Lu Mingfei stood amid the bustling crowds, clutching a thin train ticket as he looked up at the church-like dome of Chicago's train station. Sunlight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting mottled shadows across his face.
A gifted prodigy, a fresh overseas student, Kassel's hope—Mr. Ricardo M. Lu had brought along all his worldly possessions and crossed the ocean to a foreign land.
He dragged a huge suitcase in each hand and carried a bulging backpack on his back. Beside him stood a young man dressed entirely in black, about the same height as him but looking far colder and more mature.
"Senior Brother, once we board the CC1000 Express, we'll get straight to the college, right?" Lu Mingfei turned to ask the person beside him.
The young man he called Senior Brother was flipping through a booklet with the words "Kassel College Entrance Idiot's Guide" printed on its cover.
Hearing Lu Mingfei's question, he looked up and smiled. "I suppose so. That's what the guide says... It's my first time going to Kassel College too."
"What?" Lu Mingfei's eyes widened. "Senior Brother, you've never been to the college either?"
Amon blinked and asked in confusion, "I only enrolled this year. Didn't I tell you that?"
"Huh? So you're a freshman too? And here I was calling you Senior Brother for so long. We're actually in the same class!"
Amon closed the guide and shook his head. "It's true that I'm a freshman, but it's also right for you to call me Senior Brother... Unlike you, I'll only study at Kassel for one year before joining the Executive Department, so I'll graduate before you.
"I'm receiving accelerated training. If we were to compare it, you're attending a proper university, while I'm doing an adult undergraduate program.
"My courses are much