The spectator

Well, I guess this is the phrase one is supposed to say to introduce themselves, right? Nice to meet you, readers. My name is... Well, my name doesn't matter. You just need to know that I'm a side character, so you can call me "Mob 1" if you prefer. Not that my reputation could get any worse, anyway.

Ohhh, are you wondering where Mireya is or who I am?

Well, Mireya is right there, taking classes in the front row, and as for me... Well, let's start describing myself... Let's see... Where do I begin...?

My current appearance is... well, what people would expect from someone who doesn't want to attract attention. Round glasses, a braided hairstyle that gives me a "quiet girl" vibe, and clothes that don't stand out in the slightest. It's a disguise, of course. A camouflage uniform to blend in with the crowd and keep people from looking at me too much. After all, being the "weird girl" of the class, the one who had to go to a psychiatric hospital after a crisis on the first day of school, doesn't get you many friends. Or, to be precise, it leaves you with none.

Am I well-developed for my age...? THAT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT!

My body might seem... well-developed, as you've mentioned. But the truth is, most people don't notice it, or don't dare to. After all, when you have a reputation for being "crazy," people tend to avoid any visual or physical contact. I don't blame them. Since I was a child, I've known that this world everyone sees as normal is, in reality, plagued by supernatural phenomena. I've heard the thoughts of aliens parasitizing bodies, of camouflaged monsters, and of reincarnated beings. For me, the anomaly is the norm. But on the first day at this academy... something was different.

It wasn't just the mental noise, but one thought I heard, one that completely broke me and left me unable to process it. That thought disturbed me in such a way that my mind disconnected, and blood ran from my nose. Not from a disease, but from the pure horror of what I had heard. Reputation is not something you can buy or sell. It's earned, and sometimes, it's earned in the most painful way, especially when the truth is so dark.

What was it that I heard? To understand that, I first have to talk about a certain person. In my class, there's a student... a boy, at least he tries to be. But despite his efforts to act more masculine, his appearance is so androgynous that he's often mistaken for a girl.

His silver, shoulder-length hair and his mysterious white eyes only increase that confusion. It's so much so that, unintentionally, he has twisted the sexuality of many men, while, at the same time, he has somehow earned the enmity of women. I guess his appearance, which even to me seems closer to the feminine than the masculine, is the reason. Despite being a man, he is easily recognized at Carmilla Academy as one of the people who holds the title of "princess," a title given by collective vote.

It's ironic, right? The person who tries to be more of a man is the most feminine in the eyes of others. And the truth is, if you don't look at him closely, you could swear he's a girl, but his thoughts... his thoughts are something else entirely.

The day I entered his class and heard his thoughts, I knew immediately that something was very, very wrong. His thoughts fluctuated at an absurd speed. They went from important and complex topics to mundane things in an instant, only to turn into terrifying things and, immediately after, into strangely relaxing things. It was a constantly changing mental storm, completely unstable and without any pattern. A collapse that wouldn't stop.

The most disturbing thing was that he maintained such a calm expression, such a bright smile on his face, while in his mind such a terrifying collapse was unleashing. I felt like I was on the verge of madness just by listening to him. Somehow, I managed to hold on to my sanity. For an instant, I felt how that one mind silenced the rest, only to then harmonize with the cacophony of the other voices. For me, the experience was torture.

At that moment, I didn't know it, but what I had experienced... was only the surface.

Somehow, I resisted that hell. It seemed to last for hours, even days, although in reality, only a few minutes had passed. And then, from the very source that had brought me so much torment, I heard something that for a moment completely calmed my mind. A melody. Not a thought, but a melody that instantly quelled the chaos. I witnessed firsthand how his mind was stabilizing.

However, I soon noticed that this melody was not a conscious thought. The boy wasn't even aware of it. As his thoughts stabilized and he started to talk to someone else... he stopped abruptly.

I think you already have an idea, so let me confirm that it's exactly as you imagine, right, reader? That's you, isn't it?

That was the first time I knew of your existence, although I wasn't in the best condition to think too much about it, because in that very instant, something happened that still gives me shivers just to remember. That melody, suddenly, changed.

If I had to compare it, the first part of that melody was filled with all kinds of emotions that conveyed stability, curiosity, and a deep harmony, as if it rejoiced in life. However, that melody, after reaching a certain point, changed abruptly, transforming into something cruel, fierce, and full of resentment, as if it hated the world.

Only unspoken laments, howls of pain covered in desperation, and a buried desire resonated. It was as if it were calling out to someone, as if it were apologizing to someone... and as if it were begging for help, clinging to life as it fell into a well of increasing agony. The anguish was so great that my entire skin crawled. I started to tremble uncontrollably, crying, and ignoring the voices of others around me. But even with that, the reality was that wasn't the end.

But before we continue, I need a moment to calm down, since after all, that experience was terrifying, as I've already told you.

So to change the subject a bit, let's talk about the second part of the melody that felt as if it longed for death. It's quite a paradox, isn't it? Someone who longs so much to live and enjoy their life, but who deep down wants to die. And he's not even aware of his own paradox.

Even today, when I listen to him, I see those thoughts clashing with each other without him knowing. It's a curious case. Despite what I went through, I'm incapable of hating him. Especially knowing that he's probably still ignorant of his own internal struggle. As if those two parts of his mind are in a constant war and he is just a simple spectator, not understanding what's happening.

Anyway... let's take a break and continue. What happened after that, what followed that horrible change in the melody, is the reason my life changed completely.

And then, that melody began to sound more and more dissonant, a harsh, discordant, and tension-filled musical sequence. It was at that moment that a laugh began to resonate.

<<"Hehehe, this is a surprise~">>

It sounded cheerful and childlike, full of curiosity and without any malice. However, despite that, the moment I heard it, I felt a terrifying fear in the depths of my being, an absolute horror that chilled my blood. It was as if something that shouldn't exist in this world—no, something I should never have understood—gained a voice and spoke in a childlike way.

<<"Hey, hey... YOU... CAN YOU HEAR ME?~">>

At the same time, I felt as if that "thing" was looking at me with deep interest. It was as if I had looked into the abyss, and it, playfully, had looked back at me.

After that, I felt the world spin, turn, invert, and alternate between everything else. I simply started to laugh frantically, shedding tears of blood while blood flowed from my nose. I wildly messed up my hair, digging my nails into my own skin. At that moment, that voice seemed to say, in a tone full of amusement:

<<"Ah, it would be a problem for you to break now~!">>

After that, the next thing I remember is ending up vomiting after going crazy and attacking everyone in the place. After that, I only remember waking up tied to a gurney.

After that, a lot of time passed while I tried to recover from it. But the truth is, my perspective of the world underwent a radical change. The things I once found fun now seem mundane. Instead, what once terrified me now excites me.

My attention became fixed on that boy, the cause of everything. He remains as oblivious to what happened that day as if nothing had occurred.

And since that incident, the range of my telepathy increased to an absurd level. I'm now able to hear the thoughts of thousands of people at once and, to be honest, I've come to enjoy it. I enjoy the events that others experience through their minds.

Also, over time, I discovered something more about that incident. Despite what I went through, no being, of any kind, seemed to have even noticed that existence, not even the anomalies present in the place. It was as if it truly hadn't existed.

That's why, without exception, I was diagnosed as if I had suffered an attack of extreme psychosis. My reputation as the "weird girl" was sealed by a truth that only I know.

After that, I adopted a low profile. Unlike a transmigrator boy in my class, named Kenn, who is constantly being hunted for not accepting a simple friend request, turning things into a kind of hunt.

And so on, I could give many examples of things that are constantly happening, not only at my school but throughout the entire city. That's why I understand why you, the readers, enjoy being spectators in the stories of others so much.

Also, even though I'm aware that my perspective on life has changed, I feel that I have lost a lot of empathy for others. But even so, I'm happier this way. Because, once again, a fun story will happen. And as always, I'll watch it from the sidelines, in the darkness.

In fact, a new story is about to begin right now. That boy is on his way to witness his usual romantic comedy, hidden on the rooftop as always. But this time, he'll get a surprise.

"I hope to see what happens, Mireya~"

I really can't wait~