I slowly regained consciousness, waiting for the dripping sound of liquid medicine, and the peeping and ticking of the machines. It had been so many days that I was paralyzed, continuously lost then briefly regained consciousness, couldn't do anything but lay there like a rag doll. Only this time, I couldn't wait for the familiar sounds, but a call sounded as if drifted from afar.

"Mi—"

"Mizu—"

"Mizuki. Mizuki! Wake. Up!"

'Mizuki'? How long had it been since someone last called me by that name? The owner of the voice was really impatient, as my shoulders were grabbed and shaken violently. Before I knew it, I opened my eyes. How long had it been since I could open them?

"You're finally awake. Good God, you scared me!"

The first thing I saw was a honey bee pin. As the girl letting go, I saw a gorgeous teenage girl, unfamiliar features. She was bouncing off the walls – the always flowery and optimistic type.

"Now hurry up and get ready, or you'll be late for school." The girl skipped away right after the last sound came out of her mouth, not waiting for any response.

I couldn't give her any response either. I was still in a daze, unable to register what was going on. Who was this girl? I finished high school almost ten years ago, what school did she mention? Was I not in a coma anymore? Was this a dream? Was I able to dream again? Was my previous life a dream?

I didn't have the time to think those through when, suddenly, the girl tripped her left foot over her right. The thin simple carpet under her feet slipped and the girl fell towards the window.

I jumped off my bed and ran for her, hands stretching out. It was just one or two feet. The wall below the window was high enough that she could bump against it and fall to the floor. But she didn't. And I couldn't grab her, not even the hem of her skirt. She flew out the window right in front of my eyes. Even the curtains flew out as if it wanted to grab her but failed. I crumbled by the window, arms stretching outside, hopelessly saw the lively girl turned immobile, like a blood-soaked splintered butterfly pinned to the ground. Her lifeless eyes wide opened, piercingly glared at me.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" A scream teared through the sky.

That was not my scream, of course. I already slumped down the floor behind the wall, breathing heavily as my adrenaline was drained. I didn't have the chance to process it, though, I didn't have the chance to process anything when a cold nonchalant voice sprang out of nowhere.

[Player number 44 – Izumi is dead. Activate the 'The Haunted 4th' raid.]
[Turn player 44 into NPC.]
[Done.]

[Start clearing unnecessary NPC.]
[Error: NPC's code is not correct.]

[Scan for bugs. Success: Detected player code within NPC's code.]

[Start bug fixing.]
[Error: Object established intellect. Code can no longer be changed.]

[Modify object's role.]
[Done.]
[Adjust Player number 99's position.]

As the voice stopped, I was forcefully teleported away. In an eye-blink, I was in another room, a dorm room to be exact. I turned my head, intended to scan the room, but my eyes landed on the small table mirror on the nightstand and stuck there. The reflection showed a younger version of me, a seventeen-year-old me. Once again, with no further time to take in the surroundings, a ring appeared out of nowhere and slipped itself onto the index finger of my right hand. Another voice came up, a soft, feminine voice this time, but still emotionless.

[Hello, my friend! Welcome to Hell Angel High, where you accomplish your lost dreams.

This is a virtual dimension of a school connected via dreams. Your current body is not your physical one but a strand of your consciousness.

To return to reality, please fill in the aspiration form on the table and fulfill the noted wish, then you will "graduate" and leave this dimension. There is no time limit. In case the filled wish is too simple, the system will give you one warning only. Intentionally repetition will lead to form termination, and you are no longer be able to go back. Please take time to consider it. Kindly be reminded that the aspiration form must be kept secret under any circumstance, or else your life will end. You can recover when this body is injured, but if your life ends in this dimension, you cannot leave by any means.

The accessory received is the token of "your life" and a single-use life protection tool. Only in case the accessory breaks by accident can you return to reality; there is no other exception, so please do NOT do anything reckless.

Last but not least, please attend classes fully and participate in extra-curriculum activities. It is highly recommended to be enthusiastic. There will be prizes for those with outstanding performance. Hope you have an unforgettable experience!

Sincerely,
Hell Angel Team]

While listening to the introductory instruction, I gazed unblinkingly at my reflection. The chill crept its way inside out with every word. By the time the "acceptance letter" ended, it felt like I was frozen. This whole thing was like a virtual roleplaying game where players go through raids and complete quests, except that you could never revive if you were dead. This was my body from this point, but not truly. This was a dream, but inescapable. This was my current reality, but not the real reality. Was it worse than the real world? Better? No, neither was correct.

I stared at the 'Mizuki' name tag and the aspiration form with a blank mind. If I want to return to reality, guess I must follow the rule and go with the flow.