Welcoming Ceremony I

Waking up in my room, I felt the surge of morning air hit me. I had a habit of leaving the window open when I sleep so that I'd feel refreshed by the natural air when I woke up.

The warm sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a golden glow over my bed. I stretched my arms and legs, feeling the soft cotton sheets against my skin.

Buzz–! Buzz–!

As I sat up, I noticed my phone vibrating on the bedside table. I reached for it and saw that I had 99+ unread messages. They were all coming from Goose, whose contact number I named 'Duck'.

[Hey!]

[Hey!]

[Hey!]

[I've already got the materials!]

[What should I do with them?!]

[Hey!]

[Come on, bud!]

[Give!]

[Me!]

[The!]

[Recipe!!]

What a weird morning message to start off the day…

Placing the phone back on the bedside table, I stood up and started to prepare for my first day at the Octagram Academy.

It had been a few days since my expedition to the Fishman Lake Dungeon. There, I got a lot of rewards for clearing the pre-outburst, though I didn't get C-rank items…

It sucks to have E-rank luck!

Oh well, at least I got a few useful D-rank materials and Finrax's core.

Besides, I got some good news yesterday. It was when I returned from the training center that Shannon brought me good news. She told me that a letter from the Octagram Academy had been distributed.

While I was the recipient of that said letter, the one who was excited was Shannon. I couldn't help but smile while thanking her inwardly. It was because of Shannon that I could adapt to this world, not that she needed to know that I wasn't her real cousin.

That attitude of hers was making me anxious. Did she never consider that I was not the one she used to know? Judging by how she reacted when the first time I was conscious in this body and mopping the floor, it was clear that she was confused by my sudden change. But, why would she never question me that?

Anyway, in the letter was said that I was accepted for enrolling in the Octagram Academy. Along with the letter, there was a package too which contained a basic uniform, a P.E. uniform, a Nova Watch, and other school equipment.

Back to the present…

After showering and doing other necessities so I could look ready for my first day, I looked at myself in the mirror.

Unusually combed black hair and black obsidian eyes stared at each other. The uniform I wore was looking stylish and practical. The black dress shirt underneath the fitted black blazer had a matching color, and feature red piping along the lapels, pockets, and cuffs. The buttons on the blazer were also red, providing a striking contrast against the high-quality, durable black fabric. The academy emblem–Garuda's head in an octagonal geometry–embroidered in red on the breast pocket.

For some reason, I preferred an untucked shirt over my black dress pants, there was a subtle red stripe along the sides.

Satisfied, I untucked the top button of my shirt and loosened the high-knotted black tie with the red striped pattern.

"Oh. Wow. The privilege of having a good-looking face is that I look good no matter what I wear, but… This uniform is such a drip."

Leaving my room, Shannon was already waiting for me just right beside the door. Her uniform also looked stylish and practical and followed a similar style to mine.

Her blazer was tailored to fit her body, with green piping along the lapels, pockets, and cuffs. The other details were the same as mine but hers was decorated with green instead of red color. It was a label color for the class year in Octagram Academy; red for 1st year, cyan for 2nd year, green for 3rd year, and gold for 4th year.

The white dress shirt underneath the blazer was tucked into a pleated black skirt that fell just above the knee, with a green trim along the hemline. She also wore a black stocking to cover the rest of her bare legs.

Looking at her black and red striped bow tie, I said

"That's the perfect bow tie I've ever seen. You look good, cousin," I gave her a thumbs up.

"Stop with the flattery, Zio…" As she spoke, she reached up to fix a strand of her silver hair that had fallen in front of her face, tucking it neatly behind her ear.

With a smile, she slightly turned her head at me and said

"Let's go. You don't want to arrive late on your first day, right?" She said as she walked down the stairs.

Smiling, I followed after her. "Yes. Yes. Lead the way, please."

Ah finally, my dream to attend a fictional school in the novel was happening. To add to that, it was the school in my novel, Octagram Academy. The most prestigious academy in the world…

…it was said that most of the heroes in the top ranks graduated from here.

"Don't forget to bring your luggage. We are going to leave this house for a year."

Shannon's mellow voice brought me back from my daydream. It was a matter of fact that I'd left my luggage in my room. Rushing into my room, I stored the huge luggage in my Storage Cube and head back, catching up to Shannon who was already outside.

"Don't you want to say goodbye to this house before you leave?"

I looked over my shoulder as Shannon said that. It had only been for a month since I stayed here so I didn't have a chance to get sentimental about this house yet. Smirking, I hastened my steps to walk side by side with Shannon.

"No need to. It's not like we're going on a suicide mission or something and won't be able to return here."

Shannon chuckled. "Pfft. What is that? You're always saying nonsense, cousin. Which is funny because I had zero ideas of what you're talking about."

"Is that sarcasm?"

"No? Hahaha."

Her voice itself sounded mellow and soft, it made me feel at peace every time I heard it, but her laugh was even more than that, it sounded like an angel's laugh, though I never heard what an angel laughing would sound like. It's just a metaphor, okay.

We were walking to a nearby Skyliner station so we could get to academy island faster.

As we headed towards a nearby Skyliner station to reach Octagram Academy, I couldn't help but marvel at the sleek and futuristic flying vehicles. Designed like a train, the Skyliner's multiple compartments provided comfortable seating for passengers, all connected by a long, thin body that cut through the air with ease.

However, unlike traditional trains that could transport hundreds or thousands of people in a single vehicle, the Skyliner had a more limited capacity. Each compartment could accommodate up to 20 people, and most Skyliners had three compartments, allowing for a maximum capacity of around 60 passengers per trip.

Thankfully, there were Skyliners exclusively reserved for Octagram Academy students. Each station had at least two of these exclusive vehicles, limited only to academy students.

With hundreds of Skyliners cruising the skies above Octagram Island, the speed of these vehicles was impressive. There was little risk of missing one and being late for work or school.

Riding a Skyliner was an unforgettable experience.

'How did I even come up with this idea? I must be a genius!'

Inside the Skyliner was noisy, all of those noises were coming from other Octagram students. Most of them were first-year students like me seeing that they were wearing black and red uniforms. Looking at their expressions I was assuming that they were eager to attend the academy, just like me.

By the way, we sat by the window. Looking outside, I enjoyed the view of the blue sky and the magnificent city landscape as well as the windows buildings of skyscrapers and others towering buildings.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Shannon who beautifully rested her eyes. She sat in a polite manner, like a noble. Of course, upon seeing her I couldn't help but wonder why she was so quiet today.

'Does she hate going to school?'

I leaned forward as I was trying to wake her up. But, suddenly, I realized that the compartment went silent, and only whispers filled the room.

"Hey, look at them, aren't they a gorgeous couple?"

"Hmm? That boy, he is wearing the same uniform as us…"

"That black and green uniform is for third-year students, that pretty girl is our senior!"

"Wow. She's so pretty!"

"Who is she? Why have I never heard of her?"

"The boy is handsome too…"

My ears and eyebrows twitched as their low whispers slowly turned to a normal speaking volume.

These guys. Did they not realize that their whispers weren't a whisper anymore?

"Ah! That is Shannon Oliver!"

Suddenly, someone among them shouted loudly that it had made Shannon open her eyes. She blinked a few times before she turned her head sideways to the spectators.

The guy who shouted earlier immediately covered his mouth with his hands as Shannon looked in his direction. Instead of scolding him for disturbing her, she actually smiled at him or rather at them–the first-year students.

The boys in the group were all blushing when Shannon's smile illuminated them.

Looking at them, I couldn't help but shake my head while letting out a chuckle. If I didn't know Shannon and if we weren't relatives, I would also react like them when Shannon smiled at me like that.

"Huu…"

[We've arrived at our destination. Octagram Academy! Everyone, please leave one by one. Don't forget to bring your luggage!]