another day in life.

(MC POV)

"Heuk—ouch, that hurt!" I flinched.

Why is this woman beating me with some rolled-up toy? It's not a weapon of destruction, but it still hurts—even for an immortal like me.

I thought this while taking a test in her lab, watching the ma'am, who looked to be in her late 30s, maybe approaching her 40s.

Maybe that's the reason she hit me. Midlife crisis?

Then, the perfect distraction happened.

"Ma'am, look outside. It's raining," I said, pointing at the black clouds and the beautiful drops of water falling on the humid terrain.

"What is… rain? Is it the thing falling from the clouds? Its containment… how's it possible?" she asked, half-confused and half-curious, a tinge of fear in her voice.

That baffled me. Still, I played along and explained why it was called rain.

"Wait…" she muttered, as if remembering something, and suddenly looked scared. Sweat formed on her forehead, even with the AC on. But she relaxed soon after, and the sweat evaporated.

"For a second, I thought the force shield malfunctioned," she said to herself, monologuing.

Then she turned toward me.

"You're pretty knowledgeable to know this—even though this should be basic knowledge. It was taught 200 years ago. We just haven't had proper rain since then. If that's what you call it… The rain that fell was known as Contaminant X. Anyone even momentarily exposed to it suffered from diseases like ancient pneumonia, or now, the X Virus—thanks to the heavy pollution of our world."

That was new to me. But shouldn't this woman already know that? I looked at her, baffled.

As if reading my thoughts, she coughed.

"As you read in Grade 8 history—just reminding you, that's all. Anyway, you seem pretty intelligent."

Maybe I was overanalyzing. I snapped back to my senses. I still had a test to complete.

And as if suddenly remembering, ma'am said,

"Write it another time. This is a national sensation for us—just enjoy the rain."

She knew the tests were tests in name only. Most students either used phones or AI chips to finish them.

The world was already ruined for commoners who couldn't keep up. Jobs, schools—just there to maintain the semblance of order.

"Ouch!" I yelped as she hit me again.

"Don't daydream. And weren't you having dark thoughts again? Stop it," she said, reading my mind.

"But how?" I asked, surprised.

"My chip. And your face."

Just those four words—and it clicked. AI could read human emotion now. We were—

"Ouch! I'm sorry, ma'am," I yelped, finally apologizing to the one instructor who felt like a devil.

"Now that's good. Be positive, live positive. If you want, I can introduce you to a psychologist," she said, maybe noticing how often I had those thoughts.

I tried not to give her an opening.

"Thanks, but no need for that, ma'am," I replied, rejecting her proposal.

"Alright. But if you need help, I'm here. Now, let's enjoy the rain," she said, as we walked out of her cabinet to see the rainfall—with the rest of the university, maybe even the whole district.

---

Later, in the cafeteria...

"Yes, yes, here's the special lunch, my friends!" #676 handed it to #767 and his goons.

Like a bloodhound sniffing food, #766 appeared out of nowhere.

"Is it what I think it is?!" #766 screamed in delight, grabbing the bento box and wolfing down the rice, kimchi, and other dishes.

Everyone's bento had the same food, arranged differently.

"This @#$% is delicioooous!" #766 mumbled through mouthfuls.

#767 opened his lunch and saw his wife had made a food-art heart pierced with arrows. He smiled, loosening his robotic arm and leg to eat comfortably.

"Hey #767, here!" #766 interrupted his moment and shoved food in his mouth.

"Pat—cough, cough! Brainless idiot," #767 said, choking down the food and grabbing #766 by the collar.

"Hoho, I see my employees are so harmonious."

A smiling man approached, wearing expensive VR glasses.

"Here, #### my 10k siren," he said to someone, apparently donating funds.

"Yes boss, we're having fun breakfast. Want some bento?" #766 offered.

"No problem. But how's the new chocolate flavor?" he asked.

"It's delicious, boss!" #676 replied eagerly, like a fangirl.

#767 responded in his usual stoic voice.

"It was good, boss."

"Oh thanks, #767. I hope we can get closer one day," the boss said, patting him before walking away.

The goons looked disappointed that he hadn't acknowledged them.

"Bye. Time for me to go, too," #766 said, leaving the four behind.

#767 just silently continued to eat.

---

Elsewhere...

#766 entered the airbus, glanced in the mirror, and smiled at the chip on the side of his neck.

As the rain hit the windows, he crunched something in his mouth and slowly fell asleep.