novelraw Chapter 1009: After the Blur
Chapter 1009: After the Blur
The entire Closing Banquet could be labeled as a blur, with some even going as far as to call it a construct of their own minds.
After all, how else could one explain the sheer density of events that unfolded in a single night?
From the moment the guests arrived, to the auction that escalated into madness, to the first dances that sent waves across the Empire, to the sudden match that no one had been prepared for, to its utterly incomprehensible outcome, and finally to the announcements that followed—it was all too much.
Too overwhelming and utterly unbelievable.
So much so that it took nearly half a day before people finally began discussing DG’s announcements with any semblance of coherence.
Yes, because the citizens had been too distracted trying to process everything—from the smallest details of their outfits all the way to the staggering number of clips that were saved in just one night.
But when they finally got to it...
The forums exploded.
[Thread Title: DID ANYONE ELSE NOT SLEEP???]
[OP, I walked out of my room with eyebags so dark my mother asked if I joined the underground mining guild. I didn’t sleep. I physically could not sleep. Who allowed that banquet to happen???]
[Same. I told myself I’d just watch one clip. One. But now, it’s been seven hours.]
[You think that’s bad? I replayed the match twelve times just to confirm it wasn’t edited.]
[And yet, even now, it still looks fake.]
[Wait. Wait. Where did you get your profile picture???]
[Timestamp 02:14:33. When Young Lord Luca smiled after (while) "examining" that guy’s leg.]
[...That’s a smile???]
[Excuse you. But that’s THE smile.]
[+1]
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[I want to glow like that. I really want to glow like that. Unfortunately, I already live in a different reality.]
[???]
[Please know that I tried to slap myself three times already, but unfortunately, the same thing still remained true. Out of five people in my friend group, two of them actually won in the raffle draw.]
[Two.]
[Explain that to me.]
[...Rest in pieces, dear sister.]
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[That’s not a friend group anymore. That’s a betrayal circle.]
[Have you tried rubbing up against them? Clearly they’re on to something.]
[I already did.]
[But just this morning I slipped on my own laces.]
[...]
[...]
[Please consider exorcism.]
The thread had been rather somber but united in their distress when a rather unique message popped up.
[Big brothers and sisters... what did I miss?]
[I had to sleep early because I had an exam today, but what is this thing about a raffle draw?]
[Little sister, it’s good that you were responsible.]
[Maybe you should ask after your exam so you can concentrate in the meantime.]
[Ah! Thank you for worrying about me! My exam just finished, and we’re already on lunch break!]
[Please tell me! I kept wanting to watch the VOD of the stream, but it’s blocked at school, and we can only check forums like this until we get home!]
[...Very well.]
[Please ensure you are sitting down for your own safety.]
[Eh?]
[DG’s Annual Expo booth—yes, the one that should’ve won every award in existence—will remain operational even after the Expo, in partnership with the Imperial Family.]
[WHAAAAT?! ISN’T THAT GOOD NEWS?!]
[Of course it is, little sister.]
[Especially if you managed to secure a slot in last night’s raffle.]
[WAIT WHAT?!]
[Because aside from the slots raffled away, only those who won DG’s competitions or those who managed to obtain dwarf mango trees will be allowed to go at their own convenience.]
[As per last night’s announcement, priority access will be given to educational and charitable institutions.]
If the words hadn’t been typed and practically pinned for triple re-reads, the shocked student would have asked someone to repeat all that again.
But this time, ultra, ultra slowly.
[For qualifying institutions, students will be subsidized by the Imperial Family.]
[But for everyone else, available slots will likely open after at least three months.]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[Despair.]
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The thread quickly filled with lamentations, cries of injustice, and dramatic declarations of life having lost all meaning.
Some swore to devote themselves to studying.
Others swore to infiltrate schools.
A few began to question why they had not chosen to postpone graduation so they could have done so way later.
But just as the chaos reached its peak, someone quietly added a small footnote.
It almost went unnoticed.
Almost.
[Little sister, if you are still there, you might want to encourage your classmates to study harder.]
[Qualification, as well as booking order, will depend on the collection of student merit or the rate of student improvement.]
[So for a harmonious school year... please continue to work hard.]
"...?"
"..."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—"
Sure enough, that simple note didn’t just send one or three students into a frenzy.
All over the Empire, children and young adults alike were suddenly screaming at each other in different languages, all with the same desperate goal in mind.
"Study!"
"Work harder!"
"Don’t drag me down with you!"
It was chaos.
Pure, academic chaos.
Institutions everywhere would later remember the following months as some of the most competitive and unhinged periods in recent history, where friendships were tested, alliances were formed and broken, and entire classrooms turned into battlegrounds fueled by sleepless nights and expectations.
Yes, they were aware that they’d all be able to go eventually, but how could they pass up the chance to go as soon as possible?
Then again, the sudden surge of interest in the semi-permanent facility had been a great thing for a particular group of people who could only hope that no one would be that interested in their supposedly localized scandals.
At the very least, it would give the people something else to focus on.
Because just as there was so much talk about the Empire wiping the floor with the Federation, and the other delegations suddenly extending their goodwill without negotiations, there existed a small and unfortunate (not) corner of reality where a very different kind of crisis was unfolding.
And in that corner, one normally composed adjutant was rubbing his temples.
Kyle Nox exhaled slowly, his eyes closing for a brief moment as if trying to will the situation away.
It didn’t work.
If anything, it only made the headache worse.
He had hoped that no one would really pick up how he’d hauled one excitable mop from the Imperial Palace while muttering how he’d expedite their firstborn if one Mylor refused to keep his hands to himself.
However, just like everyone else with their unattainable fantasies, Kyle proved to be no different in that regard, as his newest one quickly shattered the moment he looked at the very telling photo of that exact scene.
And it surely didn’t help that he was viewing it right next to puffed-up cheeks and swollen lips that said, "Kyle... my back!"
Said man named Kyle definitely couldn’t close his eyes again after seeing the face in front of him and instead reached for something he hoped would improve his mood.
A kiss from his trouble-making shooting star.
Yeah, no.
Maybe at least ten more would do.
"Hey! That tickles—!"
"Well, maybe you should’ve thought about that last night, no?"