The School Life of Our Dreams, Part 6

(Dazai Crowley's POV)

Cerulean Academy, Present Day

After my shower, I returned back to my bedroom.

…Well, I say "my" bedroom, but technically I'll be sharing it with someone else starting today, huh.

Speaking of which, on the way by, I noticed Emmel was still in the kitchen cleaning up and showed no signs of finishing anytime soon.

Which meant I atleast had the whole room to myself for a while.

I inspect the bottom bunk.

So this is going to be my bed from now on.

I cop a feel on the blankets and pillows. Both the mattress and the pillows were a little too firm for my liking. Well, it's not like I'm complaining though, since I've certainly slept in worse.

Besides, if it ever becomes a problem for me, I can always buy suitable replacements. Although I have yet to confirm this, I'm sure some facility on campus should sell some.

Actually now that I think about it, aside from blankets and the like, there are a couple of other important things I need to hurry and go buy.

Like, for example, spare clothing. The pajamas I'm wearing right now were just extra shirts and pants the school lended us.

But aside from a change of undergarments and a toothbrush, I didn't bring much of anything else, provided I could just buy everything upon arrival.

Hmm, now that I think about it, perhaps I should go shopping after school tomorrow. After all, I certainly have the cash, or rather, the points to do so. In that case, I take out my phone and write up a shopping list for tomorrow.

—And done.

That didn't take too long.

In addition to personal necessities, I decided to include a list of groceries to stock our shelves. We can only live off instant noodles for so long after all.

Besides, I'll be needing all the nutrition I can get from now on…

Sigh.

I lean back on my bed to contemplate for a moment. It was then, images of several people came to mind.

"Emmel Naiden".

A young boy with dark brown hair. However, due to how long his hair is, he tends to keep it tied up in a ponytail. It was almost enough for me to nearly mistake him for a woman had I not known better. His pseudo-feminine look however is not my center of focus, but rather, it was something else entirely.

As I've explained before, Bravados are people who possess exceptional magical power. Their strength is beyond science, technology and even nature itself.

And out of this particular cast of powerful people, lies ten individuals who stand at the top of this hierarchy. They are the ten strongest Bravados.

The Ten Elites.

Emmel Naiden is the son of the second strongest Bravado. Which would naturally make you assume he too is strong and incredible as well.

However, despite it all, he was still placed in Class D. If what Mrs. Gwein said really was true, then that would mean there would be a certain misunderstanding.

"Emmel Naiden is not great at all".

In a school where you are graded based on your abilities, this is the conclusion most students would naturally draw first.

—However, is that "truly" the case?

"Judette Bathóry".

There's not much I can say about her in general, seeing as how her last name explains it all.

As her last name implies, she is the daughter of the Bathóry family. The same royal family who rules over our entire country, The Kingdom of Wüder.

Considering her lineage, she too should possess some degree of exceptional power or ability. And yet despite that, she was still placed in Class D.

I wonder why.

Something just isn't adding up….

"Ryoku Varja".

An elvish girl with pretty black hair. Though it has only been a day, it appears her looks and ethnicity has garnished her quite a lot of popularity.

Although I'm not fully aware of her origins, I assume she recently transferred over here from the west. However, after our encounter in the convenience store, I noticed that for some reason, she seems to already have a grasp on human technology.

"She…—certainly seems interesting."

That's my basic impression of her atleast. Aside from that, there's nothing more I can really say.

Hmm…

Putting my phone away, I finish drying my hair.

Speaking of girls, I wonder how Ester is doing. Well, it's not like I don't have a way to find out. Recalling the fact that I now have her cell phone number, I took out my phone again and decided to call her.

The phone rings for a short moment. But to me, it felt more like an eternity.

After all, it's been a while since I last called a girl.

The phone continues to ring with no signs of answering. Hmm, I wonder if she's asleep already.

If so, then I don't want to be a bother.

Ah, screw it. It's not like this is important anyways, so maybe I'll just call back later or something.

However, right before I declined the call—

"—Hello?"

A soft yet familiar voice replied back.

"A—ah, hey…—Sorry, for calling so late. I didn't interrupt you or anything did I?"

"No, it's fine. I just didn't recognize your number at first, so I was a bit reluctant to answer."

"Ah, that makes sense."

I forgot, Ester isn't too used to technology yet.

"In any case, was there something you wanted?"

"Ah, no, not really. I just wanted to see what you were up to, that's all."

"I see. Well, either way, I'm glad you decided to call me. I missed hearing your voice after all."

"!?"

Startled, I fell silent for a moment. I think my heart just skipped a beat. Or maybe two. I smiled a little.

But then my thoughts begin to reminisce.

—Five years.

That's a lot of time to be away from a close friend.

"I missed hearing your voice too."

Suddenly, a strange silence passed between us.

"Ester?"

"—Ah, sorry. I was just happy to hear you say that."

"Enough to make you go quiet all of a sudden?"

"...You did the same."

"Ahaha, —true."

I chuckled.

Well, either way, now that I got her on the phone, I decided to continue on with the conversation.