Eight weeks later.
Dean was sitting on his table with a piece of an envelope on top of his desk. It was a letter coming from the military. It was a letter for him, and Dean was wondering whether he should open the letter or not.
"Open it, Dean, I know it should be good for you," Aveline said.
"Yeah, what can go wrong with opening a letter directed for you?" Orion asked.
Dean opened the letter. It was a scholarship letter coming from the academy. Dean couldn't be any happier. He never thought his marksmanship score would even be considered as a chance for him to get a scholarship.
"Is this real?" Dean asked himself as he read the letter.
"It looks real, the signature of the principal is real, there's the stamp too, what else?" Andre asked as he looked at the letter thoroughly. "Hmm, the organization is legit too, Bioadora Inc is a legit company producing medicinal items for the military. They also offer scholarships to several seniors that I know."
OSP was a program usually offered for talented students where the funds usually came from the military or other companies that supported the military by giving scholarships to talented academy students. Of course, getting it would require a hard effort.
It was a scholarship invitation to go to any medical university that he wanted to enroll in. There was also an invitation to an office building in Almara Island's central district. The interviewer will interview him tonight at seven o'clock.
Allistair Bennett
Carparius Office Tower, 13th Floor, Office 3
Almara Island, 5th Central Street
Dean was very ecstatic, too ecstatic, in fact. He couldn't help himself but jump around in happiness. It meant that he didn't have to worry anymore about his future, he could relax in the military academy without worrying too much. Fuck the F-rank, he got a scholarship now.
Still, about the interview, what he should even prepare? He hadn't gotten any interview before, much less an interview for a scholarship. Well, he could ask his friends for advice about the interview.
Orion graded quite decently in the classroom, only seconded by Dean in the first place. Aveline and Andre were pretty much neck to neck while followed by Scarlet from behind. All of them were in the top 10, at least in the classroom.
"So, Orion, what would you do if you get this kind of invitation?" Dean asked.
"Well, you can start practicing in the mirror, it works for me," Orion added.
"You meant your crazy chanting in the mirror of your love declaration to Scarlet, homie, I'm good," Dean added.
"Dude…"
Before this, Orion had been rehearsing his love declaration to Scarlet for two weeks. Thousand of love poems, million words, and all had been said to the mirror right next to his study table. And oh boy, Dean and Andre would be lying if they weren't pissed.
"Ah yeah, I swear I could have heard you saying bloody Mary three times in front of the mirror," Andre added fuel to the fire.
"Worst wingmen, ever," Orion uttered.
"But on a more serious note, he's right," Scarlet added.
Dean and Andre felt that this was a sudden unexpected turn of events. Scarlet, of all people, defending Orion? That was not something that both of them expected at all, unless…
"Wait, Orion, don't tell me you two are engaged yet? When the marriage will be?" Andre asked his friend.
"Don't mistake my kindness for likeness," Scarlet gave the statement.
"Oof, that's ought to hurt," Dean said.
Still, it was solid advice. Maybe it wouldn't be enough to practice in under two hours, but well, fate would be waiting for him down the road so he had to prepare. It was also told there that he must be dressed in uniform, or whatever it meant.
Basically, he had to come to the office building for the interview still in his school uniform. Dean wouldn't be lying if he felt uncomfortable wearing his usual uniform. It just felt less formal. Then again, wearing a military combat uniform would be way worse.
"Anyway, Dean, try to stay calm during the interview, alright?" Aveline suggested.
"Stay calm? Sure, I'll be as cool as a block of ice," Dean replied.
Aveline then gave Dean a quick simulation of the interview. She acted as the interviewer while the other four would be acting as the backup interviewer sitting down right beside her. Aveline gave the usual question and Dean gave the usual answer.
Orion criticized his hand movement, but Scarlet immediately intervened saying that Dean was good enough for someone who hasn't been through any scholarship interview in his lifetime.
Andre suggested that Dean should lower his tone a bit, so the interviewer wouldn't take him as an arrogant person. However, overall, for a first-timer, he wasn't too bad. Dean would fare quite well as long nothing out of the ordinary happened to him. He only needed Adams' permission now.
=====================
Carparius Office Tower was a forty floor building located on the middle of Almara Island. Dean looked at the top of building in awe. The glass tower looked out of the ordinary in the middle of a military-owned island, then again, Almara Island was a military and civilian installation at the same time. Dean entered the building.
The security officer asked where Dean was going. He said he would go to the 13th floor and the security officer gladly pushed the elevator button for him. Dean went to the elevator and went to the office.
Weirdly enough, why the office building was empty? And it seemed that there were only two people waiting inside of that office, one woman and one man. The woman looked at Dean and he invited Dean to come inside of the office.
Dean came into the office and he sat down right across those two people. Those people were dressed in suits and really gave Dean the corporate aura. He felt nervous, but ecstatic at the same time. Adams had given Dean his permission to go and he wished him good luck.
"Ah, good evening, Mr. Barnett, sorry for disturbing your evening," the interviewer said.
"Good evening, ma'am. No, I'm happy to be here," Dean replied.
"Impressive. Anyway, my name is Allistair Bennett, you can call me Mrs. Bennett, my partner right here is Mr. David," Bennett said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Bennett, Mr. David," Dean said.
Bennett opened the book right in front of her and started taking notes. Dean was ready for the first question. David seemed to be eager to listen to the answer. He seemed to keep fiddling on his notes.
"Alright, Dean, first question, how would you like to die?"
PEW. PEW.
A sharp and hot sensation suddenly emerged from Dean's right chest, followed by a stabbing pain piercing his chest. He held his chest with his hand, and he saw his hand covered in thick layer of blood.
Dean started gasping for air as his right chest began to collapse from the gunshot. He then saw Bennett suddenly transformed as she pulled her hair pin from her hair. She transformed into a wolf type Menkaid. A human with wolf ears. Dean couldn't believe his eyes. He then heard the sudden whisper from the shooter behind him.
"Too bad, you are too stupid to realize the letter is bogus."
It was Mick's voice. There was no doubt about it. He couldn't forget the voice of the trouble maker. Dean vision began to darken and faded away as he lost his consciusness. The sharp pain lingered on his body as his whole body went numb.
"Dump him at the ocean, no one would find him."