Raia was wondering what had happened to his status. It hadn't changed at all, even though he clearly felt stronger after drinking the vials.
He thought of a possible reason. 'Maybe it needs an update or something...' As he pondered, Inner Self chimed in.
"You need that doctor to update your status."
Raia heard him, momentarily confused, before remembering that handsome man in a lab coat at the Assembly.
'So he's a doctor...' Raia thought hard about how the doctor would update his status. Then it hit him. There was one department he had to attend weekly, every Friday to be exact.
Raia redirected his search to the Departments. Most had straightforward explanations except one.
According to its description, the class was meant to examine student improvements throughout the week. Raia finally understood the process. What concerned him now was whether it could identify his True Origin.
As Raia kept reading the Information Search, the sun had already set. Noticing the darkness outside, he glanced at Arman, who was still sound asleep. Raia smiled, guessing his friend was just exhausted.
Not wanting to wake him for dinner, Raia laid down and drifted off to sleep.
Light spilled through the window the next morning. A soft glow filled the room, gently rousing one of the students.
Raia opened his eyes... it was already Sunday.
He looked at his wristband. It displayed the time, 6:00 AM.
Raia stretched and stood up. After making his bed and washing his face, he stepped outside for a walk. The sunlight dampened his skin gently, warming him comfortably. He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. The scent of dirt, grass, and trees reminded him of the countryside back in the city he used to live in. It was refreshing and clean.
He moved his body, did some light stretching, and then started jogging around the building. After a few laps, Raia noticed Arman stepping out, yawning and stretching as well.
"Morning, sleepyhead! You slept so soundly, you even missed dinner," Raia chuckled, watching Arman frown.
"Yeah right! You didn't even bother to wake me up. I missed dinner! I wanted to eat those ribs again!" Arman whined.
Raia laughed even harder, placing a comforting arm around his friend's shoulder.
"We'll have breakfast later, my treat," Raia said with a thumbs-up. That sentence immediately lit up Arman's eyes.
"But first... let's take a short run."
At that, Arman's smile vanished again.
Raia and Arman jogged toward the Assembly Dome. Raia had already planned to visit the classroom area.
When they arrived, they jogged around the Dome. It was massive! It even took them thirty minutes to circle it once. But for Raia, it didn't matter. He'd already achieved his first goal for the day.
He observed seven massive infrastructures surrounding the dome, each large enough to shelter hundreds of people, with room to spare.
If Raia were to compare, they were about twice the size of a standard basketball court. Though he couldn't see inside clearly, it was enough to gather basic information.
Each classroom was encased in glass, allowing visibility from the outside. Four of them had large open areas in the center, clearly designed for physical activities. The other three looked like they had multiple rooms inside.
Now familiar with the surroundings, Raia took Arman for a stroll through the mini forest on base. Unfortunately, they couldn't explore the other bases as guards blocked the entrances just like at theirs.
While walking, something unexpected happened.
Raia suddenly raised his hand, signaling Arman to stop. With his enhanced hearing, Raia caught the faint sound of a groan.
He scanned the area, narrowing in on the direction of the sound. Raia tiptoed forward, carefully avoiding any noise that might give him away. The closer he got, the clearer the voices became. There were two voices, one came from a male and one came from a female.
Raia paused.
"This doesn't sound like someone in distress..." His suspicion grew.
"What do you mean?" Arman whispered, confused.
"Just stay here. I'll check it out. If it's dangerous, we run." Raia moved forward stealthily.
As he neared, the truth became undeniable. 'That sound…!' Raia's face flushed.
No, It wasn't a cry for help, it was a cry of f*cking pleasure!
"S-Sir... Are you sure no one will catch us here?" the girl asked, her voice nervous and breathless.
"You worry too much. It's Sunday, six in the morning. No one will be up, especially not wandering around a forest," the man replied, his voice low and confident as he continued thrusting his hips.
The girl didn't resist anymore and let herself melt into the moment. Raia was blushing and sweating profusely, he recognized the girl's voice... it sounded really familiar.
He didn't want to look, but his curiosity won out. He peeked.
His eyes widened in shock.
It was Lavender! And the doctor from the Assembly Dome?!
He could only see the muscular back of the doctor, his lab coat lay discarded on the ground, his pants slightly lowered. Lavender's head was visible as she winced in pleasure, her legs raised on the doctor's shoulders.
'Wow! Nice scene, am I right?' Inner Self joked unexpectedly, startling Raia.
Raia stopped himself from gasping. 'This is next-level stuff. A student and a doctor? That's... twisted.' Horrified, he began to back away.
Then—
Crack!
He stepped on a twig.
Cold sweat broke across Raia's body. He wasn't even in danger, but the idea of being caught as a peeping pervert was mortifying.
He bolted away with lightning speed.
"What's that?" Lavender tensed, trying to push the doctor away. She was sure someone had seen them.
The doctor looked toward the sound and paused, scanning the forest. Then, assuming it was just a bird, he shrugged.
"It's nothing. It's just a bird. If you want more vials, you need to do what I say, okay?" he said, gripping her face and thrusting harder.
Their voices echoed through the forest as they reached their peak.
Raia, still red as a tomato, ran like his soul was escaping. Sure, he'd seen things like that online, but never a live scene. And certainly not involving someone he liked.
Back with Arman, Raia was flushed and panting.
"What happened? Was it a monster?" Arman asked, alarmed.
"NO! It was worse!" Raia said, covering his face. "You know what? Let's just go have lunch..." Without another word, he sprinted toward the building.
Arman, now thoroughly confused, chased after him.
Back in the building, Raia finally slowed down. Arman caught up, still clueless.
"Raia, come on. What did you see?"
Raia shook his head furiously, hands still covering his face. 'Just something so embarrassing.'
He took a deep breath.
"You remember Lavender, right?"
"Yeah? Is she okay?"
"I... don't think she's hurt. But do you remember the doctor in the Assembly?"
Arman looked even more puzzled. Raia clapped his hands together.
Still nothing.
Raia sighed and tried a hand gesture. He showed two fingers as "legs" and the other hand repeatedly "bumping" into them.
Arman stared blankly. Still didn't get it.
With a final groan, Raia resorted to 'the' universal gesture. He formed a circle with his right hand, and poking it with his left index finger.
It took Arman a few seconds before getting it.
"Ohhhh. You mean 'that'! Well, that's normal for our age. What's 'not' normal is you acting like you just saw a ghost." Arman snorted.
"It's 'not' normal! A student and a full-grown adult? That's unethical... at least I think so!" Raia objected.
Arman rolled his eyes and dragged Raia out of the forest.
They made their way to the cafeteria.
Raia, still keeping his promise, treated Arman to breakfast. Total cost? 150 True Credits. Arman was a huge eater, yet somehow never gained a pound. Raia, on the other hand, had to watch every calorie to maintain his physique, despite loving food.
Raia sighed. But then ,that, memory came back again. Lavender. The Doctor. Ugh.
"I wish I never saw that!" Raia cried, holding his face.
Just then, a girl called out.
"Raia! Can we sit here?"
It was Lavender. Her cheeks were red. She and Brock sat down near Arman.
"S-Sure... have a seat," Raia replied with an awkward smile, his thoughts swirling.
Lavender placed something on the table. "Raia, thank you for saving me at the Assembly Dome. Here, take this."
It was a chocolate muffin. She blushed as she slide the plate with the muffin beside Raia's food.
"I know it's small, but it's all I could afford."
"What about mine?" Arman asked playfully, hoping for a free muffin.
Lavender blinked, realizing she'd forgotten him. "O-oh! Right! I'm so sorry! I'll go buy—"
Raia immediately grabbed her wrist, and telling her to sit down.
"Don't worry, he was just joking, he's a joker. Right, Arman?" Raia smiled at Arman while secretly showing him a shoe under the table.
Arman got the message fast. "Yup! Just a joke! Hahaha!" He focused on his food.
Lavender looked relieved. "Still... I'll get you one next time."
"That's fine. You don't owe this oaf anything. Let's enjoy breakfast, yeah?" Raia said, eyeing Arman with a grin.
"Of course!" Arman agreed quickly, afraid of the flying shoe.
Raia thanked Lavender for the gift and they ate in awkward silence once again.
Later that encounter, Lavender returned to her room. As soon as the door closed, she squealed, hugging herself while jumping like a kangaroo.
"He held my hand! He held my hand!" she squeaked, as she onto her bed. "He's so handsome. So kind. So hot..."
As her thoughts spiraled, heat spread through her body. She snuck into the bathroom after and soon, the sound of moans and groans could be heard.
Back with Arman, Raia recounted everything, even the cafeteria awkwardness. He still couldn't make the discomfort disappear because of what he'd seen.
Arman laughed, finding Raia's reaction hilarious. Raia just rolled his eyes.
They roamed the base afterward and found four other buildings, labeled F to J. The layout was circular. Students roamed around as well, but Raia didn't see anyone familiar.
Eventually, they found a training area filled with punching bags and workout equipment. Many male students were exercising there.
Arman seeing the available workout equipments, he tried everything. Raia, however, wasn't interested in lifting weights.
His attention fell on a set of dummy targets and a nearby shooting range. He then noticed the bullets were rubber and not iron-based. That made sense, given their age and safety concerns.
He picked a gun, the one that is familiar and comfy. Specifically, like the one he used back when he killed the monster worm. When he fire his first two shots, it was... headshots. Bullseye!
Raia felt thrilled. This was his element. He had been doing this after all before the Calamity happened. He always went to a shooting range cafe with his friends just to kill time. After trying the guns and rifles available, he noticed another range beside him. A girl stood there, her hair was tied in a neat ponytail.
She then raised the bow she was holding, she pulled the string back to her ear, and let the arrow fly.
It struck the puppet's head, perfectly. Frost coated the impact point. It was magical!
Raia was mesmerized.
She was stunning.
She looked toward him. Their eyes met.
And in that brief, wordless exchange, something fluttered in Raia's chest.