Within the main halls of the prestigious academy, he headed back towards the elevators leading to his dorm. Along the way, some students had already returned, some of which were a bit too excited by his presence.
"Yo! You're Seven, aren't you?!" A student with an afro asked. "You were awesome out there–I mean, totally!"
"A Proto-Reaper…I don't even think a whole army of tanks could bring one down, but you did!" A boy with round-rimmed glasses excitedly claimed.
While he was flattered by the attention, almost a bit too much as his cheeks were left flushed, he was a bit occupied with the idea of getting a change of uniform, seeing as his torso was left bare.
"Thanks, but can we talk later?--" He dismissed the newfound fans.
The afro student nodded, holding his hands up, "O-oh, yeah, totally! You must be busy!"
"Sorry!" The one with the glasses quickly bowed his head.
"It's alright–thanks, again!" He said, waving them off as he hurried towards the elevator.
Through the vast, glass windows of the halls, he could see dozens of students approaching from outside, likely returning from the "welcome ceremony" he put on. Preferring to avoid being swarmed further, he hurried into the translucent lift.
"How do I operate this thing again…?" He mumbled, looking around the interior in a hurry.
By the opened doors of the elevator, he found a digital screen asking for a fingerprint, along with a slot meant for a keycard–an item he entirely forgot in his rush.
'Shit,' he thought.
As all hope was lost in avoiding the crowd, he watched as slender fingers guided a keycard into the slot, along with a thumb being pressed against the screen. Welcoming herself into the advanced lift alongside him, the familiar sight of brunette hair greeted him.
"This is what they call good timing, isn't it?" May looked up at him with a wink, sliding her keycard out as the elevator doors began to close.
A sigh left his lips, "Yeah, great timing."
Again, it was hardly better being left in such a condition while alone on the elevator with the extroverted girl. As it traveled down the depths of the vast academy, he could feel her eyes on his body, or his face–he couldn't exactly tell without looking.
"Seeing it for myself, it's almost too hard to believe–almost," May remarked, holding her hands behind her back as the lift hummed in its descent.
"Almost?"
"The Fulminare have wiped out the idea of "unbelievable" with the sorts of things they can do," May explained, looking up at him. "Though, I'd say you definitely took everyone by surprise."
The elevator reached the specialized sector, opening up as they entered the pristine hall.
"Hey, wait in the lounge area, alright?" May requested, clapping her hands together as she walked in front of him.
"Why?"
"I think a party is in order–nothin' fancy! I just think you oughta meet the others!" May declared.
While the idea was certainly one he was less than enthusiastic about, he didn't decline. First on the agenda was stopping by his dorm for a change of clothes, then bringing himself to the sofas in the center of the lavish lounge.
The idea of a social gathering wasn't exactly a concept he was all too familiar with, leaving him a tad nervous as he sat there before–
"Hyup."
"Huh–?"
Right beside him, a figure plopped down without a care, one he recognized: the student with shaggy, black hair and a matching tank top that showcased his toned, tattooed arms. If there was any semblance of a dress code at Bastian, he certainly ignored it.
"That was an impressive performance earlier. Nice moves," the man with dark bags under his eyes complimented without much enthusiasm in his voice.
May returned to the lounge, alongside a few others, though she was kind enough to introduce the tattooed, dreary-looking man beside the new student.
"Shin Kuromiya," May relayed. "Rank Number Three, a specialist in camouflage technology–the only person capable of using it without drawbacks. He always looks tired and has a glare about him, but he's a nice guy! Oh, he's managed to take down a Reaver!"
"A Reaver?! Seriously? Aren't those things the size of trains?" Seven said in surprise, looking at the one beside him.
Shin scratched the scruff on his chin, avoiding any eye contact as if trying to brush off the excitement, "...It wasn't a big deal. I managed to get the jump on it, so the only problem was knowing where to stab to pierce its brain stem. It doesn't matter how big something is if you can destroy its brain function."
Across from them, a notably short girl with short, pink hair laughed, setting her bare feet on the screen of the stand in the middle, "Don't get Shin started! He's a total alien anatomy freak! Ha-ha!"
"Shut it, will ya, Lily?" Shin sighed tiredly, ruffling his hair.
May stood behind the rather energetic girl, playfully petting the head of pink hair, "Lily Mandara, rank number four. She's got a penchant for chemical warfare—a real war criminal, just kidding!"
"Yup! There's no war crimes against aliens!" Lily laughed innocently.
It was a bit unnerving to imagine what sort of horrific conditions were made by such a bright smile, though he chose to laugh with them.
'That's a little concerning…' He thought.
Lily leaned forward with a curious look, leaning her face on both her palms. The flower-like pupils of hers locked onto the new member of the special dorms, as if studying his atoms.
"You're made of sturdy stuff, aren'tcha?" Lily asked, humming to herself as she suddenly hopped up.
"Huh?!"
He leaned back, though that certainly wasn't enough as the energetic girl welcomed herself into his personal space. Before he could protest, he was being felt up, specifically his muscles as the curious student studied his frame.
"Rock solid! It's like your body is a natural suit of steel armor!" Lily said with a bright smile.
"Thanks…?" He responded.
While he endured the curiosity of his peer, the short, pink menace was picked up by the collar of her uniform like a kitten.
"Settle down, Lily. You're going to scare the guy away."
Reprimanding the girl with a playful tone was a rather tall man with long, golden hair. No, "tall" wasn't doing it justice—the person that scuffed the chemist was closer to seven feet than to six.
"Yo," the blonde man greeted, setting the girl down without paying any mind to her tantrum. "The name is Alexander."
A hand was extended to him, which he stood up to properly return the greeting, "Seven—"
As he gave his name, he immediately found his hand attempting to be crushed in the larger grip of the tall, brawny figure.
[Physical tension detected. Adjusting strength and bone density.]
"Oh?—" Alexander reacted in surprise, pulling his hand away with a sharp wince. "As expected, you're built of different stuff."
"You're pretty extraordinary yourself," Seven remarked, looking at his hand.
While it had taken a moment to adapt, the momentary pressure placed on the back of his hand left some bruising.
May stepped down into the dip where the circular sofa was, properly introducing the towering peer, "Alexander Galanos, Rank One. He was born with Thor Syndrome, giving him muscle density dozens of times greater than the average person."
"Thor Syndrome?" He repeated, looking at the unnaturally muscular peer in front of him.
"…It also induces enhanced muscle development and spikes the growth hormones. Resulting in this giant muscle-head before you," May finished explaining, following with a long winded exhale. "Likely the strongest person on Earth, until recently."
"No hard feelings about that," Alexander laughed it off with a bright smile.
"And that's everyone," May said cheerfully with a clap of her hands, sitting on the right side of the circling sofa. "Oh and myself! May Violet, rank five! I specialize in weapons, both building and shooting them."
"Don't let her test out her projects," Shin warned.
"Oh, yeah! I remember that triple-barreled pistol she had me try–blew up in my hand! Ha-ha!" Alexander recalled.
The brunette girl huffed before shrugging, "Can't make steps forward without stumbling over some holes, alright?! Anyway…Yeah, oh wait–we're missing somebody."
"Oh, right," Shin added.
Lily laughed, "Haoyu! I almost forgot about him, too."
"Haoyu?" Seven repeated.
"He's the second ranked student at Bastian," May explained. "A bit of a sharp tongue, calloused, but…well, all around, he's definitely an asshole. But, he's a genius–can't deny that. He's always working in R n' D. You're not missing out on much, though."
"Yeah, he's not much for welcoming parties," Shin added.
"A total jerk," Lily said.
"C'mon, guys! He's not that bad–well, maybe he needs to work on his social skills, but Haoyu ain't a bad dude!" Alexander reprimanded with a joyful laugh.
'Wow, maybe I don't want to meet this Haoyu guy?' Seven considered.
Seven looked around, finding all eyes on him as if expecting some kind of introduction of his own. The truth of it was, even as he sat there, he couldn't think of anything all that special or even notable in his life.
"I'm Seven…No last name, not that I remember. I'm not an expert in anything, really—but I got chosen, so I'll fight the Fulminare," he declared. "That's why I was given this power."
"We're on the same page then," Shin remarked with a tired sigh.
Lily kicked her legs excitedly, "Better get used to us!"