In the morning, Noah woke up from his sleep and from his special training to found himself in an awkward position. Sirius was still tightly clinging to Noah as he slept. Noah immediately expanded his influence field to cover just the room and then gently pushed Sirius. It was hard to move him, but once Noah created some space between them, he used the same strategy as before, this time swapping places with poor Neriah, who had been sleeping peacefully on the floor. Now, Neriah found himself in an awkward, tight embrace with Sirius. Despite this, both remained asleep, unaware of the change.
Noah headed to the window, which was closed this time, and opened it, pulling back the curtains to allow sunlight to enter the room and light it up. The sunlight shone on both Neriah and Sirius, and their eyes slowly opened. Their vision was still blurry.
"Hmm, Noey-kun~," Sirius mumbled sleepily, his lips moving as if to kiss Neriah, thinking he was Noah.
"Hmm... Which Noah are you talking about...?" Neriah said, finally opening his eyes and seeing clearly after the sleepiness lifted. The first thing he saw in the morning was Sirius, and this disgusting action.
In a sudden, annoyed reaction, Neriah instinctively punched Sirius in the face, sending him crashing into the wall behind him.
"Wah! What the hell is going on?!" Sirius yelled in shock, holding his head in pain from the punch and noticing that Neriah was on the bed instead of Noah.
"W-What the hell are you doing here, you old perverted bald jerk?!" Sirius yelled angrily, yanking the blanket and tossing it at Neriah in a failed attempt to hit him.
"Who are you calling old, you disgusting, filthy scoundrel!" Neriah snapped, grabbing the blanket flying toward him in the air.
The fight between Sirius and Neriah continued, and Enel was awakened by the noise. He rubbed his eyes from the sleepiness and Noah patted his head.
"Good morning," Noah said with a light, bright smile.
"Good morning… What's going on here?" Enel asked, yawning and gesturing toward Sirius and Neriah.
"I don't know, anyway, go get ready, the time is now…" Noah said, pulling his phone out of his pocket to check the time.
"It's 7:02 AM," Noah said, informing Enel of the time before putting his phone back in his pocket.
"…Do you sleep with your phone in your pocket?"
"Shut up."
By 7:20 AM, Noah, Enel, Neriah, and Sirius were all ready and headed downstairs toward the northern train station. The road was filled with their laughter and jokes as they made fun of each other, with Neriah quickly changing the topic every time.
"Isn't the best kind of woman the one who can crush your head with her thighs?" Neriah asked curiously, mostly directing the question at himself since the others ignored him.
"That's so random!" Noah said, annoyed and worried about such topics being discussed in a public place like this.
"My favorite type is one with short black hair and matching eyes, a tall build, and very smart when it comes to almost everything," Sirius said calmly, joining the conversation.
"That's so specific!" Neriah said, trying to imagine the type of girl Sirius described but could only think of one thing at that moment.
"Were you describing Noah?" Neriah asked, clapping his hands as if he had made a huge discovery.
"That's right!" Sirius said, winking excitedly and giving a thumbs up in approval.
"I'll really kill both of you," Noah said coldly.
Everyone laughed at Noah's reaction, even though he was serious. The intent to kill was palpable, so the topic changed quickly with Enel's question.
"Anyway, Enel, what's your favorite type of woman?" Neriah asked nervously, trying to ignore the murderous intent coming from Noah and his dangerous gaze.
"Ask me a question like that and I'll call the cops," Enel said.
And with that, the strange conversation was closed. The group reached the northern train station, which was crowded with students. They boarded the train and sat in the available seats. The train waited for all the students to board before leaving at 7:30 AM.
On the train, Noah and Neriah sat in the middle, Sirius was on the right, and Enel on the left. Enel noticed an encyclopedia lying next to him on the seat, so he picked it up and opened it.
"What's this?" Noah asked curiously, noticing the encyclopedia that Enel was holding, especially since it had a +16 label on it.
"That's an interesting question, if a friend of yours got divorced from his wife, what would you do?" Enel asked, reading the chapters, waiting for everyone's reaction.
"I'd marry his wife," Neriah said confidently and proudly, his tone full of certainty.
"Pervert," Noah said coldly.
"There's one possible answer here, which is to marry the husband," Sirius said proudly, clenching his fist in determination.
"Kill yourself!" Noah said coldly again.
The train arrived at Sector 1, the doors opened, and all the students got off. Everyone stared at Noah, Enel, Neriah, and Sirius with strange looks—disgusted looks from the girls and looks of annoyance and hatred from the boys, most likely because everyone had overheard their conversation, though they didn't dare confront them. Despite Noah's coldness in dealing with them earlier, he laughed from the bottom of his heart today, yesterday, and every time he was with them. In the hallway, they continued throwing their silly jokes until they arrived.
"Well then, I have a math class, see you later," Neriah said, waving as he walked away.
"I'm going too, I have a chemistry class," Enel said, hurrying off as well.
"Well then, let's go now, we have philosophy class," Sirius said, and Noah nodded in agreement as they headed to their classroom. Upon arrival, Sirius opened the door and walked in, with Noah following him. All attention turned to them as they were eyed from the corners of everyone's eyes with unfriendly glares.
Noah and Sirius sat in the back row, waiting for Professor Thaddeus Morgarius.
After a few minutes, the bell rang, signaling the start of the morning session, and the door opened, with Professor Thaddeus walking in. His aura of dignity and respect was still present, and as soon as he entered, everyone turned their attention solely to him, unable to focus on anything else.
Professor Thaddeus stood behind his desk, placing his belongings quietly, then turned to the students. The lesson began.
"Welcome again, I'll assume most of you reviewed what we studied in the last session, though I doubt it. If you remember, we reached a point where you couldn't answer, which path would you choose: a well-lit path full of comfort, safety, and routine where success is guaranteed, or a dark path full of mystery, adventures, and dangers, but which could lead you to growth and prosperity? So, has anyone chosen which path they would take?" Professor Thaddeus asked, stepping out from behind his desk, looking into the distance.
Silence filled the room, and no one responded. Then a brave student with black hair, a broad nose, and a rectangular face raised his hand.
"Professor Thaddeus, which path would you choose?" the student asked.
"That... wasn't an answer I was expecting... Which path would I choose? Well, whatever my choice, nothing would change. I'm now just an old man who's aged. If you had asked me this question 20 years ago, I might have answered you," Professor Thaddeus responded, avoiding the question generally.
Professor Thaddeus slowly turned his gaze toward the board as silence settled in the hall. He wrote the two words again, in clearer handwriting:
Eudaimonia
Areté
"We talked about these two terms at the end of the last lesson, but we didn't give them their due. Today, we'll delve deeper into their meaning, as they form the core of Greek moral philosophy," Professor Thaddeus said, stepping back a little and looking at the class.
"Eudaimonia is not just happiness, as some think. It's not a moment of joy, nor a fleeting feeling. It's a state of lasting flourishing, a harmony with oneself and human nature, a state that isn't easily attained but built over a lifetime of practice and conscious choices," Professor Thaddeus continued, walking steadily in front of the long table, hands behind his back, his voice carrying with confidence and intellectual weight.
"As for Areté, it's virtue, excellence, the perfection of your nature as a human. But it's not superiority over others, it's superiority over yourself. Doing the right thing in the best possible way, being as you should be," he added, pointing to the board once more.
"You cannot achieve Areté without Eudaimonia. You can't flourish unless you master the art of life, and what is the art of life? It is living according to your highest potential," Professor Thaddeus said, pausing for a moment before lowering his voice.
"In this context, the most important question is not: 'Which path do I choose?' but: 'Does the way I live embody Areté?'"
Professor Thaddeus raised his eyes to the class. Some students were taking notes silently, while others seemed lost in thought.
"The dark or light path is not the issue. It's what you do on the path you choose. You may walk in the light and go astray. Or walk in the darkness and find yourself," he said, heading to his desk, picking up a leather-bound book, opening it to a specific page, then reading clearly:
"It is said that happiness is not given but earned through the continuous practice of virtue," Professor Thaddeus read aloud, then closed the book calmly and placed it on the desk.
"In the next class, we will discuss real-life examples from the lives of philosophers, and see how each of them tried to embody Eudaimonia through Areté. I want each of you to think, silently, without writing down, about what virtues you think you need to refine."
The bell rang shortly after, and the students began packing their papers. Some were still thinking about what had been said, while Noah and Sirius quietly left.