Shin didn't really have much time to think. After leaving the General's office, he was escorted to a building he'd never seen before. Maybe it was more fair to say that he just never really paid attention to it before. It was off the main part of campus, somewhat removed and near the athletics fields and buildings. If asked, Shin would have said it was sports club house. That guess wasn't too far from the truth. The Shinmin class made extensive use of all the sports and combat facilities, more so than the regular classes.
At the door of the P.o.u.r House (there was a nice nameplate above the entrance), a strong looking older boy was waiting for them.
"Private Shin, welcome to the Pour House. I am Corporal Dale, your new class head. Come in and we'll get you settled," Dale said. He saluted to the General's aides, and then led Shin into the building.
Right away he could tell it was nothing like the regular barracks.
For one, he walked into a beautiful entry way. The walls were covered in paintings and tapestries showing heroes and battles. Most of it was non-Super too, showing men with muskets battling on a riverbank, samurai on horses, flights of jets, and more. Display cases lined the walkway, showing knives, armour, sniper rifles, and even a pair of leather gloves. Shin just stared in wonder.
"Pretty impressive, eh Private? Don't worry, you'll have time to look at it all more closely. Each item has a story. I'll take you to your room first, and then we'll continue the tour."
Shin saw that every inch of this building was better than he was used to. While they walked, he saw alcoves with beautiful furniture, warm lighting and more art. Books were everywhere too. If he didn't know it was the Shimin clubhouse, he might have thought it was a relaxed library. When they approached a large door, though it looked antique, Dale had to press his palm against a burnished bronze looking plate before it would open.
"Don't worry, your biometrics should be in the system already. This door separates the public common areas from the living space. Other students, teachers, and dignitaries sometimes have access to the P.o.u.r House's public areas for meetings and events. The General sometimes hosts gatherings here too. I'm told it has 'an elegant, old world feel'", Dale said the last part in a gruff imitation of the General Hamish's voice. "We use it too, don't worry. Most of our time is spent training in the rest of the complex though".
"Woah!" Shin said immediately after passing through the door. The space was wide open with a very eastern vibe, wooden floors, line art and tatami mats. There was a section in the middle that looked like a traditional ring, and was surrounded by several smaller practice mats. Outside this square were exercise equipment stations, a full running track and sections that looked like obstacle courses.
"That is our training and operations space, a lot of our non class time is spent there. I don't know what the General told you, but you're about to have a lot more class work and less free time," Dale said, but with a smile. He turned Shin to the side where he noticed the large staircase leading up to a large mezzanine looking down on the training floor. It was a large area though, with couches, screens, and desks. A cool rec room look.
"Do we take lessons here?" Shin asked.
"This is what we call the overlook, it actually goes around the entire space below so we can watch matches. This section is more of a hangout and homework space. We still attend classes in the main campus buildings, even most of our extra classes." Dale kept walking and pointed out another area with a counter, some stools and a small kitchen area. "We get our midnight snacks here, since we're a little far from the cafeteria for off hours. Past that is our dorm area. Lets take a look at your room and see if your stuff has arrived. Then I'll introduce you to everyone else"
Dale slapped his hand against another brass plate on the wall, but this one was hard to pick out in the design and decorations there. Actually, Shin wouldn't have noticed it all if he hadn't seen it. A section of the wall seamlessly moved back and slid away, revealing a long hallway with maybe a dozen doors. The style here seemed to be a blend of the rest of the building, there were suits of European and Samurai armour on display, beautiful panels were inlaid on the upper half of the walls framing paintings lit with ornate lamps, and there was a small sitting area with a low bookcase.
Dale walked to the end of the hall while Shin looked everywhere, trying not to look too impressed. "Home sweet home," Dale said, indicating the last door. Shin just stared expectantly.
"I can't open it for you, it's keyed to your palm print."
"Oh, ok," Shin said, a little confused. What kind of barracks was this? He touched the brass plate and felt a little jolt of electricity, then the door irised open, like the doors in the main campus. Shin was immediately shocked. "Why is there only one bed, sir?"
Dale looked at Shin wonderingly, "They didn't prepare you at all, did they? I wasn't kidding when I said this is an elite program. One of the perks is having your own room. This is all yours now Shin." Dale said. Again, he had to wonder if this new kid was up to the challenge. Being accepted into Shimin was the easy part. Staying and surviving was the real challenge.
Shin had never had his own room before. Ever. Even as a child, he remembered that he shared a bedroom with his younger sister. Unbidden, his eyes started to water, but he did his best to hold it back. The room wasn't very large, but it had a good sized bed with drawers built into the frame. There was a large desk, several shelves and bookcases, two large screens built into the wall (one was displaying a natural light outdoor scene, like a window from olden times). The wooden floor even had a soft rug covering the main part.
"Thank you sir, I have a lot to catch up on it seems!"
"Please, call me Dale. Except when the teachers are around." Dale said with a smile. Something about this Shin kid was very likeable he decided.
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'I can't believe he was transferred out of our class and the barracks just like that!' Mimi was not upset. She definitely wasn't mad that she wouldn't see him every day. If anything, he annoyed her. Still, she could admit that he was becoming more interesting, especially after the tournament. And she wasn't the only one who noticed.
'Aren't I still his Corporal? I can't just ignore his development, that would look bad on me.' Mimi was a motivated student and soldier, she believed in following the rules, but knew that sometimes you had to bend the rules for the greater good. She really believed Shin was special... she didn't just have a crush on him.
'If I'm going to help him, I need to be able communicate with him, for his own good.' She barely even thought about how intimate it would be to interact with him secretly. Digital communication between students was forbidden of course; the surgically implanted ocular display system all students received could be easily used for cheating if peer to peer communications were enabled. They did get to practice with it in field operations training, but then it was visual data and voice comms.
As a Corporal she had more access than most, as a technical expert, she had a few tricks to ensure the administration didn't notice her unauthorized messages. 'What do I text him? Will he think I like him?' Mimi thought, a blush rising to her cheeks. 'No, I can't let him get the wrong idea!' She opened the secure terminal on her comp station and started to type.