The Wild Challenge From Both Lives - Chapter 3: Fainted Rise of Weak

He glanced at his school uniform folded neatly on the chair.

Yesterday, he had worn it while lying on the ground, humiliated and beaten.

Today… he will be wearing it while standing tall.

As Hikaru pulled on his uniform, his mind raced with the calculations he had made with verification.

3x training in Isekai = 1x overall improvement in Sekai.

If he spent a full day on harsh training in Isekai, it would be like gaining an entire day of growth in Sekai.

“That means…”

A sense of excitement bubbled within him. “If I push myself harder in Isekai, I can become stronger here faster.”

For the first time, the thought of his training didn’t feel like a burden. It wasn’t about simply surviving anymore. It was about growing. About taking control of his fate. He guessed that if he has returned back, then he will be going to that world again, and it will repeat over and over like a loop.

His fingers curled slightly at his side. The thought of training—of pushing himself beyond his limits—sent a thrill through him. For the first time, strength felt… real.

A small, almost imperceptible smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

“So that’s how it works…”

He grabbed his bag, his fingers brushing the strap with a newfound confidence, and stepped outside.

—

The morning air was crisp, the streets already bustling with students heading to school. Hikaru’s body moved with an ease he wasn’t used to—his steps lighter, his breathing smoother.

As he walked, he heard quick footsteps approaching from behind.

“Hey, Hikaru!”

He turned just as Akari jogged up beside him, her short black hair bouncing slightly. She looked him over, raising an eyebrow.

“…You look different today.”

Hikaru blinked. “What do you mean?”

Akari shrugged. “Dunno. You just seem… less dead inside.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Thanks, I guess.”

She fell into step beside him, hands tucked into her pockets. They walked in comfortable silence for a while.

Most people at school barely acknowledged him. After Aoi, … Akari is a person always noticed things others ignored.

Maybe that’s why, even now, she was watching him with curiosity, like she could sense something had changed.

Hikaru glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was the only one who ever stuck around, the only one who never treated him like he was invisible.

And for the first time in years, he wasn’t dreading going to school.

He wasn’t afraid.

Because this time…

He had the power to change.

The moment Hikaru stepped onto the school grounds, he felt it.

The stares.

They weren’t the usual ones—those pitying glances from the weak or the amused sneers from the strong. Today, the looks were different. Subtle. Questioning.

It wasn’t that Hikaru had changed dramatically overnight—his face was the same, his uniform still hanging slightly loose on his frame. But there was something undeniably off about him.

Maybe it was the way he walked now, more purposeful, his posture straighter, no longer hunched or hesitant. Maybe it was the sharpness in his eyes—no longer dull or defeated, but focused, like a blade waiting to strike.

Whispers fluttered through the halls as he made his way to class.

“Wasn’t he the one who got beaten up yesterday?”

“Yeah, but he looks… fine?”

“Weird. He should be limping or something, right?”

Hikaru ignored them. He wasn’t here for their approval.

But some people, unfortunately, were still focused on him.

As he reached the door to his classroom, two figures leaned casually against the wall, blocking the entrance.

Ryuji and Daiki.

Ryuji wore his signature cocky grin, arms crossed over his chest. His bleached hair was a little messy, but his sharp eyes still held that same cruel amusement.

Daiki stood next to him, cracking his knuckles, his massive frame blocking one of the doors entirely.

The moment Ryuji spotted Hikaru, his grin widened, like a predator seeing his prey.

“Oh? Look who’s still standing,” he drawled, pushing off the wall. “Guess we didn’t hit you hard enough yesterday.”

Daiki snickered behind him. “Maybe he’s gotten used to it. Like a cockroach, y’know?”

Hikaru stopped in front of them, meeting Ryuji’s gaze directly.

The usual reaction would have been to look down—to step around them, to endure.

But today…

He didn’t look away.

Ryuji’s grin faltered for the briefest of moments. Just for a fraction of a second.

Daiki noticed it too, frowning. “Oi, why’s he looking at us like that?”

Hikaru didn’t answer. He just stepped forward—not around them, but straight through.

For a moment, Ryuji didn’t move. Then, just as Hikaru was about to brush past him, he reached out—

Thud.

Hikaru caught Ryuji’s wrist in his hand.

A brief silence fell between them.

Daiki’s eyes widened, his voice dropping to a low, incredulous whisper. “Hah?”

Hikaru hadn’t even thought about it. His body had simply reacted. The training, the strength from Isekai, his reflexes—it was real. Even in Sekai.

For the first time, Ryuji looked surprised.

But then, his grin returned, sharper than before.

“Oh,” he murmured, his voice thick with amusement. “Looks like someone finally grew a spine.”

The moment he caught Ryuji’s wrist, something pulsed beneath his skin. A steady strength. His grip was firm, but effortless—as if his body had finally woken up. Hikaru’s grip tightened for just a moment.

He could feel stares of others burning into his back, those stares are heavy with confusion and suspicion.

But this time…

He wasn’t afraid

Across the room, someone stole a glance at him. It wasn’t pity this time. It was something else.

Hikaru loosened his grip, releasing Ryuji’s wrist.

For a brief second, the hallway was silent.

Ryuji flexed his hand as if testing it, his smirk returning—but his eyes had changed. There was no laughter in them now, only curiosity.

Daiki, still frowning, stepped forward like he wanted to say something, but Hikaru didn’t wait.

He turned his back on them and walked straight into the classroom.

The air inside felt lighter, even as the whispers followed him.

“Did he just—?”

“No way, he actually stood up to them?”

“Ryuji let him go?”

Hikaru didn’t care.

He slid into his seat by the window, gripping the edge of his desk. His hands weren’t shaking. His breathing was steady.

Something had changed.

For years, his body had moved on instinct—fearful, defensive. But today, his instincts didn’t tell him to cower. They told him to stand firm.

He exhaled slowly, staring at his hand.

*The training worked.*

Even though it had only been one night in Isekai, even though it wasn’t much—

He was stronger.

And that was all he needed.

Outside the classroom, Ryuji and Daiki lingered for a moment.

Daiki scowled. “That was weird, right? He was different.”

Ryuji rolled his wrist, his smirk sharpening.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “Interesting.”

Ryuji’s smirk didn’t fade as he turned away. If anything, it grew sharper.

And Hikaru knew it. They knew it.

He wasn’t the same. Not anymore.

Hikaru sat in his usual seat by the window, fingers lightly tapping against the desk. The classroom hummed with the usual morning noise—chairs scraping against the floor, half-asleep students mumbling greetings, the occasional burst of laughter cutting through the air.

But today, beneath all that, there was something different.

They were watching him.

Not openly. No one stared outright, but he could feel it. The stolen glances. The whispers just low enough to seem subtle but loud enough for him to catch.

“Did you see that outside?”

“Yeah, he actually grabbed Ryuji’s wrist!”

“Did he lose his mind? He’s gonna get it later.”

Hikaru kept his gaze on the window, pretending not to hear. The morning sun was bright, the sky clear—a perfect contrast to the heavy tension settling over the room.

A chair scraped against the floor as a student shifted, stealing another glance at him. The moment Hikaru turned his head, they quickly looked away.

Then, the door slid open.

Aoi.

She stepped inside, her sharp eyes scanning the room with a strange, almost searching look. The moment she spotted him, her expression stilled—like she had found something.

She walked over and dropped into the seat in front of him, moving with the same casual confidence as always. But Hikaru noticed it now—how her eyes lingered, studying him just a little too closely.

She leaned back, arms crossed.

“So.”

Hikaru glanced at her. “So?”

Her lips curled at the edges, but there was something unreadable behind it. “What was that?”

He blinked. “What was what?”

Aoi gave him a deadpan stare. “Don’t play dumb.” She rested her chin on her hand. “You grabbed Ryuji’s wrist. And you’re still breathing. That’s new.”

Hikaru hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “It just… happened.”

Her gaze sharpened. “You don’t just ‘happen’ to stop Ryuji like that.”

Hikaru didn’t answer. He wasn’t ready to explain—not yet.

But Aoi… she wasn’t looking at him like she needed an explanation.

She was looking at him like she recognized him.

The silence between them stretched just a little too long before she sighed, shaking her head.

“Fine. Keep your secrets.”

She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice.

“But just so you know… I kinda liked it.”

Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

Her smirk deepened, but this time, there was something off about it. Something too satisfied.

“The whole ‘not looking like a kicked puppy’ thing.” She tilted her head, eyes half-lidded as she studied him again. “It’s more like… you’re coming back to who you were before.”

Hikaru froze.

Before?

His throat felt dry, but Aoi had already pulled back, like she hadn’t just said something dangerously personal.

Before he could ask what she meant, the classroom door slid open again, and the teacher walked in.

The chatter faded, students hurriedly pulling out their books.

Hikaru sat back, exhaling quietly.

But even as the morning lesson began, he could still feel it.

Aoi’s gaze, lingering on him for just a second longer before she finally turned away.

She knew something.

And from the way her fingers tapped lightly against her desk, the small, knowing smile playing on her lips…

She had been waiting for this.

For him.

Somehow, he knew—things wouldn’t be quiet for long.

And it was only the beginning.

P.R’s note: so the both sekai and Isekai are moving but currently isekai is moving slow because he is awake in sekai. Then, when he is sleeping in sekai, that world will move slower. That’s what I understood ¯_(ツ)_/¯