Loud beeping noises could be heard in the room. A hand reached out to the digital alarm clock that was on top of a drawer, shutting it off to silence the noise. From beneath the soft blanket awoke a young man who was in his late adolescence.
He stood up, carefully arranging his pillows and his blanket before heading towards the bathroom. He removed his nightcap and his pajamas before taking a shower. After a relaxing bath, he dried himself with a towel and then changed to his casual attire which consisted of an unbuttoned red hoodie, a gray t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and a pair of black shoes with red streaks.
He quickly combed his signature purple hair before heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Living in an apartment for a long time made him grow accustomed to the compact size of his dwelling. He could practically travel his entire house from his living room to his bedroom in just a few steps.
Stepping into the kitchen, the man grabbed the ingredients he needed as he meticulously prepared his meal. He chopped onions, garlic, and the leftover mushrooms in his fridge with speed and precision. He placed all the diced vegetables and mushrooms in a saucepan along with a stick of butter.
He also prepared an egg, five strips of bacon, a cup of flour, and a russet potato. After the preparation was done, he placed his meal on the table which consisted of a hash brown, a sunny-side-up egg, five crispy slices of bacon, and a small bowl of creamy mushroom soup.
One of the things that the young man was proud of was his culinary experience despite the tight budget. While he was enjoying his meal, he heard a knock on his apartment door. The man stood up from his seat before opening the door, smiling when he was greeted by a familiar face.
"Oh, good morning Aunt Betty!"
"Good morning to you too, Luka!"
"Do you want to come in? I'm currently eating breakfast right now," Luka glanced back at the table where his meal was. "I can cook more if you want to eat as well."
"That sounds lovely, dear. But I have already eaten, thank you," the middle-aged woman politely declined. "I actually just came here to ask you for a favor. I need you to run an errand for me if that's okay with you."
"Hmm... well that depends. I'm scheduled for the morning shift today at the shop because Cervantes needs me to debug the main terminal. I might be able to do it right after work but I don't know what time I'll be finished."
"Oh no, that's actually why I'm asking you. I need you to print some papers for me. I labeled the documents as 'important' here in my USB so you can easily find them. Don't worry, it's just ten papers. It's supposed to be the homeowner associates' job but they forgot to send the documents to the council so now they asked me to just print hard copies instead, forgetting that I don't even have a printer."
"A USB flash drive, huh? Our town is probably the only place that still supports this, with all the new Instant Scanners that are getting more popular these days," Luka spoke as he kept the flash drive in his pocket. "But anyway, sure, I can print you these papers."
"Thank you so much, Luka. And I apologize for the trouble. This 40-year-old lady can't keep up with you youngsters these days when it comes to technology, hehe. Don't even get me started with magic or with this... 'technomancy' concept that I kept hearing about in the past seminars."
"Haha, our generation today is fairly complicated. But don't worry, it's no trouble at all, Aunt Betty. I'm just glad I help, especially with everything you helped me with. We're practically family!"
"Aww... don't you just say the sweetest things! And you're still the cute little boy I raised. You truly are just like your father," Aunt Betty giggled as she pinched his cheeks, eliciting a soft groan from the boy. "I'm surprised you don't have a girlfriend yet."
Luka immediately blushed at the mention of the word 'girlfriend' as he kept being teased about it by his friends and neighbors many times. "I... I-I... don't n-need one! B-Besides, I don't have time for romance stuff..."
"Oh, Luka, if only you weren't so dense," Aunt Betty smiled playfully, knowing a certain childhood friend who clearly had feelings for him. "You know that you're already in 'that age' right?"
"That age?"
"Ah, nevermind, you're as clueless as ever, you know?" Aunt Betty sighed jokingly. "Hmm... speaking of which, have you found a school for college yet?"
"No... I haven't. I found some universities online but they're either too expensive because they're private or they require students who finished specific courses. And so far, none have offers on any forms of scholarship."
"I see. Even in my time, it was difficult to find colleges that were decent, and better yet, have affordable tuition at the same time. But I'm sure you can find one soon, Luka."
"Yeah... hopefully."
"Now go finish your breakfast so you can go to work. I'll see you later, Luka."
Luka bade her farewell before he went back to eating his breakfast. After finishing his meal, he quickly washed the dishes, brushed his teeth, and prepared to leave. He walked away from the apartment building and was greeted by two of his friends who were waiting for him near the sidewalk.
"Luka!" A tall pink-haired rabbit girl squealed in delight as she hugged the short young man tightly in her arms. "You're so huggable as always!"
"Get your hands off him, Barbun! You're suffocating him!" An angry female human scolded the rabbit girl after seeing her display of affection towards the boy.
"Aww, you getting jealous that Luka's currently drowning in my boobs? I think he prefers mine over yours, Sonya."
"Grrr... get off him!"
Luka's face was blushing intensely as he was smothered in Barbun's large breasts while she wrapped him tightly in her warm embrace. He then became dizzy as he got tossed around while his two female friends who were way taller than him fought each other to grab him for themselves.
"Can you two knock it off? It's still early in the morning and you're already making a commotion!"
The three of them turned to their other friend who was walking toward them. He was taller than Luka but was slightly shorter than the two females. He had lavender-colored hair and purple eyes. He wore a dark blue jacket over a black shirt, black jeans, and black shoes. As usual, Luka noticed his friend's signature scowled expression.
"S-Sorry Reginald," Sonya said apologetically, slowly composing herself.
"Oh you're no fun, Reginald," Barbun pouted as she slowly released Luka in her embrace, allowing the boy to finally catch his breath.
"Eyyyy, Regie, you're finally here! Now, we're complete!"
Luka smiled warmly as he stared at his close friends. Even after years have passed, they were still the people he always knew and cared for. They changed a lot growing up as young adults but they still displayed the attitudes and qualities they had when they were younger.
Sonya, Barbun, and Reginald were always with him since they were all in elementary that he practically considered them as his siblings. Though he was still disappointed in himself for being the shortest one in the group, he wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.
"Well, shall we go now?"
Luka's friends nodded as they proceeded with their commute. They would usually take a long walk on the local road by the countryside, heading to the nearest busy highway before taking the public bus. Once they got inside the bus, they sat down next to each other.
Their town, Oakwood Valley, was famous for its various scenic routes filled with mountains at far distances and temperate trees that Luka always enjoyed gazing at. Despite being far off in the quiet countryside, there were futuristic buildings and advanced forms of transportation that frequently roamed the town, especially in the busier districts.
"So Luka, have you found where you're going to study college at?" Sonya inquired.
"No, not yet. I'm still looking. There aren't that many colleges here in Oakwood and most of them are more oriented in a singular course that I didn't even get to take in high school."
"I see. It is very difficult to find a decent college to study in nowadays," Sonya sympathized with him. "I mean, both my parents had to work abroad just to get me into nursing."
"Have you tried searching outside Oakwood?" Reginald asked.
"Yeah, I did but most of the universities I found are pretty expensive while the cheap ones I found, like Monte Carlo University, are too far away."
"Monte Carlo University?" Barbun raised a brow. "That's like at the other side of the sector."
"I know right? But the trimestral tuition fee is only 5,200 omins."
"But isn't the dorm service in Monte Carlo expensive though?" Sonya asked with a concerned look.
"Yeah... it is. Summer break's going to be over soon and I still don't know what college I'm going to be in," Luka sighed. "I am glad that I got the opportunity to have a summer job at the repair shop but I don't know if the money I earn regularly would be enough. At least you guys are already enrolled in the colleges you've picked."
"Don't give up, Luka. I'm sure you can find one!" Barbun said encouragingly.
"Yeah, Luka, don't give up. And you know that you can count on us," Sonya concurred. "Though, so far we couldn't find one for you either. I can try asking my dad for extra remittance if you want."
"No, no, no! That's fine, Sonya, you don't have to do that! I don't want to impose. You guys are already doing a lot for me and I greatly appreciate that. So thank you, really, for all your support. I guess I'll just have to keep looking. Who knows? Maybe the deep web can give me lists of cheap schools, hehe."
Luka's friends all smiled at him, even his usually aloof friend Reginald gave a small grin at his heartwarming statement. They continued to talk more when they noticed that the bus was about to arrive at its first stop.
"There goes my stop. I have a long grocery list to fulfill. I'll see you guys later!" Barbun said before turning to Luka with a seductive grin. "And Luka, be sure to drop by at the coffee shop later, okay?"
Sonya fumed when Barbun started flirting with Luka again, her now-red face etched with clear signs of jealousy, making Barbun laugh teasingly at her reaction. Luka just gave a sheepish chuckle, not really knowing why Sonya was angry again while Reginald merely gave a tired sigh.
Eventually, they waved goodbye to the rabbit girl as she exited the bus. A few minutes later, Reginald left on next bus stop. On the third bus stop, both Sonya and Luka stepped out of the bus as they were greeted by the busier district of Oakwood Valley.
"By the way, I'm free later at 3 PM, if you want to... you know, eat and hang out. Maybe at the donut shop that just recently opened near the south block."
"Hmm... I don't know. I'll be helping Cervantes with the main terminal and I have to print out some papers for Aunt Betty. But if I leave early, sure!" Luka smiled at her offer. "Guess, I'll see you later then."
"W-wait!"
"Hmm? What is it, Sonya?"
Sonya walked closer to him as her face suddenly became red. She averted her gaze so that Luka wouldn't be able to see her flustered face but it was becoming more difficult to contain herself for what she planned to do.
Luka was confused as to why she was blushing or why she was avoiding his gaze. But when Sonya was mere inches away from Luka, she quickly pulled back as she could no longer hold her composure while her heart thumped loudly in her chest.
"I... I-I-I... umm... I... umm..." Sonya stammered, realizing that she didn't have the courage to do what she wanted to do. "I umm... I just wanted to say that you... s-s-s-smell really nice... today..."
Before Luka could react, Sonya skedaddled away in the opposite direction, mentally slapping and silently cursing herself for being a coward and for saying something so stupid. Her face was extremely red from the embarrassment she felt.
"Umm... thanks? And uhh... see you later?" Was what Luka managed to say but Sonya was already too far away to be able to hear him.
He just became even more confused than before but he figured that Sonya was just being her usual self again. Luka didn't know why but ever since high school, Sonya would become somewhat nervous and her face would get red, often it was from anger but other times it was from nervousness.
Luka didn't really take Sonya to be the nervous person, especially when the four of them were together. He always knew her as a confident and steadfast individual who would overcome any challenges that came her way.
But as time went by, especially when it was just the two of them, Sonya would behave weirdly and she'd stammer a lot. Luka assumed that it was probably just puberty or an adolescent thing so he didn't really pay too much mind whenever Sonya would act that way.
Ultimately, Luka didn't really know so he just shrugged his thoughts off and went to the direction of the computer repair shop where he worked. Upon entering the shop, he was greeted by the bustling atmosphere of computers, microprocessors, and the various customers scattered around the establishment.
Luka smiled at the sight of the amount of customers they had for today. He recognized most of them that he regularly sees every day, mostly for other services that didn't involve broken PCs. They greeted him with a smile and Luka naturally greeted them back with enthusiasm.
There were a few that he also didn't recognize like that one yellow-haired kitsune with nine tails in a gray suit and blazer who was searching for something near the hardware section. Luka was shocked to see a powerful monster such as a nine-tailed kitsune here at Oakwood.
Monster girls do inhabit the town but this was his first time seeing an actual kitsune, much less a nine-tailed one at that. Though Luka expected her to be taller, as he thought that the more tails a kitsune had, the more powerful and larger they were.
"Eyy, wazzup, Luka!"
"Yo, Cerv! How's it been, man?" Luka accepted the shop owner's raised hand with a high five.
"I'm doing fine, how about you?"
"Doing fine as well! Looks like we got a lot of clients today."
"Yeah... it's crazy, but hey, that just means we get to earn more," Cervantes stated happily. "Well, I got some of our team already to help assist the customers. You and I have a much bigger problem to work with today."
Luka and Cervantes headed into the employees-only room, approaching a large futuristic holographic computer.
"What happened to the main terminal anyway?"
"Some dumb idiot deactivated the central firewall because they wanted to download something on the web. And now we have worms crawling in the network."
"Yikes. Let me guess... SkyStrikers?"
"The one and only."
"Did you redirect our main network to a different server?"
"Yeah, already done that. The other computers we have here are fine now but the main terminal needs a desperate reboot and adjustments," Cervantes replied. "And you're more of an expert in software troubleshooting than I am. So that's where your assistance comes in."
"Well, let's have a look and I'll see what I can do."
Hours had gone by and Luka tried to manually remove the malware in the main terminal. Cervantes assisted him with the other technical aspects of the process. It was a long and arduous repair but after countless attempts of debugging and troubleshooting, they managed to eliminate the worms and rebooted the main terminal.
Luka wasn't fully trained in dealing with malware attacks but thanks to the support of Cervantes and a few advanced handy tools and external software, they managed to accomplish the task. Luka then printed the papers that Aunt Betty asked him to do, storing them in an envelope inside his backpack afterwards.
His regular shift usually ends at 5 in the afternoon but he didn't mind coming home later than usual. He did feel somewhat bad that he couldn't hang out with Sonya in the donut shop but he had already sent her a text on his phone earlier that he wouldn't be available at that time to which she replied that they could just reschedule.
"Thanks again, Luka, for helping me out. I might install better security measures on the main terminal after this. Or just entrust it to Amara, I don't know," Cervantes said with a tired smile. "You got your payment already?"
"Yeah, already did," Luka responded by showing his phone that displayed the transaction. "And no problem, bro. Just happy to help!"
"Hehehe, what would we do here without you? By the way, found any good colleges yet? I found a college that has a lot of IT-related courses in Finoa that you can take but I don't know... I think a tuition fee of 15,000 omins would be too much for you."
"15,000 omins?! Bruh, I might as well buy a car with that amount."
"Heh, if you can even drive. But anyway, yeah, I'm sorry bro. It's really difficult to find schools these days that don't hurt your wallet. I'm lucky I even get to take a vocational course at all, just enough to keep the shop in business."
"Ugh... yeah, I know. It's alright. Thanks for the help, anyway. It just sucks I guess. Just barely keeping myself alive with my own hard-earned money is already stressful. And all my friends and neighbors had already tried helping me find a school."
"Hey, don't give up. There are times in life when it screws you hard but we don't just stop there where it's difficult, we continue with our lives. And I know you, Luka. If you can repair computers, program your own games, and remove malware like a boss then finding a college you can study at is a walk in the park. I'm sure you'll find one soon enough."
"Well... I don't know about that... but thanks, man. A lot of people already encouraged me and it's nice to see that I have the support of my friends," Luka beamed with optimism. "And I won't give up. I'll keep looking and I'll maximize the remaining time I have left for summer break. Hopefully, I'd have enough savings by then for other stuff besides tuition. Well, I'm gonna clock out now. See you again tomorrow, man!"
Cervantes said his farewell as Luka left the repair shop. He walked on the sidewalk and headed towards the nearby bus stop. But before he could reach his destination he heard a feminine voice call him.
"Excuse me, sir. Can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Hmm? What is it—"
Luka widened his eyes in surprise the moment he turned around. The voice came from the yellow-haired nine-tailed kitsune that he had seen at the shop a while ago. Standing in front of her now, he realized that she had a childish face and body but unsurprisingly, she was taller than him by a few inches.
Despite her childish appearance, Luka was immediately overwhelmed by the powerful aura that emanated within her, something that he couldn't feel before because she was far away. But now that she was standing close to him, he could feel the immense power that was flowing through her form, making him feel slightly terrified.
"Ufufufu~ Don't be scared, little one. I just want to have a chat, if that's okay with you," the nine-tailed kitsune gave him a genuine smile. "I'll get straight to the point, are you a high school graduate?"
Luka was still overwhelmed with doubts, lingering fear, and slight sensations of heat crossing his face with his unexpected encounter with the cute yet terrifying kitsune wearing a formal suit. However, he became utterly confused after hearing her question.
"Huh? What?"
"You see, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with the shop owner a while ago. It seems that you're struggling to find a college to enroll in. So I just wanted to confirm if you're a high school graduate because if I'm being honest..." the kitsune looked at him up and down. "You look like an elementary student."
"H-H-Huh?! H-Hey! I-I'm a high school graduate, okay? I... I'm... j-just... r-r-r-really short..." Luka's face turned into a pale shade of red, feeling slightly offended while stammering. "I started going to school at an earlier age but I'm already seventeen..."
"Y-You're seventeen?!" the kitsune said incredulously before bursting into laughter. "Aww... well aren't you just the cutest seventeen-year-old boy I've ever met! Ufufufu~"
Luka's face was blushing from embarrassment. He acknowledged how short he was and was often picked on when he was younger due to his small stature but he slowly got used to it.
Barbun loved teasing him about how he still looked like a baby and he was used to the fact that most of the people he met had mistaken him for an elementary student or worse, a toddler. It did feel embarrassing when a childish kitsune who was slightly taller than him was currently teasing and laughing in front of him about his height.
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to make fun of you but I couldn't help myself! You just look so adorable for someone your age, especially when you blush like that and you get all embarrassed," the kitsune continued to laugh when she saw him feel even more flustered that he became too shy to say anything. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I'm gonna stop now. Now back to what I was saying, you are a high school graduate, yes?"
Luka slowly composed himself, though his face was still red. "Y-yeah, I am. Why?"
"Well, my dear, I have good news for you," the kitsune rummaged something in her purse before handing Luka a flyer. "How would you like to enroll in our school at MGU?"
Luka scanned the flyer that the kitsune gave him, widening his eyes in shock once he read the contents. "Free tuition?!"
"Mhmm... indeed. You, my good sir, are qualified for free tuition if you partake in our special scholarship program!"
Luka didn't know what to say. It felt like the universe had answered his prayers. The kitsune in front of him had offered him a school where he could study for free. He felt his chest lighten from the relief he felt and at the same time, he felt extremely happy. Happy as he was though, there were a few things that Luka was concerned about after reading more information provided on the flyer.
"W-wait, wait, wait, did you say MGU? As in, Monster Girls University? Isn't that a school for monster girls only?"
"Well... err... yes, our school is exclusive for monster girls. But since last year, we've been branching out ideas on introducing human male students on our campus to improve monster girls and human relations. We already invited a few male students to volunteer and offered them free tuition for their entire stay of four years in college over the past few months but they... kinda didn't want to stay for long. And so far, we haven't been lucky to find anyone who'd be willing to stay for four years."
"So you're saying that all of the male students you've invited so far, left eventually and didn't want to continue studying there?"
"Yes..."
"But if none of them wanted to stay for the full four years, umm... no offense ma'am, why invite me then? What makes me different from them? I'm not saying that I'm not in the least bit interested, quite the contrary actually, I've been looking for colleges for quite some time now and this is the only one that's actually offering free tuition but I just want to make sure that I know all the details here and that I'm... secured, is the word, I guess?"
"I'm not gonna lie, we are very desperate about this. The university's chancellor wanted this program to succeed as we really think that having our students study alongside male students can benefit the school. We're not really picking anyone with any form of qualifications as everyone who is willing to participate is welcome, I just happen to overhear your struggles about finding a college, and well... here we are..."
"I see... I guess that makes sense. But the school is all the way to Omega City, right? That's at least 20 miles from here."
"Yes, it is, but we also offer free dorm services if you participate in our program. You can take the Omega Express to go there," the kitsune stated before giving him a contact card. "Here. If you're interested in learning more details about the program, you can inquire on our email or contact me personally. And if you are interested in enrolling, we can schedule you an interview with one of our faculty members, though, I usually handle those matters."
"Well... I'll think about it," Luka responded as he received the contact card.
"Thank you. What's your name by the way?
"Oh, my name is Luka, nice to meet you!"
Luka offered her a hand which she accepted as they shook hands. The kitsune's face slowly became red, feeling her cheeks warming up from the young man's soft and delicate skin. She vigorously shook her head, quickly composing herself before displaying her usual calm smile.
"Well, Luka, umm... can we take a selfie real quick?"
"Huh? A selfie? What for?"
"It's for ummm... documentation! Y-yes! That! It'll just be really quick!"
Luka didn't know why their short conversation needed documentation but he figured that a photo of a potential volunteer was required for their special program. The kitsune pulled Luka closer to her by the shoulders before she took the photo.
The kitsune giggled like a teenage girl in love as she stared at the photo of her and the cute boy that was displayed on her mobile phone. She then faked a cough before turning towards him with a smile.
"Thank you for your time, Luka. I know this was a lot to take in and I want you to know that we're not forcing you into this in any way. If you decline the offer, that's completely fine. Just contact me and let me know your decision."
The kitsune said her goodbye, leaving Luka alone to think. He looked at the contact card, realizing that he had been talking to the head of the discipline of said university.
"Tamamo no Mae, huh? So that's her name," Luka muttered to himself before heading to the bus stop. "Well, guess I have a lot to think about."