am-books Chapter 32: Rude Loli?
Chapter 32: Rude Loli?
Chapter 32: Rude Loli?
Hugo entered the classroom with a sense of dread swirling in his chest. It was his first time stepping foot in here after days of skipping.
After the unfortunate incident that murdered his social life, he had dreaded ever having to come to class, but in order not to have an academic death as well, Hugo had to be brave.
He didn't have a choice actually. He had heard on some class groups that some lecturers were probably going to start giving tests this week.
This was the only reason why he was even anywhere near a hundred metre radius of the classroom.
The classroom was a mix of modern and traditional, with rows of sleek, white desks, high-tech projectors, and a digital whiteboard on the far wall.
The wooden floor creaked slightly, and the large windows on one side let in the morning light, casting a warm glow over everything.
What wasn't typical, though, was Hugo's situation. He was about to face a room full of people who might just ruin him if they found out who he really was.
As he stepped inside, he couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious. This was his first day back after the wild events of orientation, and he was bracing himself for the inevitable stares of recognition and awkwardness.
But to his surprise, no one batted an eye.
'Wait... nobody recognises me?' Hugo glanced around, expecting at least a few double-takes. But no, everyone was going about their business, chatting with friends or scrolling through their phones.
They walked past him without so much as a second glance.
Then it hit him. 'Oh... oh, that's it! The glow up!' he thought, nodding to himself. 'I look so good now, even I wouldn't recognize me!'
He ran a hand through his now neatly styled hair, mentally high-fiving himself. The time he had spent improving himself the past few days wasn't wasted after all.
No wonder no one recognized the old, introverted Hugo.
But now came the hard part: finding a seat. He looked around and saw two available options.
As she unzipped it, Hugo caught a glimpse of something inside. Something dark and long and scaly.
His eyes widened in sheer terror.
'Is that a python?' His thoughts went into overdrive. 'Am I sitting next to a maniac who carries snakes around in her bag? What if it escapes? What if it bites me? What if I die right here, in the middle of class? Is this how it all ends? Should I elope right now before it's too late?!'
Hugo was already plotting his escape, mentally planning how fast he could sprint out the door.
But then he noticed something off. The Loli had lifted the bag with the python inside like it was a bag of marshmallows.
Wait. Was it fake?
His survival instincts kicked in, but instead of running, he decided to stay. He steeled himself, trying to convince his brain that the snake was just a prop, nothing to worry about.
The girl, annoyed that her silent intimidation wasn't working, gave Hugo an angry nudge with her elbow.
It was surprisingly strong for someone her size, but she clearly relished the reaction.
Hugo, however, was still in shock. Not from the nudge, but because his System had just pinged in his mind.
[Beep!]
[Evaluation: Target is a 9!]
Hugo blinked. "A... what? A 9?" He glanced back at the loli, who was now smirking, clearly satisfied that her nudge had made some impact.
Meanwhile, Hugo was internally screaming. "A 9?! A loli is a 9?! What is my life right now?"
His eyes nearly popped out of his head. A 9?! This cute, but rude, Loli with a (possibly fake) python was a 9 on his system's beauty scale?
'Why is my life like this?!'