One Last Day

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'Huh ? Is that day already ?'

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'Please tell me that it's just a glitch, and I've got more hours of sleep left...'

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With a tired and resigned sigh, Asaki slowly rose from his bed and reached for his alarm clock. This clock marked the beginning of a new day, new experiences and sadly... The end of his dream time.

He sighed again, putting an end to his suffering by turning off the alarm. The white-haired man then went to his wardrobe to retrieve his school uniform, which consisted of a purple jacket paired with a white and elegant shirt, contrasting with the black trousers.

It's only after he was done dressing that Asaki went to the bathroom, the small mirror encrusted inside of the wall now reflecting his appearance.

"Geez... My haircut is all messed up today, how could this look so great last night ?"

With another deep sigh, the student contemplated his reflection one last time before grabbing his toothbrush, and starting to scroll on his phone as well.

'A message from Kaoru ?'

Asaki clicked on the message icon and rode the text.

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Hey man ! Today's a special day, don't forget to bring your ass to the council room at 08:00 or the president will be mad-

See ya !

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A smile appeared on Asaki's face after he was done reading the last words. However, this wasn't an amused smile at all.

Why ?

Because the tiny screen of his phone showed a different hour from that of his clock, it was indeed 06:30AM and not 05:30AM.

'I'm dead...'

A new expression now covered the poor man's face, a nervous expression which he couldn't totally hide, even though he wanted to.

The president was a tall and rude girl called Saori. She had the strange habit of organizing parties, sometimes without telling anyone. Only those, like Kaoru, who lived on campus could notice when she was preparing something.

'If only I had been accepted to live in the dorms... I wouldn't need to wake up 3 hours before the beginning of class...'

Once Asaki was outside, facing the cold and brutal wind of the winter, he locked his door and started walking through the frozen streets.

Asaki was living in a small town called Reise, located at the south of Aldeus, one of the three kingdom of Vaulstrae.

He never understood why people called Vaulstrae a continent, the three countries which composed it being all separated by seas and ocean. And so, even if these three countries were the only ones where humans lived.

Aldeus was a huge island located only a few thousand kilometers from Rakuen, the largest country in the known world. It was at least thrice the size of Aldeus, and was the cause of the Zenith wars. These were the 6 wars that took place from -333 to the year 0, the year when Aldeus and Archigrad signed a peace treaty.

'Kinda ironic to see that these wars, which intended to conquer Rakuen, ultimately meant nothing. 3 years before the peace treaty, Rakuen desired independence, its people composed of the descendants of all the soldiers that lived inside during the previous wars. It finally got accepted the year 0, leading to the peace treaty.'

Finally at the train station, Asaki paid his ticket and climbed into the train.

'06:56, I almost missed it...'

Gasping with relief, he looked out the window as the train started to move. No matter how many times Asaki looked at the landscapes, he never grew bored by their beauty.

Aldeus was a northern country, and so, it was cold almost all the year here. However, the sun rising through the mist, behind the mountains, was a view worth the sacrifice.

'It's hard to believe that this country became the most advanced, but still was able to preserve the territory so well.'

His gaze got lost again in the endless rivers, forests, mountains, and the distant horizon of the sea so well that the travel felt like during some minutes.

After the train passed the large bridge leading to its destination, Asaki heard the train speaker turning on :

[Arriving to our final destination : Asagiri !]

Asagiri was the capital of Aldeus, but also of the entire world. It was by far the largest city of Vaulstrae, and one of the most livable. Here, everything ran on electricity, and pollution had never been so low since its establishment.

Tall and imposing skyscrapers stood everywhere, without obscuring the greenery of the trees. It was one of the rule of the city, expanding without destroying.

If it wasn't for the money his parents had left him before disappearing, Asaki would've never expected to study here, really. It felt at first so unreal...

But passing through the school's gates quickly pulled him out of his thoughts, his consciousness coming back to reality. Nothing changed since this morning, and so... Asaki was about to face Saori's wrath.

Already accepting his destiny, Asaki entered into the building with a nervous smirk, aware that most of the eyes were on him. While his unique appearance as a white-haired teenager with purple eyes drew some attention, Asaki was also popular for other reasons.

First, he managed to become friends with the intimidating Kaoru and stay alive since their first encounter, two years ago.

Secondly, it was because Asaki held the position of student council treasurer, a rather important role that he had excelled in since last year.

Trying to not mind the multiple pairs of eyes staring at him, Asaki prepared his most beautiful smile, before reaching his arm to the door handle to open it.

But the door opened first.

Dodging it by a hair, Asaki looked at what came out of the room, or more accurately, who.

"You little bastard !!"

This time, he couldn't avoid this one.

Saori's fist struck his cheek with such speed that he only realized it after his body landed awkwardly on the ground. Thanks to Kaoru who was restraining her, although he could barely contain his laughter, she couldn't pounce on him to finish the job.

"Ouch... Calm down Saori, I can expla-"

"Shut up ! How could you even dare be late on this day, of all days ! You're the worst, even though I managed to organize everything you..."

It was easy to notice that she was holding back tears, Asaki could feel a sentiment of guiltiness invading him, even though he didn't know why she was in such a state.

Seconds later, she finally broke free from Kaoru's grasp and walked away, exuding an aura akin to that of a murderer.

"Lucky bastard ! If you heard all the things she said she was about to do, just a punch is quite acceptable !"

Kaoru smirked. The blond man was too tall and imposing to be human. His back was at least twice the size of Asaki's, and let's not even mention his arms.

The arrogant expression he held was noticeable behind his messy hair, and his reputation as a former gangster only reinforced the aura his body already exuded. But yet, he was truly Asaki's best friend.

"And how about you tell that lucky bastard why Saori punched him ?"

He grabbed the hand Kaoru had offered to help him up while responding. This girl was something else, and not in a good way.

"Eh ? You're really an asshole Asaki hahaha"

 Kaoru's hand slammed Asaki's back as he laughed in a sadistic manner.

"Yeah, there's no way you could forget what day it is today. I gotta go to my class now, see ya!"

After he told him this, Kaoru left the building without even giving Asaki a chance to respond.

And then, the bell finally rang.