Chapter 2: First Day
As I walked into the hallway, I looked around and noted that the institute definitely looked its part. The hallway was long and wide, with plain, white walls, dotted with the occasional window on one side, and pairs of double doors on the other. It made me feel like I was back in my university years, rushing from one classroom to another. The doors were each labelled with a letter followed by three-digit numbers, all beginning with A1 – I assumed this meant building A, first floor.
Oops, that's enough sightseeing for now – better go find the faculty office. Following the map on my phone, I took a left turn halfway through the corridor and continued all the way near the end, where a different set of doors were. This one, in contrast to the others, was clearly labelled "Faculty Office". As I knocked on the door, I was greeted by a tall, mature woman, who appeared to be in her late thirties. She looked at me briefly, smiled, and said, "Oh, you must be the new cadet here. Welcome! Come right in." I was mildly surprised she was able to tell, without me presenting any evidence nor introducing myself. Then again, it may have been the mix of wonder and confusion on my face, or the fact that I may have been the only person in the building without any form of visible ID tag, nor a uniform.
I followed her into the room as she led me to a large, circular table near the other end of the room. Looking around, the area was somewhat cramped, filled with tables that were almost overflowing with, but somehow neatly arranged, documents holders. Books, file holders, loose pieces of paper… and, among them, other people, presumable staff members, in between. Everyone in the room seemed busy, so I tried to walk through the maze of desks as silently as possible. After a few minutes, we arrived at the table and sat down on opposite sides.
"You've sent your application a few days in advance, yes? Is this the one?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"I see you're taking both practical courses… are you sure? They are quite advanced and may be quite intensive. You could try asking around about the courses, or start by watching the other cadets first?"
"No thank you, I'm quite sure. I'm the type of person who'd prefer first-hand experiences when learning. I'll be sure to watch myself, and, of course, to decide on only one as soon as possible should it be too difficult for me."
"Well, if you're sure…", she sighed. I could understand her point of view – while it was a teacher's joy to have their students be enthusiastic and excited about learning, they definitely didn't want them pushing themselves too hard. Taking an increased study load, especially, could lead to the student performing poorly on both, and be a source of demotivation. I was, however, determined to be part of both – I couldn't contain my excitement in finally being able to see the background happenings in the ARKS.
The institute's basic course for cadets consisted of two mandatory courses – one for combat and one for what seems to be the equivalent of the sciences and math. I had no idea why they'd teach the sciences and math in an institution made to train combatants, nor to what extent. Either way, I would find out soon enough.
"Here's the detailed schedule for all your classes, but in essence, the basic courses are taught in the larger halls in this building, and the practical courses are taught in their respective buildings to either side of this building. The first half of the week is focused on the basics, and after two days, the other four will be split between the two practical classes, followed by another two-day break. This does mean that you'll have less time to rest than your most of your peers…"
I'm fortunate enough to live very close by, so at least I won't get tired out from the commute itself, but… I inwardly laughed to myself. I've known this for a while, but it still felt weird to have twelve days in a week, and three weeks in a month. Everything else was the same as usual, though.
Still, twenty-four hours, sixty minutes and seconds, twelve months, thirty-six days… highly composite numbers around the board, huh? Makes you think that their calendar system was designed fully or mostly for practical purposes. These numbers were practically very useful as you could easily split them into halves, thirds, and quarters. It's the reason for the phrase "a baker's dozen", too. I personally found it quite annoying that you couldn't split a week of seven days in half.
"Well," she said as she stood up, "we're about to start today's classes. Follow me, I'll take you to the lecture hall. Oh, I'm one of the teachers that are in charge of teaching the cadets of this year. My name's Shelle, and I'm in charge of the academic branch." Does this mean she's in charge of both the basic and practical courses?
"It's nice to meet you, ma'am. My name is Shiratori Shun," I replied, smiling.