#Chapter 4: First Class
The next morning, when the first rays of sunlight shone through the window—or at least, that's what Lam Tuc thought—he slowly sat up. Seeing Minh Triet still asleep beside him, occasionally mumbling in his dreams, with the computer nearby still running, he chuckled to himself before getting up to make breakfast. Minh Triet, still groggy, suddenly sat bolt upright.
“Bro Tuc, are you making noodles? Save me some, will you?”
“Relax. I made a portion for you too.”
After eating, the two of them cleaned up a little and got ready to head to class. Today was their first class, when everyone would get to know one another. But for Lam Tuc, the most important thing today was choosing a seat. Choosing a seat wasn't just about picking the one where he felt most comfortable—it was also a silent division into factions. If he chose the wrong seat, he could very well get caught up in all kinds of trouble in the future.
When they arrived in class, Lam Tuc was glad there still weren't many people there. He chose a seat near the back, one desk ahead of the last row, because the corners of the classroom were usually where the main characters sat. He also avoided the middle, where all the class's central figures would be, and ruled out the front row because he didn't want to get called on too often.
He sat down and began studying his new phone, since this was the first time in his life he'd ever had one of his own. Suddenly, a soft cough broke his concentration.
“Hello, everyone. I'm Dr. Trinh Chi Vien, but you can call me Professor Vien. I'm currently a lecturer in linear algebra, calculus, and probability and statistics. For the next five years, I'll be serving as the academic advisor for your administrative D class—Information Technology. That's all for my introduction. If you have any questions, save them for the end of class. Now it's your turn. Let's start with the student in the front row right in front of me.”
Lam Tuc was a little surprised. He hadn't expected one lecturer to handle all three advanced math subjects. Minh Triet leaned over and whispered:
“Bro Tuc, this professor is hardcore. He teaches all three subjects?”
“This is Astral.”
With that, Lam Tuc turned back around and began listening to the other students' introductions.
“Everyone's introductions seem pretty halfhearted, huh, Minh...”
Suddenly, a girl he'd seen before stood up to introduce herself.
“Hi, everyone. I'm Nhu Yen. I usually think I'm pretty cute, but after meeting the girls in our class, I realized you guys are even prettier. I hope we can all become friends. If anyone's planning to go out, don't forget to invite me, okay? And if any of the guys are still single, feel free to call me. I'll... introduce you to some of my friends.”
Lam Tuc was a little surprised. He didn't understand why the top student in the social sciences track had chosen this major. He was about to turn and ask Minh Triet when the latter suddenly grabbed his shoulder and shook him hard.
“Hey, Bro Tuc, did you see her? Nhu Yen is incredible! She's beautiful, has long legs, a perfect figure, and she's so lively and easy to talk to. Her chest is a little flat, but honestly, that's a huge plus to me.”
Lam Tuc sighed helplessly. He pretended to take another look so he could seem interested like everyone else, then started thinking about how to introduce himself as normally as possible. A few more students went by, and then it was his turn. He could only hope the people before him would give the most normal introductions possible.
Everything continued peacefully until the student sitting in front of him began speaking.
“Hi, everyone. I'm Moc Duong. I have a hobby of ranking the girls in class. I'll give this girl a B because she looks kind of fierce, and that girl a C because she looks a little childish. And Nhu Yen gets an A because she's practically perfect, except for one area that's a little underdeveloped.”
The girls' foreheads twitched as they began cursing Moc Duong, saying things like, “Who do you think you are, judging us?” and so on.
As for Lam Tuc, he just wanted to rush up and cover the guy's mouth, because he was up next. Lam Tuc had only wanted to give a normal introduction, but this guy was practically a flashing beacon, drawing everyone's attention straight toward him.
Lam Tuc stood up and gave a brief introduction.
“Hi, everyone. I'm Lam Tuc. I don't have any particularly special talents, and my entrance score wasn't very high either. On the bright side, I think I pick things up pretty quickly. I hope everyone will help me out from now on. Thank you.”
Everyone applauded. Lam Tuc secretly celebrated; his introduction had gone better than he'd expected. He immediately turned to Minh Triet and reminded him:
“It's your turn, Minh Triet.”
“H—hello, everyone. M—my name is Minh Triet. I like watching anime and reading manga, and I—I'm pretty good at school too. If anyone needs help with the natural sciences subjects, you can ask me.”
Minh Triet sat down, looking like he was about to faint. Judging by the way the other students were looking at him, though, his reaction wasn't entirely unreasonable. Several girls and a few boys were staring at him as if he were some strange creature.
After the students at the back finished introducing themselves, the morning class was over. Lam Tuc decided to invite Minh Triet to lunch.