Stare, who had been immersed in the comforting embrace of slumber, was abruptly jolted awake by a familiar, incessant, irritating noise. It caused him to bolt upright in alarm.
He already knew what that noise meant, and in fact, had expected it, but that didn't diminish how irritating it was to his ears.
It was his second day of learning at the academy.
As he rose from his bed, sluggishly rubbing his eyes, he spotted both Bobby and Joel already up.
He could tell from the small finishing touches they were adding to their suits that they were most likely done preparing for the day's academic activities, which was somewhat unusual to him.
How come he was always the last to leave the bed?
In Bobby's case, it wasn't that unusual, considering his heroic fanaticism habit. To be honest, Stare was even glad he woke up early today. At least it meant yesterday's events didn't have much effect on his ambitious behavior.
But Joel? On the first day, it was understandable, driven by his eagerness to see those Elites. But why was he up so early today as well?
'I'm the one who has a world-level threat mission to prevent, yet I'm the last to leave bed... Do I really oversleep?'
While Stare was lost in his conflicting thoughts, he was suddenly called out of his reverie by Joel, who was giving him a curious look.
"You're finally up. How's your head now?" Joel asked.
Stare forged a small smile and nodded lightly. "It's good now..."
"Why are you up so early today as well? No one told me the Elites had another grand and formal entrance."
Joel looked at Stare in an amusing manner and then shook his head.
"We were given one of those fief early morning exercises to sharpen our use of fief over time by Imma. I thought, since I was already up and not feeling too sleepy, why not just prepare for the day's class all together."
Stare nodded in understanding.
So it wasn't that he woke up late; they woke up too early.
As a sense of satisfaction welled up in him, he suddenly felt the intense gaze of someone locked on him.
Turning to the side, he spotted Bobby with a deep frown on his face and an expression that seemed uninterested in whatever Stare and Bobby were talking about.
"A true hero should always be prepared and on time, fief training or not," Bobby randomly threw some words in the air.
Though it seemed like the words were directed at nobody in particular, Stare could easily pinpoint the hidden message behind what he had just said. He was sure Joel could too, given the slight frown forming on his face.
'This again.'
It turned out Bobby was still upset about the fief status issued yesterday. While this was understandable, the frequent tantrums he threw at Joel weren't.
It was clear from the supportive nod Bobby had given Joel when he felt conflicted about leaving them for the main hero status that Bobby actually wanted to support Joel. It was probably his frustration that caused the frequent tantrums he threw.
However, the problem lay in how much of it Joel could bear. Stare had a feeling Joel's patience with his condition was wearing thin. He knew this was his cue to address the matter before it became a bigger issue and potentially ruined their friendship.
Unfortunately, that might have to wait until after today's classes. He still had a meeting to attend and a serious issue to resolve with Y-204, after all.
Suddenly, Stare burst into an odd laughter to dissipate the uncomfortable tension brewing after Bobby's words. He playfully tapped Bobby's shoulder.
"Such an odd way to call me a sluggard, Bobby. You seem to be getting more creative with your words."
Immediately, Bobby and Joel heard Stare's words, and their expressions filled with confusion.
But before they could ask any questions or throw more tantrums, Stare craftily used their brief moment of confusion as his cue to exit.
"I guess I better get prepared as well. I wouldn't want any more of Bobby's wrath." Stare added and then rushed for the bathroom.
After locking the bathroom door behind him, he let out a long sigh of relief.
For obvious reasons, it felt like his headache was coming back all over again.
After a few minutes, Stare finished his shower and selected a new suit from the wardrobe to dress in. Although the academy's suits had a self-cleaning feature, Stare felt more comfortable wearing a fresh one instead of the same one.
After he finished his preparations, he joined Bobby and Joel as they made their way to the Dispensation Hall.
Once again graced with the opulence of the dining hall, Stare and his companions quickly entered and took their seats.
Despite the early hour, the hall was already packed with students. Even Elites could be spotted, although there was still no sign of any of the Elites among Elites.
About to take their seats at an unoccupied dining table, Bobby suddenly stopped Joel, wearing a deep frown on his face.
"Are you going to sit at the same table as two students with Supporting Hero Status?"
Joel's brows furrowed as he turned to look at the other dining tables around.
The hierarchy in the seating arrangement still existed, except for a few changes.
Now, in addition to the Elite Students, there were other students who had recently earned the Main Hero Status.
The students with Main Hero Status sat together, clearly segregating themselves from the students with Supporting Hero Status.
Joel, even after seeing all of that, still took a seat at the same table as Bobby and Stare, surprising them both.
"Meh, I'm pretty sure the others won't really bother with me sitting here with you guys... Besides, it's just for breakfast and not something serious."