Kōsokudō: Chronicles of Nexorix Academy

Chapter Three: First Impressions

Jitsuo walked down the bustling hallway towards his dorm, the sounds of students chatting and settling into their new rooms creating a lively atmosphere. But since the boys and girls were housed in separate buildings, Jitsuo found himself alone, at least for now.

Just as he reached his room, he heard a loud slurping sound and noticed someone leaning against the wall next to his door. The guy was drinking milk straight out of a carton. He had gray hair, green eyes, and wore blue jeans along with a black shirt with the words "Milk is justice!"

For a few moments, Jitsuo stood in disgust as he watched this fella. He then cleared his throat, and the milk-drinking neighbor looked up, startled, and quickly wiped his mouth. "Oh hey! Didn't see ya there. I guess this is your room. Guess we're neighbors, huh? By the way, the name's Tyken. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, my name's Jitsuo. By the way, hasn't anyone told you how nasty it is to drink milk out of the carton? You look like a weirdo while doing it."

"Hehe, if enjoying the greatest drink ever created in the most fashionable style possible is considered weird, then you can call me the king of weirdos," Tyken said with a smirk.

"That's the biggest overstatement of the century," Jitsuo replied while opening his door.

"You do realize there's still half a century left?" Tyken said, looking disappointed.

"Anyway, it's been nice talking to you, Tyken, but I think it's about time I go get lunch. See ya," Jitsuo said, stepping into his room.

"Okay, see you later," Tyken replied. As Jitsuo closed his door, Tyken mumbled to himself, "Wait, if our fridges are empty, what's he gonna eat? The only reason I have this milk is because I snuck it in. Did he just lie to me? Nah, he probably snuck something in too. Maybe a secret stash of snacks. Hmm, I need to make friends with this guy."

As Jitsuo entered his room, he noticed that it was surprisingly spacious, more like a small apartment than a typical dorm. There was a living area with a comfortable-looking sofa and a coffee table, a small kitchenette complete with a mini-fridge, microwave, sink, and a two-burner stove. To the right, a door led to a separate bedroom, where a bed was neatly made, flanked by a nightstand and a wardrobe. The large window in the living area offered a view of the campus grounds below, casting warm sunlight into the room.

On the dining table, he noticed a sleek, new phone provided by the school. He set his backpack down on the table and then picked up the phone, curious. He turned it on, and the screen lit up, displaying a welcome message. One of the apps was called "Stats," and when clicked, it displayed his personal information, which had already been preloaded:

Name: Jitsuo Kamino
Class: Emerald
Gift: Bitter Truth

Academics: 91 A
Strength: 85 A-
Speed: 95 A
Endurance: 94 A
Durability: 84 B+
Etherea Capacity: 81 B
Combat Speed: 96 A+
Stamina: 90 A
Agility: 89 A-
Reflexes: 94 A
Battle IQ: 97 A+
Overall Defense: 91 A
Overall Offense: 90 A
Overall: 91 A

As Jitsuo was looking through his stats, he suddenly heard a grumbling from his stomach. He set the phone back down and walked over to the kitchen, opening the fridge in hopes of finding something to eat. But, as expected, it was completely empty. He sighed and shut the door, his stomach growling in protest.

He wandered into the bedroom and flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. The room was clean and smelled faintly of fresh paint, suggesting it had only recently been prepared. He hadn't eaten since breakfast, and the day had been long and eventful. His mind drifted back to everything that had happened today: the dream he had on the bus, meeting Yuki, Riko overloading the Aether Orb, and meeting Tyken. It had been a while since Jitsuo had such an eventful day.