"Hey, I'm starving. I haven't eaten anything since breakfast, so I'm heading to the dining hall." Arthur said as he was hungry.
"Mind if I join you too? I haven't eaten either." Clara asked.
"Yeah, of course." Arthur nodded.
"Just give me a second." Clara said and went to the bathroom.
Arthur sat down in her desk chair and thought of the system.
[New Information is still in process.]
[Processing…]
Am I missing something? Is there something I'm supposed to do? I don't get it. In all the web novels I read, the system just works. Why is this thing still processing? It's been over 24 hours.
"Is anything wrong?" Clara came out of the bathroom and was looking at his expression as she asked.
"Nah, it's nothing, just tired. Let's go." Arthur said and closed the system. He knew that nobody could see the system, so he didn't panic.
They left her room and were walking toward the elevators.
"So, do you actually know where this place is?" Clara asked.
Yeah, I saw a sign in the lobby. I think it's on the 3rd floor." Arthur said.
"It's in this building? Or should we have to go to another one?"
"Nope, we have our own exclusive one."
"Wow, that's nice. I wasn't expecting that."
"Yeah, this building has its own gym, dining hall, and a dedicated internet connection. Even soundproof rooms."
"Wow. Guess paying for the expensive dorm was worth it."
"Yeah, it has its own perks." He agreed.
"I don't get one thing, though," she said.
"What?" Arthur curiously asked.
"Why did they give us soundproof rooms? Do they expecting we will have se" She said with a smirk on her face.
"Ahem! No. I think you misunderstood. They gave us soundproof rooms for practicing instruments. And I don't think if our bedroom is soundproof." Arthur interrupted her and said.
"Oh! God, what was I thinking? My bad." Clara said. She was blushing. She then laughed, and Arthur laughed with her.
Soon they reached the private dining hall.
They were both amazed by looking at the dining hall. It looked less like a cafeteria and more like a five-star hotel buffet. There were multiple stations with all kinds of food, all-you-can-eat, and the place was quiet and not even crowded.
They looked at each other, both clearly impressed.
They took their food from multiple stations and sat at the same table.
"Mmm. The food here is delicious." Arthur said. He loved the food. He never had anything this fancy, as his family had always been just barely getting by.
"Yeah, it's good." Clara agreed after testing her food.
Arthur went back for seconds and then thirds. When he finally finished, he was completely stuffed. Clara was watching him, trying to hide a laugh.
"You shouldn't have eaten that much." She said.
"I know, but I couldn't help myself. I have never eaten food this luxurious in my entire life." Arthur replied.
"It's tasty, but I wouldn't call it luxurious." Clara rolled her eyes.
"Well, I wouldn't know. I've never been to a fancy restaurant."
"You don't have to be sarcastic."
"I'm not. I'm serious. My family is barely surviving. They sacrificed everything for one reason: to see me become successful."
"Well, if that's the story, why would they book you in the most expensive dorm on campus?" Clara asked confusingly.
"Oh, that wasn't them. It was my uncle. He's paying for the dorm and my loan, interest-free, so I don't graduate with a mountain of debt. My family's not like yours. We can't just afford this kind of thing."
Arthur tensed. He was clearly lying as he hacked the server to get that expensive room. And he mentioned student loans just because what if this Clara and BlackHoodedGuy are the same person? If that's the case, then she can also hack into the server and check Arthur's information. He pivoted to her family to put her on the defensive, as it doesn't explain why a rich uncle would pay for the best room? He just said the first thing he had in his mind.
"You don't know anything about me or my family, so don't assume." Clara said, her face hardened
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." Arthur said, instantly putting his hands up. He felt a small smirk flash across his face but quickly hid it.
Okay, she bought it… for now. But that was a terrible lie. It doesn't make any sense. I need a better story for next time. Still, this will buy me a little time.
"Hey, really, I'm sorry. Let me help you unpack as a way of saying sorry." Arthur said while putting on his best apologetic face.
"Hey, don't apologize. It's fine. And… my family's financial situation is pretty much the same as yours. Let's go to my room. I can tell you about it." Clara said, her tone softening.
"Okay." They both stood up and headed for the door.
Soon they reached the dorm room. Clara tapped her student ID card against the panel. The light flashed green, and the door clicked open. They went inside her room, and the door locked automatically behind them.
"If you don't mind, can I ask you something?" Clara asked as she started opening one of her boxes.
"Yeah, go ahead." Arthur said.
"Can you… tell me about your family first?"
"Sure. It's pretty simple. My dad's an electrician, my mom's a housewife, and I'm an only child. What about you?" Arthur was a little surprised but nodded.
"I... I'm not really ready to get into that right now. Is that okay?" Clara paused, her hands stopping in mid-task.
"Oh, yeah, of course. If you're not comfortable, you don't have to share. I get it." Arthur said, trying to reassure her.
"It's not like that. It's just… a long story. I need a little time." She said.
"Do you want me to leave?" Arthur asked, feeling a little awkward.
"No!… no. That's not what I meant. I'm just not comfortable talking about my family just yet." She responded quickly.
"Hey, it's totally fine. Don't worry about it. Come on, let's get this room set up." Arthur said with an easy smile.
Clara gave him a small, grateful smile, and they both started unpacking her boxes.