Wishful Thinking

Daily Life, Part One

"Now that everyone's here, let's all head to the dining hall and grab a bite, huh? I'm fuckin' starving," Mondo said. Getting some dinner does sound like a good idea, especially because I'm eating with Chihiro. After all, a friend is certainly someone I'd need to survive here.

Once we arrived at the dining hall, everyone started sitting down and just looked at each other silently. I turn to Chihiro and ask where the kitchen staff were.

"I don't know,  but we should find a way to get some food soon. I'm getting a little hungry..."

Just as everyone sat down, five suited people with masked faces bust through the door and walk into the kitchen. The door slammed shut and they got to work. Unnaturally fast, that is. Within ten minutes, there were plates and plates of beautiful roasts and vegetables lining each table. It reminded me of the buffet scene in a Harry Potter play I was in.

"This smells amazing!" Hiro exclaimed. "Can't wait to dig in!" Chihiro chuckled a little bit. Ten more minutes pass, and by this point, just about everyone was talking to each other. Even Taka! He and Mondo were chatting up a storm. Looks like someone pulled the stick out of his ass.

"Hey, Chihiro, what do you think about the school so far?" I asked. Chihiro tugged at her skirt, flattened it and stared off into space.
"Chihiro?" She snapped out of her trance.
"OH! Sorry! Um, what did you say? I'm sorry..." Her face turned beet red.
"Don't worry about it. I asked you how you feel about this school so far."
"Oh, um. I like it a lot actually."
Chihiro and I chatted for a few minutes after that. I cherish these moments you know?

The suited men cut up, served, cleaned up, and left almost immediately after everything was prepared and before we started taking food from the self-serve line. This felt like a banquet buffet! Hiro was practically stuffing his face the second his plate was put in front of him. Celeste immediately stood up to move to a seat farther away from him. A plate was set down in front of me, loaded with beef, turkey, potatoes, and roast vegetables. I could certainly get used to this.

...(One Hour Timeskip)...

Dinner was over, and man it was amazing.
"I don't know how they do it!" Chihiro exclaimed. " I don't even like roast beef and still I crave it now," I nod my head in agreement. They were really talented.

As if on cue, the suited men returned and took our dishes,  the serving trays, and all the leftover food and cleaned it all up in minutes. Speedy little bastards, they are. 

An announcement came over the speakers. A jovial, high-pitched voice came with it.
"Attention, it is now 10 PM. It is now nighttime. The pool, dining hall, and courtyard are now closed. Once you exit one of the closed rooms, you may not enter them again until 7 AM tomorrow. The dorms are on the east side of the building. Sleep well, everyone! Goodnight."

The announcement speaker crackled and went silent. Hina stood up from her chair and motioned Sakura to come with her, and they walked towards the dorms. One by one, everyone followed suit and went to bed. The last of us to leave were Taka, Mondo, Leon, Chihiro, and myself. 

Taka, Mondo, and Leon seem to be having a wonderful time chatting amongst themselves as they walked down the hall, locating each others dorms. I overheard Leon recommend they all slept together in one room so they could talk all night. Chihiro's ears perked up as he said this. I could tell she wanted to do that with me as well. Honestly, that doesn't sound too bad at this point.

After Leon, Taka, and Mondo gathered some pillows and bed mattresses, they dragged them to Mondo's room and began setting up. I can already hear the deep laughter coming from beyond the door.

"Hey, um..." Chihiro mumbles, "Do you want to do that with me too? Think of it as a sleepover!" I can feel my face get bright red. Of course, I wanted to, but I was also extremely nervous and was probably going to wuss out before she went to bed. 

Okay, Joyu, act straight and you'll be fine, I think to myself.

"Sure. Sounds like a lot of fun! Who's dorm should we set up in?"

"Can we go to mine? It's closer I think." Chihiro is visibly blushing.

"Yeah sure. Let me just get my ukulele and pillows." 

We part ways, me going to my dorm and Chihiro going to hers. After gathering my sleeping stuff, ukulele, and toothbrush, I head over to Chihiro's dorm. 

I don't know why I expected it to look different, but I come in and set up my stuff. Chihiro isn't in the main area. Where is she?