Chapter 5 || Getting Paid

Chapter 5: 5 || Getting Paid

"A cheerful girl with orange-brown hair tied into two ponytails on either side of her head stood up with a bright smile."

"Yua Morin! Nice to meet everyone!"

Behind her, another girl stood and gave a small wave.

Dark brown hair framed her face, and her hazel-green eyes carried a calm warmth to them.

"Kira Harris. Looking forward to working with all of you."

Meanwhile, Code had completely drifted into his own thoughts.

’Introductions... how do I begin my introduction? I start with my name, then... what do I say after that? Should I just fall asleep again and let it pass me?’

"It’s your turn."

Code blinked and looked up.

The green-haired boy with rectangular glasses in front of him was staring expectantly, along with the rest of the class.

Everyone was waiting.

Code slowly stood from his seat.

’I should probably just end it with my name like the others did.’

He spoke in a calm tone."...My name is Code Warden."

The room went quiet for the briefest moment.

Then Caden leaned forward slightly. "Code Warden? What, are your parents lawyers?"

Code didn’t answer.

Torin immediately sighed. "Caden, you seriously need to learn when to stop talking."

"What?" Caden frowned. "I just asked a question."

Code quietly sat back down and turned his gaze toward the window instead.

Aria glanced at him again before looking away.

’He lacks social skills... And even his name sounds strange.’

Riven looked around the classroom with a smile."Now that we all know each other... let’s work hard and make it to the fourth floor together!"

A few students immediately cheered in agreement, the tense atmosphere easing little by little.

Everyone seemed to respond to it—Except Code and Aria.

They both remained seated quietly, completely unmoved, like the excitement in the room had nothing to do with them.

Huegene wasn’t even listening in the first place, his attention somewhere else entirely and Ashir simply stood up and walked out of the classroom without saying a word.

Code rested his chin on his hand, staring at the sky through the window.

’So many students... with so many different personalities.’

He exhaled.

’I’m going to have trouble adjusting.’

Suddenly, a hand tapped his shoulder.

He turned and saw Caden smiling at him. Torin and Ken stood behind him.

"What are you thinking about? You seem dull and left out," Caden teased.

Code replied. "It’s nothing... just staring at the sky."

Caden glanced at the window placing his hand above his head like he was trying to see something far away.

"What are you looking. It seems boring to me."

Ken walked forward and hit his head lightly before stopping behind Code’s seat.

"You should do what you were asked to do, Caden."

Caden glared at Ken while rubbing the back of his head.

"I was getting to it. You didn’t have to hit me."

Aria frowned at the crowd surrounding her seat.

’More nuisance...’

She picked up her bag and walked out of the class through the back door.

Torin let out a breath through his nose. "She really meant everything she said earlier, huh?"

"Looks like it," Ken replied.

Meanwhile, Code simply watched Aria disappear out of the classroom, his expression unreadable.

He didn’t say a word.

Torin held Caden by the neck and bent his head down with a smile.

"Actually we brought him here to apologize for what he said earlier."

Caden broke free."I didn’t say anything wrong, did I? It was just a question."

"That’s true, but you should really know how your questions affect others around you, Caden."

The group turned forward to see Riven walk up to them.

Ken nodded.

Caden was silent for a moment, then he turned to Code.

"I’m sorry."

Code didn’t say anything.

Riven glanced at Code."If there’s anything you need help with, just reach out to me."

Code replied."I will. Thanks."

"So... are your parents really lawyers or are they officers?"

Torin sighed .

Ken walked behind Caden and pulled him by the collar dragging him away.

"I’ll take care of him."

Caden flailed helplessly.

Riven gave a short laugh while Torin simply shook his head.

He faced Code." So Code, do you have plans for today?"

Code replied."No. "

" Then you can come with us to the mall. It’s good for us to look around the academy."

"What do you say Code, are you tagging along ?" Riven asked.

Ken let go of Caden and listened waiting for Code’s response.

Code stared at them for a moment.

’I think I’ll pass on the offer. ’

"I don’t really—" Code started

Torin placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You can’t say no Code. Let’s all go together."

Code stared at him blankly.

’Seriously...?’

He sighed and stood up."Fine."

Caden stood up."That’s great. We all can go then."

At the same time, Kira grabbed Riven by the arm."Come with us Riven. Let’s check out the cafe."

"Huh—wait—" Riven barely managed to turn back towards the group.

"I’ll catch up with you guys later."

Yua quietly followed behind them as Kira dragged him out of the classroom.

Torin watched them leave and let out a dramatic sigh. "Damn... he got stolen already."

Caden shook his head. "Forget about him. Let’s just go."

The group all strode towards the door with Code trailing behind them.

Then—Beep. Beep.

Every phone in the room vibrated at the same time.

The students checked their screens and found a profile photo of their masters.

Code stared at his phone.

His master was a girl with long silver hair that fell past her shoulders in smooth, silky layers. Soft uneven bangs rested across her forehead, with wispy strands falling between her eyes and framing her face.

Two small black bows sat near the outer edges of her fringe, their dark ribbons contrasting against her pale hair. Longer locks fell along her cheeks, partially covering her ears before flowing freely down her back, their ends separating into delicate, feathered layers.

Behind her circular glasses, her deep teal eyes peeked through the wispy fringe.

Name: Lyra Vale

Rank : Servitor

Class : Class 1-C

Rating: 2 stars

Ken leaned toward Code."So, who’s your master?"

Code turned his phone toward them, showing Lyra’s picture.

Torin whistled."She looks pretty. You’re really lucky, Code."

"I am? How so?" Code asked.

Ken sighed. "I got a boy as my master."

"Same here," Torin added.

"What about you, Caden?" Torin asked.

Caden froze as he stared at his phone, his face pale.

"Caden! Caden!" they called until he finally snapped out of it. Dropping to his knees, he cried.

"Why am I so unlucky?!"

The entire class turned to look.

Torin asked."Who did you get?"

Caden cried."I got a monster! A monster!"

He shakily showed them the image of a strong, muscular boy named Albert.

"Why did I have to get a bodybuilder as my master?" Caden wailed. "I’m going to be crushed to dust!"

The group burst into laughter.

Caden crawled over to Code, grabbed his hand, and begged.

"Code, is there a way we can swap masters? Please!"

Ken dragged him away as Caden wriggled like a child. "Let go of me!"

Torin shook his head. "Just deal with the master you were assigned. Besides, I don’t think we can switch masters."

Ken nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Doesn’t seem like the kind of academy that cares what we want."

At the center of the class, most of the girls gathered around Ivy, chatting about their masters. Some had boys, others had girls.

Beep!

Their phones chimed again.

Code lowered his gaze toward his screen.

[2,000 Bronze coins have been added to your account.]

Below it sat a small rating bar connected to their part-time jobs.

For a second, the class went completely quiet.

Then the murmuring started.

"What?"

"We haven’t even worked yet..."

"They already paid us?"

Voices overlapped across the room as students checked their balances again just to make sure they weren’t imagining things.

Ken looked around."Looks like everyone got paid."

Torin scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I completely forgot we were broke. And I suggested going to the mall."

Code glanced at him.

’Good thing this came through. Otherwise we probably would’ve caused a scene at the mall.’

Caden smiled."Well the money is here so we can still hit the mall."

The three started walking towards the door before stopping.

Code was still standing there, staring at his phone silently.

"...Code?" Torin called. "You coming?"

Code lifted his eyes after a short pause. "Yeah."

He slipped the phone into his pocket and followed after them quietly.

The door slid closed behind them.

They stopped at the elevator and Ken pushed the button.

"So what do you think we should get at the mall, Code?"

The elevator door slid open.

They all stepped inside together with Code at the center of the group.

Code spoke calmly." Supplies that we require for our daily needs. And food."

Caden nodded."Yes. Food is at the top of the list."

The door closed with a ding.