Chapter 5: Strange points?
The notification disappeared, but the feeling it left behind didn’t.
Noah Walker.
The protagonist of Sinners Academy.
Even after finishing every route in the game, I couldn’t confidently describe him as a normal protagonist. He was kind, reliable, and generally a decent person, but the problem was never Noah himself.
The problem was the girls around him.
Noah attracted trouble the same way a magnet attracted metal.
Every major route in the game started because of him. Every heroine eventually became connected to him. Every major conflict somehow traced back to his existence.
And according to the system, he was coming back soon.
I wasn’t sure whether I should be relieved or terrified.
Professor Bennett continued speaking while I sorted through my thoughts.
Today’s lesson was economics.
Normally, I would have been bored.
Unfortunately, my life had become far too complicated for boredom.
The class progressed quietly. Professor Bennett explained various concepts while students took notes. Occasionally she called on someone to answer a question.
The atmosphere appeared normal.
Keyword: appeared.
This was Sinners Academy.
Nothing was truly normal.
A quick glance around the classroom revealed several examples.
One girl was staring at another student’s notebook instead of her own.
Not because she needed help.
Because she seemed genuinely interested in what the other girl was writing.
Another student kept glancing toward a classmate every few minutes.
A third was smiling while writing something in a small notebook.
Adrian’s memories immediately recognized it.
A diary.
A very detailed diary.
About another student.
Wonderful.
Absolutely normal behavior.
The original game wasn’t exaggerating.
These girls really were strange.
I forced myself to focus on the lesson instead.
At some point, Professor Bennett called my name.
"Adrian."
My body straightened automatically.
Years of school conditioning were stronger than reincarnation.
"Yes, Professor?"
Professor Bennett adjusted her glasses.
"Since you seem unusually attentive today, perhaps you’d like to answer."
The classroom immediately became more interested.
Not because of the question.
Because it was me.
Adrian wasn’t exactly known for volunteering answers.
A memory surfaced.
The original Adrian preferred staying quiet.
Drawing attention usually ended badly for him.
I was beginning to understand why.
Professor Bennett pointed toward the board.
"What is the primary factor influencing market demand in this example?"
Thankfully, the answer was easy.
Even my old self could handle it.
I gave the correct response.
Professor Bennett nodded.
"Correct."
That was all.
No praise.
No criticism.
The lesson continued.
Unfortunately, that single moment had already attracted attention.
Ryan leaned slightly closer.
"See? You do know things."
I glanced at him.
"That sounded insulting."
"It was a little insulting."
At least he was honest.
The lesson eventually came to an end.
The bell rang.
A collective sigh spread throughout the classroom.
Students immediately began talking.
Professor Bennett gathered her books.
"Read Chapter six before tomorrow."
Nobody looked happy about that.
The moment she left, the classroom transformed.
Conversations erupted everywhere.
Phones appeared.
Groups formed.
It was honestly impressive how quickly students switched from disciplined to chaotic.
Ryan stretched in his seat.
"I’m starving."
"It has been one class."
"That doesn’t change anything."
Unfortunately, he had a point.
Before either of us could continue the conversation, another notification appeared.
______
[New Objective Available]
Proceed to Snack Break
Reward: +5 Sin Points
Failure Penalty: Unknown
______
I frowned.
The system was treating my school schedule like a quest line.
At this rate, breathing would probably become an objective too.
More importantly, what exactly was the point of Sin Points?
So far, I had earned five points and absolutely nothing had happened.
There wasn’t a shop.
There wasn’t a skill menu.
There wasn’t even an explanation.
The system kept handing them out like they were important while refusing to tell me why.
For all I knew, they could be completely useless.
Then again, this was the same system that had warned me about Bianca before she nearly choked me.
Dismissing it entirely would be stupid.
I made a mental note to investigate the Sin Points later.
Ryan noticed my expression again.
"You really are acting weird today."
That immediately put me on alert.
"What do you mean?"
Ryan frowned.
Then he shrugged.
"I don’t know. You just seem different."
For a moment, my heartbeat increased.
Then Adrian’s memories provided an answer.
Apparently the original Adrian occasionally became quiet after dealing with Bianca.
Good.
Very good.
That gave me an excuse.
I rubbed my cheek again.
Ryan’s expression immediately softened.
"Oh."
He understood.
"Right. Senior Bianca."
I nodded.
Ryan sighed.
"She’s going to get herself arrested one day."
Somehow, I doubted that.
People with money rarely played by the same rules as everyone else.
Especially in this academy.
The notification remained floating at the edge of my vision.
Proceed to Snack Break.
Simple enough.
Then again, my previous objective had been "Attend First Period."
That had somehow ended with me wearing cat ears.
Experience suggested that nothing was ever as simple as the system made it sound.
And judging by the faint grin appearing on Ryan’s face, snack break was about to become another problem.
I wasn’t looking forward to finding out why.
