Last night was such a comfortable sleep that I didn't even want to wake up. But duty calls. I got up and went through my usual routine, but something strange happened on my way to school—Alice came up to talk to me.
"Hey, John... where did you get the money to buy this staff for me? You really didn't have to go that far..."
Wait, what staff? I looked at the wooden staff in Alice's hand. It was clearly designed for high mana and life force conductivity. Hold on... who would buy this for her? Wait a minute... Phukan! If you're going to buy it, why use my name?! It would've been better to leave it anonymous, wouldn't it? Then I remembered his smirk from yesterday. Don't tell me he thinks... I like Alice?
Whatever. Free credit, I guess.
"Uh... the money came from a part-time job," I lied through my teeth. "I just saw that without a staff, you could barely use your magic, so I bought it for you."
As soon as I said it, I felt like the second half of that sentence sounded a bit like an insult...
"Oh... well, thank you so much."
She thanked me and bolted toward her classroom. (It seems someone failed to notice a certain detail... but let's leave that for Phukan's perspective). After that, I slowly made my way to class. Today didn't feel like much—or maybe it was just me. It's Friday, after all. Tomorrow is finally the weekend!
But come to think of it, life right now feels like it's just drifting along without a goal. Wait... it actually is aimless. What am I doing all this for? No, setting a goal shouldn't be that hard. My own goal? I don't know. I don't know this world well enough yet. Maybe... just to live life to the fullest? Whatever.
I walked on, observing my surroundings as usual. Strangely, I didn't see the poor fighting over money today. That's a good thing, I suppose.
Once I returned to the dorm, I immediately sat down to write. Man, doing this every day is exhausting. Afterward, I left the letter in front of Phukan's door. I have no idea what he's up to, but who cares.
[Earlier that same morning - Phukan's Perspective]
I woke up and checked the clock. 3:00 AM sharp. Still have time for other things.
Oh? It seems to have worked. "Automatic Brain Memory"—the name is a bit long, isn't it? Never mind. Even though the increase was small, I'm sure it'll absorb more efficiently as I keep doing it.
I showered, brushed my teeth, and did laundry. By the time I checked the clock again, it was 3:20 AM. I picked up a book about energy types. Nothing too special, but one thing caught my eye: Holy Power. It's the power of Angels, the polar opposite of Evil Power, which belongs to Demons. I tried searching for info on Evil Power, but strangely, I couldn't find anything. Well, if it's the power of demons, who would be crazy enough to put it in a textbook?
Anyway, it was 3:40 AM, so I grabbed some bread and sprinted to the training hall. I let out a long sigh... I'm exhausted. My body was drenched in sweat.
"You've gotten a lot better," Sol remarked.
"It would be weird if I hadn't."
I replied to Sol, though I couldn't help but wonder if she had gotten a bit taller than me. Maybe it's just my imagination. I realized I had been staring at her for too long.
"What are you staring at? Am I that beautiful?" she teased.
"Actually, it's the exact opposite. Not beautiful at all."
"Huh?! What kind of person says that to their own partner?"
Anger flared across her face, but a few seconds later, it vanished. I let out a tiny smirk, but quickly wiped it off when she spoke again.
"By the way, are you going to the Monster Hunt Festival next month?"
A festival? I don't know... but if it involves hunting monsters, it might be worth it.
"I'm going."
"Okay!"
Sol patted my shoulder before walking out. I stood still for a moment to catch my breath. I went back to drop my sword in my room, grabbed my textbooks, and headed to class. On the way, I spotted John, Alice, and the others.
"Oh... well, thank you so much," I heard Alice say shyly, her face flushing red before she sprinted toward the classroom.
Looks like the plan worked. Though, I wonder why I even did it. As for John, he just stood there looking dazed, probably still processing the situation, haha. Then he slowly walked to class. Right, I should probably get to class too. I sat next to Sol as usual. The day flew by like a lie, though the training was still deathly tiring.
When I got back to my room, I found the letter at my door. I already knew who it was from. As I read it, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Did he forget to mention the part where Alice thanked him shyly and ran away with a red face? Or did he intentionally leave it out? Hahaha.
I closed the letter and tossed it onto my "Useless Shelf" since today didn't have much important intel. I pulled out a piece of paper and started writing something... By the time I realized it, it was already 9 PM. Time for bed. I lay down and drifted off to sleep...
I woke up on Saturday morning, wondering where I had to go for training today. But when I glanced out the window, I saw Sol sitting there, chilling in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. Wait, they have clothes like that here? Oh right, I recall seeing some at the tailor when I walked past. But if she's dressed like that, it means no training today. Sweet.
I took a shower and brushed my teeth, but when I opened my wardrobe... it was nothing but school uniforms. I stood there, dazed for a moment. What was I supposed to wear outside? Am I really going to wear a school uniform on a Saturday?
Then, an idea struck. I threw the uniform back on, grabbed a piece of paper, scribbled a note, and folded it into a paper plane. I opened the window and tossed it toward Sol. She caught it perfectly.
As she opened it, she immediately burst out laughing. Well... I guess it was pretty funny. She dashed back into the dorm, and a few minutes later, there was a knock at my door. It was Sol, obviously.
"Do you seriously not have any normal clothes? You're actually borrowing mine?" she asked, still grinning.
"I literally have nothing. Why else would I ask?"
I started changing right then and there without even closing the door. Sol saw the whole process (not that I was naked—I still had my underwear on), but she didn't say anything about that. Instead, her eyes widened.
"Why do you have scars on your back?"
"Huh? Scars?"
I rushed into the bathroom to look in the mirror. There, on my back, right over both shoulder blades, were two jagged scars. They looked like knife wounds, about six inches long, and they appeared to be years old. Wait... don't tell me when the world randomized our bodies, it randomized scars too? Seriously?
Once I finished dressing, I grabbed my wallet and headed for the door, but Sol was still standing there.
"Go buy some clothes immediately. I don't want you wearing mine for too long. And is wearing the uniform really that bad? The academy's design isn't even that ugly."
"It's not about the looks; it's just not comfortable."
"Fine, fine. Just go buy some."
"Okay, okay."
Sol walked off, and I went back to grab a piece of paper to write myself a reminder: Don't forget to buy clothes. As I headed down the stairs, I spotted Alice. She was scurrying up to the third floor. Wait, what's on the third floor? Ah, John's room. A small smile crept onto my face. I knew it—Alice had a crush on John from the start. And after the "gift," she probably likes him even more. If you're wondering why I'm playing matchmaker, it's because the world after graduation probably won't be very conducive to finding love. It's better to realize your feelings while you still have the chance.
At the bottom of the dorm, I ran into Sol again. She was waiting for me.
"Want to go grab something to eat?"
"Who's paying?" That was the first and most important question.
"My treat."
"I'm in."
Who turns down free food? Sol led me to a restaurant and ordered Curry. Wait, they have Earth dishes here too? I stared at the menu for a long time, unsure of what would taste good. Eventually, I just gave up.
"One Curry for me too, please."
Since I couldn't decide, I just copied Sol. While we waited, she started teasing me.
"So, you're ordering what I order now? First my clothes, now my food~"
"I only ordered it because I couldn't think of anything else. And I'm going to buy my own clothes in a bit anyway."
The shirt felt a bit tight, but I didn't pay it much mind. After we finished and Sol paid the bill, I excused myself.
"I'm off to buy some clothes now."
I went straight to a shop and picked out some black shirts and jeans—simple and easy. I bought two of each. But then, for some reason, I found myself buying a winter coat and gloves as well.
I rushed back to the dorm to change. I hung up my new clothes, but then I realized I had left Sol's shirt hanging in my room instead of returning it. Whatever, I'll do it later. I finished dressing and stepped out again. It was only 4:00 AM, and it looked like snow was starting to fall.
I saw Sol down the street; she waved at me before continuing her walk. I walked on, my mind wandering. Life really is aimless, isn't it? What is my goal? Survival, I guess. I want to survive this hell, even if it hasn't fully revealed its true face yet.
As I walked through the falling snow, I started to regret not wearing that winter coat I just bought. I passed the staff shop again. Deep down, I wanted one, but I knew it wasn't a necessity for me right now.
I kept walking until I reached my true destination: the office of the Mávros Drákos (Black Dragon) syndicate.