Jenna creaked the intricately carved wooden door open wide, gazing inside the house with enthusiastic curiosity. The cool air chilled her cheeks as she heaved her single, enormous suitcase into the boarding house. The door seemed to shut on its own behind her with a resonating bang.

She eyed the fancy brown interrior of the house with wide eyes. It wasn't at all like her small, single story house back in New Jersey. To her right was a beautiful staircase with railing that was decorated with carving of the Japenese goddess for which the house was named, Aoikasai's sacred symbol, a burning lotus. To her left was an open living space that appeared to open up into a dining and kitchen space in a sectioned off area and all along the walls were antiques and relics pertaining to the goddess and the Japenese culture.

Jenna let go of her suitcase, setting it on the floor. Who's idea was it to decorate a house dominated by teens with expensive artifacts? She wondered, walking up to a glass lotus that sat atop a dresser that stood against the left wall. Her eyes widened with its radiance and beauty and she became hypnotized by its splendor. That's when she reached out, her terrible habit taking control.

"Hello?" A woman's voice called from the stairs, breaking Jenna's daze. She turned to see a tan woman in a fancy blue dress coming down the stairs. She had dark brown hair and sharp blue eyes. Her gretting was tinged with a thick british accent. "Are you Jenna Stevens?"

"Y-yes, ma'am," Jenna nodded. She suddenly felt silly; this woman dressed very expensively on what seemed like a perfectly ordinary day while all Jenna wore was a green cardigan over a white button-up shirt with jean shorts and brown booties. The difference in social class was more evident than it had ever been before.

"Welcome," she grinned, a bright, white grin. "My name is Miranda and I am the caretaker here at Aoikasai House. I'm so glad to have you here!"

"Uh, thanks?" Jenna said with uncertainty.

"C'mon, let me show you to your room," Miranda nodded towards the stairs. Jenna picked up her suitcase and followed after her. When they reached the landing to the second floor, she noticed an office to her left that looked out on the lobby and to her right, a hallway that she assumed was used for dorms. "Our dorm house has the least amount of residents, so we have a bit more space than most," The caretaker explained, leading her into the hall. "Your room is right in here." She stopped before the first door to the left and opened it.

The room was already occupied, from what Jenna could tell. Half of the room was covered in what seemed to be pandas- panda plushes, comforter, posters, and even a rug! Even her new roommate's clothes seemed to be black and white. What kind of weirdo lives here? She wondered, slightly frightened.

"Your roommate is a lovely girl named Yuko Matsushita, she's from Japan, and she is an excellent student!" Miranda told her. "The only thing is that she has a bit of an obsession with pandas, but I'm sure it'll be easy to look past that as soon as you get settled in." Jenna chuckled with uncertainty, pulling her suitcase into the room behind her. "So, I'll leave you to it then," Miranda said. Jenna turned to face her. "Make yourself at home and I'll have our house mom make you something for lunch."