Chapter 2 Sasaki Natsumi ①
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I mean, look, even I feel a bit bad about it, yo,” Hagimoto said.
A lie.
”I really do feel terrible about dropping your lunch and ruining it, Natsumi-chan,” he continued.
A total lie.
”So I went ahead and prepared a replacement for you. Go on, eat up, yo,” Hagimoto said.
With a smirk, Hagimoto—who at first glance appears to be a cool guy with glasses but possesses the most wretched personality imaginable—tries to coerce me into eating a ‘mock’ lunch. It was blatantly obvious he dropped my original meal on purpose. This substitute consisted of nothing but soil-caked weeds pulled from the ground, insect carcasses, and other refuse that no human should ever consume.
”Hey, just eat it. Don’t go ignoring Hagimoto’s goodwill, ze!” Hidaka shouted.
Hagimoto’s crony, Hidaka, forced my head down, mashing my face into the mock lunch. If this truly was ‘goodwill,’ I wanted them to return the money they had extorted from me.
”Then… give me back my money…” I muttered.
”Eh? What are you even talking about? It’s our money now,” Sugita replied.
Sugita, the ringleader of the extortion and part of Hagimoto’s clique, chimed in.
”Besides, we’ve already spent it. Even if I wanted to return it, I can’t because it’s gone. Too bad for you.”
”Exactly. Besides, Natsumi-chan gave it to us out of ‘goodwill,’ right? To ask for it back now… man, that’s just shameless, isn’t it?” Hagimoto added.
”Gyahahahaha! You said it, ze! So just be grateful and choke this down already!” Hidaka laughed.
Sugita and the others exploded into moronic laughter, rhythmically chanting “Eat! Eat!” over and over. Despite witnessing this depravity, not a single classmate moved to help. Some even jumped on the bandwagon, joining the malicious chant. Others, while not participating, simply ignored the abuse to avoid trouble, while those who might have wanted to help stayed silent, knowing they would only suffer a worse fate. This class was composed entirely of such people.
Initially, the bullying hadn’t been this extreme. I simply hung out with my fellow otaku, Tatei and Yokoo, which made us targets for Sugita’s group. They would harass me for trivial reasons, like my name sounding feminine.
Then, one day, I saw a classmate named Samidare Satsuki being bullied by a group of girls. Spurred by a fleeting sense of justice, I stepped in to intervene. That was my original mistake.
From the very next day, the target shifted to me. The girl group that had been tormenting Samidare pivoted their focus toward me, and even Samidare herself joined them in the abuse. When Sugita’s group added their weight to the harassment, the entire class’s hostility converged on me. Tatei and Yokoo were being mistreated just as badly, so I understood they couldn’t help without making themselves targets for further cruelty. I didn’t blame them. But everyone else either looked away or joined the fun.
No, there was one exception.
”Hey, that’s enough. No matter how you look at it, this is going too far,” Yuki Chihiro said.
Yuki Chihiro. Top-tier grades, a natural athlete, and gifted with incredible looks—he was the quintessential ‘perfect’ human. He was also my childhood friend. At 168cm tall, he was a refreshing ikemen to his core, a stark contrast to a gloomy otaku like myself. Because of that, he was often the subject of jealousy from several female students.
Some of the more eccentric girls even made a fuss about it, but that’s beside the point.
To be honest, I loathe Yuki. I realized some time ago that he only views me as a foil to highlight his own perfection. Since then, his presence has been a source of agony, and being ‘rescued’ by him like this only intensifies my sense of wretchedness. I can’t take his goodwill at face value. I glared at him. I wanted him to understand that he was the absolute last person I wanted help from. Seeing my expression, Yuki made a pained, lonely face and offered a bitter smile. It only made me feel more pathetic; I just wanted him to disappear.
* * *
At that moment, the chime echoed and the classroom door swung open.
”How much longer are you going to keep making a racket? Sit down, we’re starting Homeroom¹,” Nagase Emi said.
Our homeroom teacher, Nagase Emi, entered the room. At twenty-three, she was young and enjoyed popularity because her age was close to the students’, but the truth was far uglier.
”Teacher! Natsumi-chan won’t eat the lunch I prepared, yo,” Hagimoto complained.
”And we went through all the trouble of making it out of goodwill, too,” Sugita added.
”We accidentally dropped Natsumi-chan’s lunch, so we all pitched in for a replacement,” Hidaka finished.
The trio spoke with practiced innocence. However, a single glance at the contents of that ‘lunch’ made it undeniable that this was bullying. And yet…
”I see. That simply won’t do. Sasaki-kun, you must not let their kindness go to waste. Eat it,” Nagase said.
That was the reality. Nagase didn’t merely condone the bullying; she weaponized her authority as a teacher to participate in it. She was a garbage human being.
”Teacher! What are you saying!? Calling that goodwill… it’s clearly abuse, isn’t it!?” Yuki protested.
But Nagase ignored him completely. This was the true state of the class I belonged to.
”Sasaki-kun, everyone is being inconvenienced because of you alone. Hurry up and eat.”
”I can’t… eat this…” I whispered.
”Calling it ‘this’ is disrespectful to Sugita-kun and the others. Show some gratitude and eat properly.”
”Teacher, how is that even food!? Could you eat it!?” Yuki shouted.
Yuki continued his desperate protest, but his intervention only deepened my humiliation.
”I certainly couldn’t eat something like that, no,” Nagase replied.
”Then—!”
”But that is entirely beside the point.”
It was like shouting into a void. No matter what was said, it was futile.
”Sasaki-kun, eat—”
’Ding-dong-dang-dong. Announcement. All students and faculty of Class 2-3 are now being transported to an alternate world, desu!’
A school-wide broadcast cut Nagase off. Strangely, the announcer had even voiced the chime sound herself.
”Huh? Is this some joke?”
”Going to another world? We’re not in a light novel.”
”I have no idea what they’re even talking about, ssu.”
The classroom erupted in noise. While a staple of light novel tropes, it was an impossibility in the real world. I assumed it was either a prank by the student council or the ramblings of someone who had lost their mind.
’Ah, you probably think this sounds suspicious, don’t you? But it’s the real deal, desu! From this moment on, you are all going to another world to save it, desu. However, since you’re all fragile and would perish instantly as you are, I, Goddess Aurelia², shall bestow skills upon you as a gift, desu! Please save the world with them. Well then, have a safe trip!’
What a preposterous speech. And a goddess? Judging by her tone, she sounded like nothing more than a ‘useless deity.’ Even for a prank, it was in abysmal taste—on par with Sugita and his goons. But it was no prank.
The classroom floor began to radiate a blinding light.
”Whoa, what is this!?”
”It’s too bright!”
”Uwaaaaaaa!”
”I-It’s the otherworld Teleportation³ I’ve always dreamed of…”
”Who’s the idiot saying that!?”
”C-Calm down! Everyone, stay—”
Chaos erupted as the phenomenon intensified. I believe it was Yokoo who let out a shout of joy. As for me, though I was stunned, I felt a profound sense of relief that I would finally be free from the bullying. Enveloped in the radiance, I lost consciousness, and then—
—
Summary:
Sasaki Natsumi is subjected to a dehumanizing bullying ritual by Sugita and his gang, who are backed by their malicious teacher, Nagase. Natsumi’s resentment toward his ‘perfect’ childhood friend, Yuki, is revealed as Yuki tries and fails to intervene. The chapter concludes with a sudden, surreal announcement from a goddess named Aurelia, who teleports the entire class to another world just as Natsumi is about to be forced to eat garbage.
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Character Insight:
Natsumi’s internal monologue reveals a deep-seated self-loathing that has been externalized as resentment toward Yuki. His ‘misplaced sense of justice’ in the past backfired, leading to his current isolation, which explains his cynical view of ‘goodwill.’ The teacher’s behavior highlights a systemic failure, making the literal ‘deus ex machina’ of the isekai summoning feel like a necessary escape rather than a disruptive event.
—
Behind the Scene:
The author uses the ‘feminine name’ trope (Natsumi) common in bullying-themed light novels to establish the protagonist’s vulnerability. The contrast between the dark classroom scene and the ditzy tone of the Goddess is a classic genre subversion.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Hagimoto – One of the members of the Sugita gang who actively bullied Natsumi. At first glance, he looks like a cool, smart guy with glasses, but he is actually vulgar and has a foul mouth.
• Natsumi – The protagonist. Height 168 to 171 cm, weight 57 to 59 kg. He has a baby face, but he hides his eyes with his bangs. He was bullied by the Sugita gang just because his name sounded like a girl’s name.
• Hidaka – Height 182 cm, weight 79 kg (Male). A muscular member of the Sugita gang and the Kendo club. While better than the other two, he still used Natsumi as a punching bag and joined in the sexual assault of Lieselotte Himesaki.
• Sugita – The leader of the Sugita gang and the primary bully of Natsumi Sasaki. His grandfather is the Superintendent General and his father is a Police Superintendent, so the two of them covered up all his crimes. Because of this, he does whatever he wants wherever he goes.
• Tatei – Tatei Kozoo. Height 186 cm, weight 52 kg. Natsumi’s otaku friend. Originally a tall and sturdy man, but he became skin and bones due to anorexia. Possesses the skill ‘Materialization Alchemy’. Created equipment for the class.
• Yokoo – Natsumi Sasaki’s otaku friend. His appearance is based on ‘Yoko’ from ‘Comic Party.’ Possesses ‘Materialization Summoning’. Accompanied by a Living Armor.
• Chihiro – Height 178 cm, weight 70 kg (Male). Natsumi’s childhood friend. A handsome, athletic top student in the soccer club.
• Yuki – Yuki Chihiro. Height 178 cm, weight 70 kg (Male). Natsumi’s childhood friend. A handsome, athletic top student in the soccer club.
• Emi – A 23-year-old teacher. Height 159 cm, B-W-H: 85-56-83. She looks younger than her real age. She is popular with students because she acts nice, but she is actually a trash teacher who was the first to bully Natsumi Sasaki.
• Sasaki – The protagonist. Height 168 to 171 cm, weight 57 to 59 kg. He has a baby face, but he hides his eyes with his bangs. He was bullied by the Sugita gang just because his name sounded like a girl’s name.
• Aurelia – A goddess who contacts the class via the school intercom to announce their reincarnation.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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