"Neila," Hoshimi said, his voice flat, bypassing any pleasantries. "Seraphina. We were just heading to our rooms." He replied, his voice flat. "Assignments." He gestured vaguely towards the staircase.
"Oh, what a coincidence!" Neila's voice was dripping with false enthusiasm. "So are we! We should all walk together then." It was less a suggestion and more of a subtle command, her blue eyes daring him to refuse.
Seraphina's gaze, meanwhile, had subtly shifted from Neila to him, a flicker of warning in her amber eyes.
"Right," Hoshimi said, a long-suffering sigh escaping him. "But aren't our rooms like a few ste-."
Neila walked up to him and hooked her arm around his neck, pulling him close, not in the romantic kind, it was something more intense, her eyes peered into him, a false smile rested neatly on her face as if it belonged.
neatly on her face as if it belonged. "Do as I tell you to, got it puppet? I have something to discuss with you, so let's do it as we walk back to our rooms shall we?"
"My room's this way," Seraphina murmured, her voice barely audible, gesturing down a side passage that curved gently to the left. "It was… a pleasure, sister. Hoshimi. Kira." She offered a small, polite nod, already attempting to escape.
"Nonsense!" Neila declared, grabbing Seraphina's arm. "We're all going the same direction! My room is only a few doors down from… Hoshimi's, isn't it?" Her eyes, sparkling with mischief, flickered to Hoshimi. "I've heard so much about your… particular accommodations. It will be an honor to compare."
Hoshimi felt a prickle of unease.
[Geez, I wonder how she knows my room number, she's really planning to use me as a mana well, a blood sack]
They continued down the corridor, Neila walked beside Hoshimi, far in front of Seraphina and Kira, enough to where they couldn't hear their conversation. Seraphina crossed her arms, almost looking bored, Kira on the other hand twiddled her thumbs and stared nervously at the floor.
One, two, three identical doors. Hoshimi's room, 307. Neila's, 309. Seraphina's, 311. Kira's, 305. All within the same short stretch.
"I'm going now," Hoshimi announced, stepping towards his door. Kira instinctively moved to follow him. "Go back to your own room, Kira."
Kira's face crumpled slightly. "B-but…" She looked from Hoshimi to Neila, then to Seraphina who was quietly standing in the corner. Her gaze lingered on the perfectly smooth, white door of her own room, her hand wavered on her door handle.
"Are you okay, Kira?"
"I'm fine, I just feel a little overstimulated."
Hoshimi said, his voice firm, unwavering. "Get some rest, the Vice Prinicipal said our next mission is in a couple of days, I don't know how long this one will last."
Kira nodded reluctantly, still clutching his sleeve as if unwilling to let go. "Okay… okay." She shuffled towards her door, glancing nervously back at the others.
"Do you need me to stay with you?" Hoshimi asked her, slightly tilting his head.
"Yea.."
Hoshimi opened the door, allowing her to scurry in first. Her dorm was rather large, just like all of the other rooms meant for the top ranking witches. A large single bed, two desks, two closets, and a small, functional bathroom, it was strangely empty, the fan spun above her as she sat down on the bed.
Neila watched Kira go, a dismissive flick of her gaze. "Such a fragile thing. I wonder how she even passed the entrance exam. Perhaps some… external assistance?" Her eyes, sharp and probing, turned to Hoshimi.
"That's enough, Neila," Seraphina interjected, her voice suddenly colder, firmer. "I don't know about Hoshimi but at least leave the girl alone."
Neila let out a huff of air, and rolled her eyes. "A paragon of justice, aren't you? How admirable." She released Seraphina's arm. "Fine. Let's return shall we?" She bounced towards her door, her feet falling like feathers, her small figure turned back. "Unless, Hoshimi, you wish to continue our… intellectual discourse?"
Hoshimi simply stared at her, his expression a carefully cultivated blankness. "I'm tired, go back to your little bird cage."
Neila pouted. "Your loss. Until then." She opened her door and disappeared inside.
Seraphina sighed, a weary exhalation. "She never changes," she murmured, more to herself than to Hoshimi. Her eyes met his. "I don't know what's up with her now."
Hoshimi merely nodded."Yea sure, whatever." He watched as Seraphina walked to her door, a subtle tension in her posture, then slipped inside.
[Yea, Sera might be right, it's like Neila constantly has multiple personalities but they don't seem too different from each other, maybe she wants to be perceived differently by other people, she's putting up a persona. For what reason? I don't want to think too much about it anymore]
He walked to the window, gazing out at the academy campus, now bathed in the gentle glow of late afternoon.
[Finally some peace]
He took a deep breath, the scent of antiseptic and old paper filling his lungs. It was supposed to be a familiar, comforting smell, a sign of academic rigor.
He blinked.
Kira immediately made a beeline for her bed, pulling the weighted blanket up to her chin. "Ughh, I feel like I'm going to vomit," she mumbled, her voice muffled by the covers.
"Just don't make me clean up when you barf."
The sunlight, usually a comforting presence, now felt oddly flat, almost artificial. The trees outside swayed in a breeze that didn't quite feel real.
[Something's off]
He blinked
[I'm tired, the fatigue must be getting to me]
On the quad below, a fountain, previously a classical stone statue, now seemed to be spouting a viscous, black liquid instead of water. The students walking past it seemed utterly oblivious, chattering and laughing as if nothing were amiss.
Hoshimi rubbed his eyes, convinced he was tired. When he looked again, the fountain was back to normal, clear water sparkling in the sun.
"Hey Kira."
Kira groggily replied, still tightly hugging her pillow. "What is it?"
"Nothing, I just..thought I saw something."
"Okay."
He glanced back at the window. The fountain was still normal. The people standing in the fountain seemed to blur, he squinted his eyes, trying to narrow down on their face, but it turned out blank.
[Mana?]
He walked to his door, placed his ear against the cool metal. The thumping intensified, then abruptly stopped. A moment of silence. Then, a faint, childish, unsettling lullaby.
He pulled back, a frown creasing his brow.
He opened his door. The hallway stretched before him, identical to how it had looked moments ago. White walls, fluorescent lights. Nothing seemed amiss.
He opened his eyes, walking back to the door and pulling on the handle. It opened onto the familiar hallway.
He stepped out, letting the door swing shut behind him, but not locking it. He walked a few paces, then turned, intending to re-enter.
He walked to the end of the corridor, intending to turn the corner and walk to the stairwell. As he rounded the bend, the corridor stretched out, ending in a familiar-looking white door: his own, 307.
"This is bullshit."
[Something of this magnitude, no singular technique could do this, with the exception of Sophia,]
He turned back. The hallway he had just walked down was identical to the one he had started from, complete with a perpetually closed, identical door where Kira's should have been. The layout was a perfect, impossible loop.
[But she doesn't have this kind of ability. Someone on Sophia's level? No way. This must be a Zenith]
He began to walk. One minute. Two minutes. He passed the same portrait of an unnamed historical figure for the third time. The scuff mark on the linoleum, near the base of the portrait, was identical.
An old man walked past him, staring forwards with a blank expression, his eyes were devoid of any life, his eyesbags were prominent, his figure slouched.
"Hey."
Hoshimi waved his hand in front of the old guy, trying to catch his attention. But the old man walked past him, ignoring him completely.
[Something's off here, he doesn't even have a badge on him.]
A thump, then a tick.
Hoshimi stared up at the ceiling.
'1'
[A number, what could it possibly be counting? Is this one of the conditions to get out of here?]
He opened Kira's door, only to see her nuzzling into her pillow, sleeping soundly.
"Hey, wake up."
Kira rubbed her eyes, blinking once then twice.
"Hoshimi?"
"We're under attack."