Class ended early, something about a faculty meeting or a teacher emotionally giving up for the day.
Haru packed his bag slowly.
Chiyuri bounced up to him, ponytail swishing like an excited puppy.
"Haru! My mom's picking me up. Want us to walk you home?"
As Haru opened his mouth.
PING.
A message popped into his Neuro-Linker display.
[Message from: Mom]
Haru-chan, I'm leaving work now. I'll pick you up in 15 minutes, okay? Then we'll go see Dr. Takamura for your follow-up.
Haru blinked.
"Oh…uh, my mom's coming to get me in fifteen minutes."
"Oh! That's good," Chiyuri grinned. "Then I'll see you tomorrow!"
She waved enthusiastically as she left with her mother.
Haru waved back.
It was a peaceful, wholesome moment.
Then his system ruined it.
DING.
[Emergency Quest Generated!]
Survive for 15 Minutes
Difficulty: Extreme
Objective: Stay unharmed until your mother arrives.
Failure Consequence: …You don't want to find out.
Haru stared at the blinking window.
"…Excuse me WHAT?"
Why would he need a survival quest at school?!
Before he could question it further
A hand slammed into his back.
He nearly face-planted.
"Yo, fatso," a smug voice sneered. "Got a minute?"
Haru didn't have a minute.
He needed fifteen.
He turned slowly.
Araya stood there.
Red hair. Angry face. Fists ready. Two goons flanking him like bodyguards.
Haru felt his soul deflate.
"…Oh come on. Right after school? Seriously?"
Araya cracked his knuckles. "Heard you've been getting cocky. Talking back. Talking big."
One of the goons chimed in. "We don't like big talk from small guys."
"I'm average for my age…" Haru muttered instinctively.
The system flashed:
[Clock: 14:42]
Araya shoved him.
"Let's go."
Haru blinked.
"Go where—WHOA—!"
The boys grabbed him from either side.
Dragged him.
Pushed him across the schoolyard.
Past the bicycle lot.
Toward the old abandoned storage building behind the gym technically school property, officially condemned.
The place looked like the final dungeon of a delinquent side quest.
Haru's stomach dropped.
"Wow, really? We're doing this in the abandoned building? You realize every anime begins like this and never ends well for the victim"
THUD.
They threw him inside.
Dust filled the air.
Haru stumbled, coughing.
"Guys listen I have a doctor's appointment"
Araya shoved him against the wall.
"You embarrassed me at recess."
"That's because you have a tiny…."
A fist sank into Haru's stomach.
Air escaped him like a squeezed rubber duck.
"GUH!"
The system clock ticked:
[12:18]
Goon #1 grabbed Haru's shirt and swung a punch into his shoulder.
Goon #2 kicked his knee.
Araya aimed for the gut again.
Haru staggered, vision blurring slightly.
He tasted iron.
"…Is this… legal…? Pretty sure it's not… kids' rights… child laws… some article number… ouch HEY MY SPLEEN "
Another hit across his cheek sent him stumbling.
The system beeped warnings every few seconds:
[HP Dropping]
[Minor Internal Bruising Detected]
[Clock: 10:43]
Haru wiped his mouth, saw a bit of blood on his hand.
"…Seriously? All this for what? For a tiny pee pee joke?"
Araya froze.
"WHAT'D YOU SAY?!"
Haru grinned through the pain.
"Dude. The overcompensation? The insecurity? It's textbook."
Goon #1 whispered, "Bro he said you have a tiny…."
Araya roared and kicked him hard.
Haru crumpled onto the dusty floor.
[Clock: 02:30]
[Warning: Host status: Deteriorating]
Everything rang.
Everything ached.
But he held on.
If he fainted now
He'd fail the quest.
He'd fail himself.
He'd fail his mom, who'd been worrying nonstop.
He grabbed the wall and forced himself upright.
His legs shook violently.
"Two… more… stupid minutes…" he wheezed.
Araya walked toward him, furious.
Raised his foot.
"This is what you get for talking big, loser—"
[Clock: 00:01]
The kick landed square in his chest.
Black swallowed his vision.
He went down.
Completely unconscious.
Meanwhile…
Haru's mom parked near the school.
She checked her phone.
Opened the Neuro-Linker parental app.
Her location tag for Haru flashed red.
Location: Old Storage Building 32m East]
Her heart dropped.
"HARU?!"
She ran.
Her heels clacked like gunshots against the pavement.
She rounded the back of the gym
Just in time to see Araya kick her son across the floor.
Her vision tunneled.
Her blood boiled.
She screamed his name.
"HARU!!"
Araya turned around, startled
Then smack
Her hand connected with his cheek.
The echo rang across the empty yard.
"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY SON?!"
Araya stumbled back, shocked speechless.
Haru's limp form lay on the floor.
Covered in dust.
Bruised.
Bleeding from the lip.
She rushed to him, scooping him into her arms with trembling hands.
"Haru, Haru, oh god…. my baby!"
He didn't respond.
She hugged him tightly, choking back panic.
Her voice trembled with fury.
"You three are going to the police. And your parents. And the school board. And God himself if I have to."
Araya paled.
Mrs. Arita pulled out her phone, already calling emergency services and the school.
Her voice was both icy and shaking:
"I'd like to report an assault. Multiple minors involved. My son is unconscious."
Araya and his goons stood frozen.
The wrath of an angry mother was ten times scarier than any teacher, principal, or supernatural force.
Haru, unconscious in her arms, barely breathed.
But his system flickered softly behind his closed eyes
[Quest Complete: Survive 15 Minutes]
Reward Pending