Tutorial

Sakura has always been a warm and smiling person. She had a tendency to get nervous when she found herself in peculiar situations. She loved to laugh at my stupid jokes but she herself wasn’t trying to be funny under any circumstances. She’s the type of person you love being around for no reason.

Why would she claim her name was not Sakura but Laska?

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks soon.

The system girl told me I had no name so she better give me one. She was also amazed I was able to ‘remember’ some stuff about the ‘real world’.

As I looked out the window for the first time since my awakening, it all became clear.

Even if the classroom looks identical to that from just minutes ago, the world outside was not my country.

Although the classroom appeared unchanged, the world beyond its walls was not the world I knew. Instead of the ugly factory buildings, graffiti-covered apartment blocks, and ubiquitous corner shops, I saw nothing but breathtaking landscapes, lush greenery, and vibrant wildlife.

The world of Romancia.

“E-excuse me, I thought I knew you from somewhere…”

Of course I knew her. She was my precious girlfriend. I would continue to call her that even though our relationship couldn’t be legally recognized.

Her soft, rosy lips curved into a gentle smile before her eyes returned to the textbook I had distracted her from.

This girl is Sakura. And I do love her.

But she seemed to have forgotten all about me.

I decided to test the extent of the memory loss.

“Say, ehm… Laska… do you know why we’re here?”

I asked her with caution.

She gazed up at me again, her expression hinting at the oddness of my question.

“Of course… we’re here in order to graduate so that we can come back to our world and pursue relationships legally… Why are you asking? Don’t you know why we’re here?”

Okay, so it wasn’t a memory loss.

She didn't remember her real name, nor did she recall me as her boyfriend or anyone else from her life.

But why?

Lost in trying to understand what had happened to my girlfriend, I failed to notice the intimidating teacher had closed the distance between us. When I finally glanced in front of me, his 'face' was mere centimeters away, and though his eyes remained hidden, I could feel the chilling glare.

“M-may I help you, Sensei?”

I stammered, my voice trembling as cold sweat formed on my forehead.

“’Sensei’?”

The teacher spoke for the first time since we had seen him. His voice sounded much younger than expected, though he was undeniably an adult. And it was cool as fuck.

As odd as it may sound, I've always had a fondness for pleasant voices, whether they belonged to a man or a woman.

“Ahahahah!” He burst into laughter, looking genuinely amused. And it wasn’t a villainous type of laugh I would have expected from someone looking like that. “You must be some kind of a weeb! Everyone!” He held out his hand in the air. “Please call me Sensei! No ‘teacher’ or ‘mr. professor’ or anything! ‘Sensei’ sounds so cool~!”

Huh?

“Oh, I never introduced myself. My name is Svet. So it’s Svet-sensei for you, hahaahaha!”

He reveled in his own enjoyment.

“So, I believe you had a chance to chit-chat a little among yourselves, so let’s start with some general information!”

Okay, if he’s just a regular guy, what is that atrocious bag on his head? It can’t be his in-game avatar because we saw him like that in our world, too. Am I really the only one who finds that weird?

As Svet-sensei began writing with white chalk on the blackboard, certain words came into view.

‘Love School’.

“Dear students, I’d like to officially welcome you in the game of ‘Love School’! This world consists only of a single country that goes by the name of Romancia. You were all randomly assigned stats by our system administrator, given a name, and so on, and so on. You already know that from the initial transport process.”

He had a natural talent for presenting. I wouldn't have minded having a teacher like him back in high school, minus the attire. But why wasn't anyone questioning the fact that we had been transported to another world? And what was happening to our real bodies? Like, hello? Am I the only one to find it strange?

Numerous thoughts flooded my mind simultaneously.

"Each of you has been given 100 HP. I'm sure most of you are familiar with this stat. Once it reaches zero, you'll need to restart the game from your last checkpoint and try again. So don't worry, you won't really die in this game."

Observing the classroom, I saw everyone listening attentively and diligently taking notes on Svet-sensei's explanations.

“But the real concern for you might be the EP stat. You also have 100 points, but unlike your HP, these points cannot be reset. Be extremely cautious. Once your EP, the Educational Points, drops to zero, you’ll be expelled from the Love School, and you’ll need to wait a full year before enrolling again. Fail twice, and you'll never receive a diploma granting you the right to date or marry anyone in your life."

As those words reached my ears, I gulped, my gaze immediately shifting to Sakura—or Laska, as I should now call her.

"Just like any other school, there will be both theoretical and practical exams covering various subjects. Focus on gaining experience and leveling up to prepare for the final exam, which I won't discuss right now."

I imagined the final exam would be some kind of a final boss we needed to overcome. And ‘love’ was the key to defeating them.

"If you make a heart symbol with your hands and fingers and call out a specific command, like 'menu', you'll be able to see your profile, stats, and so on."

I tried to mimic the gesture with my hands, but noticing that nobody else was doing the same, I abandoned the idea for the time being.

"One more thing. While you are allowed to date anyone here at Love School, you are strictly prohibited from engaging in sexual activities."

The students continued taking notes, seemingly unfazed. I felt a growing unease. Why were they all so calm? And what was this talk about sex?

“If we find out you have had sex, both parties are to be expelled immediately.”

“Svet-sensei, and how would you know we had sex? Are there any hidden cameras or even satellites?”

“Of course there are, but there are certain places where we don’t see as that would be unethical.”

He must mean bathrooms and bedrooms…

"With that being said, when you engage in sexual activities, there are certain... signs and hints on your physical bodies... Oh, and don't worry, we are taking care of your physical bodies back in the real world while your minds are here!"

What kind of signs? I felt heat rising up in my face, and my mind conjured up various possibilities of what could be happening to our bodies.

Oh, and so we are taken care of, how thoughtful… also, this being a game… it makes total sense why our parents can’t visit or contact us.

“Svet-sensei?” I raised my hand politely. “Why do we have to go by our given names, can’t we go with our real world names?’

Svet-sensei appeared nervous, though it was difficult to discern.

“Oh? Hehe… heh… Class dismissed! You can go to your rooms upstairs, each one of you is living alone! You are free to explore this world for today, the lessons start tomorrow! And as our school motto says: Level up your love!”

It felt strange that the teacher didn't address my question, but I didn't dwell on it too much. All the students stood up, finally loosening up a bit. Their voices filled the air with chatter and laughter.

Sakura began to leave my side, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of worry. I had to play along until I could unravel the mysteries of this place.

Perhaps spending more time together would jog her memory, I hoped.

But for now, I had to fight alone.

Or did I?

CHAPTER 2: END