Chapter 3 - Charles Military Academy (1)

"Welcome to Charles Military Academy Branch Campus," a tall, buffed old man with long grey hair, a neatly combed grey beard, and stern, serious, slanted green eyes gave a greeting while standing on a podium with his hands behind his back. His dignified voice resounded throughout the air, even without the amplification of a microphone. "My name is Gerard Bastion. I am the principal of the Charles Military Academy Branch Campus. And behind me are the teachers and staff of the Branch Campus. You will come to know them later," spoke Principal Gerard. "Now, you all might be wondering why there are only six people here," Principal Gerard gestured with his hand.

'Come to think of it, he's right. For a prestigious military academy, there are only six of us here as new students,' I pondered while looking at my surroundings. "Six people, three female and three male. Many applied to enroll here and tried their best to enter the glorious Charles Military Academy. However, in the end, you six are the first to be accepted to the branch campus. Yes, our branch campus is new, and yes, only the six of you here are the students right now. Don't fret, students. The six of you are the pioneers, the chosen ones that will lead the branch campus to new heights," Principal Gerard spoke, full of charisma and passion in his words. The teachers and staff behind Principal Gerard clapped their hands, and some even shed a tear after his speech. Me, though, I was just bewildered. "What a nice way of saying the academy lacked students," the orange-haired young man beside me, I think his name was Wortel, commented.

"Uh-huh," I nodded in agreement. "Oh, you think the same, huh? You're more interesting than you look," Wortel said, flashing his teeth at me. "Unlike the other guy here," Wortel pointed with his thumb. I took a peek and discovered that Gilbert was sobbing; he was holding a handkerchief and occasionally wiped his tears with it. "Yo, look. Looks like the girls also agreed with me," Wortel excitedly pointed toward our female classmates. "They look more indifferent to me," I shrugged. "Man, what do you know? I am sure they are of the same mind as I do," Wortel said. After that, since Principal Gerard's speech was over, one of the staff escorted us to the academy's main building. "You guys will be Class 1-A. "The classroom will be on the third floor," the male staff informed.

"I will be responsible for escorting all of you to your classroom. As for touring and understanding the layout of the building, do it on your own; at least, that was what the principal ordered," the male staff added. The male staff proceeded to lead us to the third floor. He walked until we reached the corner of the third floor. "Here it is. This is class 1-A; please enter and choose your seat. Your homeroom teacher will arrive momentarily," the male staff said before leaving. Looking around the classroom, I found it was similar to the classroom in drama and movies. I chose the seat in the back corner, right beside the windows. However, since the classroom only consisted of six people, it felt a little bit empty.

Creak

"Good morning, class," a young woman, about 150 cm tall, seemingly in her twenties, with long, red hair that she arranged into a ponytail, orange-colored eyes, rosy cheeks, and quite a round face, greeted as she entered the classroom. She wore a long, white coat with a tight turtle neck shirt underneath, revealing the size of her chest a little. She wore skinny black pants, and on her feet, she had a pair of beige loafers covering them. She walked behind the teacher's desk located in the corner of the room. The red-haired young woman turned toward me, well, us, the students, with her hands on her waist. "Hello, class; my name is Stephanie, and I will be your homeroom teacher for the year to come. I hope we make wonderful memories together," Stephanie said enthusiastically with a beaming smile on her face.

"I want to talk more, but I need to do some testing before we start the actual class," Stephanie said. "Everyone, follow me! And don't forget to bring your weapons," Stephanie cheerily said. "Let's go!"