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Title: Night Angel of Tsukiyoru Gakuen
Genre: Shoujo Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Drama, Humor, and some Action
Rated: T (For Language, Concepts, and Future Violence)
Summary: Takizawa Airi is as normal as a “User” can be. She’s a Year Two student at Tsukiyoru Gakuen in the Normal Class. She has a silly roommate who is her best friend and another friend that is incredibly cool and popular. She has a crush on likely the most popular boy in school, someone she’s admired for years; of course, another boy shows up that just seems to enjoy embarrassing her and won’t leave her alone!
But after a chest is delivered to her dorm, strange events start to unfold around her, changing her life forever. An important friend is lost and her school seems to be in danger from every side. What’s worse is that she’s the only one who knows that is able and willing to protect it. She’s allowed to spend the days with her crush and forced to spend nights with a boy she hates. All because the legend of a thief from ninety years ago has been resurrected and this time Airi is caught in the story.
Enemies that appear as friends and friends who may appear as enemies. A blurring between historical fact and legends of the past. And a strange dream somehow connected to a lullaby left by her mother. What awaits Airi at the end of the maze?
-
Chapter One
The Day the Angel Was Found
Airi Takizawa is eternally lost in the maze of Classes of Tsukiyoru Gakuen…
But what fate awaits her when she reaches the end?
Tsukiyoru Gakuen, an academy for those who are born with a gift. The ability to perform spells heard of only in fantasy stories. The academy was named for an event that happened ninety years ago. Five short years after the Academy was established. Even among those who do not know of its true purpose, educating those with powers, the Academy has a reputation for educating the gifted.
Large buildings were everywhere, all made out of stone and built in a European style rarely seen in Japan. All across the grounds, students roamed wearing similar, but different colored uniforms. The large stone buildings were all enclosed by a tall stone wall with a large iron-wrought gate at the entrance. It had all the makings of a school, but granted, it was a very large one.
A girl in her early teens with straight light-brown hair that fell just past her shoulders stepped out from the building among many girls wearing a rather plain uniform (a white short-sleeved blouse with a school crest stitched into pocket and a black pleated skirt). Her height was slightly below average, her form petite; she was often mistaken for being younger than she actually was. She looked around, gently moving her slightly-long bangs from her wide brown eyes so that she could properly observe the grounds.
She adjusted the black backpack hung loosely over her shoulder and began to join the rows of students heading to one class or another. She stopped part way and looked at a tree on the small green hill nearby. She left the pathway to stand beneath the tree. When she looked up, she reached higher to touch its leaves.
My name is Takizawa Airi and I attend this school as a Normal Class, Year Two student. I’m still fourteen, but most of the students in Year Two are fifteen. I’ve always been the youngest in class.
The years in this school are a little different from most. As long as we are thirteen before January first, we are allowed to attend school starting that year. The school year begins on January fourth and ends on December twentieth, giving us a little bit of a break in between so we have resting time after finals.
But if you asked me December twenty-first two years ago, the day before my thirteenth birthday, where I would be today, I would have said, “Right here, in this small town where I always am.” Even the day after my birthday, after I found everything out, I probably would have answered the same.
But…
She smiled and let out a small giggle as she took her hand away from the tree, turning around to follow another group of black-and-white clad students.
Things happen that just change your mind. Today, if someone gave me all the money in the world I wouldn’t leave. I love this school.
Airi stopped in the middle of the path when she saw a familiar head of bright red hair bouncing up and down as its owner ran towards her. “Airi-chaaan! Wait uuup! You left the dorm without meee!
“I got it, I got it,” Airi replied as her friend came closer, finally stopping just before running into her. She fell to the ground trying to catch her breath as Airi continued, “Quit stretching out all your words. You’ll be called annoying again.”
“Ah no!” the girl replied in shock as she looked up at her friend, blue-green eyes, brimming with tears, “Please don’t call me annoying! If Airi-chan hates me I don’t know what I’ll do!” She wrapped her arms around her friend and clung to her with a grip of steel.
Slowly, the brunette’s face grew redder and redder until she threw her arms around the other girl’s. “Kyaaa! Hina-chan!” she shouted, hugging her tightly, “I’d never hate you! You’re so cute!”
“Heh, heh, Airi-chan is stretching her words out too!” Hina replied with a small grin, her tears from before completely gone.
“Nyahaha…I couldn’t help it...” Airi replied, putting her hands on her face as her blush deepened.
Hina immediately increased her grip around her friend, “Ah! Airi-chan’s laugh is so silly and cute! I love you!”
“Kya! I love you too, Hina-chan!” the brunette shouted as she resumed her own grip around her friend.
Around them, their classmates walked by casually, obviously used to the morning ritual between the two girls. Eventually, they let go of each other, picked up their things, and continued walking along with everyone else to their next class, as if nothing had ever happened.
Hina-chan has been my best friend since I first arrived at Tsukiyoru Gakuen. We’ve shared a room since my first day of my first year. She has her birthday over the summer break (July and August), so she’s fifteen. I just saw her for the first time since the summer break yesterday, so I really, really missed her. I really cherish and love Hina-chan, though only as a friend of course. My romantic interests lie elsewhere!
“Ne! Ne! Airi-chan! Listen! Listen!”
“Yes?” Airi questioned patiently as Hina bounced up and down beside her, “What is it?”
“Well, over the summer it seems that Ayaka-san from our class showed some powers in water. She’s been switched to the Aqua Class!”
“What?” Airi asked, stopping in her tracks. She had been expecting Hina to go on about something she had bought or done over the summer. News like this wasn’t what she expected. “We’re all tested in our first year. Once Year Two comes, no one ever switches!”
“I know! But Meiko-chan said so and she’s Ayaka-san’s roommate. She was there when the Aqua Class Head came to tell her the news! Ayaka-san is really, really in the Aqua Class!” Hina continued, looking both excited and shocked at her own news, “And listen to this too! There’s rumors…just rumors remember, but—”
Before Hina could finish the warning bell rang and the all the students began running to their classes.
At Tsukiyoru Gakuen, normal students aren’t accepted. I’m in the “Normal” Class, but that’s only normal for these people. Like I said before, everyone has a gift. Everyone here is a User, or rather a future User. Users are people who are adept in handling and using an element or power, our “gifts.” But the gifts are different and those people with different gifts are separated into smaller groups. Those groups become their “Classes.”
The different Classes wear slightly different uniforms so you can tell the difference between them. There are seven Classes: Normal, Aqua, Ignis, Folium, Humus, Ventus, and Mentis.
Normal Class can only use sheer force in attacks and the same “Unclassified” spells as everyone else, but among the Normal Class there are many specialties. In this class we wear a really plain uniform that’s just black and white.
The five Element Classes handle the five elements along with the powers that the Normal Class has. Aqua has water, Ignis has fire, Folium has plants, Humus has earth, and Ventus has wind. The Element Classes also have a uniform that has a different design from the Normal Class’s. Among themselves they also have different colors; blue for Aqua, red for Iginis, green for Folium, brown for Humus, and yellow for Ventus.
Then the seventh class is the Mentis Class. They have the Normal Class powers like everyone else, but they also have strange powers that have to do with the mind, both human and animal. Their uniform is design is basically the same as the Element Classes, but it’s purple.
There are two more special Classes as well: the Elite Class and theRoyal Class
But aside from the Royal and Elite Classes, the “Classes” are usually treated like normal school classes, except in cases where there more than twenty or thirty students in a class. Then they become homeroom classes A, B, C, and so on.
Normal Class is obviously the most common. In each year we have almost one hundred students. The other classes all have around twenty or so (sometimes there’s a rare spike), Elite Class has only around ten students each year (if that). The Royal Class is even smaller.
So Hina and I are in Normal Class – B, Year Two. There are twenty-two students in our homeroom class.
“Made it!” Airi and Hina said in unison as they passed through the doorway to the classroom just before the bell rang. They both walked over to their desks near the front, Hina’s right behind Airi’s.
After setting her bag down, Airi sat down with a small sigh. The teacher wasn’t there yet, but he would be soon. She began taking her things out. Their first class was with their homeroom teacher. It was an ordinary class she would take in a regular school: History. Everyone had at least one class like that everyday, usually two in the Normal Class’s case.
She stopped as she began hearing some whispers around the class, after two months away from school, there were a lot of rumors, especially about Ayaka.
“Ayaka-chan isn’t here?”
“Didn’t you hear? She’s in the Aqua Class now!”
“What? She was tested just like the rest of us!”
“But this year’s Normal Class is excessive, we have over one hundred and twenty, so I guess it’s not much of a surprise that Ayaka-chan is really an Aqua Class member.”
“Yeah, they might have missed more than just Ayaka!”
The reason why everyone is so shocked that Ayaka-san switched is because in our first year, we are all tested for extra powers.
When we first arrive at the academy, we’re all Normal Class students. Then, slowly, as everyone’s powers are discovered and then confirmed, they are put into different classes. They’re given the new uniform, but everyone is still officially in Normal Class, Year One and still attends the same classes and lives in the same dorm. The school crest isn’t on any of our uniforms until the end of Year One after one final test to confirm everyone’s powers. Then as a “graduation” from first year, the crest is stitched on our uniforms, though most of us just end up with new uniforms anyways.
When Airi felt her hair being tugged, she sat up and turned around to look back at Hina. “What?”
“I guess everyone knows, huh? News travels fast…” Hina whispered, sighing slightly.
“Half of them probably heard it from you. You practically shouted it at me with most of them around to hear you,” Airi replied smirking slightly, “What? Did you want to tell everyone personally? Meiko-chan might be the better person.”
“That’s right, blabbing all my secrets, eh Hina?” A voice spoke from behind them.
“I am not!” Hina shouted angrily looking behind her.
Airi tilted her head up slightly to see Meiko standing behind her best friend. As usual upon seeing the taller girl, she sighed with envy. Meiko had wavy brown hair that was just a shade darker than Airi’s, and fell just below her waist, farther when straightened. She had brown eyes that when you looked just closely enough, seemed to have some glimmers of red that made them bright and beautiful. Her figure had developed faster than Airi’s and Hina’s, but Airi often reminded herself that Meiko was almost an entire year older than her. It wasn’t much of a comfort when Meiko was obviously the attention of boys and Airi barely existed.
Meiko-chan is fifteen, with her birthday is in January. I think she looks at least sixteen though. She is one of only five people in the Normal Class to have developed a specialty. Her specialty is sewing spells, so she has special sewing classes in the afternoon. She’s a little blunt and can come off as rude, but Meiko-chan’s a really amazing person and another friend of mine…though I never knew her roommate, Ayaka-san well.
“So it’s true?” Airi asked, “Hina-chan didn’t make it up?”
“Airi-chan! You know I wouldn’t make it up!” Hina turned around to protest her innocence to Airi, though she ignored her.
“Yes, Hina is telling the truth. Ayaka is now officially an Aqua student. She was told after arriving from break yesterday and they delivered her uniform to the dorm last night. She’s in their classes right now and will be in their dorms tomorrow night once they find room for her,” Meiko stated calmly, walking past the ranting Hina to stand beside Airi, “I’ll have to get a new roommate I suppose. I just hope it’s someone in this year.”
“That’s not likely since we’re all already paired up,” Airi pointed out, “There’s never any transfers at Tsukiyoru. We already have all the Users in Japan and other countries have their own schools. It’s silly to leave a boarding school where they already pay for your commute anyways.”
Meiko frowned slightly, “Well, I know that. I’m not Hina y’know?”—“Hey!”—“But something that our class head Yamaguchi-sensei said last night is bothering me.”
“What is it, Meiko-chan?” Airi asked, putting her hand over Hina’s mouth, who was about to answer the question specifically directed at Meiko.
“Well—” Meiko began, but the door soon opened and their homeroom teacher, a relatively young man known as Takahashi to his students, entered. Meiko, along with the other students swapping news with their classmates scurried to their own seats.
He stood at the front of the class and smirked slightly. He must have recognized that the class’s sudden silence meant that they had already found the first rumor of the school year. He sighed and took out the attendance, not bothering to ask about their summer like usual.
“Airi?” Takahashi called out.
“Here!” Airi replied by raising her hand, falling back into school procedure easily.
“Aya—” he began then sighed, “We’ll get back to that. Chieko?”
“Here!”
At the academy, students are only known by their given names. Teachers are known only by their surnames. Tsukiyoru Gakuen and Users as a whole aren’t known to most normal (and by normal, I mean normal normal) people so things are very secretive. In case anyone decided to expose Tsukiyoru Gakuen, there are already things to prevent it, but there’s nothing really preventing someone from naming its students and teachers.
So…since one name alone isn’t enough to identify someone, we use only one. But usually friends know each others full name. Hina is Nakamura Hina and Meiko is Fujishima Meiko. They both know my full name too. The system is only a formality so they won’t get in trouble if something does happen. We have to follow the system while in classes, but no one is too careful about protecting our identities if we want to keep contact outside of school.
In cases of double names it just becomes something like “Airi-A” and “Airi-B” unless someone wants a new nickname. I’m the only Airi in the entire Normal Class for our year (but there’s two in the next year) so luckily I’ve never had to actually be called Airi-A or B.
“Yujiro?”
“Here.”
“Alright that’s it,” Takahashi said, closing the attendance book. “Except for Ayaka everyone is present.”
Everyone shifted slightly, waiting for the official news on their classmate. Airi didn’t really care about the news on Ayaka; she trusted Meiko’s word. She was curious about what Meiko and Hina had both tried to tell her before being interrupted.
Maybe the teacher would give them the news.
Takahashi simply gave the news straight out, “Ayaka has been transferred to Aqua Class. She will no longer be attending classes with the rest of you and will shortly be changing dorms.”
Upon hearing the news officially, the classroom was filled with murmurs and whispers, including Hina who seemed to enjoy telling Airi that it was just like she had said over and over.
“There’s more,” Takahashi continued; the class immediately became silent and Airi perked up slightly. “Your class, as well as the other Normal Class classes in your year, will be undergoing your Year One graduation test again with a new tester. It seems that Ayaka wasn’t the only person who found they belonged in a different class. Two boys from classes A and D found their powers as well.”
With this the classroom burst into noise, some students even getting up to talk to a friend. Takahashi stepped back; it would be futile to try to calm them down until the end of the homeroom.
Hina leaned forward, “Airi-chan, it’s amazing, isn’t it? We weren’t tested properly the first time so it turns out that any one of us may have more powers,” she said excitedly, smiling brightly.
“Yeah…and then we’d be transferred into a class full of strangers we briefly may have met in our first year, who wants that?” Airi asked moodily as she turned around. She looked down, blushing slightly, “I don’t want any of my friends to leave me.”
“And who says we’ll be doing the leaving? You may end up leaving as well…” Meiko said, walking up to the two again, “But it’s just as I thought from what Yamaguchi-sensei said. It wasn’t done right the first time so we all need to be retested. They’ll have to keep the current testers on for the time being since it’s getting near the end for Year One and hire some new ones. Then they’ll replace the old ones that screwed up.”
“How do you know all that Meiko-chan? You’re so amazing,” Hina said with a small sigh, looking up at the taller girl in admiration.
“You’re definitely going to be in a different class…you already have a specialty and most don’t until Year Three,” Airi said, frowning slightly.
Meiko folded her arms over her chest and shook her head, “Idiot. That’s exactly why I won’t be one of the ones to change classes.”
“Why?” Hina and Airi asked in unison, looking confused and surprised.
“I always forget that you two were Unknowns before you arrived here,” Meiko said, using the term known for Users unaware of their powers, “Everyone in the Normal Class will have a specialty, some spell or skill that we’re better at. The way of judging it is just more subtle. It usually ends up being whatever specialty you have the most fun with. However, people not in Normal Class don’t have a Normal Specialty. Everyone in their class has the same specialty…basically. Ignis Class can specialize in lightening and Aqua Class can specialize in ice…”
“Oh. I get it. That makes sense,” Hina said smiling and nodding.
Airi let out a sigh and leaned back against her desk. “Fine, then Hina-chan is leaving me,” she replied, “Or I’ll leave, having some power I don’t want.”
“Oh, come on Airi-chan,” Hina said, poking the back of her head, “Even you would want to leave for the Elite Class. Especially since there you can be with—”
Before Hina finished, Airi whipped around and put her hand over Hina’s mouth, knowing what was about to be said in Hina’s naturally loud voice. Meiko looked at the two of them and shook her head. It was obvious what Hina was going to say and Airi had already forbidden her from saying it aloud.
Meiko opened her mouth to say something, but the bell rang, signaling the teachers to start first period. Instead, Meiko leaned down by Airi’s ear, smirking slightly, “Secret crushes can’t be kept secret forever Airi,” she whispered before leaving to slowly walk back to her seat.
Airi turned a vibrant shade of pink as she let go of Hina and faced forward, ready to begin classes.
‘It’s so embarrassing…’ she thought as she hid her face behind her notebook, ‘How my heart can beat so fast just by being reminded about him.’ The idea made her blush even more and she lowered her head while Hina and Meiko laughed quietly.
“Silly! How does meeting people tire you out?” Hina asked, laughing slightly.
“It’s far too easy when I know people like you,” Airi replied, feigning distress as a she sighed.
Hina looked back at the building, “It’s too bad though, huh? Meiko-chan still has her sewing lesson so she isn’t able to play with us yet…” She turned to Airi and hugged her from behind, “I’m lonely!”
“Yes, yes, now please get off me Hina-chan…” Airi said, still walking while dragging Hina behind her.
“No way Airi-chan! You’re way too cold today!”
Airi blushed again before shouting, “Of course I am! You’re blurting out my secrets!”
Hina sighed, hearing the anger in Airi’s voice. She let go of her and continued, her voice quiet,. “I didn’t blurt it out. I was just teasing you. I wouldn’t have actually said it.”
This news only made Airi’s blush grow darker, “Eh?”
“You’re just way too cute when you get embarrassed!” Hina continued, putting her hands on her face, “You make cute little noises sometimes and you get so red and your voice gets a little higher. Your expression is sooo cute! Oh it’s just wonderful! Even Meiko-chan likes teasing you because of it!”
“That’s so embarrassing! Don’t tell me things like that!” Airi shouted running away before Hina was able to notice and catch up to her.
“Airi-chaaan!” She heard Hina’s voice from behind her, but when she glanced back but she was already too far away. There was no way that Hina would be able to catch up. She turned the corner, leaving the Class Square and the Classroom buildings behind. She finally slowed down by the Common Square she passed to get to her classes. She smiled upon seeing the same tree that she had stopped by and started to walk over to it. However, she stopped mid-step upon seeing someone dressed in black from the corner of her eye.
She turned to see a group of students dressed in a uniform that was entirely black along with two older students dressed entirely in white. The other students around them split apart to let them pass.
Airi gripped her shirt by her chest, staring at the students in black. “The Elite Class…and Ryoko-sama and Shoji-sama,” she murmured, staring at the passing crowd. ‘The Elite Class…means…’ she thought, her face slowly turning red.
The Elite Class is for students who can use all the powers. See, sometimes for some students, the powers overlap, while they specialize in one, they can still use another. In those cases they have an armband with their extra power’s Class color. It’s really common with the Humusand Folium Classes. But the Elite Class can use all of them. Every single one.
Since their powers are also usually very strong (in order to be able to utilize so many elements, you are obviously born with more power). See, there are over two thousand students here at Tsukiyoru Academy, and just barely one hundred and fifty teachers and staff members. That means that the adults who are supposed to keep order are outnumbered by more than ten to one by students who are still novice Users and not in control of their powers.
Obviously…there can be LOTS of problems.
So the Elite Class helps fill in the void. There’s about fifty of them, which isn’t a lot, but when you count them (who can use all the powers) along with one hundred full-adept Users, everything can fairly easily be kept in order.
Basically, they act as Guardians for the school. Their uniform is pure black and unless they specifically have time off they must always wear it. Their uniform has a design completely different from all of the other Classes’.
The reason why everyone wishes to be a member of the Elite Class even though there’s a lot of work is that the Elite Class gets special benefits. Like each one having a dorm to themselves, a lounge, private bathrooms, better food, and lots more. They get more one-on-one time with their instructors too because they have more to learn.
However, the Royal Class is even better. There’s hardly any work, you give orders to the Elite Class, you train privately or on your own, and you get just about everything you want. Unfortunately this Class only has two members, a boy and girl from the Elite Class. They are chosen through some test at the end of Year Four and spend Year Five in the Royal Class, ruling the school. Their uniform is pure white and only used in official events or settings, but they can be recognized by the fact that they always wear a white arm band with the school’s crest on it.
This year’s Royal Class is filled by Ryoko-sama and Shoji-sama. They both suit their position well. There haven’t been any problems so far.
“They must have just finished the first meeting after the break…” Airi murmured still staring into the crowd, looking for one face among fifty. Then, without meaning to, she saw him.
A boy, with brown hair just messy enough to look cool rather than untidy. He was tall for his age, fifteen and in the same year as Airi. Even from a distance, she could still see the hazel eyes that made her melt when she first looked into them. Like many students in the Elite Class, everything about him seemed perfect, but Airi noticed only him.
Sakamoto Katashi-kun, I’ve known him since a snowy day just a week or so before my twelfth birthday. He had been fully aware that he was a User back then because he saved my life with his powers. Since that day I wanted to see him. I was able to meet him again in my first year, but only briefly. Since Katashi-kun and those around him already knew he had all the powers, he was brought into the Elite Class within the first month. Once you’re an Elite, even in Year One, you’re not a normal student anymore.
But…if it hadn’t been for thinking that I could meet him, and then meeting him, I know I wouldn’t be at this school now. I admire him so much. Even if I was only able to meet him briefly, I’ve always kept track of him. The Elite Class has fans that go up to him and the other Elite Class students, but I’m different from them. My feelings aren’t superficial and I won’t parade them…even if it means that I simply have to keep them secret.
Airi continued to watch as the Elite Class walked by, her face hot and every part of her screamed to either run toward the crowd or run away from it. She stayed still however, watching until they rounded the corner.
She put a hand on her face, which had turned a nice shade of red. ‘Oh my face is so hot…this is embarrassing…’ she thought, looking down at the ground, ‘I at least wanted to look at him a bit longer. I haven’t seen him in two months…’
She appeared to be deep in thought for a moment until she blinked and turned around, remembering the tree on top of the hill nearby. She let out a small giggle as she ran toward it and with great agility, easily swung herself up onto the first branch and climbed up near the top of the tree.
From there she was still able to see the Elite Class as they headed for their private building. Although she was unable to see his face, she could still see Katashi in the crowd. She smiled slightly as she watched him even after he was too far away to distinguish amongst the other members. Only after each member entered the building farthest away from Airi did she turn around, letting out a small sigh.
She wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her head on her knees as she smiled, feeling nostalgia wash over her. ‘This is where I met you for the second time and had my first conversation with you, right, Katashi-kun?’She closed her eyes, remembering the spring day that had been more than a year ago.
Hina had offered to help, so had a girl Airi only recently gotten to know named Meiko. But she wanted to say goodbye alone, so she dug the hole alone.
After the hole was about one foot deep she took her hands out and examined them. They were cold, dirty, and they hurt. She sighed. It was just a rabbit, it was cute, but it had only been around for two months. It was silly to make a big fuss. Still, Airi was unable to just leave it.
“You know, it would probably be easier to use a shovel,” a voice said behind her.
Airi turned around to see the same boy that had rescued her on a snowy day. She was at a loss for words for a moment, but she quickly remembered her manners. “Oh, h-hello,” she said, looking flustered, “I-I’m Airi.”
“Ah, it’s good to know you by name,” he replied easily, “I’m Sakamoto Katashi.”
Airi opened her mouth to say that she already knew his name when she remembered how embarrassing that would be. Besides, she hadn’t known his full name, she realized. “Eh? But we’re not supposed to use surnames…” Airi said, looking uneasy, “You don’t have to tell me that Katashi…-kun…”
“It’s okay, we already know each other, right?” he asked, smiling and surprising Airi.
“You remember?”
“I hadn’t used my powers much back then, so of course I remember using them to save you,” Katashi replied as if it were obvious.
“Ah! I guess that’s…that’s right…” Airi said, blushing slightly as she looked at him, “You’re already in the Elite Class now, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. Which reminds me, there’s an easier way to do that,” he said, pointing back to the hole. Before Airi could reply, he frowned slightly in concentration and the hole seemed to grow within a second.
Airi’s eyes widened before she turned back to him. “You’re amazing Katashi-kun! I can’t believe it! Even those that have already been chosen for Humus Class aren’t that good!” she said excitedly.
“You only say that because you aren’t used to Users at all,” he said with a grin, causing Airi to be silent. “Well, I’ll see you around Airi.”
“Ah! Yes! Bye Katashi-ku—” she stopped as she watched him walk away, caught up by disappointment from him leaving and excitement from being called “Airi.” She put her hands on her face as she felt herself blushing, “Kya! Katashi-kun called me by name, just by name!”
‘Ah! But that reminds me. Usa-chan is buried here and I’m the only one who knows where he is so I should say hello,’ she thought, climbing down from the top branch slowly. Once she reached the last branch and looked down, she stopped, startled by what she saw.
She sat up on the higher branch, closing her eyes tightly. ‘Stupid! You weren’t paying attention and now there’s a boy underneath the tree. I can’t climb down with him there, he’ll see…’ her face grew red as she tugged at her skirt, too embarrassed to even finish her own private thoughts.
She looked down at the boy again. It looked like he was sleeping. ‘Maybe if I go quickly, I can get by before he wakes up, but maybe he’s just resting and a sound will wake him up,’ she thought with a frown. She blinked a few times before lowering herself slightly, just to get a better, less obstructed view of the boy, ‘I don’t recognize him at all.’
He was tall, she could tell by how he was stretched out underneath the tree. If she took a guess, she’d say her head wouldn’t even reach his shoulder. He was probably at least in Year Three, maybe even in Year Five. He had black hair that covered his eyes, which caused Airi to frown. She couldn’t understand how someone else could deal with that. Every time her bangs got in her view, it frustrated her to no end. She leaned forward a bit more, casually wondering what color his eyes were. Overall, she would consider him good-looking, and as a healthy teenage girl she was curious to complete her image.
She frowned as she lowered herself and then leaned back. ‘Black…his clothes are black…’ she thought, noticing a pair of black jeans and a sweatshirt on the boy, ‘But it’s not the uniform…so he can’t be a member of the Elite Class, all of them are on duty today and are required to wear their uniforms. Also…if he’s an upperclassman, he should still be in class! The higher the year, the more lessons we have. He shouldn’t have gotten out so early!’
The brunette let out a small sigh as she leaned from the branch. “I wonder what rule he’s breaking. He could be skipping class, not wearing his uniform when he’s supposed to, or…he could be trespassing on the campus too…” she said softly to herself. She let out a deep breath as she continued to lean back, wrapped up in curiosity until her grip on the branch began to falter.
She panicked and immediately pulled herself up, breathing deeply before letting out a sigh of relief. “That was close…I almost fell…” she said, shortly after hearing a snapping sound that almost caused her to scream. The branch broke away from the tree, falling to the ground and taking her with it. ‘I spoke too soon!’ she thought briefly as she fell through the air.
Airi landed with a softer thud than she expected; which she was briefly thankful for, but would soon be terribly mortified by.
“Thank goodness I didn’t get hurt!” Airi said cheerfully as she pushed herself up, only to come face to face with the boy she had been observing only moments before. She stared blankly at him as he stared back with blue eyes, which she only momentarily allowed herself to think about.
“Huh. You’re pretty small, but you’re actually kind of heavy…” he told her, looking completely unshaken for someone that had a girl fall on top of them from a tree. The only sign that he even noticed the strange occurrence was that he was acknowledging Airi’s presence. “Can you get off of me?”
“Off…of…?” Airi repeated dumbly, still in shock from her fall. She looked down, finding herself sitting on top of the older boy and she quickly jumped up, her face turning bright red. “Iyaaan!”
“‘Iyan’?” the boy repeated, looking up at her with a slight look of confusion.
“Uuuueee!” Another strange noise came from Airi, her embarrassment growing at having her own strange words repeated.
“‘Ue’?” he repeated again, raising an eyebrow.
“Nyaaan! Stop repeating them!” Airi shouted her first coherent sentence since coming face to face with this boy, her face still growing red.
“Stop saying them then,” he countered as he stood up, dusting himself off. He turned to Airi and took a step towards her, “What are you doing here? If you’re in Year One, shouldn’t you be at some assembly about tests?”
Embarrassment quickly mixed with anger upon hearing her least favorite term, “Year One” and she started waving her arms up and down. “I’m not in Year One, stupid! I have the crest on my shirt!” she said, pointing it out herself.
He glanced at her shirt pocket where the crest was stitched and sighed, turning away. “I guess I didn’t notice. You don’t have anything to bring any attention there…”
“Bring any…” Airi repeated slowly, looking down at her chest. It took her a few moments to realize what he meant. She turned red and covered her chest. “Uaaaaah! You stupid perverted jerk!”
“It’s not perverted if I don’t look and that was the point, wasn’t it?” he said running a hand through his black hair, “There was nothing to see so I didn’t look.”
“Nyaaa!” Airi cried out in distress, unable to find any words to use.
“‘Nya’ again, huh? Do you like cats or something?”
“Stop it! You stupid—”
“Then…” the boy began seriously, turning to her and stepping closer. The sudden change in tone caused Airi to freeze in place, staring as she waited for him to continue. He stopped just in front of her and leaned forward until their faces were mere inches apart. “Did you want me to look?”
The serious tone confused Airi for a moment, but soon enough she understood what he meant. She turned bright red and threw her arms up, stepping back from him, “What the hell?! You idiot!” she shouted angrily. She picked up her bag from where it had fallen from the tree and turned around, looking at him for a moment. “You stupid perverted loser!” she shouted, sticking her tongue out at him before taking off, running as fast as she could.
“See you around Nyanko!” she heard him shout from behind her, she glanced over her shoulder, shouting, “Stop it!” one last time before turning the corner and heading back to the dorms. She could blame her flushed face on the run back, instead of revealing her humiliating experiences when Hina asked.
‘That loser! So frustrating! Because he was like that I didn’t even get the chance to ask him who he was…’ Airi thought angrily as she slowed her pace now that she was out of his view, ‘I don’t know what Class or year he’s in. I really want to avoid running into him again. So aggravating!”
The angry thoughts continued until she almost ran into Hina who greeted her with a tearful apology and overly dramatic complaints of injuries caused by Meiko.
“Airi-chan!” Hina called from the bedroom the two girls shared. Her voice was slightly muffled through the door.
“Yes?” Airi answered as she finished tying up her hair, “What is it Hina-chan?”
“What do you think the test will be this time? Do you think it will be different?”
“Probably,” Airi said as she opened the door to the changing room, wearing an overly-large white t-shirt. Hina was wearing the same blue pajamas as always (somehow a treasured gift from her father). Airi let out a small sigh before continuing, “If I remember correctly, last time we were just pushed into different environments filled with the certain element and told to keep it away from us. I just ended up using sheer force…Ayaka-san and the other two boys probably did the same since it was logical. The test probably isn’t effective.”
“Huh…” Hina sighed, looking as if she were deep in thought.
A bad memory from the day was triggered in Airi’s mind and she threw the nearest item, some spare batteries on her night stand, with all her might, aiming for her roommate.
Hina blocked herself from the attack using her blanket, but the impact still must have hurt. “Kyah! What the heck Airi-chan? That hurt!”
“Don’t say things to tick me off!” Airi replied simply, going underneath the covers and pulling them over her head.
“I don’t know what I did!”
“Just shut up,” Airi replied, feeling her face grow hot again. She had never been so humiliated in her life or met anyone who was so rude. The thought of him alone made her mad. ‘I’m glad I didn’t climb down now. I think it would have been even more embarrassing if he had seen my underwear. He would have been so crude!’ she thought, hiding her face in her hands.
“Stupid…” she muttered underneath her breath.
Silence fell heavily in the room and just as it seemed unbreakable, there was a loud knock on their door.
“What the hell!?” Airi exclaimed as she threw the covers off her bed and stood up, “It’s nighttime, who’s visiting?”
“It’s your friendly neighborhood Dorm Leader with a really big package left late for Airi-chan!” a muffled, but familiar voice came through the door.
“Karin-senpai?” Airi ran towards the door, unlocking and opening it easily, coming face to face with one of the Normal Class’s two female dorm leaders. “What is it?” she asked, looking down at a wooden chest beside their door.
“Well…a chest…obviously,” Karin replied, looking at Airi as if she had two heads.
“I meant what’s inside?” Airi corrected herself, glaring at her upperclassman.
“Ah well, be more specific next time. I have no idea. It was left in the lobby, brought up to my room so I could bring it up to you,” Karin said touching the chest, “It was a pain to get up here to the fourth floor, so the rest is up to you.” With that, their dorm leader left.
“Sheesh…are there no normal upperclassman here?” Airi questioned herself as she began pulling the large chest inside.
“Do you need any help Airi-chan?” Hina questioned, sitting upright in her bed.
“No…I’m fine. This thing isn’t actually that heavy,” Airi answered as she pulled it over to her bed. She turned on a nearby light and looked back at Hina. “Go to sleep…and I’m sorry. Frustrating things just happened today.”
“It’s okay…” Hina replied with a smile, “Your angry side is a little cute too Airi-chan!” With that, Hina turned off her own light and lied down.
Airi smiled faintly and turned her attention to the chest. It was very plain except for two words carved into the wood.
There was one word she recognized with ease; it was her own biological mother’s name in Kanji: Hana. ‘Did it come from her then?’ Airi thought to herself as she ran her fingers across the carving.
The next she could read, but it took a few tries to get the pronunciation. It was five letters spelling a word in English. When said aloud she recognized from being in some songs she listened to on the radio during her school breaks.
A – N – G – E – L
“A-n-ge-ru…” Airi repeated aloud, “…Angel…” She looked up and let out a small sigh, “Tenshi, huh? What’s that supposed to mean to me?”
She searched for the chest’s latch and found a padlock around it. She frowned slightly, tugging at it a few times. She stared at the chest for a few moments longer before turning off the light and falling into her bed. She crawled underneath the covers, her mind focused on the engraving.
‘Angel…I wonder why that’s on a crate sent to me…’ she thought, staring up at the ceiling, ‘And it might have been Kaa-san’s before…’She frowned at the thought and turned over in her bed, closing her eyes. ‘Well…Kaa-san has been dead for almost fourteen years and it’s taken that long for this thing to get into my hands. She can wait another day for me to find an unlocking spell tomorrow.’
‘There’s too much going on for me to worry about a locked chest…’
-
Gakuen – This is basically just Japanese for “Academy.” I chose this words instead of Koukou (which basically means high school) because the Academy covers more than just high school age. Also…it sounds more impressive.
Usa-chan –“Usa” comes from usagi which means rabbit. Hence, “Usa-chan” is just a very unoriginal and cute name for a rabbit.
“Nya” and “Nyan” – Nya is basically Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound a cat makes. Basically…it’s the same as “meow.” Hence…asking her if she likes cats.
Nyanko –Despite “Nya” basically translating to “Meow,” Nyanko translates more to something like, “kitty.” He wouldn’t call her “Ueko” or anything…there’s sort of a double meaning and it’s twice as bothersome for Airi to be called “Nyanko.”
Tenshi – This means “Angel” if you hear it in anime and manga usually (or in a song). Still, I wanted to get a proper definition for this because I was fairly certain that angels are a western idea. It was a term that could be used for Japanese monarchs in the past. Its literal meaning is “son of Heaven” or so I read. Hence, it now means Angel…I guess.
Specifically, I imagine it being more of a Shoujo manga. Lots of blushing, female heroine, beautiful people all around. You get the idea. There are still some un-shoujo elements (especially later), but stories need to be fairly well-rounded, right?
And a big thank you to KurenaiHimitsu for editing this chapter and for editing future chapters as well. There were a lot of mistakes and since I tend to just accept that my first chapters are awful, I would have ignored it all, posted it, and silently hated it. It’s much better now. So I’m really, really, really, really, really grateful. Still, even if it was edited once, I hope that others will still give me constructive criticism. I’m nowhere near professional level and I need all the input I can get. So please review for me! I’m usually more than glad to return the favor!
