"The girl who sat to your right," The girl who had slumped her arms on his shoulder said. As if realising something based on his clueless reaction, the girl looked at him in shock, "You mean, you didn't know?"
"How am I supposed to know someone I haven't conversed with?" Jyorta shrugged his shoulder, "Besides, I don't even know who sat beside me. My attention was on the principal's speech. You know how important the contents were, Esina."
"Is this guy for real?" Ashten Coorg muttered, his expression bordering on disbelief, "She is Dalna Doppler, fourth daughter of the Doppler Family head. Moreover, she is by far, the prettiest girl in our batch. Also, she had quite a few academic accomplishments at an early age, even having created a new mathematical formula."
Another boy chimed in, "This is not to mention her Sync Rate being the highest of our batch. She has a whopping 86 percent."
"Jyorta," Another boy stepped forward, looking like he had lost the chance of his lifetime, "She is the scion of an aristocratic family. Getting her is equivalent to a life of luxury."
"Yeah," Even one of the girls couldn't help but show her disbelief, "She is so pretty that heads turn around whenever she passes by. How come you haven't noticed her when she sat right next to you?"
"I told you, my attention was on the principal. She was telling many important details. It would be a pain if I were to forget them." Jyorta let out a wry laugh, trying to find an excuse to steer the conversation away from the topic.
"We too were hearing the same speech." Another boy chimed in, creating the perfect counter, "It was important but, not to the extent that It had captured our entire focus."
"But, if you are a Jyorta then, act like a Jyorta." Ashten Coorg said, making the boys nod their heads, showing their approval.
"Did you…just use my name as a derogatory term?" Jyorta raised his hand, acting like he was pissed, looking intent to beat Ashten into a pulp.
The girl, Esina—her arms still slumped on his shoulder—laughed, "I thought you were just nervous and tried to avoid her. After all, she is an aristocrat and it is best to stay away than to offend one. But, seeing you claim having not noticed her, are you okay? Is there some problem that is troubling you?"
Esina placed the back of her on his forehead, her gaze focused. She repeated the same to his neck, murmuring, "You don't seem feverish. Then, what is the reason?"
"I am perfectly alright," Jyorta sighed, pointing a finger at himself, his words carrying an inquiring tone, "Besides, why should I be nervous around her? I too am from an aristocratic family."
Esina blinked once, twice, thrice, taking the time to digest the information. She then retracted her hands, massaging her forehead, "From time to time, do remind us of that fact. We keep forgetting it."
"Wait, Jyorta is an aristocrat? Since when? Did he already get engaged to an aristocratic lady?" It was Ashten Coorg's turn to be surprised, trailing his gaze between Esina and Jyorta. There was shock and admiration in his gaze, lingering on Jyorta, marvelling at his friend's geniuses in certain things.
"How are you even his friend?" Esina smacked her forehead, feeling a bit frustrated. "His last name is Bone, belonging to the Bone family."
Noticing Ashten's astonishment, Esina wanted to facepalm. She shifted her line of sight, facing the White Building situated farther from her, "Anyway, I heard there are many exciting things to see in the White building. Let's go there."
"Sure," Jyorta nodded, a relieved expression plastered on his face, "I too heard many rumours."
The rest of his classmates echoed their opinion, moving along as a group. Ashten Coorg silently slithered his way towards Jyorta, whispering in his ears. "Suppose you get a chance to talk to her in the future, do remind her of the fact that a brave warrior by the name of Ashten has composed a poem for her."
"Wait, you composed a poem for her? That is so not cool dude." Jyorta whispered, his expression bordering on disgust. "You don't even know her. Doing something like that will get you the label of a creep."
"Don't worry," Ashten Coorg flashed a smile, "I won't reveal it to anyone until the opportune time. Though, do me a favour and edit the contents once."
"It's not like I can write poems better than you," Jyorta shrugged.
"But, you are better than me at the cheesy stuff. Wisdom should be inherited from the pros." Ashten raised his eyebrows, flashing a smile; his face looked like one who had comprehended the essence of the universe.
"Though, if you can set me up with someone from your family, that would be for the best."
"Scram!"
…
1:50 PM, Jyorta exited the White Building, feeling his head spin. He turned around and waved his hands towards his classmates, heading towards the cafeteria designated for Espers.
Along the way, he opened the pamphlet, gazing into its contents, feeling his movements pause in shock. 'Haesha's reaction is justified. The contents are even more amazing than from sister's time.'
[Unranked Skill: Flight] [Warrior] [55,000 Credits]
[Unranked Skill: Regen] [Esper] [1,10,000 Credits]
[Trait of Growth] [1,00,000 Credits]
[Trait of Severability] [90,000 Credits]
[Trait of Recovery] [6000 Credits]
[Trait of Resistance] [7000 Credits]
[Trait of Efficiency] [12,000 Credits]
[Trait of Temperance] [15,000 Credits]
[Trait of Dominance] [3000 Credits]
[Trait of Nullity] [4000 Credits]
[Tier 1 Frenzy Fruit] [10 Credits]
[Tier 2 Frenzy Fruit] [100 Credits]
[Tier 3 Frenzy Fruit] [1000 Credits]
[Tier 1 Artifact] [100 Credits]
[Tier 2 Artifact] [1000 Credits]
[Tier 3 Artifact] [10,000 Credits]
[Tier 4 Frenzy Fruit] [10,000 Credits] [x100]
[Tier 5 Frenzy Fruit] [50,000 Credits] [x2]
[Tier 4 Artifact] [30,000 Credits] [x10]
[Tier 3 Relic] [8000 Credits] [x20]
[Tier 4 Relic] [60,000 Credits] [x3]
"Trait of Severability, and Trait of Growth," Jyorta muttered, his expression one of shock. Even though his knowledge about the Wisdom Parasite was limited, these two traits served to collapse his newly founded 'common sense'.
Looking at a small description attached to them in the pamphlet, Jyorta felt his head spin, his thoughts running amok. Finally, after a couple of minutes, he could bring his mind to ease, his thoughts becoming coherent.
'Even though the Trait of Severability looks amazing, it is expensive. Also, Frenzy Fruits are relatively cheaper. Moreover, considering my uniqueness, I probably wouldn't need them much. The same goes for the Trait of Growth; I would never need to eat a Cleansement Fruit in my life, so it is also unnecessary.'
"So, my goals are unchanged. Trait of Efficiency and Trait of Recovery are my first priority followed by the Unranked Skill Regen and Trait of Resistance. If I could still amass some extra Credits, I will exchange them for Frenzy Fruits and increase my Sync Rate." Jyorta pocketed the pamphlet and continued to walk, his gaze turning sharp. Underneath it was excitement, broiling amid a multitude of anticipation.
2:00 PM, Psychic Block, Blue building; Jyorta peered into the open section of the ground floor, at the cafeteria. It was bereft of walls, except for a couple of pillars to support the weight of the building, placed at equivalent distances.
Circular tables were placed along the open hall, each capable of facilitating four people. The chairs were of a simple design, lacking an armrest. On a rough estimate, Jyorta could spot 200 tables. To the other end was what appeared to be a kitchen, cordoned off by a raised slab of wall, reaching till his hips, overlaid with granite.
Chefs were stationed in the numerous stalls, each preparing various types of food—from snacks to lunches. There was a counter at the entrance; a long line of students had formed, numbering at least 30, queued before the counter, ordering their food.
The man behind the counter pressed a couple of buttons on a large pad according to the demand, printing a slip. A student scanned his card under a designated scanner and took the slip, heading towards the section with the chefs—it was self-service.
Jyorta entered the cafeteria, noticing the emission of psychic energy from some of the students. He could immediately guess that they were from the October batch. As they were yet to be trained, they couldn't perfectly control their psychic energy from seeping out. People like Jyorta were an exception, thanks to his background.
As he trailed his focus to every girl who emitted some fluctuation of psychic energy, Jyorta failed to find Haesha. 'Has she not arrived yet?'
Just when this thought popped into his head, he could feel his heart begin to race. He also experienced the sensation of water vapour—or its equivalent—seeping out from the pores on his skin, a sensation he felt when he tensed up or when he was apprehensive about something.
'Is she…not coming? I guess I'll stand in the line and wait. After all, it is a long line and our lunch break is only 30 minutes long. Moreover, I should act cool.' Jyorta joined the queue at the counter, taking a mental note of the people before him, lest someone cut the line. It was something he had experienced innumerous times during his previous lifetime. The number of patient people he had seen could practically be counted on two hands.
2:14 PM, there were only 3 people before him. Jyorta became bored, having to stand in the line while doing nothing. He then noticed Haesha enter in a hurry. The moment she noticed him, Jyorta waved his hand, indicating that he would buy her food.
Not wanting to join the line abruptly and create trouble for herself, Haesha secretly handed her ID to Jyorta when the person behind him wasn't paying attention. She then motioned her lips, informing him that she would take the same lunch as him. Without pause, she retreated from the area, intending to find a seating place for the two.
'She is quite sharp and animated; I am liking her more and more, haha.' Jyorta smirked, handing over the two ID cards at the counter. The man behind the counter gave him a look, expressing nothing as he noticed Haesha's ID card along with his. Without uttering any words, he printed the requested food item and handed two slips, scanning both the ID cards in the scanner.
Taking the two slips, Jyorta went towards the delivery area—it was sparsely crowded due to its long servicing area and the greater number of chefs available—and picked up two plates filled with food.
Noticing Haesha occupy a vacant table in the middle of the hall—waving towards him for an indication—a smile crept up his face.