"Oredell Cipher. Why are you behaving so out of character on such a significant occasion?" she asked in a low voice, but her tone was hardly calm.
Oredell blinked with an unreadable expression for a moment and crafted an innocent look on his face.
"I didn't know my behavior was unbecoming. Please excuse my rude conduct, and I apologize with all sincerity, aiming to be better in the future," Oredell responded in a practiced tone, bowing calmly.
Hearing this exchange, the few remaining students in the classroom couldn't help but throw curious glances at them as they made their way towards the exit.
Noticing these stares, Miss Eve coughed audibly and softened her voice as if discussing ordinary matters. "As long as you understand that your behavior is undisciplined for your academic level and a faithful representation of our excellent school, you are forgiven. However, I should remind you that you were one of the previously selected speakers for England National High School. Therefore, I expect better exemplary behavior, and just because you stepped down at the last minute from our History Presentation, it's no excuse for you to create headaches for me..." She slowly narrowed her eyes and continued.
Still bowing respectfully, Oredell secretly scoffed as he heard his complainant.
'Last minute... Right, you selected me to be one of the presentation speakers on the last day of departure because the previous one was too ill to follow along. I see myself as the problem since even consulting me about something as significant as a national academic selection is far above my rights and choices...'
"I understand..." he maintained his respectful tone and bowed deeper.
Seeing no retaliation or complaints, Miss Eve gestured for him to raise his head and smiled warmly.
"I am thankful for your understanding. I also sympathize with the unrelenting lectures being tiring compared to our usual lessons. So, please enjoy your lunchtime and rest well." She eventually turned her head to leave but stopped abruptly to look over her shoulder. "However, be sure to be prepared for the field trip with your best character and sharpness to standard."
Oredell nodded and turned away, walking at an unhurried pace. His demeanor remained aloof despite the constant glances from his temporary peers.
Reaching the classroom exit, Oredell unconsciously took the path he and his fellow national classmates were familiar with as they walked to their assigned dormitories for England National High School.
While Oredell strolled the hallways, he would occasionally glance out the window, looking down at the university campus and the horizontal view of the capital city of Nigeria.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he silently enjoyed the view of golden clouds and the setting sun. Since he was still on the higher floors of the academy building, he saw a large number of students spread around the university while the administration building towered over all the flags of the world.
This gave him a raw view of the modern aesthetic marvel of the international university. It made Oredell slow down his steps and admire as much as he could before his stomach growled.
With reluctance in his eyes, he slowly removed his gaze from the view and quickened his pace, following the quickest path he had taken numerous times to the dormitories.
Eventually, he exited the academy building and properly slung his bag over his shoulder. He then slowed his pace as he navigated through crowds of students from different nationalities, observing many groups forming around him and socializing despite coming from different schools.
This was quite impressive considering that this international seminar had started only two weeks prior. However, the England national students were scheduled to arrive three days ago, thus not giving them ample time to familiarize themselves like most of the other students.
Oredell could only let out an exhausted breath as he passed through familiar grounds and some notable university buildings such as the cafeteria, science lab, etc. Moreover, just as Oredell was halfway there, he could see many armed guards and some officers out of the corner of his eye.
They patrolled around the campus but avoided direct contact with students and moved around them.
However, some professors could be seen interacting with them about particular issues or problems.
Regardless, Oredell just ignored them and maneuvered his way.
Unexpectedly, just as he was going to enter the dormitory building, he couldn't help but see Aurelia's silhouette moving with a relatively large group of student girls.
These girls also had Netherlands flags on their uniforms just like her. Oredell removed his gaze and thought back to Yarisa's history lesson on The Proto-Civilization.
He still couldn't quite fully understand why she participated in that lesson despite her fellow peers having the same in the lower floors.
But observing their large group, he formed a general idea.
'Regardless, it's not my issue to pry into a small thing like this...'
He shrugged off his thoughts and continued on his way.
Upon entering the building, he stepped into a luxurious lounge full of golden lights and lazy teachers of his school relaxing during their time off.
Oredell secretly clicked his tongue and checked in with the dormitory receptionist.
Afterwards, he navigated through the corridors and took the stairs to the third floor.
Arriving on the floor, he was met with some stares from his fellow students heading to the lower floors, but they immediately withdrew their gazes and continued interacting with each other.
Oredell stared at their backs and shook his head. He reached for his room key and quickly opened the door, then closed it right after.
With exhaustion itching at his eyes, he clumsily removed his shoes and slowly strolled to his bed, face-planting upon impact.
The blankets quickly relieved him of some of his exhaustion, prompting a yawn as he crudely placed his bag by his bedside.
After ten minutes of temporary rest, he stretched his muscles and turned his attention to the room's table.
He reluctantly got up and took a lazy seat as he scanned his mountain of notebooks and his half-closed laptop.
Oredell quickly reorganized his notes with practiced ease and reached out for his phone, which was connected to a charger on the edge of the table.
He tapped on the screen and did a few swipes before looking at his digital clock.
'It's now six in the evening... I should hurry up,' he thought decisively and switched off his phone.
Oredell took out his black sneakers—
'...Wait, aren't they called trainers in the UK?' he mused to himself. Oredell took out his black 'trainers' and quickly fixed his messy hair.
He gazed at his reflection in the full-length mirror across the room, revealing a young man with black hair and unusually dark brown eyes with sharp but long eyelashes.
By his estimate, he could tell he was relatively handsome, but he looked moody.
Regardless, he shamelessly raised two thumbs up to his appearance and nodded his head in approval.
Then, he removed his tie, unbuttoned his collar, and walked out of his room, locking the door behind him.
Returning to the lounge area, he looked around to see only several teachers from his school but no students.
Raising an eyebrow, he walked up to one of the teachers and asked, "Sir Harper... Have the food handouts already been given?"
Professor Harper was startled for a moment and looked at Oredell intently.
"Cipher, you are still here?"
He took a sip of his drink and gestured to the lounge.
"Yes, I'm afraid you missed the evening handouts about thirty minutes ago."
"Oh... I see. Are there any leftovers?"
Professor Harper sighed and shook his head.
"Unfortunately, since this is the last day of academic classes for the international seminar, the receptionists handed out two extra scoops for every individual... and I doubt your peers left any for scavengers flying by."
He lowered his glass and narrowed his eyes.
"The class leaders were supposed to be responsible for the equal distribution of portions, but they had the audacity to report that everyone had their share."
Oredell's mood immediately darkened as he barely contained his anger.
'...No disrespect, Sir, but you are telling me that the teachers or any responsible adult had no time to check or supervise the students during the handouts? Despite being in the same room?'
He almost said it out loud but decided to seal his lips and respond properly.
"...Sir, so you are saying that all of the handout portions were taken? What exactly was given out for everyone to be so picky?"
Oredell switched his attention to a long table of trays, spoons, and plates covered in crumbs and stains.
Professor Harper followed his gaze and calmly placed a hand on his shoulder with a quiet breath.
"I can tell this is frustrating and daunting for you. So, let me order the staff to place an additional portion from my plate over to yours. Moreover, let me say that adding additional portions may be costly for my pocket and may take at least half an hour to provide, but it's the least I can do for you in this unfair situation."
Oredell visibly relaxed at his words and nodded. However, Professor Harper continued to hit the nail on the head.
"This was just a clear human error on the part of the class leaders but doesn't excuse their irresponsibility in leaving a fellow student hungry while they fill their bellies greedily. So, I have a word with your class teacher, Miss Eve, about your so-called peer leaders."
Despite the sincerity of his words, Oredell shook his head with an appreciative expression and thanked him.
"Thank you for helping me, Sir Harper, but there's no need to escalate it to that extent. But... I really do appreciate your assistance, though."
Professor Harper smiled and nodded his head with a look of understanding.
"I will leave it at that."
He reached for another glass and poured a drink.
"Do you want to wait in the lounge area or in your room? I will call you when the food is ready."
"No, it's okay, Sir. I prefer to buy a snack from the cafeteria in the meantime."
Oredell bowed slightly and prepared to leave. Professor Harper raised a glass and continued with his own matters.
Seeing this gesture, Oredell turned to leave the dormitories.
Once he was outside, he instantly felt the lingering warmth of the setting sun and the humid breeze passing over his skin.
This made him instinctively place his hands in his pockets as he navigated through the campus to the cafeteria.