Perfect roommate

I slowly opened my eyes.

Soft light filtered through the curtains. For a moment, I just stared at the ceiling, trying to understand where I was.

Then it hit me—it was already dawn.

Last night came rushing back in fragments. I remembered finally reaching the dormitory, stepping inside the room, and how exhausted I was… good thing I was able to change out of my wet clothes before collapsing into bed and falling asleep.

I sat up quickly, rubbing my eyes

I looked up toward the corner of the room and noticed a girl sitting by the window. She had short blonde hair and was quietly reading a book, the morning light falling softly over her.

She suddenly glanced up at me.

“You must be Layla, right?” she asked.

“Y-yes… good morning,” I replied hesitantly, surprised that she already knew my name.

She closed her book gently and smiled. “Your roommate, Clyde.”

"I hope you dont mind, I always wake up early to study"she added

I immediately covered my face with both hands, panic setting in.

“I-I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to enter the room without permission,” I blurted out, my voice muffled. “I must’ve fallen asleep without realizing—”

Before I could finish, Clyde gave a small laugh.

It’s okay,” she said gently. “I actually went out to look for you when you didn’t arrive at the expected time, but I couldn’t find you anywhere. By the time I came back to the dorm, you were already asleep. I didn’t want to wake you, so I just let you rest.”

“R-really?” I asked, still embarrassed.

She nodded with a calm smile. “Really. Don’t worry about it. The landlady had already told me about you.”

I quietly let out the breath I had been holding.

“You were late yesterday, though. What happened?” she asked as she stood up, walked over, and sat on the other bed across from me

“What took you so long?” Clyde added

“I… I was lost,” I admitted.

“That’s understandable. The school is huge after all,” Clyde replied calmly.

I blinked in surprise. Wait… she didn’t question it? I thought.

“But something interesting happened on the way…” I added

“Something interesting?” she repeated, leaning in slightly with curiosity.

“Yeah… I met a boy yesterday”

“Oh? What was he like?” Clyde asked, tilting her head as she waited for my answer.

“He had straight brown hair,” I said, pausing for a moment as I tried to remember more details.

“…And his name was um… Azazel.”

“Azazel? Hmm…” Clyde placed a hand on her chin and tilted her head slightly. “I’ve never heard that name before…”

“Oh, really? But he was wearing this academy’s uniform—the same as the supreme vice president’s,” I added.

“The student council uniform? You met the vice president?” she asked, sounding more interested now.

I nodded in response.

“I think I know all the SSG officers. Maybe I just never met him,” she said. “I thought I knew most of the people here, but there are so many students.”

“Was he handsome?” she suddenly asked.

“He was… cute?” I replied, trying to remember.

“That’s awesome. I didn’t know there was someone like that here,” Clyde said, her eyes lighting up with interest. “I love cute boys , they remind me of kittens”

“He was also kinda weird though…” I said suddenly, the memory of what happened near the lake flashing back in my mind. The idea of calling him a “cute kitten” didn’t really fit him at all.

I should just forget about it, I thought.

“he also had this emblem. Pretty similar to ours, but gold,” I added as I reached into my pocket.

“…Oh. It’s not here…” I whispered, freezing when I realized it was gone.

Clyde turned to me slowly, a confused and slightly skeptical look forming on her face.

“That’s impossible,” she whispered. “The gold-plated emblem has been forgotten and hidden for half a decade. It’s unthinkable that someone else could have one.”

“What do you mean?” I tilted my head in confusion.

“A Saint Palantine Academy silver emblem doesn’t exist anymore,” Clyde explained more clearly. “For the past five years, our emblem has been changed to silver plating. The design is the same crest, but the gold version was discontinued.”

I frowned slightly, trying to process her words. “So… what I saw earlier shouldn’t even exist?”

“Emblems are the pride of our school,” she said quietly. “It would be a disgrace for someone to have one that’s been banned for a long time. So it’s not possible… but it could be.”

A chill ran down my spine. I looked at Clyde, suddenly uneasy.

Clyde’s expression softened as she spoke again. “I’m glad you’re my roommate, Layla.”she said changing the topic

For a moment, the room fell silent. The morning light slowly brightened through the curtains.

Clyde turned toward the window and then back at me. “It’s 5:30,” she said calmly. “We should start getting ready for class.

We both stepped out into the hallway and started walking toward class together. The corridor was already filled with students, all dressed in uniform—crisp white blazers with silver trim, neatly pressed pleated skirts or trousers, and a crest pinned over the chest that marked every student of the academy. A dark tie or ribbon completed the outfit, giving it a formal, almost noble appearance.

“Hey you!” someone called out.

“Hey, isn’t that Reijimin?”Girls around us began to whisper and gossip, their voices overlapping in excitement

“She looks great as usual…”

I slowed slightly, turning my attention toward them.

“What’s going on?” I was asked quietly, confused by the sudden buzz in the hallway.

“It was her! From yesterday! Am I just imagining things?”

I stared closely at the girl who had just entered. “Yeah… looks like she was Reiji.”

The entire dorm hallway fell into a wave of whispers as she walked toward me..

“A true icon!” someone whispered.

“I wonder if she’s looking for someone in particular,” Clyde said quietly beside me.

“Vice President Reijimin yelling in the morning?.. I wonder what happened.”someone whispered

“She’s so cool, isn’t she?” someone whispered nearby.

She’s probably going to tell me off again… maybe I can sneak past her, I thought nervously.

“….”

But things didn’t go as planned.

Reijimin was already walking straight in my direction.

She stopped right in front of me.Standing perfectly straight, she looked down at me with an expression that wasn’t exactly friendly.

My thoughts immediately drifted back to yesterday, and without realizing it, I lowered my head slightly.

“Layla, I’ve come to escort you.”

“Huh? Me?”

Yes, you,” she said, sounding irritated. “You’re coming with me.”

My jaw dropped.

She’s really angry?

“Wait, wait—Layla, what’s going on here?” Clyde asked, clearly confused.

“Don’t ask me, I have no idea!” I replied quickly, just as lost as she was.

“Could you hurry up? We need to go,” Reijimin said coldly, adjusting the frame of her glasses.

"Hey, you can’t just order me around,” I said as I stepped away from her,trying to keep my voice steady.

“As the Supreme Student Government Vice President, it’s my responsibility to show the "provisional student" around the campus,” she replied sharply, her tone rising.

“But… you really don’t have—”

“Now.”