Gate Guardian - Tale of the Blazing Heart

Prologue

Prologue

[Heightsburg Campus - Heightsburg City]

[4:38 PM]

"A-Again..."

I leaned on my desk, letting out a heavy sigh. Certainly my face looks troubled. This is the day where our test papers will return to the owner. Exam results. And I have a bad one. This is the second time I got a score of 12 out of 100 in our calculus subject. I don't know what happened. I studied hard before the exams but I still managed to be at the bottom of the list.

Heightsburg Campus has the best teachers, facilities and rankings in our country. They have high standards and produces quality students. It's a miracle for me, Yohan Romanov, to enter this school anyway. I have a below average intelligence according to mock aptitude tests but I managed to pass the entrance examinations on this school by pure luck.

I'm already a third year high school student on this campus, yet I can't adapt to this school. They're all skillful and smart. And I'm just a loser.

I looked at the seat on my right. It was empty.

"...Asumi's absent again..." I muttered.

Then I glanced once more on my disastrous exam paper before I sighed again. My best friend is not here, I have a low grade... Maybe I'll get stabbed this afternoon. Seriously, this isn't my day. Everyday is not my day.

"Hey, how did you do?" Arthur tapped my right shoulder. He was an ordinary high school student with black curly hair and blue eyes.

I know that he already saw my paper, so I answered honestly.

"Not good..."

"Don't worry, there's still next time." Arthur smiled.

"I wish I could get better." I exhaled. "How about you?"

"I'm cursed by fate. I got four mistakes! Darn it!"

Arthur really acted like he was more disappointed than me. Four mistakes? He got ninety six over one hundred!!! Darn him! I got twelve over one hundred! How is he more frustrated than me?! Now I felt the urge to punch him! ...But I can't, he's one of my few friends.

Because his rambling, I decided not to talk to him for the rest of the day. Good thing he left after feeling my aura of despair as I lay down on my desk.

What am I supposed to do now? My grades are failing. I'm not good at any extracurricular activities. I'm not even athletic at all. See these stick-like arms? Nevermind. Just look at me. I'm a complete loser.

After our teacher returned our exam papers, the bell rang; signaling the end of this miserable class. (Maybe "miserable" is only applicable to me). Even if the class was already dismissed, I stayed at my desk and rested my face on the test paper.

I'll stay here for a couple of minutes until there are no more students left in this classroom.

<>

I think it's about time, so I decided to go home. I lifted my head. The test paper was sticking on my left cheek. But I was surprised what was in front of my face.

It was a lady, with blonde hair and delicate face. Her green eyes looked at me with a sparkle. She was indeed beautiful. Her overwhelming charisma brings hope and love to me. Her emerald eyes makes me delete everything in my mind.

"E-Erylle?"

"Heya~" The beautiful maiden smiled.

My heart goes beating like ghetto blaster. My face transformed red and my eyes widened. My mind turned blank and my breath was knocked out of me. My nose...I can feel it's in the verge of bleeding. She's my ultimate crush! Why did she show up at this time?!

Wait, I have to act normal! There's my test paper on my left cheek! I should remove it immediately!

Don't mess this up! Don't mess this up! Dontmessthisup! Do something completely ordinary!

WHACK!!! I slapped my left cheek. The test paper fell to the ground flawlessly. But then I realized my mistake... My test paper should have landed upside down but it's not...Erylle glanced at it and noticed my score.

12.

I looked at the test paper.

Then to Erylle.

Then to the test paper.

Then to Erylle.

Darn! She just saw my score! She will now think of me as a complete idiot! A complete loser! I told myself to act normal, but it worked the opposite! I'm too afraid to mess things up... But I always mess them up...

Erylle picked up the test paper and stared at it for awhile. I was just there, dumbfounded. Nothing's worse in this situation.

"Hmmm..." Erylle laid the paper on my desk and looked directly into my eyes. "This term's calculus is really hard, so it's understandable..."

"R-Really?"

"Yes~" She smiled brightly. I fell in love again, for a thousandth time. "I barely passed myself."

Barely passed means...She got a score around eighty...since eighty is the passing score. That won't raise my ego a bit...

"Don't worry, everything will get better~" She continued to smile. "Just believe in yourself~"

Our eyes made contact within two minutes. Within that two minutes, my heartbeat became heavier like a boom box. All the blood in my body gathered at my cheeks. At this rate...I'm going to pass out!

"Heeeeey, Erylle!" It was Heffy's voice. She was calling Erylle at the door. "Let's go now!"

"O-Oh, yeah... I'm coming!"

Erylle then left my table and trotted to the door. I just watched her go away from me since my toes are quite shaky. But before she left...She waved her hand at me with a shy blushing face.

"Bye~!!!"

W-Why did she look at me like that?

<>

I'm back at the dorm. I was sitting on my bed, daydreaming. I'm daydreaming about Erylle smiling, blushing and waving her hand at me. My brain replayed that scene over and over again like a movie that made it hard for me to sleep. It's already one o'clock in the morning and I'm wide awake. I can feel that bursting red hot sensation in my cheeks. It never wore off. Same goes to my heart.

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" I screamed. "I really really like her!!!"

I rolled out of my bed energetically. I was now sprawled out on the floor with my pillow in the tight grip of my hands. I continued to roll around frantically!

"HEY, STOP SHOUTING!!! IT'S ALREADY PAST MIDNIGHT!!!"

That was the voice of our dorm father from outside. Now I feel like I'm stupid. Wait, I am stupid. To prevent any more trouble, I muffled my own screams with my pillow.

"Erylle is so cuuuuuuuuuute!!! And beautifuuuuul!!! And kiiiiiiiind!!! And smaaaaaaaaaaart!!!"

I can't control my feelings! There's no way to control myself in this state! Rolling around won't help either!

After a few more minutes, I calmed myself. I settled down and started thinking about what should I do with this feelings. She's been my crush for three years. Maybe a confession is a good idea... Maybe I should try to tell her how I feel about her.

If I don't, I'll end up hugging my pillow and acting like a retarded man every day.