I Became a Time-stopping Narrow-eyed Character

Chapter 3

"......Huhuhu."

Upon seeing the man letting out a meaningful laugh as soon as he arrived at the classroom, most would feel baffled and curious, wondering what's going on.

The reddish-brown-haired girl, Hotaru Ichinose, leaned more toward the latter emotion.

That too, a very profound curiosity in a positive direction—or perhaps amazement.

'Wow, how fascinating.'

Who would have thought they'd meet in the same classroom? Hotaru Ichinose recalled that day six months ago.

Back then, as she was returning home, she found herself walking as if possessed, and by the time she came to her senses, she was standing in front of a mountain forest away from the city boulevard.

Before she could comprehend the extraordinary situation, a pack of wolves of a size she had never seen in her life charged at her. All she could do was scream helplessly.

'Kyaaaah!'

Could it be that I'm going to be eaten like this?

While Hotaru was a bold girl in her own way, she was scared of large beasts.

Of course, anyone would be terrified if ferocious animals large enough to devour them came charging.

'......Mom.'

Staring at the gaping jaws of the massive wolf leaping toward her, Hotaru Ichinose realized her death was imminent and sank into despair.

If those sharp teeth bite me, it will hurt a lot. I still have so many things I want to do.......

In her despair, she suddenly noticed a man standing leisurely in her field of vision.

Unlike Hotaru, who was caught in a life-or-death crisis, the narrow-eyed man wore a relaxed smile, as if out for a stroll in the middle of the night.

If she had been eaten by the wolf monster, she would have suspected that this man had orchestrated the whole thing—he looked that inherently villainous.

A quintessential impression of a schemer.

The man, whose appearance was far removed from the ordinary life of a middle schooler in the city, suddenly drew a real sword from his waist.

─At that moment, her vision went dark.

Hotaru thought she had died. She believed she had been slashed by that sword and killed.

But when she opened her eyes, the wolf monster and the narrow-eyed man were gone, and she was at a police station in the city.

A memory so incomprehensible it felt like a dream.

If the shrine worshiping the god of fire hadn't later sought out her spiritual powers, if she hadn't become the Priestess of Fire, she might have really believed it was just a fleeting dream, an illusion.

The world doesn't know, but monsters exist.

Hotaru only learned that fact after becoming the Priestess of Fire who serves the god of fire.

If that's the case, then the incident of the mysterious man saving her from the monster must also be real.

The Priestess of Fire, Hotaru Ichinose, who had no doubts about her beliefs, finally found her savior on the first day of high school.

For some reason, his once white hair had turned black, and the sword at his waist was nowhere to be seen, but she was certain it was him.

'A narrow-eyed man with such a villainous look... No, is there anyone else in Tokyo who laughs like that?'

No way.

No matter how big Tokyo is, there wouldn't be another narrow-eyed man that villainous.

How could she ever forget the face of her savior, whom she met at the last moment of her life?

Hotaru nodded her head and glanced at her savior, who was still letting out his sinister laugh, 'Ichimaru Shiki.'

'He seems busy right now, so maybe I'll try talking to him later when he has time.'

Hopefully, he's not actually someone else.

While Hotaru was still debating, a familiar figure entered her line of sight.

Unlike herself, who had arrived early, the delinquent student arrived just in time.

"Kenichi!"

She smiled brightly and waved enthusiastically at the orange-haired male student.

***

Outside the window, the blue sky and blooming cherry blossom trees swayed, painting the surroundings in light pink hues. Inside the classroom, students were joyfully greeting each other as if meeting old friends.

It was truly the start of a new semester.

The energy of young people enjoying their youth was palpable from all directions, making even me feel immersed.

"I feel younger for some reason."

Well, technically, I had indeed become younger.

While my soul—or rather, my mind—was that of a shut-in who played dating sims, my body was that of a 17-year-old superhuman, far beyond normal standards.

I even have an overpowered ability like stopping time!

Truly, this perfect body.

The only flaw was that I seemed to be the only one in the classroom without acquaintances, but there were people I planned to befriend.

'That's why I came to this school.'

The world's most challenging dating sim, 'Apocalypse Love Comedy.'

There were as many as three key heroines in First-year Class A, who were crucial to the episode's progression.

"Huhuhu, the main story finally begins."

I could feel the start sinking in.

Sitting leisurely in my seat, I scanned the classroom for individuals with distinctive hair colors.

They, as game characters or heroines, stood out from the appearance of ordinary students.

Their celebrity-like looks and unusually striking hair colors were their hallmark traits.

In short, the more unrealistically they looked, the more significant their role in the story.

Some characters even had followers within the school on their very first day.

"Look over there."

"Oh my, it's Lady Eris."

"She's as beautiful as ever today."

"Ah, dazzling......."

With her golden hair flowing, the young lady entered the classroom.

Wasn't she a noble from England, according to her background?

Indeed, the woman who showcased her graceful walk was named Eris Betelgeuse.

A half-British, half-Japanese character responsible for the beauty in the story.

A doll-like appearance.

'Her height of just 150 cm is a flaw, though.......'

Yes, being as tiny as a doll was a major flaw if anything.

Even her chest... her bust was flat.

Honestly, as someone who likes things moderately big, I couldn't agree with the opinion that she was beautiful.

No matter how you look at it, isn't she closer to being cute?

Well, leaving aside my thoughts on her appearance, I had to befriend her somehow.

'A magician who awakened the stellar power of Orion and a descendant of the Great Mage.'

With such an important backstory, she was someone I must recruit if possible.

Even though I had an overpowered ability like stopping time, this game, 'Apocalypse Love Comedy,' was no easy feat.

It's better to secure as many available means as possible.

'Next is here.'

Turning my head, I saw a generous, incredibly large heart, in stark contrast to Eris's flatness. A beautiful girl with long light pink hair.

The Ancient Weapon, Sawamura Sento.

In later episodes, she would naturally take on the role of class president, being in the model student position.

Her pink hair stood out even more than the blonde, yet no one questioned it.

If society were this indifferent, wouldn't it have been fine even if I had come with white hair?

While I was thinking that, Sawamura Sento, who was surrounded by friends befitting her status as the school's popular girl, looked directly at me.

Her red pupils met my gaze.

For a moment, her face turned expressionless, but soon she bloomed a smile similar to mine.

She was undoubtedly beautiful, but there was a lifeless atmosphere about her.

Smiling back brightly, I politely nodded my head like a gentleman before looking away.

'As expected, her senses are sharp.'

Still, since there's no need to focus on her in the early episodes, it should be fine to put her aside for now.

Instead, the one I should be paying attention to was the girl sitting right behind me, the 'Priestess of Fire,' Hotaru Ichinose.

A reddish-brown-haired, tomboyish high school girl often associated with the traits of a gangster's wife.

While her very pretty appearance was far from ordinary, she claimed to be an ordinary high school girl. She excelled in purifying 'demons' and was an indispensable part of the early episode progression.

After all, Hotaru Ichinose was the protagonist's 'childhood friend,' a character archetype that always exists in dating sims.

"Kenichi!"

For some reason, she had been glancing at me repeatedly. Then, she suddenly stood up and shouted.

It was because of the guy who barely made it into the classroom before homeroom started.

A male student with striking orange hair, as if he believed he was also a main character in the game.

The protagonist, Kitagawa Kenichi, spotted his childhood friend who had arrived in the classroom earlier and smiled brightly.

"Yo, Hotaru, it's been a while."

"Yeah, it has. You seem to have gained a bit of weight since I last saw you?"

"......Really? Did I eat too much while curled up under the kotatsu?"

The guy, genuinely worried while grabbing his belly at his childhood friend's usual joke, met my eyes as I sat in the front seat. Then, he laughed heartily and said,

"Hi, I'm Kitagawa Kenichi! Nice to meet you!"

"......."

For a moment, I held my breath at the sight of him overlapping with the lines from the game.

It was nothing much, just that I had found the weapon that he, as the protagonist, naturally possessed.

A cross-shaped accessory hanging around his neck.

The protagonist's Demon Sword, which nullified all abilities, was discovered in that moment.

'Should I take it?'

The soul of a sword enthusiast screamed within me.