Chapter 117: Foundation Festival [2]

As soon as they arrived at the last checkpoint, Brandon joined the parade back to the Academy.

The entire parade lasted for a total of three hours.

"Ukhh...!"

And at the end of it, Brandon immediately rushed towards the Academy.

"Hey!"

Amelia called out to him but it all went to deaf ears.

Clenching his stomach, Brandon continued running around the halls until he had finally arrived at the bathroom.

"Blergh...!"

And he puked once again.

After finishing, he turned the faucet on and water started cascading down the sink.

The puke drained down along with the water and Brandon washed his face.

A cool sensation washed over him and he looked at himself in the mirror.

He was a mess.

There were dark bags under his eyelids and his complexions paled slightly.

"Fucking... Smith."

He cursed under his breath.

"I shouldn't have drank..."

It was stupid.

But,

"Hehehe."

He found the entire situation funny.

It was refreshing, to say the least.

He had never felt this way before.

He then recalled Evelyn's words from earlier.

"Finally acting like my age, huh?"

Right.

"Yeah."

It was fun.

Turning the faucet off, he wiped his drenched face with a towel.

Staring at the mirror once again, he thoroughly scanned his appearance.

His collar was slightly drenched and his hair was a mess.

He briefly fixed his hair with water before eventually leaving.

Walking around the hallways, he breathed out a heavy sigh.

"Haa..."

Just the thought of the duties in the afternoon made him feel exhausted—albeit—mentally.

The hallways were quiet with no students present.

But there was a reason for it.

Perking his ears, a certain sound reached his ears.

—Today, we gather to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in our academy's history. This festival is a tribute to the hard work, dedication, and spirit that define our community.

—Astrea Academy is more than just a place of learning. It is a place where dreams take flight, where friendships are forged, and where knowledge grows. Together, we create a bright future.

—As we kick off this festival, let us remember the values that unite us: curiosity, kindness, and perseverance. Enjoy the festivities, make new memories, and embrace the spirit of our academy.

It was the inauguration speech for the Foundation Festival.

As the festivities would kick off, Belle would give a speech to inspire the masses.

But because he immediately rushed towards the Academy, he missed it.

But it didn't matter.

He shrugged.

He had already known what would happen in the inauguration ceremony after peeking at Belle's documents back in their apartment.

Thankfully, he wasn't part of the council.

He didn't have any duties assigned during the ceremony.

He continued walking around the halls. He then paused in his steps as he finally arrived at his destination.

Opening the door, what greeted his sight was Amelia who was seated at her desk with a bunch of documents on the table.

Noticing his sudden appearance, Amelia's brows were raised.

"Good work. Take a rest for now."

Looking at the sleeping Brandon's face, she muttered under her breath.

"...Cute."

He was a cute junior.

*

After a few hours, Brandon had awakened from his peaceful slumber.

Slowly lifting his body up, he rubbed his eyes.

"Morning."

A soft voice reached his ears. Turning around, what met his gaze was Amelia who seemed to be writing something down on a document.

His hoarse voice followed shortly after.

"M-morning..."

He stuttered.

Why?

"What time is it...?"

"It's 10:30. You wanted me to wake you up at 11:00, right?"

"A-ah... Yeah."

"Still want to sleep some more? You have a few minutes to spare."

"No, this is enough."

"Okay, then."

Brandon then got up and walked towards the door.

He reached for the door knob and twisted it slightly. He paused for a brief moment and turned around to look at Amelia who met his gaze.

"Hm?"

"T-thank you."

He abruptly left shortly after.

He...

"Why?"

He suddenly grew conscious of her.

For what reason?

He didn't know.

But he dismissed his thoughts.

He had duties to attend to.

He continued to walk around the halls before pausing at a certain door.

"Right."

As soon as he opens this door...

"Haha."

He then opened it and what met his sight had left him speechless.

"Welcome back, Master."

A girl in a maid uniform greeted him with a bow.

It was one of his classmates, Emily Hawthorne.

"Ah."

"Guys! Brandon's here...!"

Emily's loud voice echoed and immediately grabbed everyone's attention.

He started shuddering in fear knowing what would happen next.

"Hehe."

"I thought you weren't planning on showing up."

"Come on, Brandonella. It's time to change."

An ominous smirk etched on his classmate's faces.

"...I think I'm in the wrong room."

He turned around and tried to leave.

But he was then halted in his steps as a man stood to block his path.

"Go on, Brandonella."

Reinhard stood tall with a similar ominous smirk etched on his face.

He hesitantly turned around, only to find that his classmates had already appeared before him.

"No, no...! This is a mistake...!"