Arriving at his room, numbered 095, Ariel Hilton stepped in after unlocking the door with his key card.
The interior was simple and exquisite, sporting a single bed, a small desk and a chair. To the left was a mini kitchen and a toilet and bathroom at the other side.
"Efficient."
Ariel whispered, then untied his hair. The long silver hair instantly cascaded down his face, shimmering softly under the lights.
With calm and measured steps, Ariel dropped his school bag on the chair, then sprawled on the bed.
"It has been a while I've felt this kind of peace..."
He said softly.
While he appeared like an ordinary student who simply looked handsome, Ariel was far more than that. He was a prodigy raised by an organization known as the 'White Rose'. This organization, aiming to build a 'perfect human', specialized in collecting young children, and pruning them.
Through several tests and intense trainings, they have been able to produce several talented cadets over the years. Only talented people though, until Ariel Hilton appeared.
Emerging as the only survivor of his generation's pruning process, he became the most outstanding person the White Rose had produced so far, surpassing his predecessors.
After gaining the recognition of the Organization's Board of Directors, he was allowed to make a single request. And the request he made was to attend an Awakened Academy after he became an Awakened.
Although some opposed the idea, claiming he needed formal training from them, the President still agreed, granting him exactly three years of leave and enrolling him at the best academy in the whole world.
And now, here he was, in the heart of Pegasus Empire.
"Being a student… will I understand what friendship is...?"
He said under his breath, then quietly drifted off to sleep.
....
Meanwhile, Kaiser was on his way to the convenience store for shopping. His eyes, usually cold and indifferent, held a look of slight tiredness.
'Goodness gracious… feigning mediocrity is simply a hassle. Especially under the watchful eyes of an Evolved Instructor.'
During the evaluation earlier, he had done his utmost best to appear ordinary and even 'lackluster' according to Mr Natusalene. This wasn't because he wanted to hide his strength or anything, but simply because he didn't want to deal with the attention that would come afterward. After all, tearing those combat automatons apart wouldn't be accepted with a simple nod, right?
Dismissing those thoughts, he entered the large doors and began scanning the interior. Before him, rows and rows of shelves housing simple and basic necessities to expensive and stunning jewelries appeared. Surprisingly, there was even a section titled 'Free items'.
And as expected, the store was teeming with students, especially first years who were new and overwhelmed by the desire to splurge money.
"You're not going to keep standing, are you?"
An aloof voice from behind made him roll his eyes. Even without looking back, he recognized the owner of the voice… Hazel Kane.
"And what does that have to do with you?"
Kaiser asked indifferently.
His reply made Hazel's brows twitch, but she ignored him and walked past him to purchase a few things.
Kaiser studied her leisurely, analyzing her behavior pattern and what she chose. Smiling faintly, he approached her.
"You must be quite frugal."
Hazel paused, then explained without sparing him a glance.
"Spending excessively can warp a person's perception about money and create overdependency. That would be disastrous in the long run."
Kaiser nodded, then moved to the special section titled 'Free items'. With his basket in hand, he began picking stuffs randomly.
This act earned him a raised brow from Hazel and a few weird stares from the other students.
"You're picking the free stuff?" Hazel inquired doubtfully. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Those definitely have lesser quality than normal."
Although her action could be considered understandable and frugal, Kaiser's choice was simply incomprehensible.
He wasn't short of points, so why was he choosing the free items?
"That's simple. If you're placed in a situation where basic necessities are even unavailable, how'd you survive? The Nirad Realm offers no such courtesy."
He explained in a cool tone. Hazel paused, thinking deeply about what he said. Indeed, there was no luxury for provisions in the Nirad Realm except you were an Ascended; someone who could travel to that realm while carrying mundane objects.
For the first time, Hazel looked at Kaiser differently. Not as a cold, apathetic type, but as someone who saw a layer of the world she didn't.
"Don't you wonder why this section is here?" He suddenly asked, picking up a free toothpaste. "In a school where students get up to 100,000 silver notes monthly, why would anyone need free items?"
Hazel froze, stunned. Now that she thought about it, it was indeed strange. No student, spending unwisely or not, should exhaust 100,000 silver notes before the middle of a month. Although she initially harbored suspicions concerning the 100,000 credits per month, this fact deepened her suspicions.
Seeing her skeptical expression, Kaiser merely shrugged. "You can't expect generosity with no strings attached."
Leaving the dazed girl, he picked up a priced noodle soup and moved to the counter to pay.
When the cashier saw his purchase, she gave him a strange look, but didn't voice her thoughts. Instead, she collected his Student ID and swiped it across the terminal, deducting only the money for the noodles.
Minutes later, Kaiser made his way to the dormitory, a bag in hand. With the help of the elevator, he arrived at the third floor relatively quickly. Checking his ID, he realized his room number was 094, directly opposite 095.
With a simple motion, the door slid open and he entered.
"The layout is surprisingly simple." He said as he arranged the things he bought into their respective locations. Well, except for the noodles. He intended to devour it immediately.
'Yare, yare. This is quite a delicacy. What if I bought the G-cup?'
He allowed his thoughts to wander, until it stopped on something... curious.
'Hmm, what size is that girl, Hazel? C-cup? B-cup? Who knows.'
The thought was useless, so he dismissed it. However, if she knew what he thought about, she'd have drove a compass needle in his throat. Once he was done eating, he decided to do some light exercises, then retire for the day.