A week had Later~
…
It was Monday once again, and Ryu was on his way back to school.
During the week he’d spent recovering, he had experimented with his ability quite a bit.
Or, at least, he’d tried to.
Unfortunately, nothing had happened.
No new abilities appeared, no strange surge of power occurred like the first time, and there had been no sudden revelation explaining what Overcome actually did either…
‘…Nothing.’ Ryu sighed as he walked along the street.
He had pushed himself physically, tried exercising, and even deliberately continued when his body started feeling tired.
He’d been hoping that perhaps the ability would activate if he reached some kind of limit…
However he was swiftly dissapointed.
There wasn’t even a little change.
By now, he’d completely recovered from the beating he’d received.
His health had returned to normal, and aside from feeling like he was perhaps a little stronger than when he’d first arrived in this world, he couldn’t point to anything concrete.
‘Maybe I’m just imagining it…?’ He reasoned.
That possibility frustrated him.
He’d spent an entire week thinking about his ability, only to end up with more questions than answers.
His existing abilities hadn’t improved either.
Pain Tolerance, Willpower, and Enhanced Stamina were still stuck at Level 1, seemingly refusing to budge no matter how much he tried to train.
‘So much for my theory.’ He scoffed at himself.
Ryu shoved his hands into his pockets…
Maybe Overcome wasn’t something he could simply activate through training.
Maybe it only worked under very specific circumstances.
Or perhaps…
‘My hypothesis was just completely wrong…?’
He frowned…
That was probably the most annoying possibility.
He’d be starting from square one again.
He’d really thought he’d figured something out when those abilities appeared after his fight.
It had seemed obvious.
He’d been pushed beyond his limits, and then he’d developed abilities suited to overcoming what had held him back.
But now?
Nothing.
Not even after a week of testing: “Man…
This is frustrating.” He spoke aloud on instinct.
His bottled up frustration needed to be vented…
He kicked a small pebble along the pavement.
What made it worse was that he couldn’t even properly measure himself.
His status gave him his health and abilities, but there wasn’t some convenient strength stat telling him how much stronger he’d become.
He could only rely on how his body felt.
And that wasn’t exactly reliable;
‘I feel stronger than when I first got here.’ He flexed his fingers slightly: ‘But how much stronger?’
He had no idea.
For all he knew, it could’ve simply been his imagination.
Ryu sighed before looking ahead.
The school was already coming into view: ‘Well, whatever.’
He wasn’t going to let it ruin his day.
If Overcome didn’t activate through normal training, then there wasn’t much he could do about it in that regard…
He’d figure it out, eventually.
Hopefully.
Ryu entered through the school gates, making his way toward the classroom.
The familiar surroundings were beginning to feel slightly less unfamiliar now.
He knew where he was going, knew where his classroom was, and even recognized a few faces from the previous week.
That alone felt strangely comforting.
When he entered Class 2-B, Akiyama-sensei immediately noticed him.
“Ryu.
You’re feeling better now?” She asked.
Ryu paused. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
She gave him a concerned look;
“I heard about what happened.
You were pretty badly hurt.”
Ryu scratched the back of his head: “Yes, sensei…
But, I’m alright now.” He found it awkward to call someone sensei, even if he could talk the language…
His teacher nodded, seemingly satisfied, saying: “Good…
Just don’t push yourself too hard.”
“I won’t.” He responded.
Ryu quickly headed toward his seat before the conversation could continue.
As he sat down by the window, he rested his arms on the desk and stared outside: ‘I’ve only got one option left.’
He’d been trying to figure out how to activate Overcome through training for an entire week.
But, there was another process he hadn’t yet tried…
So, if his theory was correct, there was realistically only one other way left to test it…
A fight.
Ryu’s expression immediately soured: ‘Ah..
No.’
He leaned back in his chair.
He wasn’t about to go looking for another beating just to satisfy his curiosity…
He had just recovered.
Furthermore, the memory of spending several days barely able to move because of that red-haired bastard was still fresh in his mind…!
‘And I’m not going through that again.’ He thought resolutely.
Still…
If Overcome really did activate when he was pushed beyond his limits, then eventually he’d need to confirm it somehow.
Preferably under circumstances where he wasn’t about to get hospitalized…
Ryu could only silently sigh to himself;
‘Maybe I’ll find some other way….?’ He told himself that, but even knew that was a pipe dream.
He looked down at his hands: ‘For now, I’ll just keep training in the meantime…’
There was no real reason to rush these kinds of things.
He had time.
And, if this world really was filled with people stronger than ordinary humans, then getting stronger wasn’t something he could afford to ignore.
DING~DONGG~
The bell rang…
Ryu turned his attention toward the front of the classroom.
‘Alright Ryu, right now, school comes first…
Just lay low for the time being.’
…
Lunch eventually came around, and Ryu made his way toward the cafeteria with his usual pace.
He’d gotten more accustomed to the school ever since the first day, enough that he didn’t have to think about where he was going anymore.
Still, one thought had remained in the back of his mind ever since his first day.
‘I should probably keep my eyes open.’ He decided.
He’d been watching his back whenever he moved around the school, just in case that red-haired bastard decided to show up again…
Ryu didn’t particularly want a repeat of their last encounter.
He’d spent the better part of a week recovering from it, and that was more than enough for him…
When he reached the cafeteria, he got in line and waited for his turn.
He was looking over the available food when he suddenly caught sight of someone familiar.
The girl that helped him choose his lunch last time…
Ryu immediately looked away: ‘…Oh, come on.’
He sighed and held his head straight, deliberately focusing on the food in front of him…
‘I’m here to have a normal school life.’ He repeated in his mind.
That was all he wanted…
No getting beaten up.
And preferably no embarrassing situations involving girls: ‘Yes…
Just a normal school life…’
He bought his lunch and quickly left the cafeteria before he could somehow end up in another conversation.
He made his way outside, this time deliberately choosing somewhere much more secluded than his previous spot.
He wasn’t taking any chances.
Ryu walked farther away from the main school grounds until he found a quiet area with a few trees and an old stump nearby.
‘Much better.’ He sat down beside the stump and placed his lunch beside him.
What Ryu didn’t notice, however, was the figure following him from a distance…
Ryu glanced around the quiet area: “Looks clear enough…” He muttered.
He finally relaxed.
He sat down beside the stump and opened his lunch, already looking forward to eating: ‘No interruptions this time…’
He picked up his food and was just about to take his first bite when-
“Oi!!” A voice called out.
Ryu halted…
His mouth remained slightly open as he slowly turned his head toward the source of the voice.
His expression immediately dropped…
Standing some distance away was a familiar red-haired youth…
His time, he was alone…
Ryu stared: ‘…H-He found me?’ His eyes widened slightly: ‘All the way out here?’
It didn’t take long for him to realize what had happened;
‘This bastard…!
He must have followed me.’ Ryu slowly lowered his food.
The red-haired youth began walking toward him, his expression already irritated.
Ryu huffed, asking: “Why are you here?”
The youth stopped a short distance away.
Ryu stood up, keeping his eyes on him: “I did what you asked last time.
I left her alone.”
The red-haired youth stared at him: “Yeah…”
His expression remained irate: “You did.” He clarified.
Ryu only frowned: “…Then what’s the problem?”
The youth’s expression hardened as he picked his ears before flicking off the flakes: “…I’m not here because of her.”
Ryu’s eyes narrowed in confusion…
He straightened himself: “Then…
why are you here…?”
“…” The red-haired youth only stared at him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke a word.
Then, the bully clenched his fist: “I just wanted to give you another beating.”
…
…
…
Ryu’s expression went blank: “…What?”
The youth only took another step forwards, saying: ” Why else would I be here with ya’?”
Ryu stared at him: ‘You have got to be kidding me…’ He wanted to beat him up, cause he could…?
No…
Ryu deliberately gone somewhere secluded.
He’d avoided the cafeteria.
He’d spent an entire week recovering.
And somehow…
The kid had still found him.
All because he wanted to fill his own ego of fucking around someone else…?
Ryu slowly clenched his hands: ‘Yeah…
So much for a normal school life.’ He inwardly scoffed.
His hesitation being replaced with a growing anger…
As the red haired youth approached, his eyes slowly widened…
“Pfft!-Haha…!
N-No fucking way!” He laughed: “Is that supposed to be some kind of boxing stance!?” He pointed mockingly, clutching his side…
Ryu only began sweating…
‘Cruel bastard…
Mocking me on top of wanting to be beat me…’ Seeing this, Ryu only solidified what he considered a stance.
“Alright, Alright…
Looks like you might make this a little entertaining.” The bully uttered, now walking further ahead.
.
.
.
End