Ren Isana and the others' new classmates had already headed to the school. By now, Ren had finished arranging all his affairs, purchasing a batch of supplies for the orphanage and leaving behind a sum of money.
With all that done, Ren's business here was completely settled, and he began the process of terminating his apartment lease.
The property management didn't make things difficult for them. Instead, they handled the paperwork briskly, likely because they had a rough idea of Ren and his group's identities.
So, even though Ren and the others were breaking their lease, the management didn't charge them a penalty fee and issued a full refund. After finishing up, Ren and the girls packed all their belongings into their Spatial Backpacks.
In the blink of an eye, the third day arrived. Director Ken had already sent over the information for the ferry they would be taking. They were scheduled to board at 10:00 AM and would arrive at their destination around dusk.
A little past 8:00 AM, Ren met up with Asuna and the others. Asuna was dressed quite beautifully today, wearing a brown dress with her hair meticulously styled.
This made Ren steal a few extra glances, which Asuna noticed perfectly. *Just watch, I'll absolutely captivate you,* she thought. However, when she got closer, Ren's words left her speechless.
"You smell really strong, Asuna. Aren't you afraid of getting marinated in all that perfume?" Ren frowned as he looked at her. The moment she approached, an elegant fragrance had hit him.
But Ren's nose was incredibly sensitive now. Asuna naturally smelled good enough on a normal day; right now, standing in front of him, she really did smell like she had been marinated in it.
"You're the one who's marinated!" Asuna's face darkened. She really wanted to beat this guy up. His words were just too infuriating. If only he hadn't added that second half!
"You already smell great normally, there's no need to spray perfume. It's not like you're going on a blind date!" Ren casually retorted.
Hearing Ren's words, Asuna clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and suppressed the urge to punch him. *I can't beat him in a fight, I can't beat him in a fight, don't be impulsive!*
Seeing Asuna's reaction, Ren couldn't help but feel amused. He didn't tease her any further and instead said, "Let's go. We need to meet up with the others at the school first."
With that, Ren turned and walked toward the elevator. Asuna let out a cold hmph, feeling a bit dissatisfied, but she quickly hurried after him.
Lefiya and the others looked at Ren and Asuna with strange expressions. Lefiya, in particular, felt like Asuna was dressing up for a blind man!
Though speechless inwardly, she didn't say anything. The group took the elevator downstairs, handed their keys over to the property management, and then headed toward the high school.
At the school gates, Ren's classmates had already gathered. Everyone wore excited smiles, looking just like elementary schoolers about to go on a field trip.
"Class Rep, you're too slow! We're going to be late!!" Sora complained with a hint of dissatisfaction when she saw Ren's group finally arrive.
Hearing her words, Ren rolled his eyes. "It's obviously you guys who got here too early. Are you elementary schoolers? Couldn't sleep at night, so you woke up early and ran over here?"
It was still early. He had just arrived at the school at their usual class time. What did he do wrong?
The ones in the wrong were them—they were way too early.
"Nonsense, I did not!" Sora blushed and immediately retorted. Even if it were true, she couldn't admit it.
Ren just smiled without saying a word. He glanced at the crowd and said, "Let's go. We'll head to the pier first. We have plenty of time to get there."
Since everyone was here, they might as well set off. Ren took the lead and walked in a certain direction, with the others quickly following suit.
The group was only carrying their Spatial Backpacks, which held all their worldly possessions, so choosing to walk to the pier wouldn't take much time at all.
Upon arriving at the pier, Ren and the others quickly found their ferry. After showing their ID cards, the group boarded the ship and waited.
There were quite a few people in the passenger cabin, including many around their age. These people looked somewhat surprised when they saw Ren's large group board.
*Good heavens, what's going on? So many people got accepted into Nexus University together? And they all seem to know each other?* Some of the more observant passengers instantly recognized the backpacks they were carrying.
A Spatial Backpack for every single person—they were seriously rich. There was even an Elf among them? Seeing Lefiya's ears, many felt a wave of astonishment, though no one stepped forward to strike up a conversation.
Seating on the ferry was free-for-all; you could sit wherever there was an empty spot, or you could go out to the deck to enjoy the breeze. These ships were massive ferries designed to transport cars across the sea.
Aside from rest areas, the ship also had restaurants, milk tea shops, and even an entertainment arcade. Right after boarding, Sora and a few of the girls disappeared.
When they returned, they were carrying quite a few cups of coffee. Back with the group, Sora and the others smilingly handed out the drinks, and a cup was stuffed into Ren's hands as well.
This girl still loved feeding everyone milk tea and coffee, and it was always the absurdly expensive kind. However, Ren wasn't going to refuse. To him now, this was just pocket change anyway.
Sitting in his seat, Ren pulled out his tablet and started scrolling through videos, while the others wandered around the ship. Once 10:00 AM hit, the ship's engines roared to life, and it began to leave the pier.
Watching the ship slowly head out to sea, Ren walked out onto the deck to enjoy the ocean breeze. Some of his classmates were also out here. Leaning against the railing and looking at the sparkling sea, Ren felt a rare sense of relaxation.
Just as Ren was gazing at the ocean, a familiar fragrant breeze wafted over. Ren didn't even need to turn his head to know who it was—he had smelled this exact scent just this morning.
"Once we leave here, we probably won't be coming back for a very long time, will we?" Asuna struck up a conversation with Ren.
"Yeah. I've lived in the city behind us for over a decade. This is actually my first time traveling far from home," Ren sighed with emotion.
He wasn't exaggerating. According to his predecessor's memories, he had never left that city, and this was also Ren's first time leaving it since arriving in this world.
To him, he hadn't even fully explored the city behind them. After all, since coming to this world, Ren had lived a strict two-point routine between home and school. Most of what he knew came from his predecessor's memories.
Hearing Ren say this, Asuna was slightly taken aback. She really hadn't expected him to answer like that, but on second thought, she understood.
"I haven't been here as long as you. I actually lived in the neighboring city for over two years before transferring here. Before that, I lived over in the Sakura District," Asuna shared her own past.
"Sakura District, huh? I do know a place called Chiba. I heard that place is full of siscons? Yukino is from around there, right? Does she have some kind of siscon brother?" Ren stroked his chin, immediately starting to spread rumors about Yukino.
He obviously knew Yukino's family situation. He even knew she had an older sister and that her mother was very beautiful. But he couldn't say that out loud—after all, as far as everyone knew, Yukino had never talked about her family.
"I do not have a siscon brother!" Right as Ren's words fell, Yukino Yukinoshita's voice rang out. Her expression was incredibly sour.
*Just who spread that rumor? What do you mean Chiba is full of siscons? That is slander, naked slander! Chiba doesn't have those things!*
Seeing Yukino's expression, Asuna couldn't help but find it hilarious. This was just too funny. Even Yukino couldn't stand a rumor like that.
"Search it up if you don't believe me. I'm not the one who made it up," Ren chuckled. *If you don't believe me, just look it up yourself.*
Yukino rolled her eyes at this. Beside them, Asuna almost burst out laughing. Amused, she added, "I'm not from Chiba, I'm from the city next to it."
The three of them chatted idly. Regardless of what was said, Yukino absolutely refused to admit to the rumor. As they talked, the topic naturally shifted to the university.
"Speaking of which, our class is going to get new students soon. Will we still form parties based on our current setup?" Yukino asked, looking at Ren.
Hearing Yukino's question, Ren shook his head. "I don't have the final say on that. It'll ultimately depend on how the school arranges things. Besides, it's not even guaranteed that we'll be doing much fighting."
Going to university meant they would definitely be assigned various courses first—like gaining access to more magic spells and martial arts techniques. Because of that, their opportunities to enter the Dimensional Rift would probably be quite limited.
Asuna nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. We might not necessarily see much combat; we'll probably be focusing more on learning."
Furthermore, she wasn't worried about the newcomers causing issues. Even if new students joined, there probably wouldn't be many. They definitely wouldn't outnumber Ren's existing group.
How big could a single class get anyway? At most, fifty or sixty people. But their group already took up over forty spots. Counting Ais and the others, they were nearly at fifty people.
Yukino nodded, not dwelling on the issue any further. The minority obeys the majority, and their group was definitely the majority.
The group enjoyed the sea breeze for a while longer before returning to the cabin to play on their phones. Even sea breezes got boring after a while; there wasn't much else to do.
When noon arrived, they didn't go to the ship's restaurant. Instead, they casually pulled their lunches out of their Spatial Backpacks. Because of their past habits, the classmates now loved stuffing food into their Spatial Backpacks.
This habit was started by Sora. After all, she was the first one to stuff durians into her Spatial Backpack, and everyone slowly followed suit.
After a simple lunch, everyone rested in their seats, waiting for the ship to dock. Time slipped by unnoticed as the ferry sailed quietly across the sea, drawing closer and closer to their destination.
Ren and the others all gathered on the deck, catching sight of the city skyline rising from the ocean in the distance. They had arrived at their destination.
"Looks like we'll have to find a hotel for tonight. Otherwise, we probably won't make it to the school in time," Ren said, checking the time. It was already past 3:00 PM, nearing 4:00. By the time they docked, entered the city, and traveled to the school, it would likely be 6:00 or 7:00 PM.
After all, the school wasn't on the outskirts; it was located in the center of the island. It would take them some time to get there, so their only option was to find a hotel near the school for the night.
Hearing Ren's words, the group nodded without any major objections. Anything was fine, as long as they got everything sorted out before the semester officially started.
Ren scanned the group, and seeing that no one objected, he said, "Then everyone start booking your hotels. Otherwise, I'm afraid we won't be able to get any rooms later. It is the start of the school year, after all."
With that, Ren took out his phone and began tapping away. Selecting a five-star hotel near the school, he booked his room. Seeing this, the others quickly pulled out their phones as well.
After asking Ren for the hotel's name, the group booked rooms at the same place. However, the hotel quickly filled up. Those who couldn't get a room simply gave up and decided to bunk with their classmates.
Ais and the others didn't manage to book a hotel. After all, they still weren't very proficient with smartphones, so they had no choice but to share rooms with Asuna and the rest.
Once everyone had their accommodations sorted, the ferry slowly approached the shore. After it docked at the pier, the staff notified the passengers, and everyone disembarked in an orderly fashion, passing through security to enter the island.
The group lined up with the crowd, pulling out their admission notices. When it was Ren's group's turn, the security personnel merely glanced at the documents in their hands and immediately let them through.
Just as Natsuki Minamiya had said, this thing was an all-access pass here. It worked better than anything else, so they didn't need to go through any complicated procedures.
Entering the island with ease, Ren and the others began looking for cars to take them to the hotel. There were plenty of taxis outside the pier, making it relatively easy to hail a ride. Since they had just arrived and weren't familiar with the local rules, Ren didn't want to just run wildly through the streets.
Therefore, taking a taxi was the only option. It would take about an hour's drive from the pier to their hotel.
Ren shared a car with Haruhime, Hestia, and Asuna, while the others followed behind in different taxis. The driver remained silent during the trip.
Ren and the girls were captivated by the scenery outside the window. As the evening sky gradually darkened, Ren suddenly felt a fluctuation of Magic Power. Looking closely into the distance, a massive energy barrier suddenly rose, instantly enveloping the entire island.
A flash of astonishment crossed Ren's eyes as he watched the scene. *What an extravagant display.* This energy shield completely covered the island, and it was an incredibly powerful Array Magic.
*Using the entire island as a foundation?* Ren couldn't help but exclaim in awe, "That's amazing. An Array Magic that covers the entire island... This whole place is one giant magic workshop!"
Hearing Ren's words, Asuna and Hestia also looked outside, their eyes filled with equal shock. Even Hestia was amazed—despite being a goddess, she had never seen something so absurd.
The previously silent driver couldn't help but chime in upon hearing their conversation. "This Magic Circle is the combined achievement of several different worlds. Spectacular, isn't it? It gets even more magnificent late at night."
The group's interest was immediately piqued, and they began chatting with the driver. Hestia asked curiously, "Is that all it does? Does this barrier have any other functions?"
The driver nodded, explaining as he drove, "This barrier has quite a few functions. As long as you're on the island, once this Magic Circle activates, your [Meditation] speed will increase. The effect is especially strong over by Nexus University."
The entire Magic Circle was connected to the dragon veins beneath the ocean floor. What they could see above ground was only part of it; the true spectacle was the connection deep underwater.
The driver gave them a brief introduction, suggesting they go check it out when they had free time. The best time to visit was at night, when they could clearly see the Magic Power tides at the bottom of the sea. The viewing spot was located right near Nexus University.
Listening to the driver's explanation, everyone gained a basic understanding of the island's features. It was truly something to look forward to. It seemed they would be seeing a lot of incredible things in the near future.
Ren and the others learned a lot from the driver along the way. Time slipped by quietly amidst his introductions, and they soon arrived at the hotel.
Confirming their arrival on their phones, Ren and his group got out of the car. After waiting a moment, the other taxis arrived one after another. Once everyone gathered, they checked into the hotel, showing their IDs to get their room cards.
Fortunately, all their rooms were on the same floor, which made things much more convenient. After getting their cards, everyone headed upstairs to rest, planning to report to the university first thing in the morning. Bell Cranel ended up sharing a room with Ren since he hadn't managed to book one, so they would just have to make do for the night.
The night passed without incident. When everyone woke up the next morning, they gathered together, went downstairs to check out, and began heading toward Nexus University. Stepping out of the hotel, they were met with the fiercest sunlight of the day.
There was no winter on Nexus Island, only summer, as it was located in a subtropical region. Even though it was morning, the sun was incredibly intense.
The girls in the class looked up at the blazing sun and froze. They seemed to have forgotten to bring sunscreen? No one had told them it would be this sunny! Wasn't this basically asking for their lives?