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Back in my dorm room, I spent some time figuring out how to sync my personal device with the desktop terminal. In the end, all I had to do was place the black rectangular panel on the desk and scan my biometrics. Easy enough.

I then spent the entire afternoon filling out forms, answering all sorts of questions ranging from "Any potential unregistered allergies or medical conditions?" to "Have you ever entered 'Tel'aran'rhiod'?" They were... pretty thorough.

Only one section remained: "With your psychic abilities, what goals do you hope to achieve?" I tapped my fingernail lightly on the screen.

“Why are they asking about gender, sexual orientation, and preferences? Isn’t that a bit intrusive?” Tadao complained behind me.

“I guess...,” I thought, my ears feeling a bit warm, “Maybe for matchmaking events or something?” I couldn’t quite picture it. “But it’s not mandatory, so I don’t really mind.”

“What’s... ‘demisexual’?” Tadao hesitated over the pronunciation of the unfamiliar term.

“It’s a gray area orientation—someone who only feels sexual attraction towards people they’ve established a significant emotional bond with.” I wasn’t completely sure, so I opened the browser to double-check. Sometimes I get mixed up between gender identity and sexual orientation myself.

“But isn’t that... normal?” Tadao sounded confused. “Who would feel attraction without an emotional connection?”

“Oh, I think you’re mixing up ‘sexual attraction’ with ‘romantic orientation.’” I sent him a link to the definitions. “I don’t fully get it either, but I think that’s how it works.” Scratching my ear, I realized that if I wanted to ask someone more about this, I wouldn’t even know who to turn to. Master Faurik, maybe? That would be weird.

I shrugged, relieved this wasn’t something I needed to worry about.

“I was going to pick ‘heterosexual,’ but...,” I glanced back at Tadao, who was scrolling through the terms and reading other related links. “This is so... complicated. Now I’m not sure.”

Wait, is this something that actually happens to people?

“Um... I think there’s an ‘Undecided’ option?” I remembered my earlier conversation with Qana, wondering why I couldn’t talk about these things as casually as he could.

“Sounds good,” I heard the sound of him tapping the screen. “What about you?”

What? Wasn’t he just complaining about intrusive?

“Gay.” I wasn’t sure how to respond without sounding awkward, but this was the best I could manage.

“Oh.” Tadao responded simply. If he was trying to act unbothered, he was doing a much better job than I was. “Does it... feel any different?”

“Hmm...” I didn’t bother correcting the slight inaccuracy in his question; I could guess what he meant. “I’d like to say ‘no,’ but my case is a little... special. I’m not sure how the different factors correlate or what’s causation.”

I didn’t need to open my senses to feel Tadao’s confused gaze on my back.

“For most of my life, the last decade or so at least, I haven’t really had any normal conversations or interactions with other gray wolves my age.” I continued tapping the screen with my nail, still unsure what to write. “So I can’t say for sure if my feelings and my situation are due to social isolation or some other psychological or biological factors.”

“Oh... sorry. That sounds... rough.” He sounded awkward. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“Not really. I was always an unwelcome presence in the Senate. And loneliness is just a state, nothing more. I’ve grown used to it,” I said quietly, absentmindedly scrolling through the document.

“But I think...,” after a brief silence, Tadao spoke again, “In a new environment, maybe you’ll find some answers?”

“I think so, too,” I felt a smile forming at the corner of my mouth. “This is a fresh start.”

After that, we both focused on our own tasks, not saying much. I returned to answering the question, What goals do you hope to achieve?, writing down my most honest thoughts.

Later, I spent some time printing my everyday items. There’s something strangely fascinating about watching the nano-nozzle layer molecules according to the blueprint, eventually forming a real object. It felt almost magical.

I admit it was a bit silly, but I went with the Senate’s style of clothing. Fashion was never my strong suit, and I didn’t care much about it anyway, so practicality and habit were more important.

When dinner came around, Tadao went off with Hanpu senpai for some “talk,” leaving me and Altai Wapiti alone in the dining hall.

“Sorry, the Academy replied that they can’t make an exception for you, but they will forward your situation to Qana,” Kotetsu senpai said as soon as he sat down, probably noticing my anxiousness.

I was still a bit disappointed, but I knew this wasn’t something he could control, so I simply thanked him and quietly hoped Qana would explain my situation to Aether.

“Only four? That’s fewer than I expected.” Kotetsu senpai glanced over the invitations I’d received before handing my terminal back to me.

Receiving letters from Masters Sunflare and Takahashi left me both confused and surprised, though part of me had anticipated it. The other two were signed by Dawn and Field.

“Those two are... rather mysterious figures,” Kotetsu senpai rubbed his temples. “Master Dawn, as you might know, is a gray wolf from the Gray faction, specializing in medicine. It’s such a niche field that no one’s really sure what her expertise is.” He scrolled to Master Field’s letter. “Master Field, a dragon. Among active psychics, his power is second only to Master Sunflare. But ‘active’ might not be the best word for him.” I could see Kotetsu senpai’s slight frustration. “He’s temperamental and irritable, and he’s never accepted a single apprentice’s application. So no one knows what he’s up to.”

“Hmm...” I tucked the terminal back into its armband. “Still, that’s really helpful. Thanks so much!”

“No need to thank me. These rumors won’t be of much help,” he said, waving dismissively and sounding a bit exasperated. “So, what’s your plan for replying to them?”

“I think I’ll go meet all of them,” I replied, making him raise an eyebrow. “I mean, the Masters included their schedules, and not going, even for just an initial meeting, would be rude, right?” It seemed they had coordinated in advance since all the times they offered were staggered. I’d already confirmed my attendance.

“Hmm... well, alright,” he said, returning to his meal. “Just a chat shouldn’t hurt, but sometimes, even the decision to attend certain events can provoke some factions.”

I folded my right ear, tilting my head in curiosity, hoping for further explanation.

“Sorry, conflict of interest,” Kotetsu senpai said with a small shake of his head. “You’ll have to figure it out on your own.”

I nodded in understanding and focused back on my meal. I tried to pull the spine out of the fish in one go—and failed.

I noticed Kotetsu senpai stifling a smile, and with mild embarrassment, I scratched my ear and resigned myself to using the knife and fork.

There’s always tomorrow.