In the following hours, Monster Girl first showed Ouyang Tao around their dormitory.
The three-story Western-style villa had communal spaces on the first floor—living room, kitchen, and a large bathroom. The second and third floors each housed two residents. Since occupancy was low and Silent Sword preferred solitude, he lived alone on the third floor. Ouyang Tao and Monster Girl shared the second floor.
Though the building covered ample ground, each floor held only four rooms: two residential suites and one dedicated lab or training area.
A private lab with full equipment was a dream come true for Ouyang Tao, a mechanical engineering enthusiast.
The stables and garage were free communal facilities with dedicated maintenance staff. Neither Monster Girl nor Silent Sword owned mounts or vehicles, leaving these spaces unused. Monster Girl cautioned that if Ouyang Tao ever wanted to convert the garage into "Lab Two," he’d need Silent Sword’s approval.
By noon, Ouyang Tao decided to cook lunch as a gesture of respect. He headed to the first-floor kitchen.
He’d never cooked before his adoptive parents began long sea voyages. Caring for his sister forced him to master nutritious meals.
Monster Girl leaned against the doorway, watching with interest as he deftly sliced ingredients into fine threads and diced cubes before stir-frying them. "Whoa, you’re quick! I thought you’d summoned a chef."
"I’m no noble brat," Ouyang Tao replied, then froze mid-stir as the words slipped out.
"Ah. So you’re the commoner student the Mechanical Department admitted this year."
"Uh… yeah…" Ouyang Tao tensed, sensing the academy’s rigid hierarchy. His spatula stilled.
"Focus. That’ll burn."
"Crap!" He scrambled to plate the overcooked dish.
Monster Girl patted his shoulder, seeing his anxiety. Every commoner student faced this hurdle at Augustus College. "Rank matters here. But prove your worth, and you’ll earn your place."
Her simple words anchored him. These seniors were genuinely kind.
*How’s Ah Xue holding up?* Ouyang Tao silently hoped his sister was adjusting.
---
At 5 PM, Ouyang Tao donned his uniform for the freshman welcome banquet. Silent Sword and Monster Girl, as honored senior representatives, would attend too.
The summer uniform paired crisp white shirts and ties with navy trousers or skirts. Though mismatched, Ouyang Tao habitually clipped his metal gauntlets to his belt.
Badges denoted departments: a silver gear for Mechanical, an inverted sword for Magic Sword, a howling wolf for Beast Tamer.
"I promised Ah Xue I’d meet her first," he told the seniors. His sister had messaged via crystal ball earlier.
Outside the Arcane Library, Ouyang Xue waved eagerly. "Brother! Over here~~"
"Coming." He hurried over.
Clothes might shape perception, but aura transformed them. The modest uniform gained ethereal grace on Ouyang Xue. Her Elemental Department badge—a hollow hexagram—seemed to glow.
She twirled before him. "How do I look?"
"Ah Xue’s adorable." His honest praise needed no embellishment. "We should go."
"Okay!" She looped her arm through his.
Ouyang Tao stiffened. "Ah Xue—what are you doing? People will misunderstand!"
She squeezed tighter, face flushed crimson. "We’re siblings. Who cares?"
*She’s just nervous in this new place,* he thought, ruffling her hair. "Fine. But no clinging at the banquet, alright?"
"Mhm!" She nestled her cheek against his arm.
---
The Augustus College banquet hall seated thousands. Upon entering, they discovered seats were pre-assigned by department and exam rank. Siblings had to part ways.
Ouyang Xue, ranked 600th among 3,000 freshmen in the seven standard departments, sat far from her brother. Her shoulders slumped.
The three Special Departments occupied front tables. Unlike the standard circular tables seating dozens, each Special Department had one small table—fewer than ten seats.
The Mechanical Department’s table sat center stage with six chairs. Only Ouyang Tao had arrived.
To the left, all ten Magic Sword freshmen surrounded Silent Sword. He gestured intently, instructing them as they nodded eagerly—clearly a revered figure.
Farther off, Monster Girl chatted warmly with Beast Tamer freshmen, radiating big-sister energy.
Ouyang Tao finally spotted Ouyang Xue. She hunched at her table, head down, radiating loneliness.
*She’s overwhelmed,* he realized. His lively sister struggled socially, and this sea of prodigies dwarfed her confidence.
Their eyes met across the hall. Her silent plea for rescue cut deep.
---
The other Mechanical Department freshmen arrived together—four boys and one girl. All knew each other; the girl was clearly their center. The others vied for her attention.
Ouyang Tao recognized her instantly: the horseback rider from the checkpoint that morning. The Prime Minister’s daughter.
Her beauty was undeniable, but it was her poised grace that commanded respect—a noble aura both unapproachable and dignified.
This wasn’t a freshman-senior dynamic. It was aristocratic ritual.
"*Three* Special Departments." "*Augustus College’s only commoner in Mechanical for fifty years*." The pieces clicked. These departments were closed circles. He’d never been invited in.
As the group took their seats, conversation flowed around him like water around a stone. No greetings. No glances.
He sat utterly alone.
*Maybe my sister’s not the only one drowning here.*
