In the girls' dormitory,
"Aina!!!"
Sarah, just out of the bathroom with her hair still wet, rushed toward Aina, who was leaning against the wall near her bed. Without warning, Sarah hugged her friend enthusiastically.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Aina protested, trying to push Sarah away. "And your hair... it's still wet!"
"Yeah, yeah," Sarah conceded, taking a step back while drying her hair with a small towel draped around her neck. "By the way, what are you doing?"
"You can see for yourself that I'm playing on my phone," Aina replied without taking her eyes off the screen.
"Well, I know you're on your phone, but what are you looking at?"
"I'm checking something on Instagram," Aina said while continuing to scroll through her screen.
Like many things from Earth, the internet had also become an important part of life in Elarithia. People in this world could see what was trending on Earth, following the latest developments in popular culture and technology from there. All devices in Elarithia were connected to a network similar to the internet, albeit with some adjustments for their world.
Without hesitation, Sarah sat down next to Aina, peeking at what her friend was looking at on the phone screen.
"Hey, why are you sitting next to me? Go sit on your own bed," Aina complained.
"Ehh, why not?" Sarah frowned. "I like sitting here."
"Our beds are the same. Go over there!" Aina pointed to Sarah's bed on her right.
The dormitory where they lived had quite comfortable facilities. Each room was equipped with two beds, one bathroom, and a small kitchenette. The dormitory building had two floors, with Aina and Sarah occupying one of the rooms on the upper floor.
The boys' dormitory had the same layout as the girls', but was separated by a sturdy wall that stood between the two buildings—a barrier designed to maintain the privacy of each resident.
Sarah just laughed softly at Aina's protests but didn't move from her spot. She felt more comfortable leaning against her friend.
"Hah! You are such a..." Aina sighed, looking annoyed.
"Mm..." Sarah replied casually.
"Hah!!!"
"What's wrong, Aina?!" Sarah asked, noticing Aina's suddenly serious expression.
"I want to go out for a bit," Aina said, putting her phone on the bed. She grabbed a black jacket and put it on, even though she was still in her pajamas.
"Hey, where do you want to go at this hour?!" Sarah exclaimed, but Aina had already left the room and closed the door behind her.
Aina walked and looked out from the second floor.
"Hah?! The moon is turning red! What's happening?!" she exclaimed, shocked by the change happening to the moon. From the second floor, Aina could see the change clearly.
"Something is strange, it seems like something is going to happen tonight, but what will it be?!"
In the world of Elarithia, S-rank heroes had abilities that were different from A-rank heroes and those below. They could sense something unusual, as if a threat was approaching.
In Aliff's flat,
"Hah?! Can you feel it?" Naim asked, his face serious. Anxiety was clearly visible in his eyes.
"I know," Bima replied, followed by Liu and Ravi who nodded in agreement.
"I can sense something strange outside, but what?" Liu said.
"It seems like something will happen tonight," Naim said, looking at Aliff.
"Hahhaa!!!" Aliff laughed, as if he didn't take the situation seriously.
"Yeah, it seems like you guys will be fighting a vampire tonight. Because the moon has turned red, vampires will also be twice as strong tonight," Aliff explained while sipping coffee on the sofa, his eyes still glued to the television.
"Hey, why are you so calm about this, and how do you know the moon has turned red and that we'll be fighting vampires?" Ravi asked, curious, trying to seek clarity.
"Mm..." Aliff looked at his friends with a blank stare.
*Do my friends seem stupid or what?* Aliff thought to himself. *Clearly, we have met vampires before and killed them. Could it be they cannot sense the presence of vampires or monsters?*
*It seems they can only feel changes or threats that are coming, but cannot sense who they are. Even though they are S-rank heroes, they are still weak.*
"That's the difference in our strengths," Aliff replied, a bit arrogantly.
"And what are you waiting for?"
"I think it would be better for you to go kill them quickly. If not, many people will turn into vampires in this city," Aliff continued.
"I think you're right. The vampires must want to turn humans into vampires," Liu added. "Let's go!" Liu stood up from the sofa, followed by Naim, Bima, and Ravi who were all ready.
"By the way, don't you want to join, Aliff?!" Naim asked, turning to Aliff with hope.
"You know I'm not a hero. Why should I join? This is your duty as heroes, not mine!" Aliff replied.
"Weren't you once very eager to become a hero? Why have you changed?!" Naim asked, curious.
"Mm... You don't need to know why I changed. Now, it's better for you to hurry and go," Aliff said, turning his gaze back to the television.
"Yeah, yeah, we know!" After that, the four of them pulled out their swords from a dimension. The ability to store items in their personal dimensions was one of the advantages held by heroes.
"Alright, we're off," they said as they left the room, closing the door softly.
"Yeah, yeah... Hhmm..." Aliff murmured, returning to watch television.
"Haa... Finally, they're gone. I guess now it's time to sleep. Tomorrow I have to go to work.
"By the way, I used to really want to be a hero, but... now I'm no longer interested in such things."