The archery scores of the boys in room 25 were surprising, to say the least. Three of them managed to score over twenty points in the very first exercise, but this score was used not only to determine who was the best among them, but also to determine who would be the leader of the room.
Since Andrew A. McClelland came in first, he was declared the leader. Since Klaus came in second, he was the vice-leader, the one who would take the lead when the leader was absent.
Klaus was happy with the title of Vice Leader. Although he didn't like taking orders from strangers, Andrew didn't seem to be the authoritarian type. Besides, Klaus didn't want the unnecessary attention of being the leader of something until he at least had some friends, and he also didn't want his roommates to come to him all the time, as that would be annoying, so he would be fine with having Andrew as the leader of the room.
So after their little argument in the Archery Department building, Klaus told the others that he had other things he wanted to do, like get to know other parts of the campus and see some lectures, so he left the Archery Department hangar and headed for the main building after saying goodbye to everyone.
The campus was so large that it seemed like a city, and as Klaus walked he found many groups with tutors who told him what each building on the colossal campus was for.
From what Klaus heard as he passed some of these groups, there were many more departments than he had imagined, and each of these departments had at most fifty members. Considering that a thousand people were admitted to New York State and that they were all assigned to their respective sections, there should indeed be many sections. Technically, the Special Program was like a large university with clubs, where everyone could focus on what they were best at, whether it was craftsmanship, engineering, mathematics, literature, or even other sports.
As he walked around and heard about all this, there was a moment when Klaus literally stopped to think about it all. He was just beginning to understand what the program director meant when she told the national network that they were creating a better future for themselves. In that moment, he felt that all those who were chosen had something special, something that set them apart from the rest. It was as if they all had a gift and needed to find out what it was.
And then, suddenly, Klaus noticed that two boys from a group of students were staring at him. These two guys were in a group with an instructor-guide, only they didn't even seem to be listening to what the guide was saying, because they were looking at Klaus in amazement.
One of these guys was short, no more than 1.60 meters tall, while the other guy was only a little shorter than Klaus.
The look these guys gave Klaus sent a strange shiver down his spine, and that feeling reminded him of the time when other people on the street had recognized him as a famous professional Myth2 player. In fact, it was exactly the same feeling. First the feeling of confusion filled him, then the realization that these strange people were his fans. However, Klaus was sure that no one who recognized him in the past would recognize him now, he was completely different.
Moreover, there was something different in the look of these two boys compared to the fans. They did not look at Klaus with happiness, but with astonishment.
Klaus stopped in the middle of his stride and stared back at them, causing them to swallow dry the saliva in their mouths. The taller boy immediately turned away to avoid eye contact while the shorter one continued to stare at Klaus.
"Who are you?" Klaus inquired. Now that he looked back at these boys, he had the slight feeling that he knew them from somewhere.
Klaus' question made the shorter boy close his eyes until he stepped forward and asked with a tone of disbelief:
"Do you really not recognize me?"
Klaus nodded without saying anything as the taller boy took a deep breath and turned back.
"I am Dodir and he is Orkoi." The boy put his hand on his chest and spoke proudly.
"Who?" asked Klaus. There was a clear question mark on his head.
"Come on, it's not that hard to remember. We worked together against the invasion of the Hermodr Eye in the Tretidian capital a month ago."
Klaus put his right hand to his chin and struggled to remember. "Hmmm... I don't remember any Dodir or Orkoi in that situation. Wait, if you know that I was there, then you know that..." He widened his eyes.
Dodir smiled confidently, put a hand over his mouth and leaned forward a bit, suggesting that Klaus should bend down a bit to listen to what he had to say, and Klaus did just that.
"Yes, I know you are Kaizen." Dodir whispered, causing Klaus to widen his eyes again and slowly back away.
The small boy crossed his arms, smiled and looked at Klaus confidently. Then the taller boy pulled him back by the collar of his shirt, and the boy named Orkoi bowed his head slightly.
"I apologize for his behavior. Whether in RO or in real life, he never learns what to do and what not to do," Orkoi said. Orkoi said. "I understand that it must be difficult for you to remember people with whom you have exchanged ten words at most, but I think you will remember us when we say that we are from the Crimson Soldiers Guild."
"Ah!" Klaus finally understood what was going on and was immediately disappointed in himself for not coming to this conclusion on his own.
"My nickname in Rise Online is Dodir and my real name is Riley Kauffmann." The tall boy greeted Klaus with an honest handshake.
"And my name is J. Paez! Don't you dare forget that this time!" Dodir shouted.
"Huh? Okay, I'll try." Klaus said with a nervous smile and then sighed. "Sheshh! What a scare you gave me, for a moment I thought I was in trouble, but luckily you are Emma's friends."
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
If you want to see original illustrations of Rise Online characters, consider helping me on pa treon: /NandoFalske
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