Boy 2: Yea we can see what all the fuss is about with how the girls go there everyday! 

 

Boy 3 (blushing slightly as he looks at Boy 2): I don't know, it seems pretty neat to hang out there

 

Boy 2: (lifting up an arm to flex his muscles while grinning) Yea, but what they should really be doing, is working out! No pain no gain!

 

Girl 1: Shut up you guys! We all know you like to workout out nearly everyday ---- ! But yea Ranmaru-kun, it should be fun!

 

Ranmaru: Uh, sounds awesome. I will have to catch up with you guys later though, hanging out with Ashuri and Yowami after school.

 

Panel: Ranmaru scratches the back of his head with a nervous smile.

 

Girl 2: Oh come on Ranmaru-kun! You always hang out with Yūsha and Yowami! Even at the old school!

 

Flashback Panels: The number friends in a game of Death Dodgeball, Ranmaru, Ashuri and Kuroki in the next room over playing exploding jacks with a group of giggling worm children.

 

Ramaru: I wouldn't call the old school the best place to be… (nervous smiling)

 

Boy 3: Chill guys, if he is busy we can catch him later, let’s go to class already, don't want to be late for Hexes and Curses 101, bye Ranmaru-kun.

 

Ranmaru: (Curious) Hexes and Curses 101?

 

Boy 4: Yea! It's a class you'll take in your third year.

 

Ranmaru: Why do you guys…oh yea you told me what happened..

 

Boy 4: You started two weeks too late to remember what happened Ranmaru, why we have to repeat lower Year classes..

 

Flashback panels: Several nervous sets of hands, bodies wearing school uniforms, toss a glowing skull patterned box between them.

 

Ranmaru: You guys should never have brought that thing on campus…

 

Girl 1: It's fine really! We're doing what we can to make up for it!

 

Girl 2: Yea Ranmaru-kun, it's not like anyone important died.

 

Ranmaru: (shocked) The school newspaper from that day says you killed like, twenty people on that field trip!

 

Panels: Girl 2 shrugged, Girl 1 looked nervous, boy 2 sighed, Boy 3 frowned and Boy 4 shook his head.

 

Girl 2: Yea, like I said, no one important. (She scoffs)

 

Girl 1: Um… (frowns)

 

Boy 4: The magical network likes to overplay details. 

 

Girl 2: Yea the explosion wasn't THAT big, and the Hell Beasts that ran rampant at the amusement park didn't mean to kill anybody (she taps her own chin) I think.

 

Panels: Ranmaru sighed as he slides a hand down his own face. 

 

Ranmaru: Then why did the news article say you guys were acting nervous when the God Priests and the police showed up?

 

Panels: Girl 2 shoots Girl 1 a look. Girl 1 gives a forced smile and waves, starting to walk away

 

Girl 1: Look at the time! The Bell will Toll for next class soon! Bye Ran Ran! 

 

Boy 3: Bye Ranmaru-kun 

 

Boy 4 (frowning): Yea. Bye Ranmaru-kun!

 

Boy 2: See ya buddy

 

Panel: Boy 2 ruffles Ranmaru’s hair much to his embarrassment.

 

Girl 1: See you later Ranmaru-kun

 

Girl 2: See ya!

 

Ranmaru: Ok, bye guys!

 

Panel: He waves at them as they wave back and walk away, adjusting his school bag at his side. He looks rather shaken but curious about their conversation.

 

Ranmaru's thoughts: They sure were acting suspicious. ..

 

Panel: He walks to class with Ruriko, sighing as they go along.

 

.Caption: They're 4th years my oldest brother used to take me to hang out with. We all went to the same school.

 

 

Flashback panels: Ranmaru standing next to his taller, shadowy faced black haired brother. They were holding hands, the number friends gathered to meet them at a large door.

 

Flashback Panels: Tamaki waving at Ranmaru and his brother.

 

Caption: Except Tamaki, he's a sixth year, he and my sister both have always attended Grimdark.

 

Caption: Lots of things happened at our old school…

 

Flashback panels: Ranmaru and a few other students running down the hall of a more modern looking school. They are running away from a group of mini chainsaw wielding marionette dolls in tutus.

 

 

Panels: Ranmaru shakes his head free of his past thoughts. He then thinks about the different grade years.

 

Caption: So, yea. My brother's friends transferred here way before I got here.

 

Panels: The number friends in a collage of different random scenes leading to Ranmaru in the center.

 

Caption: At 16 I'm a bit late to the party transferring to Grimdark. But our parents wanted me to go to the same school as my sister.

 

Panels: Ranmaru and Ruriko upper bodies superimposed over Grimdark High School. 

 

Caption: She's a third year, even though she's 19.

 

Panels: various students walk past, talking, laughing. 

 

Caption: Grade years go from 12 to 16 year old first years to 28 to 30 year old ninth years.

 

Panels: Several shadowy students with different House logos on their clothing of various ages sitting in the bleachers of the gym.

Caption: Grimdark is split into wings for every age group in every year.

 

Caption: Like how magic academies operate to keep older students separated from younger ones.

 

Panels: Grimdark is shown, top down view to be mansion like with different wings of the building pointed out in small text with arrows (first years, second years, etc)

 

Caption: But, because we are a public school…

 

Panels: Ranmaru waves at several students who walk past, including Boy 4, Galdoune, Ashuri's older brother A Chainsaw, Aneko, Cello, and those same hooded cloak wearing students.

 

Caption: …We don't have a boarding system like my uncle's academy sadly.

 

Flashback panels: Ranmaru sitting on an upturned bucket in the gym surrounded by the whole school with Jinzo in his wizard form standing behind him.

 

Caption: But we do have a housing system. 

 

 

Flashback Panels: An old dirty baseball cap is placed on Ranmaru's head and it grows a face and starts to cough.

 

Sorting Cap: Hmmm…16? You'll be taking the T.R.I.A.L.S sooner boy, let's hope your Home Magi training was enough! Bunny House!

 

Flashback panels: Ranmaru looking around nervously as the students watched in boredom. Jinzo removed the cap and Ranmaru ran over to sit with Ashuri and Kuroki.

 

Caption: Bunny House, Wolf House and Lion House.

 

Panels behind him as he walks, the Bunny House logo, the Lion House logo and the Wolf House logo are super imposed behind him.

 

Caption: I don't know much except the information given during the Entrance Ceremony, but I'll figure them all out. 

 

Panels: He looks at the other students around them as they walk.

 

Caption: I do know however…

Panels: He walked down the sidewalk, reaching to tug at his left ear with a sigh as he stared at the gathering students around them nervously, the students had various house logos from the three houses on the backs of their uniforms and on the front chest parts of their uniforms as well.

 

Caption: New students and those held back can't start classes outside homeroom study until two weeks after the year starts.

 

Caption: As for my sister…

 

Panels: Focus on Ruriko as she walks, smiling 

 

Caption: She failed too many times and Grimdark won’t let her graduate to the next grade year.

 

Panels: Cut to Ranmaru as he stares at his sister with an unreadable expression.

 

Panels: The school is shown, and it appears to have a shadowy face made of its different design elements. 

 

Caption: The school itself literally won't let her graduate. Most Myr buildings are actually architecture Gallas, like this school. 

 

Caption: They live and breathe and decide with their summoners who worked hard enough within them to get that promotion…

 

Panels: An office building that appears to have a face smiles at a sharply dressed businessman who pets the front door that reaches out to touch his hand.

 

Panels: Another businessman gets spit out of the office building window and lands in a pile of garbage.

 

Captions: Or not. It all depends on a person's work ethic in these times. My sister on the other hand, just, exists.

 

Caption: She can't graduate until she passes a special test called The W.I.T.C.H. T.R.I.A.L.S.

 

Ruriko: Isn’t this great otoutou-chan? We get to go to school together!

Ranmaru: I guess so

 

Caption: The W.I.T.C.H. T.R.I.A.L.S. take an extreme amount of effort to pass, I've seen students either go insane or die from the strain.

 

Panel: Ranmaru is still visibly shaken by his sister’s mood swings. Behind him, scenes of random wizard level Myr students freaking out or going on rampages, or just outright dying with frothing mouths.

 

Caption: Even if you study everyday though, you're still not guaranteed to pass. But my sister just floats through life at this point.

 

Panels: Students walking past talking to each other, Ruriko waves at them with a smile, her features visible when looking at them but when she turns back to look at Ranmaru she is once again a black featureless shadow person.

 

Caption: Ruriko wears a mask the public can't see. Her smiling face is nothing but a lie.

 

Flashback Panel: one scene of Ruriko smiling and holding Ranmaru’s hand as their father looks at them gushing about if they want pancakes from the tv screen his face is projected on and the other scene of Ruriko strangling Ranmaru while they are alone at home is super imposed over Ranmaru as he thinks about it.

 

Caption: She’s always acting sweet to me near our parents.

 

Flaahback Panels: Ruriko smiling at Ranmaru as the number friends gather to play Magicraft with them in the living room of Diavolo's manor.

 

 

Caption: But it's just another balanced falsehood. 

 

Flashback panels: switch between Ruriko slamming Ranmaru's head into a kitchen cabinet with an empty bread bag on the floor, to Ruriko holding Ranmaru's hand as they stand in front of their smiling parents.

 

Caption: Funny, right? To her, my life is a joke with no punchline.

 

 

Panel: Ruriko drags him into their home room class and he sits down next to her, noticing Narayana in his human form. Ranmaru sighs again as he watches Ruriko talk animatedly at Narayana about something. Narayana glares at Ranmaru viciously and Ranmaru looks away.

 

Caption: I have to put up with it though, afterall, she’s still my sister.

Grimoire 1 OWARI