Golden Dormitory.
Gendis completed tying her curled hair. She moved to touch the bangs on her forehead as she looked at herself in the mirror, mumbling, "...Shall I escape from the lesson? Today's lesson is by that teacher, I don't like him..."
Previously, after her eyes witnessed another side of a student's life, it opened up a new world for her, leaving her much interest. She had been attending class for a full three years, what was wrong with fleeing merely some days? Perhaps just like what Arthur said, she would get lazier and lazier yet if she thought more about it, weren't the swanky mouth's group often avoiding class as well but still diligent in their study? No matter what reason they use, training or going to the library, escaping still escaping after all.
And what about Arawinda? Wasn't she never attended any class ever since she was transferred to the Active Department months ago? No one had ever had any intention to give her a warning, instead, they let them be as if she was the princess of the school. No, they simply won't get involved with someone like her. Tsk, she was sickened by them!
However, there was no way she could do what Arawinda did, as she was the grand-nephew of the principal. If she escaped too often, it would bring a bad effect on him. That was not good, she did not want to.
"Uhm! Just this one, again!"
Gendis squeezed her fists and walked out of her room to call on Arawinda. Glancing around at the quiet dormitory, Gendis hurriedly knocked on Arawinda's door.
Knock-knock-knock!
"Arawinda? You there??"
She waited for a few seconds before knocking again, assuming she was still asleep.
Knock-knock-knock!
"Arawinda--"
Thump!
Listening to this sound, Gendis felt suspicious. She rise her tone a bit in worry, "Arawinda? Did you fall from the bed? Just be careful! I'll wait here!"
Not receiving any answer, she felt even more anxious. As she raised her hand to knock again, the door had been opened slowly and a fair hand-stretched to touch the door frame.
A hoarse voice sounded unhurried, "...What?"
Gendis's pupils shrunk instantly as she covered her mouth in disbelief.
"Arawinda?!"
.....
In a long corridor, a delicate girl walked in a rush. Her long black hair swayed by the wind as she dash, revealing her face which currently showed an anxious expression.
Soon, her eyes targetted
A student sitting near the door noticed her nervous appearance but he did not care.
Though the whole class was aware that she was rumored as a thief, some students especially the black uniform one was still treated her kindly. They said they understood her feeling of wanting to climb higher, and for him, it sounded super weird. It was their fate to be a black student, and if wishing to climb, could one just exert more effort like Senior Harja?
Shaking his head lightly, he resumed his reading, not minding the black students at all.
The delicate girl appears to realize his reaction, but she still kept her face straight.
Some black students grouping at the back of the class noticed her figure gasping by the door, and shouted at her, "Kencana! Come here!'
"... Okay!" Kencana showed a sweet smile.
Once she reached the group, she heard a question she had anticipated, "Kencana, why are you running so early in the morning? It's not like you're late."
Kencana bit her lips in hesitation, "... I should not say. I do not know if it's true or not, or just a rumor..."
The group felt her hesitation yet it did not press their curiosity, instead, it rose higher and they persuaded her to open her mouth.
"Come on, just tell us?"
"If it's just a rumor, we'll forget it anyway."
"Who cares whether it's true or not? I'm curious to death, just say it!"
Kencana heard their convincing began to waver. She peeked around them before leaning forward to them, whispering, "... I accidentally heard from some students gossiping that a student is rumored to be infected after leaving the wall."
"What?!"
The group screamed out in shock, disbelief, and even fear, yet the others students frowned at them for being too loud.
Receiving their eyes, Kencana quickly raised her index finger to her lips in panic, "Sshh! Don't yell! I don't know whether it's true or not! If not then it'll be my fault and I'll be punished again for the third time this month!"
The group quickly covered their mouth and glanced at each other with hidden nervousness, "Okay-okay."
Although they understood, the uneasy feeling could not be held back for too long. Soon, the rumor would spread through the Academy and the teachers would alarm. They would certainly take an action about it.
Kencana smirked inwardly. She did not mind being punished again. All she wished was to step on her until she succeed.
The bell rang, and shortly, the teacher came in with Bhahran assisting with the paper. He put the papers on the teacher's desk before walking toward his seat, beside Kencana.
The teacher unsmilingly said, "Let's start the class."
After greeting Kencana, Bhahran was soon aware that she was a bit too quiet, unlike usual.
"Na, what's wrong?"
Kencana fidget her fingers and whispered, "I seem to do something wrong..."
"Huh? Tell me?" Bhahran doubly stared at her nervous appearance, assuming this time must be a big problem than previously.
Noticing his doubt, Kencana still said, "I told my friends something that has not yet been confirmed. Will it become trouble?"
"Oh. Then just be sure your friends won't spread it."
"I will." He saw her nod behaving.
Bhahran sighed a relief inwardly. Glad it was not something big, or he would be disciplined again and fear his father would be angrier than presently toward him.
Who knows that his belief was incorrect, to begin with?
.....
"... Ugh. Just go to class. I can just sleep more."
Arawinda suggested as she squirmed inside her quilt with a disheveled appearance.
Gendis rolled her eyes and stubbornly said, "Please, girl. You're sick, a fever even worse. How can I leave you alone?"
"After sleep, I'll be fine!" Arawinda sighed helplessly facing her stubborn act.
At night she had already suspicious at how tired she was and certain she had a cold. Yet in this world, medicine was extremely rare, rather, it was some weird-colorful-bubbly-thicky-deadly looking potions sold out there, she did not want to taste that at all. Thus, she believe she would be fine in the morning, however, the reality was different.
She got a fever! For the first time in this life! Thanks to those zombies and their death! She really wished she was the one who trampled them to death!
There was no medicine, and definitely not trying those potions. Only one left stuck in her brain that could reduce her discomfort, the villain's core. Still, she was unable to take it out with Gendis by her side.
She squinted her eyes at Gendis who was folding her arms and pouting her lip looking so serious, feeling a bit suspicious.
What did usually teenagers do in their school life? If she looked clearer at the student's life, a certain thing must have been felt by every student, including her, that was being sluggish.
"... Don't tell me... You don't want to go???"
Watching her body turn stiff, Arawinda laughed out loud, "Oh, my! You are simply lazy! Silly, just said so!"
Gendis stomped her feet and voiced out her denial, "What?! I'm not, okay! I just don't like the teacher today! He's fierce with his expressionless face!"
"You must have ever been punished by him, don't you?? That's why you scare of him!" Arawinda grinned as she played her eyebrows.
Gendis shook her head persistent with her answer, "No-no-no. I just don't like him, I'm not scared of him! Just wait and see, I'll attend the second lesson after this!"
"I don't believe that!"
"You should believe it!"
The two chitchats for almost two hours before the second bell rang. Gendis sighed dejectedly, wishing to stay but seeing how tired her friend was, she understood she should not bother her anymore.
"I'll go to class."
Her downcast appearance was as if she was parting with her family to go to deathly war.
Arawinda felt this was laughable but did not say anything and she waved her hand, "Go-go. I'm gonna sleep!"
Once she left, she would immediately take out the villain's core and sleep with it in her hands.
Being chased away, Gendis could only leave her room and walked reluctantly toward her class.
Arawinda had guessed right, she was afraid of this teacher. He was solemn, even more, solemn than Trainer Nehan. One time she was punished for not doing her homework but... her punishment was the hardest as the teacher assumed she was merely relying on her grand-uncle to enter this academy and never serious about the class.
What did he know? From the whole class, she was the one who was diligent in noting all lessons in her books. She was sure she could publish the book as
It was only due to her grand-uncle that this teacher rarely gave her punishment again, still, his eyes always showing contempt to her. She did not understand how he was able to hate her so much even they rarely meet.
Had she ever offended him in the past?
Gendis brushed away her tangled thought once she reached her class. She hurriedly walked to her seat in silence.
As she waited for the teacher to come, her deskmate had been fidgeting ever since she sat. She felt bothered by it and asked, "What's wrong? If you want to go to the toilet, just go."
"No-no!" The girl delayed at first before telling her,
"Have you heard about the rumor?"
"What rumor?" Gendis wrinkled her nose in confusion.
The girl peeked at the door before continuing, "Many students heard that one of us is infected by zombies after visiting the wall! The rumor comes from the black students. I don't know if it's true but I just feel uneasy about it."
Gendis nodded in understanding, "I see. Thank you for telling me."
A rumor like this was scarce, as the training centers were pretty tight in security measures. A visitor was unable to pass once the guard detect a wound from a zombie, then was sent to their lab for further medication.
Gendis felt the rumor was too weird.
Normally, one scratched by a zombie definitely did not wish to turn into a zombie so they won't avoid the treatment. The training center and the guards as well would generally conceal the sufferer's identity, comply with the existing regulations for the sake of the sufferer's peaceful life. Unless the sufferer would take initiative to say that they were scratched, no one should know.
Hence, where did the rumor come from? The training center and the guards? No way, right? The sufferer? Yet the rumor said the sufferer had infected, it was already advanced, not merely a simple scratch anymore.
Tsk-tsk, let's not care anymore. If there was really an infected one, the guard would come soon anyway.
Gendis proceeded to take out her book from her drawer and prepared to listen to the class.