Kiyoko Kaido was another jaded student with an alliterative name.
In contrast to Marcel's dark complexion and somewhat muscular frame, Kiyoko's skin was wheat, her frame gaunter. That same afternoon, as Marcel looked at the suited man, wondering about the Univmorta Programme, Kiyoko wandered through the fields on the outskirts of campus.
The green was filled with hundreds of other students enjoying time in the sun. She grumbled, barely able to walk three steps without a football or a frisbee almost smacking her in the face.
Kiyoko's eyes were fixed on a good spot for herself. A piece of shade underneath a small, wilting tree. She took off her backpack and took a seat under the shade. She looked to the sun for a brief moment. Her eyes slowly closed as her head rested against a tree.
Despite the best efforts of the bustling summertime student fun noise around her, Kiyoko found herself drifting into a slumber. She winced her eyes shut, breathing in and out, calming her rapid beating heart. After only ten minutes of relaxation, she sensed a disturbance.
Kiyoko opened her eyes to see two people approaching her.
An awkward middle-aged man and a student.
The middle-aged man was Counsellor Sam, the dirty-blonde hair and over-excited smile giving it away. The student was unmistakably Virginia Gardener. With her long red hair, flawless skin, and dazzling blue-green eyes to match, she should have been a sight for sore eyes. That was the exact opposite feeling Kiyoko experienced in her presence.
"Good morning, Kiyoko!"
"Good morning, Counsellor Sam."
"Remember how I said that being more involved in university life will help with your personal development?" he asked.
Kiyoko frowned. She nodded with reluctance.
"Well, this here is Virginia Gardener," Counsellor Sam introduced. "You've probably seen her all over, though. She's quite the big name on campus!"
Virginia giggled, flattered. She and the counsellor shared a laugh. From the way they look at Kiyoko afterwards, you would think she was also required to join in the laughter.
"With her being the head of the student union and the netball team, there's no one better to help you get involved with the university's culture!" Counsellor Sam explained.
Virginia smiled and waved.
Kiyoko waved back. "Okay," she responded blankly.
"Okay, well, I was wondering if you would be willing to help her with the awards ceremony tonight?" Sam requested.
"And what if I'm not?" Kiyoko asked.
Sam was clearly taken aback by the question. He twiddled his thumbs, unsure of how to respond.
Virginia chuckled, shaking her head.
"Come on, Kiyoko," she said in an inviting tone. "You don't want to miss out on the backstage fun now, do you?"
Counsellor Sam started to laugh, as if Virginia had just told him the funniest joke in the world. Kiyoko grimaced. Virginia ignored the counsellor. She smirked at her.
Kiyoko refused to return the geniality. With a stern face, she rose from her seat underneath the tree. She joined the pair for a walk back through the packed summer fields.
***
By evening, the largest hall at Vesrough University was chock-full of students, faculty and parents alike sitting in endless rows of chairs from the front of the stage to the back of the room.
All were dressed in the finest of formal wear, courtesy of the high-class ceremony being unveiled before them. Upon the stage were a series of Vesrough chancellors and alumni.
The ceremony consisted of one of the chancellors reaching into the curtain at the back of the stage, pulling out a golden trophy, which they handed to each award winner.
Virginia and Kiyoko helped out on stage, their job being to open the curtains for the chancellor to reach into the back for a trophy. Virginia completed this task with a great smile. Kiyoko did not.
Marcel sat in the second row on the left side of the hall. Seated next to him was Curtis Harr, a pudgy, awkward young man, short in stature and round in figure.
Every other minute, Curtis would turn around to survey the room.
He looked at the back-row seats, especially.
"Can my parents even see me from up here?" Curtis wondered aloud.
"Why do you care?" Marcel asked. "Are you getting an award?"
"No," Curtis sighed.
"Exactly," Marcel muttered.
Curtis looked down at the floor with a saddened expression.
"Are your parents here?" he asked Marcel.
Marcel scoffed. "No."
Curtis frowned. He joined Marcel in staring at the stage in front of them.
"Have you heard about how they're bringing back the Univmorta Programme?" Curtis asked.
For the first time that night, Marcel looked Curtis in the eye.
"I saw something about that on TV," he answered. "I didn't realise things were that desperate."
Curtis nodded. He chuckled awkwardly.
"Could you imagine if we get picked for it?"
Though he laughed, his voice quivered at the thought.
"That'd be insane," Marcel responded.
"Good thing it probably won't happen, right?" Curtis chortled.
Marcel sighed. He turned his gaze away from his flatmate.
"Enough questions for today, Curtis."
Curtis scrunched his face, unsure of what to say back.
His attention returned to the ceremony instead.
On stage, the chancellor retrieved a golden statue trophy, larger than any of the others handed out in the night. His eyes glittered with pride.
Before he spoke, he cleared his throat and adjusted the microphone stand on stage.
"Our final award of the night goes to one of the most exemplary students we've ever had the pleasure of having at Vesrough University. A student who has showcased proficiency in Economics, Business, and Politics. A student who not only received the best results on all of his courses but also managed not to drop one single mark in any of his exams!"
The crowd simmered with great excitement, oohs and ahs of impressed exclamation heard from almost every corner of the room.
"The Vesrough University Most Exemplary Student award goes to…" the chancellor continued. "…Marcel Martins!" he announced.
The room erupted in claps and congratulations. The students of Vesrough gave an especially emphatic round of applause. Marcel, however, did not share their joy. He nonchalantly stood from his chair and walked straight towards the stage, not taking even a second to bask in the glory.
As he walked, the student body looked upon him with admiration. His clothes and general appearance were perfectly put together, his clear dark skin immaculately matching both his perfectly tailored dark suit and soft, faded afro hair.
Marcel collected his award. He returned to his seat without any further fanfare.
Moments later, Virginia and Kiyoko pulled back the backstage curtains.
A dozen backstage choir members took their place upon the stage. They sang, signifying to all present that the ceremony was coming to an end.
***
An hour later, the ceremony officially concluded.
The chairs that populated the general area were set aside, allowing people to roam freely throughout the hall.
All parents, alumni and miscellaneous attendees have departed. Now, the hall was only filled with current Vesrough staff and students, winding down as they enjoyed a quieter night.
Marcel stood in the middle of the hall with most of his flatmates, including Poppy and Curtis. The pair hovered around him in an overly excited manner. Both refused to give him any personal space, much to his chagrin.
"Well done, Marcel!" Poppy congratulated. Her sea blue eyes sparkled as she looked at the trophy. "Can I hold it?"
Marcel shrugged, handing it over. She and Curtis took turns admiring the award, passing it back and forth, stroking its gold finish.
Meanwhile, Kiyoko sat on the corner of the stage. Alone with her thoughts, spacing out.
She snapped back to reality when she looked around to realise that Virginia was no longer present. Kiyoko hopped off the stage.
She headed towards the backstage curtains to look for her.
Before Kiyoko could open the curtains, one of the heads of the university board burst past her, clearly in a rush.
The man took his place centre stage. He grabbed the microphone stand with a panicked force.
"Attention everyone, attention everyone, can I get all of your attention right now!" he demanded through nervous shouts.
The people of the halls slowly diverged from their conversations.
"Sorry to interrupt the festivities so abruptly. I come bearing urgent, terrible news," he said. Words that echoed through the hall, grasping enough to force the room's attention to him.
The board head gulped. He took as deep a breath as he could through his nose. He released it from his mouth with a dejected sigh.
"As you all might have heard from the news, the government is considering reinstating the Univmorta Programme in a bid to ease the population problem…" the board head said.
To say the silence in the room was deafening was a gross understatement to the senses. All eyes pincered him. His next set of words could make or break this even. Although all knew which of the two was more likely.
"...I regret to inform you all that as of an hour ago, Vesrough University has been chosen as the hosting campus."
The head cleared his throat. He awaits the crowd's reaction.
Persisted silence at first. Unparalleled alarm soon after.
It took mere seconds for the room to devolve into a panicked frenzy. The careful silence that previously enveloped the staff and students was replaced by a series of worried conversations overlapping with each other.
Members of the Vesrough faculty were at a loss for words. The students, on the other hand, were on the opposite end of the spectrum. The university's student body devolved into bouts of anxious hyperventilation and screams echoing through the halls.
With each second, the chaos increased.
Marcel remained surprisingly calm. He ignored Curtis' cries. He drowned out Poppy's wails. He disregarded the dozens of flatmates and hundreds of students rushing around him in fretful hysteria. He stood still amidst the fallout, his mouth agape in a cool shock.
"No fucking way," Marcel whispered under his breath.
Some students and staff members climbed the stage, desperate to reach the board member who delivered the news. The frail man retreated backstage before anyone could do so, leaving them to stew in their collective panic.
Kiyoko stood on the edge of the stage. She was frozen, tranquil, not even beginning to process the news. She watched on as general panic continued to consume the Vesrough student body. She continued to survey all the students and staff. Still no sign of Virginia.
"I should probably warn her of the news," Kiyoko muttered as she jumped off the stage.
She moved through the clumps of people throughout the hall, struggling to make her way through the sheer pandemonium.
She left the ceremony halls and walked down the corridor of the main building.
***
Save for a few people here and there, the corridors were relatively empty.
Most of Vesrough University was either within the ceremony hall or scattered elsewhere across campus.
As Kiyoko ventured deeper down the fuzzy red carpeted corridors, she saw a series of abandoned seminar rooms at the very end of the hall.
All of the doors are closed and sectioned off by a series of signs reading "Exams in Progress." However, one of these seminar rooms was not fully closed. Its door was slightly ajar.
Curious, Kiyoko approached this room. She slowly opened the door.
Kiyoko entered the room to see that it was mostly empty. There was nothing to see here. Except for one particular sight:
Virginia Gardener, bent over a table behind a cupboard, with Counsellor Sam's sweating member being thrust in and out of her backside.
Kiyoko's mouth dropped open in shock.
She walked further into the room to ensure she was truly seeing what she thought she was. Unfortunately for her, the pair took notice of her presence. Both of their eyes darted upwards.
"Aw shit!" Virginia exclaimed.
Kiyoko made intense and awkward eye contact with Counsellor Sam. He paused mid-thrust, his cheeks flushing red.
Kiyoko retreated from the room. She dashed to hide behind a wall's corner, her jaw still unhinged in shock. Her breaths were heavy as she clung to the wall.
A few moments later, she spotted a fully dressed Virginia cussing underneath her breath as she stormed out of the room and down the corridor.
Moments after this, a clothed Counsellor Sam clumsily stumbled out. He looked both ways down the corridor, as if he were looking for someone. He walked away with his head in his hands, muttering under his breath in a worrisome tone.
Once the coast was clear, Kiyoko left her hiding place. She grasped a clump of her raven-black hair, rubbing her head in confusion.
"What the fuck is wrong with this university?" she muttered.
On any other day, this student-teacher tryst might have been the greatest surprise. But not today.
Star pupil Virginia Gardener sleeping with a counsellor was minor news.
Nothing compared to Vesrough University being chosen for the Univmorta Programme.