WITH APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES until the opening bell, Emi surveyed the area and noticed a massive crowd had formed around the canopy. The students whispered among themselves, watching in awe as an extraordinary scene unfolded before them. It was hard to blame them—it was definitely something one had to see to believe. Yuki Kageryuu, a sophomore at Phoenix Academy, stood in the shadow of the sapphire-haired boy, tugging at his ear with the exasperation of a parent disciplining their child. It was a spectacle bound to capture the attention of everyone around.
“You don’t see something like this every day,” Emi remarked, turning to glance at the canine girl beside her. “Isn’t that right, Ca…dy?”
Emi's voice trailed off when she realized Cady was in a daze, her tail wagging excitedly as the only indication of her awareness.
I guess that confirms it.
“Now why would my sweet little Sacchan want to hide from me, I wonder?” The raven-haired girl mused, tilting her head as if genuinely contemplating her own question. She lightly touched a fingertip to her chin and even produced an audible “hmm” for good measure. Then, she pulled out her mana crystal-powered (MCP) smartphone and held it in Gayle’s face.
“Could this be the reason?”
“Grr, damn that old Cuthbert,” Gayle growled. “Whether it’s primary or secondary, once a snitch, always a snitch…”
Yuki put away her phone and swiftly thwacked the boy on the back of his head.
“Oww!!”
“Is that any way to speak about an instructor?” She sighed and pinched the brim of her nose. “Gayle…it's the first day of school, classes haven't even started yet, and you're already pulling stunts like this? Vandalizing school property? What are you, twelve?!”
Ah, so that’s what he did. Emi thought. As foolish as that was, she was under the impression he had done something much worse. At that moment, her previous altercation with the boy replayed in her mind as well as the baseless accusation she’d made. A strange feeling washed over her.
“Relax, I didn't use the permanent spray paint so it'll wash off, no problem!”
“That isn't the point!” Her expression turned deadly serious. “Do you have any idea who you’ve just crossed?! Not only the Harvesters, but Radical Red as well! Once they find you, there’ll be…” She stopped and heaved another sigh. “You know what? We'll talk about this later. As for right now…”
Yuki then turned to the girls and smiled warmly. “Ladies, I would like to apologize on my friend's behalf. As his elder and senpai, I have taught him that he should always think before acting. As you can see, it hasn't quite sunk in yet. If he has offended you in any way, I humbly ask for your forgiveness. He will face appropriate consequences.”
Yuki bowed deeply. Emi raised her hand to protest, but then she saw the raven-haired girl give Gayle’s ear another forceful tug, instructing him to bow before them. He obediently lowered his head, face reddened with embarrassment and shame.
“I-I’m really sorry…”
Emi had to fight back a smirk. Not too long ago, the boy had some kind of tough-guy routine going only to find himself being humbled in front of strangers by an upperclassman just moments later.
This is just too good.
“Now, I do believe you all were in the middle of introductions?” As the others nodded, the girl gave the boy’s ear another tug.
“Ow… I’m positive you two already know my name at this point,” he grumbled, “but whatever, common courtesy and whatnot...“
Emi rolled her eyes. You’re one to talk about common courtesy…
The raven-haired girl tugged his ear yet again.
“Ow!! Okay, okay… Ahem. Anyways, I’m Gayle T. Mazin, the only son of beast hunter Rufino Mazin. After my pops died, things got.... messy regarding House Mazin’s line of succession, so my mother and I have been living in Little Hōjo ever since.” He pointed one thumb in Kat’s direction, the other in Yuki's. “S’where I met these two.”
As he finished, Emi brought a finger to her chin. “Hmm, I knew I recognized that lightning bolt strand from somewhere…” After mulling it over some more, her eyes widened. “Wait a minute...”
She and Cady looked at each other, and their gazes then drifted from the boy to his two friends. The contrast between the trio was much too remarkable for one to simply ignore. Their eyes finally settled on Gayle, both sporting quizzical looks.
““You're a noble??””
“Why the hell is that so surprising?!” Gayle hissed, clearly annoyed with their reaction.
The raven-haired girl then locked eyes with Emi, giving her a quick once-over before she continued. “I guess I’ll join in. My name is Kageryuu Yuki or ‘Yuki Kageryuu’ by Taqoran standards. Sophomore. Surviving daughter of the noble Clan Kageryuu of Little Hōjo. My ultimate goal is to rebuild my fallen clan from the ground up!”
So much charisma…
Yuki Kageryuu… The girl was a celebrity of sorts, especially considering the tragedy that wiped out her family just four years prior. The incident came to be known as the Kageryuu Massacre. With the death of her father and older brother, Yuki became the youngest head of a noble household in all of Taqora. Emi knew that Yuki attended Phoenix Academy, but never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d get to see her in the flesh so soon. And on the very first day of school no less.
“O-Oh, um… A-A pleasure to meet you, Lady Kageryuu,” Emi responded nervously with a reverent bow. Her heart was racing out of control. “My name is Emi Suzuki. Freshman. I’m a technomancer aiming for the Support Program.”
“Hm? Oh!” Cady eyed her new friend with curiosity before quickly mirroring her posture. “The name’s Arcadia Reynoso, but just call me ‘Cady’! I’m a freshman Investigator, hopin’ to become a patrol officer someday!”
Yuki chuckled at the sight. “Oh my. At ease, girls. That isn’t necessary here, we’re schoolmates after all. With that said, just ‘Yuki’ will suffice.”
Cady perked up. “Ooh, ooh, can I call ya, ‘Yu-yu’??"
Yuki giggled, using her free hand to cover her mouth as she did so. “Yes, you may.”
“Woo-hoo!!” Cady’s arms shot up into the air in celebration. Emi glanced over at her and furrowed her brow.
“Are you on some sort of school-wide nicknaming conquest?”
“Mmmmaybe...” She said with a sheepish grin, playfully shuffling her feet. “Although, I still haven’t thought of one for you quite yet.”
“Do I really need one, though?”
“Of course! Every friend I make at this school is getting one!!”
Emi winced. “Gods, help us all.”
“Suzuki…” As the girls ceased their prattling, Yuki appeared to be in deep thought, a finger on her chin, eyes downcast. When a thought finally dawned on her, she brought her gaze over to Emi.
“Say, Emi, you wouldn’t by any chance happen to be…?”
DING!
DONG!
DONG!
DING!
The opening bell sounded off and the crowd of students quickly dispersed. Students had approximately five minutes to report to their assigned classrooms. Yuki straightened up and shook her head.
“Hm. Another time, perhaps.” She gave Emi a small nod before she flicked her gaze over to Kat. “I was wondering where you’d run off to, Kabō.” She gestured to the canopy behind her. “Seems you’ve found the ideal napping spot.”
“Indeed.” The blonde-haired boy smiled, his blonde locks gleamed as the sunlight shone on the back of his head. He almost looked like an angel. “Sorry for not telling you where I was, Yucchan.”
Yuki gave a comforting smile. “Think nothing of it. I’m just glad to see that you’re relaxed.”
“What?!” Gayle looked appalled. “How come he gets off scot-free??”
“Because Kabō hasn’t damaged school property, unlike a certain someone I know.”
“Erk…!”
Gayle clutched his chest, his friend’s words seemed to have cut deep. He opened his mouth to say something else, but an umpteenth tug at the ear made sure to cease any further attempts to speak.
“Now, If you three will excuse us, I’ve got to go make sure this one here cleans the blackboards he ruined until they’re spotless.” Yuki bowed slightly before turning an eye down to the slouching boy. Gayle’s eyes grew wide with horror.
“Come now, Sacchan. Off to Class 3-A, we go!”
“Wha… ?? Aww, dammit!!”
“It was a pleasure to meet you both, Emi and Cady! Let’s meet up again during lunch hour!” Yuki waved before she and Gayle descended into the shadow under their feet. Gayle screamed and flailed about, but they continued sinking deeper until they were gone completely.
What the…?
“Um… Did that just happen?” Emi asked incredulously.
Katsumi simply nodded. “Mm. It is Yucchan’s preferred method of transportation. It may take some getting used to.”
“I…see…” She still needed to process what she’d just seen.
Kat gave a small chuckle and turned his eye to the girls. “Well, then. Shall we head to class?”
“Uh, sure! I guess…”
“Lead the way, Mister Kitty!!”
Without another word, the blonde-haired boy and the girls strolled down the south promenade and into the schoolyard.
◆◇◆
“Mm. A cat girl with bandages, you say?” As the three of them walked, Katsumi pondered this, his lone eye wandered over to the open fields, where the sparring students were now scrambling for their belongings running across the neatly trimmed grass towards the academy’s main building. “Ah! That would have to be Ms. Freya Ginóbili from Clan Nishikawa!”
“Clan Nishikawa?” Emi repeated. That would explain the cat girl’s Hōjinese etiquette earlier.
“Mm. For generations, the Nishikawas, much like my family, have served as vassals of Clan Kageryuu,” he said proudly. He removed his shinai bag from his shoulder, admiring the Clan Kusanagi insignia stitched along the flap. A split second later, something changed in his lone green eye as he traced his finger along the insignia.
““......””
“Following the massacre…many of the major clans fell to that demon…Countless loved ones were lost…” His words gave off an air of both melancholy and tranquil fury. Emi felt her heart sink. It was well known that Yuki wasn’t the only one grieving from such a heavy loss.
“Huh?! Oh! M-My apologies…” The blonde-haired youngster broke from his momentary trance and exhaled. With a smile back on his face, he continued. “However, the few surviving clans remain loyal to the black dragon and, by extension, to Yucchan...or perhaps 'Lady Yuki’ would be more appropriate.” He gave a light chuckle. “Among those clans are the Nishikawas, who helped the rest of us a great deal during the aftermath.”
Emi nodded. “I see.” Learning more about the Nishikawas only sparked more questions about Freya. “How’d she end up with them? And do you know why she’s all bandaged up?”
Katsumi shook his head, putting his shinai bag over his shoulder again. “Alas, I know not the details of her injuries,” he replied, “but I hear she was held captive by sapiencentric terrorists. It's not a stretch to assume they're connected to her time with them.”
“What? That’s horrible!”
“......”
Emi exclaimed, but Cady remained silent. Her gaze met Katsumi's, quietly asking him to continue. Upon seeing this, he nodded.
“During the Battle of Cambridge, Nishikawa-tono, the family head, came across Ms. Freya. Nishikawa-tono, according to my father, kept silent on the specifics of her ailment, saying only that she was 'constantly in pain' and that he was 'working on a solution'.”
“Hmm, a ‘solution’, eh...” Cady took a sip of her expresso. “Makes me wonder what exactly this ‘ailment’ is…”
Emi turned to face her. “You sound like you might have an idea.”
The dog girl shook her head. “Nah. Not at the moment. I’d need to see this catgirl myself before I could even begin to hazard a guess.”
“Makes sense.”
Cady's tone had changed after hearing about the mistreatment of another beastkin, but perhaps she was choosing to tackle this with a cool head rather than allowing any emotions she was experiencing to run wild. A stark contrast to the cheerful young pup she'd met earlier that morning.
“Mm. At any rate,” Kat continued, “I can assure you that Gayle is innocent. Yes, his behavior may give off…a less-than-favorable impression. You’ve witnessed it first-hand.” He smiled as he said this, but then his face became solemn, and Emi felt her chest constrict. “However, looking down on others for being different isn't something Gayle would do.”
Upon hearing all this, an intense feeling of guilt and shame washed over Emi. It was unbecoming of her to jump to conclusions like that in the absence of solid evidence. She would have realized it sooner if she had properly regulated her emotions. She felt like a fool.
I’ll have to apologize the next time I see him...
“Hmm.” Cady twirled her espresso can thoughtfully. “Then, if Sapphie didn’t bully that cat girl, then who did?”
Emi furrowed her brow. “‘Sapphie’?”
“My new nickname for the Mazin boy!”
“Gotcha.”
“Well, in a place like Phoenix Academy with countless students from many diverse backgrounds, you’re bound to find a few who truly believe other races to be inferior to themselves...” Kat said, shaking his head. Despite his matter-of-fact tone, his body language betrayed his true thoughts on the subject. “Even demi-humans do it amongst each other. What they hope to accomplish in doing so remains a mystery to me.”
The girls nodded. It had barely been a century since the enslavement of beastkin was abolished during the middle of the Industrial Age, however, enmity remained between the beastkin and the numerous noble households who previously owned their kind.
“I don’t want to hurt you…or anyone… So I beg of you… Stay. Away.”
Freya’s words echoed in Emi’s head. She tensed up, wondering where the cat girl had gone and if she was okay. Cady turned to Emi. Noticing her inner turmoil, she gave her a consoling pat on the shoulder.
The three of them had stepped through the entrance to the main building and into a massive crowd of students. Judging by their neckties, the majority of them were freshmen. The first-floor classrooms were where they would be spending the remainder of their academic year. The first period would serve as their homeroom. They would then switch to another classroom come the next passing period.
As for Emi, Cady, and Kat, their destination was Class 1-A.
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