“I believe your reaction is quite exaggerated. It's not that odd bringing around a few books during a move.”

"You call that a few books?" He gives me a withering stare. But just as suddenly, he begins laughing. It's a pleasant mixture between chuckling and scoffing.

I don't understand this person at all.

From the corner of my eye, I see one of the earlier receptionists walk past my room. Her heels abruptly click to a halt. Frenziedly, she backtracks and does a double-take into my room. “Wha-!” She begins, “What are you doing in here!?”

H-Huh? This is my room though?

The boy beside me stretches and yawns inconspicuously, “Well, would you look at the position of the sun? I'm not used to the time-change just yet, so I better dip.” Flashing a boyish grin, he pushes out into the hallway.

“Stop! You're not allowed in the girls dormitory!”

“See ya later, book girl!” Mischievous laughter echoes through the hall as he runs off.

B-Book girl...? Uhm, okay then...

The transition from private tutoring and perhaps seeing a few guests every year, to moving into a dormitory with hundreds of others around your age... It’s intimidating to say the least.

So, in order to settle in, the University has incoming students move into dorms a few days before classes officially begin. You're supposed to get used to sharing common areas as well as other parts of the campus. But for some reason, all this free time is making me antsy instead. Because of this, when we're all called in for an aptitude test the evening of, relief washes over me.

Following the hoard of students walking towards the exam hall, I overhear many muttering complaints.

“We just moved in… To make us write an examination already…”

“How unbelievable.”

Ehh, I'd feel a lot better with something to do though. Is that not normal?

Aristole constantly had me taking tests or study whenever I had extra pockets of time. Gradually increasing the difficulty whenever I started to get accustomed to the workload… Maybe it's because of him that I'm all weird now…

Shaking away the distressing thought, I try to focus on my surroundings.

We're herded into what looks like a large lecture hall with high ceilings and arched windows. The room slants up gradually, the desks at a taller vantage point but also further from the front.

Magick orbs float about, emitting a harsh white light. I sit in the nearest free seat, patiently waiting for the test to begin. Shuffling and banter clutters the room while more and more students file in.

It's actually quite inefficient having to wait for such a large group of people to settle down, huh? At most, I've only had to wait on Noel, so I can't help but compare the difference in time taken up.

My eyes are easily snatched away by the wide variation of students here. Burning reds and oranges, deep blues and violets. Draconis scales and wings of flight. Glistening precious metals shimmer in the blinding light. Free-flowing cloth and seemingly-suffocating formal regalia. Branches, flowers, and other such verdure growing as horns… or antlers.

For some reason or another, my eyes linger on those longer than most.