Chapter 21: Academy Life Begins
The next morning.
Aisha woke to the chime of a clock, her body adjusting to a bed too soft and clean. It was too unlike the concrete floors and cardboard boxes she once called a bed.
For a moment, she simply lay there, staring at the ceiling where holographic vines swayed lazily.
She sat up eventually.
Daisy arrived shortly after, bringing along a crisp uniform ironed and pressed to perfection.
It was a simple, high-collared white blazer trimmed with pale gold thread, paired with a short pleated skirt and knee-high boots. A small emblem of a star cradled inside a ring, the crest of the Imperial Star Academy, was stitched over the breast pocket.
"Here’s your uniform, Miss," Daisy laid the dress on the bed, smoothing the wrinkles with careful hands. "I made sure to have it altered before you arrived since I noticed you’ve gotten a bit thinner than usual."
Aisha nodded, touching the fabric. It was soft, and the fabric felt weightless in her hand. She dressed quickly, letting Daisy help her with the collar and the ribbon at her neck.
Then she looked in the mirror.
A girl stared back at her, looking every part of a pale, elegant, and untouched by hardship young lady.
It was almost funny, she thought, how she would have never imagined she’d get to wear this kind of clothing. Not even in her dreams.
***
Breakfast was held at the dining hall on the first floor. The table was long enough for twenty people to sit. But today, only four people were present.
Aisha’s father, Dominic Novalis, was already engrossed in reading something off a floating screen, barely sparing her a glance when she arrived.
It didn’t surprise her. Dominic has never shown any sign that he liked her in her memories. Besides, he had never been present in most of his children’s lives, more concerned with expanding his merchant fleet than paying attention to family matters.
"Good morning, sister!"
Irene’s voice cheerfully greeted her as Aisha slid into her chair, a wide smile stretched across her lips.
Aisha glanced at her, only offering a small nod in return before turning her attention to the ’food’ in front of her.
She did not expect it after yesterday. But this was... simply torture.
In front of her was a bowl of pale broth. It was some kind of milky soup that looked more like spilled milk. Some kind of protein cube. And a side of nutrient paste shaped to resemble fruit.
"..."
Now staring at her plate, the appetite she struggled to revive was extinguished.
Even in her original world, expired canned food looked more appetizing than what they served her.
Reluctantly, she picked up her spoon anyway and brought a mouthful to her lips. It tasted exactly like it looked—bland, artificial, and missing whatever it was that made food taste like food.
A servant poured a drink into her cup.
Aisha quickly recognized it as the same one as the tea she drank at the hospital. After talking with Daisy last night, even though plants and crops are almost extinct in this world, it didn’t mean they were completely out of things of the relic.
For example, a planet called Yato was able to capture a creature that attacks with a strange power. It produced a powder that tasted bitter but refreshing.
Another example is that inside some contaminated zones, a mutated tree-like creature would release a sweet sap whenever it was wounded.
There were also other things that were still being checked for improvements. However, due to their uniqueness and being tainted by miasma, they’re only limited, and some are even unreleased to the public yet.
"Oh, Mother, thank you so much for this!"
Irene’s excited voice pulled Aisha from her thoughts. She looked up at the edge of her cup to see Irene holding up a bracelet. It was a bracelet made of silver chains with small, glowing stones that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat."
"It’s a stabilizer bracelet," Erika explained, a proud smile on her lips. "It’ll help regulate your psychic output. I asked for it especially from your father, to have these stones imported from the Lyrian planet. Only S-ranks are given priority access to it."
"I love it." Irene turned her wrist this way and that. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she glanced toward Aisha with an expression carefully arranged to look sheepish. "Ah, sister. I’m sorry. I should’ve asked Mother to get you something too when I requested this from her. That was inconsiderate of me."
Having her room taken from her deeply affected her. It was the first time Irene felt defeated by Aisha. All this time, everything was going well for her. Everyone was at her beck and call. Those who were on her older sister’s side now turned their backs on her. Aisha had become a detestable person in everyone’s eyes.
With her S-rank guiding ability, it was easy for her to tweak their perception a tiny bit. It takes a lot of mental power and gives her a huge migraine, but Irene liked this ability a lot.
It proves just how much having S-rank can be so important.
"It’s fine," Aisha replied. "As long as you’re happy, you have one."
The table fell into a brief pause.
Even Irene couldn’t stop herself from frowning. But watching Aisha fall silent and lower her face, she mistook it for her being upset and jealous.
Satisfied by this conclusion, Irene resumed her breakfast.
***
Since it was already time to get back to the academy, Erika arranged for both her daughters to go together.
After all, she was also considering that Aisha had just been released from the hospital. So, she thought having Irene, who was always worried about her, next to her would lessen her worries.
The ride to the Imperial Star Academy took nearly thirty minutes by flying shuttle.
A sprawling complex of white stone and glass was divided into different wings that stretched far beyond. Training grounds the size of stadiums. Research towers that pierced through the clouds. A massive glass dome that, according to Aisha’s memories, housed the school’s grand stadium, capable of seating tens of thousands of people.
Students in uniforms streamed in from every direction, and hover platforms busily ferried them from different districts of the city.
Erika hadn’t come with them as she already had plans with her friends.
Once they stepped out of their flying shuttle, Irene made it a point to walk beside Aisha, offering pleasant smiles to those who recognized her.
Aisha had to give it to her.
To be honest, if people weren’t staring at her, she would have clapped already.
Irene wanted everyone to see them, and see how caring and devoted a sister she was, that despite everything Aisha had done, she was still able to accept her.
"This way, sister," Irene said sweetly, guiding Aisha toward the main hall.
They walked quite a distance from where they came from. And when they finally reached a door, presumably their classroom, Irene suddenly gasped.
"Oh, no. This is no longer your classroom, sister."
At the same time, the door in front of them opened.