Chương 100: New Rooms, New Routine

The day after the announcement, the group was called early. An academy staff member was waiting for them in the lobby with a list and the expression of someone who had already dealt with too many people that morning. — Approved candidates from the Santa Lunalie Orphanage, follow me. I'll show you the official accommodations. They picked up the little they had and followed. The official dormitories were in two separate buildings divided by an internal courtyard: one exclusively for boys and the other for girls.

The floors were high, the corridors long and clean, and each room was made for two people. The staff member stopped first at the male building. — Joker. Room 214. Second floor. He handed over the key and, before he could continue, Harley stepped forward. — I'm staying with him. The man blinked. — Miss, the rules are clear. Dormitories are separated by gender. Harley smiled in that sweet and dangerous way of hers. — I know. But I'm not staying away from him. You can call whoever you want. I'm not leaving.

Joker, beside her, said nothing. He just stood there with his hands in his pockets, watching the situation as if he had expected exactly that. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The staff member remained silent for a few seconds, clearly uncomfortable. In the end, he muttered something about "special cases" and "higher authorization" and ended up handing a second key to Harley. — Room 214. Just this once. Don't abuse it. Harley took the key with a satisfied little smile.

— Deal. Meanwhile, in the female building, the others were receiving their assignments. — Astrid and Marina. Room 307. — Rina and Kuroe. Room 308. — Sylvara and Lirien. Room 309. The girls exchanged looks. It wasn't ideal, but it wasn't bad either. Astrid shrugged. — Better than being alone. Marina smiled. — We'll manage. Rina looked at Kuroe, who simply nodded in silence and took the key without complaining. Sylvara and Lirien were already talking quietly about how they would organize the room.

Lysithea, Mirella, Graciela, and Elara were directed to the companions' and staff building, a little farther away. They would stay together in the same corridor, as they had requested.

The rest of the morning was spent moving in. Room 214 was simple: two beds, a double wardrobe, a small desk, and a window that looked out onto the internal courtyard. Harley threw her bag onto one of the beds and stretched. — Better than I expected. Joker closed the door with his foot and threw himself onto the other bed. — At least we didn't get separated. In the building next door, the girls' rooms were identical. Astrid and Marina were already arguing over who would get the bed near the window.

Rina was trying to start a conversation with Kuroe, who answered with few words but didn't isolate herself. Sylvara had placed a small plant she had brought on the windowsill of her and Lirien's room. Later, everyone met in the cafeteria for the first official meal as students. The food was still bland (Graciela made a point of commenting on that out loud), but their table was the noisiest in the place. Even though they were separated into different rooms, the group naturally came back together at mealtime.

After lunch, they received their first schedules. Classes would truly begin the next day. In the morning: History of the Continent and Fundamentals of the Eternal Academy. Only afterward would come the more practical classes on mana control, combat theory, and physical training. Joker glanced over the list and raised an eyebrow. — History first? Harley rested her chin on his shoulder, reading along. — Makes sense. They want us to understand the board before we start messing with the pieces.

Kuroe, sitting on the other side of the table, spoke quietly without lifting her eyes from her plate: — Better that way. No one disagreed. When night came, the group gradually separated toward their respective rooms. It wasn't a long goodbye. Just a "see you tomorrow" thrown into the air as each of them headed their own way. In Room 214, Harley was already lying on her side, looking at Joker in the dark. — Strange sleeping far from the others — she murmured. Joker turned his face toward her.

— We'll see each other in the morning. — I know. They stayed silent for a while. Then Harley spoke again, softer: — Even so… I like that you're here. Joker reached out in the dark and found her hand. — Me too. On the other side of the courtyard, in the girls' rooms, the conversations gradually died down. Kuroe took longer to fall asleep. She sat on the bed for a while, looking out the window toward the boys' building, quiet as always. Official life at the Eternal Academy had begun. And tomorrow…

tomorrow they would finally learn a little more about the world they were about to truly enter. End of Chapter 100