Chapter 35
This is a fictional story by realTensai
"Today we will discuss where we will go for our class trip."
As soon as Ms. Myth said this, the class broke out into cheers.
"Yes! Finally!"
Smiles could be seen on every student's face as they instantly started talking about it. Even Alvis smirked as his heart pounded. His genuine grin resembled more of a kid than a 17-year-old high schooler.
"You look like a creep again," Dane said, smiling.
"Shut up! I'm just happy!"
"A bit too happy for the otherwise nonchalant Alvis."
"It is my first school trip, after all. Of course, I am happy."
"Ah, almost forgot you were a shut-in for most of your life."
"Ugh~ don't say it like this."
It was because Dane was right that Alvis grimaced bitterly. Remembering his past wasn't his favorite thing to do. Back then, his curse bound him home, not letting him leave his house. However, Alvis knew he had just used his illness as an excuse to avoid the pain that awaited him by going out into the world. He was afraid of getting bullied again.
Just thinking about it made him feel sick.
Alvis shook his head, forcing himself to leave the past behind. He had overcome his fear of life and enrolled in this school. He knew he had already changed. There was no use in thinking about his weak self.
"Calm down again," Ms. Myth said, an impatient look in her eyes. The class was so excited that they started chatting loudly, forgetting they were still in class. It was also with her comment Alvis came back to the present. "As I said, we still have to decide where we will go."
Her words aroused the class' interest as they fell silent. With a now silent class, Ms. Myth could continue.
"There are three cities to choose from," she said, holding up the same number of fingers. "The school doesn't care which city we choose, so I let you decide. The three cities are Eisfeld, Lubai, and Awaniko. Discuss now."
After handing them the baton, the discussion, which surely would be calm and civilized, began.
"We HAVE to go to Lubai!"
"Ah, shut up, Tristan, Eisfeld is the only right choice!"
"Are you crazy? How can we not choose Awaniko?!"
They didn't waste time and shouted their opinion. If someone suggested a city they didn't like, they argued with him, probably thinking the one who shouted the loudest would win. Like waves building up, it got louder and louder until the point they couldn't converse anymore. This was when the class representative intervened.
"We all need to calm down," Lia said with a gentle yet firm voice.
This one sentence was enough to tame the uncontrollable class. As if her words were enchanting, binding others to listen. It wasn't forceful, but more like one just wanted to listen to her. It wasn't just Alvis, but everyone fell for her charm. Alvis didn't know if it was because of her ancient hypnotizing techniques or because of her otherworldly beauty. He didn't care either way.
"Thank you," Lia said, grateful for her classmates listening to her. "Let us vote on which city we want to go to. The city with the most votes wins. What do you think about that?"
Lia understood the situation and knew how they should handle it. If they decided democratically, no one could complain. This was what Alvis thought, at least, but when he saw more than a few concerned faces within the class, he knew he had been wrong.
"I don't think this is a good idea," Loid said with crossed arms and stern eyes.
"Why?" Lia asked.
"We should first discuss the advantages and disadvantages of every city before making a final decision."
"I agree. We have to think it through before deciding," Xing said.
After both Loid and Xing said that, even Lia had no choice but to agree. Those two wouldn't just spout nonsense.
"Fine, then let's do it like that. I will name a city, and everyone who wants to go there explains why. The others listen but can also comment about the things they don't like."
Satisfied nods accompanied by several yeses confirmed Lia's idea.
"Let's start with Lubai. Everyone who wants to go there, please raise your hand."
Alvis could hear the sounds of rising hands before he looked around to see who chose Lubai. There were seven hands in the air and a few wavering faces. Because Kris was also among those who voted for Lubai, Alvis would have thought more girls would follow. Yet this wasn't the case. Some had troubled faces, but they would not choose their class trip destination based on their crush. This just showed how important the class trip was to everyone.
The people who voted for Lubai were: Kris, Loid, Tristan, Ness, Diane, Ulmi, and Nero. Alvis looked forward to their reasoning.
"Yoo, Ness, are you stupid?! Why Lubai?"
Before they could even explain their selves, Joel started shouting. The dog beast man argued with his best friend, acting as if he had been backstabbed. However, Ness just whispered something in Joel's ear and he started smiling afterward.
"Ha, and I almost thought you forgot our most important goal. I will accept your choice."
Seeing both of them grin, a shiver ran down Alvis' spine. And he wasn't the only one. Every girl in the class just looked at them, disgusted. They knew those two hormone-driven rascals didn't bode well.
"Can I say why I chose Lubai?" Kris said, sensing the deteriorating atmosphere.
"Yes, please do."
"To be honest, it is just my personal preference. I like the hot weather and the desert. We can go to the beach and also explore the big shopping centers. Lubai has the biggest shopping center in the world. Their modern technology is on the rise and might even surpass Utopia. I think we should use this chance and go to Lubai."
Even though Alvis didn't want to go to Lubai, he had to acknowledge that Kris made some valid points. Lubai was probably the most attractive country for tourists right now. For students like them, it was a perfect opportunity to visit it.
"Yeah, Lubai is just great. Especially the beach!"
"Awaniko has a beach too," Erema said, trying to debunk Ness' argument.
"You can't compare Lubai's beach with any other beach, and you know that."
"It's rare to say that, but Tristan is right."
"Hey! What do you mean by that, Ulmi?!"
Alvis almost laughed out loud after hearing Ulmi's comment. Tristan was the same type as Dane, so him saying something that actually made sense was a rare occasion.
"Okay, we heard your points. Is there still something left you want to say to Lubai? Maybe those of you who also raised their hands but haven't said anything yet."
"Oh, hell yeah! We gonna go sandboarding till we drown in the sand. This will be epic!"
"But we would die if we did that."
"Don't care!"
Diane's usual enthusiasm triggered many sighs, the loudest among them coming from Dane. He could only shake his head. Just like him, she was half-giant, so she and Dane had a special connection. But the last thing Dane wanted was to be associated with an aggressive, air-headed girl. Alvis thought they had a lot in common, though he would never spell it out.
"Ehm… I think I got a good point too," Nero said, her voice so low most people probably didn't even hear her.
"Let's hear Nero out," Lia said, who had heard Nero's comment.
Everybody fell silent, their mouths sealed and ears wide open. It was so rare Nero chose to speak up that they just had to listen. Alvis wouldn't miss this opportunity either. Even after he had found out Nero wasn't the girl he had to save, he always sent Mr. Woltzer to the scene where she got bullied. By that, he saved her in every timeline. It wasn't much effort and Alvis believed good deeds paid off.
"You know Lubai is very hot and I personally like hot weather. But I also know a lot of people don't like it. Ehmm.. but don't you think we should go there because we don't have full vampires in our class? Classes with vampires couldn't go to a place like Lubai."
Alvis' eyes lit up as he heard Nero say something even he hadn't considered. Nero just made a really good point. However, when Alvis saw the question marks on some of his classmates' faces, he knew they didn't get it. It was because Nero's explanation wasn't the best that he knew he had to step up and elaborate. But it was Loid who did it for him.
"Vampires can't handle sunlight well. If we go to a sunny place like Lubai, they would be restricted. That is why our class, which doesn't have a full vampire, should take advantage of this."
After Loid's brief explanation, the class resounded in an enlightened ahhh~. Now that they understood Nero's point, they could appreciate it.
"Wow, Nero, this is a good point."
"Ah.. thank you."
A shy smile could be seen on her face and more than a few guys fell for her cuteness.
"Heh, I thought Lia was a vampire?"
"No need to worry. I'm only a half-vampire, so sunlight doesn't affect me," Lia said. "I think this is all there is to Lubai. Let's move on to Eisfeld. Everyone who wants to go to Eisfeld may please raise their hand."
They raised their hands, and Alvis immediately started counting. However, when he saw how his best friend Dane also raised his hand, he clicked his tongue. Eisfeld was Alvis' least favorite option. It was the neighboring city to his hometown, so he wanted to avoid it as much as possible. But seeing that seven people voted for it didn't let him ease up, because he knew even more could vote for it later on.
The seven people who raised their hands were Dane, Fiona, Lin, Wonder, Rina, Karl, and Xing.
"I will go ahead and explain why we should go to Eisfeld," Xing said. "Eisfeld is the opposite of Lubai. It is cold there and instead of sandboarding, we can go skiing. People who don't like the cold can relax in the hot springs at night. We can also do way more sightseeing. We can visit the famous ice forest and ice castle. The battleground on which the dragon folk and the angels defeated the giants is also in Eisfeld. But the most important thing is that we can see the auroras. Be honest, everybody wants to see the auroras at least once in their life."
The entire class gulped after hearing Xing's arguments. It was as if he had prepared a presentation beforehand. The way he listed all the pros of going to Eisfeld and mentioned the strongest at the end proved his eloquence. Even Alvis, who hated the idea of nearing his hometown, had to accept his opinion. It was people like Xing that proved the saying a dwarf always comes prepared wasn't just a prejudice.
"Well, I think Xing mentioned everything important. Does anyone still want to add something? If not, we can move on."
Lia looked at the others, who raised their hands. Yet none of them seemed to want to speak up, again proving how good of a job Xing did. Alvis wanted to know Dane's reason for going to Eisfeld, though he already knew it had to be snowboarding and the battleground of Eisfeld.
"Okay, then let's move on to the last city. Everyone who wants to go Awaniko may please raise their hand."
Almost half of the class, including Alvis and Lia, raised their hands. They were a class of 28 students, so it was obvious the rest were the majority. Even after hearing both Kris' and Xing's presentations, Awaniko was still number one. As expected from a place called heaven on earth.
"I will list the reasons for going to Awaniko," Lia said, taking on the initiative. "To say it bluntly, it is the most beautiful city in the world. The Mana Forest, which is right next to it, influences the city with its high mana density, making Awaniko a surreal place. I think I don't have to explain why it is called heaven on earth. I know there is no beach like the Lubai beach, yet the one in Awaniko is a close second. When it comes to sightseeing, Awaniko doesn't lose to Eisfeld. We can visit the Mana Forest and meet the elves who live there. We can also explore dungeons and see various mana beasts. The famous Arifuner temple Tekka is in Awaniko and if we are lucky, we might see some angels there. And the weather is also perfect, not too hot but not too cold either. Ah, and how could I forget the best thing? The great Riagra Falls! The greatest waterfalls in the world!"
Lia was talking like a waterfall herself, her enthusiasm totally taking over. But all one could do was listen. No, all one wanted to do was listen. Her charisma and genuineness were enough to convince everyone. Even those who didn't want to go to Awaniko now over-thought their choice. It was something Kris and Xing could never achieve. Once again, Alvis realized what kind of girl he had on his side.
The class voted which city they wanted to go to and in the end, Awaniko won.