Prologue: Prison of Entropy
The world around me is black as ink. I don´t remember the lights going out. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think I remember anything.
"Ugh, finally. I can go home and rest. This day went on for far too long."
Who…is that?
"Dude, don't nag. Just help me get the last one in and you're done."
"Fine…"
I hear footsteps. Someone touches my head and suddenly, there is light. I gasp as my memories flood back and I feel as if I suddenly resurfaced after nearly drowning. The strange thing is, I still can't remember why I'm in a paddy wagon. I try to move my hands, only to find them cuffed. A burly man takes me roughly by my arm.
"Don't try anything funny. You talented people may be sneaky, but I've got a sharp eye too you know." He snarls at me.
I have no choice but to go along. What is happening? Am I…being kidnapped?
However, the man before me and the woman standing outside both wear uniforms, only confusing me further. I get little time to think as I'm being led out of the truck. The woman takes me by one of my shoulders while the man holds onto the other. Rather forcefully, the take me to the place I expected to go to the least.
A prison.
High walls surround a tower and two smaller buildings. The walls are strengthened with barbed wire, an electric fence and spears, not to mention, the walls themselves look almost ridiculously thick. Escaping seems impossible.
The only door is guarded by four more guards, who each eye me carefully. It gives me the creeps. Why am I here? I didn't commit any crimes!
A man holding a clipboard is standing just in front of the door, writing until the woman coughs. He looks up and gives me a creepy smile.
"So that's the last one? Huh, rather cute. Can't imagine what she did to be here, but then again, the other fifteen looked fairly innocent too. Except for a few."
At first, I'm speechless, and it's not just because he called me cute. I…did something to be here? No, that can't be!
"Hold up! There has to be a mistake! I don't remember doing anything wrong!" I shout, finally regaining my voice.
It's silent for a moment, until a few guards start to chuckle. The man with the clipboard smirks at me. "You're a real joker, aren't you? A bit too late to be playing dumb, isn't it?"
My mouth feels dry. Why doesn't he believe me? Why does no one believe me!?
A sudden pain shoots through my head and I grind my teeth. They barely notice me as the man with the clipboard continues talking.
"Yurika Heiya, eighteen years old, listed as Ultimate 3D Designer. Don't you worry girl. Once you've served your time and completed your rehabilitation, you will regain your future and your freedom. Until then…"
He gestures, and someone opens the door. The man and woman walk me inside. As the doors close behind me, the man with the clipboard calls out to me.
"Enjoy your stay at Hope's Rehabilitation Centre!"
Hope´s…Rehabilitation…Centre?
The two officers take me to one of the smaller buildings as I rethink the situation. Ok, so for some reason, I'm in this prison and I don't even know what kind of crime I committed, if I even did commit one. To be honest, I don't even remember falling asleep or something. It's like my memories got just cut off. Weird. Did someone mess with my memory? But for what reason?
The smaller building seems to have dorms, as there are several rooms with pixelated faces on them. There is a staircase leading up to the second floor and to my annoyance, I am forced to go upstairs. When we reach the door with my pixelated picture, the woman opens the door and takes me inside.
The room itself is nice. Nothing special, of course, but there is even a desk with a computer and printer. Aside from that, my room has a bed with red sheets, a closet, a drawer with a night lamp, a couch with table and a door that presumably leads to the bathroom. Surveillance is kept with a camera and the window is barred.
As I am looking around, the lady officer unlocks my handcuffs. I immediately rub my sore wrists. She coughs and when I look up, she has some kind of tablet in her hands.
"This is your E-Book, your electronical device that will be of utmost importance to you. You can use it to take photos, get a map of the prison, see the rules, take notes and most importantly, it will be your only way to get into your room without assistance from the guards. The E-Book has a list of profiles from every classmate, including yourself, but you need to fill it out yourself. While the handbook can fill out the general character sheet and additional notes on its own, you first need to get that information by talking to people. See it as extra motivation to bound with people."
Bounding…as if.
"The first day of your rehabilitation will begin tomorrow. I suggest you go and meet your classmates. Oh, and don't forget to read the rules. Would be annoying if you accidentally broke one." The woman finishes before leaving me in my room. I wait until they leave before I release a shaky breath and throw myself on the couch. I open the E-Book, briefly see my name flash on screen before I'm treated to the menu. I open the rules and read them to myself.
The Rules and Regulations of Hope's Rehabilitation Centre
From the day they arrived, every student is an inmate and will not be permitted to leave until the end of their rehabilitation.
Violence against the other students and those in authority is strictly forbidden and will be severely punished.
Destruction of property is forbidden.
Each student will rise at 7.00 am and will go back to their dorm at 10.00 pm. To enforce this, certain areas will be closed off at night time.
The students are free to explore the area themselves, with minimal restrictions.
More regulations will be added if necessary.
I close the E-Book and run my hand through my strawberry blonde hair. This is a mess. Why me?
However, even though I feel horrible, I know I can't stay moping around forever. From tomorrow on, I will be in a new class with new people. I can better go out and meet them. First, I should check my room.
Like I thought, my room isn't anything special. As I predicted, the door leads to my own bathroom and the only thing that's interesting aside from the computer is an elastic, which I promptly use to tie up my hair. Might as well make myself look a little presentable.
When I'm done, I take a deep breath and open the door. I make sure to have my E-Book with me as I close the door. I walk down the stairs, looking at the map and trying to decide where to go first.
…And promptly crash into someone. My back lands on the stairs and I hiss in pain. Aw! That's going to leave a bruise.
"I'm sorry! Are you okay?"
I look up and see a boy around my age standing over me. He has curly red hair and grey eyes, which he is currently using to look worried at me. I nod and try to help myself up. The boy immediately extends a hand towards me and muttering a small 'thanks' I grab it. The boy struggles, but he manages to help me up.
"Are you really okay? That looked like it hurt."
"I'm fine."
"Really?" He annoyingly pushes on. "That was quite the fall you know. And I don't want you to be in pain-"
"I'm. Fine!" I shout. The boy winces as he steps back.
"S-sorry, I just-"
Way to lose your temper there Yurika. "I just may have a bruise or two. It's nothing serious. However, you could start telling me where I am."
The boy blinks. "You…don't know?"
I shrug. "All I remember is waking up in that police wagon. But for some reason I'm here. The only thing I know about this place is that I supposedly did something bad, which I can't remember either, and that I'm going into rehabilitation."
The boy goes silent and places his chin on his hand. The silence continues, and I begin to feel more and more uncomfortable. Did…did I say something wrong?
"Um…"
My miserable attempt to break the ice causes him to jump up. I have no idea if I spooked him or not, but at least his attention is back to me now.
"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about what you said. You seem to have memory loss, which is strange. Everyone here remembers at the very least what they did to be here. You wouldn't just forget such an important thing as your crime, so my best guess is that someone tempered with your memories. But that calls up another batch of questions. For example, why?"
Well, it is indeed strange that I can't remember anything. "Maybe I should ask a guard."
"I don't think it'll be that easy." The boy says. "If someone went through the trouble to remove your memories, with or without working with the police and the government, then I don't think they're going to allow you to learn your missing memories that easily."
He has a point.
"Alright then, different question: what the hell is this place?"
The boy bites on his lip. "You shouldn't curse…it's not ladylike."
W-who does he think he is? A knight from the middle ages?
"I can say whatever I want." I frown at him. He doesn't seem to know how to react to that, so he decides to ignore me.
"This place is Hope's Rehabilitation Centre. A government founded project meant to reform criminal youth, so they can be a part of society again. It's still in a testing phase and we are supposed to be the first group to undergo said rehabilitation. That is also the reason why all the students here are Ultimates."
"Ultimates?" I echo.
"Students who are very talented in a certain field. Wonderchildren, as one might say. Normally, we would have gotten other punishments, but since sending us to prison would be a 'waste of talent' the government agreed to fund in a prison school that would reform us, so we can bring hope to the world. The idea is that one day, every underage person, regardless of talent, can be rehabilitated and be reformed so the crime rate will lower, and children won't grow up becoming criminals."
"I do remember being quite talented in something." I note. The boy smiles. "So do I."
He then almost slaps himself for the head. "Ah, how rude. I didn't even introduce myself. I am Toshiya Inoue. My talent is the Ultimate Puzzler. I know it's a strange talent, but I am proud of it nonetheless."
Toshiya Inoue / Ultimate Puzzler
"Puzzler?" I repeat confused. I have never heard of such a talent.
Toshiya scratches the back of his head. "I…actually was supposed to be the Ultimate Detective, so I've heard. I have a cousin who works as investigator by the police and I often visited him. I ended up helping to solve a few crimes, despite my parents protesting it. The reason why I didn't get the title is…because I have hemophobia."
"Wait, isn't that blood phobia?" I ask.
He looks away and nods. "I can't help it…but every time I see blood, I faint on the spot. Because of this, I'm not fit to be a real detective and I couldn't earn my talent that way. But I'm intelligent and analytical, so I decided to solve puzzles. I won so many puzzle prizes that I got the title Ultimate Puzzler."
I can't help but laugh a little. "That sounds way more exciting than what happened to me. I didn't even know other people than my parents knew about my talent. Alright, the internet knows it too, but that doesn't really count."
At that moment, he looked straight at me. "They could have tracked you using the internet. It's not that hard to do that, you know."
Alright, not creepy or anything.
"Well, we're here now, nothing I can do about it." I try to shrug it off. He frowns, but decides to change the subject.
"Alright, could you tell me your name then?"
"Sure. I'm Yurika Heiya and I'm the Ultimate 3D Designer. My memories are a little fuzzy, but I have good intentions." I say with a smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. So, have you met anyone else here yet?" He asks me. I shake my head. "I was about to go out and learn everyone's name when I crashed into you."
He looks again at the ground. "S-sorry about that."
This guy says sorry way too much. "I already said it was alright. Don't beat yourself up over it."
No longer interested in the ground, he looks up and gives me a warm smile. "Thank you. Well, I would love to join you, but I was already heading to my dorm…"
I'd prefer to get to know everyone on my own too. "That's alright. Well, see ya."
We part ways. Or, well, he gives me a small nod before heading to his dorm. When he shuts the door, I take a small sigh, process the new information and…
…Immediately see the second student.
Sitting at a small coffee table with a book, a boy with dark blue, slick hair and cinnabar eyes appears to be reading, not even looking up from his book when I walk towards him. He is wearing a school uniform I don't recognize. A white shirt, but with a light green blazer, a moss green vest and grey trousers.
Wait, how did I not notice him!? It does seem like he didn't really notice me either. I probably should go and talk to him though.
"Hey, are you a student here too?" I ask, just to break the ice. The guy looks irritated as he looks up from his book.
"Why else would a teenager like I be here? Now go off and bother someone else." He
He snarls at me before returning to his book.
Okay, rude.
"Well, then let's cut the bullcrap. I'm new, I have the fill out the profile of everyone and that includes you. I don't care if you don't know my name, but at least give me yours, along with your talent."
The guy sighs deeply as he puts down his book and turns his head to glare at me.
"Isamu Minami. That's all. There is no necessary reason for you to know my talent. Now leave me alone."
Isamu Minami / Ultimate ?
I cross my arms and nod. What an asshole. I hope I don't have to work together with him. Knowing my luck till now, I probably will at some point. But I try not to think about that as I walk away. Isamu immediately returns to his book.
Stepping outside, I look around to see where to go next. I could either go to the smaller building, or the bigger building. I briefly enjoy the sun on my face before making my decision. The smaller building seems like it'd be faster done, so I head for that one next.
At least, I would have if someone didn't come crashing into me.
I barely have time to react when someone shouts at me to get out of the way. Something or someone knocks me over. I hit face-first the grass. Trying to spit out any grass that got into my mouth, I slowly get up. Really? Again? Doesn't seem like I'm really hurt though. But what was that?
The answer lies at my feet: a girl with deep pink hair bound in two little hearts on top of her head groans as she carefully gets up. I don't know what to make of it until I see her wearing carmine and orange sport cloths. A sporting talent? That may explain why I feel like I've been hit with a brick wall. She doesn't look particularly buff, so I'm left wondering what her talent is.
"Ow…" She mutters. "I should have my own field for this…or maybe I should look out next time…yeah that may be good…"
She then looks up with her cobalt coloured eyes and immediately jumps to her feet. "Ah! I'm sorry! Are you hurt?"
Without even asking, she grabs my hand and pulls me with surprising ease to my feet. I stumble a bit, but I manage to keep my footing.
"I'm fine. Just shocked. I didn't expect to be hit with so much force." I say, trying to sound a bit cool. She immediately releases a breath of relief.
"Thank god. I thought I'd badly bruised you or something. Wouldn't have been the first time. But I'm happy you're okay! Oh, you look new. You're probably that last kid Toshiya was talking about. Have you met him yet? He's nice. Oh wait, haha, haven't even introduced myself." She says with an energy and speed I could never ever in my entire life compete with. Before I can even interrupt her, she continues talking.
"My name's Hanako Akiyama. I'm happy to meet you. I'm sure we'll be great friends. Oh, also, I'm the Ultimate Track Runner. I'm quite proud of it."
Hanako Akiyama / Ultimate Track Runner
Well, that explains her high energy. She seems to be very positive too. I haven't really heard of her, but then again, I don't really care much about sport, so…
"I didn't think the Ultimate Track Runner would run into people." It comes out of my mouth before I can stop it.
Hanako starts pouting. "Hey, that's mean. Besides, I could have avoided you if you didn't step out so suddenly."
She does have some sort of point…I guess.
"Sorry." I say, scratching my head. "I guess it was just an accident." It wouldn't be good to already make enemies here. Better keep her sweet.
She pouts some more, but then she shakes her head and smiles brightly at me. "Don't worry, as long as you don't think of me as a dumb and ditsy jock, I'll forgive you."
What? "W-why would I call you that?" I exclaim surprised. She awkwardly scratches her head. "Oh, people used to make fun of me. They said I'm a ditsy girl who could have come straight out of a manga. But I want to be more than 'just a ditsy girl'. I want to be both smart and athletic at the same time. That's why I'm going to prove to the world that I'm not a dumb jock or a ditsy manga girl!"
This pretty much confirms her positivity. And she has an…interesting goal.
"Oh, you haven't told me your name yet! And here I am, rambling about myself." Hanako laughs.
"I'm Yurika Heiya. Ultimate 3D Designer." I state.
Hanako looks confused at me. "What's a 3D Designer?"
H-how does someone not know that in this day and age!? "A 3D Designer is someone who make 3D models on the computer, for games and for companies for example."
She slowly nods, but I can see she still doesn't really understand it. Despite that, she stretches herself.
"Sounds good I guess. In any case, I'm going to run. See you later!"
Before I even know what's happening, she takes off with a ridiculous speed. I can only watch as she quickly disappears out of sight. Well…that was that…
After I'm done updating their profiles, I head towards the smaller building. I place my hands on the door handles of the double doors and push them open.
Whelp, I'm not alone.
In the centre of what appears to be a gym, a boy with curly bronze hair looks rather worried at the ceiling. I follow his gaze, only to see a guy with pitch black hair and darker skin hanging onto one of the beams.
What the actual fuck.
"Hey, shouldn't you be climbing down now? It's dangerous…" The boy on the ground shouts to the other boy, who only grins.
"Hey, trust me, I'll be fine. I've done worse, remember? Besides, there is a rope, so even…"
His words trail off when he spots me looking at him. He seems to finally grow a little pale before blushing and mumbling. However, since he is distracted, his hand slips from the beam. My breath shakes as he tumbles down.
It isn't his end. Somehow, just somehow, he manages to grab the rope and swing his body around it. Once he is secure, he simply slides down. His feet hit the ground, the other boy scolds him…and the daredevil ducks away behind his friend.
"I messed up." He mumbles. The other boy, having finally noticed me, smiles softly as he speaks encouraging words to him.
Honestly, this whole situation is so bizarre.
"Um, hi." I speak up, taking a few steps towards them. The bronze haired boy nods and takes the hand of the other boy.
"Don't worry, I'll go first." He looks at me and gives me a bright smile. "Hi, are you new?"
I nod. "Yeah, supposedly, I'm the last person to come here."
"Ah, that explains it." The boy says. "Well, I guess we should introduce ourselves then. I'm Masato Takumi. You probably haven't heard of me, but I'm the Ultimate Marine Biologist."
Masato Takumi / Ultimate Marine Biologist
He is right, I've never heard of him. The only thing I know about him is that he has a terrible sense of fashion. Seriously, who wears bright yellow rainboots these days? Especially with an aquamarine overall. And are those…fish pins on his overall?
"I'm Yurika Heiya, and I'm the Ultimate 3D Designer. I doubt you know my name much more than I know yours." I try in an attempt to make him feel a little better about himself.
"Oh, I guess. Truth is, I don't even know what you mean by a '3D Designer'. Do you paint or something like that?"
"Does anyone know here what 3D Design is?" I grumble under my breath, but the other boy hears it.
"I know. At least, 3D, I mean. Um, it's like, uh, film makers…I mean, well, they use 3D for CGI and there are of course 3D films, but you probably know that already…nevermind…" The guy looks like he seriously regrets speaking up.
Masato puts a consoling hand on his shoulder. "You did much better than I did. Seriously, I should really read more of those tech magazines you have. Then again, I doubt I'd understand much anyway."
He notices me looking and he averts his eyes, blushing a little. "Ah, sorry. I was raised in a small secluded village near the sea. Most people are fishermen and never even heard of most of the technology that's used today. I'm the one who knew the most about technology and even that was very little until Kikoi here came along."
"Oh, I see."
"By the way…" he pushes his friend forward, "Kikoi still need to introduce herself. I know you can do it."
Oh okay…. Wait, WHAT!?
"O-oh, um, hi. I…uh…my name is Kikoi Shicho. My talent…is…the Ultimate Stuntwoman."
Kikoi Shicho / Ultimate Stuntwoman
"Wait, you're a girl!?" I almost yell. Kikoi flinches, but nods.
"Don't worry. Most…almost everyone mistakes me for a guy…boy…"
I seriously wouldn't have guessed it from her appearance. She's completely flat chested, with short and choppy black hair. She is wearing a brown tank top that almost blends in with her skin colour and she is rather muscled. Masato hands her a leather jacket, which she quickly puts on.
"So, you two know each other already?" I ask, attempting to continue the conversation.
Masato nods. "Yes. We met each other when the company Kikoi was working for decided to make an action film that included a secluded fishermen village and a dangerous sea chase. I was asked to be a figurant and to give some information over the local wildlife. On the set, between cuts, we happened to run into each other. The rest is history."
Hm, interesting. Come to think of it though, it's a little strange that such nice people like Kikoi, Masato and Hanako are locked up here. What kind of crime did they commit?
Right at that moment, Kikoi tugs at Masato's overall and whispers something in his ear. He nods and looks apologetic at me. "Ah, we got to go. Well, see you later I guess."
The two of them leave the gym, Kikoi looking a little sad. Weird. Well, now what?
I look around the gym some more, but I don't find anything particularly interesting. There is a closet with gym equipment, but that's really it. I shrug and exit the gym. It's not like I'm sporty, so I have no reason to stay there any longer.
Next up is the big building. Maybe it's the main building?
A girl with short lavender hair and a blue cap is standing near the entrance. Once she sees me, she walks up to me.
"Hi," she says "you must be the last student. Am I right?"
I simply nod. Easier than I expected.
"Thank goodness. I was waiting and waiting here, and I wasn't sure if you'd come or that I had miscalculated. I mean, I know Toshiya said…sorry, I'm rambling. I just wanted to make sure we have a full class and I really wanted to get to know everyone and fill out the profiles."
"Well…I had a similar idea…" I hesitantly say, not sure if that's the right answer. She smiles brightly.
"Another student who takes their education and rehabilitation seriously! I'm so relieved. Seriously, some of these students…"
She suddenly blushes and coughs. This is the first person I've met that is actually excited about being here.
"I shouldn't gossip. In any case, I am Noriko Hamasaki, the Ultimate Dancer. I look forward to getting to know you!"
Noriko Hamasaki / Ultimate Dancer
Huh, I didn't expect her to be a dancer. Then again, I might have seen her name popping up in a few places around the internet.
I realize she is wearing some kind of dance outfit. It's a blueish crop top with baggy sweatpants combination and I question myself why I didn't realize sooner she is a dancer.
"You're awfully cheery." I remark. To my surprise, her stance softens. "You think it's too much? It's the start of a new life for me…and I wanted to make a good first impression on everyone. Not to mention I want to help lead us all into a new life and a new hope."
Her stance resolves, though it's more determination than cheerfulness. "I will dedicate myself to help and support the group, that's why I need to make a good impression. However, a few around here aren't really helping."
It seems like she is a leadership type. I'm…not really sure how to handle people like her.
"That's cool, I guess." I respond. "My name's Yurika Heiya. Ultimate 3D Designer."
Noriko nods and takes firmly my hand. "Pleased to meet you, Yurika. I look forward to our future."
I carefully remove my hand out of my grip and excuse myself as I awkwardly try to end our conversation. Mumbling about how I still need to explore the main building, I run through the doorway and into the wall. I turn a corner before stopping right before two people. A boy with long white hair is interrupted from his conversation with a girl with silver hair in a knot with braids.
"Oh my, were you running away from something?" The boy asks. I decide to lie to avoid any embarrassing talk about why I ran away from a dancer.
"No, I'm just exploring the school and I decided to quicken my tempo. I…don't want to stay here longer than I have to."
The boy cocks his head, but then gives an understanding smile. "Oh, you don't like talking to other people like Mizuki? Are you introverted?"
"I…I guess I am a little bit introverted."
The girl with silver hair steps forth to introduce herself. "Personally, I find talking a little easier when I know the name of the person I'm taking to. My name is Mizuki Kiseki. And I am known in the world as the Ultimate Chemist.
Mizuki Kiseki / Ultimate Chemist
I…honestly didn't expect her to be a chemist. No white lab coat, no big glasses. On the other hand, one shouldn't only trust manga for character descriptions.
Despite that, she looks nice. The cute dress and pastel colours she wears don't really seem to fit her somewhat cold personality, but then again, appearances can be deceiving.
"Ultimate Chemist, you say?" I ask, trying to spike up the conversation just a little more. She looks insulted and disappointed.
"You clearly haven't heard of me. How truly disappointing that after multiple interviews on my magnificent discoveries, there are still people who live under a rock. You are almost as bad as the fisherman and the runner." The venom drips of her words as she speaks.
That's hilarious, considering you don't even know their names. I decide to keep that comment to myself.
"Perhaps you have heard of me. I'm Yurika Heiya, the Ultimate 3D Designer." I say just as coldly.
She looks straight at me; her dark eyes feel like they are piercing through my soul. "I would have said I did, but then I'd be lying."
Ugh, I don't like her a bit. I can't understand why the other boy hangs around her.
Speak of the devil; the guy realizes the growing tension between the two of us and decides to step in. "Hey now guys, there is no reason to fight! Who cares if you don't know each other yet! That's why we're here, to get to know each other and become friends!"
I quit the staring contest between Mizuki and I to frown at the boy. Did he just forget we're in prison? On the other hand, he does have some sort of point. We are going to be classmates, starting tomorrow.
"Fine. Don't think I'll forget this." I say as I shoot a cold look at her. She answers my nod. "You take the words out of my mouth."
"You know what, maybe I should introduce myself!" The guy shouts, giving us a smile that seems a little forced. "I am the seeker of the stars! The explorer of the cosmos! The Ultimate Astronomer: Yoru Hoshito!"
Yoru Hoshito / Ultimate Astronomer
Well, I could have guessed that. Any more stars on his outfit and he would practically be a star. Purple suits him though.
The boy in question is also small. At the very least a head shorter than I am. He is pale too and his white hair doesn't really help with his complexion, though it does make his bright red eyes stand out.
"You're a cheery guy." I remark.
He nods. "Yup. Being sad is not going to get me out of here, so I might as well try to befriend everyone. Hey, do you by any chance like star gazing?"
The question kind of takes me off guard. "Um, well, I never really tried it. Though, I do stay up quite late to finish work."
The guy gasps and for a moment I'm afraid I said the wrong thing. But his eyes suddenly sparkle brighter than ever. "Oh my gosh, you too? I always stay up late to study the stars! Hey, what do you use to stay awake? I always try binge drinking energy drinks like Beast and sometimes I try mixing it with panta."
Holy shit…
…finally, someone else who knows about the art of staying awake!
"Seriously? You should totally try more with mixing. Red Cow and coffee, now that's the stuff!"
He pulls a face. "Really? I don't like coffee to be honest. Too bitter. I prefer sweet and sour stuff."
"Loads of milk and sugar. Like serious, loads. That's how I started. Then again, if you can get your hands on caffeine pills…"
"Forget it, my mom won't let me have those. She says my sleeping cycle is already horrendous."
"Well, I can't deny that…hey, where did Mizuki go?" I suddenly notice the absence of a certain chemist. Yoru looks around briefly, but then shrugs.
"She probably went somewhere else. Maybe she went to her own room. She could have become tired of socializing. Most of the friends I had were introverted. I know they eventually grow too tired of being around others."
Still, it's rude to just leave like that. Oh well, I guess I still need to explore the rest of the building.
"I see. I've got to go too. I still haven't explored the rest of the school yet." I end the conversation.
"That's all right. We should totally go and stargaze some time though. Well, see you later!" He cheerfully calls after me as I walk away.
I don't check over my shoulder to see if he is going away as well. I don't care enough. Instead, I look around before I remember there is a map in my E-Book. After I boot it up and select the map icon, I look which areas I haven't explored. The results are: the cafeteria, a classroom, the laundry room, the storage room, the bathrooms and a door that apparently leads to a staircase that leads to the other floors and the rooftop.
Alright. I need to meet 15 students. I have met 8 of them. 7 are left. Now, where to go next?
Next chapter: The introductions continue...