By: Rhenhwa_est_Empero
Horsemen of the Beyond
Chapter 4: Entrance IV
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Yosen High
Shane's cheeks turned pale as he heard her call him. "No." Shane declined, shaking his head.
He shook his head once again, repeating "no"; then, he shook his head fiercely, adding, "Absolutely not."
Much to his dismay.
Stare~
The instructor responded to his query with a stern, threatening glance, as if to silently ask, Do you want me to send you out of my class as well?
"..."
"Haah. Fine."
Shane, seeing no way out, lifted his hands in surrender. The instructor motioned for him to step forward, and he did so, much to his other classmate's displeasure.
Especially one.
A classmate to his left grimaced, their fingers twitching against the desk in what appeared to be restrained frustration.
However, Shane chose to ignore them.
"Okay then. Smart Creed —"
"—It's Shane, ma'am."
He was already halfway to the front.
The instructor's smile stopped for a heartbeat as the cigarette remained perched between her lips. She then laughed beneath her breath.
"How daring," she remarked, pulling in a drag. The smoke curled around her face. "But yes, Shane... if that's what you want."
She moved away from him and faced the class, taking the cigarette out of her mouth. It pointed outward, like an accusing finger.
"Introduce yourself."
The instructor motioned to him, making Shane give her a long drag stare accompanied by a sigh.
"The name's Shane Creed. Pleased to meet you all."
With a tilt of his head, eyes veering to the sides, he introduced himself.
"From now on, this guy is your representation. Just get to know each other better."
In the ensuing silence, the smoke slowly dispersed.
Getting to know themselves better?
Such a thing was unthinkable in the first place.
For the Affiliated family, who were all competing for the top rank in the academy, seeing four take that spot was a source of humiliation.
In the first place, most families were gung-ho about supremacy, all for four random children from who knows where to sweep the top spot.
Some families, such as the Rosebells, were unconcerned about the rankings, while others had it out for the four.
Shane looked at the woman, opening his mouth as if to say something, then closing his lips immediately.
It was pointless; he reached a decision.
"Okay then. We'll get straight to the fuckery tomorrow, so relax today."
With all relevant paperwork in hand, the woman exited the class with a sleepy look, scratching the side of her hair and closed the sliding door behind her.
"...."
"...."
When left alone, there was a certain silence that seemed to last for some time.
But after a few seconds, there was a sudden exhale and someone stood up.
"If there's nothing else to say. I will take my leave first."
Then, slowly, everyone began to stand up and leave the classroom, leaving Shane, Damian, and Kaiden behind.
Looking at his brother from where they sat, Shane raised his hand in suggestion.
"Shall we explore the school? What do you suggest?"
With a finalised nod of agreement, they all stood up, exiting the class.
National Affiliate.
An organisation with deep roots extending back centuries to the first gate opening.
Originally, they operated as an organisation to maintain law and order while battling the beings that emerged from the gates' fractures.
However, their power has grown so swiftly over the years that they now dictate many of the events that occur today.
In a nutshell, replacing the government.
The government still remains, but it is crushed by the weight of anti-gate organisations like as the National Affiliate.
And that is to say, from criminal fighting to economics to politics, down to their specialisation, battling entities from beyond the fissures of space—
Affiliated handled everything.
Of course, later down the line, the Affiliated split due to four great powers that emerged from beings who each alone were strong enough to overrun the world.
Ever-present of the World Entropy. Illuminator of the Sanctuary. Monarch of the Clandestine. And lastly, Overlord of the Nemesis.
These four great powers gradually separated from the National-Affiliated in order to maintain their joint strength.
Of course, they continued to work together to protect mankind.
Even the Yosen National-Affiliated Academy was merely an extension of the Affiliated's reach.
Its goal is to develop new abilities capable of confronting aliens beyond shattered space in the defence of humanity.
The campus stretched several acres in length and breadth, and was outfitted with facilities powered by technologies that were not yet available to the general public.
That alone demonstrated how highly the Affiliated valued this institution.
It was now late afternoon,
The sun had long passed its peak, casting slanted golden rays as afternoon deepened toward evening.
Most of the morning had been consumed by orientation, which began at 9:00 a.m. and wrapped up by 12:00.
From there, students made their way to the student secretariat to collect their Identification Cards which in a sense was their key to accessing campus facilities like the library and training grounds.
Afterward came the class assignments, posted on the boards, followed by the wait to meet their respective instructors.
All of it had led to this moment this exact hour.
Yosen High
Student council office
Inside a large office with a desk at the far end and a polished mahogany table in the centre.
Several chairs on both edges, with the exception of the shorter edge in front, which is reserved for the president.
Yosen high's student council gathered here at this table.
"Oh~☆ So this is our new member? Nice to meet you~☆ I'm Astrea Starlight!"
The speaker was a girl with soft pink hair tied carelessly on the left side. Her most distinguishing feature, however, were her eyes—star-shaped pupils that glittered as if lit from within.
She wore the usual Yosen uniform in black and white, which suited her well-balanced physique and posture.
Name: [Astrea Starlight]
Student Council Position: [General Affairs Officer]
Her strength and popularity had earned her the position.
While all matters eventually proceeded through the Student Council President approval, anything pertaining to student affairs went through Astrea initially.
"Senri Tsubaki. That's all."
Next was a girl sitting across from Astrea.
She had long, straight black hair that reached her shoulders and squared glasses that accentuated her sharp, scholarly demeanour.
The girl who called herself Tsubaki...
Unlike the majority of the girls, whose uniforms were fitted with shorter skirts, hers went well below her knees, almost reaching the tops of her socks.
Anyone could see she was a prim person.
"Come on Sen-chan~☆ At least be nice to the newcomer~☆"
"Pipe it, wench."
"Ouch~☆ That's harsh~~"
Senri Tsubaki, second-year student; freshman representative in first year; treasurer.
Responsible for overseeing council finances, club budgets, and all formal reporting.
Name: [Senri Tsubaki]
Student Council Position: [Secretary]
Finally, there was a male with shoulder-length black hair and a studious demeanour;
however, in his male uniform, he wore fingerless gloves that complemented his kept figure.
"Hello, newcomer. I'm the vice president. Nice to meet you.."
Enma, who stood before the table, nodded while they spoke.
They appeared different to him now. Even among those he had seen during the entrance exam, they were distinct.
Though…
In contrast, the vice president appeared to be off. How to put it… He wasn't as strong as the others, but he was hiding his strength.
However, this did not imply that Enma looked down on him. He's probably like Shane, Enma reasoned honestly.
Those who, in a conflict, would layer various methods on top of one another, and even if those tactics failed, they would always have a backup.
He'd known his brother long enough.
"It's… nice to meet you, too."
"Now let's get the greetings over with."
Finally, Eira Seraville, the student president, said this as she invited Enma to his seat.
As Enma took a seat, Astrea, who was next to him, handed him a device that resembled a tablet.
When he grabbed it, he noticed a list of agendas filled with details, pictures, and stats.
'Shane is… way better at this stuff… But… *sigh* I'll give it a shot…'
"Now then, with the acceptance of new students, activities like field exploration, club scouting, and candidate scouting will begin soon."
"In addition, there is the allocation of shared resources among freshmen classes. Tsubaki, I am counting on you for that."
Eira turned her glance to Tsubaki, who nodded and pressed her lips into a delicate smile which quickly faded.
However, Enma, who had caught on, calmly alternated his glance between the two, saying nothing and keeping his focus on the agenda.
"Other committees will also soon start their scouts, such as the Disciplinary Committee and the Research and Development Division."
Astrea, upon that, sat up straighter, her hands stretched higher.
"Nhhh~☆ The disciplinary freaks. They're going to love the new batch."
There was something about her tone. Like she's had several run-ins or issues with them.
Enma couldn't put his finger on it and decided not to bother.
It was not in his nature to do so in the first place.
"It's their job, Strea. Well, with club activities resuming next week, all I can offer is condolences."
The vice president said that, his hands folded, his back resting on his chair before gazing back at the president.
"Indeed. However, the most difficult to please is the R&D Division."
Students who join the Research and Development Division at Yosen have the best chance of working directly with affiliated on research projects.
Of course, that's only if they've made a significant breakthrough in a specialized field.
Seeing said documentation on the student council files, Enma leaned back, elbow on the table as he deeply mused.
R&D Division was something up Shane's alley. Shane was the type of person that could do a task before the deadline, even if he only had a limited amount of time.
An overly capable individual. However, knowing his brother though, he doubts Shane will join.
To add to Enma's thoughts, Astrea tilted her head at Tsubaki, her starry eyes half-lidded.
To add to Enma's thoughts, Astrea inclined her head towards Tsubaki, her starry eyes half-lidded.
"Still, a pretty cold way to say 'your future depends on impressing a bunch of people who never sleep and study Entropy Signals for fun'~☆"
"It's the truth."
Tsubaki replied without looking up, in a pretty harsh tone.
"Regardless of whether it's the truth or not,"
Eira dropped her tablet, standing up from her seat and heading towards the window as their eyes trailed her.
"My, no, our job doesn't change as the student council. My fellow council members, I'll reiterate. My goal is to make Yosen an even better place before my tenure as student president ends. Are you all with me?"
Yosen is connected to several intricate webs, including board members who, if things don't go as planned, could...
"Of course. I'm with you, president."
"Same~☆"
"It's only obvious."
Last was Enma, whom everybody turned to. The male glanced at the tablet, exhaled a sigh, before speaking up.
"Well... there are probably others better than me... But if you're okay with me... I'll join…"