Chapter 2: "Welcome to Seisen"
Part 2
The auditorium doors opened, and students began to file out in groups—some still awed by NovaTech's presentation, others chattering excitedly about their future at the academy.
Touma, meanwhile, let out a quiet sigh as he adjusted his Astra Lens with mild resignation.
—What now? —he asked, following Hina, who was walking ahead with renewed energy.
—Now we get our Astra Core!
—Yeah, yeah… though I still don't get why they're such a big deal.
Hina stopped in her tracks and looked at him as if he'd just said the most absurd thing in the world.
—Touma… were you even listening to anything they said during the ceremony?
—Of course. They said they're special devices that can resonate with us and let us use magic and EXO tech. —He shoved his hands into his pockets—. But what happens if it doesn't resonate? Do we just get sent home?
—I don't know… but if that happened, what would you do?
—I'd catch the next flight home and sleep in for a week.
Hina rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the wrist.
—Come on, before they run out and give us the lame ones.
They continued toward the Astra Core distribution area.
The registration stations were set up along a wide outdoor corridor, with rows of tables where administrative assistants handed out wristbands embedded with some kind of crystal.
Students approached in groups, presenting their credentials and receiving their Astra Cores—some with obvious excitement, others with cautious expressions.
—Hinata Fujimura, Research Division.
Hina received her bracelet with a radiant smile and didn't waste a second putting it on.
—Ohhh, yes! This looks amazing!
—Touma Kisaragi, Research Division.
Touma stepped forward, took his box, and looked at it with a neutral expression before opening it.
Inside was a sleek, metallic bracelet with a crystal core embedded in the center.
—Mmm...
—You're not excited?
—I don't know. Doesn't feel like anything special.
Hina frowned.
—Maybe because you haven't actually put it on yet...
Touma sighed and picked up the bracelet with clear indifference.
Without overthinking it, he slid it onto his wrist.
The moment the crystal touched his skin, a soft blue glow spread across it, and the core activated instantly. A wave of cold energy flowed through his body, like something invisible syncing with him.
Touma blinked.
—That... felt weird. But I don't feel any different.
—That means it resonated with you!
—Or I just installed an alien implant.
—Touma, I'm being serious!
He grinned, amused, but before he could say anything else, a group of students bumped into him as they passed, unintentionally cutting the conversation short.
—Tsk... seriously?
When he looked up, Hina had already been swept away by the crowd, dragged toward another part of the campus.
—Ah, great. Where am I supposed to go now? —he muttered, looking around—. No SEI terminals in sight...
The massive Seisen campus stretched out before him, filled with interconnected paths, floating bridges, and towering structures.
With no SEI access in this area, he didn't have many options.
—Guess I'll head to the dorms... —he sighed, pulling out his Seisen ID card.
Just then, his Astra Lens activated automatically, projecting information into his field of vision.
[User: Touma Kisaragi]
[Age: 16]
[New student at Seisen]
[Recognition complete… Launching personalized monitoring…]
Suddenly, a female voice—unusually peculiar—echoed in his ear.
—Good morning, Touma-sama. My name is Ellie, and I will be your virtual assistant.
Touma blinked, surprised.
—Did the glasses just talk to me? Whoa... now this is next-level tech.
—Yes, I just spoke to you, Touma-sama.
The voice was surprisingly natural, with a faintly playful tone.
—Why do you call me "sama"? That's a bit much.
—If you prefer, I can call you Master Touma.
—No, no, it's fine! Just... call me Touma.
—Understood, Touma-sama. Would you like to head to the dorms? According to my database, your assigned room is Number 11, West Wing, third floor.
—You're amazing, Ellie. I didn't know these glasses came with a built-in AI.
—Thank you for the compliment. I'll be projecting any relevant information onto your lenses…
Touma raised an eyebrow, glancing ahead as he walked.
—Did she just ignore me on purpose... or am I already losing authority to an AI? —he muttered, more baffled than impressed.
[Route guidance activated – Destination: Dormitories]
A small map appeared in his view, displaying the shortest path to his destination.
Touma let out a sigh of relief.
—Well... at least I won't be walking in circles.
With Ellie guiding him, he took his first step toward the Seisen dorms...
After several minutes of walking, Touma ended up in a more secluded area of the campus.
A small garden surrounded by stone paths, with a massive sakura tree at its center.
It was a peaceful place, far from the bustle of the other students.
And beneath the sakura's shade, sitting on a bench with a book in hand, a silver-haired girl read in complete silence.
But what truly caught Touma's attention wasn't her presence… It was the object hanging from her pocket.
Without warning, a set of floating data projected across his vision.
[Lancaster Chronos – Royal Edition, United Kingdom, 17th Century]
[Condition: Excellent – Recently Maintained]
[A line of exclusive watches designed for the British royal family.]
[Never delivered. Considered high-craft historical pieces.]
Touma blinked.
—...Wait, what?
He had heard of the Lancaster Chronos. His grandfather, a fan of classic watches, spoke of them like time-bound legends.
Designed for British royalty but never delivered, they had become priceless historical artifacts.
But… what was one doing here, in the hands of a student?
He had to confirm it.
He approached cautiously; eyes locked on the watch.
Just as he was about to speak, the girl turned a page softly and spoke without even lifting her gaze from her book.
—If you're here to confess your feelings, I'll save you the trouble. I'm not interested —she said calmly, in a distinct British accent.
Touma blinked, caught off guard.
—...Excuse me?
Finally, she looked up at him, her expression cold and unreadable.
—I know what you're after. Just hand over your love letter so I can reject it and return to my reading.
Touma sighed.
—Ah... I see. So that's what this was about.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, suspicious.
—Eh?
—I don't know what kind of interactions you're used to, but I was just curious about your watch —he said, pointing to the object hanging from her pocket.
A subtle spark of excitement lit up his eyes.
—Is that really an original Lancaster Chronos?
Shizuki raised an eyebrow.
—You mean my watch? —she asked calmly, holding it delicately between her fingers—. It's a family heirloom. And yes, it's one of the twelve timepieces Sir Ian Lancaster crafted for the British royal family.
Touma tilted his head in curiosity.
—So... are you royalty?
Shizuki let out a faint, amused smile, though her expression remained composed.
—How charming of you. No, I'm not royalty... and yes, you may take a closer look.
She extended her hand, offering the watch without a hint of hesitation.
—Thank you so much! —Touma couldn't hide his excitement. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket before handling the watch, making sure not to leave any fingerprints on the historic piece.
He examined it carefully, admiring every detail of the intricate engraving and the hand-wound mechanism, still in perfect condition.
—My grandfather gave it to me when I was a child. I've kept it in pristine condition ever since, maintaining it every week.
Touma smiled in admiration.
—He must've been an incredible man to get his hands on one of these... —he said with genuine awe—. I wish my grandfather could've seen one up close.
With great care, he handed it back and gave her a slight bow.
—Thank you for letting me see it in detail. It's truly beautiful... Sir Lancaster was undoubtedly a visionary.
Shizuki took the watch back, and in that moment, she felt something like a heartbeat coming from it.
Her gaze lingered on the watch for a second, but she said nothing. She simply returned it to her pocket and nodded in acknowledgment.
—I'm sorry for wasting your time with this. I hope you'll forgive me —Touma said, bowing once again, clearly feeling guilty.
—It's fine. In fact, I find it interesting that you know so much about pocket watches —Shizuki looked at him calmly before adding—. But you still haven't told me your name.
Touma blinked and suddenly turned red with embarrassment.
—How rude of me, sorry. I just got a little too excited. My name's Touma Kisaragi. I just enrolled at Seisen.
—Pleased to meet you. I'm Shizuki Tokisaka, second year, Research Division.
Touma nodded with a smile.
—Nice to meet you. And... sorry if this sounds odd, but you seem very British, even though your name's Japanese.
—That's correct. My mother is British, and my father is Japanese.
—Ah, just as I thought.
Touma scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish smile, then offered a small bow.
—Again, sorry for distracting you with my curiosity. Thanks, and good luck with your reading!
With a casual wave, he resumed his walk toward the dorms, leaving Shizuki with a neutral expression... though for some reason, her eyes lingered on him a few seconds longer than necessary.