First Day at Immaculata University
“Do we seriously gotta go along with these humans’ games?” Rigel scanned the packed hall during their afternoon orientation. “Their games ain’t gonna pose much of a challenge, right? We’ll breeze through ’em without breaking a sweat.”
“Maybe we oughta play along a bit with these humans,” Antares suggested. “What if we just jump in their game without pulling any of our tricks? It might be more fair and enjoyable.”
“Hell no!” Xynth and Rigel shot back at once.
“What? Scared you’ll get beat by these humans?” Antares teased, flashing a sly grin.
“Me? Lose to them?” Xynth chuckled mockingly at Antares.
“I also don’t want to bother with humans enough to sweat over trivial things,” Rigel added casually.
“Meh, you guys make too many excuses! Come on, this is going to be fun! If we don’t use our powers at all, I want to see which of the three of us will win? You’re not afraid of the possible fact that I’m the most adaptable to humans, are you?”
Xynth shot a glare instantly. “Are you crazy?! Why would I be afraid of such a ridiculous thing?! I’ve lived in a human body for a thousand years and am used to dealing with them. If I can be defeated by you, I will grant your wish!”
“Um… Xynth, you just agreed to Antares’ bet,” Rigel said, frustration evident on his face as he took a deep breath.
Antares, upon hearing this, was even more enthusiastic. “Then let’s make it interesting! Since we’ve got everything we need, how about we wager our pride? For instance, doing something we’d never willingly do?”
“Like what?” Rigel’s anxiety grew.
“Dancing and singing in front of a crowd, perhaps?”
“That’s never going to happen!” Rigel snapped sarcastically as he turned away.
“I don’t wanna do that! It’s not like I’m scared of losing, but seriously, this bet is just a waste of time for me. We’re not here to play games!” Xynth objected firmly.
Antares quickly grabbed his friends’ arms before they could bolt. “Hold up, why are you guys freaking out? We’re not wasting our time, right? And hey, we’re keeping an eye on Fifteen anyway.”
“Alright, alright, no need for dancing and singing,” Antares suggested. “How about… the loser has to go on a date with a human at the playground for a day? It won’t be that embarrassing, right? Plus, we don’t all have to lose anyway. C’mon, why sweat over such an easy bet?”
“I guess… going on a date with a human wouldn’t be too tough for me,” Xynth reluctantly agreed, his pride on the line.
“Huh? Xynth, don’t you remember? The last time a human girl came near you, you nearly had her hanged just because she touched your hair,” Rigel said, his tone filled with concern, while Antares chuckled.
In Kiklios, the head of anyone with royal blood was considered extremely precious and symbolized the crown. There was a strict rule that anyone who carelessly touched it would face death. That’s why Xynth had almost executed the girl Rigel mentioned by hanging her until she passed out.
During that incident, Rigel and Antares had struggled to stop Xynth. Since then, the girl had been terrified of Xynth.
“I just can’t afford to lose, like Antares said, right?” Xynth replied, his narcissism and quick temper showing.
“But before we make any bets…” he trailed off, noticing something happening with their team in the distance. “I’ll use my powers for this one.”
___
Fori glanced nervously at the seniors who had approached the black team. Her anxiety spiked when a tall, skinny guy from her group urged her to switch to the yellow team to balance the numbers. It was odd— the black team had one extra person, while the yellow team was short by one.
“Come on, join the yellow team. You’re our leader, you should be the first to step up,” the guy said bluntly to Fori. “And sorry, but there’s this smell coming from you that’s kinda off-putting.”
Fori’s face turned crimson. “I—it’s not body odor. There was pickle sauce spilled on my clothes in the cafeteria and didn’t have time to clean up.”
But the guy kept staring at her with a serious look. “Ask the others if they want you to stay here or not.”
The guy turned around and immediately posed the question to all the black team members. “Guys, what do you think about the leader switching to the yellow team?”
Suddenly, everyone’s faces stiffened with a determined look. “No way, we want her to stay here. If anyone should move, it’s you!”
“Yeah, Fori’s our leader, she shouldn’t have to move.”
The tall, skinny guy was taken aback. “H—huh?! Weren’t you the ones who told me to talk to the leader about moving to the yellow team?”
Everyone fell silent at once, their eyes fixed on the tall man, making him bow his head with embarrassment.
It dawned on him that he had been manipulated and used by his own friends, and now the situation had turned against him, especially after he had pressured Fori.
Embarrassed, the man fell silent for a few awkward moments. But soon after, he swiftly removed the black ribbon from his hand and walked towards a senior who was standing behind him, muttering curses under his breath.
Fori watched her team in awe. It was the first time she felt truly valued by her peers. She couldn’t help but smile, even though her gaze inadvertently met Xynth’s as he approached her.
“Here, put this on,” he said suddenly, handing Fori his university blazer.
“H—huh? But… won’t you get in trouble for not wearing it?” Fori replied nervously, surprised by Xynth’s sudden kindness.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being nice to you,” he said with a flat expression, almost as if he could read Fori’s thoughts. “Just like that guy earlier, I can’t stand the strong odor coming from your body.”
“For—Fori….” someone suddenly called from behind the two.
Fori turned her head and saw a girl with a delicate, sweet appearance nervously approaching. The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment before handing Fori a gray t-shirt and a small bottle of eucalyptus oil. She wore a genuine smile as she did so.
“Maybe these can help you a bit. I always carry them with me because I often have health issues.”
“You are…?” Fori asked, slightly taken aback. Such an attitude had never been shown to her back in high school.
“I’m Siska,” the girl said as she reached out her hand to Fori once more. “You’re Fori, right? Just take the eucalyptus oil for now; I still have another one in my bag. And about the shirt, you can give it back to me anytime after our orientation days are over.”
Fori nodded with gratitude. “Siska, thank you!”
Siska smiled again before walking away from Fori and Xynth. As soon as she left, Fori turned back to Xynth, who cleared his throat.
“The sports clubs around here probably have bathrooms and soap. You should clean up there before the first game starts,” Xynth advised.
“Right, thanks,” Fori replied a bit clumsily. Despite being a pain sometimes, he had actually helped her out.
Without wasting any time, the girl immediately drove to the athletic club, which turned out to be not so far from her faculty building. There, she hurriedly showered and put on the t-shirt lent by Siska. She then layered it with Xynth’s oversized university blazer, which hung loosely on her petite frame, before stepping out with more confidence.
However, her smile suddenly faded when she saw Xynth at the athletic field, running around wearing only a black t-shirt over his jeans. The man seemed to be under the watchful eye of a senior who stood not far from Fori.
“Excuse me, I’m that guy’s team leader. Is he being punished or something?” Fori asked the senior.
“Anyone who doesn’t wear a university blazer during the orientation period will be punished, whether he’s the son of the head of the foundation or not,” the senior replied gruffly.
“He wouldn’t have had to do this if he was willing to write a letter of apology and explain why he didn’t wear the required blazer. Since he refused, we have to punish him by making him run around this field ten times,” the senior explained sternly.
“W—what?! Ten times? In broad daylight?” Fori exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief.
“By the way, did you say you’re the team leader?” the senior asked, turning his head. “Why are you even here? All the team leaders should gather in the hall immediately for the first day game instructions.”
Before the senior could continue, he fell silent, realizing that Fori was wearing an oversized blazer and holding another one in her hand.
“That blazer….”
“Thanks for the info! I’m heading to the hall for the instructions!” Fori shouted as she hurried away, taking a thousand steps before the senior could grasp what was happening with her and Xynth.
She finally arrived at the hall with a gasp, then hastily stuffed all her dirty clothes into her backpack. Her forehead creased in confusion. She couldn’t understand why Xynth hadn’t mentioned her name or admitted that his blazer was being used by her.
The girl was puzzled by his stubbornness in refusing to simply write an apology as the senior had suggested. Instead, he opted for a more severe punishment like running. Fori felt guilty, but she was also baffled by Xynth’s sudden kindness and willingness to sacrifice for her.
Is he a fool… or does he have some ulterior motive? The thought lingered in her mind. But it couldn’t be! What could he possibly want from someone like me, who has nothing to offer?
“Everyone, please stand up and gather with your respective teams!” a senior shouted from the stage, startling Fori and everyone else in the hall. Fori turned to see the head of the Student Executive Board from their faculty standing on the stage, ready to begin the event.
“First, remember that your ribbons must be tied on your head to identify your team,” reiterated the head of SEB. This prompted all the students to quickly tie their ribbons to their heads.
“Secondly, the orientation period led by us will last for three days. On the first day, we’ll have language games as the main part of Communication Science. The second day will feature a challenging game that will test teamwork and strategy. And on the third day, we’ll have a game that focuses on creativity and communication application skills.”
“Each game will use a standings system. The team that becomes the ultimate champion will obviously receive a prize. However, the other three losing teams will face punishment at the end of the third day.”
“In each daily game, the winning team will receive three points, while the losing team will get zero points. Teams that end in a draw will receive one point each. If there is still a tie by the end of the third day, the winner will be determined through a voting system among all participants, along with input from us seniors, to determine the ultimate champion.”
“Like the standings in a soccer competition, huh?” someone next to Fori commented.
Fori glanced over and saw Siska standing beside her, smiling. The girl with long hair and bangs appeared shy, much like Fori herself.
“Your friend from earlier, Xynth… where is he?” Siska asked, scanning the area.
“He’s serving his punishment for not wearing a university blazer,” Fori replied, feeling a twinge of shame and guilt. “But he’s not my friend. We just happened to know each other from a long time ago.”
“Ah, I see,” Siska murmured, nodding. She then smiled again and lightly patted Fori’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Fori. It’s not your fault. I can read people’s characters a bit. Xynth seems to just want the team to run more smoothly and doesn’t want to make her team leader humiliated by other teams.”
“Yeah, maybe so,” Fori said, holding up a bottle of cold sparkling water she had bought from the automatic machine.
“Is that for him?” Siska asked again. Fori simply nodded in response to Siska’s question.
“The first day of the game consists of three sessions, and each session will earn its own points,” the SEB head continued from the stage, diverting Fori and Siska’s attention from the bottle of sparkling water in Fori’s hand.
“On the second and third days, there will only be three points each. So, do your best to win on the first day to immediately earn nine points. All teams must appoint three people in their team to be the clue givers for each session.”
“The first clue giver must guide the team to find the answer to the secret word using body language. The second clue giver must guide their team to find the answer to the secret words in the form of a picture. And the third clue giver must guide their team to find the answer to a song title.”
“Now, listen to me carefully, and if necessary, write this down,” he said again. All the team leaders immediately rushed to grab stationery to record his instructions.
“Each team leader must prepare a secret word for their opponent. For the body language section, prepare one syllable — ONE SYLLABLE ONLY — related to a sports term. The word must be universally understood but cannot be in the form of a name, the type of sport, a brand, or a number.”
“Later, you will give this word to the opposing team, and the opposing team’s clue giver must direct the participants to answer the word in question within five minutes. All clue givers must not make any sound while demonstrating body language and drawing, or they will be declared defeated. If this happens, your opponent will benefit from it by getting three extra points immediately.”
“The second part deals with the world of news. Here, teams must come up with two or three syllables related to news terms, which are also universally understood. Again, no brands, names, or numbers. These words must be created in the form of a clue image that participants must guess correctly within five minutes.”
“The third game is guess the song title. Teams must provide the title of an old song. The clue giver must then provide clues using only the lyrics of the main part of the song, without humming it. The clue giver is also not allowed to say any part of the lyrics that contain the words of the song title at all. Not a single word.”
“If the clue giver doesn’t know the song in question, he or she can look it up on a mobile phone search site. Meanwhile, the team participants must answer by singing or humming the song in the section in question, and not just by mentioning the title.”
“Apart from the clue giver, other participants are not allowed to use cell phones at all during the session. The time in the third part is also five minutes. Do you understand how to play the games at this point?”
“Got it!” replied all the teams in the hall in unison.
“In that case, we’ll now draw the schedule of meetings between the teams. Get ready!”
“Got the game instructions yet?” Xynth suddenly appeared near Fori. The man was already looking presentable again and didn’t seem tired at all. He even looked fresher with wet hair as if he had just taken a shower.
“I did,” Fori answered. She then explained the whole system of the games to Xynth, who listened carefully and looking very serious.
“Alright,” the SEB head continued after taking the draw from the box on the stage. “The teams that will compete on the first day are the yellow team against the blue team, and the black team against the red team. On the second day, the blue team will play against the black team, while the yellow team will play against the red team. And on the third day, the teams that will face off are the red and blue teams, and the black team against the yellow team.”
“We’ll put up this schedule outside the hall door. Now, if everyone’s set, let’s get started. Blue team and yellow team, head over to the left side, red team and black team, right side. Feel free to chat and pick out your clue givers. Give your opponents a good challenge. You’ve got ten minutes!”
The participants cheered and dispersed to their designated areas.
“Here,” Fori said, handing Xynth a cold bottle of sparkling water as he turned to leave. “Take this.”
Xynth was silent as he accepted it and looked in surprise at Fori, who darted away after giving it to him. He then glanced at the cold bottle in his hand and watched the girl’s back again in turn. Before long, he drank the cold drink with a smile on his face.
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