Hashim was always anxious when he didn't have any of the others to help him, but it was worse today. It lasted longer.
He had waited for a few minutes in their room, hoping that the others would return as they usually did, but they didn't. His ability was constantly activated, of course, yet he still felt like there were eyes on him everywhere he went. It wasn't true invisibility. He often wished it was.
The first couple of weeks had had a strange schedule, built to "introduce and de-stress the classroom environments", according to Toon. The class order wasn't exactly certain then. Today would be the first day of official classes.
The Academy was highly focused on training warriors, leaders, and powerful ability users. If you were strong enough, you had privileges almost on par with the instructors.
"Balanced meals" were a part of the regimen, and if you didn't eat or ate something that wasn't provided directly to you as part of your meal during the school week, the higher-ups would stick you with punishments, unless you had a "good reason", which to them was interchangeable with "enough power to avoid Academy micromanagement".
They did this because if you were strong enough, you had practically no choice but to join the Mobile Defense Force once you were old enough, unless you decided to become an analyst, where every day of your life you would face pressure to join anyway.
Or, maybe you wanted to defy the social order, which may cause you to be labeled as a threat and then be attacked by the Mobile Defense Force. Hashim was almost certain that Regus would choose that path, if he didn't have enough authority by the time they got out of school.
Though, oddly, they didn't even try to control what happened on the first and last day of the week. Perhaps that was why so many students got houses in one of the four cities as well as their dorms, so that they could be a bit farther from Academy policing when they didn't have to be there.
It was strange to be seen as powerful. Hashim walked through the dorm building to the field, where they served breakfast. The other two meals were served in the Feast Hall, but on warm days breakfast was outside. On his way to get out of the building, the male students who lived in the same dorm parted for him, leaving a path down the middle. Then after he got out and received his food, sitting down at one of the tables that had been set out, he was flocked by male and female students, but, perhaps thanks to his ability, they didn't talk to him.
Hashim noticed some people glaring or scoffing in the direction of his table, mostly girls. They would likely be the ruling class of the upper years. Hashim's skin heated up, so he ran over his schedule again in his head to distract himself. It helped him to repeat it as well, to make sure he had everything right. Because of his social anxiety, he was afraid to get anything wrong.
Most people would call it paranoia.
The first class he had was the Miscellaneous Experiences that Xavier had signed up for. The class after that was, fortunately, not Botany, as had been his second before, but instead a class called Inspired Logistics, which was apparently about the math of leading a regiment of the Mobile Defense Force on campaign. Theoretically, it would be based on luck, but Toon could read through the entire plan, so it should be simple. Though that would work best if there was a concrete plan for the encounters, which there may not be. Hashim hadn't yet met the teacher, so he wasn't sure their style.
Botany was the third class, which was late enough in the day that Hashim doubted he could rely on the other students not being awake enough to notice him, though that was a flimsy hope anyway. Fourth was the first field session, and after that was lunch, then the second field session. Hashim wasn't sure why they were separated, but it was the way that it was. At least he wouldn't have to do it for all four hours without a break.
Then there were the other science classes.
After the advent of abilities, wherever they came from, science had taken a massive leap forward. In fact, Toon's interest in the Academy had mostly come from this.
He had never seen a book before moving in with the old lady who was currently his caretaker. Paper had been rare and precious before, though he barely remembered that time now. Although, to be fair, much of that may be because of how fractured he was back then. With access to it, Toon had been able to write down more of his thoughts and observations. The technical innovations that began to drift down even to the small towns were amazing, rivaling even some of Toon's ideas.
For instance, cameras.
To take an image in front of you and put it down onto a piece of paper was an incredible thing, but art took so long. Toon had used to watch Hashim draw insects and wonder if there was a way that he could capture a moment instantly. The applications were endless, according to him.
Hashim hadn't had a lot of time for art recently, and that didn't seem to be close to changing at all. There hadn't been room in their schedule for an art class, either.
The closest thing they had was the Weapons And Design class, which was the last of the three sciences that Toon had insisted they sign up for. The first two were called Usage And Applications Of Abilities and then Metallurgy, the latter of which had been a prerequisite for Weapons And Design.
Hashim wasn't sure what exactly would happen in those classes. It was true that Toon had been bored the first time, but then, that was mostly the theory, and they would soon be past that into the part that would genuinely be fun.
The experiments.
In Metallurgy, Usage And Applications Of Abilities, Inspired Logistics, and Weapons And Design, Toon would have time to play around. If Regus was ever authorized, which Hashim didn't doubt he would be eventually, he would enjoy Inspired Logistics. Usage And Applications Of Abilities was mostly based around forming teams and discovering new ways to work together, which he had learned from Toon complaining about it after taking the first class, so Anguis might appreciate that.
As for Gensa, Hashim wasn't sure how different he was from Toon in the first place. He would probably like the same things.
And if Xavier was out during the field time, he might exhaust his mind trying to show off using his ability, which left Hashim and the others more clear for the rest of the day.
It was almost perfect. The only question was where Jake and him fit in.
And, of course, Miscellaneous Experiences would be difficult to clock, or rather, impossible if there wasn't a schedule. If there was, he could get Toon to read it, and then they would be able to plan accordingly, but if not, they were in the dark, and Hashim may need to make some substitutions in his mental schedule. Even so, however, they would have to plan for every day individually, which would take more time than Hashim was willing to put into it.
Hashim felt someone emerge dimly into their shared consciousness, and he sighed softly, relieved. He could finally hand over control. Even if it was Xavier he would accept it, at this point.
Well, actually, probably not. It would take a while longer before he would let Xavier take control willingly, unless something extreme happened.
To his disappointment, it was Gensa.
Why is that disappointing? Gensa broadcasted. Unlike Hashim himself, when he didn't know something, such as now, instead of becoming curious, he acted like it didn't affect him. He was likely only asking because that was the first thought he had heard.
I can't give you control until we agree it's safe or until it's necessary. Hashim explained. But I suppose no one else is here now.
No. Gensa responded almost immediately. It is better this way.
Hashim sighed, and waited for someone else.
While he did, he looked around the field. From what he could see, no one was fighting each other. The first few days had been a roller coaster. Thanks to Regus's show of power, they had been almost assassinated once already. But now there was nothing.
Calm before the storm. Gensa observed with a detached mind.
Does the same thing happen with people? Hashim wondered, projecting the question. Gensa responded by pressing on Hashim's confusion faintly to indicate that he didn't know.
It makes the most sense. They decided together, and then Gensa drifted back slightly from his awareness, as if stepping out of a light.
Hashim looked around. Most of the people around him he didn't recognize, except for the boy with a glove and a limp from the testing, and the girl on his other side as well, though her more vaguely. Even they weren't talking to him, but that was just as well, because he couldn't remember their names. He hadn't been paying attention to them, he had mostly been focused on what Regus and Anguis had been doing.