Sinking despondently into my seat, I recalled that today's experiences had been terrible. But I was glad that the dormitory at the school was excellent, with each person having a room equipped with a bathroom, even though it was a mixed-gender dormitory.
Just as the "ding-dong" doorbell rang, the administrator outside the door was unusually enthusiastic.
"You're Hagrid, right?"
The lady pointed to the door number, and I impatiently urged her on.
"What's the matter? I'm really tired now, can you please make it quick."
Exhausted, I struggled to speak in a gentle tone, and the other party, perhaps sensing that I wasn't in the mood, tactfully walked away.
As I was about to return to my room to continue my seclusion, the other person's words almost knocked him over.
"Hagrid, um... I'm Jo Ra, see you later..."
With a bang, I slammed the door shut!
I rushed back to my room, wanting to take off this flashy disguise, but then I remembered it was a gift from a junior (the first time a friend had given me something), and I couldn't bear to throw it away.
I heard that the junior's father was a researcher who disappeared without a trace in an unexpected explosion, and now all she had was her grandparents and mother; her grandfather was the president of a real estate company... In short, she told me a lot about herself, except for her name.
The junior had never mentioned a word about her own name to me, and I didn't know what she was worried about.
After lunch, I went out to prepare to take a walk and consider asking a classmate... At that moment, a girl dressed in black gothic Lolita style suddenly appeared in front of me and seduced me, saying,
"Classmate, would you like to join a club?"
I was happy to see her, as I had been looking for one all afternoon!
"Great, do you know where the activities are?"
At this moment, the other person was exceptionally excited but then turned her face with a slightly malicious smile.
"You took the bait."
"What did you say?"
I heard her muttering quietly, but she just smiled back at me.
"Nothing, really nothing!"
"Oh..."
I didn't inquire further. I hadn't joined a club since my previous school, so I didn't know much but assumed this was how clubs operated.
(Activity Center)
The silver-haired girl in front of me was the president of the club - Kaoru Amamiya! Kaoru first presented a contract for me to sign, intentionally covering the content. Eager to join the club and blend in, I signed without much thought. It was then that Kaoru revealed her true nature.
"Oh hahaha, now you can't leave our club for a year, Miss Clumsy!"
Kaoru showed off her pure smile and an air of superiority.
"What does that even mean?"
Before I could react, I was pushed into the changing room. At this school, once club members sign a contract, not even the president can let them leave the club!
Later, the president forcibly dragged me into the changing room and after she removed my shirt...
"Ah ah ah...!"
The president's scream echoed through the entire building.
*Smack!*
When I emerged from the club, a bright red handprint adorned my pale face. I sighed to myself helplessly.
"What's wrong?"
The president continued to berate me for being a pervert, and I innocently said,
"I just wanted to join the club, and besides, my outfit is a proper gentleman's school uniform."
Huh? The president had to relent and said.
"...Sigh, what else can we do? Written in black and white... let's just get along in the future."
It was already deep into the night, the atmosphere had fallen silent, and the school dormitory building had long switched to night mode. The streetlights along the front street of the dormitory had descended one by one to the pavement below, replaced by eerie machine guns!
Glancing at the clock, it was already midnight and time to sleep.
During this time, all entry and exit passages would be closed off, and the streets would be lined with these deadly weapons to surprise any intruders.
To me, these were all nonsensical talks. Such guardianship was just a disguised form of imprisonment!
I had barely laid down when the phone rang, the harsh ringtone caught me off guard. In my panic, I managed to evade the sinister specter in the darkness and fumbled to find my phone charging at the bedside.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this the Hagrid residence?"
The voice on the other end of the phone sounded gentle and kind, unfamiliar to my ears.
"Yes, what's the matter calling me so late?"
The voice on the other end sounded somewhat urgent, probably from somewhere outside the dormitory, maybe on the street...
No, that couldn't be!
While on the call, I rubbed my eyes and glanced out the window.
"It's highly alert in the city at night, how are you wandering around the streets so boldly? Or..."
"Yes, I'm not in the city at the moment, but a man named Edward told me that only you can... bang! bang! bang!"
"Ah!"
I quickly moved my ear away from the phone screen as the gunshots continued to ring out incessantly on the other end.
The grim darkness slowly became daunting, forcing me to face reality. Glancing at the location information locked on my phone screen, could this be... the ASEAN region?
"Hey, you mentioned Edward sent you, what's going on?"
I shouted loudly, but there was no response on the other end, leaving behind only the two words: ASEAN Region.
The fact that the ASEAN region still had resistance forces surprised me. It simply meant that there were still many areas not overtaken, and Evil Entity was not a monster present in all regions.
"Within just a week, the terrifying beings managed to destroy the entire West League, still not fully defeated even now despite their weaker strengths compared to the West League?"
I speculated randomly... or maybe Elena had a hand in this, how else could people from the ASEAN region contact Edward's people? (Like me)
"Sorry, I can't summon any courage right now..."
"Only to survive!"
Compared to the fall of the West League and the bitter struggle in the ASEAN region, Elena in deep North America seemed unaffected. Most people continued to live normally, but some gradually felt that they were just surviving under constant surveillance.
It had been over a year since Elena issued the city-wide blockade order, and when the West League Army massacred civilians, Elena's mercenaries stood up to resist the Alliance Army's ruthless killings!
So...
In the winter of 2099, conflicts arose between Elena's army and the government forces, causing the Alliance Army to temporarily retreat to the western part of the West League.
Now, apart from the ASEAN region, most communication in the West League had long been destroyed. No matter how many times I tried calling the landlord, the call just wouldn't go through.
"Erm, maybe he has already escaped to ASEAN and been rescued by ASEAN soldiers, right?"
Ugh, why am I still worrying about others at this point?
In order to prevent others from getting hurt, to prevent those around me from getting hurt, even though sometimes I have selfish thoughts... I used to be such a fool.
How many more days can I spend staying here like this?
"It's okay, it's okay."
Feeling dizzy, I held onto the edge of the bed tightly to prevent myself from falling to the ground, because it wouldn't be good to fall asleep at a time like this...
This place is different from home, here there is no scent of Yukari, only a slightly pale sky that has been covered with snow for months without stopping.
I opened my eyes for the last time and gazed up at the sky, feeling a bit heavy-hearted.
Because, after tonight... the real darkness should be next, right?
Feeling exhausted, I painfully held onto my phone, not wanting to let it go, afraid that someone might call me back.
Some time later...
As time passed, my eyelids trembled more and more, until I couldn't keep them open any longer, thinking the other person wouldn't call back, I fell asleep under the bed.
Early the next morning, my junior knocked on the door of my dorm.
"Open up, big brother!"
She has always called me that way, ever since we entered Elena's territory, Edward forcibly changed her name which made her uncomfortable, so she just called me that instead.
After calling out a few times without any answer, she simply pushed the door open and walked in.
"Geez, even on a day off, you can't sleep in this late... huh?"
Three days had passed, and then I suddenly remembered, if I didn't find a partner by the day after tomorrow, I would be placed in the intensive class for the entrance exam!
I quickly washed my face, brushed my teeth, changed into my uniform, and walked into the school's morning coffee shop, a designated place for confessing love, where I was immediately approached by a classmate.
"Miss, would you like to enjoy a cup of coffee...?"
Before that person could finish, I explained to the red-haired guy.
"Bro, I'm a guy."
"Huh?"
"Didn't hear me clearly? Do you need me to say it again?"
"...No, I heard you loud and clear!"
Seeing him bewildered for a moment, he left, I glanced boredly at the window, all the male classmates in the class were rushing off like they were running away, trying to dilute this memory.
I waited again, and then heard a familiar voice behind me. At first, I thought it was my imagination, but when the voice sounded again, I looked back... the Student Council President?
So, I went up and patted Tenko. She shivered abruptly, then regained her senses and asked me.
"What are you doing here?"
I spread my hands, helpless, and said.
"The first test is the day after tomorrow, but I don't even have a partner, let alone eligibility for the combat qualification exam."
"Is... that so?"
Tenko replied silently with her eyes closed.
"By the way, what is the Student Council President doing here?"
I immediately teased Tenko, who was momentarily speechless. However, I immediately acted as if I had an epiphany.
"The Student Council President is here to find a partner, right?"
Tenko's face went from red to white in an instant, and she quickly tried to explain herself.
"No, I'm here to drink coffee."
"Oh..."
It seems I have made a mistake in my thinking, but upon rethinking, it doesn't add up, so I decided to ask her further.
"But isn't there a café downstairs in the school building? Why come to this couple's café?"
As soon as these words came out, Tiangong immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
"Is that so...? Um... then, I should excuse myself first!"
After saying this, Tiangong fled from the café as if running away. However, I'm not naive. I thought to myself: So the student council president is still single... After taking a sip of the fragrant milk tea, I dared not linger any longer and left the café as well.
