Atleast I am not dead or Am I?

No, no, no! This can't be happening!

Kairo gripped his head, pacing back and forth like a mad scientist working on a world-changing experiment. "Once again, summer's over and I haven't even looked at my homework!"

In a moment of sheer drama, Kairo grabbed a rope and tossed it over the ceiling fan. "That teacher... No, no, I can't deal with her again."

Then the memories hit him, one by one, like a train running through his mind.

"Kairo! Where's your homework?"

His teacher had marched toward him, dressed like she was heading to a fancy party, not a classroom. Her waist could make anyone's head spin, and her hair bounced with every step like it was straight out of a shampoo commercial. She definitely didn't look like a teacher.

She bit her finger playfully, locking eyes with Kairo.

"Boy?"

Her voice was sweet, but it made Kairo's heart skip a beat. His brain went blank. He opened his mouth but couldn't find the words. Rayne! Help me!

Rayne, his so-called best friend, was too busy pretending to read a book upside down. Kairo could practically hear him laughing on the inside.

Damn, Traitor! Kairo's hands shook. He glanced at the teacher, whose glasses sparkled like a villain's lair. She flashed him a smile—the smile.

"You know what happens to students who forget their homework, right?" she said, her voice dripping with sweetness.

Kairo's heart dropped. "I… I don't…"

She leaned forward just a little, licking her lips like she was savoring the moment. "You'll come to the staff room after school, won't you? We'll have a talk."

The whole class exchanged glances, looking at Kairo like he was a person about to be sentenced to a lifetime of chores.

Kairo could feel himself melting into the floor.

"I can't go through that again!" he muttered, holding his head in his hands as the memories replayed. "It's just better to die instead!"

"Stop screaming!" came a voice from downstairs, breaking Kairo's crisis in half.

Kairo rubbed his forehead in frustration. Seriously? I'm having a mental breakdown, and she's interrupting?

"Your friend's here!" Ivy yelled from downstairs.

"Which one?" Kairo shouted back, already regretting it.

"The one whose pants ripped in class and showed everyone his adorable pink kitty underwear!" Ivy didn't even hesitate to shout it from the downstair.

Kairo froze. She's really yelling that out in front of him?

"Come down already! How long do you want me to suffer?" Rayne yelled from downstairs.

Kairo groaned. Why am I the one being yelled at? He's the one with the embarrassing story!

He grabbed his empty notebook—the one he hadn't bothered filling with homework—and shoved it into his bag. Well, if he was going down, at least he could do it with a little dignity.

"Morning," Kairo muttered, not looking at Rayne as he stepped outside.

But before he could escape, Rayne grabbed his wrist and yanked him back.

"You had your sister open the door on purpose, didn't you?" Rayne asked, voice dripping with suspicion.

Kairo blinked, trying to focus on what was happening. "Dude, I'm more worried about surviving today than playing games with you."

Rayne glared, crossing his arms. "I'll let you off the hook this time. But next time, you're on your own."

***

The classroom was buzzing with chatter as Rayne and Kairo entered. Kairo's face was ghostly pale, his legs shaky.

"Can someone just bury me in the ground? Or toss me out the window?" Kairo muttered, plopping his bag down onto his desk with a dramatic sigh.

Rayne patted him on the back, raising an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you didn't do your homework again? I stayed up all night doing mine."

Kairo shuddered. "Oh no… I'm so done for."

"Looks like Kairo's the lucky guy today!" two guys from the back row teased, noticing Kairo's color drain and his body trembling like a leaf.

"Lucky guy? You guys are crazy," Kairo mumbled, his entire body shaking like a leaf in the wind. The floor almost seemed to shake with him.

Just then, a hand slammed down on his shoulder, spinning him around.

Slap!

The entire class went silent. Everyone stared, wide-eyed. It wasn't just any slap—it was the slap of destiny.

It came from the class president, Idris. She was the one who could yell loud enough to make the walls shake, and the one who always kept the class in line.

She was also... beautiful. But Kairo didn't care much about that right now. He was well aware that beauty in her case was dangerous—like a ticking time bomb.

Kairo rubbed his now-red cheek. Yep. Dangerous.

"Hey, why'd you slap my friend?!" Rayne snapped, stepping in front of Kairo with a serious expression.

Kairo looked at Rayne, his eyes a bit watery. Rayne? He actually cares? For a moment, Kairo felt a warm fuzz in his chest. "Go for it, Rayne! Show her what you're made of, my guy!"

Idris just shot Rayne a look. It was the kind of look that said, "I'm done here." Then she casually spat in Rayne's face.

Rayne froze, speechless for a moment. "What—?"

The class gasped. Idris didn't seem bothered at all. She just rolled her eyes.

"That's it!" Rayne gritted his teeth, charging forward with Kairo's backpack in hand. "I'll show you!"

But Idris was too quick. She dodged the backpack, then whack—she smacked Rayne right on the head with something that looked suspiciously like a bat.

"Rayne!" Kairo shouted, wide-eyed. Why does she have a bat? What is she, some kind of delinquient?

Rayne stumbled back, rubbing his head in disbelief. Kairo's mind was racing. Where did she even get a bat from?

Rayne was a step ahead though. He pulled something from behind his back—an anvil? Where had that come from? Kairo's eyes widened as Rayne hurled the massive object at Idris. The anvil flew through the air, heading straight for her.

But Idris was ready. With the same agility she used to dodge the backpack, she leaped to the side, causing the anvil to fly past her. Kairo's heart dropped into his stomach as it hurtled directly toward him.

Wait. No, no, no!

Kairo squeezed his eyes shut, Bye bye goodnight cruel world! He chanted accepting his fate. 

[System: Data update]

[System: New Player enters the world]

Kairo's head spun as a strange, robotic voice echoed in his mind. He slowly opened his eyes and was met with a flickering blue screen hanging in the air, like a floating pop-up ad.

[System: Data transfer complete]

[System: Kairo Feyrax is welcomed to the Xylaris universe]

[System: Task: Get a ranking]

"A system? What, am I in a novel or something?" Kairo muttered, rubbing his temples. "Definitely too many video games… or maybe I've finally lost it."

He slapped himself hard across the face. "Eekk! It isn't a dream. I'm seriously screwed." His face twisted into confusion and disbelief.

He looked around the room. One door—metallic and unfamiliar. It wasn't the usual classroom door. No windows. In the corner, a toilet-like contraption. On the other side, a solid raised platform that looked like a bed… except without any cushions or futon.

"Wait, this isn't a hotel room... or a dungeon," Kairo thought, his mind racing. "Is this a cell?"

"Well, at least I escaped the teacher," he sighed, plopping down on the hard platform—definitely not a bed, but it did the job. "Not even as bad as my sister's cake…"

And then—BOOM!

Kairo was thrown off the platform as a loud explosion echoed through the room. The metallic door was blasted off its hinges, slamming into the opposite wall with a deafening crash.

Kairo scrambled to his feet, eyes wide. A figure emerged from the wreckage. Someone in a sleek, white suit, like an astronaut, but way more high-tech. The helmet was square, cuboidal almost, as if it was made to perfectly align with her face. The suit fit her body snugly—no bulky panda suit here—and the only thing that stood out were her massive boots.

Seriously. These boots weren't just big—they were huge. Kairo couldn't help but think they were the size of an elephant's. He couldn't figure out whether they were just comically oversized or impressively practical, but one thing was for sure: they definitely helped her kick that door down with some serious force.

"Shade? You aren't Shade?" The girl's voice echoed, and with a smooth motion, her helmet slid open, folding back like some sci-fi magic.

Her electric blue eyes locked onto him, and her black, curly hair framed her face perfectly. Kairo felt his heart skip a beat. Wait, she's... beautiful?

"Huh?" she raised an eyebrow, eyes narrowing. "Why would they capture someone weak like you anyway?"

Kairo blinked. Ouch. Not exactly the warmest greeting, huh?

He snapped out of his stupor and stepped toward her, trying to shake off the shock. "Who even are you? Introduce yourself! I'm already used to dealing with dangerous women."

"Dangerous? Me?" She blinked innocently, her expression almost too sweet. "That's the first time I'm hearing that." She paused for a moment, then shrugged, as if the comment had floated right past her. "Whatever. I can't leave you here."

Without another word, she grabbed his hand, pulling him forward.

Kairo didn't really have a choice. He followed her, more out of confusion than anything else. Wait, why is she so cute?

He tried to hide his blush as he stumbled along behind her. "Hey, wait, slow down!"

But the girl didn't stop. "Come on. No time to waste."