Chapter 5

How long have I been in this r-rated-only-for-19-years-old-and-above-wretched-BL-novel called “And Everyone Was Silent”? Well, it has been about a year since I have possessed this body.

In my previous life, I was an ‘ordinary graduate student’—pfft—Who the hell says that? If the juvenile detention center is where boys go wrong, graduate school is where university students go wrong.

If I asked myself what I regretted the most in my past life, I would say without hesitation that I decided to go to graduate school.

The reason I died in the first place was because of graduate school.

I had work as a teacher, student, researcher, and even conducted the research of other high-ranking people unrelated to me. It might have been a little better if I hadn’t had to work as a teaching assistant.

But my family wasn’t well off.

After spending a few days as a teaching assistant and living in a laboratory, I thought I would be fine.

My record was to stay up to three nights, so would I die if I stayed there for two more nights?

But I really died when I did it.

I recall my last day my vision coming and going like a computer on the verge of breaking down. I was dazed. It was as if I was under water when someone spoke to me. Besides, every time I took a step, the floor shook. I had nothing to eat, but my stomach felt nauseous.

I thought I was going to die if I didn’t fall asleep right away, but when I tried to sleep during the occasional break, I only got a headache and couldn’t nap.

Then, finally, in the laboratory, I hugged a blanket and eventually fell asleep… and well, here I am.

Of all things, I managed to get stuck in a novel with no hopes or dreams.

“I like you.”

A cornered rat can bite a cat. I was a cornered mouse, so I could say these things to him, who was a black leopard.

Bright red eyes were staring straight at me. It was as if time had stopped, everything froze.

“What?”

“I like you.”

“… .”

His mouth was flat, without any expression, but his bright eyes did not blink at all.

So I was even more scared. I knew I couldn’t avoid his stare, so I steeled myself and looked straight back. A wild beast pounces in for the kill the moment you break eye contact.

“So I would like to get along with you.”

Even after a year had passed, I had often forgotten that I have a man’s body when I don this necklace.

“Uh… .”

When he didn’t answer, his face became even more frightening. If I said I confessed by mistake I could tell he would break off his chains and twist my neck.

“Get out now,”

he growled, his expression distorting in displeasure.

“Didn’t you hear me? Get out.”

The atmosphere was strange, so I got up with the tray.

Luckily or unfortunately, just in time, the Z-class mealtime was over and the door to the cell opened.

I didn’t have the courage to look back, so I ran outside.

Why— did you hate my confession that much? Hadn’t Kalisten showed interest in Aselia?

“What’s this?”

“Ah! A-702!”

As the researcher looked down, inspecting me, I got nervous and called out my number. Because if they spoke first, I had to say my number.

“Why is there so much food left over?”

“Oh… .”

He looked at room Z-999 from which I came out and then looked back at me.

“That’s it again.”

“Sorry… Ouch!”

I fell to the floor along with the tray crashing. I got hit in the face.

I knew it would be better if I stayed still, so I quickly picked up the food on the tray and stood up. It was fortunate. Because Kalisten ate all of the porridge, food didn’t splatter on the researcher’s clothes.

“Why didn’t Z-999 eat all of this?”

“I’ve sinn— ugh… !”

This time it took me a while to get up because I was hit so hard I heard a pop. I couldn’t hear the researcher’s voice due to the tinnitus.

“Do it right next time.”

“Yes, thank you.”

My body was trembling, and my face throbbed so badly.

The researcher continued to inspect others down the row. When the brown haired researcher turned his head and was far, I looked up and found Kalisten’s eyes on me.

It looked like the doors hadn’t been closed yet.

Because he was looking at me as if surprised, I smiled involuntarily.

Maybe he wasn’t so heartless but clumsy?

He looked like he was worried. So when I mouthed I was okay, he turned his head away.

Don’t worry, I’ve been to graduate school. This is nothing.

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