The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Academy Life Begins

The next morning.

Aisha woke to the chime of a clock, her body adjusting to a bed too soft and clean. It was too unlike the concrete floors and cardboard boxes she once called a bed.

For a moment, she simply lay there, staring at the ceiling where holographic vines swayed lazily.

She sat up eventually.

Daisy arrived shortly after, bringing along a crisp uniform ironed and pressed to perfection.

It was a simple, high-collared white blazer trimmed with pale gold thread, paired with a short pleated skirt and knee-high boots. A small emblem of a star cradled inside a ring, the crest of the Imperial Star Academy, was stitched over the breast pocket.

"Here’s your uniform, Miss," Daisy laid the dress on the bed, smoothing the wrinkles with careful hands. "I made sure to have it altered before you arrived since I noticed you’ve gotten a bit thinner than usual."

Aisha nodded, touching the fabric. It was soft, and the fabric felt weightless in her hand. She dressed quickly, letting Daisy help her with the collar and the ribbon at her neck.

Then she looked in the mirror.

A girl stared back at her, looking every part of a pale, elegant, and untouched by hardship young lady.

It was almost funny, she thought, how she would have never imagined she’d get to wear this kind of clothing. Not even in her dreams.

***

Breakfast was held at the dining hall on the first floor. The table was long enough for twenty people to sit. But today, only four people were present.

Aisha’s father, Dominic Novalis, was already engrossed in reading something off a floating screen, barely sparing her a glance when she arrived.

It didn’t surprise her. Dominic has never shown any sign that he liked her in her memories. Besides, he had never been present in most of his children’s lives, more concerned with expanding his merchant fleet than paying attention to family matters.

"Good morning, sister!"

Irene’s voice cheerfully greeted her as Aisha slid into her chair, a wide smile stretched across her lips.

Aisha glanced at her, only offering a small nod in return before turning her attention to the ’food’ in front of her.

She did not expect it after yesterday. But this was... simply torture.

In front of her was a bowl of pale broth. It was some kind of milky soup that looked more like spilled milk. Some kind of protein cube. And a side of nutrient paste shaped to resemble fruit.

"..."

Now staring at her plate, the appetite she struggled to revive was extinguished.

Even in her original world, expired canned food looked more appetizing than what they served her.

Reluctantly, she picked up her spoon anyway and brought a mouthful to her lips. It tasted exactly like it looked—bland, artificial, and missing whatever it was that made food taste like food.

A servant poured a drink into her cup. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Aisha quickly recognized it as the same one as the tea she drank at the hospital. After talking with Daisy last night, even though plants and crops are almost extinct in this world, it didn’t mean they were completely out of things of the relic.

For example, a planet called Yato was able to capture a creature that attacks with a strange power. It produced a powder that tasted bitter but refreshing.

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