[A3!] Another Universe _ Story Mode

❀ EP 03

EPISODE THREE _ A Step Back

She wishes for the vibration to end. Why must she be roomed with someone who has an unspoken hatred towards modern technology? Maybe if she was not the last person to move into the apartment, she might have a chance to have a red-haired roommate instead of one with black hair.

"Can you at least turn off your phone if you hate it so much?" The blondie spoke, annoyance is evident in her sentence. When the bottom bunk occupant makes no reply, she cranes her head only to see the girl staring blankly at the wall. It is an awful sight to see.

Ayaka has been on silent mode since she walked out of Mankai Dorm. The ride home was still, save for the soft lo-fi beats played on Kimi's radio. With her seat on the front passenger chair, Erika could not get a view of the older fellow as she let her thoughts float. Since Nami chose to shut herself, no one really dared to break the silence.

"I can but that will not stop them from texting me." The blankness on her face is without a doubt the most uncomfortable thing Erika has to witness. She prefers seeing the back of Ayaka's head as she typed away her thesis on her work desk. Well, the guys would not be happy to know that.

"Oi, Mori," Erika called and the other answers with a hum, "What happened to you with the director today? The spring guys didn't look fine too."

"Nothing." Ayaka childishly turns away and sometimes Erika questions if there is such thing as an extended version of teenage rebellion. She is sure over that phase last year so for Ayaka to whine like a child is so bizarre to her.

"Wow, if it doesn't mean anything then Miyoshi is sure being clingy. Just how many times did he call you?" Kazunari's name disappeared for the third time. When the screen turns black, Erika finds herself back on the bed and checks her own. "Settsu been askin' if you're alright. Did I miss something?"

"Is that all he asked you?"

"Most of the crap he asked me was hard to answer since you're gone without any trace most of the time. Say, the event at your uni is done so shouldn't you be doing some report or somethin'?"

"I'll do them later."

The stillness returns without much effort. It is easy to come by when both of them are not the chatty type. Kimi and Nami's room must be lively to be at in comparison to theirs. If it is not from the rare chances of loud blaring pop music from Ayaka's phone, then this is the result. And Erika never complains about the extra quiet time.

Ayaka stands by a printer at the campus library. The morning coffee indeed does wonders to her brain that she forgets she actually had only two hours of sleep. That is definitely something Azami will not be happy to hear from her. Therefore, she is thankful that Izumi never put her in the same sub-troupe as him. Once she has her report stapled, she walks out after paying for the amenity at the counter.

Veludo Arts University in the mornings is always serene with students are mostly in their respective classes. As for her case, being a part-time student means she has more time to roam around before attending a class. Not that she has a lot in the first place. Just two subjects while the rest are tutorials and producing a full thesis.

Sometimes she thought about it. Why did she not take a full-time study programme? Wouldn't it be quicker for her to graduate with her master's degree? Oh right, she thought it will help if she slows down for a while. Instead of finishing in two years, she will finish next year and the cost to cover this is not as much.

With her work ban at Mankai Company at the moment, Ayaka feels restless. This is nothing in comparison to Nami's level of restlessness but it is still there. She loves managing people's lives but in Izumi's eyes, she has to manage her own first before returning. As if she is capable of that. Perhaps the director trusts her too much.