The Academy's Time Looper-Chapter 35: Kai’s Dorm

Nodding his head with a smile, Athen graciously held the door open, allowing Kai to waltz right into the vast lobby floor.

Upon entering the building after Kai, Athen was surprised to see that the lobby was practically empty except for a couple of armchairs and a receptionist’s desk.

In front of the doors stood a long receptionist desk that stretched across half of the massive lobby, and there were even a couple of workers sitting behind the desk with papers in front of them.

Dressed in a white collared shirt and red vest, the workers glanced upward upon hearing the door open, smiled at Ren and Kai, and then looked back down at their desks.

Besides the desk, there was a fireplace surrounded by countless chairs and a carpet, a water refilling station, and a small kitchen area with a couple of snacks already laid out.

However, recalling the height of the building from when he had seen it outside, Athen was confused.

How were they...supposed to get up?

Surely, the academy didn’t expect them to take the stairs up...right?

Perhaps sensing Athen’s confusion, Kai sighed before walking to the wall that faced the glass doors.

And then Athen noticed it: countless purple magic circles were drawn on the ground along the wall facing the door.

The center of the circle was just big enough for a person’s feet to fit inside, and it was surrounded by countless random shapes that Athen couldn’t even begin to describe.

Stepping inside one of the magic circles, Kai looked at Athen and said.

"Say the floor you need to go to, and in a couple of seconds, you’ll be there...like magic."

Seeing Athen eager to try it out, Kai smiled before pointing at the workers behind the receptionist’s desk.

"First...you’ll have to get your room key, right, Kai?"

Looking down at the name tag on his collared shirt, Athen defeatedly walked over to the reception desk.

Not even looking up...but somehow sensing his approach, the worker continued reading the documents on her desk while simultaneously saying.

"How can I help you?"

"*ahem* I’m here to... check in!"

Still looking down at her desk, the worker, with a nametag that read "Eleni," let out an obnoxious whine before replying.

"Check-in ended yesterday at 12, as per the instructions you received. Unfortunately, at this time, I am unable to acc-"

As Athen interrupted her mid-sentence, an arrogant smile formed on his face.

"Look, I don’t know who you think you’re talking to, but I don’t have time for this. Don’t you know? I’m THE Kai."

*THUD*

As those words came out of Athen’s mouth, Kai groaningly sunk to the floor, his previous smile nowhere to be seen.

Finally, looking up from her desk, the receptionist’s expression completely transformed as she spotted the nametag on Athen’s shirt.

Her disgusted expression was now replaced with a smile as she immediately opened her mouth.

But, not giving her any time to react or make a scene, Athen commanded.

"My room... please."

In an instant, Eleni turned around and knelt on the ground as she searched through the boxes behind her.

A couple of moments later, Eleni appeared in front of Athen again, now with a key and a bright smile.

Snatching the key out of her hand, Athen smirked and muttered as he walked back to Kai.

"It feels like my true self...can finally come out after so long!"

Paying no attention to Kai’s collapsed figure on the floor, Athen stepped into the center of the magical circle beside him and calmly said.

"Floor 43"

Within seconds, Athen’s surroundings began to shift as the lobby seemed to tear down and collapse right in front of him.

It was like he was back in the pitch-black void again as the lobby completely disappeared from sight, leaving nothing but pitch darkness.

But, a couple of seconds later, a new structure formed, filling that void and revealing a long hallway with a couple of doors and some paintings hanging from the wall.

Stepping forward, Athen patiently waited, gazing at the key in his hand that read "C43."

A few moments later, Kai appeared right behind Athen and stepped forward, immediately grabbing the key.

"We have a lot of things...to discuss before we worry about the entrance exam."

Following Kai, Athen walked through the long hallway, surprised that the doors were so far apart from each other.

Occasionally, he glanced at the other wall, which, instead of containing doors, had decorations like paintings and trophies.

"They sure like to show off..."

By the time Athen caught up to Kai, the door that read "C43" was already unlocked and open.

Walking through the wide-open door, Athen wasn’t surprised at the sheer size of the room as he had expected it...but at its layout.

Opposite the door, instead of there being a wood wall, there was simply one gigantic window.

Starstruck, Athen was reminded of his short experience on the flying ship as he stared at the clouds and the sun through the massive window. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The room had two stories: the bottom was the main area, which included a kitchen and living room, and the top was a loft-like area with a bedroom and bathroom.

Walking out from underneath the loft, Athen spotted Kai sitting down while sipping a cup of tea on one of the couches.

"Surprised?"

Turning around so that he could see the loft, which was right above the door, Athen walked backward and replied.

"Nah...I’ve had bigger rooms."

After all, the infinitely long pitch-black void he had been in contained him and only himself, so it was technically his by default!

For some reason, Kai seemed to take Athen’s words seriously as he raised his eyebrows while watching Athen sit down on the couch opposite him.

Putting aside the massive room, Athen broke the silence first by asking.

"So, why exactly do you not want people to know your Kai."

Kai had a good face and was much better-looking than Athen, so there was no reason for him to want to hide his identity.

Taking a deep breath, Kai carefully put his teacup down before finally responding.

"If you’re thinking of backing out now...it’s far too late."