OJTTEG-Chapter 1: I'm About to Be Expelled (Patreon)

["If you had to describe Mr. Haunter's mental state in one sentence, what would you say?"

"He is probably the only person who, when someone knocks on the washroom door, would say ' Please come in.'"]

……

Century Year, 2018.

Morning.

At Bryant University's library, a guy with brown hair and eyes leans against the window, casually flipping through a book, basking in the glorious sunlight.

"Do you know what mysterious creatures are? If you're lucky enough to observe them, you'll enter a unique world, dancing with death."

"What if you don't observe anything? Well, that's fine too. Just wait for death like an ordinary person, like me. After all, in the 18 years since I was born, I've never seen a mysterious creature."

"Purrr~"

"I came to this university because I heard there were ghosts here. Turns out, there aren't any—except for you, such a cute little cat. Every time I'm lonely, you appear by my side."

"Yes, I'm not a native of this world, and neither are you. You came from 'Cat Planet.'" Haunter turns a page of a hefty, ancient-looking book in front of him.

"Purrr? Meow?"

"Yeah, it's called Nyarlathotep. It's the one who brought me to this world."

"It keeps talking about how it appreciates my interesting soul and hopes I'll create miracles soon. it even erased my memories and negative emotions about the mysterious, saying it's to make things more interesting."

People nearby who are reading carefully almost always give him a puzzled glance.

How exactly is this guy communicating?Talking to himself?

Some even take out their phones to snap a photo, planning to use it as today's Facebook post. After all, the combination of a handsome guy reading never goes out of style, even if this handsome guy might have a few screws loose.

"Meow."

Haunter scratches Senior's chin.

"Not bad? How could that be! In reality, if I bore it, it'll probably kill me."

Haunter sighs, and the Senior rolls over, exposing its belly. It feels so nice to pet.

"It said it'd give me a special ability, but I don't remember. it must have deleted that too, how careless." Haunter looks utterly dejected.

"This is definitely a world-shattering bug. And there's no after-sales service at all, not even a single dream to guide me."

He doesn't recognize what those mysterious creatures look like or their strange tricks, and he has no means to fight back.

"Meow."

The Senior stretches out a paw, gently flipping the pages as if helping him vent his frustration.

"Be careful, don't tear it. Let's be civilized."

Haunter takes the opportunity to give it a pet, then puts the book back on the shelf.

The Senior expects more petting, but as soon as it turns over, it freezes.

Why did he stop?

"Purrr~" The Senior mews in dissatisfaction.

"Alright, alright, I'll get you some fish snacks later."

Haunter places another book back on the shelf and grabs a new one, settling back into his seat.

"Right, where were we?"

"Meow?!"

"Yeah, I have no means to fight back... So you see, the world is just one big makeshift stage, and even the gods are no exception."

Haunter opens the book and sighs like an old man.

"I haven't even seen a shadow of a mysterious creature to this day. I'm fed up."

"Meow!"

"If I don't explode in silence, I'll perish in silence. Rather than being wiped out for boring the gods, I might as well go mad first." The feeling of being constantly on the verge of being eliminated by the gods finally becomes unbearable for Haunter, and the Senior starts tugging at his sleeve.

"Don't pull me! Anyone who dares mess with me, I'll explode on them!"

"What are you going to explode?"

This voice is somewhat gruff, like an man's.

Huh? Haunter is a bit bewildered.

Was I just talking to a cat like a lunatic... Wait, did you actually respond?

"Since when did you start speaking human language, Senior?"

He wonders, and suddenly, he's lifted up by someone.

Like a little chick, Haunter slowly turns his head to see a man in a white shirt... a burly guy.

"First, I'm not 'Senior,' I'm security. Second, if you have anything to say, take it to the principal's office."

The security staff flashes a toothy grin at him.

A muscle-bound guy? When did he get here?

And those strong muscles—one punch could land me in the hospital!

I mean the morgue.

Haunter gulps.

"Ha, if this was the beginning of some novel, it would definitely be a terrible one."

He chuckles self-deprecatingly as he's carried away, head down, by the security guard.

"Meow!" The orange cat called Senior looks dejectedly at Haunter being taken away, licks its paw, glances around, and curls up.

Then, it vanishes into thin air.

……

Bryant University, Principal's Office.

"Bang!"

The door to the principal's office swings open rudely, and a young boy is shoved inside, landing right in the chair in front of the principal.

"You were chatting with a cat before getting caught? Never mind that. Do you know why you were brought in here?" A middle-aged man behind the desk asks sternly, hands clasped together.

Being dragged in like this, it's certainly not to receive an award.

"Yeah, what exactly is the reason?" Haunter yawns, frowning as he tries to think.

"I'm curious too. I hope you'll enlighten me, Principal."

"Still playing dumb? You must not know the lengths Bristol will go to!" The principal slams the desk. "Megan, come in! Is this the one?"

"He's the one who hit me!" A deafening voice rings out.

Almost simultaneously, a chubby kid waddles in from outside, shouting at Haunter in front of him.

"Principal, people like him should be locked up immediately!"

Why does this chubby kid look familiar?

Ah, I see now. Haunter forces a slightly awkward smile.

"What's your name?" the principal asks, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Why isn't your photo and information in the roster?"

"Uh... H-a-u-n-t-e-r R-e-e-d," Haunter mumbles.

"As for why my photo and information aren't there, you might want to check again."

You probably won't find it, because I'm not a student here. How could a poor student like me afford such an elite school? Of course, I snuck in.

Bang!

That sounds like the roster being closed.

"Haunter Reed! You say your name is Haunter Reed! But I couldn't find you in the roster, and you're not in the administrative system either," Principal Bristol spells out the name, his anger evident. He's just shy of asking if Haunter popped out of nowhere.

The middle-aged principal, trembling with frustration, takes off his hat, revealing sparse hair and a thin beard, resembling an angry poodle.