IMPENDING CONFLICT?

The time allotted for their stay in the cafeteria had quickly passed, and the announcement for their first class at the Academy was made, prompting students to depart the hall in groups.

Stare was still mostly confused about what to do, as Y-204 hadn't appeared yet, which was quite odd. He hadn't made any plans for a situation like this, so he felt completely lost and drained, unsure of what to do next.

"How would I go about this now?"

Hold on, if Y-204 truly wasn't at the Academy, did that mean he had found a way to bypass the Oracle's Path, or had I been mistaken in my predictions from the start? Had the Oracle simply decided to diverge the path because of my plans.

Various thoughts raced through Stare's mind until he shook his head repeatedly as if trying to clear his thoughts.

"What am I even thinking?"

There was still plenty of time and opportunities for Y-204 to appear; after all, the day was just beginning, and the first class was about to commence.

There was still hope... It was too early to think down that path.

Accompanied by Bobby and Joel, with assistance from Paraclete, they made their way to the location of their first class at the Academy.

While Bobby appeared equally enthusiastic as Stare about attending the first class, Joel seemed less enthusiastic, muttering complaints about the class and questioning the importance of learning for future Heroes. Despite his reservations, Joel had no choice but to attend the class, especially since it was the first one.

As they exited the cafeteria and headed towards the classroom, they unexpectedly bumped into someone whom Stare instantly recognized. Turning to Bobby, who now stood a few steps behind with a worried expression, Stare noticed the familiar green-haired bully from before, although this time he was alone, without his previous companions.

The kid also noticed Stare and Bobby and fixed his gaze on them silently for a while, clenching his fists. Just as Stare was about to dismiss him, Joel had already stepped forward. He stared the kid straight in the eyes in an intimidating manner, seemingly unconcerned that his opponent was larger and slightly taller than him.

"Do you have a problem with any of us here?" Joel asked, his voice noticeably deeper and fake, likely an attempt to intimidate the kid.

The kid glanced briefly at Joel, then back at Stare and Bobby before scoffing and walking away.

The boy's response seemed to thrill Joel, as he instantly puffed out his chest proudly, wearing a sly smile.

"My first day in the Academy, and bullies are already fleeing from my heroic presence," Joel said in a playful yet boastful tone, eliciting smiles from both Stare and Bobby who now appeared more relieved.

Continuing their walk toward the classroom, they reached a large plain white metal door labeled 'Class HTK 101' and pushed it open. Inside, they found a spacious room with pristine white walls and student desks slightly hovering, arranged neatly in rows of five.

There were already students in the class; however, it seemed they had still arrived on time as there was no presence of a lecturer yet.

Curiously, the front rows remained unoccupied, despite the classroom being filled. It was as if they were consciously being reserved for someone, or more specifically, a group of Elite Students.

Stare understood the reasoning behind this. After all, these students were considered the current star pupils of the Academy, so it was only fitting that they received most of the attention, essentially representing the entire class.

Settings like this were never new, especially when it involved people from different classes, ranging from high to low, gathering in one place. However, despite knowing this, Stare still chose a seat at the very front.

Although he didn't have any issue with the exaggerated treatment given to the Elites and would typically go along with it, he currently believed that the best way to spot Y-204 entering was to be closer to the door, which meant sitting in the front row.

He knew he might attract some attention, but that didn't matter as long as it served his plan. Plus, who knew, maybe the Elites wouldn't even be concerned about something as minor as seating arrangements.

Joel had also thoughtlessly taken a seat close to Stare in the front row, but the same couldn't be said for Bobby, who remained standing, attempting to repeatedly tell them something.

Stare was however aware of what it was he wanted to say but decided to play ignorant, he couldn't however tell if it was the same for Joel.

As Stare had anticipated, both he and Joel had attracted numerous gazes from the other students in the classroom, with some even preparing to approach them. However, before they could, the classroom door swung open, capturing everyone's attention.

It was the Elite Students.

To Stare's dismay, while everyone else had taken seats away from him, Ava, for some unknown reason, approached Stare's seat directly.

As Stare earnestly wished for Ava to move on and find another vacant seat like everyone else, he suddenly heard her cold condescending tone resound in his ears:

"Stand."