Chapter 75: Thanks, my friend.
Students from this year’s first-year batch gathered in the school gymnasium for their orientation assembly. They stood in perfect rows.
The boys wore fitted, long-sleeved jackets in midnight black with mandarin high collars. Underneath were crisp white shirts, paired with trousers matching the jacket’s color. The school badge was permanently stitched onto the chest.
Meanwhile, the girls wore matching uniforms, though with skirts—of varying lengths—paired with black high socks.
Just from the neatly pressed uniforms alone, it was clear how different this school was compared to Mikel’s previous one. And judging by the creases on his own uniform, and the stares he drew from students earlier, anyone could see that he didn’t quite fit in.
Mikel casually glanced toward the sidelines.
There, more students stood in formation, wearing the same uniform—except for the colored stripes at the ends of their sleeves. Most had two-color combinations, which he assumed indicated how many years they’d been enrolled.
"Welcome, welcome, students~!"
Up on the stage, a ghost blanket with a sparkly eye mask floated cheerfully, projecting excitement like a children’s mascot.
"This year’s first-year batch is the biggest we’ve had in a long time!" the headmaster beamed. "All in all, we’ve welcomed two hundred and one new students! Zone Zero really worked hard for us!"
Mikel’s face twitched as he watched the headmaster make a fool of himself in front of the crowd.
I usually skip first-day assemblies, but I’m pretty sure they’re not like this, he thought, shaking his head while discreetly studying the students around him.