Beast [Irregular at Magic High School fanfic] (Boyxboy)

Chapter 7

The following day was... Uneventful, really. At least, as far as danger or weird things were concerned.

It was hot, hotter than I was used to. On top of that, I had to wear the uniform for the technical staff after today. I swear, why make a uniform with a thick jacket and long sleeves when you know it's going to be hot every year? Stupid...

I did like the tie though. It felt like wearing a collar, which made me kinda happy. Probably my inner beast there. For today, my outfit was simple: green t-shirt the game color as Brother's school uniform, white pants, and my usual black sneakers. Of course, I wore a white scarf with a black line down it's entire length, splitting the white onto either side of it. I love scarves. They make me feel safe, and for some reason, I find they make useful weapons when necessary.

Right now, I was sitting next to Kei. Isori Kei, to be precise. I met him back when I did the demonstration of my skills. He's kind of chatty, but he's respectful of my mostly silent nature. And like me, he also gets carsick.

"Say, Shiba-kun, why aren't you with your brother in the other car? Sorry to pry, but it just seems kinda odd."

"Oh... I'm not too happy with something he did, even though it was on my behalf. So I'm avoiding him."

"I get what you mean... Well, you're pretty cool, so you should be able to find company even when your brother isn't around!"

"Thanks, Isori-san."

As soon as the cars finally arrived, we hightailed it outside. The air here.... It's so pure. Probably because we're so close to the mountain. It soothes me, calming my nerves and inner beast. The purer a place is, the more relaxed and comforted I feel. I'll definitely need that here.

I help the others move the equipment out of the vehicles, where we took them to our school's storage place. Afterwards there was a meeting amongst the technical staff about procedures and schedules before we were dismissed. I hovered around a bit before spotting Brother. I wanted to run up and start asking him questions, but... I was still mad at him.

"Ah, Shiba-kun, there you are."

I turn to see the long haired lady with the clipboard coming towards me. I hope she's not going to make me suffer her measuring tape again.... She stops in front of me, gaze on her clipboard.

"I just wanted to let you know, you've been moved to a different room. There's a bit more rookie competitors this year, so we've been trying to keep them all together. You're in room 408, with Juumonji Katsuto and Saijou Leonhart. Saijou-kun competed last year on a makeshift team, so he doesn't really count as a rookie. That's fine with you, I hope?"

"I don't have any problems with that."

"Great, if you're finished here, get your things and go settle in. The welcoming banquet is at 8."

She leaves me after that, and I sigh mentally in relief. I'm not really comfortable sleeping around others, but if it's two people I can trust, I don't think we'll have any issues. I wonder what they're competing in... After figuring out where our bags were by eavesdropping on conversations, I grabbed my backpack and headed toward the elevator. A couple of Third High Schoolers get in with me, headed toward the 6th floor. A short guy with black hair and red eyes and a taller guy with red hair and green eyes. If we weren't in Japan, I'd wonder if he were Irish.

At first, they don't even notice me as the elevator starts. It's actually really slow, probably to avoid making vibrations that would upset something as dangerous as a bomb. But when the shorter of the two spotted me, he made a point of staring.