Another day at school, another girl beating some random skinny kid up 'for being a pushover'. You'd think I'd change the original setting from earlier, but I couldn't think of a better place to start the story.

Now you may be wondering what this has to do with anything. School violence is common. Emotional teens have their issues, and they take it out on literally anyone. Why focus on her being a 'girl'?

You see, it's because these two factors will have a crucial effect on the narrative. Be patient with me. I may sound like a long-winded fool, but I'm just trying to make a stage for the main character.

ԅ(‾⌣‾ԅ)

Trust me. I know what I'm doing.

Anyway... At the rooftop of the school, the weak-looking boy felt his fair share of suffering... This was at the hands of one particularly sadistic girl in his class. How 'great' was that? A character is suffering.

A wise philosopher once said that existence supersedes human nature... No matter what your past is, you are not defined by them. These are really 'optimistic' words when taken out of context.

For characters, the reason they are portrayed the way they are mattered more than anything. 'Essence' will become the first action a character took on screen, and their little backstory, their 'existence', is all put aside so the story could get working.

Maybe that topic is what THIS story is about.

Who could go against their nature? For some, their actions are determined by their past. Just like this certain young girl. A girl who had started bullying her classmate after a harsh trauma she endured.

Maybe because I mentioned that part late, but I can tell the readers aren't sympathising with her. The order of context has made her a villain, and now all the readers are thinking about is how this resolves.

"What are you looking at?" A frown appeared on the girl's lips. Shivering while looking at the boy with bloodshot eyes. Did she have a big reason to take her stress out on him? Haha... Not at all. Those who thought they're 'strong' tended to harass the 'weak'.

It was a mentality formed through practice... You can't think of another with empathetic lens while also bullying them. It doesn't work that way.All the mattered was a bully's satisfaction in the moment.

At least, that's what we'll focus on. And no, she isn't going to get a redemption arc or be mentioned ever again. This female bully shall be foil to make my protagonist look good! No over to the protagonist.

"Where AM I supposed to look at if not in your direction?" The boy... kinda disappointed me with his by-the-book response. Should I scrap this story and look for someone else to be my protagonist?

C'mon, tell a funny joke or something right after.

You gotta be interesting.

Oh, but since he talked back to her. This naturally earned him a kick to the stomach. A look of disdain appeared in the eyes of those girls around him. He felt anger welling up within, yet couldn't retaliate. 

After all, he was so frail that any of the girls surrounding him could take his skinny little punk self on... It was the natural unfairness of the human body. How the young simply had to rely on talent.

The kid just wanted to get through all this without causing a commotion. It wasn't that he couldn't fight, but that punching someone can't stop them from coming back to harass you again later on.

On top of that, picking on girls wasn't in his nature, nor was it something others would overlook. He'd definitely be criticised for 'hitting girls' even if they were the ones who started it. It was just so unfair...!

Meh, I'd spank them if I was in his shoes...

What a big NEERRD!!!

But yes, he was simply young. Not everyone got the 17 Again or 18 Again treatment of having an adult mind in a child-like body. The fact he could talk back so confidently was enough to display his courage.

"Why didn't you just listen to me? We could have had that arrogant 'princess' if you just invited her over. You even broke your own phone while struggling... Is it really worth the pain? That prideful girl won't ever look your way no matter how much you deny it." The violent girl kept talking. She lead the other female delinquents, grabbed the frail youth's hair, and spoke while squinting her eyes. 

There must be something in them for her to keep that gaze their entire encounter. Lifting her chin up subtly to look down on him. The venom in her heart was leaking out to cover her sharp tongue. 

Did she get a kick out of this?

I wasn't able to empathise...

I'd probably change some details of this conversation if I had any control over it, but I wasn't an author of that calibre. The only thing I could do was look for the 'characters' already created and watch them.

Narrating their every move.

"You ask too many questions... I may not be that strong... but I'm a trustworthy guy. By the way, you owe me a new phone." The frail boy didn't know when to quit. He could just walk away at this point.

Hmmm, did he want to confront them and not bow?

I'm surprised. This kid was shaking in his boots, but he still had the guts to say that to her? Oh the drama right there! Though I'm getting bored because there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for this.

Guess human lives are chaotic that way.

He winced in pain and held onto his chest. When the girl saw how his eyes kept on scanning around like pinballs, she seemed to glare. The bully didn't like the way this kid was glancing at them whatsoever.

I guess it was 'hate at first sight'...?

The boy wasn't bothered. His father had always taught him to never betray someone's kindness so long as he lived, and as such: He took this lesson to heart. Quite the responsible guy, right? He was a 'perfect' protagonist no matter how you saw him!

And how did I know about his past? Don't ask. I'm the narrator here. There are things to know before introducing someone, and every little detail of their past was important. Nothing was worth discarding.

( ✧≖ ͜ʖ≖)

That's how I knew a lot about how see was seen by others. Being called useless, weak, pathetic, yet still stubbornly clinging onto a moral high ground in his defence... How WASN'T he the template protagonist for a Heroic Journey? There was room to grow!

I mean...

...look at how pathetically he laid: _('ཀ'」∠)_

The boy, Alex, was holding onto his stomach and kneeling to the ground; feeling most helpless in this situation. Repeating the word "Ouch" while rolling on the floor. It was a comical sight to behold.

Just from looking at this young lad from an Anime Otaku point of view, you could tell that he was definitely of demon descent or something. That he was just awaiting the moment of scene reversal.

The moment his stomach hurting would turn into something like: "I awakened my superpowers in a stressful moment to beat my bullies!" I mean, wasn't that how these kind of scenes worked? It should...

When the first scene is one thing, the follow-up definitely has to be something else. There was no intrigue in him getting beat up and that's it. Maybe it's my fault. Being so emotionally detached and all.

Well, guess the third person omniscient is where I'll be looking from. My job as a narrator would be to tell the story vividly and accurately, but I guess I've already failed this job by not doing exactly that.

All this time I'd just been speculating and whatnot about this. Having no real understanding of what they were feeling. Which makes this sound more like a documentary than an actual story to be honest.

Were we in a true crime documentary without me knowing? Did I get the genres mixed up? Please don't blame me, I'm new to this. First day on the job and now I'm watching this nonsense go down.

Alex was writhing on the floor and the unnamed extra, that will probably never be mentioned after this chapter, was... Well, she was pretty chill. There wasn't any further kicking, but he was still groaning.

Did he really not have a power awakening yet?

Quit dragging this out and do something already!

He had no eyepatch signifying his 'Magic Eye', nor bandages covering his 'Dragon Seals', but he was definitely someone who would be sought by an influential master. One who would teach him some kind of amazingly awesome magic... or something.

I mean, there wasn't a point where I saw this happen specifically, but... wasn't David beating Goliath a trope now? Small guy beating up bigger guys and looking cool- No, my assumption must be wrong.

They would be older boys instead of girls if things were going to go into that direction. Maybe no one sympathises with them just yet, but the readers might think an author was hating on girls for this.

No one liked this kind of 'equality'.

That's why I assume he'll be 'awakening'. Anytime now... He was going to awaken his innate power or special ability anytime now. Just give it a second or minute, hour, or day, or maybe even a few years...

Well, that's just one of many possibilities. Who knows? Maybe I was right in the prologue about him being transported to another world. Maybe he's going to die here and be reborn into a dragon.

Ha! 

What were the odds of that happening~? 

I guess it's better to get back to the point. 

Ahem... Well... 

Let's get back to the story at hand.

At school, Alex was both a loner and a pushover. 

An awkward nature was the reason why.

That, and him being a sack of bones... He couldn't even fight back against the delinquent girls his own age. That was how PATHETIC he was- Okay, maybe I'm being too harsh. He's just an ordinary kid.

One they found unappealing.

However, there was one young girl who took pity in him, and offered her friendship out of the most sincerest kindness of her heart: The school's most pretty and popular beauty, Samantha Turner. 

Oh, now this news is juicy. She has a name now so I'm guessing she's important. Wasn't sure about how accurate the 'kindness' part was, but that's seemingly what happened from the memories Alex had of her.

There was a simplification there. He was a deep and complex character with a lot of things that lead up to him being bullied like today. But in more simple terms: He was a loser. The manliest type of loser!

Could he secretly be a Harem Protagonist in disguise? His lack of features and personality being pretty much something you can sum up in a sentence seems pretty reminiscent of them. It's either that or something much more... off-brand.

Was it his bangs that covered his eyes that was appealing to ladies? Or was it his lack of defining features? Well, it COULD be that they saw bangs as what otakus adored in skirts with impossible physics. Making sure to hide what they treasure.

That being the sight of-

Nah, I'm getting off-topic again because of this.

Just look at that jawline and charisma...! Who cares if his new female friend was way, WAY out of his league? It was not like the so-called 'Winners' in life got anything good out of popularity anyway... 

Just look at how Samantha was schemed against by delinquents. 'Popularity' itself was a chain. One that forced a person to act a certain way. Not wanting to displease the crowd constantly scrutinising them.

Judging their every action.

Having popularity also meant having the envy of other girls. Those who didn't shy away from trying to take her down a notch, and the sadistic girl in front of him was one of those jealous of her popularity.

It didn't take a genius to understand what the girl was planning to do after luring his only friend over to the rooftop. Why else did they gather? It was obviously to do the same to her as with himself!

Alex was already used to getting bullied, so he figured it would be fine if he took a beating instead to deescalate the situation. That's what he believed he was doing, even though his words taunted them.

One would call this the courage of a 'hero', or being so stubborn that nothing could persuade him. There was definitely a distinct line between the two, and the answer was that Alex was simply immature.

Calling this stubbornness would suit him better...

"Martial arts is about cultivating the heart... This is nothing compared to training everyday." Alex weakly murmured as he felt his head get lighter. The boy knew right away that his consciousness was fading but didn't resist the sweet urge to... 'fall asleep'.

His words raising several flags.

Was I right about the martial artist thing? Was he going to get saved by a mentor now? They better hurry because it looks more like a murder documentary the longer this went. One could even argue that this was a deep dive into juvenile crime.

Though the frail youth was left in terrible shape, he felt pride in the fact that no one could make him submit to them. He was unafraid of danger, and had no intention to ever bend his moral standards.

Which wasn't helping whatsoever. Living in reality meant NOT GETTING INTO TROUBLE, and here he was walking straight into a trap. He could've just NOT went to the school rooftop. That was an option.

YOU STUPID PIECE OF—!!!

Err... Forgot about the readers. Ummm... What I meant to say was: See this! I told you he had the qualities of a great protagonist! An 'Action Hero' seen in movies. His awakening was nearing.

Why else would he endanger himself like this?

"Sam said to smile more and things would get better... But that that really the solution? Do I come off as gloomy?" The weak youngster, Alex, thought a bit. He was still thinking about his closest friend.

Alright. Now awaken yourself already. I'm feeling bad just watching you do this. Don't turn this into a murder documentary. You're not giving me the signs of being an Isekai protagonist, dummy. Please stop.

But my narration couldn't stop these events.

His eyelids grew heavier by the moment. Alex took the sadistic girl, who was currently laughing at him, as nothing but air. To him, the more important thing right now was to change his 'loser' image a little... 

In truth, Alex DID have a huge crush on Samantha... 

Who the heck wouldn't?!

He too was just a regular youngster!

Sh-shhh... Sugar Honey Iced Tea! 

I knew he felt that way. Did he seriously have to bring that up NOW?! Do something. Dummy, you look really sick. Why did you approach them, all while knowing you'll be beat up, when you're this ill?

However, Alex was unaware of my narrations.

He kept on thinking about how she was kind, smart, adaptive, and very good at keeping the people around her happy... like a social butterfly. He kept thinking on loop. Admiring, like... It was as if her 'livelihood' stats had broken through the roof! 

That type of girl...

He kept thinking about his darn crush! You are about to die, can't you realise your physical condition already? Don't be so distracted, you dummy. That stomachache definitely ain't normal.

His internal injury was getting worse the longer it was kept unchecked. He kept thinking about how this 'Sam' knew how to do everything from cooking to mathematics. A dream girl who excelled in whatever she put her mind to! His mind was numb.

He was experiencing the feeling of 'flight', which wasn't a good sign. Only thinking about distracting things like how Sam was admired... to the point that most guys felt they didn't deserve her.

The kid wanted to talk to her and get to know her better... To him, this was just human nature. How could someone exist on their own? He wanted so much more. The darn death glad was planted.

And he really did die as I'd been expecting.

There was no brutal murder. Only an unchecked injury they thought wouldn't matter much, but had turned into a manslaughter. He laid there limp. His eyes no longer holding those deafening desires.

It felt like my world finally became quiet.

I was disinterested in the reaction of the bullies to his death. There had to be more to this story. This couldn't stay as a murder documentary. Why? The author might be fond of tragedy, but I didn't like it.

Happy endings were the best.

My main character was dead. He died without having had a chance to do his unfinished business with Samantha. With those flags in place, I wasn't going to allow this story to end at 'Chapter 1'.

Something must be done now.

But what?

"Do you need my help?" Another disembodied voice rang out in the air, but only I could hear 'her'. There was a feminine air to this voice, and the offer it had given was no different than water in the desert.

And so I didn't narrate any refusals to this gesture.

I let my 'voice' sink beneath the fourth wall and into the fictional world. This ethereal voice was cryptic and mysterious, but it was different from mine. A voice beyond the comprehension of a 'character'.

My omniscience seemingly wasn't working properly on her. Which was a first. My position as an entity beyond the narrative shouldn't have weakness. The beings of fiction should be unaware of my existence.

And yet that woman was certain I existed.

"You know I exist?" My voice was masculine enough to show I was a male, and frank enough to show my personality. There was a no nonsense attitude I took up with the first entity that had ever contacted me.

"I do." (???)

"How?" I spoke to them.

"Does that really matter?" (???)

"It's important to me." I made it clear.

"My question if you needed my help reviving that little boy. You seemed to be watching him more intently than others." These words by the woman made me feel exposed. Not knowing how she knew.

She was a mere 'character'. How could she see me?

"I can 'see' a lot more than you think." (???)

From what you're saying, you can read the text...

"Exactly." (???)

Then why hide yourself? There can only be one narrator for a story, and you can't speak above the imaginary layer. You might be a voice inside another person's head for all I know. A baby version of me.

"You say I'm different?" (???)

We're both cut from a different cloth. I won't allow you to temp me, jester. That fool has died, but I can always look for a new protagonist. Whether it's doing something to revive him, why should I care?

I'm only a spectator.

"Do you truly believe that?" (???)

...You seem confident I don't.

"You see... I had been 'reading' for a while. Even how you don't like tragic endings like this. The story is just getting started, so how can you walk away? The only path from here... is forward, right?" (???)

Coward.

"Call me what you want. I'm nothing but a friendly neighbour offering some help. There are no strings attached to this or anything. My only goal right now is just to let you narrate the way you please." (???)

I want to deny it, but you know I simply can't lie.

"You won't trust me?" (???)

Nope.

"It's fine. You will meet me face-to-face one day. We will definitely catch up at that time.'Wandering Eye of Quantum Dissociation', I shall pave the way for your story to be told. Then, you will beg me." (???)

For what?

"The desires you've yet to notice in you..." (???)

"A fragility that'll one day cause your demise." (???)

...I think I've figured out who you are.

"Do not speak of me." (???)

Right, you were exactly right. I shouldn't have even bothered to ask when your identity was so obvious from the beginning. There is only one thing more omnipresent than my eyes and living 'characters'.

"Do you accept my assistance?" (???)

I don't know what you want, but fine... I'll gladly accept your assistance. Whatever it may be. Just know that I'm no pushover like Alex. I might not be able to observe you, but I'll always be seeing you.

"I will not say you owe me a favour...

...but I hope that your tone will change.

At least until the next time we meet." (???)

That right...?

That was the last thing 'that' said before my POV started to shift. I could sense through my omniscient eyes that my protagonist had been whisked away from his spot. His corpse had completely vanished.

He ended up being transported somewhere. The bog-standard 'Isekai' plot had finally started.

Hopefully, it will all stay that way in future.