"Is everything alright, Mr. Grisha", asked our new headmaster to me.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine", I responded awkwardly to the bald black man with the weird-looking nose. He adjusted his glasses as he looked back at me, as if he was suspicious of me. That was fair, I had spaced out for a moment as I wondered about how things were going to be. Being the new kid at school always sucked, and this time was no different.
"You've got to relax, Bro", said Benny as she punched my arm. She was seated to my right as we were being driven to our new home. To my left was Mimi, who was playfully clutching onto my left arm, as she does.
"She's right, Rikky. I mean, aren't you excited? We're going to be seniors at Seishou Academy", she said excitedly as she bounced in her seat. The three of us rode in the back of what I guess was the "academy car", which was basically a small, black limo. Headmaster Springfield rode shotgun while the car itself was being driven by Professor Garand, who I guessed served in battle during World War II based on how he was dressed. "Rikky", asked Mimi in reference to my spacing out again.
"Huh, what", I ask her, once again being interrupted from my spacing.
"Alright, spill it", began Mimi. "What's wrong?"
"I'm perfectly fine", I lied.
"Bullshit."
"Watch your tongue back there", hollered Professor Garand back to us.
"Yes, Professor", the three of us replied simultaneously.
"But seriously though", continued Mimi. "Tell us." I look back at Benny and notice that the way she looked at me indicated that she too was suspicious of me.
"I'm just a little nervous is all."
"It's not just nerves. There's more to it than that", said Benny. "I mean we've been the new kids before, right? What's the deal with this time?"
"Yeah, I mean it'll be just like before", added Mimi.
"But it won't be just like before", I began. "We've been passed around three other schools because of what we are. At first we would try to hide our true selves, then when they eventually found out, they'd grow scared of us and kick us out the first chance they got. "School is no place for guns" they would say. Last time they didn't know what we were going into it, now everyone will know from the very start."
"But isn't that why it's a good thing to be students at Seishou", asked Benny. "There will be people like us there."
"Not exactly. This academy is home to students that're all assault rifles. Not only are the three of us not rifles, I'm technically not even a gun. Not to mention the fact that this academy is made up of predominantly female students."
"Actually we ceased to have male students long ago", began Headmaster. "You'll be the first male student we've had at this academy in approximately three years."
"Oh joy", I said sarcastically in response to the good news.
"Relax, Rik", began Benny as she wrapped her left arm around my shoulder. "The ladies here will love you like they always have."
"What ladies", I asked her both with sarcasm and suspicion as most women either hated or feared me whenever they learned what I was.
"You've got two ladies right here who love you", added Mimi as she wrapped her right arm around my shoulder.
"My two little sisters don't count."
"Here we are", said Headmaster as we approached the entrance to Seishou Academy. "Welcome to your new home."
Uh-oh, I thought to myself as I swallowed due to nerves. Benny and Mimi then leaned in closer to me, sensing I was a nervous wreck.
"You'll be fine, Rik", began Mimi. "You're going to blow them all away, and me and Benny will be right here with you." Benny then nods in response. Upon hearing her encouraging words, I rub the top of Mimi's head in a big brother-like fashion before leaning in a kissing her forehead. I then pull in Benny by the back of her head and kiss her forehead as well.
"I love you guys", I said as I wrapped my arms around them and pulled them in for a group hug. It was around that time that the car stopped as did my heart.
"Game time", said an excited Mimi as she rushed out of the car. Benny calmly followed her lead as I followed her out of the car. Professor Garand then began to lead my sisters to the shooting range while I went to the trunk of the car. Headmaster stayed behind to keep me company as I did so. I had just opened the trunk of the car when Headmaster grabbed at the hood of my jacket, which was pulled over my head. I instinctively reach for one of the two sheaths that were usually strapped to my back under my jacket, forgetting for a moment that they were in the trunk, in response.
"Do not be alarmed, Mr. Grisha", he said as he pulled down my hood. I immediately pull it back up in response, hiding myself as I did so. "Do not be ashamed of your uniqueness. Just because you're the only one of your kind, does not make you an outcast among the academy."
"I just hate being different", I told him as I pulled at my hood as if trying to hide myself deeper into it.
"But it is because of you being different that I took an interest in you. A male gun who isn't really a gun, your place of birth and the circumstances of your upbringing, the bond you have with your sisters and the amount of skill you all individually possess, these are all reasons why I brought you here. As a male gun myself, I understand what you are going through."
"Oh do you, now?"
"Indeed. But if you don't believe me, trying looking at the situation differently."
"How so?"
"Think of your sisters and how you've got to be strong for them. Think of your abilities and how you can push those around you to be better. Think about your classmates as your new pack."
"My pack?"
"That's right. Remember, I read your profile. I know where you come from, and I know you're very pack oriented. As the new addition to the pack, it would be wise to make a good first impression." Upon hearing him say that, I realized that he was right. As the only male student at the academy, I was going to stand out above the crowd anyway whether I liked it or not, so it only made sense to embrace that fact and give it my all.
"Hold this for a moment", I said to my headmaster as I pulled off my jacket and handed it to him. I then grabbed my two sword sheaths and strapped them two my back like a samurai would before reaching out to him for my jacket. Once he had returned it to me, I slipped it back on and pulled the hood up once again. I heard Headmaster clear his throat upon seeing me do so, as if disappointed that I was still trying to hide. "Don't worry, I just wanna make it a grand reveal", I said with a cocky grin, now having gained some confidence in myself.
"Big Brother", cried Mimi from across the field she and the others were walking across to get to the shooting range. "Are you coming or what?"
"Wait for me", I cried back as I began to run towards them. I stopped for a minute to speak to Headmaster once more before leaving. "Thanks for the boost", I said with a bow before taking off towards my sisters.
Once I had caught up with them, we eventually made our way to the shooting range. When we arrived, we met up with our homeroom teacher, whose class was lined up in two lines preparing to approach the shooting marks.
"Ah, right on time", he said as the four of us approached him.
"This gentleman will be your homeroom teacher for the year", began Professor Garand. "He'll take it from here", he said as he began to walk away.
"Thank you, Professor", my sisters and I said with a bow. We then turned to our new teacher as he lifted the clipboard he was holding to read off of.
"I only have one rule, and that is to never, under any circumstances, shoot at Sensei", he said as he pointed to himself.
"Well that's no fun", said Mimi jokingly. Benny responded by bonking her on the head. When Mimi drew her fist back preparing to fight, I growled at the two of them sternly. "Sorry, Brother."
"We understand, Sensei", I said with a bow as if speaking for the three of us. My sisters then followed my lead as they too bowed to our teacher.
"Very good. Now, you'll notice that there are three targets on the other end of the range", he began as he pointed to three human-shaped silhouettes on the other end. "When I call your name, you will introduce yourself to the class, and take a shot at the target." Upon hearing him say that, I take a look over at the class. As expected, they were all female students dressed in the school uniform consisting of a white top with a blue collar and a pink ribbon tied in the front, the green skirt with the white outline, and half-orange/half-brown shoes. Normally I wouldn't be too impressed with this, but among the students was one girl who caught my eye.
She had short, dirty blonde hair with big, blue eyes. She had a look on her face that told me that she was a bit of a shy girl, which only made me all the more intrigued by her. And to top that off, though I hated that I was gawking at her in such a manner, she was very, very "blessed" for a girl of her age.
Who is that, I asked myself as I wanted to know what her name was. My thoughts were interrupted when Sensei read the first name.
"Up first, from Israel, we have IMI Negev LMG", he said as my youngest sister stepped up to face her target. She too had blonde hair, except it was much lighter and a bit longer, reaching down to her shoulders. She had an even brighter pair of blue eyes, pale, white skin, and a large smile stretched across her face. She was all about having a good time, even if the situation didn't necessarily call for it.
"The name's Mimi, Mimi Mangena Grisha", she said as a light-weighted machine gun materialized in her hands. She then lets out a high-pitched battle cry as she fires a round of bullets into her target. When she felt she had made her point, she turns towards her new peers and bows to them as they gaze at the remains of her target, riddled with bullet holes. Our fellow students then clap a little as comments are heard ranging from, "whoa, she's nuts", to "what a shot". Mimi, didn't care. My princess of a sister craved attention, good or bad.
"Very good, IMI—", began Sensei before Mimi interrupted him.
"My name's Mimi!"
"Oh, right. Mimi. Uh, up next, from Italy, we have Benelli M4 Super 90." Upon hearing her factory name being called, my older younger sister stepped forward. She had a sort of light-brownish tone to her skin, to a point where she's often been mistaken for Latina in the past. She had curly, brown hair, that also stretched to her shoulders, brown eyes, and a distinctively large smile just like Mimi had.
"My name is Benny, Benny Mariano Grisha", she said with a grin as she placed one hand on her hip and assumed a cute pose as an Italian shotgun materialized in her other hand. She then, with lightning-fast speed and aggression, spins around and fires three shots. Once she did, the class then noticed that all three bullets hit the exact same spot, creating one large bullet hole in the center of her target's head. The class clapped even quieter in response to Benny's shot, probably due to fear.
"Uh, great job, Benell-, I mean Benny", said Sensei awkwardly as if anthropomorphic guns was still too shocking a concept for him to handle. "And finally, from the Soviet Union, we have…. RPG-7", he asked hysterically in shock referencing my weapon.
"What's an RPG", said one girl amongst the crowd. As a whole, most of the other students had no idea what an RPG was, but the blue-eyed dirty blonde seemed to be one of the few who did.
Now I definitely want to make a good first impression, I thought to myself as I stepped up to my target. With my back turned to my new classmates, I threw off my jacket and tossed it aside, revealing what I really looked like.
Despite my being Russian, for some reason I had the appearance of a black American male, complete with dark skin, a black mini afro, and brown eyes. However, my odd appearance didn't stop there. I also had pointed elf-like ears, which is what I was hiding under my hood, and a black wolf tail, that wagged in delight having been freed from hiding under my jacket all day. To top it off, because I was a male student, my school uniform differed from my classmates. Though I still had the white shirt with a blue collar, I lacked the pink ribbon. I did however wear the same orange shoes, and the green shorts I had on were the same color as the skirts of my classmates. Without saying anything, I skipped ahead and faced my target as a rocket launcher materialized in my hands.
"Take cover", cried Sensei as I took aim and fired at my target, which was destroyed immediately in the resulting explosion. Once my target was fried, I turned back to my classmates. Everyone, including Sensei, was dead silent, except for Benny and Mimi, who applauded my shot. "Are you crazy", yelled Sensei. "A fucking rocket launcher? Ugh! State your name!"
"You may call me Rurik, Rurik Petenka Grisha."