103: A Prank Between Friends

Angelica ran through some morning announcements reiterating Roxanne and her guild’s imminent arrival in a couple weeks. “Unlike the more focused-style we’re doing with Slade, which mirrored traditional speakers, Roxanne’s event will be more like a festival. And since it’ll be right near the beginning of spring, it’ll be spring-themed.”

After answering a couple questions, she continued on with her announcements. Bored, she leaned against the wall as she gave them, rolling her eyes and giving commentary, to the thorough delight of the students.

“Yeah, they want me to tell you that the area behind the Class Two classrooms was destroyed in a fight between students... Kinda dumb since you all don’t go over there. And could probably whoop all of them anyway.”

“The head of health administration is leaving... again, don’t quite see how this is relevant, but I have to tell you guys regardless...”

“Also, the second-years in Class One are going on a field trip, this is... again, not super relevant. I guess it is mildly to Conrad and Celeste, not that you two hang out much with the Class One second years to my knowledge. As always, I apologize but since there are so few of you, I just have to give the announcements for all four years at once. Well, I don’t have to, but I like being lazy every once and a while.”

Wrapping up the announcements with a long sigh, Angelica crumpled the paper in her hands, tossed it into the wastebasket by the door, and dismissed everyone to do their daily general education. “Finish it quickly, and you’ll be free for the rest of the day, I have nothing planned.”

The sounds of chairs moving and bags being picked up filled the classroom. Everyone reacted within seconds of the dismissal. Conrad, the fastest, vaulted over his desk, landing in a superhero pose and dashing out of the door with a faint slide from his sneakers. Electra, as usual, packed her bags and disappeared in a flash of lightning.

“Well, I’ll see you later,” Nyssa waved to Angelica as she and Celeste ambled out of the classroom, ascending the stairs to their usual balcony spot. Once they laid out their belongings, they both let out a long sigh and sat down next to each other, knuckling down as the general education system let out a ding.

[Welcome back to learning Celeste! Today’s main focus will be: Trigonometry!]

[Welcome back to learning Nyssa! Today’s main focus will be: History of the ninth kingdom war!]

A second later, two walking corpses wished each other well.

“Good luck...”

“You too...”

---

The sun climbed higher into the sky. It blazed in the sky, letting loose its fiery warmth for the entire world to bask in. The morning break came and went, with none of the Class Zero students observing it. As for the rest of campus, people spilled out of their classrooms, chatted in groups, bought some snacks, and did some homework for forty minutes before all trudging back to their lecture halls.

The campus emptied out once more, with security guards wandering the campus. They kept an eye out for suspicious individuals, entrusted with the role of keeping the students safe; yet interacted the most with stray students trying to escape the lecture halls.

“Why are you out here?”

“O-Oh... you know, bathroom break.”

“We’ve seen you wander past five bathrooms.”

“They’re all dirty... you know... I’m a germaphobe.”

“Return to your classroom.”

“Yessir...”

As for the Class Zero students, Ryker and Electra, back in the secluded Class Zero building, snapped their general education devices closed first. Stretching out, and zoning out for a couple minutes, they made their way to the gym, warmed up a little, and ran through an entire workout until Electra’s phone buzzed.

“My alarm is going off. It's the passing period for the last class before lunch,” Electra leapt to her feet, wincing as her abs screamed in protest. “Are we still doing it?”

Ryker, laying across the floor out of breath, closed his eyes. His chest rose and fell a few times before he hoisted himself up as well. “Of course, let’s go, bringing our backpacks?”

“Yup, yup, I’m pulling up Olivia’s schedule as we speak,” Electra slung her backpack over one shoulder as they leapt down a couple flights of stairs and began jogging across the school grounds. “Seems like she has... Oh, interesting.”

“What is it?” Ryker asked, trying to lean over and see Electra phone. Frowning as her privacy screen protector blocked any and all attempts to sneak a look.

“She has one of the larger lectures, which should make this easier. What is it called specifically... ‘Hero Studies In The Modern Era: How Just Saving People Is No Longer Enough’?” Electra tilted her head as they ran. Though they drew some confused gazes, with those who knew them spreading speculatory whispers in their wake, they carried on unfazed. “It’s a senior only elective, taught by one of the better teachers. It’s really sought after, like seventy percent of the senior class is in this lecture.”

“Holy, yeah, that’ll make it easy to blend in,” Ryker chuckled, adjusting an invisible pair of glasses. “I’m about to go on a generational run. Professor’s about to think I’m the reincarnation of every genius in history.”

“... Sure,” Electra trailed off as they arrived at the lecture hall. A gentle stream of people passed through the doorway in both directions, with the last lecture ending a little late. They wormed their way through, and, once in the lecture hall, climbed towards the back to get a better vantage point.

“Olivia... Olivia...” Ryker mumbled, sweeping his gaze over the entire lecture hall. “I forgot how nice this place is. If it wasn’t for the fact I’d have to miss so many of the lectures, I would’ve loved to take this.”

“Me too,” Electra put her hands on her hips as she searched.

As a whole, the lecture hall mixed utility with elegance. Instead of the usual layout where each seat had its own pull out table—one completely unusable in every possible capacity while destroying any semblance of posture—the lecture hall had five sections, each section consisted of long tables with full-fledged chairs to form the rows.

As for the hall itself it invited its students in with warm lighting, a curved, and lower ceiling along with arching walls. The wooden panels, serving a half-decor, half-acoustic purpose, made the hall feel more like a concert hall than a lecture hall.

“Found her, very front row, center seat,” Electra pointed out, jogging down the steps with Ryker in tow. Once they neared the front, they slowed down, walking in slow steps while nodding towards the Class One students who recognized them.

“Boo!” Ryker flashed his hands out from behind Olivia, causing her to leap up in her seat a little and send an elbow flying backward.

“... Oh, sorry, that was an instinctive reaction,” Olivia apologized, breaking into a smile as Electra sat down next to her.

“Tho...se... are some... great instincts...” Ryker croaked from the floor, giving a thumbs-up while clambering into the seat on the other side of Olivia.

“Why are you two even here though? What? Don’t you two have like... cool stuff to do with Class Zero?” Olivia raised an eyebrow.

“... Nah, we’re done for the day, so we decided to pay a visit, bother you, get a meal, and then dip,” Ryker confessed, freezing up as the professor came on stage. “Oh shit, gotta concentrate, let me cook.”

He scrambled, pulling out two notebooks, a pencil pouch, a laptop, and a fake pair of glasses. “Ahem, won’t catch me lacking today.”

“W... What the,” Olivia muttered, turning to Electra only to see the same situation unfold. “Oh, you bastards... what kind of stupid prank is this...”