Just Keep Moving (a Beastars Fanfic)

Ch2. First Impressions

The walk to the school was thankfully uneventful. My appearance did attract some gawking, but most people were too busy with their own lives to care about a stranger's looks. I could only hope that I would face the same disinterest in the school I was going to be attending. 

 "What's the name of this school anyways?" I asked the leopard police officer escorting me.

 "Cherryton Academy," he replied. "Which, wouldn't you know it, is located in Cherryton City." At this I chuckled a bit, and we made the rest of the journey in relative silence. When we reached the school, what first caught my eye were the four large towers that stood high above the rest of the campus. Most of the buildings I could see looked to be at least two stories, but the towers still overshadowed them as a pine tree does to a pebble. I inferred that those towers contained the dorms, as there was no other reason I could think of for them to be that large. 

When I entered the school grounds, I could feel a shift in the atmosphere as every eye in a fifty yard radius seemed to focus on me. It was the good old feeling that plagued every highschool student, or teenager for that matter: imposter syndrome or whatever it was called. I followed my escort into a stout brick building, where we walked up to a receptionist to enroll me. 

The officer gave my name and age, then turned to me to ask if I could eat meat. I nodded, and the officer returned to talking with the receptionist. After a bit, I heard a printer running, and the receptionist disappeared, presumably to pick up what was printed. They came back a minute later and handed me a ahead of papers, then directed me to an empty room where I was told to complete the given papers in two hours. 

The papers turned out to be a test, on which were a series of questions on subjects ranging from Math to what appeared to be Etiquette. Subjects like Math and Science were a breeze, for it seemed that they stayed a constant truth. Social Studies and Etiquette, however, ruined me. I had no clue about how to answer the questions, so I ended up skipping most of those questions. In the end, I was told to stop writing and turn in my test. 

The receptionist put the test in a filing cabinet somewhere, and said, "You can expect your results by tomorrow, and you'll receive options for courses you can take if you pass." 

 When the receptionist finished talking, the officer led me back out of the school grounds. Turning to me, he said, "You can stay at my place for tonight, but you'd better hope that you pass the test, or else I'm putting you in the shelter. You can call me Officer, and no that's not my name. Follow me." 

The leopard, who I now knew as Officer, led me to an old but well maintained apartment complex, where he led me into his home. Looking around the apartment, I saw a few books scattered about the floor and a half-eaten sandwich on a small table. While I was busy inspecting the apartment, Officer grabbed some packets of what appeared to be instant ramen from a cupboard and started boiling a pot of water. 

I was quite familiar with the instant ramen from my world, but I was curious to see how another world's food would taste. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long, as the food was done in just a few minutes. As I sat down to eat, I couldn't help but sniff at the noodles. They had a similar aroma to the ones from back home, though the smell wasn't as strong. 

When I ate some, I noticed a more significant difference. Though the noodles from this world and mine looked the same, this world's noodles were quite a bit more bland than the ones from home. 

"Eat up," Officer commanded. "It's got all the necessary protein for a growing carnivore, and it provides other vitamins too." 

"Sure it's got protein and vitamins," I thought. "But it still lacks in flavor. I guess that's what happens when certain species can't eat different spices or herbs though." Deciding to learn more about the world I was in, I started asking Officer questions. "Are there any places where I can get some school supplies?" I asked.