Chapter 9- Astrid Lynx
'Hmm, that's…' Rein looked at the girl and could only feel curious. Naturally, he knew who she was very well. Everyone in that city knew who she was.
'Astrid Lynx.' Rein squinted his eyes. 'The daughter of the Lynx family. I think they own many banks across the world. They aren't particularly related to the Awakened directly, but I would assume a family that rich would have connections of that sort everywhere.' He mused. 'She seems to be quite talented herself, already awakening earlier this year.'
Astrid was by far the biggest pride of the entire city of Lesonia. She was the best talent to be born in that city in almost 50 years.
The girl herself was incredibly gorgeous, with distinct red hair, akin to fire, beautiful, sharp red eyes, and a face that takes the breath away at a glance. She was admired by many and looked at with deep admiration.
The old teenager who owned this body was no different. He adored her a lot. In fact, looking through his memories, Rein realized that the kid was actually in love with her to the point of obsession.
He remembered many instances of very questionable actions he did because of his admiration for her.
'Wait, did this guy actually confess to her?' Rein rubbed his head. Rummaging through his memories, Rein found a memory that was perhaps the weirdest amongst the countless weird images in his head.
The old Rein had actually somehow mustered the courage to confess to Astrid one day. He put a letter in her desk and then confessed to her behind the school after the end of the day. Naturally, he was refused outright with no hesitation, which shattered his heart.
'You lived your entire life being so timid and anti-social, and THAT is when you decided to grow a pair?' Rein facepalmed. 'She only handed you a pen once because your idiot self decided to forget it, and you suddenly thought you had a chance? My lord.'
"Teenagers will be teenagers, I guess. I can't blame him for trying his luck. He probably banked on the idea of her maybe finding him 'unique' because of his lackluster personality and looks." He laughed to himself.
Either way, ever since that happened, Rein became extremely depressed, and it could be said that that was the reason why he ended up dying in his sleep. That feeling was something the real Rein could relate to. Losing someone you love, whether that is reciprocated or not, is brutal and world-shattering.
He even acted upon that heartbreak, which led him to this point in the first place.
As all those thoughts ran through his mind, Astrid reached her seat, which was right ahead of him, and sat down. Immediately, her group gathered around her to talk. Astrid was a rather quiet person by nature and someone who didn't seem to talk much. However, due to her popularity and talent, everyone is naturally drawn to her.
In a sense, she was the exact opposite of Rein in every department. The difference was laughable.
With that, the teacher walked into the classroom.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, teacher."
"Everyone, take your seat."
The class immediately began as usual. Rein didn't put much focus into it as he didn't really care about it. But, surprisingly, the subjects were very similar to the ones he knew on Earth. There was math, physics, and literature. However, there were also different subjects, like biology, for example, where things are vastly different.
But, even then, with his experience, he was able to understand these concepts rather easily. Rein was and still is incredibly smart and good when it comes to academics.
'Being a mercenary means you have to be good at everything. The more versatile you are, the more people hire you to work for them.' Rein yawned slightly as he looked at the board. 'This is somewhat easy. I guess it's what high school level is. Eh, I'm leaving this city either way, so this isn't that important.'
Still, for the fun of it, he focused on the lesson and took notes.
The first class passed, then the second, and the third. Eventually, the bell rang, announcing the lunch break.
"What are you eating today?"
"Let's go before the cafeteria gets full."
"Wait for me!"
The class started moving out to get their lunch. Rein stood up and walked out of the class casually. Ahead of him, Astrid and her group walked to the cafeteria.
'I would rather not go there. I don't like eating my food in noisy places.' He thought to himself as he headed to the closest vending machine and bought a sandwich and a box of juice before he walked back to the classroom to eat.
The class was completely empty since everyone had left. It was the perfect spot to eat his lunch in peace.
Sitting down, he put the food on the table. The sandwich was filled with cheese and what he could only assume to be chicken, or something close to chicken.
'Maybe a different kind of bird than chicken.'
Taking a bite, he was surprised at how tasty it was.
"Certainly a lot better than chicken. Hmm, I wonder why food tastes generally better in this world. Is it Life Essence? Could be the reason why…"
Life Essence, existing in every living being, not only made humans, on average, stronger than their counterparts back on Earth, but it also seemed to affect the taste of food. Even the quality of the air around him felt quite refreshing and less polluted.
'This world's weather seems more stable in general, too.'
A lot of things that could be the direct result of Life Essence being everywhere, even on their own planet.
As he was having such thoughts, he stared out of the window silently. His mind wandered to his wife.
'I wonder what she's doing right now. Maybe she's also thinking about me? Could she still remember me?' He asked himself. He felt a bit anxious that she might've moved on, forgotten about him, or worse… Found another man.
That thought alone sent chills down his spine.
'No, no, no, I cannot think about that. She couldn't have forgotten about me. Sherry loves me deeply, as much as I love her.'
That woman was the sole person who adored him in this world. She had stuck by him through things that no other person in the world could. He could never question her love for him.
'I can't wait to hug her again. Dammit, my eyes are watering just imagining that.' Rubbing his eyes, he sighed and continued eating. All he had at that moment was patience. One day, in the near future, he will get to hug his wife again. It's only a matter of time.
As he was like that, he suddenly heard the door to the classroom open. He looked to the side immediately, growing subtly alert.
That was when he saw a familiar face. Astrid walked into the class alone.
"..." Rein blinked before he shook his head faintly and continued eating. 'Well, my peace was short-lived. Miss Heartbreaks came back.'
Astrid noticed him too, but she didn't say anything and simply walked to her seat.
The silence was very awkward and weird. Neither side seemed to want to be in that room at that moment. However, at the same time, they both didn't care much. Each was minding their own business.
'I should just read a book.'
As he was rummaging through his bag, Astrid turned around and looked at him.
"Congratulations on your awakening." She said with a calm tone.
That was when Rein froze and looked up at her, his eyes squinted. "... How did you notice that?"