Orion panicked but slowly re-entered his room with a calm outward appearance. He didn't even close the door as he rummaged through the bag in his hand.
He struggled to wipe the recent incident from his mind as he took out his clothes, which had been packed with perfect meticulousness into the small bag.
He involuntarily grinned a couple of times because of his mistake, but he took a few deep breaths and calmed down.
"It's not the first time I've stood naked in front of people. Moreover, this is true even outside of a game."
The new school uniform was on top of the second bag. From the first bag, which he assumed was his own, he took out a black, but quite loose, pair of boxer briefs. He immediately put on a pair of black cloth school trousers, as they resembled the school uniform.
Although many t-shirts were provided for the students to wear on top, they were all plain and very thin. He picked up one of the identical t-shirts to wear under the school robe.
The fabric is of better quality than it looks. Everything smells so premium...
As a side note, almost everything was black or shades of black. It seemed that harmony was valued over variety. Orion chose a thin undershirt and a black t-shirt for the upper body.
When he put on the wide student robe, similar to those worn at Hogwarts, over his t-shirt, he was sure he looked decent enough.
Because of this robe, he probably looked like he had stepped out of a magical school, rather than a normal student. Since he couldn't see his whole body in the reflection in the window, he was eager to check himself in a large mirror.
Orion was now in an image similar in colour and quality to the students he saw when he looked out the window. It was as if he had joined a secret cult full of magic-worshipping people.
Orion looked down from the window and noticed a small difference between his clothes and those of the other students. On the left side of his robe and all his clothes, there was a gold-coloured 'S' symbol.
Probably because I'm a student of the S class. But I need a mirror to check myself and a bathroom full of cleaning supplies.
Even if it was just a game, dying many times and crawling at the bottom of a labyrinth full of monsters felt dirty.
When he left the room for the second time, even more students than before seemed to be lingering in the corridor waiting for him. Almost everyone had formed two- or three-person groups among themselves and had started whispering.
First student friendships. How cute.
Being a young university student, away from home for the first time, was fun.
Orion had been a student once, too. Moreover, he had gone to a neighbouring island very close to his home country. And he had studied there as a foreign student.
He had spent four years in a dorm on a tropical island with international students from all over the world.
Now, remembering those old times, experiencing those forgotten feelings in this game brought a smile to his face.
The energy of youth and the excitement of the unknown. Everything being new and sweet.
The feeling of being in a constant holiday and freedom.
These were sweet feelings that were very hard to find in life.
An old and longed-for feeling that could never be understood by reading books or hearing from others.
He missed those times so much.
...
As Orion walked down the corridor lost in his own thoughts, he continued walking without reacting, even though he knew everyone was looking at him. The people he passed temporarily stopped talking and then continued.
He didn't care what they were talking about. It was probably something about the school rankings.
He was in a hurry anyway, because he needed to get out of this game as soon as possible and make a few phone calls.
Mom and Dad must have already arrived at my cousins' house. They set off the day before.
I wonder if they know about my situation already?
As Orion walked thoughtfully, he suddenly heard a girl in the middle of a side corridor excitedly tell her group of friends something like "it was big and..."
Hearing this sentence from a girl group was intense. But he felt better.
A proud smile formed on his face. His steps accelerated with a joy that every man should feel at least once.
But this strange interaction was nothing more than an ordinary game start for Orion. When he reached the end of the corridor and went down the stairs, his eyes caught a girl leaning against the wall, waiting for him.
Bright blonde hair and blue eyes. Even though she was wearing the school uniform, she looked like a royal princess.
Ah. The girl I saw when I first opened my eyes on the battlefield. She looks even more beautiful now that my eyes are working properly.
The game developers must have put a lot of effort into the graphics. Drawing such beauty, and even imagining the appearance of this character, requires a genius.
The girl, who continued to look at him as he descended the stairs, didn't make a sound. Even though it was awkward, she just kept looking at Orion with cold eyes. The atmosphere was even stranger than it should have been when Orion silently passed her without even saying hello.
After going down two flights of stairs, a massive door appeared on the ground floor.
Giant corridors, giant room doors, and now giant building doors. I wonder if this place wasn't designed for humans?
Finally, as Orion stepped into the courtyard of Midka School, he was met by the smell of flowers and a strong wind.
Accompanied by the non-scorching heat and sweet breezes of early autumn, he walked in the direction written on the paper in his hand. He examined the students sitting on the benches around and the staff busy with garden work.
He got lost a few times, stepped into extra places, and saw beautiful scenery.
What Orion felt throughout this process was that he was walking on a giant university campus. Everywhere there were young people like him looking for the way or chatting with each other. Except for the wide stone paths, everywhere was covered with fine lawns and short plants.
Seeing people sitting under the trees eating or studying, Orion thought about his own youth.
He wished he could go back to those years that passed without him even realizing how time flew.
Finally, when he entered the dormitory area, he was tired from walking and a little sweaty.
He realized something was wrong when he reached the place written on the paper in his hand. Then he looked the place he was suppose to enter.
Is this a dormitory?
Are you kidding with me!