I was walking through a quiet building where everything was painted white.
The corridor was silent, devoid of people.
Other than me, the only things bringing a bit of dynamism to this monotonous place were the walls and pillars arranged haphazardly.
As I wandered, suddenly, the floor gave way with a cracking noise.
“Ahh!”
A figure clad in black tights sprang out from the ground!
Startled, I fell backward.
-Buzzzzzz!
The electric saw in the figure’s hands roared loudly.
“No… no! Don’t come closer!”
The tights-clad figure grabbed me, lifted me, and brought the electric saw close to my head.
The violently spinning chains approached me!
It’s coming!
No!
Don’t!
It’ll hurt!
Aaaaahhhh!
“Aaaaaaahhh!”
I woke up in a cold sweat.
But strangely, when I opened my eyes, I was floating in midair.
“Wha—?”
-Thud!
“Ughhhh!”
When I fully opened my eyes, intense pain greeted me as I hit the dormitory floor.
I lay there for a while, overwhelmed by the pain, and eventually managed to get up.
I was definitely on the top bunk earlier, so why did I fall off?
-Ahhhhh…! No. 2! Sorry….-
I glared at No. 2, who peeked her head out from the top bunk.
It seemed that she had kicked me off in her sleep, startled by her own nightmare.
Honestly, it’s amazing nothing was broken after falling from that height.
I held back a few choice words because proper girls don’t curse.
“Ugh, but what’s this?”
Something felt like it was dripping from my nose.
It was dark, so I couldn’t see clearly.
Grabbing onto the bed frame, I pulled myself up.
That’s when I heard a rustling noise.
A blurry figure rose from the first bunk below and switched on the bedside lamp.
“Huh…? What’s going on… Rugilinn? You’re already awake?”
Daphne rubbed her sleepy eyes and got up, pushing off her blanket.
As she stretched, her curvaceous figure became apparent, even through the loose white nightgown she was wearing.
I’d noticed it before, but my roommate definitely had a larger chest than I did.
“Hmm? This is…”
When the room lit up, I finally saw what was dripping from my nose.
Late to notice, Daphne turned to me and screamed in alarm.
“Eek! Rugilinn! Your nose! Blood! Blood!”
She quickly grabbed some tissues, ran over, and wiped my nose while healing me.
After shining a warm light on me a few times, the bleeding stopped.
Looking down at my clothes, I saw that my pajama top and pants were completely stained with blood.
I’d have to do some laundry.
“Rugilinn! What happened? Is it because of yesterday’s injury?!”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I just fell off the bed.”
When I pointed to the top bunk, she glanced upward, then back at me with a puzzled expression.
“You fell from up there? But there’s a safety bar… Oh, is that another you up there? The clone you mentioned?”
“Ah, that’s my clone! It’s just a puppet with no consciousness. It’s great for hugging while sleeping. No. 2! Say hi!”
No. 2 waved blankly, prompting an awkward smile and wave from Daphne.
“That’s such a fascinating unique ability. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Just then, I remembered something I needed to confirm.
“Right? Oh, Daphne, can you check if there’s anything strange written on my arm?”
I rolled up my left sleeve and showed her.
Daphne scanned it with her big eyes before tilting her head.
“I don’t see anything. Does it hurt?”
“No, not really. Probably just a bug bite!”
As I thought, other people couldn’t see it.
“That’s a relief. Still, if you feel even the slightest discomfort, let me know, okay? You must visit the infirmary if needed! And also…”
She kept fussing over me with a stream of well-meaning but nagging advice.
“Well, thanks for worrying. But maybe you could just heal me instead…”
“No! Absolutely not! Medical treatment should be handled by doctors, and medication by pharmacists! While I appreciate the compliment, I’m still just a student.”
Her firm stance reminded me of a familiar slogan.
So they have that saying in this world, too.
When I glanced out the window, I saw the faint glow of dawn.
The clock read 6 a.m.
That nightmare had completely ruined my sleep.
“Did I wake you up too early?”
“Huh? Oh, no! Don’t worry. I always get up at this time anyway.”
Well, since I was awake, I decided to fully commit to being a proper, diligent girl.
After freshening up and getting ready, I noticed Daphne had already finished preparing.
Wow, she’s seriously efficient.
“Shall we head down for breakfast? The notice said the dorm cafeteria serves a buffet-style breakfast.”
“What? A buffet? Let’s gooooooo!”
“Wait! Shoes! I haven’t put my shoes on yet!”
I dashed excitedly down to the first floor.
-Wait! What about me? What about me!
-Sorry, No. 2! Got some experiments to run. If you’re hungry, eat the cup noodles inside!
I passed a few instructions to No. 2.
She would stay put without reverting while I handled some tasks with 1st and 5th, two more clones I generated.
When we reached the menu board, it listed a typical English breakfast: sausage, toast, hash browns, bacon, baked beans!
My mouth watered at the thought of such a glorious lineup—the crowning achievement of British culinary contributions.
The dorm cafeteria was bustling with first-year students, likely because it was early morning.
I eagerly searched for food.
But where the buffet trays should have been, there was nothing.
“Eh…? Bacon? Toast? Where?”
“That must be breakfast over there. It doesn’t match the menu, though…”
The buffet shelves were empty, as if someone had deliberately cleared them.
On one side sat a lone soup warmer.
When I opened its lid, I was met with the curse of blandness: the infamous English porridge.
“What is this…?”
“It says it’s porridge.”
I ladled the grayish mush into a bowl, took a seat, and picked up a spoon.
The flavor was blander than rice soaked in water, reminiscent of the formula feed from the lab.
My first morning of the semester was off to a gloomy start.
***
Determined to forget the unpalatable breakfast, I settled into a lecture hall chair.
Skimming through the schedule, I saw that the first week was mostly orientation activities.
The freshmen orientation that had been interrupted by yesterday’s incident would be held in one of the lecture rooms today.
Strangely enough, the 2nd and 3rd-year seniors simply greeted us lightly before taking positions at the front and back of the lecture hall.
What is this? A show of authority?
A person who seemed to be a teaching assistant started rambling about something in a grandiose manner.
“Freshmen! Yesterday’s incident was truly regrettable, wasn’t it? But why are you all here? Just to make money? To get a diploma? No! You came to this school to train and fight against monstrous beasts, am I right?”
A student raised their hand with a puzzled expression.
“Excuse me, but isn’t it a bit strange for such beasts to appear out of nowhere? My friend got hurt because of that…”
“Now, freshman, let’s get one thing clear. Did someone force you to come here?”
“What?”
“Did someone hold a knife to your throat and threaten you? No, right? You came here voluntarily. If you’re making such a fuss over something like this, how do you plan to hunt monsters later? Do you think you can fight them?”
The student shut their mouth.
In fact, the seniors standing at the front were glaring sharply at that student.
What the hell is this place?
“Why does that teaching assistant say such strange things…?”
Daphne, sitting next to me, whispered.
Looking toward the front, I noticed a girl with striking purple hair.
It was Irene, the one who knocked down Kranos yesterday.
She had even confronted the student council president, yet today she was biting her nails with an anxious expression.
Did something happen?
“So, freshmen, we must recognize reality and with a cold-hearted mindset, reinforce our mental discipline and-”
“Hey, just explain what we need to know and wrap it up already. You’re just a teaching assistant, and your speech is dragging.”
A blue-haired male student sitting at the front interrupted the assistant. It was Lucian.
The sharp gazes of the senior students turned toward Lucian. Yet, even amidst the silent pressure, he maintained a relaxed demeanor.
Lucian crossed his legs, leaned back against the chair, and mockingly raised his right hand, revealing a glowing yellow magic circle.
“What a cheeky b-”
“Haha, you’re right. Let’s proceed quickly…!”
When one of the seniors tried to step forward, the assistant, looking nervously between the sides, hastily resumed the session, speeding through the orientation like frying beans in a flash.
After the orientation ended, we moved to the next location.
“Is this kind of atmosphere common at the Awakened Academy? It feels odd…”
“Well, as far as I know, places like this shouldn’t exist…”
Of course, they don’t.
Aegis and Vesperia Prime, the primary settings of the game’s first arc, had the typical light novel academy vibe.
There weren’t any weird speeches about mental discipline or groups of seniors acting like gangsters.
Still, I’m glad someone stepped in to shut down that nonsense.
I didn’t like Lucian. He was the quintessential “cool” light novel protagonist archetype.
But I’ll make an exception today.
“So, I just install this app and register for classes through it?”
When I clicked on the link, an application with the blue-star-shaped school logo labeled “Norstarpick” appeared.
“Yeah. They say it comes with additional features like an internal school messenger. Oh, what’s this?”
Daphne showed me her smartphone screen.
“I’ve been invited to a group chat room. This must be what they mentioned during the orientation.”
“Really?”
Upon checking, I found that I had been added to the group chat too.
Managing people through a group chat—it’s the same everywhere.
The chat room, bustling with students, soon displayed an announcement.
-Attention, first-year freshmen. This is a broadcast from your No. 2 and 3rd-year seniors.
-<Rules for Freshmen>
To maintain order, freshmen must always answer with “Yes” to senior students’ commands.
To foster camaraderie, freshmen are required to participate in events organized by seniors.
For discipline, freshmen are prohibited from running or fast walking.
Female freshmen are not allowed to wear makeup as you are here to become future hunters.
Freshmen are forbidden from carrying weapons without senior approval.
……
“Is this…a rulebook?”
The so-called rules were utterly absurd!
“Rugilinn…? What is this…”
“Hahaha…”
I discovered that when I was utterly dumbfounded, laughter would escape me. The content of the first notice I encountered at the academy was truly surreal.
I never expected to find such ludicrous nonsense in a school with a Western-style name, gothic architecture, and a colorful cast of pretty girls.
Was this secretly a K-University?
-Wow, that’s phenomenal. Hahaha…
-Aaaargh!
-Is this place a military camp?
Other Violets in my head let out astonished exclamations and screams.
With a heavy heart, I endured the orientation sessions all morning and afternoon.
“Greetings, everyone! As introduced during the entrance ceremony, I am Victor Hamilton, a former A-rank hunter who will be teaching the first-year courses!…I have successfully cleared 15 gates and, to achieve this, sacrificed…So, our mindset must be like an impenetrable fortress…”
The instructor for <Gate Tactics> spent an entire hour boasting about himself and preaching the triumph of willpower.
“Today’s youth lack discipline. What can you accomplish with such a weak mindset? Huh? Am I wrong? With such feeble spirits, you beg for help, saying this is impossible, that is dangerous… The current problems of this academy city are…covert organizations! Those villains are corroding our society!”
This fiery speech about ideology and society came from the professor in charge of <Introduction to Interdimensional Biology>.
“Alright, students, you see the screen? Submit the assignments listed here and write a review of the video. That’s it.”
The <Introduction to Basic Tactics> professor left after just five minutes. His expression practically screamed, “I don’t want to do this.” Still, at least he finished quickly.
Most subsequent classes followed a similar pattern.
“Today’s instructor is on assignment, so class is postponed until next week! Check the Norstarpick announcements!”
“Uh…well…the important thing is…uh…”
“The instructor is disappointed in you freshmen.”
As I left the orientation, I couldn’t help but scream internally.
“No! This is not the academy I had in mind!!!”