Tomorrow, we're finally getting discharged—well, except for Rocker, because, you know…
At least the guy still has colleagues visiting him every day, so he won't die of loneliness. Probably.
Snap!
"Agh! What the hell, why did you zap me?!"
"Huh? Oh, I just wanted to test my new enchanted gear."
Baron snapped his fingers over a piece of paper. In an instant, it got electrocuted into ashes.
Bro really just Thanos-snapped a piece of paper out of existence.
Honestly, no matter how many times I see it, I still can't get over how strong this dude is.
And yet, somehow, this absolute war crime of a man got placed in Class F.
"Hmm, this gear is pretty nice," Baron said, admiring his gloves.
"What's so good about it?"
"Well, every time I attack, my mana consumption drops a lot. It's so good I could fight for an entire day without running out of mana. Also, my electricity got way stronger."
As he spoke, lightning crackled around his hands, twisting and sparking before—wait. Did that lightning just turn into a tiny electric pig?
What in the world—
"So… what about your gear?" Baron turned to look at me.
Kai glanced at his four new pieces of equipment.
"Not testing them yet, but once I get out of here, I'm going all out."
Kai then imagined himself fully geared up, punching monsters in a dungeon, and racking up cash.
Hehehe...
"Rocker! Wanna hear some guitar?" one of his colleagues asked.
Kai and Baron looked over. Rocker, now wagging his metaphorical tail like an excited puppy, nodded enthusiastically.
His colleague pulled out a guitar and started playing.
A soft melody filled the hospital room.
'…This sounds like something straight out of a fairy tale.'
Not that I'm complaining. Actually, I kinda like it.
But still… This world doesn't have the same kind of music as mine. Even though it's somewhat modern, I haven't heard anything close to the songs I grew up with.
As the song ended, Rocker lifted his hands to clap—
Alright, maybe I should stop making jokes about people losing their hands…
Baron, meanwhile, looked like a man who had heard one too many soundtracks in his life.
Rocker's colleague, on the other hand, grinned proudly.
"I composed that song myself!"
"That was great! You should make an album and release it!" Rocker said.
Wait. This world has albums?
"Oh, thanks! I'll give it a shot!"
Kai, bored out of his mind, was about to sleep.
"By the way, Kai, why have you been staring at the guitar this whole time?" Rocker suddenly asked.
Oh, for fuck's sake.
How the hell did this guy notice?!
All three of them turned to look at me. Sweat dripped down my face like I was a suspect in a murder trial.
"You know how to play?" Rocker's colleague asked.
"Ummmm…"
"If you do, go ahead! I'll lend you my guitar!" He handed it to me, making me flinch.
"But if you don't, that's fine too! No pressure!" He and Rocker laughed, throwing their arms around each other.
I looked at Baron.
His face screamed, I have no expectations for you.
And yet, despite his deadpan expression, he still stayed, willing to listen. Out of pity, maybe?
Well, at least he's not a total piece of shit.
I sighed, staring at the guitar.
"If I suck, please don't say anything."
"No worries!"
Kai placed his hands on the guitar and closed his eyes.
He had no idea what song to play, so he thought of a melancholic indie love song.
The lyrics kinda unique that he wasn't sure if people in this world could even understand them.
Screw it. Let's roll.
He started strumming. A soft, gentle melody filled the air.
"Come and hear this song for you,
Don't blame me if I sing off tune."
Baron's ears twitched. He immediately sat up, listening more intently.
"It's been so long since our last song,
I fear I'll forget what we left unsaid."
Both Rocker and his colleague looked surprised as they listened.
"Take these words I wrote for you,
For the days we ran so free.
You'd follow me, humming along,
Through hard times, you cared for me."
All three of them got lost in the chill melody.
"And I know you know,
I was never one to write love songs.
What good would they do us now?
When I'm always gone somehow."
Kai kept strumming, but suddenly, he noticed how focused they were on him.
Shit. Why are they listening so seriously?!
Feeling a bit embarrassed, he continued singing.
"So tell me, do we even need
A love song anymore?
But if one day we go separate ways,
Remember this moment we had before."
And then, the guitar stopped.
The three listeners snapped out of their daze.
"Hey?! Why'd you stop?!" Rocker's colleague rushed over.
"Uh, well…"
'I forgot the lyrics…' Kai broke into a cold sweat, scratching his head.
"I… haven't finished writing it."
"WHAT?! IT'S THAT GOOD AND IT'S NOT EVEN FINISHED?!" Rocker and his colleague shouted, making Baron and Kai cover their ears.
The guy suddenly grabbed Kai's hands, his eyes sparkling like a shoujo protagonist.
"You! Drop out of school and become a singer!"
"No."
"W-Why not?!"
Because being a singer is hella stressful. One drama and fans will tear you apart like piranhas.
"Because I like studying more," Kai lied through his teeth, making the guy look absolutely heartbroken.
"Th-Then… if you ever change your mind, call me!"
He shoved a business card into Kai's hands—one with a freaking Hello Kitty design on it.
Kai stared at it, at a complete loss for words.
After that, the guy left, leaving the three of them alone in the hospital room again.
"...Hey," Baron suddenly spoke up.
"Hmm?"
"That song… who did you write it for?"
Bruh. Why are you asking so many questions?
Kai scratched his head, trying to come up with the dumbest excuse possible.
"For… a girl I once loved."
"...I see."
Baron turned his head away.
'W-What's with that reaction?!'
As Kai sat there, utterly confused, Baron stared into the distance, deep in thought.
And then… he started crying.
Oh, great. Now he's imagining some sad love backstory I don't even have.