Chapter 16: First Day
Shani didn’t dwell on it any longer. With her fingerprint, she unlocked the door and entered her room.
The dorm room was designed for a single student. Besides the student’s bed, there was also a baby beast bed that was about half the size of the regular one.
The facilities were surprisingly complete. There was a walk-in closet, a spacious balcony, and even a dedicated freezer for storing baby beast food.
"The cafeteria, gym, and library are all on the fourth floor. You already have access to them," Damon explained, glancing at his smartwatch as if he were in a hurry.
"On the first day of the semester, all first-year students will gather in Panther Hall on the third floor. By then, everyone should have arrived, so you can get to know your classmates."
He checked his smartwatch again. "Something unexpected came up. I have to go. Contact me if you need anything."
Shani nodded and walked Damon to the door. She waited until she saw him enter the elevator before returning to her room.
After unpacking her luggage and sending her new address to the store in Lunarion so they could ship the uniform and study materials she had purchased, Shani focused on reading the e-books for the courses she would be taking this semester.
Over the following days, she spent most of her time on the fourth floor.
She trained in the gym, ate in the cafeteria, and searched the library for additional books and study materials to supplement the e-books she already had.
She didn’t waste a single moment.
She had to catch up with the other freshmen, who, despite being first-year students, had already been exposed to much more knowledge about baby beasts and beastman abilities.
Two days before the semester officially began, Shani stopped leaving her room except to visit the cafeteria.
She didn’t want to accidentally run into Vivianne or her maid.
Even though Vivianne didn’t know what she looked like, Shani was afraid she wouldn’t be able to control her anger if she saw that face again.
Inside her room, she spent her time reading while occasionally exchanging messages with Aster, Mina, and Cedric.
Unlike other academies, Grand Academy allowed students to use smartwatches freely.
The academy wasn’t worried about students getting distracted.
If they allowed themselves to be distracted, they would be the ones who suffered. They would simply be expelled.
...
The first day of the semester finally arrived.
Shani stepped out of her room wearing Grand Academy’s uniform, its silver embroidery marking her as a student of Feline Tower.
Just outside, the door to Room 29 opened, and a young woman with light blue hair stepped out.
Shani immediately recognized that this girl was one of the privileged students.
"Hi! Are you heading to the main hall?" the girl greeted cheerfully.
Shani had intended to ignore her, but since she’d already been spoken to, she had no choice but to respond.
"My name is Kiranna Blackwood. Just call me Kiran. What’s your name?" the light-blue-haired girl introduced herself as they walked down the dorm hallway.
Shani recognized the Blackwood family as one of the ten most prestigious families in the Argenor Kingdom, although she didn’t know their exact ranking or Beast Gene.
"Shani Rowan," she replied with an awkward smile.
Kiran seemed completely oblivious to Shani’s awkwardness. She immediately started talking about how nervous and excited she was.
The more Shani listened, the more confused she became.
’Kiran is obviously from Argenor Kingdom, but she acts like she’s unfamiliar with this place. Did she only move here after finding out her Beast Gene was feline?’
Shani didn’t even have to ask. Kiran answered the question herself.
"I’m living here with my uncle and the rest of the Blackwood family. My parents are still back home, not in Argenor. They’re in..."
Ding!
Before Kiran could finish, the elevator doors opened, revealing a crowd of students.
Instantly, the noisy chatter flooded Shani’s ears, drowning out Kiran’s voice.
"Don’t crowd the hallway! There’s no point waiting for your friends. Your seats have already been assigned. You can’t just sit wherever you want!"
The woman shouting looked to be in her thirties.
No one listened. She sighed in frustration.
"This is Grand Academy, not your family’s mansion. No one is going to spoil you here. Get inside. Now."
Several students looked offended and immediately talked back.
"Let’s go," Shani said, quickly pulling Kiran along.
Kiran was still frozen by the chaos unfolding before her. Shani had no intention of getting caught up in it.
Inside the main hall, things were much quieter than outside.
Staff members scanned their student badges before directing them to their assigned seats.
The two girls ended up sitting side by side.
Shani quickly scanned the room. There wasn’t a single person with silver hair. One student had grayish hair, and another had light blond hair, but no silver.
She quietly let out a sigh of relief. Vivianne hadn’t arrived yet.
Shani leaned slightly toward Kiran, lowering herself enough that anyone entering the hall wouldn’t immediately notice her silver hair.
Kiran looked puzzled, but she didn’t object. She was too fascinated by the silky silver hair cascading over Shani’s shoulder.
It didn’t take long for the students outside to finally enter the hall.
Somehow, the staff had managed to herd them all inside.
Shani caught a glimpse of silver hair passing nearby. The owner didn’t seem to notice someone else with the same hair color.
Shani forced herself not to look. She knew without a doubt that it was Vivianne.
The hall contained only first-year students. There were exactly one hundred freshmen.
Even with several instructors and staff members present, the spacious hall still felt somewhat empty.
A few moments later, the headmaster stepped onto the stage to deliver his opening speech.
"Feline Tower has long been the pride of Grand Novabeast Academy. With all of you, the next generation, our tower will only grow stronger. Not only must you preserve the glory of Feline Tower, but you must also make it the greatest tower of all..."
Shani quickly realized the headmaster wasn’t congratulating the new students for being admitted to Grand Academy.
Instead, he was telling them that they were expected to become the pride of Feline Tower.
She could already sense the fierce rivalry between the towers.
Thinking back to Thorne and Nevie, she realized they weren’t simply fanatics devoted to their own tower.
They had been taught to think that way.
...