I exited the council room doom, looking back at Chairman Homura, smiling with a wave.

“We’ll be in touch. And congratulations on being accepted into the program. You should be very proud.” He said.

I nodded and closed the door.

My shoulders were still tense from the council members' barrage. I tried to slow my breathing, count to ten, even think of things I enjoyed, like fluffy espresso cups and cookies, to calm myself down. But nothing worked.

I couldn’t stop picturing them huddling around me. Their laughs echoed and bounced off the walls, striking me like passing static. It was like I was still in the room with them. The more it continued, the more indignant I became, but it also… made me terrified.

I rubbed my forearm, nudging the aiguillette resting on my shoulder. Damn Toshiaki, Chihiro, Aisha… all of them! I snatched the aiguilette from my uniform and raised it into the air. All of them will pay for making me feel so… so…!

“Reina, you alright?” Tiger asked while walking down the hall.

On his side were Paige and two other students, a boy and a girl.

I wiped the corner of my eyes and hid the aiguilette behind my back. “Why wouldn’t I be? And how did you get up here?”

“That enormous crowd dispersed once they announced the examination was for first-years only. After they gave the results and cleared things up, everyone chilled out.” Tiger said.

He raised his hand but curled it back, acting as if he wanted to say something. Paige then walked in front of me. Her eyes were on the verge of tears as she slowly wrapped her arms around me. The warmth she produced washed over my body. I hadn’t felt like that for a long time.

“I’m so sorry, Reina. What they did to you is awful.” She whispered, nuzzling her face into my shoulder.

“What… what do you mean by that?” I asked.

One student on Tiger’s right adjusted his glasses, revealing a calculated, sharp gaze.

“The council released a live video feed of the incident, along with recordings that have circled the school. That’s when Tiger wanted to come find you, so here we are.” He said matter-of-factly.

He had tousled dark-brown hair, brown eyes, and an aura of shrewd intelligence and confidence. It felt like I met him before.

“You must be Chase Winchester. And if that’s the case, the girl next to you is Kimberly Monroe.” I said.

“Oooh, she’s calling us by our first and last name, so formal! She’s exactly the same as her in-game persona. Tiger was spot on!” Kimberly said with a smiling grin.

Her black hair was styled into a ponytail with short bangs, and she had round emerald eyes. She spoke fast, with a soft Irish accent. And from her bright introduction and forwardness, I could already tell she was quite gregarious.

I looked at Paige and smiled the best I could. “I’m alright now. Thank you. I needed that.”

She smiled back and stepped to the side.

“We were told about this new metaverse program for leadership potential or whatever. Let’s go to the meeting. We’ll talk this later.” Tiger said, then turned around.

Paige grabbed my hand as we began walking down the hall, her humming by my side as I grit my teeth.

“Tiger told us what you did for us, getting us into the program and all. Don’t worry Reina, we’ve got your back!” Kimberly said, looking back with a thumbs up.

Tiger nodded and crossed his arms. “You’re still a club member, and club members stick together.”

Chase adjusted his glasses while glancing with a side-eye, sprouting a brief smile before turning back around.

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Oh god. How low have I fallen… to be pitied by these gamer rejects.. complete nobodies… I never thought I’d be in this position.

We reached a classroom a few doors down, with a textual hologram floating beside the doorway.

“CT-A1? What does that stand for?” Paige asked.

“Don’t know, but I guess we’re about to find out,” Tiger said, pressing his hand on the door.

Unlike the usual silence of apathetic elite students who looked straight forward at their desks, we entered a clamorous classroom, with everyone staring back at us. All of them wore uniforms from different high schools and academies.

The chairs had holographic texts of names for student placements. Positioned by the window, I sat in the second-to-last row with an empty chair next to me. I sat down and closed my eyes, making sure not to make eye contact with anyone. I wanted to make it clear to my neighbors that you should avoid talking to me because I’m not amiable. But obviously, someone didn’t get the memo.

“Hey. What’s your name?” A girl’s voice asked to my right.

She then poked my shoulder.

“I know you can hear me. Are you deaf?”

“Why don’t you leave her alone? She obviously doesn’t want to talk.” Another girl said to my left. “Don’t worry about Isabella. She’s known to be quite vexing, and socially inept.”

Isabella’s chair rattled as she stood. “And how am I socially inept? All I’m trying to do is make conversation!”

“Can you idiots shut the hell up? No one wants to deal with your talkative demeanor, especially the council girl.” Another girl’s voice said behind me.

“W-what the…?! How dare you call me an idiot!” Isabella growled.

They continued going back and forth for who knows how long. All the while, I was contemplating how this entire conversation started when I resided reticent.

Another chair a few rows up scratched against the floor. I opened my eyes and looked at the girl glaring at me as if I were her worst enemy. She was Arabian, with long legs, olive skin, and straight-black hair braided with gold lockets.

“We’ve been accepted into one of the best schools in Yenagree, and this is how you represent your districts? Compose yourselves.”

Her words sliced through the air like daggers, and her overwhelmingly stoic aura made the entire room hush their conversations, no matter how small. She then sat back down and crossed her legs.

If I had to guess, that was Leila Abbas.

The door at the front of the class flew open. A woman with dark skin entered, wearing a white business suit and a black hoodless puffer jacket draped over her shoulders. Her black hair formed a ponytail that ran down her back, resembling a bundle of coils. A few strands fell between her slender, lilac eyes.

She had a distinct eye color. She must’ve had a successful cyber-tech implantation.

She stopped at the front of the class, pressed a button on her black choker Proatrix, and began scrolling through holo-screens with attentive eyes. A few of the students murmured, and then a student in the first row stood with an arrogant flare.

“Hey, lady! We took your stupid test, so mind telling us what we’re planning next? The anticipation is killing me!” The boy said while smacking his fist into his palm.

He began stroking his spiky-brown pompadour, matching his amber eyes. I could tell he was around my age, but he had a muscular physique that would’ve put most adult instructors here to shame. From that light-brown school blazer, it was probable he was from the Voxatel district.

The woman continued to scroll down the screens, ignoring the boy’s taunt. She then sighed and swiped all the screens away.

“Right. I’m not good with introductions or presentations, so please bear with me. My name is Nicole Riseheart. I’m the head of Virtual Engagement Open Forums or VEOF at NAVE. To give you an example of my duties, I essentially collect data from our virtual ware and find ways to improve statistics such as daily player counts.” Nicole said.

She tapped her Proatrix, then the air, causing three holo-screens to appear in front of us.

“On behalf of NAVE, I must congratulate you all for getting this far. Thousands of students were tested and only the top thirty students were selected to join this program. You can see your rankings on the first screen in front of you. You are all designated as CT-A1, the CT standing for class track. The top six students are designated as CT-S1. There is no differentiation other than the difference in your LPL, or Leadership Potential Level.

“Your LPL was first calculated by the examination given to you today. However, these qualitative values, ranging from Excellent to Unsatisfactory, can increase or decrease based on your interactions and actions in the metaverse and your academic studies.”

Some students gasped and fidgeted in their seats.

“Is it true that we get to play and learn in the Callixtus game world?” A girl in the second row asked.

Nicole nodded. “Yes, that is true. NAVE has partnered with Seya Academy to introduce a new learning protocol using Callixtus at its core structure. I will act as your facilitator. This protocol involves a minimum of two hours of open lecture, one hour of free study, and the rest of the time in the metaverse.”

The students squealed and whooped in excitement, seeming to startle Nicole as she coughed in her fist.

“As of right now, you’re all officially students under Seya, meaning you’re to uphold their school rules, along with some NAVE has set out for you. Starting today, you’re expected to stay on campus in student lodging. We will randomly place you in dormitories, but you have the option to live with up to three other students. We will allot a week's provisions to your space upon arrival, however, we expect you to work for continuous support."

“What is that supposed to mean? You’re saying all that like we’re stuck here or something,” Isabella blurted out.