1 Once Upon A Time

"Violet Chan… I love you!"

Nothing else could best describe this scene but an enthusiastic declaration of love.

Within the classroom, where twenty-three students were watching in absolute shock—perhaps with a tinge of disgust—a certain boy was confessing his feelings.

With jet-black hair, matching his black tie, his navy blue blazer and trousers, along with the white shirt underneath, he was attired in his High School uniform—though he had certain 'accessories' on his face that didn't quite conform to the dress code.

The boy had a box in hand, most likely meant as a kind gesture to the girl he was addressing.

His dark hair swayed gently in the light breeze, and his smile was alluring, revealing a perfect set of white teeth. With his gaze solely resting on the beautiful brunette in front of him, he ventured on to make his bold proclamation.

"Will you be my soulmate and burn brightly with me in the eternal flames of heaven's darkness?"

In simple terms, he was asking the girl to be his girlfriend.

Violet, the damsel in question, seemed troubled. She was too nice to shoot the boy a look of absolute revulsion—even though he was an irredeemable 'Chuuni' who decided on adding an honorific to her name despite them not being in Japan.

Her strained smile should have told the clueless boy that she was uncomfortable with the situation, but he was oblivious to her plight.

"U-um… Martin, what's this about?" She asked in a hushed tone.

The reason behind her confusion was not because she was clueless about confessions. Of course, she had received her fair share every single day since High School started.

Her problem was the context.

"We've barely spoken for a week…"

Violet and this boy, Martin, were nothing more than strangers who had just become acquainted.

You see, she had just started getting into Anime, so she had gone to Martin for recommendations.

Even though he was ostracized by the entire class for being a weirdo and an irredeemable creep, she had approached him out of goodwill.

Perhaps it was because 'Weird Martin' hadn't had a proper conversation with a pretty girl in years, he was instantly smitten by her.

He did as she asked, and gave her Anime recommendations. Perhaps, he had been overenthusiastic; that would explain why he spent the rest of the week sorting through his collection to explain more about Anime lore and provide even more content than she could consume.

Violet was nice, so she didn't exactly mind. She was so friendly that she graciously accepted his kind gestures with a smile.

After a week of this, Martin could not control his hormonal instincts any longer. He had to do something about the fire burning within him.

Thus, he confessed.

"Our souls seek out each other. Violet Chan, do you hear my heart cry out for you?"

His weird tone was just as ridiculous as the words he chose.

How could anyone say that with a straight face? Only an irredeemable Chuunibyou could pull that off.

"Martin, please stop." Violet whispered firmly, glancing nervously to her right and left.

Anxiety spread all over her face. She seemed a little creeped out too. The girl had probably been expecting one of the usual pick up lines, but not this awkward and bizarre charade.

"B-but, I—"

Unfortunately for the boy, this was simply the beginning of the end.

"Pfft! Martin is such a creep."

"Can't he see he's weirding Violet out?"

"Such a dork…"

"A dork? I think he's insane."

"Maybe he's a retard?"

For someone like Martin, this wasn't a first. He had been insulted countless times, but he remained unfazed.

He stuck to his guns and concentrated his gaze on the object of his attention.

"M-Martin, what are you doing?"

Unfortunately for him, even the one he opened his heart to, bore the very expression he dreaded.

"U-uh, Violet Chan?"

"Don't call me that! My name is Violet." She snapped angrily.

Her eyes gazed at him in disgust. As for the dear confessor, his gaze wavered for a moment, and he found that he couldn't look her in the face any longer.

His head hung on his skinny shoulders and he felt a stinging sensation permeate his insides.

"I-I just—"

Before he could say any more, the girl ran off, her navy blue and white uniform fluttering with the wind.

"V-Violet cha—"

Martin could do nothing but stretch out his hands helplessly and call out her name. The box he held fell, and the gift he bought for her shattered within—just like his heart.

The boy felt an unbearable pain within him, as though he was being stabbed by a million needles.

However, it wasn't because of him.

It was because of the very last thing he saw before the girl ran out on him. He had made Violet cry!

"W-what have I…?"

As soon as Violet—one of the prettiest, most popular girls in school—ran out on him, Martin became the center of attention.

Every single classmate stared at him, and the usual ostracization morphed into outspoken scorn.

"Urgh! I wonder why Violet was so nice to him."

"This is why you shouldn't get too close to a loser. I feel bad for her."

"One-eyed creep."

"Moron."

"How does he even live with himself?"

"Just look at him."

"Violet is too nice for her own good."

"I know, right?"

Martin stood in front of the class, hearing all they said as his face reddened in shame.

His single exposed eye glimmered with tears, and his head hung in shame—facing the tiled floor.

'N-no… this isn't… this isn't what I wanted…'

More insulting words echoed across the classroom. More laughs and scoffs.

Usually, he would just shrug them off. Yet, for the first time, he couldn't.

Martin felt something rise within his chest. He could feel the burning sensation. Perhaps this was it.

The time of his awakening.

"S-shut up…" He murmured, his body regaining some of its strength.

His classmates, who probably didn't hear him, continued their chatter. Their voices became unbearable, and Martin decided to solely trust his instincts.

He allowed the power within to guide his actions, smirking evilly as he prepared himself for his next action.

"Shut up and be swallowed by darkness!" He commanded loudly, raising both hands and pointing it at his classmates.

This was finally the time of retribution! The time for his dark abilities to be manifested so he could consume everything and everyone.

However—

"Uh?"

"Is this a joke?"

"Is this guy an idiot?"

"I think he's mentally ill."

"He shouldn't even be here."

"Why lump a crazy guy with everyone else."

"I'm scared of being here with a lunatic like him."

"I'll tell my dad about this."

"What next? He'll try to attack us?"

"I really hate this guy."

—Nothing supernatural occurred.

The world continued uninterrupted.

He could hear them talk about him over and over again.

Martin thought it would drive him crazy how his classmates ridiculed him. How they all looked at him.

Although only one of his eyes was exposed, he could clearly see that everyone utterly despised him.

He was despicable.

And soon…

He returned home.

He walked around in a daze, till he found himself in his room.

Filled with anime posters, anime merchandise, and tons of action figures; his room was certainly strange to behold.

It was late afternoon, and the schoolboy gazed at himself in the large mirror located in his sanctuary. This was the same mirror he had always used to check himself out whenever he wore anime merch or cosplayed.

Unlike last time, however, what he saw this time was something that broke him.

"What am I doing?"

His trembling voice and completely dejected tone echoed in the empty room as he stared at his reflection.

His face wasn't particularly ugly, and many would actually consider him quite attractive—that is, if he hadn't used eyeliners to make himself look like a goth.

The fake piercings that adorned his ears also didn't make him seem normal in the slightest. However, that wasn't the most conspicuous of his 'unique' look.

"Why…?" Martin clutched his left eye—or rather, the object that covered it.

His eyepatch.

An eyepatch that started out as a corrective measure for his worsening eyesight now became his signature medium of expression as a Chuunibyou.

Examining himself now, he realized he looked completely silly. Just what had he been thinking?

Usually, Martin had confidence and took pride in himself when he glanced at his appearance in the mirror

But now?

Now, he just felt utterly ridiculous.

"This is stupid. This isn't real…"

And once this dawned on him, he realized just how pointless his imagination had been from the very beginning.

His lifelong imagination.

And right there and then, the young boy's dream…

… Died.

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Once upon a time, there existed a boy who, of all things, was afflicted with a very serious problem.

He dreamed of the supernatural at every given moment and thought he was special—possessing an ability no one else did.

In short, he was a Chuunibyou.

Unlike many similar to him, he didn't give up this delusion, even when he was in his first year of High School.

However, after a certain incident occurred, he was forced to change everything he once knew and accepted.

The boy made a vow one late afternoon, in that room of his. He swore that he would tread the path of normalcy from that day onward.

He got rid of his anime merch and abandoned his cosplay habits. He let go of all the dumb journals he kept and even stopped putting on his eyepatch.

Dedicating himself to the cause, he decided to completely transform into the Martin that would be deemed as normal.

He changed schools.

He changed his name.

He changed everything.

Crazy, right?

Well, that boy was me.

I decided to live my brand new life just like everyone else. And it worked perfectly.

I got a decent life in my new High School, even becoming quite popular.

I made cool friends. I got good grades. And yes, I graduated with excellent results upon finishing High School.

Life was looking up!

I took the College entrance exams the same year I graduated and managed to get into a nice university away from my neighborhood.

It was all perfect.

Just like High School, I would integrate myself with my course mates. I would make good friends and lead a normal life. I would get good grades, maintain a stable social lifestyle, date a girl or two, and eventually graduate—just like any normal college student would.

And for the first year, everything flowed seamlessly!

Unfortunately, life doesn't always go according to plan.

The perfect college life I dreamed up for myself evaporated into thin air, almost as soon as I started my second year.

I could never have foreseen what happened to me, and how it would influence everything I eventually came to know and do.

Looking back on it, my life of normalcy started to fall apart the moment I met her.

She was the one who started it all. She initiated me into the most bizarre thing anyone could ever think of.

The Chuunibyou Challenge!!

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[A/N]

I welcome you to this amazing novel. I would advise you all to follow through the story till the fifth or sixth chapter before deciding whether to continue it. I hope you like it.

If you do, please add it to your library, send me Power Stones, and give comments to encourage me and help me continue.

Thank you… and I hope we all have a wonderful time.