Chapter 3: Oh right, it’s the comic convention!
“Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!”
The urgent alarm ringtone from the iPhone echoed through the dorm room.
The people on all four beds subconsciously squirmed under their blankets.
After a while, someone impatiently threw off their blanket, let out a long sigh, grabbed their phone, and started cursing by name.
“Zhang Yang you fcking idiot, why the hell did you set an alarm for 7:30? Are you sick? Hurry up and turn that damn alarm off!”
“What the hell, it’s Sunday, why set an alarm?”
“TMd shut up, can’t people sleep?”
“Stop yelling, everyone stop yelling. TMD I forgot to turn it off. Stop yelling, go back to sleep!”
After a brief commotion in the dorm, once the alarm was turned off, the four of them returned to a quiet sleeping environment again….
But the roommate sleeping in the bed next to Tang Yingjie had just closed his eyes when he suddenly thought of something. His whole body jerked on the bed, then he sat up straight and looked at the puffed-up blanket on the neighboring bed with an incredulous expression.
“What the fck, Old Tang?”
He called out softly.
The other two roommates also woke up with a start.
“Huh? Tang-shiye is back?”
“Where the hell have you been fcking around these past few days?”
“You actually came back to the dorm without saying a word and just went to sleep?”
The other roommates, upon seeing Tang Yingjie lying on the bed, immediately began verbally attacking him.
After a night’s rest, Tang Yingjie’s mental state was still not great. His mind felt a bit fuzzy, and for a moment he hadn’t fully realized where he was.
Fortunately, he had always been calm.
After sitting up on the bed, he looked around at the familiar yet strange dorm and his roommates.
Finally, the memories from three years ago slowly awakened.
“Zhang Yang, Liu Tao, Wang Yaoguang.”
“？”
The three roommates were bewildered. Their roommate had mysteriously disappeared for three days, they had been under immense pressure from the counselor the whole time, and now as soon as they woke up, the missing roommate had reappeared on his bed and was naming them one by one.
This confusing move left everyone puzzled.
“What are you doing? Are you sick? You’re acting really weird, you know that?”
Liu Tao, who slept in the bed next to Tang Yingjie, looked at Tang Yingjie’s dazed eyes and saw him staring blankly while muttering their names.
If Hunan wasn’t inside Shanhai Pass, he would have suspected his roommate had been possessed by some spirit during those three days.
“Attention everyone! Eyes on me!”
It seemed he had finally recalled everything from his life on Earth.
Tang Yingjie’s face instantly filled with joy.
“I have an announcement!”
“I’m fcking back!”
“6.”
“You’re sick.”
“Hey Zhang Yang, what’s the counselor’s number? Old Tang stop acting crazy and call the counselor already.”
“The school has been looking for you like crazy these past few days. They couldn’t find you or reach your phone. They even called the police the day before yesterday, but the police couldn’t find you on the surveillance either. Where did you go?”
Listening to his roommates talking over each other about what happened during his disappearance.
The moment he heard that the school had already called the police, he subconsciously reached for his phone by the bedside only to grab nothing. Then he felt around in his pants pocket.
But it was empty too.
“Damn, where’s my phone?”
He stood up from the bed, lifted the blanket, and searched left and right.
Only then did he remember that his phone had been lost in the other world during the first year after he crossed over.
“I fcking lost my phone!”
“6.”
“Bro you’re something else. No wonder we couldn’t reach you. You can lose your phone for three days and not even notice?”
“Wait dude, what’s with your outfit? Did you go to some comic convention?”
Among the three roommates, Wang Yaoguang, the one with the heaviest dark circles who stayed up the latest and was the biggest otaku gamer, couldn’t help but comment when he saw the clothes Tang Yingjie was wearing after getting up.
“Are you cosplaying The Rising of the Shield Hero? Or Jobless Reincarnation? Doesn’t look quite right though. Where did you buy this C-grade costume?”
Tang Yingjie, who had been thinking of an excuse, heard Wang Yaoguang’s words and realized he had fallen asleep yesterday right after teleporting back without changing his clothes. But at that moment, his mind flashed with inspiration.
He smoothly picked up the conversation.
“Huh? It doesn’t look like it? That’s good because this is from The Rising of the Shield Hero.”
“Ah? Ohhh, the Spear Hero right? Hey, now that you mention it, it does look pretty similar. This fabric isn’t cheap. So you disappeared for these few days to go to a comic convention for cosplay?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Tang Yingjie nodded shamelessly.
Fortunately, he was someone who dabbled a bit in every circle. He had watched most popular anime and dramas, and the world he crossed into had a swords-and-magic background with similar clothing styles. He had made many such associations back in the other world, which allowed him to come up with a seemingly perfect excuse so quickly.
But obviously this matter couldn’t be looked into too deeply.
“6, you’re really something. Going to a comic con without asking for leave, without telling anyone, just disappearing. Lost your phone for three days and didn’t notice, and surveillance couldn’t even find you. Just wait, the counselor already called the police and contacted your parents. You’re in for it later.”
Zhang Yang, who had been saying “6” the whole time, finally couldn’t hold it in anymore.
He used to think Wang Yaoguang, this ultimate night owl otaku, was already god-tier, but he never expected the usually normal-looking Tang Yingjie to be even more god-tier by skipping class for three days without any notice to go cosplay at a convention.
Everyone in university was an adult. Couldn’t they have a little sense of responsibility, damn it!!
“Sorry, sorry for causing trouble for everyone. I’ll treat you all to a meal later.”
“Don’t worry about treating us first. Hurry up and let the counselor and your family know you’re safe.”
Liu Tao was also speechless.
He knew Tang Yingjie watched anime like Wang Yaoguang, but he didn’t expect him to be this obsessed. He even got a custom expensive-looking outfit and skipped class for three days to attend a comic con.
Otakus were truly terrifying.
Considering Tang Yingjie had lost his phone, Liu Tao simply took out his own phone and dialed the counselor’s number.
Then he directly handed the phone over.
The phone only rang twice before it was picked up. It was clear the other party was really anxious.
“Hello? Liu Tao, has Tang Yingjie come back?”
The counselor’s familiar voice came from the receiver.
Tang Yingjie coughed awkwardly twice.
“Um, hello teacher, this is Tang Yingjie.”
“……”
There was a brief silence on the other end.
The Hero who had faced the Demon King in the other world without much nervousness now had sweat forming in his palms.
But the expected outburst and scolding did not come.
Instead, he could clearly hear the sound of the other party letting out a sigh of relief.
“Tang, it’s good that you’re back. Are you free this morning? If so, come to my office.”
“Oh, okay, okay. What time should I come?”
“I’ll be in the office all morning. Just come whenever it’s convenient for you.”
After saying that, the counselor hung up the phone directly.
He was quite busy right now. He still had to inform the police and write a bunch of reports.
Looking at the pile of trouble this student had caused him.
He helplessly slammed his fist on the soy-sauce-colored wooden desk.
“Fck, I knew I shouldn’t have called the police. Why did I make things so complicated for myself?”