Ash walked back to the western dormitory wing under the slanting golden light of the late afternoon sun.
The campus pathways were still busy. Newly awakened students moved in small groups, comparing results in low, excited voices. The subtle segregation had already begun. Near the central fountain, a cluster of A-Rank students laughed among themselves while a hovering administrative drone guided them eastward. Each of them carried a sleek matte-black spatial case that looked far more advanced than the plain pouches issued to the lower ranks.
Ash moved through the crowds with his usual easy smile. He returned every greeting without slowing down.
"Hey, Ash."
"See you at training."
"Don't work too hard."
He nodded to each person, voice warm and light. Only when the heavy, slightly scuffed door of his single dorm room in the western wing slid shut behind him did the polite expression finally fade.
