*Beep! Beep! Beep!

  Rondo's eyes shot open. He bolted upright, his eyes bulging in panic.

  "Crap! I'm late again?!"

  He scrambled out of bed, folded his blanket, and sprinted to the bathroom to splash water on his face. For a few minutes, he just stood there, staring at his own reflection in the mirror. Then, without overthinking it, he grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste, scrubbing his teeth with intense. Mid-brush, he booted up his Orla. A holographic UI flared to life, displaying the time in crisp digital numbers.

  "Dang it, it's only 4 AM?" Rondo rolled his eyes and went back to vigorously brushing his teeth.

  A few minutes later, he stepped out of the bathroom, gathering up his smelly school uniform. He opened his Orla again and tapped the 'maps' button. Swiping through the school's layout, he spotted a laundromat just a short distance from his house.

  [Waypoint set! Walk 700 meters to reach the laundry.]

  Rondo stepped out of his house, pulling the door shut until it closed with a firm click. He carried the bundled-up uniform in his right hand while his left held his unwavering focus on the Orla's UI. Halfway down the street...

  "Ouch!"

  Rondo's attention snapped up. A girl had fallen onto the ground, her books scattered all over the dirt.

  "Sorry, are you okay?" Rondo quickly knelt down to help her gather the fallen books. Once they were stacked, he offered a hand to help her up.

  "I'm fine. Thank you," the girl muttered, adjusting her thin glasses. She immediately turned her back to him, clutching her books tightly as she tried to hurry away.

  "Wait, you're Tira's friend, right?" Rondo's question made her freeze in her tracks.

  "Y-yes..." She still didn't turn around to face him.

  "What's your name?"

  The girl's shoulders trembled slightly. She hesitated, barely opening her mouth.

  "Sora..."

  "Alright, nice to me-" Before he could finish, Sora was already speed-walking away from him.

  Rondo let out a brief sigh, a faint smile touching his lips. He resumed his walk.

  A short walk later, Rondo arrived at the laundromat. Several students were gathered around, their eyes glued to the spinning washing machines. Many were chatting with each other to pass the time while waiting for their clothes to finish.

  Rondo looked around, studying how the laundry machines operated. In the far corner, two small robots were busy ironing clothes for a few students.

  Someone patted Rondo's shoulder. "Hey bro, you waiting for something, huh?"

  Rondo quickly turned toward the voice, raising an eyebrow. "Theo? You're here too?"

  Theo was casually chewing on a handful of small nuts from a snack bag. He swallowed slowly before looking at Rondo. "Need a little help?"

  Rondo gave a firm nod. Theo tossed the last nut into his mouth and threw the empty wrapper into a nearby trash can.

  "Alright, follow me." Theo walked over to an empty washing machine not too far from where they stood. He popped the door open, and Rondo quickly shoved his uniform inside. Theo pushed the door shut.

  "Pay close attention, I'm not going to repeat this," Theo said, waving his hand dismissively.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Okay."

  "First, you have to set the spin speed. The faster the spin, the more aggressive this machine gets. Be careful if your clothes aren't thick or durable. For this uniform of yours, I'd recommend setting it to 4. But hey, it's your call. You should try turning the dial yourself."

  Rondo stepped closer to the machine. He placed his index finger on a flat button and traced the dial all the way up to 8.

  "Whoa, whoa, hey, take it easy, bro. That button is sensitive." Theo quickly dialed it back down to 4.

  "Phew, I didn't expect it to be that touchy."

  "Relax bro, it's not a ballistic missile launch code."

  Theo pointed to the 'mode' button. "There are 3 modes here. You can just wash, just dry, or do both. The drying mode only costs 35 GP compared to the combo mode which eats up 75 GP."

  Then, Theo slid his finger over to the 'output method' option. "Here, you can choose how fast and detailed you want the machine to be. If you're in a rush, pick the fastest mode, though the fee is quite a bit higher than eco or regular. You can stick to eco or regular if you've got time to kill."

  Rondo frowned. "How much of a time difference is there between the three?"

  "Beats me. The difference is only like 5 to 7 minutes."

  "Huh? The difference is that small?!"

  "Hahaha, I thought the same thing at first. But time is money, bro."

  Theo pressed the 'start washing' button. The machine immediately hummed to life, spinning and vibrating.

  Theo then brought his Orla close to Rondo's for a brief moment. Rondo quickly opened his UI and checked the 'friends' tab. A new contact name popped up: Theodoric Leister. He smiled.

  "I'm from Class C, nice to meet you. And oh, over there," Theo pointed toward the two small robots ironing clothes, "you can hire them to iron your clothes after they're dried."

  Rondo nodded. "Aigh. Got it. Thanks for the help. What time do your classes start today?"

  "I go in at 1 PM later."

  *Ding!

  Theo glanced over at Rondo's washing machine. "Hey, looks like yours is done. I'm gonna go grab a snack first. If you're still confused, just chat me. And hey, don't forget to use deodorant and cologne. See ya." Theo patted Rondo's shoulder and walked out the door.

  Rondo sniffed his armpit. "Still smells, huh?"

  He pulled his uniform out of the washing machine and gave it a sniff.

  "Crazy, it smells amazing and it's pretty dry." He glanced over at the line for the ironing robots. Folding his uniform, he joined the queue. There was only one person ahead of him.

  Rondo looked out the window, watching delivery drones fly by carrying medium-sized bags.

  "Next," the robot at the counter said in a stiff, mechanical voice, looking right at him. Rondo stepped forward.

  "Your name?" the robot asked.

  "Rondo Ernias."

  "Do you want fast, regular, or perfectly neat results?"

  Rondo scratched his chin. "Uh... just make it fast."

  "Would you like it delivered to your home or will you wait?"

  "Eh, you can deliver it to my house?"

  The robot nodded. "Yes, we can."

  "Alright then, just deliver it."

  A small holographic square materialized on the edge of the table, right next to Rondo's hand. He pressed his thumb against it.

  [Payment confirmed!]

  "Thank you, we will deliver it to your home shortly," the robot stated.

  Rondo stepped out of the line and left the laundromat. "Dang, it's really that simple? That's so convenient."

  He checked his Orla. It was 6:31 AM. "Still got an hour before class. Should I grab some food or take a walk?"

  Suddenly, his stomach let out a loud rumble.

  "Guess someone is complaining."

  Rondo made his way to the food court. Once there, he bought a wrapped pack of wheat and milk cereal. Carrying his breakfast, he took in the atmosphere of Nexhile School with a wide smile, occasionally taking deep breaths of the fresh air blowing past him.

  Lost in his pleasant walk, Rondo soon found himself back at his house. Just as he was about to open the front door, a low mechanical hiss caught his ear, slowly growing louder.

  He turned around to see a drone descending, carrying a medium-sized bag. It lowered itself until it was hovering right at his chest level. Rondo unhooked the bag from beneath the drone, and it immediately zoomed off into the sky.

  Rondo went inside, carrying the bag. He eagerly opened it and reached inside. The moment he pulled his uniform out, the fresh, fragrant scent hit him. The clothes were folded perfectly. He stared in awe; his uniform was clean, sweet-smelling, and looked brand new.

  Energized, he grabbed a hanger, hung the uniform up, and hopped into the shower to rinse off.

  A few minutes later, Rondo dried off with a towel, slipped into his freshly washed uniform, and checked himself in the mirror.

  "Heh, I look pretty handsome today," he muttered with a confident smirk.

  He grabbed a bowl and a spoon from the kitchen, setting them on a small table. He poured the wheat and milk cereal into the bowl and dug in hungrily.

  "So good!"

  Once he finished eating, Rondo dropped the bowl in the sink. He slung his school bag over his shoulder and stepped out of the house. He made his way toward class, taking in the sights of Nexhile School. Students were everywhere playing around, walking, or taking selfies with their friends.

  Theo patted Rondo's shoulder. "Oi, Rondo. Heading to class?"

  Rondo glanced over. "Oh, it's you. Yeah, I'm going to class now."

  "I see. I thought you were in the afternoon cl-"

  Suddenly, a chorus of girls screaming erupted behind Rondo. Both he and Theo whipped their heads around. They saw a male student walking by, completely swarmed by a crowd of female students.

  "Wait, isn't he the guy who was with that girl?" Rondo muttered.

  Theo looked at Rondo. "You know him too?"

  Rondo shook his head. "No, I don't really know him. But I've run into him before."

  The guy offered a faint smile to the girls crowding him. From a distance, his eyes locked onto Rondo. But just as quickly, he flashed a wide, charming smile back at the girls and kept walking casually.

  "Are you seriously telling me you don't know who he is?"

  Rondo gave him a deadpan look. "I just told you, I don't know who he is..."

  "He's famous, bruh. His name is Chris. And he... is from Class A."

  Rondo stared in sheer disbelief.

  "F-from Class A?!"