"Jingle Bell!"The shrill sound of the end-of-class bell rang out like music from heaven.
Finally.
David, who had been standing stiffly like a scarecrow for what felt like half his life, clenched both fists and started lightly punching his own thighs.
They were numb. Completely. As if they didn't even belong to him anymore.
Two full classes. Standing. In front of the entire class.
Thanks to Melissa and her "out you go!" punishment earlier, he'd become a hallway decoration for the rest of the afternoon. He was starting to consider if his legs had actually detached at some point.
The classroom was already buzzing with backpacks zipping, chairs scraping, and the cheerful chorus of students filing out.
"Goodbye, Teacher!""See you tomorrow!"
David, however, looked like someone limping back from war. He staggered back into the classroom with zombie legs, dragging his feet like they weighed fifty pounds each.
He didn't care. He had a mission.
He reached into his pocket with great care. His prize was still there. A fresh, plump garlic bulb. His plan? Sell it to one of the weird plant-obsessed students after class. Make a little lunch money on the side. It was harmless hustle.
But just as he pulled the garlic halfway out of his pocket…
He turned a corner—
And walked smack into Melissa.
"Gah—!" David almost dropped the garlic.
Melissa stared.
David stared back.
She looked down slowly. Her eyes locked onto the garlic like a heat-seeking missile. Her eye twitched. There was silence. A dangerous, humming silence.
David could literally feel her rage meter rising like a thermometer in the desert.
She hadn't even said anything yet, but the pressure in the air suddenly felt like someone had thrown a Gengar into the room.
Melissa's eyes narrowed. That delicate face of hers looked anything but delicate now. It was the look of someone on the verge of a murder trial.
David glanced at the garlic in his hand. Then back at Melissa. Then back at the garlic.
[Get negative emotion value +50 from Melissa…]
"Ah… crap."
His smile turned into a nervous grimace. "Hey, uh, beautiful miss—I mean, Teacher! This isn't what it looks like! I can explain—"
Melissa cut him off with a single sentence. Flat. Cold. Ruthless.
"Okay, David. Come to my office later… and explain it to me there."
And with that, she turned on her heel, her high heels clicking sharply on the floor, walking toward the teacher's office with her head held high, chest out, like she'd just won a court case.
David just stood there, garlic still in hand, watching her go.
[Obtain negative emotion value +20 from David…]
He heard his own system chime in and nearly cried.
"I haven't even sold the stupid garlic yet," he muttered. "Why do I feel like I've lost money and dignity today?"
He slowly pocketed the garlic again with the tender care of someone hiding contraband.
There went his lunch money scheme.
And now he had a teacher meeting to look forward to—with Melissa.
Lucky him.
***
The entire classroom had watched the awkward garlic encounter unfold like a live-action sitcom.
As Melissa stormed off in her heels, radiating fury, David stood there looking like a busted garlic smuggler caught by airport security. Some students exchanged looks. Others tried (and failed) to suppress their laughter.
Someone in the back muttered, "Man, David's always messing around. He seriously brought garlic to class to gross people out?"
The second those words left the guy's mouth, a handful of students—specifically the ones who had chosen Bulbasaur as their starter Pokémon—turned their heads sharply in his direction, their eyes gleaming with hostility.
[Obtained negative emotion value +20…][Obtained negative emotion value +30…][Obtained negative emotion value +40…]
David, who was slumping back toward his desk like a guy on death row, heard the system pings in his head but didn't even smile this time.
Sure, he was racking up emotional points like a pro, but was it worth it if he had to face Melissa in her full teacher-rage form? Probably not. All he wanted now was to sit down, give his legs a break, and mentally prepare for whatever scolding awaited him in the teacher's office.
He lowered himself onto the chair with the care of an old man sitting down after hip surgery.
Finally. Rest.
But just as he let out a sigh of relief—
"OH-HO-HO! David! You're screwed now! Melissa's gonna roast you alive!"
A shadow fell over his desk.
David looked up slowly to see a smug-looking student grinning at him like he'd just discovered comedy gold. David blinked at him with a neutral face, then tilted his head slightly.
"Sorry," David said casually. "Do I… know you?"
The kid's grin froze. His eyes widened.
A few gasps and snorts could be heard from the nearby desks.
"You—you what?" the student stuttered, pointing at himself. "We've been in the same class for three years! It's me! Jake!"
[Obtained negative emotion value +20 from Jake…]
Jake stared at David like he'd just been betrayed by his own brother. But then his eyes narrowed, and he pushed up his black-rimmed glasses with a slow, annoyed motion.
"Oh, I get it. You're doing that thing where you pretend you don't know people to get under their skin," Jake muttered. "Real mature."
David tilted his head the other way, pretending to think deeply. "Ahhh, wait, wait… Jake? Aren't you the guy who sat behind me during the midterm and cried afterward, saying, 'I swear I'll beat David next time; just wait!'?"
Jake's eye twitched.
[Obtained negative emotion value +20 from Jake…]
Now that David found satisfying.
He leaned back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head, and gave Jake a friendly, sarcastic smile. "Glad to see you're still chasing your dreams, buddy."
David sighed and thought. "Well, if people want to donate emotional fuel to my system, who am I to say no?"
Even if his dignity was in pieces, at least he was getting paid.
Sort of.
Jake stood in front of David, his face stormy like a cloud that had been holding onto its bad mood for too long. "Seriously, David? We're still talking about that high school stuff? What's the point now?" His voice was tight, his embarrassment clear. "And it was just one point! Why are you still bringing that up?"
David blinked slowly, as if trying to process Jake's words with exaggerated slowness. Then he shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, Jake, you know, it's kinda hard to forget about something when you've been hearing about it for three whole years." His tone was as smooth as ever, his sarcasm almost tangible.
A student sitting nearby, one who had been quietly observing the exchange, couldn't resist chiming in. "You know, Jake, it's funny—David's been passing every exam since we've been here, but somehow you've managed to not pass a single one." The words floated across the room, and an audible snicker spread among the other students.
[Obtain negative emotion value +20 from Jake…][Obtain negative emotion value +30 from nearby students…]
Jake's face flushed crimson, and his hand clenched into a fist. The embarrassment of being reminded of his repeated failures made his usual smug demeanor crack. But he wasn't one to give up easily. He looked around at the classmates who were practically snickering at his expense and did his best to salvage some shred of dignity.
"Shut up, all of you!" Jake shouted at the class, his voice rising. But no one flinched, and the silence that followed felt more crushing than any of his rants.
David, on the other hand, was perfectly calm, even leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed. The situation felt like watching someone try to burn a bridge with a lighter while standing in the middle of an ocean. His next words were as casual as could be. "Yeah, Jake, you know, I'm just trying to help you out. You're really making things harder for yourself."
Jake gritted his teeth and shot back, but this time, his voice had a touch of desperation. "What's the point of you sticking your nose in? You need to be worried about yourself right now!" He gestured around at the class, as though trying to make everyone understand his point. "Once Melissa gets ahold of you, you're going to be in serious trouble. You'll be lucky if she doesn't kick you out of the program completely. And I'm sure you don't want that, right?"
There was an uneasy silence from the students around them. They knew Jake wasn't wrong. The Pokémon Trainer certification was no joke, and every little thing—especially when it came to Melissa's classes—could make or break their futures. If Melissa decided to report David for his antics in class, he could be in deep trouble. That interview was no joke. Everyone had heard the rumors about how intense her evaluations were.
David, however, didn't seem to be worried in the slightest. He didn't even flinch at Jake's warning. Instead, he glanced around the room at the pitying looks his classmates were giving him. And then, in the most nonchalant tone possible, he said, "Yeah, I'm gonna be 'interviewed' by Melissa, huh? Guess that's the price I pay for being a genius."
The students looked at each other, confused. Was he serious? Was he not worried? How could he be so relaxed when it seemed like his entire future could be on the line?
David leaned forward, looking around at all the faces filled with concern. He grinned and shrugged. "What's the worst that could happen? I'm not exactly breaking any laws. Besides, I'm sure it'll be fine." His voice was so casual it was almost like he wasn't talking about his entire academic career hanging in the balance.
The tension in the room evaporated, but Jake wasn't done yet. He glared at David with what could only be described as a mix of jealousy and frustration. "You're so lucky Melissa doesn't hate you yet. But if she ever finds out what you're doing… Let's just say you'll regret it."
David gave him a mock salute. "Thanks for the heads-up, Jake. Really appreciate it." He leaned back in his chair again, clearly unaffected. "You might want to focus on your own problems, though."
Jake's patience had officially run out. He threw his hands in the air and shouted, "You're gonna be miserable, just wait! You've got no idea how bad it's going to be!" His voice had that special "I'm-really-angry-but-I-don't-know-what-to-do-next" tone.
David, who was busy staring at his desk like it held all the answers to life's mysteries, didn't seem fazed at all. He casually looked up at Jake, raising an eyebrow. "Miserable? Why would it be miserable?" He sounded genuinely confused.
Jake's brain short-circuited for a moment. He was prepared for an argument, maybe a sarcastic retort or a witty comeback, but David had gone for... why? It threw Jake completely off guard.
David wasn't even bothering to put on a show. He simply blinked, then asked again, "Miserable? What's so miserable about it?"
Jake blinked. He had been waiting for a fight, not this calm, almost polite confusion. "Isn't it miserable to be interviewed by Melissa?" he asked, sounding a little unsure now, as if he was questioning his own words.
David furrowed his brow, rubbing his chin as if he were solving a particularly tricky math problem. He stared into the distance, clearly deep in thought, then suddenly his face lit up with a moment of realization. "Wait, wait, wait. I got it!" he exclaimed. "This is like that after-school tutoring thing from the Adam Sandler movie That's My Boy, right?"
The whole class froze. Time seemed to slow down as every student's face turned white. It was as though someone had just dropped a bucket of ice-cold water on them. All the boys, without exception, had their mouths wide open. Their eyes were practically popping out of their sockets. They all knew exactly what David was referring to. It was one of those movies that was so wild that it was practically a rite of passage to watch it in high school. The movie featured a young female teacher and her top student, and—well—let's just say it was… memorable.
A couple of girls in the class turned bright red, visibly flustered. Some of them hadn't caught on yet, but the ones who did were suddenly uncomfortable, either pretending they hadn't heard or desperately trying to pretend they didn't know exactly what David meant. They shifted uncomfortably in their seats, their faces as pink as a flamingo in a sunburn.
[Obtain negative emotion value +20 from Scarlet...][Obtain negative emotion value +30 from Mark...][Obtain negative emotion value +40 from Luiz...]
David, blissfully unaware of the internal panic he had just sparked, looked over at the girls in confusion. Some of them were turning their heads, their cheeks flushed, clearly uncomfortable with his comment. There were even a few who had their arms crossed, clearly trying to hide their embarrassment by pretending to be deeply interested in the pattern on their desk.
David blinked as the familiar notification sound from his system pinged in his ear. He turned his head to see a few girls awkwardly avoiding eye contact, their faces still a shade of red that would make a tomato jealous.
"Ohhh, I see now," David thought, grinning to himself. "Looks like I've struck gold with this little reference." He was suddenly much more aware of how wide the system's detection range was. If a girl blushed from something he said, he got negative emotion points. Apparently, the system didn't just track major anger—it could pick up on shyness and discomfort too.
He rubbed his hands together with the kind of smug satisfaction that only comes when you realize you've unintentionally stumbled upon an incredibly easy way to rack up points. "Well," David thought, "if I'd known being a bit awkward would earn me this much, I would've made these references ages ago."
He leaned back in his chair and glanced at Jake, who was now looking at him like he'd just grown a second head. "You know, Jake," David continued, "maybe it's not so bad being interviewed after all. I mean, we all know how wild things can get when you have a really intense after-school session, right?" He wiggled his eyebrows dramatically, making sure to add a bit of flair for the extra effect.
Jake was having none of it. He'd tried to get under David's skin, but now he was just watching him in stunned silence. He didn't know whether to be angry, embarrassed, or just downright confused. David, on the other hand, was practically lounging in his seat like he was at a spa, not a classroom full of students trying to figure out how he could turn everything he touched into chaos.
David turned back to the girls, who were still not-so-discreetly avoiding his gaze. "Hey, girls," he said with a wink, "You should've seen the movie I was talking about. It's hilarious, seriously. You'd love it!" He was leaning into the awkwardness, making it so much worse but somehow enjoying the power trip.
More system notifications chimed in as a few girls shifted nervously in their seats.
[Obtain negative emotion value +20 from Megan...][Obtain negative emotion value +30 from Chelsea...]
David rubbed his chin thoughtfully again. "Hmm. If only I knew being a bit cheeky could get me so many points." He was so pleased with himself, he was practically beaming.
And as the class slowly started to regain its composure, David couldn't help but look around at the mess he'd created. He'd accidentally thrown a huge curveball with one innocent reference. He wasn't sure whether he should be proud of himself or worried that he was about to get dragged into even more trouble with Melissa.
But for now, he wasn't sweating it. He'd earned enough points for an entire month of mischief.
Jake, still fuming, turned on his heel and walked away, leaving David to enjoy the sweet, sweet victory of making a room full of people uncomfortable with nothing but a single line.
"Ahh, the perks of being me," David thought as he leaned back, completely at ease. "What's next?"