Rondo began to read his details one by one.
"It says here that I... I got into Class E?!"
A few minutes later, the UI closed. His Orla pulled up a GPS display, guiding him to a small, standalone house. He stopped right in front of the door.
What is this? Am I supposed to go inside? Rondo wondered.
Moments later, the door slid open automatically. Rondo stepped inside. The space was compact but livable—roughly the size of the bedroom and living room at his old rented place combined. It even had a sink and a toilet. After getting comfortable on the surprisingly soft floor mattress, his Orla began to glow. Rondo quickly pressed it, bringing up a broadcast UI.
[1 new message!]
[Broadcast] [A mysterious deep voice from a silhouette]
"Good afternoon, my beloved students. How was your first day at Nexhile School? I hope your first experience serves as an important reminder, even if it was likely quite exhausting. Just a little information: we have provided various facilities that you can access using Growth Points (GP).
What are GP and how do they work? Your homeroom teachers will explain the details tomorrow. Regarding classes, your current assignment has no influence on you right now. All classes are equal, there is no difference at all. So, just enjoy these small moments in your temporary private homes.
If you feel hungry and aren't sleepy yet, the Food Court located near the central building is your best choice for a meal. You are free to choose any food, paying with GP. However, you are not permitted to access any area other than the Food Court.
We have given you 1,500 GP to use well. Spend it carefully.
Thank you, see you in class tomorrow morning."
[Broadcast closed automatically]
[You received +1,500 GP!]
"GP? What is that? Seems promising."
His stomach began to rumble. Rondo was quite tired, but at the same time, he was starving. He looked around his small house, but there was no food available. Finally, he decided to head out.
He tried walking around the neighborhood to find the Food Court the mysterious man mentioned. However, Rondo ended up getting a bit lost. In several instances, Rondo even bumped into invisible walls that flashed "Restricted Area" when he got too close. Strangely, when he stepped away, the writing vanished instantly, becoming completely invisible again.
The sun began to set slowly. Yet, Rondo still hadn't found the Food Court. The growling sound from his stomach returned. Rondo clutched his belly.
His Orla vibrated and lit up. Rondo immediately pressed it.
[1 New Message!]
[Chantira Ploy]
Oi, are you hungry?
Come here to the Food Court, there's lots of people here.
[Sent a photo of warm fried rice on a plate]
[Rondo Ernias]
Looks delicious.
But I'm kinda lost here.
[Chantira Ploy]
Hahaha, I knew it.
You're so useless, you could've just asked another student.
[Rondo Ernias]
They looked busy, though.
[Chantira Ploy]
Good grief... alright then.
[Shared live location for 1 hour]
If you still get lost, I'll slap your back even harder next time.
:p
[Rondo Ernias]
Okay, thank you.
I'm heading there now.
Rondo opened the location Tira shared. He walked toward the destination. About eight minutes later, Rondo arrived at the Food Court. He saw so many other students rushing about, chatting, and eating together at the available seats. The number of tables and chairs was vast—truly countless. The place was divided into several small shops. Above them were large signs indicating specific food categories.
The surrounding lights were warm, a blend of orange and yellow, with ornaments hanging long from the ceiling. Robots serving the students looked very busy. However, he was a bit disturbed by the noisy atmosphere around him.
Rondo walked into a shop with a large sign reading 'Dessert' above it. Inside, there was a super-large display case separated by thin dividers. Inside the case were many foods with prices listed below each one. Rondo glanced at every row of food.
"The prices are indeed cheap, but... why does everything look like sweets?" Rondo muttered, confused.
Someone then bumped into him quite hard. Rondo's body was shoved slightly. He winced in pain.
"Hey, watch where you're-" Rondo started to say, cutting himself off as he turned to the person. "Eh, Tira?"
"You alien, have you found the right food yet?" Tira asked Rondo with a wide grin.
"Ah, that... I haven't found anything suitable," Rondo said nervously, scratching the back of his head.
Tira burst out laughing. Her voice was a bit loud, causing other students nearby to turn and look.
"You dummy! Did you read the sign or not?"
"E-eh, was I wrong? I read it."
Tira laughed even harder hearing Rondo's absurd explanation.
"Dummy! You walked into the wrong shop, haha," Tira said, wiping tears from her eyes.
Rondo could only scratch the back of his head, which wasn't even itchy. He laughed along awkwardly, fighting back a bit of embarrassment.
"A-ahaha. Then which one has food that'll make me full?"
Not long after, Rondo's stomach growled again.
"Ehh, looks like your stomach can't wait to eat. Alright, come on, follow behind me."
Tira walked out of the shop, with Rondo following behind her. Outside, Tira started pointing at a shop with a sign reading 'Appetizer'.
"The one written 'Appetizer' is opening dishes. Usually dominated by fruit or sweet foods with little sugar," Tira explained.
"Thapt one written 'Fresh Fruits' is a shop with lots of fresh fruit. Meanwhile 'Junk Food', that's the shop selling fast food. Usually, those foods are oily and fried quickly. Perfect for a skinny guy like you," Tira explained, pointing at each shop with a laugh.
"Hey, I prefer healthy food if I have the choice," Rondo replied, a bit annoyed.
Tira ignored his annoyance and just held back her laughter.
"Now, the shop written 'Main Course'... that's definitely the one you're looking for. There's plenty of heavy food there," Tira pointing to the shop.
They entered that shop. Rondo began staring at the large display case in front of him. He saw the prices were quite varied, ranging from 500 GP to 7,000 GP. Rondo tapped a meal costing 1,000 GP labeled 'Chicken Katsu with egg and salad'. After selecting it, a holographic fingerprint UI appeared before him. Rondo pressed it with his thumb.
[✓ Payment successful. Please wait at table number 58.]
Rondo's Orla lit up. However, he didn't open it because he didn't want the hassel. They left the shop. They searched for table number 58. After finding it, they sat facing each other. The atmosphere felt awkward because Tira seemed busy replying to a chat from someone on her Orla.
Rondo looked around, the atmosphere that seemed rowdy a few hours ago was now slowly becoming quiet and silent.
Just as he opened the Orla UI panel, the food he ordered arrived, delivered by a robot. Rondo said thank you to the robot, but it didn't respond and just left him immediately.
Rondo began to eat the food he ordered. Just a few spoonfuls into his mouth, Rondo tasted the deliciousness in every piece of meat and vegetable.
A few minutes later, Rondo finished his meal. The sound of the spoon clinking against the edge of the plate rang out.
"Oh, you're done?" Tira looking at Rondo's face.
"Yeah, the food was incredible. I feel like ordering again," Rondo replied while wiping his messy mouth with a tissue.
"Come on, let's go home. People are already heading back to their own houses."
A few minutes after Rondo felt the food settle in his stomach, they started walking home. Their route home was in the same direction. However, Tira's house was far across on the other side after the field intersection. That was because the men's and women's housing were separated.
"How do you know so many things about this school so quickly? And... why were you called earlier than the others when we were queuing this afternoon?" Rondo asked Tira as they walked.
"Well, I know quite a bit because the system is actually pretty easy to understand. I don't get everything, but I understand some of it. And about the queue... actually, that's because I entered the gate early, but arrived late to the line. You must have woken up late, right?"
"Seems so. I woke up late and entered the gate last. Because before I entered, there were already a lot of other people inside."
Tira sighed.
"See. I knew you were a real alien who woke up late!"
Rondo laughed broadly for a moment.
"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask, how do you use the camera on your Orla?" Rondo asked.
"Ahh, that? You just need to go to settings, then choose access, after that set your Orla pin, then sign the consent form, then go back and find access permissions, allow and check all, then go back to the home screen again, press the camera icon, give permission again, and voila! Finally you can use the camera," Tira explained, mumbling rapidly.
Hearing Tira's explanation, Rondo felt like his brain was burning because he didn't understand a word she said.
Tira slapped her forehead.
"Goosh, you. Alright, come here, let me set it up," Tira said, grabbing the Orla on Rondo's wrist.
Rondo started watching her steps. However, Rondo's attention was distracted by a male student who was a bit taller than him with neat brownish-black hair. Beside the male student was a blonde girl hugging his arm. They were laughing and smiling as they walked.
But when the boy saw Rondo's face, his expression changed, staring at Rondo with a cynical look.