When I got home, I quickly got into the shower and stood under the hot water for almost forty-five minutes.
This was a new record for me as someone who normally showers in ten minutes at the most, but I didn't care too much because being friends with Adrian, or rather being friends with a human being for the first time, made me feel happy.
It was a good feeling to have a 'real' friend for the first time in my twenty-one years of life and I was quite relieved that I thought I had gotten Adrian back on the good track a little bit.
Still, all that aside, I was tired, so after a long shower I went straight to bed.
~beep
When I heard the notification on my watch, I didn't want to look at it too much because I wanted to go to sleep quickly, but then my curiosity got the better of me and I saw the message Clara had sent me.
An involuntary smile appeared on my face, I skipped sleeping for now and started chatting with her.
To be honest, we weren't talking about anything spectacular. The things we told each other were quite ordinary, everyday things, but it was still quite refreshing and fun to talk to her as it felt like she was taking all the tiredness out of me.
<<------------------------------
Clara: By the way... You're coming to visit on Sunday, aren't you?
You: Of course, meeting my family is one of the things I want to do.
Clara: Okay... But you know where the house is, right?
------------------------------>>
Ah... She makes a very good point, but... What makes her think that I don't know where my sister's house is, even though I used to be someone who didn't care about my surroundings?
You wouldn't be that far off, would you, Aiden? You at least know where your sister lives, don't you...?
<<------------------------------
Clara: Anyway... It's normal that you don't know where I moved to. I'll send you the address.
------------------------------>>
Ah! So she moved out... Okay, that's totally understandable. There's no way the old Aiden would be so reckless as to not know where she lives. I mean, I hope not...
<<------------------------------
You: Do you own the place you live in or are you in a rented house?
Clara: I found a one-room apartment in a quite nice place, and the rent is four hundred and twenty wels. It's also very close to the school and the market. So it's quite affordable and it's good enough for me.
------------------------------>>
So it's a one-room rented house... Didn't our family own a house? Although considering the fact that they died seven years ago, there's a good chance we sold it for money...
<<------------------------------
You: Are you in a part-time job? How do you pay the rent?
Clara: Well, yes... I've got a few jobs and working. Don't worry about me, you need money for your academic expenses too.
------------------------------>>
In this message, I was particularly struck by the words 'a few jobs' and let out a forced sigh.
To say I am rich with the money I have now would be an understatement...
I want my sister to grow up in a good environment and, given that she is only sixteen, I don't want to prevent her from enjoying her youth by cutting back on her free time with part-time jobs.
<<------------------------------
You: Okay, but let's leave it here. It's getting late.
Clara: Okay! Good night.
You: Good night.
------------------------------>>
I wanted to send her money right away, but I didn't ask her directly about her bank account because I was more interested in surprising her in person before the visit to the cemetery.
After turning off the watch, I pulled the duvet over me and closed my eyes, but then I thought of something else.
I forgot to set up the study group...
Well, whatever. I can set it up tomorrow. I have plenty of time, I really need to sleep now.
So I cleared my mind and let my body relax. It didn't take me long to fall asleep after the long and tiring day I had.
*******
The next day, the first thing I did was to set up the study group and ask Julian and Adrian to give me a general, if not accurate, schedule of what they were doing at what times.
They answered my request quickly. So we decided to work every second day, starting on Monday next week, starting at thirty minutes past seven in the evening until we had to leave.
Normally I expected Julian not to be very enthusiastic about this... because he is not the 'good' type of person, but I also remember that his studies were really bad. So to be taught by me, who excels in all subjects, must have been too big an opportunity for him to refuse. So much so that he violates his own principles...
Actually... Can't I fix his personality a little bit like I'm going to do with Adrian?
Adrian's lack of common sense helped me to deal with him quickly, but I might have some trouble with Julian... Still, it's definitely worth it.
After a short breakfast with such intense thoughts, I went to the first class. The old condescending looks the class used to give me turned to curiosity and jealousy when I was able to talk freely with both Julian and Adrian, aided by the other rumors that were spreading around, but I continued to ignore them.
In this way I got through the day without any trouble, sleeping most of the time during classes and hanging out with Adrian or Julian during breaks, even if he was uncomfortable with my presence.
Apart from that, when the classes were over and it was time for practical training, I went to the training hall with my sword and met Professor Calvin so that I could get a detailed diet, exercise, and improvement program.
I also learned the hard way that Professor Calvin doesn't hold his own in our training sessions... The last time we dueled I managed to win the bet because he had equalized himself to our level and almost all his attacks were etched in my mind, but now it's different.
Right now I was trying to dodge his attacks, to counter them somehow, and frankly, I was having fun.
But this was suddenly destroyed by a smile I saw on the professor's face, followed by a sharp pain in my chest.
I got down on my knees and held my chest, trying to ignore the pain, but no matter how hard I tried not to think about it, my ribs were definitely cracked...
"Drink this, we're just getting started."
The professor put a red drink in front of me and I couldn't stop myself from swallowing painfully.
I know that he put everything into this training because of my low stats and that he pushed me especially hard and I respect that… But cracking my ribs? Isn't that a bit much…?
I downed the red drink and then felt a warmth spreading through my whole body. The pain in my chest slowly disappeared. I relaxed as if the cracks in my ribs were slowly closing, but the professor wouldn't let me.
"Take your stance again, come on!"
These were words that I heard every time I stepped into this room and that I feared would slowly begin to traumatize me.
*******
~Bzzt! ~Bzzt! ~Bzzt!
I yawned and silenced the alarm, then got out of bed tired. It was Saturday, there were no classes and I even had gotten permission from Professor Calvin to do a little work.
So I could have spent the day resting, but I woke up early in the morning because I had something important to do today.
I went to the bathroom to wash my face so that I could wake up properly and then frowned when I saw my reflection in the mirror with circles under my eyes.
Professor Calvin is definitely one of my favorite characters in the game, but I'm afraid that I might start to hate him... I know what's best for me, and I know that the professor is working hard for me, but...
Damn... Why the fuck do I have to feel like I'm breaking or cracking a bone with every blow I take? I know I have an F grade endurance, but I've been hurt so much in the last three days that I'm starting to wonder what I did to deserve this...
With a deep sigh, I washed my face and made myself a nice breakfast. Even though I had slept for about nine hours, I tried not to curse Professor Calvin, who was responsible for my sore muscles. Then I changed out of my pajamas into comfortable clothes and headed to the mall at nine in the morning to get ready for what I had planned to do today.
Since it was the first weekend of the academy, most of the students must have fallen asleep. Because it was pretty empty outside. Still, I can't complain as it felt nice to relax after the practical classes.
I smiled when I finally found myself in front of a myriad of stores and immediately headed for a clothing store.
I'm going somewhere important, and it's in my best interest to change out of my old clothes. That's exactly what I came here for.
With this in mind, I quickly picked out a set of clothes with an employee who helped me when I entered the store.
With a white T-shirt, a pair of jeans and a smart-looking cardigan, at least I now look more 'modern'. That's enough for my objective. After all, we are going to wear a device that blurs our whole face and makes us anonymous, so my charm is not so important.
So I bought the clothes, which were quite expensive despite their simple appearance, and then left the store and set off again.
This time my target was one of the four main gates of the academy - east, west, north and south - and getting out of the academy was easier than I thought.
All I had to do in front of the huge and modern-looking east gate, which majestically grew to almost six meters in height, was to wait in line. When I explained that I was going out to see my sister and that I would be back on Sunday evening, I was allowed to leave quite easily.
As I looked around and saw some students meeting with their families, I paused for a moment. I didn't move a muscle as my eyes swept over these families one by one. I squinted slightly and thought of my past.
Then, in an attempt to push these thoughts aside, I stood up straight and sighed deeply.
Why am I jealous of them? I got over it a long time ago. And I have a sister now... I'm even friends with Adrian. I'm not alone anymore, so I shouldn't be thinking these things.
Ignoring my surroundings, I hailed a quick taxi and told myself I was going to the nearest magnetic train station.
The academy has a station quite close to it to make transportation easier, so it was only a short six-minute ride and I was inside the crowded station.
There were people everywhere, and everyone was busy with their own problems, but I ignored them and curiously examined the nearest magnetic train, trying to suppress the excitement burning inside me.
Even though it was quite plain looking, this beast, which seemed to be flying on the rails with a magnetic force, could easily reach a speed of eight hundred kilometers per hour with the support of mana. The best thing is that these things are neither very expensive nor very hard to get. They are absolutely amazing, so much so that they are one of the things I want to see in this world.
I reined in my excitement as much as I could and stood in line to buy a ticket. After about seven minutes of waiting, I was finally in front of an employee.
I quickly bought a ticket to Wiathen City for half an hour later, and immediately after that, I heard a notification.
<<------------------------------
As a result of two tickets purchased at the station, 45.9W was deducted from your account. Click here for the tickets.
------------------------------>>
I liked the fact that the ticket was an electronic e-mail instead of a piece of paper and left the line.
In the meantime, I went into the details of the ticket and looked at which train I was going to take.
Train number four on platform three and seat number twenty-eight...
I found the platform and then train number four. My ticket was checked and I was let in without any problems.
When I found my seat about two carriages inside, I realized that it was on the left side of the train on the window side of a row of three people. With that, I quickly took my seat with the happiness of being by the window.
The train was still five minutes away from departure. Therefore, I was quite relaxed and I started to look at the news on my watch and see what was going on.
It was a habit from my old world. I liked to keep up with the news, especially Lunerra's current news... It had a lot of interesting things going on.
The recent conflict between Elves and Dwarves, the attempted coup in the Elhair Republic, the strange abundance in the Annuma Desert... It was fun to see news like that, especially since I knew some of the things happening in the background.
I must have been so engrossed in the news that I was startled when I felt a jolt from my right side. I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see who was sitting next to me, and then... unexpectedly, my eyes widened.
The person sitting next to me was one of the last people I expected to see. So much so that for a moment I was dumbfounded.
Celine Potenbea, ranked seventh among the first years with short dark brown hair that didn't even reach her shoulders and sharp, bright violet eyes that resembled an amethyst, and one of the characters who appeared actively in the game because of her place in the story and the power of her family, was sitting in the seat right next to me without a care in the world.