Chapter 61: New Dawn Academy II
As they walked down the hill toward the academy, Marty suddenly spoke. "So what’s the new made-up name going to be?"
Zac glanced at him. "Hmm... let me think. How about Mr. Cool or Mr. Handsome?"
"Dude, how do you even say that with a straight face?"
Zac laughed. "Fine. Before coming here, I talked about it with my mom. She suggested I use her family name instead of my father’s."
Marty nodded. "Now that sounds better than some silly ass made-up name. But you’re still keeping me completely in the dark about your father."
Zac’s smile faded slightly. "Believe me, Marty. If I could tell you, I already would have."
"I just don’t want to drag you into my problems. Especially when I myself don’t know what those are yet."
Marty thought for a moment and said, "Okay, fine. I won’t ask about your father anymore, but what if someone kidnaps me and starts asking questions about your father?"
"You watch way too many dramas."
"But it’s passable, right?"
Zac sighed. "If that somehow happens, just tell them my father was a Variant and has been missing for the last eight years. And you don’t know anything else."
"That part is actually true."
"Exactly."
The two continued walking.
A few seconds later, Marty spoke again. "So what’s the new name?"
"Delencore. It’s Zac Delencore."
He repeated it a few times.
"Okay, let me admit it. This name sounds a lot more real than the one you had before."
Zac raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, come on. Godson? Really?"
"You’ve never said anything about it before. Why are you complaining now?"
"Because I thought you’d be sensitive about it."
But now...After everything I’ve seen on the way to the academy, I don’t think a little criticism about your name is enough to hurt your feelings."
"But what about all the official records? The government databases, Variant Association records, and our student files. Everything still says Zac Godson, right?"
"You think I didn’t think about that?"
"I already informed Lima. She said she’d handle it. And I sent a message to the vice-principal too. So by now...every official record should say Delencore instead of Godson."
Marty suddenly stopped walking. "Wait. Did you just casually drop another girl’s name?"
Zac froze for half a second. "Did I really?
Marty’s eyes narrowed. "Who is Lima?"
"What are you, my girlfriend? Why do you ask these questions?"
Marty pointed at him dramatically. "Didn’t you ever hear the saying, ’Bros before hoes’?"
[That’s just something men say to comfort themselves.]
"Spill."
Zac rubbed his forehead. "She’s the new chief of the Mellow City Association branch."
Marty’s eyes widened. "The chief? How old is she?"
"Why is that your first question?"
"Answer it."
Zac groaned. "Twenty-six or maybe twenty-seven, not sure."
A grin slowly spread across Marty’s face. "Aha. So that’s why you’ve been visiting the Association every day."
"Can we not do this?"
"She is young."
"Stop it."
"Very successful."
"I said, ’Stop it.’"
"Probably beautiful too."
Zac looked ready to throw him off the hill.
Marty immediately raised both hands. "I’m just connecting the dots."
Before Marty could continue, Zac pointed ahead. "We’re here."
Marty looked forward and saw the massive academy gates now stood directly before them.
"...Fine, I’ll drop it. For now."
Near the outer gate stood a small office building. When Zac and Marty stepped inside, they found a man in a security uniform sitting behind a cluttered desk.
Several walkie-talkies were spread before him, and every single one seemed to be screaming for his attention.
"What do you mean the food supplies haven’t arrived yet?" the man barked into one of them.
"Didn’t he know students were going to start showing up like migrating birds this week?
A muffled reply came from the other side.
"Yeah, yeah, I know whose fault it is. Call the supplier in Central City and tell them to send the ingredients immediately."
He tossed the walkie-talkie onto the desk and picked up another. "What do you mean there’s no water in your dorm room?"
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he groaned. "I work security at the outer gate. Do I look like a plumber to you?"
"I don’t care if you need a shower or need to wash your ass after taking a dump. Call maintenance and wait for them to get there."
He dropped that walkie-talkie and picked up a third. "What?"
A pause. "You want to send a letter?"
"What era are you from? Send an email or a fucking text message."
Before he could continue, Marty cautiously raised a hand. "Excuse me?"
The man immediately held up a finger without even looking at them, telling them to wait.
He grabbed another walkie-talkie. "If students started fighting, you would call the Disciplinary Committee, not the outer gate."
A few more seconds passed before he finally looked up.
"And who the hell are you two?"
"We’re new students," Zac replied.
The man nodded. "Yeah. And so are most of the troublemakers arriving this week."
Marty blinked. "So what do you need?"
"Nothing, actually," Marty said. "We just thought we had to report here before entering the academy."
The security guard stared at him for a moment. Then he pointed outside. "Kid, this entire academy exists inside a pocket dimension."
"No one gets in here unless they’re already authorized. The fact that you’re standing in front of me means you’ve already been approved."
"So we don’t need to show any documents?"
"Did you hear what I just said?"
"Yes, sir."
The security guard sighed. "Shobin!"
A voice immediately answered from outside. "Coming, Mr. Matron!"
A young man came jogging into the office. He had dark skin, a bright bald head, and an honest smile that made him look incapable of lying.
"You needed me, sir?"
"Yeah." Matron pointed at Zac and Marty. "These two just arrived. Take them to the administration office."
"Sure thing." Shobin turned toward them and gave a friendly wave. "Come on. I’ll show you the way."
"Thanks," Zac said. "No problem."
As Shobin headed toward the academy, Zac and Marty exchanged a glance before following him.
Behind them, another walkie-talkie suddenly crackled to life. "What now?" Mr. Matron groaned.
A voice answered from the device.
"Sir, there’s a giant lizard eating flowers near Dormitory Three."
("...")
***
As they walked through the academy streets, both Zac and Marty found themselves constantly looking around.
Students filled the roads.
Some walked in groups while others rode strange beasts through the streets. Shops were open everywhere, and the constant chatter made the academy feel more like a city than a school.
"This place is packed," Marty said.
"Yeah, it is," Shobin replied. "This is the time when new recruits arrive and older students return from leave. The first few days are always a little chaotic."
Marty nodded.
Shobin suddenly turned toward them with a smile. "By the way, I never introduced myself properly. I’m Shobin Shaiji."
"You work here?" Marty asked.
"Nope. I’m a new recruit, just like you guys."
"Really?" Marty immediately offered his hand. "Marty Williams. New recruit. Mellow City, Eastern Alliance country."
"Nice to meet you." Then both of them looked toward Zac.
"I’m Zac Delancore."
"Delancore?" Shobin repeated it a few times. "Nice name."
"Thanks."
"And you’re from Mellow City too?"
"Yeah."
Shobin glanced between the two of them. "So you guys are friends?"
"Friends?" Marty scoffed. "We practically grew up together." He threw an arm around Zac’s shoulder.
"You could even call us brothers."
"Marty..."
Zac gave him a look.
Marty immediately raised both hands. "Right. Too much information."
[He’s been waiting his entire life to tell people that.]
Ignoring the system, Zac gently pushed Marty away.
Shobin chuckled. "So, what do you guys think about New Dawn Academy so far?"
"Dude, are you kidding?" Marty said. "This place is insane. We haven’t even seen ten percent of it yet, and I’m already impressed."
He pointed toward a giant flying beast passing overhead. "I can’t wait to explore everything."
Zac nodded. "It’s definitely... more than I expected."
Shobin laughed. "Your friend isn’t very talkative, is he?" He leaned closer to Marty and lowered his voice. "Or does he just not like me?"
Marty grinned. "Nah. He’s just slow when it comes to meeting new people. He comes around eventually."
"I am standing right here."
A few minutes later, Shobin stopped in front of a large white building.
A sign above the entrance read: NEW RECRUIT REGISTRATION OFFICE
"There we are," Shobin said. He pointed toward the entrance. "You two can go register. I’ll wait out here."
"Thanks, Shobin," Marty said. "Yeah, thanks," Zac also added.
"No problem."
With that, Zac and Marty headed inside the registration office while Shobin remained outside.
As the doors closed behind them, Marty glanced at Zac.
"He’s nice."
"On the outside, who knows how he truly is?"
