Chapter 45: Relasp!
Was this some kind of joke?
Why was he the one being asked to move when he had literally been the first occupant of the room?
"Move back? That’s unfair! I practically own the room!" Ethan protested, unable to hide the disbelief in his voice.
"Not anymore," Ronan dismissed calmly, as though the matter had already been settled and Ethan’s opinion was nothing more than an unnecessary complication.
Ethan’s eye twitched.
Oh, hell no.
He was already seething, especially with the annoyingly satisfied glance Zane was giving him from where he stood. It was painful enough to see Zane win, but the thought of actually returning to his old F-rank dorm was far worse than losing an argument.
He had barely managed to tolerate that small, cranky space when he was living there alone, and now he was supposed to squeeze another person into it?
Two beds.
Two wardrobes.
Two study desks.
There would barely be enough space to breathe, not to talk of actually moving around comfortably.
And most importantly...
He would have to go back to that bland food!
Ahhh, no.
He couldn’t go back to that.
The food in the newly built dormitory cafeteria had been practically heavenly compared to what he had been eating before, and Ethan was not about to surrender that luxury simply because some shameless new transfer student had suddenly been assigned to his room.
Besides, what if the new roommate was worse than Zane?
What if he got someone loud, dirty, aggressive, or just plain unbearable?
Then he’d have a worse room and a worse roommate.
At least Zane’s annoying personality came with a decent room.
Ethan gritted his teeth.
He had to choose his battles and his current room was clearly the better option.
"Fine!" he finally snapped. "I’ll share with him. I’m not going back to my old room."
The smile that immediately appeared on Zane’s face made Ethan regret the decision almost instantly.
Zane pushed himself away from the wall, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "See? Don’t worry, Pretty Boy. This is a much better option. You won’t regret it."
He even had the audacity to wink before casually turning around and walking out of the office.
Ethan stared after him.
"Better option, my foot."
He could already feel a headache forming.
As Ethan walked out of the dormitory office, he heard Principal Ronan instructing Ava to arrange another bed, wardrobe, study desk, and the other necessary furniture for Zane in their room.
Hmph.
So this was really happening.
He had actually gotten an unexpected roommate. And somehow, that roommate had managed to win.
By the time Ethan returned to the room, he was already mentally preparing himself for the disaster that was about to become his daily life.
He stood in the middle of the room with his hands firmly planted on his hips, staring at Zane with the stern expression of someone about to establish the laws of a newly founded country. "Alright, since we’re apparently going to be roommates now, there are some rules."
Zane raised an eyebrow. "Rules?"
"Yes, rules," Ethan repeated firmly. "First, don’t touch my things without asking. I don’t care how powerful you are or where you transferred from, my belongings are mine."
Zane nodded slowly, looking suspiciously amused.
"Second, don’t bring random people into the room whenever you feel like it. This is supposed to be a private dormitory room, not some gathering spot."
Another nod.
"Third, don’t wake me up unnecessarily. I need my sleep."
"Noted."
"Fourth, keep your side of the room clean. I’m not living in another disgusting mess."
Zane glanced around the room. "Anything else?"
Ethan pointed a warning finger at him.
"Yes, you are absolutely not allowed to walk around naked in here."
Zane’s lips curled.
"That’s a strange rule."
"It’s not strange!"
"You’re the one who walked in while I was changing."
"You were practically naked!"
"I was wearing a towel."
"A towel that was barely hanging onto your dignity!"
Zane laughed. "Then look away next time."
Ethan’s mouth fell open.
"Are you seriously telling me that?"
"If I’m naked, you can simply look somewhere else."
"And what if you walk around naked right in front of me?"
"Then you can resist looking."
Ethan stared at him in disbelief.
"And what if I can’t?"
Zane’s smile became even more teasing. "Then that’s your problem."
"YOU—"
Their argument continued for several minutes, with Ethan laying down increasingly specific rules and Zane finding some ridiculous way to challenge nearly every one of them until Ethan eventually gave up and walked away muttering under his breath.
This was going to be a long semester.
The following morning, Ethan woke early and immediately checked the academy schedule on his phone.
His eyes widened when he noticed the changes. Two additional classes had been added to his timetable.
Apparently, D-rank Guides and those above it had access to several specialized classes that F-rank students were never allowed to attend.
Ethan stared at the schedule for several seconds before sighing. "Great. A long day."
He quickly got himself ready, gathered his things, and prepared to leave.
As he reached for the door, however, he noticed that Zane was already awake.
The man was sitting quietly, watching him.
Ethan tried to ignore it. He checked his bag arranged his things anything to distract himself.
Still, he could feel Zane’s gaze following him.
It prickled beneath his skin.
Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore. "Okay, what?"
Zane simply shrugged. "Are you preparing for classes?"
Ethan stared at him. "As you can see." He adjusted the strap of his bag as he continued "Some of us aren’t delinquent students who miss classes the moment they arrive."
Zane gave him an amused look. "I’m not a delinquent."
"Then why haven’t I seen you in any of my classes?"
"Because I’m not in the same classes as you."
Ethan frowned.
Zane continued casually, "My schedule is mostly different from yours. The only time we’ll probably meet regularly is during general classes."
"Fine by me."
Ethan didn’t bother saying anything else and walked out.
The moment he disappeared, the smile on Zane’s face vanished.
His expression changed so quickly that it was almost frightening. He remained still for a moment before his fingers suddenly tightened around the edge of the desk.
His breathing became uneven as a sharp pressure seized his chest.
Zane’s vision blurred. His spiritual energy, which had been calm only moments earlier, suddenly surged violently through his body.
The veins along his neck began to glow faintly with a strange crimson-gold light, the same unnatural energy spreading beneath the skin of his arms as his spiritual core began to fluctuate wildly.
The spiritual energy inside his core twisted violently, threatening to break through the restraints he had spent time desperately maintaining.
He staggered forward, catching himself against the desk.
The door suddenly opened and Adrien and Riley stepped inside.
The moment their eyes landed on Zane’s condition, both of them froze.
The color drained from Adrien’s face while Riley’s expression changed instantly from confusion to alarm.
"Zane!"