It was the first day of the new school year. Months had passed since the Camera Incident (as they called it), but the impacts were long lasting. False touched her cheek and felt the scar there— she had gotten it from the fight. "Now my face's not symmetrical," she had joked. "I'm False Symmetry."

"Very funny, False," Iskall had deadpanned. Stress and Ren were laughing hysterically. False loved the duality of her friends.

Just as always, False and Ren met up at their usual spot and set off for school. Iskall, Stress, and Mumbo joined them like they always did. But today, they couldn't pretend everything was normal. In fact, they would have to get used to the new normal that they were 3-H students now.

Many of False's old friends from 2-B had stopped contacting her after the Camera Incident. Granted, she didn't have a lot of friends outside the crafters' circle, but oh well. Most of the main campus students were reluctant to even interact with the hermits in fear they would get bullied as well. As Cub had put it, it was "kill or be killed". If you were seen with a weakling, you would be deemed weak as well. And in such a highly competitive environment, being a "weakling" was totally unideal.

To be frank, False would've despised being in 3-H if it wasn't for her friends. She was a good student, never broke any school rules, and was decent at PvP. If only False was a little more sociable, a little better at fighting, she could be part of the popular kids' circle. Her only "fault" was standing up for a bullied friend. False and Iskall still thought it was unfair for Stan Twitt to punish them by sending them to 3-H, but arguing with Stan Twitt was impossible. It wasn't because they were the principal, it was because they were so ignorant and stubborn that they refused to listen to anyone who didn't share their opinions.

Scar and Cub soon joined them. Scar in particular seemed the least saddened by being in 3-H. In fact, he looked pretty excited. He explained it was because he could be closer to nature and gain more inspiration for his building designs. Considering the 3-H classroom was on top of a hill, False supposed Scar was right.

But even Scar's smile slid off when the crafters arrived at the main campus, with its imposing cobblestone towers and awful colour palettes. (Okay, maybe Scar was just horrified by how terrible their school looked, and he wasn't feeling sad about being in 3-H.) They all agreed the main campus was the ugliest thing on earth, but it was somehow a symbol of raw power and prestige. And now they would get none of that. Several main campus students were loitering at the crudely-fashioned iron gates, sneering at the crafters.

"Awww look, it's the hermits. Thank goodness we're not them!"

"Yeah, their lives must suck. Can't imagine walking up the hill just to study in some worn down hut."

"They kinda deserve it though... like dude, what do you mean they can't speed run? That's a basic ability."

Offended, Iskall looked like he was about to retaliate, but Stress placed a hand on his arm. "They're not worth it, luv. Don't waste your energy on those geezers."

"To be honest, what's speed running? I only know Naruto running. And that's because I stan Etho."

"Oh look, it's Grian!" Mumbo pointed out. They all followed his gaze to see the short blond talking with some main campus students. False was a little surprised that Grian, another hermit, was still on speaking terms with the main campus students, but she'd heard Grian was charismatic. Or maybe he just had good friends. False recognised one of Grian's friends as Pearl, whom she had never talked to but quite liked.

"Grian, ask us if you need anything, okay?"

"This 3-H thing won't change anything. We'll always have each other's backs."

"Yeah... and to be fair, we're just in 3-G. We're not that far away from being dropped down to 3-H. So, 3-GH solidarity!"

"Thanks, guys!" Grian spied Mumbo, and waved at him. "Ahh, I think I've got to go now. See you later, Jimmy, Martyn, Pearl!"

"See ya, Grian!"

False was amazed by how Grian could still maintain his ties. Then again, he was talking to 3-G students. 3-G were the second lowest in the social hierarchy, just slightly higher than 3-H. Maybe Grian's friend was right. Maybe 3-GH solidarity did exist.

From what she'd heard from Mumbo, Grian was sent to 3-H due to a combination of his below average PvP skills and being too good at designing buildings. Apparently Stan Twitt thought Grian's amazing designs (seriously, she heard he was part of a business called Wynncraft) were a threat to the popularity of the PvPers and hence threw him to 3-H. Which was possibly the smartest thing Stan Twitt had ever done. Forcing creative people to study with creative people? Man, what a way to stop Grian's ever-growing influence!

"Hey guys," Grian greeted. False wasn't close with him; she just knew him through Mumbo, nonetheless she politely smiled at him. Other than Mumbo, Grian had also grown closer to Iskall and Scar. Iskall because of Mumbo as a mutual friend, and Scar because of their love for architecture, fantasy, and cats.

They ignored the jeering from the main campus students and walked up the hill. A few of them, particularly those who weren't morning people, were pretty exhausted, so False passed out bananas for them to replenish their energy. ("False, do you just casually bring bunches of bananas to school?" "Yeah, I do. Don't ask why." "Ooooh, I can think of something for sure-" "Ren. Shut up." "Yes ma'am.")

The 3-H classroom was in a worse shape than False had thought. Half of the roof was gone, the wood was damp and rotting, not to mention there were mushrooms and mycelium growing everywhere. False wasn't even sure if the classroom had decent lighting.

"Well, this sure is a charming place," Grian said, crossing his arms.

"Absolutely," Scar chimed in. "With the second ugliest roof design I've ever seen and mycelium encroaching on the grass."

"No, Scar, I mean it when I said it was charming. Look at how cute the mushrooms are! I'm going to name this one Sally!"

Everybody stared at Grian, not sure if he was trolling or not. Grian skipped along the path, acting like he was innocently oblivious. Mumbo gave False a look that said "this is just normal Grian."

They entered to find one of False and Mumbo's old friends, Xisuma, wiping the windows. "Morning X!" False said.

"Mornin' guys."

Xisuma was the class representative during his first year. False and Mumbo, who were in the same class as Xisuma, enjoyed his leadership and his eagerness to help his peers. Xisuma was enthusiastic about animals and researched ways to create high-tech armour inspired by certain animals such as the turtle and the bee. Xisuma was also a mysterious character who seemed to have a lot of connections, both inside and outside school.

Soon, more students entered the room, including Etho, who used to be one of the school's most popular students (that was obviously before PvP started to become relevant.) A guy with a prosthetic arm walked in and Ren instantly died. "I think that's Docm77! He looks so hot, Falsie! I can't believe we're in the same class!"

It took False all of her willpower to resist rolling her eyes at Ren. He was such a huge Doc fanboy.

False scanned the classroom, and to her surprise, many of her classmates used to be popular crafters in this school. Of course there was Etho, a famous pioneer. False didn't know anyone who wasn't an Etho fanboy/girl/anything in between. But there were also Doc, Bdubs, Beef, who were members of the Mindcrack gang. Mindcrack was immensely popular in the first months of their first year, but then it sort of dissolved. They still had their loyal fans, and False had to admit she was a little starstruck.

False thought about how Grian was sent to 3-H because he was too good. Was this that the case for these influential people? Were they taking attention away from the PvPers? Was this another of Stan Twitt's devious plans?

Soon, all of the hermits had arrived. False vaguely knew them as the art and science kids. Chatter and excitement from meeting their friends died down and they stared at their desks. It was impossible to forget that everybody hated them now. Isolated from everyone else, they knew they would be seen as laughing stocks. Even the most joyous souls had a hard time remaining optimistic. Nobody knew who their homeroom was, but Xisuma told them he heard it was going to be a new teacher.

"That's... good, isn't it?" A student named Impulse had asked. "Since they won't be like, biased."

"You never know with Stan Twitt's influence," his friend Tango replied darkly.

"You know, there's a rumour that Stan Twitt invited one of their cousins to teach here this year," Cub remarked. "It's someone called Cherry Twitt, if I recall correctly."

Five minutes before the bell rang, a blond man strode into the classroom. "Good morning everyone!" He greeted the class warmly. "I'm your homeroom Scott Major, but you can just call me Scott. Nice to meet you guys!"

The hermits started to mutter among themselves. This Scott guy seemed to be too happy to be the teacher of the worst class in the school. They didn't trust him yet, but they would be polite to Scott since he was nice to them. So when Scott asked for people who wanted to be the class representatives, hands shot up practically instantly. They could've easily ignored Scott and went on with their lives (new teachers didn't have any influence at all), but Scott respected them, which was rare in their school.

"C'mon False, you should run." False spun to look at Cub. False grinned awkwardly.

"I would, but I feel like... I'm not going to be the best representative. Cause my reason for getting here is different from everyone else's." Cub nodded, understanding.

A quick vote later, which was totally not hijacked by Mumbo and Grian suggesting they build an AI to choose for them, Scar and Bdubs became the class representatives. Scar smiled nervously, pink dotting his cheeks, while Bdubs looked like he was born to do this.

"Thank you for placing your trust in me! I'll do my best for all the hermits here."

"By the way, are we really calling ourselves hermits?" Grian called out. "Socially awkward loners that everyone ignores? Sorry for interrupting, by the way."

Xisuma looked up. "The "hermit" label isn't supposed to be derogatory. You're Grian, right? The famous future architect."

"I- yeah," Grian spluttered out, a little surprised. "And you're uh, Ex-eye-zooma-void?"

Everybody chuckled, but Xisuma made no move to correct Grian. "You may call me that, Gr-ee-yan. But my focus is that Stan Twitt didn't come up with the "hermit" label. The school didn't come up with it."

"Then... why are we called the "H as in Hermit" class?" Cub asked.

"One 3-H student came up with it long ago. He wanted something to identify himself as, and he chose a hermit. The name stuck and the rest of the class adopted it too," Xisuma explained. "Hermit... it's supposed to mean that we're separated from the main campus, on both tangible and intangible levels. But a class of hermits? A class of people who are abandoned by everyone else? They stick together. They grow stronger together. 3-H isn't just hermits, it's a community of hermits. And I know this because I actually know the hermit who started all of this."

"Well... that doesn't sound that bad."

"... Maybe I'll be proud of being called a hermit."

"A community of hermits. I like that," Scott said. "I know... that this school isn't kind to you. Scratch that, the system is unfair, unjust, and punishes the so-called-weak."

The hermits gasped, surprised by how vocal Scott was.

"Just don't tell that to the main campus people," Scott added hurriedly, and flashed the hermits a sheepish smile. "I don't want to be fired, after all."

"Sure thing."

"Yeah, you're a cool teacher."

Scar stroked his chin and he looked like he was in deep thought. "So, guys, I'm thinking... we're hermits here, but not exactly by choice. But there is one thing I think we all have in common, and it's something we all choose to do."

"We create," somebody called from the back.

"Exactly! Thank you." Scar stood up. His green eyes scanned the room and he made eye contact with each student. "We're hermits. But we're also crafters. Whether it's architecture, or machines, or paintings, or music, we craft. We're... Hermitcrafters."

"Hermitcrafters!" Bdubs exclaimed. "I like that! Hermits for short. Do we all agree?"

They all nodded. "So we're taking this label that has been imposed on us, which was originally started by a 3-H student, and making it our own? Sign me the heck up!" Ren cheered. Several other hermits also whooped and clapped. Their morale was definitely boosted compared to when class hadn't started yet.

"We're Hermitcrafters," Scar declared. "H as in Hermit? Nah, we're H as in Hermitcraft now. By the way, Mr. Major," Scar spun to their teacher, "may I bring my pet cat Jellie to school? She's... very important to me. She helped me through the hardest time of my life, and she's a great source of comfort—"

Scott laughed. "Sure, Scar! I'll love to meet Jellie."

"Thank you! You're the best teacher ever!"

"Come on Scar, you don't need to talk about your whole life story just to ask if you can bring your cat to class!" Iskall burst out, chuckling.

"H-hey!" Scar was blushing again. "I thought maybe an explanation was needed—"

False watched as her friends bantered like they always did. Despite being in 3-H (the H stood for Hermitcraft, by the way), they were all oddly enough, having a good time. Their teacher Scott appeared to be friendly enough. And none of her peers seemed to be as egotistic and as violent as the PvPers she knew from the main campus. False had a feeling they would all be happy here, despite how the rest of the world treated them.