The First Day Part-1

As I brushed my teeth, I caught my reflection. I looked tired, my usual half-lidded gaze looking even more exhausted. I splashed water on my face, trying to shake the last remnants of the dream away.

No matter how close the time appears to be, it is never within the grasp.

The mysterious voice echoed in my head. Who the hell was she? A figment of my imagination, no doubt. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that something about this place, about this school, was just... off.

I walked back into the living area, and Souta was already dressed in his Raijin Academy uniform. It was the standard black and red with gold buttons, but on him, it looked like a high-fashion statement. He was humming some annoyingly cheerful pop song as he adjusted his tie.

"The cafeteria's supposed to be really good here," he chirped. "A lot of people say the food is better than what you get at a fancy restaurant. Should we grab breakfast there?"

"Sure," I said flatly, pulling on my own uniform. It felt stiff and unfamiliar, and I had to resist the urge to complain about it. "Let's just go."

As we walked out of the dorm, the morning sun was just beginning to rise, casting long shadows across the campus. The school was even more massive than I had thought. We passed by fields, sports stadiums, and even a botanical garden that was surprisingly well-maintained. Raijin Academy was a city in itself, and it felt a little overwhelming.

Souta, of course, had to open his mouth. "What, are you in awe or something? Can't blame you, this place is something else."

I nodded, my thoughts elsewhere. The path we were on was the same one I had walked the night before. I instinctively looked to my right, towards the building where I saw the glowing orb. There was nothing there now, just a plain, gray wall.

"Hey, you alright, man?" Souta asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. "You've been staring at that wall for a while."

"Nothing," I said, a little too quickly. "Just... thinking."

He gave me a weird look but didn't press the issue. I was glad. I wasn't about to tell him I was seeing things and hearing voices. He'd probably think it was "cool" and "mysterious."

We arrived at the cafeteria, and it was indeed impressive. It was huge, with high ceilings and a wide variety of food stalls. The place was already bustling with students. The uniforms all looked the same, but the students were varied—some looked like jocks, some were huddled over tablets, and others were chatting loudly with their friends.

"Alright, I'm getting a tonkatsu bowl!" Souta announced, running towards a stall. "You want anything?"

I sighed. "Just get me some toast and coffee."

He gave me a thumbs-up and disappeared into the crowd. I leaned against a wall, observing the chaos. As I waited, I saw a familiar tall figure with black curly hair and a mature aura. It was Emihime Hoshino, the Student Council Vice President. She was walking with a few other students, and she seemed to carry herself with an air of effortless grace.

Suddenly, her eyes met mine. She gave me a small, polite nod, and a faint smile touched her lips. I nodded back, my heart doing a little stutter. I still couldn't get over the fact that a student council vice president was the one assigned to pick me up. It seemed a little... too much.

Just then, Souta returned, holding a tray with a massive tonkatsu bowl and a single piece of toast and a cup of coffee. He handed me my share and grinned. "See? I told you it was good. Let's find a table."

I looked at my toast. It looked kind of sad next to his feast, but I wasn't in the mood to argue. We found a table, and as we ate, Souta didn't stop talking about the school's clubs, the "cute girls," and the rumors about various student groups. I just sat there, listening and taking mental notes. The guy might be annoying, but he was a walking information dump.

"Yeah, like, that's why that club got disbanded," Souta said, supposedly talking about the demise of some club.

"Wait a minute, can anyone form a club here?" I asked, a sense of confusion creeping into my voice. The way he talked about the various clubs seemed abnormal to me.

"Well, you need to be a second year, and there are also issues with keeping clubs alive, as it requires significant contributions and members to survive. But in a nutshell, yeah," he said, chowing down on the tonkatsu bowl.

"Hmm." I didn't think much after that and kept eating.

After breakfast, we went our separate ways. His classroom was on the first floor, while mine was on the third. As I walked down the hallways, I noticed that the school was a maze of classrooms, labs, and offices. The sheer size of it was almost intimidating.

I finally found my classroom and knocked on the door. The teacher, a kindly-looking man with glasses, welcomed me in. "Alright class, this is Renji Yukinaga, our new transfer student. Please be nice to him."

The class responded with a few murmurs of welcome. I looked around, my gaze falling on the one person I had hoped to avoid seeing so soon. Sayaka Narukami, the Disciplinary Committee Head, was sitting in the second-to-last row, her short black hair perfectly in place, and a friendly smile on her face. She gave me a small wave, and I nodded back awkwardly.

I made my way to an empty seat in the last row just behind Sayaka, ignoring the whispers of the other students. I could feel their eyes on me. They were probably wondering about the guy who was the "first TDATs transfer in seven years." Everyone was looking at me with either surprise or judgment. This is really gonna be annoying, I thought to myself, and then I turned my eyes to the back of Sayaka's head. A thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Why did both the disciplinary committee head and the student council vice president accompany me? It was weird to have two such high-ranking students give me a tour. I mean, any normal student could have done the job, and if they both had asked any of their members, that would have been enough. But for them to come themselves was even weirder.

My train of thoughts was interrupted as the teacher started the lesson, but I couldn't focus. My mind kept drifting back to the dream, to Riwa's voice, and to the weird sensation of a clock tower behind my eyes.

What trials? What job? What the hell?

I had no idea. But I had a feeling that I was about to find out, whether I wanted to or not.

To be continued...