*That's who I'll strive to be in this world!*

It's what I had sought in the past as well, but my plans had been hindered due to this unexpected event.

It was hardly a big deal, though. It wasn't like I was starting from scratch. Of course, any tangible effort in the previous world would be rendered useless, but any knowledge and skills I had gained would remain with me.

My name was forgotten, but that wasn't an issue, either. My progress on the pursuit of perfection was intact, and that was all that mattered. Anything less was unacceptable.

*Besides, starting over has its own charm.*

It was like playing a difficult video game and forgetting to save. Most people would be upset that their progress was lost. But for me, it was another opportunity. Just because tangible progress was lost didn't mean I was suddenly incapable. If I had done it once, I could do it again. And if I couldn't, then it just meant that I didn't deserve the progress. After all, relying on luck is truly irresponsible.

*In other words. It's time to decide whether or not I truly deserve my success in the previous world!*

With that, I quickly washed up and prepared to step into a foreign world.

*Can't neglect hygiene, though. What would I do if my body fell apart?*

A strong body housed a strong mind; a fresh body stimulated a fresh mind. Hygiene was essential to keep your body, and hence your mind, together.

I opened the bathroom door and stepped back into the main part of the hotel room.

*There's that sensation again. I wonder what it could mean?*

Like I said earlier, it wasn't a sensation I'd ever felt before. Even though things had gone back to "normal", my senses felt slightly overwhelmed. After all, I was experiencing mild disconnection from reality in the bathroom.

*Is this... some effect of advanced technology?*

A direct influence on the mind was mere science fiction on Earth. But here, such a method was even used in the bathroom of a cheap hotel.

*Is it a privacy measure? It did occur in a restroom, after all. Strange. Unfortunately, I don't have enough information to deduce anything 100%.*

I thought about it for a couple more seconds before preparing to leave.

*There's no point in thinking about a problem that's impossible to solve when you're busy.*

As I didn't have any belongings, leaving the room without any preparation but mental ones was sufficient.

As I strode towards the exit, the m.u.f.fled voices outside the room grew slightly louder.

*I'm sick of these thin walls. They're better off not existing at all.*

As I turned the k.n.o.b, a decisive knocking rang out.

"Housekeeping," an abrupt woman's voice said.

As I heard this voice, I realized I forgot a crucial detail of my circ.u.mstance.

*Oh, right. What time is it?*

Missing obvious details was one of my big weaknesses. No, if anything, it was my greatest flaw. Although this detail didn't currently matter, my ignorance irked me. I didn't have a phone, and I didn't have a watch. Two crucial instruments used to gather information.

*Whatever. I'll figure it out soon enough. Not a big deal. At all... If housekeeping is here, it must be late morning.*

I opened the door in response.

In the hallway stood a slightly pudgy woman with tanned skin wearing a simple t-s.h.i.+rt and what appeared to be denim jeans. Her dirty blonde hair somewhat matched the wallpaper in the background. She was wheeling a cart containing standard hotel housekeeping appliances. Extra towels, soap bars, shampoos, and various sprays could clearly be seen.

"Yes. I was just about to leave, thank you," I blandly said.

Her right eye twitched slightly, and she swiftly rolled the cart into the room without another word.

Without another thought, I started into the hallway.

*With that reaction, it's apparent that she knows what I think of her. After all, those kinds of people...*

"...are useless tras.h.!.+"

As if to finish my thought, a boisterous voice yelled out from the continental breakfast area.

"More or less. That's the less eloquent way to put it," I mumbled aloud.

I heard a shaky sigh from behind me. I turned my head to look at her and narrowed my eyes slightly.

Her hazel eyes met my gaze for a brief moment, but she immediately looked away, clenched her teeth, and slammed the door.

*I know how you feel, but I unfortunately can't spare you any sympathy.*

In the breakfast hall, the argument continued as if no one was listening.

"You're one to talk," another voice shot back. "You dropped out. You'll probably end up like her if you continue living the same way."

Intrigued by the conversation and the wafting fragrance of breakfast foods, I quickened my pace.

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"Oh, really? You were just praising me less than five minutes ago. Where did that enthusiasm go?"

The hubbub grew more intense with each sentence the boisterous man uttered.

"Every time I talk to you, I'm reminded how annoying you are."

"But you always come back to talk to me time and again. What's up with that, huh?"

"Ffff..."

After approaching the hall, I finally caught a good glimpse of the two who were arguing. They both looked to be slightly older than me, as they were most likely in college.

One of them was quite ordinary-looking. He had slightly pale skin and nondescript facial features.

His attire was fairly plain as well. In fact, it was quite similar to mine.

*It's good to know that my clothes won't stand out here.*

He was wearing a plain white s.h.i.+rt that had the word "DROPOUT" scrawled on it in red marker and a khaki-colored bottom that resembled cargo shorts.

*On second thought, his fas.h.i.+on sense sucks... Looks like his personality makes up for his bland looks, though.*

Indeed, his looks were quite ordinary. However, his slightly unkempt brown hair and wild brown eyes gave him a unique atmosphere.

Sitting directly across from him at the small rectangular table was most likely a friend with Stockholm syndrome. His getup, on the other hand, was more refined. So much so that it didn't really fit with the general atmosphere of the inn.

He was wearing something of a crossover between a school uniform and a dress s.h.i.+rt. It was unlike anything I'd seen before.

It was an untucked, mid-sleeved navy and gold s.h.i.+rt with a diagonal separating the two colors. The popped v-shaped collar was also slightly larger than a normal dress s.h.i.+rt's. He was also wearing what appeared to be an external sleeve on his left arm that appeared to be... armored? On his right arm was a red/gray chameleon painted wristband. His pants looked like standard black dress pants, though.

Unbeknownst to me from the details of the conversation was a third person in the party.

She was seated to the right of eccentrically dressed man with her own wacky clothes. The color scheme and style were identical, but the shape of the design seemed to be specifically suited for females rather than males. She was also wearing a similar armored sleeve and wristband. Other than the long sports-like black skirt and leggings, there was little difference between the two uniforms. They both had light blonde hair with pepper-colored streaks. Since they were facing away from me, however, I couldn't see the details of their faces.

"Listen," Dropout said. "Just because I dropped out of college doesn't mean my talent went away. I'll still be able to make it. I despise school, but I'll still be successful. And you know it. By the way, I didn't even drop out. I just didn't enroll-"

"Oh, really, now. Why are you flaunting that s.h.i.+rt around, then? Is it so cool to be a dropout?" the studious-looking kid responded in a slightly agitated tone.

"It definitely rolls off the tongue than 'didn't enroll in college', doesn't it? Marketing is pretty important."

Although I was definitely intrigued by their conversation, I was also getting pretty hungry. The self-serve breakfast foods were sitting there waiting to be eaten. Other than a strange serrated, hollow, hemispherical dried fruit that didn't exist on Earth, the foods looked surprisingly ordinary. The only inconvenience was that water was the only drink offered.

I piled some dark-colored bread, scrambled eggs, and one of the strange fruits that was roughly the size of a tangerine onto my plastic plate. I then filled a thin paper cup with water and headed over to a table to be seated. I looked around for an optimal spot, but...

*There are no empty tables?*

Despite a supposed stigma against this inn, the hall was quite packed. The fact that the group's conversation was discernible at all was a testament to their rowdiness.

*I'll just join in on their fun, then.*

"Marketing my pet challan," Studious said. "What do you even have to market?"

"You seriously forget who you're talking to every time we converse, you know that? Of course I have something. Why would I plan to market nothing? And I'll prove you don't need to go to a prestigious multiversity to strike it rich!"

"Agreed!" I responded as I sat down to the left of dropout without missing a beat.

It wasn't by much, but the hall grew noticeably quieter. The three in the party turned to look at me with quizzical expressions.

I closed my eyes and began eating my eggs and toast silently.

*Oh? Is this a bit taboo? Well, that's just more exciting, isn't it?*

I began to hear some commotion from all around.

"He just up and sat with them..."

"Doesn't he know who they are?"

"Those EIM students these days are pretty rough... hopefully he gets off easy."

"I wonder what they're doing here, anyway..."

"Isn't it obvious? One of them dropped out, and now he's broke, so he's here. Haha."

"Shut up! f.u.c.k, everyone heard you say that... let's get out of here."

Of course, I ignored them and continued eating. At this point, though, I was observing the three seated near as I calmly picked at my food.

"Hmm... this is a bit flavorless, isn't it?" I inquired.

Indeed, the bread and eggs were both lacking in flavor. It was as if I was eating plain scrambled eggs with reduced fat.

*I wonder what this fruit tastes like...*

I bit into the serrated fruit.

*It's got the consistency, color, and flavor of a date... but it's much less sweet.*

"... hey. Who said you could sit with us?"

The previously silent girl had spoken up for the first time. And she didn't sound very happy. Unfazed, I continued eating.

"Acknowledge me when I'm talking to you! Inept r.e.t.a.r.d! *Kaywy*!"

Despite the harsh words and a foreign taunt, I continued to ignore her.

"Yovline, I don't think you need to go that far..." Studious spoke up on my behalf.

"Hush, Ersil. We let this slide, other vermin will see us as easy," she hissed at Studious... aka Ersil.

"Yijun, what's the verdict?" Ersil glanced at Droupout, whose name was presumably Yijun.

"Yovline, you did go a little too far. But..." Yijun sighed and turned to look at me. "What the h.e.l.l do you think you're doing?"

"Eating," I colloquially stated.

Yijun suddenly grabbed the collar of my t-s.h.i.+rt and pinned me against the back of my seat with a speed I couldn't even follow.

"Listen," he said directly into my ear, "it's obvious that you're not from around here, so I'll let you off easy. Out here, anyone from EIM, a top school in the universe, will trounce you without batting an eye. So steer clear. Got it?"

"Whoa, there, man. You're just gonna beat up someone who holds the same values as you?" I retorted. "Doesn't look like that's a very marketable trait. Are you going to pummel your customers, too?"

Halfway through my last sentence, Yijun threw me on the tile floor with a great amount of force. My back-first landing nearly knocked the wind out of me, and inertia smacked my head full force onto the hard surface.

Through the sharp pains on my head and back, the fluorescent lights on the ceiling began to spin.

*Ah... my m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.tic tendencies may be my downfall... but... it's exciting!*

Through labored breaths and a fervent grin, I heard Yijun's voice above me.

"You still have the gall to smile? I guess you've got some guts, but you're pathetic. Never show your face around me again, blonde brat. Let's go."

As the trio vacated the hall, the spinning world slowly faded to black, and a digital jingle resounded in my head.