Thus we went into the bath together. Req was excited at first but when we stepped into the bath and her seducing attempts started to prove futile one after another, that excitement slowly faded away.
After the bath was done and I'd washed away all the blood and dirt from my body, I came out and changed into some casual winter clothes. Req stood on her words too and didn't try to stick close to me.
I threw my torn-up uniform in a corner and left the room afterward. Coming out of the dorm building I went in the Mains, and after walking for a while I saw that in a corridor there was a long line of students that led to a single room.
It was the medic, and all these students had come here to get their wounds healed. I had the same reason. But since the line was so long I had no choice but to wait. And in the end, it took me quite a while before I got the treatment.
When I was leaving, I bought a healing potion from there which I drank while I headed out of the Mains.
My next destination was the cafeteria. Actually, I'd gone there first if it weren't for my injuries.
I mean, I haven't drunk coffee for three whole days. It was a wonder that I was even alive by now.
Entering the cafeteria I ordered a strong dose of espresso and some sandwiches. However, the cafe was full too thus it took me a while there, and by the time I left, the evening was set in stone.
I was headed to my last spot which was the shopping area. I had to buy a uniform if I planned on taking the classes tomorrow. The stores were a little distance from the cafeteria and I was on my way there when I spotted a girl coming over to me.
It was Alada.
"Why the hell did you knock me out too?" she asked as she stopped beside me.
"What reason I had to not do that?" I asked.
"I helped you."
"That's not enough of a reason. Nsiria helped me too, but she met with the same end."
"What?" she was a bit shocked at that. "But she wasn't there when I woke up."
"She must've gotten up and left before you regained consciousness," I said.
There was a pause. I didn't stop and she was walking beside me. The sun was setting, and the sky now had an orange tinge to it.
"I want to work with you," she stated as she looked at me.
"More precisely, you want to use me as a bridge in order to get together with Leon, isn't that right?"
She was at a loss for words for a while. "It isn't like that," she said. "I'm not using you as a bridge or anything. I'll help you too."
"I don't need your help. And you should leave now, you're wasting my time. I had to go and buy a new uniform before the stores close."
"Huh? But winter vacations are starting from tomorrow, the classes will be suspended. You probably won't need a uniform," she stated.
"I know," I didn't know. "I need to buy one anyway."
Saying that I brushed her off and headed for the shopping area. I'd taken my transaction card with me thus money was not a problem. I bought a new uniform for myself and returned to my dorm room afterward.
***
I entered my room, and put the bag of clothes on the desk. Sitting on the bed I took out my diary from the drawers of the desk and flipped through its pages.
A few seconds later I found what I was looking for.
'It's true,' I thought.
The event was in the novel; the winter vacations. Actually, calling it an event won't be right since loli_pop used it as a transition for a time skip, but here it won't matter since I'll have to live through all the time. There'd be no skipping.
I closed the diary and put it on the desk while I lay on the bed. Staring at the ceiling above myself, I fell into thought.
The academy classes will be suspended during the vacations, and the students who want to go visit their homes will be allowed to do so. We weren't allowed to leave the academy, but that was when the classes were ongoing.
In this case, it was different.
Anya will go home too, and of course, I'd be going back as well. Finally, after a long time, I'll be away from the chaos and have some time to take it easy. Since the vacations weren't shown in loli_pop's novel, no major event happened during that time.
'I'd finally have some time for myself,' I would've enjoyed thinking about this for a little longer.
But then the reality came crashing down on me. The thing about the vacations had slipped my mind due to the exam, but that doesn't mean I didn't know it was going to happen.
I did, and I have made preparation for that time. I'll still have things to do despite the holidays, things that will prove to be rather important and have a big impact in the future.
I got out of my bed and then left the room.
***
The sun had completely set and the night was taking over now. I was sitting in the cafeteria—which was mostly empty—waiting for someone.
After waiting for a few minutes more, a girl entered the cafe. She looked around for a bit and when her eyes met mine, she came straight to where I sat and took the seat in front of me.
She was Ellyn.
"Took you quite a while," I said. It was true, I was waiting for more than twenty minutes.
"I was with Leon. It's a lot of trouble to brush him off," she replied.
"Well, can't do anything about that. Anyway, get started."
She gave me the usual daily report, but that wasn't what I wanted right now. Once she was done reporting, I moved on to the main topic.