Bit late but here is the Chapter, hope you all enjoy!
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Chapter 5:
Ze just wished for the goddamn lesson to end at this point.
Everyone else was hanging on this beauty’s lips, closely listening to each word except for him that is as he held little to no interest for the backstory of this teacher.
Sure it was fascinating that you are currently single and finished your degree as one of the youngest people ever but was this really relevant at the moment?!
It was a bit strange as normally you wouldn’t see a teacher boast like that about herself but maybe she thought telling the class about her past would bring them all a little closer and it did have the desired effect on most of them.
Glancing around he only saw a few people that had the same confused or even annoyed expression on their faces that he also held.
Clearly he wasn’t the only one hoping she would move on to either more important things or for the entire lesson to just end.
If this was how his Semester would look like he rather one of the Yokai would rip his head off now instead of having to listen to her endless chatter.
“Well then, now that I introduced myself to you all some more I would love to hear about each and every single one of you.
If you don’t want to you naturally don’t have to talk about much but at least your name and age would be great to know, not only for me but for the others in this class too.
I am sure many of you want to make friends as soon as possible but how should you do that without even knowing each other’s names?”
With a brilliant smile that could warm even the coldest of hearts she looked around, waiting for someone to take the first step.
After a while one of her admirers, naturally a young and hot blooded male, stood up and introduced himself.
“My name is Jonathan Medley, 16 years old and from Ohio. Currently not in a relationship and from the Horsemen clan.”
Clapping her porcelain hands happily she gave him her thanks and looked around for other volunteers.
Like the trickling of the first rain the first few introductions were a bit rigid and stiff but soon enough everyone got used to it and it went from one seat to the next in an orderly fashion.
Ze tried to memorize most names but it wasn’t easy to do so he just made some reminders in the back of his head like “Johnathan the Horse-guy” or “Cristal the Jaguar-girl”.
Simple things like that helped him keep a few names but the rest was lost after only a few seconds.
When it was the girl’s turn next to him he paid a little more attention as she was someone that had piqued his interest, although only because of the misunderstandings and her tendency to always end up in the same boat with him as if via some rather cruel joke of fate.
He could see the nervousness on her face as she stood there with all eyes on her person.
“M-my name is Marianne Taylor, I am 15 years old and from the Rabbitmen clan.”
Quickly sitting down once again with slightly red cheeks that were somewhat hidden by her bangs he couldn’t help the smile that formed on his face as he watched this rather cute sight.
Completely distracted for a few seconds he didn’t even notice the silence and eyes that had fallen on him.
Only now did some people realize that he still had his hood up in class and no one had really seen his face.
Clearing her throat, Sarah was finally able to draw his attention as she stared at Ze with slightly wrinkled brows even though she still showed the same smile.
“Well then young man, don’t you want to show everyone your face and tell them who you are?”
Glancing around the room and seeing all the Yokais that stared back he couldn’t help but feel a shiver running down his spine as he slowly shook his head.
This time the smile was no longer present on her face but she still tried to go about things politely.
“Well I as your teacher want you to at least state your name and age even if you are being rude to your classmates with that hood of yours up.”
Honestly, Ze was nearly 99% sure that not one of the people in the room really cared if they saw his face or not, the only one he was being rude to was the teacher but he had no intention to give them a piece of information about himself that could be traced back.
His goal was to avoid any evidence he had ever been or was currently here and keep a low profile while at the same time faking a mysterious and dangerous role well enough that he would be left alone.
He couldn’t give them his real name so he said the first thing that came to mind if he used the short form of his name.
“Zero, 15 years old.”
.....
She felt the same fear in her bones when Mary saw the smile in the darkness of his hood that was directed towards her.
It was as if death itself was smiling at her.
Turning her head hastily to the side she noticed all the looks he was getting at this point.
“Well then young man, don’t you want to show everyone your face and tell them who you are?”
This single sentence once again raised some interest inside her even if he was quite a scary guy.
She knew literally nothing about him except that he was male.
Maybe with this she could feel a bit safer after knowing what kind of Yokai he was.
Just like the rest of the people around Mary looked expectantly at the hood but was soon enough shocked and disappointed when she saw him boldly shake his head.
Were they all not worthy in his eyes?
Just where the hell did this arrogance stem from?
Not being able to get an answer she could only agree with Sarah’s next words that he was being quite rude to everyone by hiding his face.
It couldn’t be that he was so ugly that he felt the need to hide it right?
Just like before she waited for a response and for the first time he spoke.
“Zero, 15 years old.”
It was a cold and detached voice, void of emotion.
Unlike what one might expect from a 15 year old teenager it held a rather deep tone that one would normally associate with a middle aged man so it was clear that at least in that department he was already an adult.
Unable to control the thought as to where else he was already an adult too she quickly locked those thoughts away.
Was it the same for boys or did really everyone have to only think of one thing when they were teenagers and full of raging hormones?
Mary really couldn’t wait for puberty to finally end as it was starting to get on her nerves.
One thing she did find strange from his response was the supposedly ‘name’ he had given.
What the hell was ‘Zero’ for a name?
Did his parents label him as useless from the very moment he was born?
And where the hell was his last name at, I mean surely he had one right?
Unable to make heads or tails of the entire thing she decided to forget about it for now.
No use thinking about it if there was no clear answer at the moment.
Mary also had no intention to ever talk with him again after the previous events so she would probably never know what the story was behind his name but it didn’t really bothered her much as she listened to introductions of the remaining students.
It was clear that Sarah had, at least for now, given up to get more out of Zero as he straight up just ignored her repeated question if his name had been some kind of sick joke or not.
Noticing the angry glare this previously lovely teacher kept sending the guy’s way Mary couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him.
It was true that it was his own fault but that all of this escalating into him making an enemy out of their homeroom teacher felt somewhat undeserved to her.
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Once again shooting another look Zero’s way she bit her lip and decided to give talking with Sarah after the class a try to maybe dissipate some of the clear anger she currently felt for the troublemaker in her class.
After all he was a young Yokai like them so it wouldn’t be unusual if he acted like this as a self-defense mechanism, to keep everyone away so he wouldn’t himself get hurt.
At least something along those lines was Mary’s current guess to explain her new classmate’s rather strange behavior.
.....
It took quite a while but finally the teacher started talking about things that seemed important in Ze’s mind.
“Today really is only an introduction day, so you all feel a bit more at home and to give you a clear picture of your time here as a student.
Tomorrow morning we will have you participate in a physical exam to see how well your control over your powers are and especially what kind of ability you possess so make sure to sleep early to give it your all!”
Showing everyone except Ze a smile she told the class to stand up as she would guide them to the dorm and their rooms now.
He couldn’t help but feel a bit of dread as tomorrow would probably be the day that they found out that he was human considering that he had no powers to speak of and would fail any examination that took them into account.
Just how the hell was he going to get out of this mess!?
Suppressing the trembling of his hands he tried to calm down and formed a plan to gather information.
First things first he needed to know more about Yokais and their powers, maybe he could fake or make an excuse tomorrow if he knew what this was all about so the first place he had to visit after this was over was the library.
It might be a bit unjustified that he feared Yokais to this extent but it was no understatement that they were clearly dangerous as there had been more than one incident were bullied Yokai children went completely berserk and slaughtered entire classrooms with their powers.
Just the reports were enough to make someone’s stomach turn in fright and were the sole reason even more tension had started to build up between Human and Yokai kind.
The threat to his own life was very real currently so he had no time to relax and needed a solid plan or everything was over.
Following Sarah’s lead, 30+ students from class C-1 left the main building and crossed over the running track as well as a grassy hill before reaching a pretty big complex of buildings that were all linked together.
“These are the dorms you will be staying in, you will mostly use the main entrance here to access your room as the back exit is only used for emergency purposes so please keep that in mind.”
The entire thing looked very much like an apartment building just instead of being very tall it only had 2 floors as far as Ze could tell and stretched out quite a distance.
The lobby at the entrance even had a reception desk and a number of keys just like in a hotel hung at a wall behind it.
“You all will get one set of keys for your room and should you lose it there is a spare one here with Jarred but I hope you do take care of it as whoever finds your lost key can enter your room at will.”
Glancing especially towards the girls, Sarah introduced them all to Jarred and Ze was shortly after handed his own room key.
The number ‘1393’ was engraved on a little keychain together with it so as long as he didn’t lose it he would have no problem of finding his way back.
“Each class has their room numbers close together so if you want to visit a friend you don’t have to go far but even if there are people from different classes you want to find it isn’t really a problem.”
Pointing at a corner where stairs lead upwards they could all see a sign with an arrow pointing upwards and the letters ‘1000-2000, A-J’
“There are currently a lot of spare rooms for each class as next year a lot more students will arrive and rooms are not divided by year but class letters.
So 1000-1100 are for example reserved for all 3 years of the classes A-1 to A-3.
It is a pretty simple system if you get used to it.
The first two floors are personal rooms for the students while the ground floor is where everyone can spend their spare time, we have a lounge, play room, canteen, assembly hall for announcements and much more here so feel free to wander around a bit today after I show you your room so you get a feel for it all and know where to go.
If you are confused just ask Jarred at the reception desk and he will help you out, the way to the exit is always shown by signs so you don’t have to be worried that you will get lost in here even if it is a pretty big complex.
Alright, I think it’s time I showed you your rooms.”
Followed by an angelic smile she ascended the stairs together with the rest of the class and quite a few males couldn’t help but stare at her round behind that was in full view while walking upstairs, only the occasional elbow thrust into a liver by a few female classmates could stop them from staring with an open mouth.
Ze for one couldn’t help but shake his head at this scene.
For him her well rounded ass had little to no attraction considering she was a Yokai, as far as he knew her Vagina could have literal teeth so that was a big turn off in his book.
Walking down long corridors that were well lit by sunlight falling through the window front they followed the signs and soon enough reached the right section.
“Alright, one more thing before I go.
Should there be any problem you don’t know what to do about, remember that I as your teacher also live in this dorm.
Teachers reside on the bottom floor and there are signs too but if you still don’t find your way just ask Jarred, I am always happy to help any of you.”
Turning around with her long golden hair fluttering from the motion, she left the students of class C-1 to their own devices.
Without even paying any attention to the rest of the class Ze immediately took his key and looked for his room.
He could feel a few looks following his back but they soon enough disappeared as he turned a corner.
Time was of the essence here and he needed a place where he could relax and be himself desperately so his own room that no one else would enter was currently the only thing on his mind.
Soon enough a door with the letters ‘1393’ engraved into it showed up before him.
Trying his best to keep his hand steady he inserted the key and turned the lock.
With a click that sounded like music in his ears he opened the door, went inside and closed it behind him.
Right away all the pressure that had been pressing down on his shoulders since he found out that this was Yokai academy, the entire uncaring mask he had put on while steeling his heart, all of it disappeared.
With his trembling knees unable to support his weight anymore he leaned against the closed door as he slowly slid to the floor.
Putting both palms of his hands over his eyes he let out a low shout of anger and desperation.
“Just what the hell am I supposed to do now?”
Ze asked himself in the twilight of his new home.
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Now then, with this ends the introduction bit of the Academy and Ze's circumstances.
Hope I was able to interest at least a few of you with this new story as we are finally getting into the real meat of it all. :)
Should there be any mistakes please to tell below and hope you all have an enjoyable weekend!
PS: B&S weekend but I couldn't play much until now because of writing and taking care of my eye T-T not fair...
Abbadon out!