Kōsokudō: Chronicles of Nexorix Academy

Chapter Two: A new beginning

About two weeks later, in the early morning when the sun is beginning to rise, Jitsuo makes his way to the bus stop alone. Mainly because Stephanie and Riko slept in. In his right hand was his suitcase, filled with personal belongings, while a backpack hung from his left shoulder, filled with his day to day essentials. Apparently, students of Nexorix academy, were supposed to stay on campus year round for their safety. Just as Jitsuo arrived at the bus stop, which headed towards the Nexorix academy, a thought appears in Jitsuo's head, did Steph or Riko forget to pack their suitcases yesterday? The bus leaves in an hour, so hopefully they arrive on time.

After roughly fifty minutes, Riko and Stephanie came sprinting towards him, their backpacks bouncing with each hurried step. Collapsing beside him, they struggled to catch their breath. Between gasps, Riko managed to utter, "We made it."

"Great you made it on time, but why are you only bringing a backpack. Surely you won't be able to fit most of your personal belongings in it?" asked Jitsuo.

"Let's just say we both had to make some very big sacrifices, like leaving behind my favorite manga or my action figures. Oh, worst of all, I had to leave behind the original copy of my novel 'The Legend of Sora.' It's a sad world we live in," Steph responded with a sorrowful gaze.

Just then the bus arrived, and Jitsuo asked Riko and Steph "Wait a minute, you guys brought your tickets right?". On the back of the invitation given to them by Natalia, it said they would need to arrive by a bus. And to print tickets to be able to hand to the driver. So if they forgot the tickets then womp womp.

"Yes, how would the magnificent Stephanie commit a mistake such as forgetting a simple ticket?", Steph proudly states with smirk.

"Ignoring that last part, same here. So shall we get on the bus?", asked Riko.

Jitsuo nodded, and they all headed onto the bus, showing the driver their tickets. Following that, they found their seats. Steph sat by the window on the right side of the bus, with Jitsuo next to her on the aisle seat. On the opposite side, Riko settled by the window. As they boarded, a staff member collected Jitsuo's suitcase, placing a tag on it, while each of them kept their backpacks with them for their essentials.

Once the three of them were seated, the bus driver announced that they would be leaving. The strange part about this was that the bus was barely filled with anyone. The capacity of the bus was for about fifty or so people, but there were only eight passengers. Two were staff members, three were Jitsuo, Steph, and Riko, and the last three were a blond-haired girl and a pair of twins with blue hair.

Riko realizes this and asks Jitsuo, "Hey, don't you think the bus is a little empty?".

Jitsuo thinks it over for a minute and responds, "Well, they'll probably have to stop at other neighborhoods or towns to pick up other vessels. It's really unlikely that they'd force everyone to arrive at a single bus stop. If I'm correct, there's still a couple of hours left until the entrance ceremony."

"That would make sense. Hey, Stephanie, you've been rather quiet," Riko called out. They glanced at her and noticed she was fast asleep. They both decided to remain silent, in order to avoid waking her.

As the bus drove by, several thoughts crowded inside of Jitsuo's mind. Was attending this school truly worth it? What if it was all just a facade and this academy served as a trap to capture vessels? What if they hurt Riko or Steph? What if attending this school leads to him losing them all again? If anything is suspicious, i'll make sure they make it out even if I have to die. I'm not going to lose anyone again. As Jitsuo slowly reassured himself, fatigue crept in and he found himself falling asleep.

Jitsuo opened his eyes and found himself on a rooftop as the sun dipped below the horizon. He turned to see a familiar face, one he could never forget. The girl had pink hair and light blue eyes, her smile as sweet as ever. She turned to face the setting sun and spoke softly, "Jitsuo, do you ever feel lonely? Or wish for a more ordinary life? You spend all your time saving others, but what about yourself?"