"Oh? What's wrong, Airi? Having trouble standing up~?" Yamada Yuki, a purple-haired girl with pink eyes, who's been bullying me for the entirety of my high school life, asks, pressing the heel of her shoe against my stomach even harder.
I squeeze my eyelids closed, but my tears manage to somehow find their way out, streaming down my cheeks and dripping to the floor from my chin.
"You see, you scrawny loser? Amazing grades won't make you as good as me, ever!" Yuki scowls, spitting on my shoulder and turning around afterward, ready to walk away with her sidekicks— Fujimoto Reina and Takahashi Hina.
With all the courage I have gathered in my heart, I manage to utter a quiet plea, not being able to speak louder than a whisper.
"Please... Stop..."
Hina and Yuki were already bored, not even laughing at my pitiful state right now, but just by hearing my words, a vein pops out on Reina's forehead. She turns around and starts kicking my stomach with all her strength to impress her friends.
"DID YOU JUST PLEAD, YOU FILTHY ORPHAN BITCH?!" She screams, moving her short blue hair off her eyes, which were the same bright color, continuing her furious kick barrage.
I can't even scream. I just stare at the blood and saliva I've coughed on the floor with.
'Kill me... Please kill me...' But I know she won't— Yes, she keeps hurting me, but as soon as she notices that her friends are not even watching, she spits on my face and runs after them.
I curl up in a ball, crying from both pain and frustration. 'Why...? Why not just kill me...?'
I lay there for a good five minutes, but the lesson began, and students started returning to their classes, but it didn't matter to me, as no one helped me, only took photos and laughed.
I slowly get up on my feet and pick up all my stuff, which the girls scattered around, then I proceed to head towards my classroom.
I hold back my tears all the time, but no one would care as they are either laughing at me to not grab Yuki's attention, or are too afraid to help me directly out of the fear of being tormented like I am.
Why are they afraid?
Well, that's because of those girls who bully me— They are spoiled brats from rich families who don't care about anyone or anything other than themselves.
Why are they attending a public high school, you may wonder?— Because their rich parents wanted to give them a life lesson, but as I can see... No, as I can feel, it was a bad idea.
At first, when the bullying started, I fought back, not wanting them to take advantage of me so easily. But when I had clear evidence of the bullying, I was dismissed by the principal because one of their fathers was his close friend. The same thing with teachers, they are bribed or blackmailed into not seeing anything.
But there is a small light of hope at the end of the tunnel.
Despite being bullied, I still managed to get myself together and study hard— So hard in fact that I have the best in the entire school.
So what was the light?
It's the fact that I am in the last grade and the school year ends in less than three months, meaning that after I graduate from high school, I could take out a loan and attend a good university, hopefully getting a second chance in my unfair life.
I sit down in class. My desk is the furthest away, right by the window, so no one pays attention to me, and doesn't bully me at least during the classes.
Why did Yuki and so many other people bully me?
Because I am an orphan, left alone by my parents right after I was born because they didn't want me, but I still managed to end up at the top of our high school.
I'm ugly, but not beautiful either. My figure is pretty shy, with barely any breasts and a small butt, almost like a child. My hair is long, black, and messy. I hate it.
But as much as I hate my eyes because I was born early and my sight didn't fully develop in the womb, not even mention that the incubator didn't help much, making me unable to see even slightly clearly without my glasses.
A yellow-haired girl with two beautiful light blue eyes, who is sitting next to me, looks at me with worry, pointing at my cheek. "Oh God... Airi-chan... You have blood on your cheek..."
'Don't mention Gods, Satou-san... If they existed, then they would have left me a long time ago...'
She gasps, immediately realizing what must've happened and why I was late.
"Did they... Did those spoiled girls hurt you again...?"
I smile weakly and nod my head without a word, too ashamed to speak, tho I appreciate her gesture of kindness.
Her name is Satou Aiko, and she is the kindest soul I have ever met, and the only one who wasn't afraid to reach out her hands to me.
She is different from the rest. She never hurt me, insulted me, talked about me behind my back, nor had she ever looked at me with disgust or other negative emotion.
She is an angel who, because of her family's status, even Yuki fears messing with.
Aiko grimaces and clenches her fists in a cute, but intimidating way, glaring at Yuki and the rest.
"I can't believe... We are almost adults and yet they are... Ugh!... How can they be such cruel monsters?!" She furiously asked under her nose.
"That's... That's just not right!" Then Aiko softly smacks the desk with her fists. "I need to do something about it!"
I reach my hand over towards her and tug her uniform, shaking my head nervously.
"No... Satou-san... Please... Don't make enemies to help me... Things are the way they should be..." I whisper, avoiding her eyes.
"But, Airi-chan—" Aiko tries to protest, but I just shook my head, tho it was enough movement to make me twitch in pain, and almost let out a scream of agony.
Aiko doesn't waste a single second and fires out of her seat and raises my shirt so she can see my stomach.
Her eyes go wide, and she covers her mouth in terror, not believing her own eyes as she stares at my stomach.
It's almost fully covered with purple bruises and scars that were gathered over all the years I've been bullied.
I am too weak to push her away, and I don't want to accidentally hurt her or make her hate me, so I let her look, feeling ashamed of my body.
The teacher looks at us and raises a brow, curious and slightly enraged by Aiko's weird behaviour, which looks rather weird for someone who doesn't know the context.
"What are you two doing back there, Aiko, Airi?" She asks firmly and slowly makes her way towards us.
Everyone looks at us, but even if they laugh, they keep their silence and laugh under their noses, not wanting to get on the teacher's bad side.
"Sensei! Airi has countless bruises all over her stomach! She needs to be treated immediately!" Aiko yells with determination, hugging me tightly.
I look at her with surprise. No one has ever hugged me before and I... For the first time in my life... I feel... Safe.
The teacher gasps in horror as she sees the poor state my body is in. It was a miracle that I could even walk at this point. It must've been my spirit somehow keeping me up all the time.
"Okay! I understand, Aiko! Take her to the nursery to the nurse quickly!" The teacher orders, giving her a green light.
Aiko grabs my arm and wraps it behind her neck, walking me towards the door slowly.
My emotions collide. My pain and sadness make me cry like a baby, but the joy and relief make me smile like I won a million.
"W-Why...? Why are you doing this to me, Satou-san?" I ask shyly, still unable to look her in the eyes, as I saw her as someone from a higher race, even tho we were the same.
At first, Aiko laughs it off, but her eyes become sharp and firm. "When I was younger... I was just like Yuki... But once... I accidentally killed a kitten... I hate myself for that... But since that day I've promised to help everyone in need..." She whispers, reaching her hand towards the door.
Then, right before she touched the door, a shiver ran down my spine, and I grabbed her hand, pulling it away. "Satou-san, don't!" I yell with all my strength, sensing that something is wrong.
Aiko looks at me curiously, not understanding why I did that, and then the door starts to glow.
I look around in terror, seeing not only the door, but the walls, ceiling, windows, floor, desks, everything glow in a golden color which keeps getting brighter and brighter each second.
Aiko pulls me behind herself in a protective manner, setting herself first in the line in case something bad happens, which moves my heart.
'W-What... What the hell is going on—?'
The light got so bright that I lost consciousness, but before I did, I felt like my body was vaporizing from the world.
"Welcome to the Kingdom Of Alexia, Heroes!" A loud and proud female voice coming from somewhere near in front of me echoes through my ear.
She's a beautiful woman with long and flowing blonde hair accompanied by emerald eyes. She is wearing a long cyan dress and holds a white staff with a crimson gem in it.
'Huh...? What's that voice?'
I open my eyes, not seeing anything due to how blurry my vision is. I touch the cold floor, which feels like cobblestone, searching for my glasses like a child who lost their toy in the sand.
'I don't see anything...'
'...Where are they?'
Aiko wakes up next to me and immediately spots that I'm troubled. She looks around and finds my glasses in the hands of Yuki, who was already up, and of course laughing.
"Oh, look at her!" She laughs so hard that she holds her stomach out of pain.
More of my classmates gather around me and join in with the laughter.
"Crawling on the ground like a helpless worm searching for a correct place to dig in—"
Aiko can't stand it anymore, and she walks up to Yuki, then, without a warning, slaps her across the cheek and takes the glasses away.
'What's going on? Where am I? Why are they so loud?'
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, HUH, SATOU AIKO?!" She lashes out at her, her friends barely holding her back from doing anything stupid.
"Okay, calm down, Yuki..." Hina said softly.
"Yeah! Don't take that bitch seriously!" Reina scowled.
Aiko crouches down to my level and places my glasses back on my nose, just right where they belong.
I blink a couple of times, my vision clearing up, and the first thing I saw was Aiko's kind face.
"W-Where are we...?" I ask, confused.
"I don't know... But I'm sure she does." Aiko answers firmly, her whole composure turning serious.
Aiko grabs my hand and helps me stand up, turning her face towards the woman who greeted us earlier.
"Who are you? What do you want from us? And why is our teacher missing?" She asks, not letting any fear visit her tone as she wants answers, not laughter or pity.
The priestess looks at our group, noticing how few of us were actually summoned, but she decides to ignore it and adjusts her voice.
"Akhem!"
"My name is Catherine, and I am the Grand Priestess of The Kingdom of Alexia and the direct servant of our Goddess Valentine."
"I am the one responsible for summoning you, the new heroes, to help us completely wipe out the demon race once and for all!" She yells with authority, but her voice is dripping with softness and kindness at the same time.
'Heroes...? Like in those isekai Mangas?' I gasp, covering my mouth in disbelief. 'Maybe... Just maybe... If I become a hero... I will finally be liked... and... respected?'
Takeshi Souta, a black haired guy with brown eyes, and a classmate of mine, raises his hand, and before Catherine even looks at him, he starts speaking.
"Damn!" He smirks widely, grabbing his jaw as he feels unbelievably proud of himself. "So out of the people in the world, we were summoned to save this world, huh~?"
"Don't be so proud of yourself, you dweeb!" Reina yells, annoyed by his excitement.
She then looks at the priestess and spits at the ground, feeling herself in the moment. "Tch, send us back, you witch." She shrugs her shoulders. "Some of us have a life unlike some others."
Catherine frowns, enraged by Reina's disrespectful behaviour in the holy church blessed by the Goddess Valentine herself.
Suddenly, Reina falls to her knees and presses her whole body against the floor, but obviously unwillingly.
"I respect you, Heroes, after all you've been chosen, just like the boy said... But—" Catherine walks down the stairs from the altar, finally approaching us.
She points at Reina, using her as a living example. "But if anyone else will do something insulting in this blessed temple, then I can assure all of you that person will end up way worse!"
"But she's right!"
"Yeah, we want to go home!"
"Why would we stay and fight for people whom we don't have anything to do with and risk our lives for free, huh?!"
"Unfortunately, I can't send you back, but if you ten will succeed and complete the mission you were given, the Goddess Valentine shall grant you a wish!"
Watching Reina suffer, I find myself smiling in joy, finally seeing one of my bullies get what she deserves unlocked something inside of me.
'Die.'
Aiko kept her eyes on the priestess all along, watching her every move in case she was gonna do anything, but the sight of Reina's punishment made her want to puke.
"Okay! Stop this already! I'm sure she understood her lesson!" Aiko yells, trying to prevent even the worst people from suffering.
'Satou-san... Don't do it... Make her suffer more... I want to watch...' I swallow hard, not feeling even slight remorse when thinking such things.
Catherine nods her head and snaps her fingers, releasing Reina from whatever kind of supernatural ability she was under.
"Can you send us back home?" Aiko asks calmly, trying to remain as distant from the priestess as she can.
Catherine shakes her head and speaks calmly. "I'm sorry, but I cannot. Tho it might be possible to send the ones who are willing back home after wiping the demon race out."
Hina twirls her shoulder, her long black hair, and looks into the priestess's eyes with her black eyes.
"How come? How will killing others send us home?" She asks with hesitation.
Catherine sighs deeply and spreads her arms wide, ready to give a motivational speech.
"You heroes! All ten of you!"
'Us...? Yes... We are Heroes now...'
"You have been summoned to help the Kingdom of Alexia wipe out the demon race and bring peace to the world!"
"You can't be looking at demons like you look at humans who do evil things! Demons are monsters, shaped by their Evil Goddess to be the most evil creatures alive!"
"That's why you need to completely erase them from this beautiful world and bring back peace!"
"If you succeed in your quest, I promise wealth, love from the public, and one wish from the Goddess Valentine!"
When they heard
I clench my fist and put it to my chest, imagining myself on a white horse, loved by people all around the world.
'I?' 'I can be loved...?'
Aiko held me close to herself, looking at the priestess with stoic calm as everyone but the two burst into excitement as they imagined how successful they could become as heroes.
"What's wrong with those people?" Aiko mutters under her nose, her fist clenching tightly. "They were just taken away from their homes, families... Their world!"
"And yet... They are so happy?!"
"It's... unbelievable!"