Shang-Chi completed the absurd sorting ceremony in a daze. By the time the freshmen followed Lorna into the corridor, Riley and Squirrel Girl hurried over to catch up with him.
"Wait, you didn't all go to..."
Riley began, but Squirrel Girl shrugged. "I heard the college run by that Doctor has the loosest management. If we went to Stark's or Strange's college, we'd probably have full schedules three days a week, and skipping class would be out of the question."
"That Doctor has a good temper, so we can ask for leave. I still have public safety duties at night—I need to go out and fight crime," Riley explained.
Then both of them turned to look at Shang-Chi. Riley asked in confusion, "You gave yourself a full schedule, so why didn't you go to Stark Institute? The students there work the hardest. Of course, they have to—I heard from the others that whenever they pass the Dean's office, they can hear Stark yelling at someone."
"Wait, I still don't quite get it." Shang-Chi kept grinding his somewhat rusty brain into motion. "What's with these four colleges? This is ridiculous."
Squirrel Girl blinked. "Didn't you read the admission notice? One day, you should see a portal open above your head, and then an admission letter gets tossed down. If you're unlucky, it might land right on your head."
"Doesn't an owl deliver it?" Shang-Chi asked instinctively.
"Don't be ridiculous. Can owls even deliver mail?" Riley shook his head. "A portal isn't far more reliable than training animals?"
"Shh." Squirrel Girl made a gesture. "I heard Kamar-Taj actually did want to use owls, but the weather there was too cold and the altitude too high. The owls couldn't survive, so they considered switching to hawks."
"Both are birds of prey, but actual