The Animagus: From Hunter to Monster-Chapter 42: Celebrity all of a sudden

Buji stepped through the gates of the school, a peculiar hush sweeping across the once-lively campus. It wasn’t long before the silence was broken by murmurs and whispers. He could hear his name all over the environment, students who were involved in conversation paused, their attention shifting to him.

"Woah, is that not him?"

"It’s Buji!"

"That’s the guy who survived the raid all alone!"

The murmurs from the students grew louder, and soon, he could feel the weight of countless eyes on him. Some students craned their necks to get a better look, a few abandoned their games and activities to approach him, while a few who didn’t want to forfeit the activities they engaged in pointed at him uttering words only they knew about.

The football field, the volleyball pitch, the playground, and even the open-air study areas quieted as if they had become busy with the news of Buji’s return.

For a moment, Buji felt shy. He put his head down to gaze at the floor and had stopped moving. He felt like he had stepped into a completely different world. He was only static at that point.

As if the shame he got from the multitude staring and talking about him, the inevitable happened. A group of students swarmed him, blocking his path. Their faces were filled with curiosity and a hint of awe.

They all wanted to know.

"How did you survive that raid?" one student asked with a voice tinged with disbelief.

"Unbelievable!"

"Did you fight off the attackers all alone?"

"Were there monsters? How many of them?"

"Come on bro, tell us the truth. You have some kind of secret powers you’re not telling us, right?" one student chimed in.

Buji raised his hands, trying to quell the barrage of questions but pulled them down immediately. He had nothing to say. He knew not what to reply.

"Guys, guys… I don’t know, okay," Buji said with a firm but calm voice.

"What do you mean you don’t know?"

"What’s he saying?"

"Look, I only know that I survived. As for the explanation, how? I can’t tell," Buji replied.

As expected, he hadn’t answered what they wanted to hear. His words didn’t seem to satisfy them. If anything, his words only fueled their curiosity.

Thinking Buji suddenly became a narrator of what had happened to him, more crowds pressed closer, throwing questions at him.

Buji couldn’t help the situation. He only remained at a point and reflected on the irony of the situation.

Just weeks ago, they had awakened their ranks and talents, he had felt utterly alone. The only person who had once called herself a friend had vanished. The realization sent a cruel reminder of how quickly people could abandon you when misfortune struck. Just when it knocks at the door, they will disappear.

Human beings and their insatiable lifestyle.

But now, he had survived a raid. He didn’t know what the students must have heard of the raid. But simply, he survived a raid as a first-year student among older students. That alone should thrust the shock in them, plus the fact he awakened no talent and had no tutor for preparation.

The same people that abandoned him then were clamoring to be near him now. Struggling to hear from him.

Buji chuckled.

He had become a celebrity overnight. It’s as if his survival had transformed him into an object of fame. Of course, it has.

The thought about the fickle nature of human relationships, how people often shunned those in misfortune but flocked to them when they seemed to be on their side. It was a sobering realization to Buji.

Kira who stood beside Buji all the while noticed he was not comfortable with the crowd, so, she shunned them to stop. "Alright, it’s enough now!"

She stepped forward with Buji’s bag slung over her shoulder. "He just got discharged from the hospital," she said. "And is this how you welcome him?"

The crowd murmured amongst themselves. Some talked about the confidence with which she approached, while others teased that she might be Buji’s girlfriend. On the same hand, a few attested to her beauty and imagined how lucky Buji had been to have her.

Getting nothing but murmurs from the crowd, she lamented, "He needs to rest. Give him some space!"

The crowd hesitated. Some looked embarrassed, while others seemed reluctant to back off. Among them were older students.

"Kira, it’s okay," Buji said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No, it’s not," she snapped, turning to face him. "You don’t need this right now."

Buji offered her a small smile. If only she knew how fit and healed he was right now, she would regret ever bothering herself.

"I said I’m fine, really," Buji said with a calm tone. After which he started forward, making the crowd provide a path for him to trudge on.

Kira, however, followed behind him leaving all the students that had gathered to stare in awe.

"Lover birds," one student said from the crowd.

---

Kira accompanied Buji to his room. Once they reached his door, she set his bag down and turned to him.

"I will leave you here. Get some rest, we will talk after dinner."

Buji nodded, but as she was about to walk away, Buji turned her back to himself.

"…"

"…"

He couldn’t help but feel a pang of gratitude for her presence. Kira had always been there for him, even when others weren’t.

He hugged her so tightly, wishing the moment would not end.

"Thanks, Kira."

Kira was but only surprised. She didn’t even know if she too, should wrap her hands around Buji to reciprocate the hug. All she did was stare behind Buji’s back.

Buji withdrew her from him, holding her two shoulders with his hands and looking straight into his eyes.

"Thanks."

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Kira finally found her speech and said. "It’s… okay. It’s okay."

Once the moment was over, Buji couldn’t even acknowledge the fact that he had done what he did. He just did it.

Once he was alone, Buji placed his bag in a rightful corner and took a moment to settle into his room. The familiar surroundings brought a sense of comfort, even though the weight of what had happened still lingered.

He remembered the daily quest and decided to focus on completing it. Pulling his shirt, and dropping to the floor, he began his push-ups. He counted each one aloud to keep himself motivated.

"Twenty-one… twenty-two…"

He continued and continued. His muscles burned with exertion, but he pushed through. He was determined the reach the target. Sweat dripped from his brow, dropping into his open mouth, making him taste its salty flavor.

His breath came in short gasps as he neared the finish line. "Forty-nine… fifty!"

At the last count, Buji collapsed onto the floor. His chest heaves as he catches his breath.

"I’m done," he said, letting a smile of triumph spread across his face.

He struggled to rise from the floor and went to collect a can of water in the bag he had come back with from the hospital. He gulped down its content with fast exertion as he sat on his bed.

Just as he drank from the can, the familiar screen appeared before him.

<Daily Quest Completed>

- Push-ups: 50/50

[Reward: +5 score points]

- Jogging: 10/10km

[Reward: +10 score points]

Another notification screen appeared, replacing the former.

[The Player is yet to allot the 15 score points.]

[Choose where to allocate the points]

Buji stared at the screen, thinking. The score points were going to be a valuable resource and he needed to allocate them carefully. But not now he’s not in his right senses.

With the wave of his hand, he dismissed the screen and leaned back against his pillow. He had managed to complete the daily quest and was rewarded as a result.

The evening sunlight streamed through his window and closed his eyes to allow himself a moment of peace.

"Later is another chance," he muttered to himself to a deep rest.

"…"