He felt a chilling cold as she glared at him. They had known each other for only a few hours, and in that short time, they had barely spoken. Yet, he had already had the misfortune of finding himself in an unbelievably ridiculous and embarrassing situation with her.
'Ohhh, that's what she meant by "our"... She's not going to blame me, right?' Alicarde thought, trying to distract himself from ogling her curves.
She sighed before turning around wordlessly, holding her comb. She walked towards the double doors at the right end of the room. They opened, allowing him to catch a glimpse of the room behind them.
Feeling somewhat dismayed, he turned back to his room and closed the doors behind him, walking towards the bed. Once again, he noticed the familiar shape of the ominous sword he had thrown out the window. It had mysteriously reappeared in his room, this time on his bed, as usual.
"Damn cursed thing," he muttered irritably.
Picking it up again, he thought about it for a moment before opening the large windows and throwing the sword as far as he could. It went flying, crossing the vast mansion grounds and landing somewhere in the distant forest.
"Whoa," he was a bit startled by his own strength, but remembering the brief explanation Carrisa had given him yesterday, he quickly accepted that this would be the norm.
Still a bit embarrassed to go out, his phone rang, displaying his mom's familiar contact info. Picking it up, he greeted her, feeling somewhat guilty for ghosting her.
"Good morning, Mom. Did you sleep well?"
"Well, I barely got any sleep. What about you? Did you get any rest?" she asked.
"Yeah, I did. I slept like a log, in a luxurious room no less."
"Well, you should have called me," she complained.
Chuckling a bit, he scratched the back of his head and said, "Sorry, Mom. I was just really beat."
"Well, that's fine. Your dad spoke to someone, and it won't be long before you get a new apartment, so don't worry," she assured him.
"Yeah, about that. So, I met this old friend of mine, and we decided to rent a place together, so it's cool. And before you say anything, my friend isn't into anything shady, you can trust my judgment."
"Are you sure about that? Which friend? Do I know them? You have to stay away from bad friends, okay? Where do they live? Where are they from?"
"You aren't familiar with them, but don't worry. Trust me, okay? Bye, gotta go. I might be late if I don't get going. And don't worry about my friend," he said, quickly hanging up and sighing. Lying was hard work, especially to someone who had known you since the day you were born.
"Technically, I'm not lying. No, I shouldn't start lying to myself too. Honestly, I'm a little freaked out, but at the same time, I kinda think this is awesome."
Finally having gotten rid of his lingering embarrassment, he opened the door and headed towards where Carrisa had been before. He had surmised that a bath must have been in that direction, and he had been right.
Opening the doors, he found himself in a large room, or rather, a bathroom, with luxurious flooring and intricate interior decorations. Walking further in, he noticed a large pool-like bath; the room had been foggy, explaining a lot.
Carrisa must have used it. The bath was elegantly designed, with marble tiles lining the floor and golden accents on the walls. Ornate chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a soft, warm light that reflected off the water. The bath itself was enormous, more akin to a small indoor pool, with steam gently rising from its surface, adding to the room's ethereal ambiance.
The air was filled with the faint scent of lavender, calming his nerves as he walked past the bath and towards a partition made of blurry, transparent glass. Behind it, he found what seemed to be a shower.
Feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the somewhat transparent glass, he took off his clothes and walked towards the wall, stopping at what appeared to be a touchpad. He spent a few minutes figuring it out before finally finding a way to darken the glass.
Setting the water temperature to his preference, he stepped under the automated shower. Water cascaded over his body, washing away the tension. Ten minutes later, he emerged, a towel wrapped around his waist, holding his clothes in hand.
"Hello," Carrisa's familiar voice echoed from one end of the room. She was just coming out of her room, fully dressed, of course.
"Well, I suppose this is karma, Alicarde," she smiled lightly, gazing at him in the same way he had looked at her earlier.
He felt more embarrassed than he normally would have but said nothing. He had seen her in nothing but a bath towel, and now she had found him in the same situation. It was fair, but fair didn't mean he had to like it.
After getting dressed in his room, he walked out holding a large envelope. Carrisa was sitting there, looking serene and beautiful. He was almost entranced by her but quickly shook it off. He could not lose his cool; maintaining his composure was one of his only talents.
"Let us proceed to the dining room on the first floor for breakfast," she said with a aloof tone, her voice calm and composed.
"Sure," he replied, following behind her as they exited the room, went to the elevator, and finally arrived in the main hall on the first floor.
Walking further, they stopped at a grand dining room. The room was adorned with elegant furnishings, and a long table was set with fine china and silverware.
Moments later, the maid, Amena, filled the table with a variety of dishes. Alicarde didn't hold back and began eating, but breakfast was surprisingly silent. The meal included a spread of delicacies: fresh fruit, warm pastries, eggs cooked to perfection, and an assortment of meats.
The scent of freshly brewed coffee and tea filled the air, adding to the overall sense of comfort.
As soon as he was done, he stood up and left, grabbing the envelope he had previously carried out of his room and walked to the exit.
"Where are you going?" she inquired, her tone still calm.
"I'm pursuing something called an education. Don't know if you've heard of it," he replied sarcastically.
"Indeed, I am well acquainted with the concept. I do recall you being a freshman. You must possess more intelligence than one might assume to have gained admission to such a prestigious institution," she said, picking up a glass and bringing it to her lips before gracefully emptying its contents.
"Well, sorry for being smarter than I look. I'll have you know, I have a moderately high IQ and an extremely high EQ," Alicarde replied with a slight smirk.
Carrisa glanced at him, her expression unbothered by his attitude.
"Do take care, and return before dusk," she cautioned, her voice carrying a tone of warning.
"Thanks, but you're not my mother," Alicarde retorted as he walked out to begin his freshman life.
After stepping outside, he looked at the mansion's grand entrance as he walked off with a dazed expression.
"What the hell... what the actual hell? 'Our quarters' meant we'd be living close to... together, and heh heh, if my mom ever finds out about this, I am so screwed," he muttered to himself as he crossed the mansion gates, which opened automatically.
Unsurprised, he continued onward, resolving to not let anything faze him.
The road leading to the outside was secluded, stretching about two kilometers, though he couldn't be certain. He could have called for a car using his phone but decided against it, wary of involving others in a place where a monstrous werewolf had appeared.
After what felt like a long walk, he finally reached the main road. Unlocking his phone, he entered an address in a familiar ride-sharing app.
Within minutes, a red car pulled over, and he got in. They traveled a few more kilometers until they stopped at a massive gate. After a brief security check, they entered Evergreen University.
Trying to calm his nerves about going to a new place, he had made small talk with the driver, who was surprisingly nice and engaged him with all sorts of trivia.
"Yep, this is it. Now, where's the Department of Psychology?" he muttered to himself.
The driver seemed to have heard him because he turned the car in another direction and drove for a few minutes, stopping at what was clearly the psychology department. Stepping out, Alicarde paid his fare with cold, hard cash before getting out of the vehicle.
Drawing in a deep breath to calm his nerves, he muttered, "Okay, let's do this," giving himself a much-needed boost of confidence as he gazed at the magnificent buildings.