My spirit animal is a F–Rank gecko-Chapter 53: Party on a classroom

After calming Jaster down, he sat on a chair while his friends surrounded him.

Karina noticed a tear stain on his cheek and gently wiped it with a tissue.

Annie rolled her eyes at the sight.

"I didn’t know you were that emotional, Jaster!" Ivy said, her voice and face full of worry.

"Yeah, dude. I thought you were one of those cool, nonchalant boys." Jay joined in on comforting him.

Jaster appreciated their effort, but it quickly reached the point where they started babying him.

Reza grabbed a slice of cake and tried to spoon-feed him.

"Whoa, guys. I’m fine—I can feed myself." Jaster gently pushed Reza’s hand away, but he kept insisting.

Reza frowned. "No, you need to eat. Just let me feed you!"

After a few more pushes, Jaster gave in and let Reza spoon-feed him.

"So... do you mind telling us why you were crying?" Ivy asked gently.

Jaster knew Ivy meant well, but he couldn’t exactly tell them the truth, that he’d been a lonely loser on Earth who somehow got reincarnated into a game.

So he scrambled for something believable.

"It’s really not that deep... I just never had a celebration party before. So having one thrown for me made me emotional, I guess."

He smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

Ivy gasped. "Are you serious?! Not even a birthday party?"

Jaster shook his head.

"That’s... sad," Tia said with her usual stoic face.

I’m so sorry, guys. I can’t tell you about my past.....Not yet.

CLICK.

All of sudden the sound of a camera shutter cut through the room.

Everyone turned toward the source. And saw a short-haired girl in a Bondspire uniform stood there, a large camera pressed to her face.

"What?" Tia raised an eyebrow.

The girl lowered her camera and grinned. "Score! Got a great shot of Class J students comforting their classmate!"

Reza immediately marched toward her.

"This’ll definitely make it to the school newspaper!"

"HEY, YOU!" Reza planted himself in front of her, his large frame towering over hers.

The girl stopped muttering to herself and stared up at him in awe.

"Wow, you’re like a giant up close. Mind if I take a picture?"

Reza was flabbergasted. She completely missed his obvious aggression.

He snatched the camera from her hands and started scrolling through the photos.

"Hey! That’s private information—you can’t do that!"

Reza raised an eyebrow. "And you think taking pictures of people without consent isn’t private?"

That immediately shut her up. She stood quietly while he examined the camera.

"This is crazy..." Reza’s eyes widened.

Curious, Karina walked over. "What’s in there, Reza?"

She peeked at the screen and was shocked to see multiple photos of their classroom taken without their knowledge, there was even shots from when they were cleaning.

Karina immediately glared at the girl, who squeaked under her gaze.

"Who even are you?"

The girl’s eyes widened. She straightened up and opened her school jacket, pointing at a camera logo stitched on the inside.

"I’m Carrie, second-year student and a member of the Bondspire Broadcasting Club. I’d offer you an invitation, but since you’re Class J... we prefer not to invite your kind!"

She said it with a bright smile and genuine voice, as if she hadn’t just insulted them.

Reza’s glare intensified. "Who gave you permission to photograph our class?"

Carrie, full of confidence and completely oblivious, replied, "Well, since you’re the lowest of the first years, I didn’t see a reason to ask for permission."

Reza completely lost it. If Karina hadn’t held him back, Carrie would’ve been on laying on the floor unconscious.

"Here’s what’s gonna happen." Karina took the camera from Reza’s hands. "You’re gonna go back to your puny little club, and you can tell them to stay the FUCK out of our class."

She dropped the camera on the ground and stomped on it hard.

Pieces flew everywhere as Karina relentlessly crushed it to pulp.

Even Annie, who didn’t exactly like Karina had to admit that was smooth.

"My... camera..." Carrie slowly reached out, tears starting to fall.

Reza struggled to hold back his laughter.

"Now run along, little Carrie." Karina shooed her away with a wave.

Carrie gritted her teeth, eyes blazing with revenge. "YOU BETTER WATCH YOURSELF, BITCH! THIS WON’T BE THE END!"

She stormed out, leaving an awkward, heavy silence behind.

Then Anastasia started clapping.

"GO, KARINA! That was amazing, girl!"

Soon everyone joined in, applauding her while she smiled awkwardly.

"Stop... you guys are seriously embarrassing me." She tried to hide her flushed cheeks as Reza patted her back.

"Anyway, forget about her. There’s still so much cake left!"

Everyone’s eyes locked onto the massive cake. They rushed toward it, scrambling for slices.

"Krrk!" Purple wanted to join the chaos, but Jaster stopped him.

"No, Purple. You’ll get stepped on."

Instead, Jaster set Purple on a table and placed a slice of cake on a plate just for him.

Purple frowned, until Jaster put a tiny party hat on his head. Then Jaster nearly exploded from cuteness aggression.

While everyone else celebrated, Jay rubbed his chin thoughtfully, still thinking about Carrie.

Broadcasting club, huh... If I befriend Carrie, maybe I can use her to expose some secrets—

All of sudden a plate appeared in front of him, cutting off his thoughts.

Karina had prepared a slice just for him, smiling warmly. "Here’s yours. Why are you standing here alone? Come join the others!"

She kept nudging him until he reluctantly followed.

Jay sighed quietly, but deep down, he was genuinely happy.

Maybe, just for now... I can set aside my mask.

Everyone gathered in a circle, eating cake and laughing. The atmosphere was warm and bright.

Annie quietly took a bite of her slice, then glanced at Jaster.

He was laughing hard with Karina right beside him. Annie sat on the opposite side of the circle, far away from him.

Someone poked her shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts.

It was Benjamin, he smiled and offered a handshake. "Hi! It’s so nice to meet someone from the Jefferson family. I belive my parents have once asked your family for help in the past!"

Annie raised an eyebrow, noticing the cross around his neck. "Oh, you’re the pastor’s son? Yeah, I remember my family helping yours." She gladly shook his hand.

"Anyway... what were you looking at?" Ben leaned in, curious.

Annie checked her surroundings, then leaned closer to whisper. "I’ll tell you, but promise not to tell anyone, okay?"

Benjamin nodded eagerly.

She subtly pointed toward Jaster and Karina, laughing together.

Ben followed her gaze. "Oh. Is this about Jaster?"

Annie frowned and nodded, looking genuinely sad.

"Sadly, yeah. I really don’t wanna be that girl... but I think I’m jealous."

Ben almost chuckled but quickly covered his mouth.

"Bro, shush!"

"Sorry, sorry... It’s just—I think Karina is—"

THUD.

While everyone was having fun, the classroom door swung open.

Everyone froze.

A woman with long red hair tied in a ponytail stood there, wearing a proper teacher attire and glasses. She looked down, her expression seems exhausted, almost sad even.

She set her bag on the teacher’s desk, sighed heavily, and finally looked up at the classroom.

Her eyes went wide. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

A giant banner hung from the ceiling. Balloons and confetti littered the floor. Chairs and tables were scattered everywhere. And all her students sat in a messy circle at the back of the room.

She opened her mouth, still frozen in shock.

"What...?"