A total of 24 hours to find someone who is willing to be my opponent. This is going to be a bit of a bother. I walk to the empty seats by the window ahead. Sitting down on the seat, I look up at the ceiling. Here’s one thing that I can assume to be right. This isn’t just a test of who can find their opponent the fastest. It’s a test on who you choose to be your opponent. If one chooses a weaker opponent, they will have the advantage, but it won’t fully bring out their combat abilities. This may result in them being put into a css that isn’t suitable for their combat abilities. While if one chooses a stronger opponent without knowing, it’s an obvious case of losing to them. This means that I have to choose someone who is just at the same level as me. I gnce around. People standing and chatting among one another. A few lone wolves on the outskirts of the room. I look down to the gray carpet floor. I might as well just get up and start looking around, it’s useless if I just sit here and do nothin-

  “Hello?” Says a soft female voice.

  This voice sounds familiar, where did I hear it before? I look up and see a female student looking at me with a curious expression. She’s wearing a slim periwinkle hoodie and short jeans. Her light brown hair is tied in the style of short pigtails. Her round eyes compliment her young childish face. Slowly following her face downwards I see a shiny green pendant hanging around her neck. There’s only one person who I know that owns a green pendant like that. “Hey Noelle, it’s been a while hasn’t it?” I say. Noelle is an old friend of mine. I remember her family living in between my home and Xaiver’s home. She’s a very energetic girl. Whenever she saw us hanging out, she would always intrude and join in. Whenever I was alone, she would always somehow be there to give me company. At that time I thought she was a boy. However, I soon realized that she was a girl once we had entered the 4th grade of elementary school. Eventually, some time during the summer Noelle’s family had to move elsewhere because of their job. Thinking back on it, if I didn’t mistake her for being a boy. I don’t think we would’ve formed such a bond today.

  “I was getting worried there for a bit…” Says Noelle quietly with a pouting expression, facing to the side. She’s trying to hide her face.

  “How come?” I say.

  “Your face looked like it was saying: ‘who is this crazy person?’” She says quietly, her index fingers fidgeting with one another.

  “It did… take me a few seconds to associate you with being Noelle,” I say, gncing away.

  “Hm? Did my appearance change that much over the course of 3 years?” She says while inspecting her body.

  “I just didn’t expect you to become pretty cu-“ I clear my throat, “to become pretty tall, is all,” I say. I almost called her cute. I don’t think we’re that close for me to compliment her for being cute without it implying romantic feelings. I don’t have any romantic feelings for Noelle. I can’t assume if Noelle has any for me either. I just know that she considers me a friend.

  “Hm? Did I really grow taller? I feel like I'm still 160 cm tall…” Says Noelle.

  I look around the room, seeing the pce slowly crowding. Recomposing myself, I get up from the seat, “You want to talk somewhere else?” I say, suggesting.

  Noelle looks around the area. “Sure, I don’t mind. It’s kind of crowded here anyways,” she replies.

  Leaving the Foyer, we walk to the exit. Passing by a few other students, the doors slowly come into sight. Noelle grabs the handle of the door and turns it. Creak… I feel the heat of the sunlight slowly running along my face as the door gently opens. I step out of the building, feeling the cool spring breeze. “So…” Says Noelle. I gnce at her direction, seeing her slowly creeping up to me like a cat. “How’ve you been? It really has been a while!” She says enthusiastically. She sure hasn’t changed much over the past 3 years. I face her.

  “I’m doing good,” I say.

  “I’ve been wondering this whole time. Where’s Xavier? You’re both usually with each other,” asks Noelle.

  “He’s out finding an opponent.”

  “Oh, I would’ve guessed that you both would decide to pair up for this phase. How come you both didn’t?”

  “We both had our own personal reasons,” I say.

  “Eh… So, where were you guys sitting in the auditorium? I don’t think I saw you or Xavier,” asks Noelle.

  “If I remember, we sat in the middle column somewhere near the top.”

  “Oh, no wonder why I didn’t see you guys. I sat up front.”

  “How about you?”

  “Hm? What do you mean?” Says Noelle, her head slightly tilting to the side.

  “How have you been doing yourself tely?” I say.

  “Oh, you could’ve just said that right from the start,” she takes a few short steps forward and stops, her back facing me, “I’m doing pretty well. I’m really happy that I managed to get into Magi Prep Academy. It’s always been my dream to become a Magicaster - I’m sure you know that by now, haha. But, I can now finally achieve my dream and make it come true,” says Noelle, her voice unwavering. Thinking about it now. I don’t know Noelle’s reason for wanting to become a Magicaster. When we were kids, she would always say how she wanted to become a Magicaster. How she wanted to become a cool mage, showing everyone she knew that she could use magic. Maybe her being so enthusiastic on being a Magicaster might have influenced Xavier and I to even consider joining the Magicasters too. Whatever her reason is, all that matters is if she does end up becoming a Magicaster by the end of all of this. The same goes for me too.

  “Looks like we’ve all kind of grown up in our own ways,” I mumble. Noelle turns facing me.

  “Did you say something?” Asks Noelle.

  “Just talking to myself,” I reply.

  “Hmm…” Noelle stares at me with a bnk expression for a few seconds. Then quickly twirls around, her back facing me. “Oh well,” says Noelle.

  “Did you find an opponent yet? We only have the rest of the day and half of tomorrow to find one,” I say. I see her body flinch. She slowly turns around, her face making an anxious expression.

  “Would it be bad if I say that I haven’t found anyone yet?” She reluctantly says.

  “I’ll take that as a ‘no,’” I say. Noelle can probably be my opponent for this phase, but I don’t really want to choose her. She is someone who I know. “Are you doing anything for the rest of the day?” I say.

  “Probably finding an opponent, but I honestly don’t know anyone here, so it’s going to be tough,” says Noelle, pondering to herself.

  Looking past her I see 2 light blue colored floating holographic signs. One of the signs says: Restaurants. It’s pointing to the right of the path. The other sign says: Park. It’s pointing to the left of the path. “Are you hungry?” I ask.

  “Thinking about it, I am pretty hungry right now,” replies Noelle, looking at her stomach.

  “I’ll treat you,” I say as I begin walking past her, my hands in my pockets.

  “Eh? Really?”

  “Are you declining?”

  “Ah. No, no, that was just unexpected. It surprised me, that's all. I’m not going to decline an opportunity like this!” She says, I hear her footsteps jogging to me.

  “Don’t expect me to be paying for anything expensive,” I say as I see her to the side of me, walking.

  “Since I’m already pretty hungry, I won’t be too picky this time, heh heh,” replies Noelle.

  “Lucky me,” I say.

  “Oh yeah, did you see the girl who asked the Vice Principal a question?” Says Noelle. Hm, thinking about it. There was a girl who asked the Vice Principal a question at the beginning of the ceremony. I only remember her having long white hair. I couldn’t see much of her from where I was sitting. What did the Vice Principal call her by again?

  “You’re talking about Ursu Vergs, right? The next in line to uphold the families history of talented Magicasters?” I say. The Vergs family is royalty. They’ve been and continue to be one of the most influential families within the Quartz Nation. They’re known for supporting the Quartz Nation’s team of Magicasters by providing funds and even recommending candidates. If the Vergs family were to fall, I can only assume the worst will happen to the Quartz Nation.

  “Yeah, her. I’m surprised you remembered her name. There is barely any information about her online at all,” says Noelle.

  “What about her?” I ask. I assume that she has something she wants to say about Ursu if she’s bringing her up.

  “You know how the Vice Principal asked how Ursu’s brother was doing? Well, I did a bit of searching online after the ceremony. It turns out that Ursu’s brother is Fannar Vergs. The article said that he graduated from Magi Prep Academy and joined the Magicasters a few years ago,” says Noelle. From my own knowledge, Fannar Vergs is regarded as one of the best ice mages in the Magicasters of the Quartz Nation. He wields a nce. It’s said that he is able to cast rge area of effect spells without wasting a tremendous amount of mana from his weapon. Truly impressive.

  “Wouldn’t this be unfortunate for Ursu?” I say.

  “Hm? How is it unfortunate for her?” Questions Noelle.

  “Since she’s the daughter of the Vergs family and is next in line to join the Magicasters after her brother. This means that she’s going to be under a lot of pressure. If she doesn’t either do as good as her brother or surpass her brother, she will ultimately damage the Vergs family's name and reputation. There’s also been a rumor circuting saying the father of the family is missing.”

  “Wait, really? I didn’t hear about this… where did you hear it?”

  “I do a bit of digging every now and then,” I answer.

  “Those implications are scary, Jun,” says Noelle, her expression disgusted. Ignoring her look, I continue.

  “If the father turns out to be missing or even dead. This means that Ursu is going to be the st pure royal blood descendant of the Vergs family. Which makes it even more of a reason as to why she has to make a name for herself in the Magicasters.”

  “Sheesh, I didn’t think being royalty could be this stressful and complicated…” says Noelle, slightly slumping over.

  Krr, krr.

  What’s that sound? I stop walking, Noelle passing me. She stops and turns around. “What’s up?” She says.

  “Did you hear something being turned on?” I say.

  “Huh? I thought it was just m-“

  Krrrrrr-

  “Attention you Lot. All of your own individual temporary rooms have been assigned. There will be an email sent shortly to you all regarding information about your assigned temporary rooms. Curfew is 9 PM Sharp. If any staff members see you out past the curfew, you will receive a penalty. That is all, have a great rest of your day,” says Ms. Leopold’s voice through the universal magic PA system. Was that noise from the universal magic PA system turning on? I guess I’m just being paranoid.

  Ding!

  I feel the vibration of my phone in my pocket. I take it out and see a notification on my Lock Screen. Tapping on the pop up, it takes me to an email that reads: Your room number is 302 on the third floor. To get your room key, please report to the male dorm building. Scrolling further down, I see a miniature map showing the location of the male dorms. “Did you get an email?” I say to Noelle.

  Bing!

  “Oh, I just got mine right now. Let me check it,” says Noelle, she focuses on her phone for a few seconds then looks up to me. “What room number did you get? Mine is 205, second floor.”

  “Room 302, third floor. Though, we’re going to be in different buildings,” I say.

  “Oh yeah, the email did say that I report to the female dorms,” says Noelle, looking back at her phone screen. I look at the time on the phone, it’s currently the afternoon. Looks like we still have some time before going to the dorms.

  “We should get going before it gets any ter,” I say. I see Noelle look back at her phone.

  “Wah, it’s the afternoon? Yeah, let’s get going. I don’t want to be starving tonight,” says Noelle. We continue following the path to the restaurants. “Do you think we’re getting closer? It feels like we’ve been walking for some time,” says Noelle.

  “Magi Prep Academy’s campus is pretty big. Even though we’re currently on the outskirts of the campus, it’s still retively rge out here,” I reply. Magi Prep Academy’s campus is much rger than the average university in the cities. Since Magi Prep Academy was built on empty forest nd far from any poputed areas, it stretches pretty far. I don’t know the exact measurements, but I do know that it occupies most of the forest nd here.

  “Oh, looks like we’re getting closer. There seems to be more students around here now,” says Noelle. I gnce around seeing more students appear as we walk deeper into the streets.

  “You might not be wrong,” I say.

  We both eventually arrive on the streets of the restaurants. Looking around I notice a bunch of popur restaurant joints. “Woah, this pce is filled to the brim with different restaurants…” says Noelle, her mouth gaping. I underestimated how much money the nation is willing to spend on Magi Prep Academy. I didn't think it would be this much. I guess you can also say that Magi Prep Academy is an important asset to the nation. Walking through the walkway, I see an abundant amount of students slowly appearing. Many of them are eating alone or in a group. Looks like half of the freshmen students are here. Including Noelle and I.

  “Where do you want to go?” Asks Noelle. I look at her.

  “I don’t want to go anywhere too expensive…”

  “How much do you have on you right now?”

  “Around 1 gold shard coin and 60 silver shard coins,” I say.

  “Hm, where can we go then? I only have 1 gold shard coin on me,” says Noelle, pondering. Even though I said I would be the one treating her, she’s still willing to pay for herself. I see a red ruby logo in the far distance.

  “Noelle, I probably know where we can go,” I say.

  “Hm? Where?” Asks Noelle with a confused expression.

  “The Ruby Grill,” I say.

  Jingle, jingle. Entering the restaurant, I hear the sound of the jingle go off as I open the door. The sound of chittering is present throughout the pce. There sure are a lot of students here. Can’t bme them. The Ruby Grill offers an all you can eat barbecue for an hour. This all for the price of only 30 silver shard coins each person. It’s also famously known around the nation for its overseas aesthetics. I walk to the reception table. “Welcome, grill for 2?” Says the receptionist.

  “Yes, for 2, please,” I say.

  “That will be 60 silver shard coins. We accept card payment and in-person coin payment,” says the receptionist. I bring out my wallet, pulling out 60 silver shard coins, I hand it to the receptionist. “OK, your grill number is 3. Just head straight through those doors and it’ll be to your right. Thank you for choosing to dine at The Ruby Grill. Have a great rest of your day,” says the receptionist as she bows to us. We both bow back and make our way through the doors.

  “Is this our grill?” Says Noelle.

  “Yeah, it should be grill number 3,” I say. We pull out the stools and take a seat across one another, the grill between us. Grabbing the red magic crystals from the tray on the side of the grill, we gently slide them under the grill. The crystals begin levitating and glow a bright red hue, casting a fire spell. Foosh…

  “Now all to do is wait!” Says Noelle. She’s swinging her legs pyfully under the table.

  Ping!

  “Oh, looks like the grill is finally done heating up,” Says Noelle, grabbing a piece of raw meat from across the table and pcing it onto the grill. Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle. Closing my eyes, I feel the rich aroma from the grilling meat flowing through my nostrils. It smells sweet and meaty. Opening up my eyes I see Noelle drooling across. I look at the cooking piece of meat.

  “It should be good to ea-“ SNATCH! Noelle suddenly grabs hold of the meat with her chopsticks. Drip, drip. The meat juices slowly drip and flow down the sides, it nds on the grill making a sizzling sound. Sizzle, sizzle. Noelle devours the piece of meat.

  “It’s not going to run away from you,” I say. Looks like she’s still a big fan of meat even after these 3 years.

  “Hm? Sworry, can’t speakth right now,” she says as she’s chewing on the piece of meat in her mouth, the meat juices slowly leaking out from the sides of her lips.

  “At least slow down,” I say. Looks like she’s having fun at least. I grab a piece of grilled squid, putting it in my mouth. Nom, chew, chew, gulp. I look at Noelle, her face in ecstasy. I should probably start putting more meat on here in case she wants more… Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…

  Jingle, jingle. “Please come again!” Says the receptionist as we leave the restaurant. Pulling out the phone from my pocket, I look at the time that’s on the Lock Screen. Looks like we stayed longer than I thought we would. I should be lucky we didn’t get any penalty fees. I put the phone away.

  “Nghhh… I’m full to the brim!” Says Noelle, stretching her arms.

  “I’m pretty satisfied too,” I say.

  “Really? You didn’t look like you ate much at all,” says Noelle.

  “I’m pretty sure you were too busy devouring all the meat you could before the time limit ran out.”

  “I-I mean…”

  “I’m not wrong, am I?”

  “Y-yeah. I mean it’s been a while since I’ve been to The Ruby Grill… So I kind of just let myself loose, y’know? Haha,” says Noelle. Walking back to the auditorium, we swing by the park. I see a bench under a tree. The tree casting a rge shadow. We go to the bench and sit down.

  “This pce is livelier than I expected it to be,” says Noelle as she looks ahead of her. I look around. Groups of students sitting on the grassy field talking with each other, some others are walking - most likely keeping themselves busy, and there are a few lone stragglers sitting by themselves, occupying benches. I yawn. “Did you get enough sleep?” Asks Noelle.

  “No, not really,” I say.

  “I see you still have the habit of staying up te, huh,” says Noelle, leaning back on the bench.

  Chirp, chirp, chirp.

  “Haha, really?!” Says a distant voice.

  “Of course, it’s not like…” says another voice, it slowly dims out.

  “Hey, throw it over here!” Yells a male student’s voice, I faintly hear it.

  Chirp, chirp, chirp.

  The sounds of the birds chirping and the faint sounds of people talking in the background… There is something oddly calming about it. It’s not too distracting or too overwhelming. If I really want to, I could take a nap here. I feel the slight movement of the wood on the bench. “Jun,” says Noelle.

  “What’s up?” I say.

  “Do you wanna spar?” Says Noelle. I turn my head to her.

  “That’s random,” I say.

  “Well, I’ve been sparring a lot with my parents tely. So, I want to spar with someone my age and you’re basically the perfect candidate for that,” says Noelle. Her parents aren’t Magicasters from what Noelle told me 3 years ago, but they have the license to be able to own magical weapons. I can specute that she’s learning how to fight with her magical weapon from her parents through their sparring sessions. I look to the blue sky, the clouds slowly passing by.

  “Sure, I’m down to spar with you. I kind of need to do something to keep myself awake,” I reply.

  “Eh. To keep myself awake, he says,” Says Noelle. She hops off the bench. “Well, that’s fine. Let's go find somewhere secluded then.”

  Tsh, tsh, tsh. Finding a secluded grassy area in the park, I stand a few feet across from Noelle. I feel the heat of the sun hitting my skin. The ever so vague gushes of wind passing by. I see Noelle tying up her hair into a ponytail. She takes off her periwinkle hoodie and drops it to the grassy ground. I see her green pendant shining from the sunlight. “Alright, I should be ready now, Jun!” She yells, bumping her fist and her palm together.

  “So, what’re the win conditions for this sparring session?” I say.

  “Hmm… I would like to use magic, but I’m more used to sparring without magic. So, I guess we’ll do only pure weaponry combat. And, to win, the other person has to be knocked down fully on the ground or pinned down,” she replies. These win conditions are quite a hassle. I prefer sparring sessions that only require the other person to get off the combat field. Well, it is her sparring session. Not mine.

  Snap!

  Huh? A snap? I look at Noelle, seeing the green pendant in her hands. I see the movement of her lips mouthing something. Suddenly, the green pendant starts glowing. It breaks into multiple circur mana particles, forming around her arms. “Interesting, your magic weapon is a gauntlet, pretty suitable,” I say.

  “Really? I think a better suitable weapon for me would’ve been a sword or something, y’know?” Says Noelle as she’s cracking her knuckles. I look at her gauntlets. It doesn’t look big or heavy. They are slim fit. The design is simplistic but unique. The colors of the gauntlets are white and green, the green more prominent. I shouldn’t underestimate them just because they don’t look Intimidating. Magical weapons are handcrafted by specialized Swordsmiths after all. “Are you going to equip your weapon?” Asks Noelle.

  “Yeah, give me a second,” I say. Putting my hand in my pocket, I pull out a dark-red pendant. It flickers from the sunlight. “Equip,” I say. The pendant glows a bright dark-red hue, turning into mana particles. It forms into a katana, levitating in front of me. I grab the scabbard of the katana.

  “Wait, your magic weapon is a katana?!” Says Noelle enviously.

  “I think having magic gauntlets is more convenient though,” I say.

  “You don’t know how jealous I am right now…” says Noelle.

  “OK, I’m ready. We can start whenever,” I say as I get into position.

  “Hm? You’re not going to unsheath your bde?”

  “Since we’re not having a formal duel, a barrier won’t be set up. This means that if I manage to nd a hit on you, I will cut into your skin. However, in your case, your weapon will only hurt me if you decide to hit me with full force. Probably breaking a rib cage or something.”

  “If you say it like that, I’m kind of scared to go all out,” says Noelle. I look her in the eyes.

  “Don’t worry, I’m stronger than you think I am,” I say. Noelle’s face lightens.

  “Alright! Let’s do this then!” Says Noelle, enthusiastically.

  “Yeah, good luck,” I say as I grip on the katana’s hilt.

  “The battle begins, now!” Yells Noelle.

  DASH!

  She’s charging me. I readjust the katana horizontally. CLANK! Her right fist makes contact with the scabbard. I feel her pushing against me. Her punch is tough. BAM! The force from her punch slides me backwards a few feet. TSH, TSH, TSH, TSH. I hear her running to me and look ahead, she jumps in the air to me. She preps for a right hook. I step to the left, dodging before she initiates the attack. She misses, quickly rebounding back with a pattern of left and right punches. I dodge each punch accordingly until I see an open opportunity to break her pattern. CLANK! Throwing a right ssh with the katana, she blocks it with both of her arms. It pushes her backwards. “You have good reflexes,” says Noelle.

  “I can say the same to you,” I say.

  Keeping eye contact with her, I start walking to the right. She follows my movement. I stop in pce. Lifting up my feet off the ground, I dash to her, she’s doing the same. I tighten my grip on the hilt. Here goes nothing. Cnk, cck, cnk, cck, cnk! Blocking each of the incoming punches, I parry one of her right punches, rebounding her backwards in pce, making her slightly lose her bance. “Wha…?“ she says with a surprised expression. I step forward and hit her with a palm strike to her abdomen. WHACK!

  The attack slightly stumbles her backwards. “Gah!” She coughs. I quickly follow up with a right swing with the katana.

  GRAB!

  Pull, pull, pull. I can’t pull free, is her grip really this strong without reinforcement magic? Letting go of my weapon, I jump backwards, repositioning. Noelle throws the katana upwards, catching its hilt and points the katana tip towards me. “The way you’re able to predict my attacks and react accordingly to them is impressive. You even managed to parry one of my fast right swings too. Who taught you how to fight? I don’t remember there being anyone in your family that owns a magical weapon,” Noelle asks.

  “I probably just have natural talent,” I say.

  “Hm, Impressive regardless,” she says as she tosses the katana to me, catching it.

  “You’re giving it back to me?”

  “Well, I want to have a fair match.”

  “Fair enough,” I say. I readjust the katana in my hands and dash towards her. TSH, TSH, TSH, TSH, TSH. I throw a right ssh to her abdomen. She jumps upward completely dodging the attack and suddenly throws a right kick towards my face midair. Noticing it in time, I quickly duck down. I grab her leg as she finishes the kick, throwing her across. She gently sticks the nding. Boom! She immediately jumps towards me at high velocity, leaving cracks behind on the ground. I see her right hand forming a fist. I swiftly unsheath the katana, throwing the scabbard to the side, it slowly dissipates into mana particles. CLANK! The sounds of the weapons colliding with each other echoes throughout the grassy area. Small yellow sparks the size of flies generate from the csh between the two weapons. Using the force of her attack, I use it as a chance to propel myself backwards, ending the csh. “Hm? I thought you weren’t going to unsheath your bde?” Questions Noelle as she sticks the nding after the short csh.

  “If I hadn’t, that punch would’ve sent me flying,” I say.

  “Now that I think about it, I might have added a bit too much power into that punch, haha,” says Noelle as she gnces away, trying to hide her guilt.

  I rub the side of my neck. It’s quiet, much quieter compared to the earlier background noise of the other students in the park. Almost as if every student here had left for the dorms. I look up to the mellow light-orange colored hue clouds. The spring breeze feels cooler. “I guess I should probably get a bit serious myself,” I say. Gripping on the katana hilt, I point the tip towards Noelle. I see her preparing herself. I should end this before it gets any ter. I look at Noelle’s eyes. I toss the katana into the air, her eyes following the katana. I lift off my feet. Dash! I get behind her.

  “Eh? How are you already…?” Utters Noelle as she notices me. I leg sweep her, face pnting her onto the ground. Thump! I quickly get on top of her, pinning her down. The sounds of the wind running along the grass fills the silent atmosphere.

  “I take that I’ve won,” I say, still pinning her down. Feeling her body loosen, I let go.

  “How did you get behind me that fast?” Asks Noelle as she pushes herself back up.

  “You fixated too much on my katana, I got into your blind spot,” I say.

  “Yeah, I realized that… Though, are you sure you didn’t have anyone teach you how to fight? You got behind me in less than a second, I couldn’t even react in time,” says Noelle.

  “You might have blinked during all of that,” I say as I grab the katana on the ground. “Off,” the katana turns back into the dark-red pendant, it hangs on my hand. Putting the pendant in my pocket, I walk to Noelle.

  “I guess so,” Noelle yawns, “off,” she says while yawning. Her gauntlets turn into mana particles, forming a pendant around her neck.

  “We should probably get going or else we’re going to end up arriving te to the dorms,” I say.

  “Hm? Oh yeah! I totally forgot about all that during the sparring session. Alright, let's get going then,” she says as she picks up her periwinkle hoodie from the ground, walking ahead of me. I look back at the sky, seeing the sun slowly beginning to set. “You coming?!” Yells Noelle.

  “Yeah,” I say as I walk to her.

  Click, cck, click, cck. The sounds of both our footsteps walking on the cement floor fills the empty air. “Ugh… I totally forgot that I had to find an opponent…” says Noelle as she’s hunching over.

  “Aren’t I in the same boat as you?” I say.

  “Oh yeah, I guess you are. Sorry for taking up your time,” says Noelle with a dejecting voice.

  “The time limit isn’t over until tomorrow. Remember, they gave us 24 hours to find someone. We still have 12 hours left tomorrow.”

  “Huh? Really? Oh yeah, you did mention that earlier today,” says Noelle, she sighs from relief.

  “Good luck,” I say, trying to encourage her.

  “Thanks, you too, Jun,” she replies. I stop walking.

  “Looks like this is the female dorm building,” I say as I look at the tall building. It looks like a hotel.

  “Oh, where’s the male dorm? I would expect them to be pretty close to each other,” says Noelle. I look at the miniature map on the phone.

  “Looks like the male dorm building is on the other side,” I say.

  “Oh. Anyways, I’m gonna get going. It was nice to see you again. Hope you find someone to fight for tomorrow! Also, tell Xavier that I said hi!” Says Noelle enthusiastically as she walks towards the entrance of the female dorm building. She’s waving. I wave back. Seeing her enter the building I make my way to the male dorm building.