The scene that unfolded before us could only be described as 'perfect'.

The town laid out all around us was lively and pristine, with kids and adults alike laughing happily on the streets. Luxurious houses and facilities were placed all around — there was no sign of poverty anywhere, and the quality of life here in Fragment, no matter rich or poor, was all the same — top-tier.

Soon after walking down the main road, glancing at all the stores and passerby in wonder, we arrived at a massive institution of some sort. There were people close to our own age walking around on the campus, holding textbooks and conversing with friends.

The building was enormous and had a grandfather clock at the very center of it, rising above the rest of the structure. I noticed there were also some more buildings further away, linked together to this one via sidewalks lined by green bushes.

Under the clear blue sky with signs of nature everywhere, this place was like a royal garden, a dream come true. The faint fragrance of flowers could be smelled in the air, and rose petals flew by gently from time to time, piling on the floor in front of us.

"Wow…" the girls sighed in awe, bewildered by all this beauty around them. I too was somewhat entranced, having never been to such a place before in my life.

This place, compared to the Fortress where we had stayed at for the past few months, was like the difference between heaven and earth.

"What is this place?" Feng Mian asked, spinning around and letting herself be enveloped by the gently falling rose petals that disappeared after a short delay on the ground.

"This is Shanghai Magic Academy," Xiang Peng said with a smirk. "I know, it doesn't seem like a school, but it is. Also, the outside may seem a bit classical and old-fashioned, but trust me, the technology inside is far superior to any other school on the face of this planet."

"This… this is where we'll be spending the next four years of our lives?" Qing Yue's eyes widened, sparkling in excitement.

"Why yes indeed," a woman said.

As we all turned to her, she stepped out of the shadows of the roof of the massive building before us and walked closer. She wore a tight and formal office suit, giving her a secretary feel.

"You… eleven must be the new recruits of this year, yes?" she swept her gaze over us, hesitating when she said 'eleven' due to the presence of Lin Luo. Still, she didn't question, considering if Lin Luo was in here, that must mean someone of a high caliber had let her in.

I nodded. "We are. Nice to meet you."

The woman removed her glasses and smiled. "My name is Qi Fan. You can just call me Ms. Qi."

She raised her hand out, proposing a handshake.

I took it and shook it firmly. "Xuan Kai."

"I take it you are the leader of this group?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"I see. Self-introductions take too long, and I'm sure you are all eager to see what your new school will be like, so I will just omit that part. Just knowing the leader's name is enough, the rest of you I can familiarize myself with in due time. Now then, follow me."

She spun around and walked into the school's building once more as we trailed behind, eager and nervous at the same time.

*****

The interior of the building, like Xiang Peng had said, was vastly different from the outside. It was very clean and polished, like what one would expect from a urban, mainstream university despite having such a Romantic-era feel to it.

The first room right past the main entrance was a large, open foyer, with classrooms spread all around.

"This is the main campus," Ms. Qi explained. "It is where you will be spending the majority of your time, and also where you will take your courses. You are all 18, correct?"

"I'm 19," Xiang Peng spoke up. "But the rest of them are 18."

"I see. That means your classes will be on the 2nd floor of this building, while your friends here will take theirs here on the 1st. That is really all for this campus — just your normal classrooms, nothing more. Now, would you like to take a look at the 2nd floor, or move on to the next campus? We have a lot to cover."

"Let's just go to the next one," Xiang Peng said. "I mean, the layout of the second floor is similar to this one, right?"

"Correct," Ms. Qi replied with a nod. "In fact, they are completely identical and parallel to one another."

"Great, there's no need to go there then."

"Very well. Follow me, we will be visiting the Facilities Campus next."

Saying this, she turned and headed for the next campus as we followed.

*****

By the time we were done looking at all the different campuses here at Shanghai Magic Academy, the sun had already set. There were quite a few that were a little complex, so we ended up spending a lot of time on those ones.

Because the academy was laid out in a square format neatly divided into nine smaller squares, all in all, there were nine different campuses, each taking up a smaller square.

These include the Main Campus, the Facilities Campus (e.g. cafeteria, gyms, computer labs, etc.), the Outdoor Campus (variety of uses — school-wide events when necessary, but usually just for recreation like sports and hanging out), the Auditorium (used for special events only), the Administrative Campus (faculty), the Club Campus (self-explanatory), the Training Campus (for cultivation and battles among students), and even a Recreation Campus made just for the students and staff to relax whenever they need to.

There was just one final campus left, and it was the dormitories.

Directly across from the Main Campus, crossing over the Outdoor Campus in the middle of the large square, four massive apartments lay. Those were our dormitories.

"Each year of students have their own dormitory building," Ms. Qi explained. "The first years' is the one directly in front of us, while the second years' is right behind it. Follow me, I will give you a brief tour of your home for the next four years."

"I have a question," Xiang Peng raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"Are we allowed to stay in our own homes off-campus?"

Ms. Qi shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. Once you enter this school, you are not allowed to leave campus under any circumstances, as there are plenty of restaurants, stores, and such in the Recreational Campus. The only times you can leave campus will be on holidays and in events organized by the school."

"Damn, I was hoping to visit my family first…" Xiang Peng sighed, shaking her head.

"You can still go after I finish the tour of the school. You technically start tomorrow, after all."

"So the school year starts in the middle of April? Pretty odd, if you ask me," Feng Mian murmured.

"Yes, as the school was founded in the middle of April. It has just been like this ever since."

"Huh…"

"The students you see here right now are just those who chose to remain on campus for the one month break between school years. That is all."

Ms. Qi then spun around and entered the dormitory, which was completely empty.

"Now, the dormitory system in this school is nothing like the system you are used to," she said as we boarded an elevator heading up. "For one, we allow students, no matter gender, to stay in the same room should they wish. Our school promotes freedom — as long as both parties agree willingly, they will be allowed to stay in the same room."

"W-What?" At this, the girls' jaws dropped.

"Hm… are there enough rooms for every student to get their own?" I asked calmly, completely unfazed by this shocking news.

"Unfortunately not," Ms. Qi said with a sigh. "That is another reason why this freedom of grouping policy is in place. The sheer amount of students in this school prevents every student from getting their own room. We have been looking to expand the dormitories, but…"

"How many people can one room fit?" I asked.

"Four at most. However, rooms right next to each other can be connected with one another on the inside, if the eleven of you wish to stay together."

"Hm, I see," I rubbed my chin in thought as we reached the topmost floor and stepped out of the elevator. "In that case, I would like… my own room, please."

"H-Huh?!" the girls exclaimed.

"What?" I raised an eyebrow.

"H-Hold on, if you were planning on staying in your own room, why even ask about how many people one can fit…?" Feng Mian asked, confused.

"Oh, that. You guys can stay together."

"Well, I'll let you sort it out. Let me know when you have decided," Ms. Qi said as her phone began ringing, and she stepped away to the other end of the corridor to answer it.

The girls and I were left alone, at a loss for what to do next.