Not long after, the Marine Corps cadets, following Rear Admiral Dalmatian's instructions, guided the trainees toward the left-side teaching building, which was being used as the dormitory.
Rayk noted briefly that, excluding those who had already been eliminated, there were about ninety cadets participating in the youth training camp. Dorms were arranged four per room.
Even with more than thirty rooms in the left-side building, not every room was fully occupied.
Soon, under the soldiers' guidance, the trainees were settled into their rooms.
Tina, being a girl, was assigned to the second floor with the other female cadets. The little girl was visibly displeased because she wanted to stay in the same room as Rayk. In her mind, gender differences were insignificant, but the youth training camp had to account for these things.
Still, Tina was a Marine family child, and she knew this was no place to throw a tantrum. She didn't protest but looked at Rayk with a reluctant, pitiful gaze as he left, silently expressing her disappointment.
Rayk, meanwhile, was assigned a room on the third floor near the edge of the building.
What struck him as incredible was that he "knew" three of the four people sharing the room with him.
They, of course, did not know him.
If Rayk wasn't absolutely certain that no one here recognized him as someone familiar, he would have suspected that some hidden hand was orchestrating this.
"Hi, I'm Berry Good!" The last to enter the room was a round-faced young boy, but he was the first to break the silence. "Looks like the four of us are going to be living together for a year. Aren't you going to introduce yourselves?"
"I'm Rayk. Nice to meet you all." Seeing Berry speak first, Rayk smiled confidently and returned the courtesy.
"Shun." The third to speak was a young man with a slightly stern expression, matching his words with his demeanor.
"Call me Drake. Guide me on the path ahead." The oldest of the four, a hooked-nosed boy, gave the other three a peculiar salute.
"Oh, Drake, you're from the North Sea?" Berry Good asked with curiosity, as if he had just discovered a new continent after seeing Drake's salute.
"Is it that obvious…?" Drake paused briefly, then nodded with a small smile. "Yes. I was born in the North Sea. I came to Marine Headquarters because my father was transferred here."
"Looks like my memory served me well. I once saw this gesture in a book; it's popular in the North Sea," Berry said, clearly pleased that he had remembered correctly.
Meanwhile, Shun, the calm young man, simply said his name and moved to his bed, uninterested in the long conversation between Rayk and the others.
Neither Rayk nor the others were bothered. They understood Shun's personality; he wasn't being rude.
"You must be new to Marineford, right? I remember the youth training camp has a few days off periodically. I'll show you around Marineford then. It may not have many sights, but the food is amazing, a true mix of flavors from across the seas," Rayk said, smiling.
"Thank you in advance," Drake replied politely.
"Food? I love it!" Berry Good immediately perked up. "Don't forget to take me with you, Rayk!"
"That's easy. We'll go together," Rayk laughed.
The three of them chatted easily, quickly becoming familiar with one another.
As they grew comfortable, Rayk's mental image of his two roommates whom he had already "known" became vivid. They were no longer abstract concepts of identity and skill but fully realized personalities.
Berry Good was outgoing and talkative. From their conversation, Rayk could tell he was well-read and passionate about knowledge. This became apparent, for instance, when Berry recognized Drake's initial salute as a North Sea custom.
Drake, by contrast, was mature and composed. If one only heard him speak without seeing him, it would be hard to believe he was only eight or nine years old. Polite and well-educated, his words and manner left a comforting impression.
Shun, however, was still unfamiliar with the other three.
And so, the first day of orientation passed quickly. The next morning, the sky was just brushing with dawn.
Toot! Toot! Toot!
A sharp whistle, like a sudden scream, echoed through the youth training camp.
"Up! Assemble!" Dalmatian's roar filled every trainee's ears.
Clatter.
From the left-side dormitory came a rush of noise. Soon, a stream of cadets poured out, hurrying down the stairs toward the training field.
Rayk's roommates were quick; the four of them left the dorm nearly simultaneously, among the first to arrive.
Soon, the others followed, gathering in the training field.
Rayk noticed little Tina looked sleepy but arrived reasonably on time, likely among the middle group.
Only a few stragglers remained.
Dalmatian called them over, smiling as he said, "You all look exhausted. Must be short on sleep. If that's the case, run ten laps around the training field to wake yourselves up before rejoining the formation."
At first, his expression made him seem gentle and understanding. But by the time he finished speaking, all the trainees recognized his true nature. The few latecomers nearly teared up hearing his words.
Yet none dared disobey. They immediately began their laps.
One lap around the training field's outer perimeter was about 400–500 meters, meaning ten laps equaled four to five kilometers. For children mostly six or seven years old, this was no small feat.
Dalmatian continued without waiting for them. "Today is the first day of training. I remember I said yesterday: never be the last to arrive. But it seems a few of you didn't heed that advice. Learn nothing from them."
"Enough small talk. Let's talk about today's schedule."
At that, the cadets straightened, focusing all their attention.