Chapter 17: Going to School

When the family breakfast was over, they all went their separate ways to handle their own matters and begin the day. While Renan in particular, took a towel with him and headed straight for the bathroom to have a lovely, warm shower. And after freshening himself up, he returned back to his room and changed into his school uniform. Moreover, he had to admit that the style of the uniform fitted his taste quite well.

There were two layers for the upper: first is the long white polo complimented by a red necktie, and next is the fashionable red-colored blazer. Lastly, for his lower half it consisted of dark-blue trousers, a leather belt, and brown leather shoes.

Admiring his good-looks in the mirror for a moment, he then fetched his bag for school and left his room and house entirely. Thereupon, he sauntered on the sidewalk for a couple of minutes before reaching the Sugbo train station, where he will be taking a bullet train to commute to the University of Maharlika.

This was his usual mode of transportation from home to school and vice versa, but once in a while he would hitch a ride in his older brother's car when he would go to work at an earlier time. Although, that rarely ever happens since his older brother prioritizes himself and his personal comfort much more than his job.

The train carriages were loaded and filled to the brim with people as per usual, like a pack of sardines in a can. In the end, he had to stand somewhere in the center of the carriage and hold on tightly to the hanging straps. Afterwards, the multiple sliding doors on the train were automatically closed shut before the vehicle ultimately departed. For the whole duration of the ride nothing especially noteworthy happened, except for a man that was standing beside him suddenly falling over due to a sense of exhaustion overcoming him.

When it was finally his stop, he alighted from the train along with many other passengers that wore the same school uniform as the university he went to. He let his gaze wander for a bit and glanced at these fellow students of his; and to anyone who met his eyes, he regarded by forming a friendly smile and nodding his head at them. Without exemption, all of them greeted him back in their own way—there were even several male and female students who performed an 80 degree bow towards him.

This kind of treatment was only natural for him, so he didn't mind and gladly accepted them without a change in expression. Thereafter, he left for the exit in the current station he was in, but if he were to proceed walking the distance from here all the way to his university, it would approximately take him about twenty-five minutes to get there which is a lot of time needlessly wasted. And since he didn't want to arrive late for school, he chose the alternative of walking by catching a ride in another mode of public transport that is called the PUJ or public utility jeepney.

The jeepneys nowadays were pretty high-tech and modernized and could fit twenty-two people with ample breathing room to share. But altogether, its maximum capacity would be thirty passengers if they really tried to squeeze in there during rush hours. Fortunately, the jeepney he rode wasn't too crowded and directly took him to his destination in a mere five minutes.

He stepped out of the jeepney and finally arrived before the gates of the University of Maharlika. However, students aren't actually allowed to enter through the gates but instead, they were required to pass through inspection from the guard posts situated next to it. The inspection didn't take long though—all the students needed to do was walk right through a rectangular detector of sorts and receive a cursory glance from the security guards posted there. After that they were basically free to go do whatever they pleased and take care of their business.

Renan decided to first pay the student council room a visit and prepare a memo for today. Thus, he treaded on the wide stone pathway and proceeded towards the main building. Upon arriving there, he didn't stop and immediately went to the sixth floor via the staff exclusive elevator. Opening the doors to the student council room, he boldly strode forth and was instantly greeted by the sight of flowing blue hair cascading down like a waterfall on the back of a lone girl. She was most likely staring down at the ground below her from the high vantage point provided by the tall window, but must've been disturbed by the sounds of someone stepping inside the room.

The blue-haired girl turned around to face the newcomer, and when her facial features revealed itself it could only be described with the words gorgeous and angelic; and the way she stood there basking against the sun's illumination seemed to have given her an ethereal glow. And yet, that surreal impression didn't last for long and was immediately broken the moment she saw him.

"My, oh my. What is this~? The student council president arrived later than his subordinate? How awful, truly an awful display." She perked her lips up to form a contemptuous smile towards him.

Her words were clearly laced with sarcasm and ill intent, but as someone who always sought to handle things maturely he wouldn't let such cheap tricks from a girl get on his nerves that easily.

"A blessed morning to you too, vice-president Sison. Indeed, I am quite embarrassed that you managed to appear earlier than me. As president of the student council, I know I have the responsibility of setting an example for my fellow students. But... it's still just 7:15 AM which is fifteen minutes early than the intended time, I suppose that's more than enough to fulfill the condition. Besides, it's not like there is a contest on who gets to be here the earliest, vice-president Sison."

Renan flawlessly retorted her with pragmatic logic while also showing a cordial smile on his face. He then moved to the left corner of the room and stood in front of the council's bulletin board. Taking a piece of yellow paper and a pen that he got from the shelf board directly below the bulletin board, he noted down the things that the student council will be discussing and tackling today.

The gorgeous blue-haired girl, or otherwise known as vice-president Sison, slowly made her way behind him and gazed up at the memo that he posted on the wall. And after seeing what was written on it, she let out a derisive smirk like she just found something funny.