After getting off the train, we walked for a while before reaching our destination.
We did not say anything during our walk to school, and I simply followed her.
This location was enormous, which sparked my curiosity in fully exploring it, and my initial reaction upon seeing the view in front of me was "amazing."
I was so preoccupied with my surroundings that I lost sight of Rika, who had been walking next to me just moments before.
It became a major issue for me because I had no prior knowledge of schools.
A group of students was gathered around a board, and since I had no idea where to go, I just went in the direction of the group in the hopes of picking up some tips.
"Yaay! we are in same class."
Around me, I heard students discussing the classes they are supposed to be in.
My attention shifted to the board, which had several columns with names written in each.
There was something written at the top of each column in bold letters that appeared to be the class that each student whose name was inside that column was assigned.
Watching the morning TV show that taught how to read this language which was extremely beneficial because I was able to understand the content on the board.
I searched for my name and after finding it, I checked the class which I was assigned to, "Y-E-A-R that means Year and theres a 2 after that that means Year-2. Now the next is C-L-A-S-S, Class-C. So it's Year-2 Class-C." I muttered.
But where is this place.
I moved away from the board because I knew where I needed to go but did not know how to get there.
I considered asking someone, but then I noticed an aura that, for some reason, seemed familiar.
"Hey."
A female voice called out from behind me, prompting me to look in their direction.
The girl caught my attention because, she was about the same height as me and, she was dressed differently than everyone else around here.
She had black eyes, small black spots on her face, and short hair, much shorter than the average female.
"Hey."
"I told you we would meet again."
Did I meet her somewhere?
Her aura seemed familiar, but I had not met anyone with short hair and black spots on her face.
Her aura was massive, far exceeding that of the average blessed.
"Um, so, can you tell me where Year-2 Class-C is?"
"I think it is on the second floor... you don't remember me?"
"I do."
When she heard that I remembered her, which I obviously did not, her face brightened and she got a smile on face.
"Oh, good. I thought about leaving you alone, but since you recognized me—"
"I apologize, but I think I should leave."
I tried to avoid her because I thought she might be a problem also because she seemed strange and I remembered dad's advice to avoid strange students.
I turned around and, as she had instructed, began moving towards the second floor in the hopes of finding the Year-2 class-C.
Just as I was walking away from her, she muttered, "Maybe I should kill him," which I overheard thanks to my keen ears.
I moved inside the building in front of me, and the first thing I noticed were the compartments, where some students were removing their current shoes and placing them in the small sections before taking out and wearing the other shoes that were in there.
Hmm, I need to take off my current shoes here? However, based on what I saw, it appears that everyone was assigned to a specific section.
I got closer to one of the sections and noticed a name written at the top of it.
After that, I started looking for the section with my name written on it.
While I was looking for my section, that tall student in the strange uniform entered. She glanced in my direction, but unlike me, she found it quickly and began to change her shoes.
Since there were hundreds of sections, I considered requesting her assistance.
There were other students I could have asked, but unlike the others, she seemed familiar.
"Could you help me? I forgot where my section was."
"Huh, you forgot your section? Can't you find it yourself? They are in alphabetical order.
So these sections are organized alphabetically, which explains how she found her so quickly.
I ignored her and resumed my search for my section, this time with a more efficient method.
She just stared at me for a moment before moving inside.
After finding my shoes section, which took a little longer despite knowing the method, I then went inside and climbed the stairs to the second floor.
The number of students around me decreased, and there were one or two who appeared to be in a hurry.
Unlike others, I was moving at a slower pace to enjoy the view around me, and as I reached the second floor, I heard a bell ring.
"What's this for?"
I ignored the ringing of the bell and continued my exploration at my own pace.
This floor had many rooms that had a little board with the class and year written on it attached right next to the door.
I kept going until I came to a board with the words "Class-2-C" written on it outside one of the rooms.
When I opened the door, I saw the tall girl and another girl I recognized standing in front of me, along with a middle-aged man who was chatting with the other students seated in front of him.
Along with all the other students, the middle-aged man stopped talking and turned to face me.
Except for those three, all of the other students were seated, which confused me as to what to do.
"Keana you are late, go take your seat."
After listening to him, I went to the empty seat in the last row next to the window.
I sat in my seat, but I noticed that some of the students were still looking at me and muttering something to one another.
"Ahem, so we have two new transfer students this year. You two should introduce yourselves one by one."
The first girl started writing on the board, after which she gave a brief introduction.
Oh, the aura-less girls, I met her on the walk to the store at night.
This girl rang in my memory because, similar to me, she emitted no aura.
"Good morning, my name is Ichika Abe, and I enjoy reading novels and making new friends. Since I only moved here this summer, I do not have many friends, so I would love to make new ones.
I will do my best not to cause problems for others, so please take good care of me."
She delivered her speech with confidence, and I noticed that she captured the attention of many of the students.
"Okay, Hinoda, it is your turn."
"Ok"
Just like Ichika, she wrote her name on the board and began introducing herself.
"Let's see, um."
She began, then paused for a moment.
"My name is Takara Hinoda, and... I do not think I particularly enjoy anything."
Her introduction was brief, and I noticed students muttering something while looking at her.
"Okay, now go to your respective seats."
The Ichika girl approached me and stood right next to the seat.
Why is she standing here?
"Hello, we have met before, right?"
"Yes, you need something."
Pointing to the seat I was occupying, she said, "Nothing, it is just according to the sitting allotment that is drawn on the black board, this seat is assigned to me."
Black board, sitting allotment? Is she talking about what is drawn on the board in front?
"Oh, I am sorry."
I stood up from the seat and I moved towards the only empty seat this room had.
"Ok, everyone, time to study."
I waited, then took out the same book as the person next to me. Being able to read gave me a great deal of confidence that I would grasp everything that I was about to learn, so I was really excited about the new things I was going to learn.
I directed all of my attention to what the teacher was saying as soon as he began speaking and writing on the board.
"Huh?"
I heard a bell ring and noticed the middle-aged man leave, and just as I was trying to figure out what he was teaching, another teacher entered and began teaching.
This time, I will understand everything.
Thinking that, I shifted my attention back to whatever the teacher was saying.
The cycle repeated three more times before I noticed that no teacher entered after the fourth ringing, and everyone around me relaxed.
Huh? Huh? What just happened? What were those humans talking about?