First Class – Campus Tour Time
The small welcome greeting for our first class had ended, but the schedule was far from over. The redhead and ginger seniors who were about to become our upperclassmen led us around the dormitory interior. Their "tour" consisted of poking their heads into rooms to explain what was inside, how to use the guide—basically the chatbot—when laundry was picked up and returned, and rattling off whatever else they knew one by one.
Come evening, us first-years headed down to the affiliated school beneath the cafeteria. That's where I reunited with Phaenax, who I'd parted from that morning and hadn't seen since. Boys and girls separated, so no helping it. Thinking back, we could've crossed paths in the cafeteria anyway. Nah, with our rocky relationship, she probably ignored me. Sad times.
Anyway, the affiliated school's schedule wrapped up quick. With the school building right in front, out came the principal and a teacher for self-intros and a welcome speech, then we all moved to the cafeteria for dinner and called it a day. No drawn-out principal address like you'd expect—just a curt greeting like buying something at the checkout counter. Then a holographic video played, and done. Technically not electricity but mana-powered, so illusion magic might be the better term? Most of my classmates seemed plenty satisfied, though. We were herded straight back to our rooms from the cafeteria, so I washed up, hit the bed, and boom—the sun was up.
Well, I opened my eyes, and suddenly everything brightened and my body felt refreshed. Thought it was some event at first, but nah—over nine hours had passed, so I just laughed. A vehicle rumbled by outside, so I hopped off the bed and peered out the window. The school grounds were still shrouded in mountain shadow, pitch dark. I'd woken up ridiculously early.
After that, it felt like no time since washing up—five minutes tops—before washing again, checking my student handbook for the morning alarm, grabbing breakfast, and heading straight to the affiliated school. The commute was packed with kids like any school, weaving through them to reach our first classroom. And that's exactly now. Time flies when you're not paying attention.
No assigned seats apparently, so I grabbed one at random. Sitting by the window was pure instinct—maximum personal space, you know.
"Abelian."
A familiar voice called out. I turned to see a girl who'd completely transformed from the ragamuffin she'd been last time. Most shocking? Her hair, which I'd thought was dark green, was now a vibrant green. How much grease had she been packing, anyway? Internally cataloging this bombshell, I greeted her by name.
"Hey, Phaenax."
But instead of replying, she stared at me with those lime-green eyes. What now? I had no clue, so I just stared back. Gradually, yellow deepened in her irises. Red flag, no doubt. Desperately assessing the situation, the yellow faded back to lime.
"What do you shorten your name to?"
Ah, that. Abelian could become Abel, but nah—back home, it was always ya, you, that guy, little bro, number two. Full name only when Mom was pissed, and the most common nickname was...
"Lian. Were you mulling that over?"
"Something like that."
No idea what she was comparing it to, but she sat down anyway. Phaenax was tougher to read than most—what was she thinking?
"Cool, then I'll call you Phae. How's your dorm?"
"Really good. Didn't expect a room that big all to myself."
Blank expression or unreadable one—she answered either way. Yeah, makes sense. She didn't look like she'd grown up in luxury, so a standard dorm single felt huge to her. Objectively, by this life's standards—not my past one's—it was big. We'd lived decently, but constant moves and mana-wind shielding cramped the house. No helping it.
"Same here, honestly. Shared with family forever, now my own room. Plus a personal pad? This is peak happiness."
True story. Immediate problems solved, but maintaining it? Gotta land a solid city job. Yep.
"That's great."
I'd braced for judgment, but she brushed it off. Mockery? Apathy? Genuine? All probabilities swirling in the abyss. No need to fish 'em out.
Pondering how to keep chatting with this quiet girl, she surprised me by speaking first.
"So, Lian. Did you check out what we found at the hotel?"
Oh, that. The horrific memory hit—my thoughts devoured by a swarm of ants. Face tensed involuntarily. Two days ago, I'd sent it to Lambda Lilion; only "under investigation" since. Felt like sinking into a muddy fog. Bad vibes all around.
"Glad I didn't die."
"Want to say it wasn't that dangerous, but..."
Honestly, recalling the station crowd? Hard to call it safe. The guy trying to off his charge for a new "protect people by killing threats" gig? Fine, desperate. But those half-gear people beside him? Just hired killers for cash. Day labor, one job happens to be slaughter. Not frozen solid, but subtly twisted gears grinding discord—that clash between past-life morals and this one's ethics popping up occasionally.
Or whatever. Even back home, canal areas had real pirates treating lives cheap. Maybe I just lived somewhere overly moral.
"It was risky. So I closed my eyes and bolted."
"Not a total idiot, then."
Yeah, even you thought approaching was dumb. But unavoidable. Still, not spilling everything to a kid. Dodge a bit—no, hiding inflates it. Deflate upfront, no stares. People chase unknowns but drop knowns.
"Made a deal, Phae. Fed's price was steep."
I hammed it up gruffly, mimicking a non-existent play. Pulled out my pad—not the student handbook—from my pocket and waggled it. Top model on sale, pricey plan. Info source for a device? Win-win. Probably.
Why target me for Pristine? The dense mana barriers on entry screamed security. Needed an insider. But just pad value, nothing more. Daily chats on trivial crap only. If caught, "Got duped like an idiot!"
Phaenax glanced at me and the pad, then turned forward disinterestedly.
Hmm.
The door hummed open. One of yesterday's teachers entered. Kids facing each other quieted, eyes front. The late-20s-looking teacher strolled leisurely to the podium. She gripped it silently, scanning us; one by one, we sat properly. Dead silence fell, then she beamed.
"Alright, let's start our first class at Pristine Comprehensive University Affiliated School. But no worries—today's introductory, so instead of tough studies, we'll grasp how this school runs."
Past life? Either light greetings or dive straight in. This? Unique. Schools did the first, academies the second.
"Gotta understand our new home first, right? Morning: visualize structure via audiovisual materials. Afternoon: tour the grounds hands-on. So, open your student handbooks, everyone."
She placed her similar device on the podium. Where a blackboard should be, a holographic screen bloomed with visuals instead of physical space.
"Starting with my intro, we'll focus on this affiliated school—and Pristine Comprehensive University overall. Let's begin today's first lesson."
And so began learning about the school before raw knowledge.
--- PPT. No PPTs in this world, so audiovisual materials it is. Focused on campus amenities. Mostly skimmed; I noted affiliated school, cafeteria, Choir Dormitory locations, and Phaenax's girls' dorm—surprisingly next door. Vaguely recalled seeing it descending from cafeteria, but distance tricked me.
Affiliated school wasn't just the building under cafeteria—whole terraced lower zone. First- to third-years descend from above; fourth- to sixth-years from adjacent dorms. Trivia stocked up.
Anyway, post-lesson, we toured to verify. Aka endless up-down the mountain. Why do so many schools hug hills? Even cross-world, same crap. Shuttles nice, but vibe says no for kids. Roads paved fine, but only initial dorm arrival and predawn maintenance rumbles—no shuttles.
And now, post-lunch. At affiliated school entrance.
"Alright, everyone, let's head out."
Adventure time? If you call it that.