Chapter 34: Welcome To SHU (Part 3)

Having gotten his temporary ID, Don walked away from the registration booth and hoped to wait outside for a bit until Hector returned. He did entertain fleeting thoughts of Hector just running away, but that seemed unlikely since he had some credibility and the fact Don hadn't paid anything yet. 

As he was walking to the door to leave, he encountered another new student doing the same. This particular student stood out because, at first glance, he looked almost like a child, no taller than 155 cm. He had a clean outfit composed of a green polo shirt with the university's insignia on it, tucked into light brown khaki pants with a brown belt holding them in place. He had neat short blonde hair, deep green eyes, and wore spectacles, which he was currently holding and wiping with a cloth by the door.

As Don approached, the student looked at him and quickly apologized. "Oh, sorry, am I in your way?" he asked while still wiping his glasses and muttering in an irritated tone, "Damn things have been getting dusty all day. I hate crowded places."

Don paused by the door and shook his head. Although there were a lot of students outside, the registration office was yet to be very busy. Having gone through something similar in his former life, he knew that students would first either explore around the university or get in lines to obtain various documents before even getting their IDs, with accommodation being the biggest headache.

"Don't worry about it. I don't think the registration office will be absurdly packed until after lunch," Don reassured.

The young man showed a smile and put his glasses back on. "I think you're right. You would think people would come early like us to make sure all their documents are submitted in time. Anyway, I'm Donald." The young man introduced himself while extending a hand for Don to shake.

Don ignored the part about coming early and instead just stretched out his hand to shake, replying, "Don," while giving a nod. For men, establishing friendships in schools always started with something this simple: the common greeting. Unlike with girls, who often chose their friends carefully on the first day, guys were less picky, and any company was good company so long as they weren't absurdly weird, political, or oddly dressed.

With introductions over, Donald turned to the door and muttered, "I still have to fill out the accommodation slip and get given a room. Since each room will be handed in pairs, I don't know if you want for us to go together. The last thing I want is to be placed with a random guy and find out he likes practicing guitar at three in the morning." 

'Or bringing girls over every day.' Don inwardly thought, finding that he could relate to what Donald was trying to avoid. "I feel you. That's why I'm trying to push for accommodation outside school, but in case that doesn't work out, it would be good to have a room with someone whose normal."

Donald showed a small smile and nodded. "That's no problem. In fact, if your other accommodation manages to work out, I'll even pay for your accommodation within school so I can have the room all to myself. We better hurry though; after a certain time, the custodian becomes very irritable and doesn't even allow you to come in pairs and just places you randomly."

Don was curious and asked, "Where did you learn that?"

Donald reached into his pocket to take out a small folded booklet, which he handed to Don. "A senior was selling these in campus for about five credits. It's like an unofficial guide. I got the original one too, but that can only tell you so much about the university's dynamics. You might want to keep it hidden though; it's got some things in it that might get you in trouble if a member of staff were to see you with it."

Don gave a nod but opened the book anyway to quickly skim through the pages. Within the book, he could see everything from the best spots to find a plug, to girls who'll suck your dick for under 30 credits, guys to visit during exams if you need a little assistance and even teachers who would give higher grades to female and some male students willing to pay with their bodies, according to rumors. 

Don was a bit surprised by how blatant this was. Sure, in his former life, his university had similar things, though not in booklet form and instead only in rumors and student knowledge that you would only encounter if you spoke to the right person. Don quickly closed it and handed it back to Donald, who folded it and tucked it into his pants quickly like it was a drug deal.

"See what I mean?" Donald asked.

Don nodded. "It's extensive all right, but isn't it going to be a problem if a staff member finds it? I don't believe every student will keep the secret."

Donald shrugged. "Apparently, this happens every year, but the school just passes it off as seniors doing a prank for new students to get money. But I think they're just too lazy to do an investigation into this. Reputation over truth is the motto with most schools in this country, unfortunately."

Don shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I guess that works in our favor then. Let's get going."

As Don said this, he continued to look around but, seeing Hector nowhere in sight, decided to move with Donald. Such was what would happen during orientation. You could come with someone else, one moment later you're in line with another, and at the end of the day, perhaps you're leaving with a completely different group altogether. Until he found time to know people more well, Don knew the best way to get things done on orientation was to be adaptive. If he saw an opportunity to get something done, it was best to do it.

The two made their way out and began walking toward the custodian's office. As they were doing so, they could see some students posing with their parents for photos, while others were busy at the various stalls set up by seniors either for clubs, to sell food, or to invite them to certain groups. There was an abundance of things to do.

Among the stands, one especially stood out as it had numerous male students lined up. Don looked at the stand, which had a board reading "VR FPS League Registration."

Although curious, Don didn't mention it and just thought he could research it later. With so many students there, it seemed like something of common knowledge, so if he asked, he stood the risk of coming across as either strange or really lacking in knowledge. 

Donald noticed Don looking toward the stand though and commented, "I'm really curious to see what the FPS league is like in this school. I'm going to sign up and get an account later. I have a private VR FPS pod, though an older model. The latest ones are incredibly hard to come by and aren't cheap either. Fucking Macrosoft."

From those few words, Don gained a bit of understanding of what that stand was. Having read stories and even seen comics based on virtual reality games in which users felt they were transported into a world that felt all too real, though not sure if this was exactly the same, it seemed to be the case given the information he was hearing so far. And he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested.

"We should check it out once we're done with accommodation."