I was sweating bullets. Of all the people who could be hovering over my hospital bed, it just had to be her....
Éclair, the most unhinged character from The Golden Weavers First Apprentice. One of the strongest sovereign-ranked weavers in existence. A woman whose bad mood could vaporize everything within a five-hundred-meter radius.
And she was… feeding me sliced apples.
Sweetly.
Like an angel.
Which made it infinitely worse.
I wanted to catch a bass, but I got swallowed by a shark instead.
I was so stunned by the sight of her smiling gently at me that when she lifted a slice to my lips, I accepted it without thinking. I was too nervous to chew, so I swallowed it whole like an idiot. I felt the damned thing scrape down my esophagus while my gag reflex desperately tried to send it back up.
But if I spat anything in this woman's direction, I would die. Not figuratively. Literally.
A single manly tear slid down my cheek as I forced it into my stomach. Thank the heavens I didn't audibly gag.
Éclair watched my struggle and chuckled softly.
Wait… why was I nervous? I should be angry. She was the reason I fainted and failed to finish the exam in the first place!
I tried glaring at the devil in a saint's costume while she cut another slice, but the moment she turned those eyes toward me, my gaze snapped away on instinct.
Damn hormones. Of all times to betray me…
She offered another piece. This time, I chewed as my life depended on it, because in this insane situation, it actually did.
"Head master of Excellia Academy, Miss Éclair… right?" I managed. "Shouldn't you be busy with preparations for the Matriculation Ceremony? Why… are you taking care of someone like me? A lowly student with no connections."
Her knife stopped. Without a word, she set aside the slices and picked up a whole, fresh apple inside the basket. She lifted it and held it in front of my face, allowing me to see it as if comparing the two.
Then came that smile.
Her innocent, dignified act cracked like thin ice, revealing a devious grin beneath the apple that covered her face from my point of view.
"Because you look soooo tasty," she purred.
She lowered the apple, revealing the full force of her predatory stare.
*CHOMP*
Then casually bit a big chunk out of the juicy fruit.
Every hair on my body stood. My instincts screamed: run.
A blink later, she slipped right back into her pure, elegant persona as if nothing had happened.
"I apologize for making you faint and dragging you here," she said politely. "The bleeding was excessive. It's unfortunate, you would've scored perfectly on the next evaluation. Your thrum capacity is at Bishop rank already, after all. Again, I sincerely apologize."
I lay back down and stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling.
She didn't seem to notice my existential crisis and continued, "Naturally, you passed with outstanding marks. You'll be placed in Class 1-A. Since today is the final day of the entrance exams, I've already checked all the fresh candidates. Expect to land somewhere in the top ten- though certainly not rank one."
I let out a small laugh. Of course not. Even Finster, a walking cheat code that he is, can't beat that monster this early in the story.
Éclair clasped her hands behind her back. "As for dorms, they're shared with two students per room. Same gender, usually, but the numbers are uneven this year. Who knows? You might get lucky and end up sharing with a beauty."
I snorted. "With my luck? Not a chance."
But something else had been bothering me since I woke up. Something sacred. Something required by the laws of all characters in any hospital scene.
A rite of clearance before ending the recovery scenario.
Noticing my suddenly serious expression, Éclair tilted her head. "Is something wrong?"
I ignored the question and focused on what truly mattered.
I took a deep breath.
"An unfamiliar ceiling, whe—"
Smack.
She flicked my nose so hard my vision wobbled.
"You ignored me just to say a cheesy line like that?" she huffed. "Minus ten points."
"Minus… what?" I muttered internally.
She clapped her hands once, back to business. "Well, since you can joke around, you're clearly well enough to head to your dorm tonight. I already sent someone to fetch your luggage and deliver it."
She placed a keycard on the bedside desk."Your dorm key ID. Don't hesitate to call me if something interesting happens."
With that, she gave me one last dazzling yet terrifying smile and gracefully left the room
...
.....
......
........
Getting ready to leave took longer than it should have. My legs still felt like noodles, my head was foggy, and I was stuck wearing flimsy patient clothes that made me look like a discounted cult member. Worst part? I had no idea where the dorms were.
When the nurse came in to discharge me, I swallowed my pride and asked a question.
"Uh… can you point me toward the dorm area?"
She blinked twice, clearly surprised."You don't know where it is?"
"…I… hit my head," I lied shamelessly.
To her credit, she didn't question it. She gave me directions, printed a discharge slip, and gently shoved me out the door before I could embarrass myself further.
_____________________________
Excellia Academy Dorm Grounds
The academy covered an entire section of the city, but the novel never bothered to include a map, so I navigated the place using pure vibes and prayer. Thankfully, after following the nurse's directions (and ignoring three wrong turns), I finally reached the dorm district.
The buildings were massive, arranged by year level like towering monuments.
I went through the wide automatic sliding door, pulled out my dorm key ID, and stared at it as if trying to burn a hole through it.
It looked… exactly like an ATM card. Gray, metallic, with a glossy black magnetic strip and zero labels. Elegant but also extremely unhelpful.
I facepalmed.
"Damn it… me, for being clueless, and that horny witch Éclair for dumping this on me without instructions."
The automatic sliding doors to the freshman dorm opened with a soft hiss.
A cheerful voice echoed out.
"Oh? Someone early! Hello, nice to meet you! I plan to celebrate an enrollment celebration after the matriculation ceremony. What room number are you in?"
I turned around, and my soul nearly left my body, again....
I dropped my card.
My laptop and phone wallpaper were standing right there.
Waving at me.
In the flesh.
Nagi.
My favorite heroine who crossdressed as a boy.
The sunshine gremlin who carried half the emotional comedy of the story in the first half.
And… the first main heroine to die.
She-no, he, jogged over, wearing a track jacket, cheeks flushed from training, pink fuzzy hair bouncing with every step. Violet highlights glimmered under the dorm lights, and those bright greenish-yellow eyes sparkled more than any 4k resolution would ever try to compete.
He stopped in front of me and tilted his head."Hello! My name is Nagi. What's yours?"
I was too busy staring. My brain had stopped processing words entirely.
Nagi waved a hand in front of my face. "Uh… helloooo?"
Then he noticed the card on the floor and picked it up.
"Ooh, Class 1-A? Nice! Guess we're gonna be classmates!"
That finally snapped me out of my trance.
(If only my eyes had recording cameras installed… I would frame every millisecond.
Trying to regain sanity, I cleared my throat. "Uh-sorry, do you know how to check what my room number is? I… kinda forgot."
Nagi nodded enthusiastically. "Easy! Just swipe your card at any school terminal. It'll face-scan you and show your info. People mostly use them to manage (SP) School Points, but dorm data is there too!"
"Is there one nearby?"
"Yep! Right there!" He pointed toward a sleek, sci-fi-looking machine beside the lounge area.
I followed his instructions.
The machine chimed, scanned my face, and displayed:
DORM: 5FLOOR: 15
POINTS:To be determined
"Oh!" Nagi clapped. "Then we're bunk mates!"
The words echoed in my mind.Bunk mates.Bunk mates.BUNK. MATES.
My brain bluescreened. My knees wobbled. I started shaking like I was standing in front of a holy relic.
Nagi blinked. "Uh… are you okay?"
"Give me a moment," I whispered, voice trembling. A smile spread across my face.
"Starting today… I will actually believe in God."