System glitch
1424 Words
The administration building was louder than the hostel.
Akira noticed that immediately.
The moment they stepped inside, it felt like entering controlled chaos.
Students stood in uneven lines stretching across the room. Parents carried folders and demanded explanations. Staff moved quickly between desks, answering questions before disappearing into offices.
Someone complained about a missing student card.
Someone else was asking for timetable changes.
A group near the entrance argued about residence payments.
Phones rang.
Printers worked nonstop.
Nobody looked relaxed.
Akira stopped near the doorway.
Morgan stood beside her holding his allocation slip.
For a moment neither of them moved.
Then Morgan looked over.
“…This many people?”
Akira nodded once.
“Looks like everyone has problems.”
Morgan looked around.
“Great.”
She glanced at him.
“You don’t sound stressed.”
He smiled faintly.
“What’s the point? Either they fix it or they don’t.”
She stared at him.
That was surprisingly calm.
If she got assigned the wrong room and ended up in a boys’ hostel by mistake—
actually…
she would probably react exactly the same.
Morgan looked toward the reception desk.
“Should we ask there?”
Akira nodded.
They joined the line.
Ten minutes passed.
Then twenty.
The line barely moved.
People kept walking in.
Every time they got closer to the desk, another staff member redirected someone and delayed everything again.
Morgan leaned slightly against the wall.
Akira stood with both hands in her hoodie pocket.
Eventually—
he looked over.
“…So.”
She looked at him.
“…So?”
His mouth twitched.
“You really thought I was a girl?”
Akira looked away.
“…Your name is neutral.”
Morgan stared.
“That’s your defense?”
She shrugged.
He laughed.
“That’s incredible.”
She frowned.
“What?”
He looked amused.
“You looked at me and decided the system must be correct.”
She answered immediately.
“I thought something felt wrong.”
He smiled.
“So you did notice.”
She stayed quiet.
Morgan looked forward again.
After a few seconds—
“…For the record.”
She looked at him.
He smiled.
“I don’t get offended.”
She frowned.
“I didn’t say you were.”
He nodded.
“Okay.”
Silence.
Then—
“…But thank you for not making it weird.”
Akira looked at him.
She wasn’t sure what to say to that.
So she looked away.
The line moved.
Eventually they reached the front.
The receptionist barely looked up.
“Next.”
Morgan stepped forward politely.
“Hi. We think there’s been a mistake with our room allocation.”
The woman continued typing.
“Student numbers.”
Morgan gave his.
Akira gave hers.
Typing.
Clicking.
Pause.
More typing.
The woman frowned.
Then clicked again.
She finally looked up.
“Room 4B?”
Morgan nodded.
She looked back at her screen.
Everything happened very quickly after that.
Click.
Pause.
Click.
Another pause.
Then—
“Allocation confirmed.”
Morgan blinked.
“…Confirmed?”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
Akira spoke.
“That can’t be right.”
The woman looked at her.
Akira continued.
“I’m assigned to Girls Block C.”
She pointed beside her.
“He’s assigned to the same room.”
The woman looked at Morgan.
Her expression changed briefly.
Then she looked back at the screen.
More typing.
She frowned.
Then sighed.
And for the first time—
looked tired.
She removed her glasses.
“Go to Desk Three.”
That was all.
Morgan blinked.
“…That’s it?”
She pointed.
“Next.”
They got moved aside.
Desk Three had another line.
Morgan looked at Akira.
She looked back.
Neither spoke.
They joined again.
Another twenty-five minutes.
At this point Morgan bought water from a nearby machine.
He held one out.
Akira looked at it.
“…For me?”
He nodded.
“You’ve been standing like you’re preparing for battle.”
She stared.
Then took it.
“…Thanks.”
He smiled.
“No problem.”
A minute later—
she quietly said—
“…Thanks.”
Morgan looked surprised.
Then smiled again.
That was probably the first voluntary thing she’d said to him.
Eventually—
Desk Three.
A staff member looked exhausted.
Middle-aged.
Two phones.
Three stacks of papers.
One cold cup of coffee.
He gestured.
“Yes?”
Morgan explained.
Short version.
Wrong allocation.
Mixed room.
Need room reassignment.
The man typed.
Checked.
Typed again.
Then leaned back.
“…Hm.”
Morgan waited.
Akira waited.
The man looked at them.
Then asked—
“You moved in already?”
Morgan blinked.
“…Kind of?”
The man nodded slowly.
Then looked back at his screen.
Another pause.
Then—
“Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do.”
Silence.
Morgan smiled politely.
“…Sorry?”
The man repeated.
“There’s nothing we can do.”
Akira frowned.
“What do you mean?”
The man pointed at the screen.
“Residence policy.”
He turned the monitor slightly.
Akira and Morgan both looked.
A page of rules.
Paragraphs.
Housing allocation.
Transfers.
Adjustments.
Then—
No room changes permitted after confirmation except under approved emergency conditions.
Morgan stared.
“…This qualifies.”
The man shook his head.
“No.”
Akira looked at him.
“He’s in the girls’ hostel.”
The man nodded.
“Yes.”
Morgan blinked.
“…That sounds serious.”
The man sighed.
Then rubbed his forehead.
“We’ve had over three thousand student placements this week.”
He clicked again.
“This isn’t the first system issue.”
Morgan blinked.
System issue.
So it really was a mistake.
The man continued.
“Residence is full.”
Click.
“No available beds.”
Click.
“No transfer approval.”
Click.
“No emergency classification.”
He looked at them.
“You stay where allocated.”
Silence.
Morgan stared.
Akira stared.
Morgan spoke first.
“…Wait.”
The man looked tired already.
Morgan continued.
“So your solution is…”
The man nodded.
“Keep your room.”
Morgan stared.
Akira stared.
The man looked between them.
Then shrugged.
“You’re adults.”
Nobody spoke.
Then Morgan laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Mostly disbelief.
Akira asked—
“For how long?”
The man looked back at the screen.
“Until next allocation period.”
Morgan blinked.
“…Which is?”
“Next academic year.”
Silence.
Morgan turned slowly.
Akira looked equally frozen.
Next year?
The man continued.
“You can submit appeal forms.”
Morgan immediately said—
“Yes.”
The man handed over papers.
Morgan took them.
The man added—
“Processing time approximately four to six months.”
Silence.
Morgan looked at the form.
Then back up.
“…Four months?”
The man nodded.
“Current estimate.”
Morgan looked at Akira.
She looked back.
The office noise suddenly felt very far away.
The man already pointed.
“Next.”
Morgan blinked.
“…That’s all?”
The man nodded.
“Next.”
They moved aside.
Neither spoke for a while.
People walked around them.
Someone laughed nearby.
A printer started again.
Morgan looked down at the appeal form.
Then folded it.
Akira looked at him.
“…You okay?”
He looked surprised.
Then smiled.
“…I think?”
She frowned.
He looked at her.
“I don’t actually know.”
She nodded.
Fair.
After a moment—
he laughed.
“You know what’s funny?”
She looked at him.
“I spent years wanting people to stop deciding things for me.”
He held up the paper.
“And apparently university said no.”
She looked at him.
Then unexpectedly—
she said—
“…You can have my room.”
He blinked.
“What?”
She looked away.
“I can find somewhere else.”
Morgan stared.
Then smiled.
“No.”
She looked confused.
He shook his head.
“You were here first.”
She frowned.
“That’s not—”
He interrupted.
“We’ll figure it out.”
She looked at him.
He smiled.
Easy.
Calm.
Like he actually meant it.
Then he started walking.
She blinked.
“…Where are you going?”
He looked back.
“To our room.”
Akira froze.
Our room.
He realized.
Paused.
Then awkwardly corrected—
“…Temporary room.”
She stared for a second.
Then walked after him.
Neither said anything.
But somehow—
the walk back felt less awkward than the walk there.
And neither of them realized—
they had just lost the chance to stay strangers.
- Writer
