C13

Chapter 13: The Day I Skipped School

The sound of the alarm clock echoed from afar.

The morning light streaming through the gap in the curtains slowly filled the quiet room.

Remaining seated in his chair, Reo gazed blankly at the light piercing through the curtain's gap. The white, stretching morning sun slowly crept across the floor, leaving only time to flow through the hushed room. Chasing that light, his gaze shifted to the clock on his desk.

Staring at the digital numbers for a few seconds, he finally realized that the night had ended and morning had arrived.

On the monitor placed on the desk, the Asuon screen was still projected. The 5th-anniversary event field.

The number of bosses defeated since last night and the event points collected from the guild all-out war.

The numbers steadily piling up remained as results on the screen.

Reo took off his headphones and leaned his body against the back of the chair.

As the sound blocking his ears vanished, the presence of reality that had been distant until now gradually returned.

The sound of cars running outside, the small sounds of daily life moving inside the house.

...And the fact that morning had arrived.

(...Did I overdo it?)

He couldn't help but think that. His body felt a little heavy, and his eyes were tired.

Normally, it wouldn't be strange for him to succumb to sleepiness.

Even so, Reo's mind was strangely sharp.

Ever since last night, he had been playing Asuon the whole time.

For the first time in a long time, he got absorbed to the point of forgetting time, and before he knew it, morning had come.

...The time to head to school was approaching.

Reo thought about it for just a moment.

—Today, I'm skipping.

He had to convey that to his mother.

He could talk about yesterday's events if he wanted to.

However.

For now, he felt there was no need to explain just yet.

(...For today anyway, I'll just tell her I'm skipping.)

He could think about the detailed explanations later.

Judging so, Reo stood up from his chair and headed out of the room toward the living room.

In the hallway, the faint scent of breakfast drifted through the air.

His mother, who had been preparing breakfast, stopped her hands slightly when she saw Reo's appearance.

"Reo?"

Called out, Reo raised his face, and his mother stared intently at her son's face.

Faint dark circles beneath reddened eyes, a somewhat tired expression.

The tiny sense of incongruity she'd felt when he came home yesterday.

Did something happen? That thought flashed through her mind for a split second.

However, unaware of his mother's gaze, Reo opened his mouth.

"......I'm skipping today."

"Are you feeling sick?"

"......A little."

"Did you catch a cold? Is anything hurting?"

Asked consecutively, Reo thought for a moment.

(It's not like I caught a cold, and my stomach doesn't hurt.)

It was also true that his body wasn't quite normal due to not sleeping a wink since yesterday.

"......I'm just a little tired."

Reo answered vaguely.

Hearing those words, his mother's expression wavered ever so slightly.

Being tired in itself wasn't unusual.

As a high schooler, there are times when you worry about school, relationships, or the future.

Yet, she had been somewhat concerned about Reo's demeanor since yesterday.

Even things she'd normally brush off caught in her mind.

Could something have happened...

Even thinking that, Reo never brought anything up on his own.

Originally, Reo was a child who thought things through by himself and came to his own conclusions. Since long ago, he almost never consulted his parents.

Precisely because of that, she felt that forcibly questioning an adolescent son would be wrong.

Letting out a small breath, his mother decided to leave him alone without saying anything for now.

"Understood. Take the day off today."

Adding on after a brief pause, she said,

"But make sure you eat your meals properly."

"I know."

"If you say so."

With that, his mother gave a small smile.

◇

Returning to his room, the Asuon screen—left running ever since he came home from school yesterday—was still projected on the monitor as before.

Normally, around this time, he'd be getting ready to head to school.

Changing into his uniform while battling sleepiness, leaving the house at the designated time.

Such a weekday morning. But today, there was no need for that.

When should he tell his parents and the school about yesterday's events?

Reo thought about it for a fraction of a second.

Being subjected to a fake confession, being publicly confronted in a crowded place that it was all a fake.

Because of that, not wanting to go to school.

If he explained this, it would serve as a valid reason to skip school.

All that was left was the timing to talk...

Thinking that, Reo casually shifted his gaze to the monitor.

There was the Asuon screen that had been running since last night.

........................。

The screen before his eyes gradually robbed him of his consciousness......

............。

For the first time in a long time, he could spend time on what he loved without thinking about anything.

He had already decided to take today off. If so, right now games were fine—the moment he reached that conclusion, the priorities in his mind were effortlessly dyed entirely in Asuon.

The matter of the fake confession can wait for later.......

Reo lowered himself back into his chair and picked up the headphones resting beside the desk.

Putting them on, the sounds of the game world spread through his ears once more.

The sounds of the outside world faded away. All that could be heard were the sounds of the world he had spent three years playing in.

Yet, at this time, Reo did not yet know.

Just how extreme his time management would become from here on out.

There was only one problem...

Reo, whose limiter on gaming had been removed, would completely mismanage the resource allocation of time that he normally managed to perfection.