I woke up late again.
The room was quiet. Too quiet.
Julian's bed was empty. Simon's too.
I sat up and looked around once more, just to be sure. Both bags were gone.
"They're gone," I said.
Francis was already awake, sitting on the edge of his bed with his tablet in hand.
"They probably left early."
"Yeah," I muttered. "Figures."
I rolled out of bed and grabbed my own tablet. The campus system loaded fast this time. My schedule popped up almost immediately.
I frowned.
"Hey," I said. "What classes did you get?"
Francis turned his screen slightly toward me.
They were the same.
Same lectures. Same times. Same breaks.
I blinked. "You copy me or something?"
He shook his head. "I made mine randomly."
"Same."
We stared at the screens for a second longer.
"That's annoying," I said.
"İt's efficient," Francis replied.
Classes passed without much happening. Big rooms. Clean halls. Professors who spoke like they were explaining rules instead of teaching.
People watched each other more than they watched the board.
By the time the last class ended, my brain felt full but unsatisfied, like I'd eaten something that looked good but tasted like nothing.
We walked out together.
The sun was already lowering, casting long shadows across the paths. Students were moving in clusters now, talking more quietly than before.
"Second day," I said. "And it already feels like everyone's settling in."
Francis nodded. "Patterns form fast in places like this."
We walked for a bit in silence.
Then I stopped.
"Oh shit."
Francis looked at me. "What?"
"The casino," I said. "The bonus."
He paused. "Five hundred points."
"Yeah," I said. "We could just collect it and leave."
Francis considered it for about half a second.
"Yeah," he said. "Let's do it."
The casino was already active when we arrived. Not crowded, but alive. Chips moving. Wheels spinning. Everything running too smoothly for something that had supposedly opened yesterday.
"A casino opening on day two is insane," I said quietly.
"It's intentional," Francis replied. "They want behavior early."
"That's worse."
We exchanged the bonus. Five hundred points dropped into my balance like it was nothing.
"While we're here," I said, "might as well play a bit."
I sat at roulette.
Nothing crazy. Small bets. Spread out. I won some. Lost some. Won again. The wheel felt fair enough that I didn't question it.
After a while, I checked my balance.
Slightly up.
"I'm gonna head out," I said, standing. "You coming?"
Francis shook his head. "I'll play a little more."
I stayed nearby instead.
He kept betting. Not recklessly. Precisely.
Win.
Again.
And again.
I frowned. "You're on a streak."
Francis Looked happy. "I know."
He placed another bet.
Win.
That's when someone spoke behind us.
"Hey."
We both turned.
The guy didn't look like a dealer. His uniform was too clean, too sharp, like he outranked the floor staff.
Up close, something felt off.
He was young.
Not much older than us, maybe the same age. Calm eyes. No hesitation. Like he knew exactly where he stood.
A student.
"Can we talk?" he said.
Francis calmly gathered his chips.
As we stepped away from the table, I glanced back at the roulette wheel.
It kept spinning.
Smooth.
Almost too smooth.