บท 2: Reply
Aena quickly calculated outcomes in her mind. She didn't want the first student at the academy to think she was some unhinged psycho. In a split second, she arrived at an answer.
"Dunno, wasn't me, but that sure was a loud scream huh?" she replied casually.
The other girl narrowed her eyes, looking at her suspiciously.
"Hmm… I see," was all she said before abruptly turning her head and walking away.
'Phew, good thing she didn't question any further,' Aena thought, as she continued on her way towards the showers. Entering the large room, she quickly stripped and entered a shower stall.
The shower room was designed like a standard public bath, with a lobby of sorts sparsely adorned with a few plain benches and cubicles, and a door then led to the bath area which comprised twenty individual stalls arranged in neat rows facing each other.
Aena thoroughly washed every inch of her body, immersing herself in the warm embrace of the flowing water. 'At least there's hot water.' She let the water drip down her body in an attempt to cleanse away the turmoil of the day's events.
Enjoying the water for a while, she finally reluctantly turned off the showerhead and swiftly dried herself with a towel.
Stepping back outside, she slipped on casual clothes: a long shirt and shorts. In a good mood, she hummed softly to herself as she found her way back to her room.
She gripped the door handle and entered her room for the second time… Or third time if that brief step outside earlier counted. She immediately flopped onto her bed, forgetting that there was still a spidery offender on the loose.
She closed her eyes intending to rest a bit. As she was on the verge of drifting to sleep, a loud "Ping!" jotted her awake.
It was a phone notification, and Aena sleepily reached for the device she had thoughtlessly tossed on the desk beside the bed. She opened it up to find a new announcement.
[Attention all new students! We welcome you once again! The Opening Ceremony will be held tomorrow at 10 A.M. Make sure to arrive on time. No excuses will be tolerated.]
Aena made a weird face at the message. It seemed so amiable at first but quickly transitioned towards a more threatening tone in the latter half.
Aena checked the time. 9:05. It was still quite early to be turning in for the night. Shrugging off her lethargy, Aena struggled to get up and began to organize her room—one she would live in for the next four years of her campus life.
Walking to her duffel bag, she pulled out several pieces of clothing. She had her new academy uniform, which was by far the nicest pieces of clothing she had ever owned. A fresh white blouse was paired with a light gray pleated skirt and black leggings. The outfit was topped with a brown blazer emblazoned with the academy sigil: a shield with five stars arranged in a semicircle above an intercrossed sword and staff.
Her other clothes couldn't even compare to such extravagant clothing. It subsisted of mostly mangy clothes that Aena herself had mended several times with her questionable sewing skils.
After organizing her clothes in the wardrobe and wall hanger, Aena shifted her efforts to the rest of her possessions.
There wasn't much as Aena never had much to begin with. She took out a few toiletries and other necessities as well as basic stationery for studying. She placed the notebooks and pens neatly on the desk, completing the moving session. It took her a grand total of fifteen minutes.
"..."
That was rather anticlimactic. Aena expected it to be relatively brief, but this was practically a speedrun. Of course, all she did was organize her belongings, not really cleaning the room, but she was unable to accomplish that task as she didn't have the necessary equipment yet.
She childishly spun around to take a quick view of the room.
The room itself was five by seven meters—not cramped, but not too spacious either. A large window stood across the room. Placed in front of it stood a small wooden desk and chair, and to the right was a simple bed, made from the same material. 'At least the mattress looked comfortable enough.'
To the left of the room was a rather empty space, unfurnished except for a lonely wardrobe. Aena had heard that students could request for training equipment and other equipment, which explained why the room looked pretty empty.
It was a simple room which Aena was quite pleased with. The view outside the window was quite agreeable as well, revealing a paved walkway in front of a park.
Of course, Aena still noticed the traces of dust like the first falling of snow that coated the room in a thin layer. There was also the spider web that hung ominously in the right corner.
Aena felt chills down her back. Right. There was indeed that problem.
"Arg! There was no point worrying about it now," Aena huffed. But she still couldn't help but be on edge from the possibility of a jumpscare.
Aena passed the next two hours on her laptop as she reviewed the academy rules and regulations as well as her class syllabuses. She planned to make the best of this opportunity.
Aena's mother had scraped together enough capital to buy the bare minimum of class materials, and she had gotten a full scholarship due to her impressive performance in high school. She couldn't let it go to waste.
She glanced at her watch: 11:26. Seeing as she had nothing better to do, she changed into nightclothes and crawled into bed.
Aena lay in bed as she remembered the events earlier in the day. She had half-listened to the guide ramble about the academy and dormitory rules, which Aena had already known. 'Ah,' a connection formed in her head. 'Maybe that's why he acted quite rudely,' Aena pouted.
'Well, too late, already reported," Aena thought slyly.
She then remembered the spider, which did not aid her sleepiness at all, causing her to pull her covers closer as she stared into the darkness.
She finally recalled that girl… and subsequently, her conversation—if it could be considered one. 'Pseudo-conversation I guess.' As Aena thought back on her mindless words she couldn't help but kick her feet in embarrassment. 'Ugh, why did I say that," Aena reflected before burying her heated face in the creases of her pillow.
She couldn't help but cringe; she didn't want to be labeled as some pervert.
With the gaze of the girl on her mind, Aena drifted off to a fitful sleep.
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