"Why would we do that?" Eiko asked, genuinely confused by the concern. In truth, he had more faith in the other boys than to imagine they'd go that far.
Orasaki's eyes narrowed, her gaze shifting to Seko in particular. "If you ever think about peeking to our side , I'll crush you all." Her tone was as cold and sharp as a blade, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that she meant every word.
Inside, Seko was having a different kind of conversation with himself. "What, where is your manlyhood go? I think I'm the only real man here. This is my luck, isn't it?" His thoughts echoed in his head like a self-satisfied chant.
Nehora walked into the scene, still half-asleep, rubbing his eyes as he made his way toward the fridge.
"Hey, it's him!" A boy whispered, pointing toward Nehora.
"Yeah, isn't he the one with the diamond badge?" Another boy chimed in.
"Yeah, and Citok brought him from the forest."
Nehora paused, looking around the unfamiliar dorm room with a sense of confusion. Something felt off, like he was missing a crucial piece of the puzzle.
"Emm..." Nehora mumbled as he grabbed a water bottle and took a long drink.
He suddenly choked on the water, spluttering as it spilled from his mouth. "Who the hell are you?"
Keatashot him an irritated look. "Emm, we're classmates. And with that tone, we're not off to a great start."
"Classmates?" Nehora blinked, still trying to make sense of his surroundings.
"You're in the dorm." Ejiro added, stepping forward with a casual smile.
"Dorm? Whose dorm?" Nehora asked, his voice full of confusion. "Where am I?"
"Your dorm—our dorm." Ejiro chuckled, clearly used to Nehora's disoriented state.
"My dorm?" Nehora's brow furrowed deeper. "Wait... where am I really? What's going on?"
"You were asleep yesterday. You probably don't remember anything." Onaks spoke up from behind him, her voice softer, more considerate than most of the others.
"Yeah, you're right." Eiko nodded, trying to be helpful.
"Wait, listen. You're in the dorm of the academy. You're now a student here ." Nisa said firmly.
"Student?" Nehora repeated, still processing the strange turn of events.
"You took the test yesterday. Don't you remember?" Ejiro's tone was gentle, almost like he was trying to jog Nehora's memory.
"Test yesterday?" Nehora furrowed his brow, trying to recall the events. His mind raced, but nothing clicked. The last thing he remembered was a forest, an exam... and then... nothing.
Suddenly, his face went pale. "Wait—Jimi?" He stammered, looking around frantically. "Where is Jimi? What happened to him?"
"Jimi?" The students exchanged confused glances.
"If you're talking about that Citok, he was back in the forest," Onaka assured him. "He carried you on his back and dropped you off at the location with the rest of us. He's fine."
"Jimi carried me..." Nehora murmured, relieved but also puzzled. "But wait, what about the badge? I had a bronze badge before, but it was stolen by another student. How did I pass?"
"You had a badge?" Keataasked, raising an eyebrow.
"What?" Nehora replied, now fully confused.
"You had the Diamond badge," Myra said, his voice soft with disbelief.
Nehora's eyes grew wide. "What?! Diamond badge?"
"Yeah, there was only one diamond badge during the exam, and you had to fight Karo to earn it!" Ejiro said with excitement in his voice. "Tell us! We all want to know!"
"Defeat Karo?" Nehora repeated, still in shock. "I didn't fight anyone."
The students blinked in confusion. "So, how did you get the Diamond badge, then?" Keataasked, clearly struggling to wrap her mind around it.
"I don't know," Nehora admitted, his voice quiet. "I didn't defeat Karo. He was injured, and Jimi and I helped him. After that, we shared a meal together, and I fell asleep. The next thing I knew, I woke up here... with this Diamond badge, you're talkingg about."
"So, you're saying you got the Diamond badge not by defeating Karo, but by helping him?" Keata asked, her disbelief palpable.
"Maybe..." Nehora said, shrugging. "I really don't know how I ended up with it."
A strange silence fell over the room as the students tried to comprehend what Nehora had just said. The entire academy had been under the impression that he had fought and defeated Karo, earning the badge through sheer strength. But now, the truth seemed... more complicated.
"Leave me aside, what are you guys talking about?" Nehora asked, still adjusting to the environment around him, his brow furrowing slightly as he tried to catch up with the conversation happening around him.
"Nothing inappropriate, actually," Nisa replied.
Nehora didn't quite catch the full context, but he felt a strange tension rising in the air, and it wasn't just because of the missing key anymore. Seko, however, saw an opportunity. His lips curled into an internal grin.
Now's my chance... Seko thought, eyes glinting with mischief as he pushed off the wall and sauntered over to Nehora, taking the opportunity to speak up.
"Actually, we were talking about something and it was very serious," Seko said with exaggerated seriousness.
Nehora raised an eyebrow, intrigued but skeptical. "Em, serious? What are you guys talking about?"
"The girls are saying we have to share our dorm with them."
A few of the girls, including Nisa, immediately bristled at the comment.
"So what's wrong with that?" Nehora asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You're not getting it," Seko snapped. "We have to share our personal space with them."
"Personal space?" Nehora frowned. "Every student has their own room. How is that sharing personal space? And we all came here to study, not to be cramped together.".
a rock fall on seko as dfeated in the conversation.
"No, you," Orasaki said with a flat, unamused expression, her gaze sharp like the edge of a blade. she punched seko "Now it's time for you to stop. Nobody here is agreeing with you. If you have a problem with sharing the dorm, go ask the teachers for help. Got it?"
Clearing her throat, Nisa shifted the atmosphere back to a lighter tone, standing straight and pulling the attention back to the group. "We haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we? Let's start with me, then. I'm Sneha Nisa, it's nice to meet you all."
Nisa nodded, giving a friendly but firm smile to the group.
"I'm Hana Sino," one of the girls chimed in next, her voice soft but clear.
"I'm Yuki Orasaki," came a third voice, a little more blunt but full of confidence.
"I'm Mei Seira," another girl said with a quiet voice, a slight blush creeping onto her face as she spoke.
"Mei?" All the students looked at her, almost in unison, as they repeated the name.
"Eh? Why's my name weird?" Seira asked, tilting her head, clearly caught off guard by the attention.
"No, no, it's just... this the first time I've heard a name like that," Nisa replied quickly, waving her hand as if to dismiss the awkward moment. "It's beautiful."
"Yeah, it is!" echoed the others, some of the boys included, nodding in agreement.
"Hey, tell us, who gave you this name?" Onaka asked curiously, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Seira blushed slightly, looking down at the ground before she answered. "Ah, my mother gave it to me."
Then introduction contiued.
"I'm Rina Onaka," said another girl, smiling warmly.
"I'm Lisha Kaira," added a tall girl with dark, braided hair, her voice easy and friendly.
"I'm Tessa Kalina," said another girl, with a soft laugh, "It's a pleasure to meet you all."
The boys were next, and Nehora couldn't help but notice the way they stood, each one presenting themselves with varying levels of confidence.
"I'm Hiro Eiko," a tall boy with light brown hair introduced himself, flashing a friendly smile.
"I'm Satoshi Myra," another boy said, his dark hair falling over his eyes in a way that made him look both mysterious and approachable at the same time.
"I'm Toshi Ejiro," a quieter boy spoke up, his expression calm and reserved. "Nice to meet everyone."
"I'm Daichi Senaro," a boy with a slight grin on his face said, looking as though he was ready for whatever challenge the academy could throw at him.
"I'm Yuta Tanaka," said the final boy in the group, a playful smirk on his face. "Let's make this year one to remember."
"And I'm Nehora," Nehora finally spoke, his tone lighthearted as he added with a grin, "It's very nice to meet all of you. Hehe."
Just as the introductions were wrapping up, two teachers entered the dormitory. Everyone's eyes shifted toward the doorway as they heard the sound of footsteps.
"Girls, behave yourselves," Nisa muttered under her breath, her tone suddenly serious as she glanced at the others. "I don't want our class reputation to go down before we even start."
"Got it," the girls replied in unison, their voices suddenly more composed as they straightened up.
The two teachers stopped in front of the students. One was a tall, poised woman with long dark hair and a confident smile. The other was a man with a sharp expression and an air of authority that was hard to ignore.
"So, you're the new students this year," the woman said, her voice warm and welcoming. "Nice to meet you all. I'm Hikiana Katsegawa."
"Yes, ma'am, it's nice to meet you too," the students replied, some more formally than others.
The woman chuckled lightly, waving her hand dismissively. "Hey, relax. No need to be so formal. Just act like you usually do, alright?"
"Yes, ma'am," the students responded, their tension easing ever so slightly.
Katsegawa smiled. "Good. I'm your teacher, Katsegawa. And this is Aeka Kagea. He's also your teacher." She motioned to the man beside her. "Did you all get a good rest?"
"Yes, ma'am," Orasaki answered.
"Good to hear," Katsegawa continued. "Today is your day off, and your belongings are outside the dorm. Now, all of you take your stuff to your rooms... Tomorrow we start your classes. Enjoy yourselves and get along with each other."
The students nodded, a mixture of excitement and anxiety building in their chests.
"Don't fight," Kagea spoke up, his voice cold and commanding. "If I catch anyone fighting, you'll be expelled from the Academy, understand?"
A chill ran through the group. Everyone straightened up, trying their best to seem calm despite the intense pressure Kagea's words brought.
"No need to worry, sir," Nehora spoke up, trying to sound confident. "I assure you, nobody in this dorm is going to fight."
Kagea turned his piercing gaze to Nehora, eyes narrowing. His voice dropped to a dangerous level. "Did I ask for an answer? Look like someone's already looking forward to being expelled." His voice was like ice, his words laced with a quiet threat. "That was a warning, not a question."
"Come on, don't scare the students on their very first day, Mr. Kagea, sir," Katsegawa interrupted, smiling with exaggerated cheer. "Let's go. Bye, students. I hope you're ready for your classes tomorrow."
The students let out a collective sigh as the teachers left, the air of tension elevatoring somewhat.
"That was so scary," Nehora muttered, wiping his brow. "I thought I was done for back there."
"You are," Onaka said, her tone dry. "If it wasn't for Katsegawa-sensei, you'd be on your way home right now."
Just as he relaxed, a fist suddenly made contact with Nehora's head. "Ow! What was that for?" he yelped, rubbing the spot where the punch had landed.
"Who told you to answer Kagea-sensei back there?" Orasaki's voice was stern, her eyes glinting with irritation.
"Sorry, that was my bad," Nehora replied quickly, holding his head with both hands. "I didn't mean to get carried away."
Orasaki shook her head, clearly not satisfied, but she didn't press the matter further.
"Now then," Seira said, her voice light and cheerful as she clapped her hands together. "Everyone, let's move our stuff to our rooms."
"Yeah, let's go!" Nehora said, his mood lightening a bit as he motioned for the others to follow.
"It's nice that they've separated the boys' and girls' stuff," Kaira commented, glancing down the hallway. "Makes it easier to find everything."
"Yeah, definitely," Nehora agreed, relieved that things were finally moving forward. The group began to move their belongings to their rooms, settling into the dormitory with a mix of excitement and anticipation for the days ahead.
After a short while, the group gathered again in the hall, ready for whatever was to come next.
To be continue.......