Prologue: Welcome to Otonokizaka
It wasn't that Maki didn't like school; it was more like she didn't need it.
She never needed much, really: food, water and music were basically everything she ever needed. Her grades were something significant, too, though to the redhead, it was all unnecessary. Everything was.
And Maki had wanted to decline the scholarship to a boarding school eight hours away from home.
Her parents had been unable to decide, too. Scholarship meant best for their daughter, but best for their daughter meant no one to take over their hospital. Maki took note of this; if she could enter the boarding school, she could become the musician she had always wanted to be.
She could, for once, be away from the place she had felt so trapped in.
The first day of actual lessons started in a week, and Maki decided that one week would be more than enough time to get used to the environment. While she had to admit she felt the slightest bit guilty for not missing her parents, the fifteen-year-old knew she'd miss the comfort of her previous house.
As Maki sat in the back of a cab, she glanced out of the window, noticing the large structure coming into view. "Is that…"
"That's 'yer school, missy," the taxi driver confirmed, toying with the unlit cigarette in his mouth. Maki shifted her gaze to him, eyes narrowing at his heavy Kansai accent. "About ten more minutes 'til we get there."
Maki nodded, remaining silent. What was the school like? Were the students there nice? Would she make new friends? She cringed at the thought of having to interact daily with others; she was never much of a social person.
The redhead faced the window, eyes wandering over the scenery stretched across kilometers, far beyond what her vision could reach. She noticed all the little things along the road: a house without a doorbell, a bird with an injured wing, a stray cat on the top of a fence post. Amethyst eyes began to droop; fingers clenched on the door handle loosened.
The car pulled to a stop; Maki's eyelids shot back open. Despite feeling drowsy only several minutes ago, the fifteen-year-old was now wide awake.
"We're here, missy."
"Yeah." Maki stepped out of the cab, "Thank you for the ride." She reached into her pocket for her wallet, handing the driver several notes. "Keep the change," Maki reassured, though in truth did not want to waste time waiting for him to return the excess money she had given.
The taxi driver grinned, "Thanks, missy. And I know that I'm in no place to tell you, but," he paused for a moment, opening the taxi boot, "I hope you enjoy your new school."
Go to Student Services. Go to Student Services. Go to Student Services.
Maki clenched her fist as she made a left turn, gulping when the building with the letters 'SSO' on the door came into view. Go to the Student Services Office when you arrive, she was told.
Maki pushed the door open.
If she was frank, Maki had thought that this was a posh, high-class school for students with good grades and talents; the exterior of the school told her this much. But when her violet orbs met the wide, bright grin of the woman standing behind the desk, she definitely decided otherwise.
Maybe, just maybe, she could enjoy herself here.
"Welcome to Otonokizaka!"
