemed to respond to his anger, though not in any way he could fully understand. The lightning crackled once more, echoing his resentment, and then everything fell still. It was almost as if the world itself was mocking him.
He sighed, the weight of everything pressing on his chest. For now, he couldn't even begin to make sense of it all. He had more important things to figure out, starting with Monika. If she was here, in this world, he needed to understand what role she played. Was she just another person, or was she something more, something tied to this world's bizarre rules?
Floating through the air, Hikari let his thoughts linger on her, waiting for an answer that might never come. He could only wonder how far his search would take him into the unknown.
Hikari drifted through the empty air, his soul unfurling into the depths of the world he now inhabited. The sensation was foreign to him, a kind of weightlessness that only heightened his sense of detachment. He could feel the thrum of the world beneath him, but it felt like he was an observer rather than a participant, a spectator watching from the outside.
The crackling of the lightning still lingered in his ears, as if the universe itself was listening to him, responding to his frustrations. He ignored it for now, focusing on the task at hand. Monika.
He floated deeper into the fabric of this world, trying to feel where she might be. Her presence was unique, even if it wasn't obvious. Hikari had no idea how her power worked in this reality, but his instincts told him that she would be... different. After all, Monika had the power to change the very nature of the world they lived in back in the game. But would she still have that power here?
He focused on the pull of his own curiosity, guiding him through the world, until he felt something. There was a presence, faint but unmistakable. He honed in on it, his soul accelerating through the air, following the thread until it brought him to a strange clearing in the middle of a dense forest.
And there she was.
Monika sat on a large rock, her back to him, staring out at the horizon with a calm, almost serene expression on her face. The faint glow of the magical world seemed to dance around her, but it was more subtle than he had expected. Her long hair was slightly tousled by the wind, her posture relaxed but exuding a quiet strength. She looked every bit like the Monika Hikari remembered, yet somehow, there was something different about her.
Hikari's presence must have alerted her, because she turned slowly, her sharp green eyes locking onto his. There was a glimmer of recognition, but it was tinged with a strange curiosity. She didn't speak immediately, just studied him silently, as if trying to discern what had brought him here.
After a long moment, she finally spoke, her voice calm and measured. "So, you've found me," she said, as if it were nothing more than an inevitability.
Hikari stood in the air, crossing his arms as he looked at her. "You were the last person I expected to find in a place like this," he said, his tone flat. "I was starting to think that maybe you weren't even real. But here you are, in this... world of magic and gods."
Monika tilted her head slightly, a faint smile forming on her lips. "Well, I'm not the Monika you knew. Not exactly. But then again, are any of us truly who we used to be?"
Hikari narrowed his eyes, intrigued but cautious. "What are you talking about? What is this place, and why are you here? Can you even control reality here like you did back in that game?"
Her smile widened, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Control reality? I could do that, but that's not all I was capable of. This world is... different, Hikari. It's not a game, but it has its own rules. And so do I."
Monika stood up gracefully, her movements fluid and almost ethereal. "You've been given a second chance, haven't you? A new life, a new role to play. But deep down, you're still the same person. Still carrying that burden. Just like me."
Hikari's eyes flickered briefly with confusion before his stoic expression returned. "I'm not here to play some game with you, Monika. I didn't ask for this second chance, and I sure as hell don't want to be a hero or whatever nonsense you think this is."
Monika chuckled softly, as if she found something amusing. "I never said anything about being a hero. But whether you like it or not, you've already started playing your part in this world. And so have I."
Hikari's irritation flared. "What do you want from me, Monika? If you've got some grand plan or whatever, I'm not interested. I just want to understand what's going on."
Monika's expression softened, but there was something almost wistful in her eyes. "I don't want anything from you, Hikari. I just wanted you to understand. We're both in this together, whether we want to be or not. And believe me, there's more going on here than you realize. You'll see soon enough. There's a storm coming, and you're going to have to choose a side."
Hikari clenched his fists, his frustration building again. "Choose a side? I don't want to be anyone's pawn in whatever game this is. I didn't ask for any of this."
Monika's gaze softened even further. "Sometimes, we don't get to choose, Hikari. But that doesn't mean we're powerless. You're more than just a pawn in this world. You have the ability to shape your own destiny."
Hikari stood silently for a long moment, processing her words. He didn't know whether to trust her or not. He had enough on his plate without getting caught up in whatever grand plan Monika was hinting at. Still, there was a part of him that couldn't deny the strange connection he felt to her.
"I don't care about shaping anything," Hikari finally said, his voice cold. "I just want to know what's going to happen next. Because I'm not going to sit around waiting for something I don't understand to control me."
Monika's smile turned sad, almost as if she knew something he didn't. "You might not have a choice in the end, Hikari. But you're not alone. Just remember that."
With that, Monika turned and began walking away, disappearing into the dense forest. Hikari stood there for a moment, her words echoing in his mind. He didn't want to admit it, but something about her presence left him feeling... uncertain. A part of him didn't want to care, didn't want to get involved in whatever this world had planned. But deep down, he knew he couldn't ignore it forever.
To be continued
Hope people like this Ch and give me power stones and enjoy