A/N: I do not own MSGM or any of its characters. All such honors belong to Oyuki Konno and her publishers. I will lay claim to Hiromi and the other OCs that will occasionally appear in this story along with the basic premise. Let's face it, Konno-sensei would never allow this plotline to exist in her world.
Chapter 1
It's not that transfer students are a rarity at Lillian Girl's Academy, a private Catholic school for girls located at the top of a high hill in Musashino, a small suburb of Tokyo. New students frequently are admitted to the prestigious "School for Maidens" at the beginning of each new term. Usually though, those new students enter as first years in middle- and high-school. Transferring into the high-school division as a second year was enough of a rarity that "the new girl" became the object of much speculation and rumor even before her first class.
Hiromi Takeda certainly looked the part of a typical Lillian girl walking sedately from the bus stop towards the school's main gate. Anyone taking notice would see a tall (almost 173cm), well proportioned young lady with long, strawberry blonde hair tied into a loose Grecian braid that hung over her left shoulder, hugging a modest but enticing bust, and ending just above her long, narrow waist. The young lady's body moved with the grace and fluidity of a ballet dancer (courtesy of seven years of mother-enforced ballet and ballroom dancing lessons) while displaying the strength and agility of a trained athlete (thanks to father-enforced lessons in tennis, swimming, and archery over that same seven year period).
The small feet, clad in the standard brown shoes and folded white socks that were as much a part of the Lillian uniform as the sailor collar and scarf, transitioned wonderfully to well-turned ankles, slender but well muscled legs (what could be seen of them under the long skirt) and narrow hips framing a small but nicely curved buttocks.
She was certainly drawing appreciative glances from the young (and not so young) men following in her footsteps on their way to school or work. However, it was the passersby that were approaching her from the front that were treated to her truly striking beauty.
Long lashes shaded wide, violet eyes that sparkled gaily. Her perfect nose was framed by high, rounded cheekbones flushed a particularly appealing shade of pink and perched over lush, naturally rose colored lips that simply begged to be kissed. More than one young man had stopped in his tracks to stare in apparent awe of the serene beauty in their midst, which might account for the slight blush in those cheeks.
While her height, eyes, and hair color were throwback gifts from her Dutch great-great-grandmother on her father's side her natural, classically Asian beauty was all from her mother.
It really was too bad for those poor, befuddled males that she left bobbing in her wake like so many pole-axed fish that she had no interest in forming any kind of romantic relationship with a man. Despite the seemingly ludicrous nature of the predicament she found herself in, she had to smile (stopping not a few male hearts in the process) as she turned into the gate of Lillian Girl's Academy and made her way along the wide, cobbled pathway that led to the beautifully carved white stone statue of the Virgin Mary, lovingly called "Maria-sama" here at Lillian. Despite her extremely early arrival that morning there were still a surprising number of students making their way across the campus.
Upon arriving before the statute of Maria-sama, she bowed her head in a brief fervent prayer, the long fingers of her graceful hands intertwined in supplication.
Maria-sama, I don't know why you have done this to me, and if I have ever so angered or disappointed you to this extent, I humbly beg your forgiveness. Please light my way through this labyrinth of deceit and show me what you want of me during these times of tribulation. I pray for your guidance and forbearance during the days ahead and, if you do not see your way to release me from this burden, please know that, with all my heart and soul, I am and have always been, your humble servant. Amen.
Raising her head she noted that she had gathered a few curious stares from the other girls as they went about their own morning rituals. Surprisingly, some were giving her the same appreciative glances that she had received from the men. With a small sigh she turned left and headed towards the administration building and the start of the next two years of her new life.
Arriving at the administration building she put her street shoes in a spare locker and donned the indoor shoes that she pulled from her small book bag. She then ascended the stairs to the second floor, passing a few students, teachers, secretaries and nuns along the way, ignoring the few curious glances that continued to be thrown her way, and knocked politely on the door of the main office before turning the knob entering.
"Excuse me for intruding," she said in a melodious, alto voice looking towards the clerk standing behind the long counter that separated the entry and waiting area from the desks occupied by other clerks and secretaries busy at their own tasks. "My name is Hiromi Takeda and I am here to see the Academy Director if she has a few moments," she asked, bowing her head slightly.
She had been to the office once before on a quiet Sunday a few weeks before. Then there had only been herself, the Academy Director, Kaori Tamura, and the school nurse, Sadako Inoue, in attendance.
"Do you have an appointment?" the clerk asked with a smile.
"Yes, thank you. I am starting school today and Tamura-sensei wanted to meet with me before my first class."
"Let me see if she is free if you don't mind waiting just a moment?" the clerk asked politely.
Hiromi smiled and nodded her acceptance and went to sit in a convenient chair while she waited. It was no more than few minutes before the clerk was back and waving her to accompany her.
As the clerk bowed her way out of the immaculate office, indicating that she would ask the school nurse to attend them directly, Director Tamura rose from behind her desk and waived Hiromi further into the large office.
"My, my, let me take a look at you Hiromi-kun," the Director said with a large smile indicating for Hiromi to turn around. With a sigh at the inevitable, Hiromi spun slowly in place allowing the Director to look her over to her heart's content. "Oh, you look absolutely adorable in that uniform; at least you would if you would stop frowning at me," she said with a little laugh. "You know it's not my fault that you're here and in that uniform. This was your mother's and grandmother's doing, so don't blame me and don't give me those dirty looks. I certainly don't deserve them".
Hiromi sighed again and sat in the chair indicated by the Director in a small sitting area near the large windows overlooking the tranquil campus.
"I know it's not your fault Aunt Kaori, and I'm sorry if I seem to be directing my frustration at you. I promise that it's not intended. It's just . . . I really don't like dressing up and pretending to be a girl," he said heatedly. "I mean, how do you wear these skirts all the time? I feel half naked here! I . . ."
He snapped his mouth shut as a quiet knock sounded from the closed door to the office. At his godmother's call, the clerk returned briefly to serve tea to the Director and her guest, a third cup waiting for Inoue-sensei to arrive, and then left again just as quietly as she had entered.
"You know, Hiromi-kun," the Director said as she raised her cup to her lips and took a sip of the fragrant herb tea, "I won't even begin to try to understand what it is your mother and grandmother are trying to do here. Since both of them are alumna of the Academy, and we have been graced by their extreme generosity over the years, I don't intend to pry too much into your affairs. I have known both of them long enough that I can trust to their good intentions . . . and to yours as well, boy.
"As your godmother, I know exactly how you were raised and I've seen for myself your own good moral and ethical judgment, so I know that I can trust you with my young charges without fear of any scandal. I must admit, however, that I am curious as to their intent in perpetrating this charade and especially in how you feel about it."
Hiromi sipped his tea and allowed his normal calm demeanor to settle around him once again. Rather than answering immediately, he gave the question the serious thought that it deserved before setting his cup down and entwining his fingers in his lap. Looking into the concerned face of his beloved godmother, he gave a brief chuckle before responding.
"Sometimes I think this is just my mother's and grandmother's way of getting back at me for being born a boy and not being able to follow in their footsteps here at Lillian," he said with a grin, "but they actually do have a reason and, despite my earlier outburst, I have to agree with them or I wouldn't be here," he continued in a more serious vein.
"With my father having passed away recently at such a young age, and as an only child, I am now the titular head of the Takeda family business. Since that business caters strictly to a female clientele it's important for the head of the company to understand not just what the marketers and pollsters numbers say are the desires of our customers, but to know himself, intimately, the wants, desires, and dreams of our current and future customers. I need to know not only what our customers need and want now, but what they will need and want ten, twenty, and thirty years from now so that we can always be there to meet those needs. If we can do that the business, and the competition, will take care of themselves.
"Mom and Grandmother have been pounding into me for years that they can help and advise me along the way, but that they can only advise. Dad spent too much time trying to cater to the business side of the job rather than to the customer side, which is why we haven't been as successful over the last ten years as we have been in the past. The founder and three previous heads of the company were all women, and it was those women that made the company successful. It was only when Dad had to take over that things started to fall apart. Not badly, mind you, just not as well as they had been in the past.
"So, it was my mother's and grandmother's idea to send me here, to Lillian, to truly learn what it is to be a young lady in this day and age and hopefully bring that 'feminine' touch back to the company," he finished as his godmother nodded her head in understanding.
"And you are ok with this?" she asked then, concern still visible on her expressive face. "I mean, I can understand where your mother and grandmother are coming from, and I can't fault their logic. I also know you'll do your best to fulfill those dreams and I will help you in any way I can. But are you truly all right with . . . ," she waved her hands indicating Hiromi and the uniform he was wearing, "with this!"
Picking up his tea once more, Hiromi chucked again. "Well, I was raised primarily by two extremely strong women, and because of that – or so they have told me on more than one occasion – I have probably been given the 'great gift' of having a little more estrogen in my system than most guys anyway. I won't pretend that it will be easy, let alone a piece of cake; and I will take you up on that offer of assistance, probably so often and to such a degree that you will come to regret it. I know I'll make mistakes and need your help to get through them, but I am determined to make their dreams come true. Their dreams are, after all, the same as mine."
A brief knock at the door signaled the arrival of the school nurse, Sadako Inoue, who took one look at Hiromi and let loose with an impressive wolf whistle once the door had been safely closed.
"Look at you, Hiromi-kun" she said with an evil grin. "Aren't you the beautiful young lady? I mean, I know you were beautiful as a guy, but, wow, you're going to have them swooning in the hallways and yes, I mean the girls. Now, stand up and let me get a look at the whole package."
Sighing once again Hiromi stood and did a slow pirouette for the, he was now sure, oversexed woman. Whether she kept to just men or just women was open to debate in his mind. Nor did he really care as long as she kept his secret and didn't overly tease him. It was essential that she be in on the charade given her position and his probable (no, definite) need for her services until he graduated two years from now.
So he let himself be ogled and prodded for the next few moments as Inoue-sensei assured herself of his disguise.
"How are those fake breasts I gave you working out? Are they comfortable enough? The material their made of will look and feel like the real thing through the thinnest layer of clothing, including nipples," she grinned wickedly again. "As long as you wear a chemise, teddy, or t-shirt over your bra, depending on the situation, you should be fine. And how about", and here the truly evil glint reappeared in her eyes, "your other issue," she giggled.
"The 'panties' my company came up with handle that little issue very comfortably, thank you very much," he growled. Then he found himself chuckling as well. The truth of the situation was just too funny. "In fact, we found a company that supplies clothing to transvestites that was extremely excited about them. We're going into full production next month with a preliminary run of twenty-thousand units."
That announcement got both women laughing outrageously for the next several minutes, his godmother barely keeping from spraying her recent sip of tea across the table.
"Well," Inoue-sensei said as the laughs finally died away, "if you two don't have any more business to discuss, it's about time I got Hiromi over to her classroom and introduced her to the homeroom teacher. Remember Hiromi, from now on you have to think of yourself strictly as a girl. No spreading your legs when you sit, crossing your legs at the knee rather than at the ankle, no blushing or ogling the other girls when you have to change clothes for PE, and, most importantly . . . never leave the seat up in the restroom."
With that declaration the two left his godmother's office, the Director wishing him the best of luck while trying futilely not to laugh, and headed towards the education building and his (no, he thought, her) first class at Lillian Girl's Academy.
The rumor's had been flying fast and furious all morning about the new transfer student starting at Lillian today. Minako Tsukiyama, editor-in-chief of the Lillian Kawaraban, the school's newspaper, had arrived early and stationed herself strategically near the statue of Maria-sama so as to grab an interview with a (hopefully) sleepy and unwary innocent that had not yet heard of her reputation. Her petite soeur, Mami Yamaguchi, had been stationed by the back gate on the off chance that the new student arrived via that route. Both had been disappointed to find that not only had they missed the girl's arrival, but that the students that had seen her had been extravagant in their descriptions of both her grace and good looks.
As she and Mami walked dejectedly back towards the education building and their respective classrooms they were hailed by Tsutako Takashima coming from the direction of the photography club room. Tsutako had been an unofficial photographer for the newspaper since her arrival at Lillian a year earlier. If anything the bespectacled girl was more dogged in her relentless search for photo-worthy subjects than Minako and Mami were in their search for school gossip (never letting such simple things like the truth get in their way, of course). Tsutako's picture last year of Sachiko Ogasawara and Yumi Fukuzawa, the Rosa Chinensis and her petite soeur the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton, entitled "Discipline" had been the student favorite for the rest of the term and, according to rumor, had netted her a tidy little sum from her surreptitious sales of 5x7 copies during last year's school festival. However, Tsutako knew both of the newspaper club members and staunchly remained mum on the topic.
Today she was approaching the two down-hearted gossip mongers with her typical smile and, if the glint in the dark blue eyes behind her rimless glasses was properly telling, it seemed that they had been scooped once again.
"Good day, ladies," Tsutako grinned, "From your expressions may I surmise that you were unsuccessful in this morning's hunt?"
"Good day, Tsutako-san," Minako smiled back warily. "I'm sure I have no idea what you mean. What could we possibly be hunting this early on this beautiful first day of the term?"
Mami hung back slightly behind her grande soeur, ready to support her if necessary, but wary of going toe-to-toe with the school's ace photographer this early in the day. If the two reporters had a reputation for ruthlessness, Tsutako had a reputation for always getting the picture. It wasn't for show that she always kept her camera hung around her neck except during classes.
And when Tsutako calmly pulled a photo from her book bag and held it out for their inspection they both knew that they had indeed been scooped again. It was true that Tsutako always got the photo. It was also true that if you wanted one of her photos you ended up having to pay for it one way or another. Tsutako had garnered quite a few people that owed her "favors" for the photos she had supplied them with. It looked like today was not to be any different.
"If you were hunting for a certain transfer student this morning I can provide you with a wonderful set of photos of your quarry . . . for my usual, nominal fee of course," she grinned mischievously.
Tsutako was the consummate predator when it came to her photography, but she also had a heart of gold. Her usual "fee" was the right to kill any story that she felt deserved to die a slow, lingering death. It was often a race between them to get a story published and distributed before Tsutako had a chance to kill it. She didn't call in her markers often, but when she did it was usually for a good reason and, if Minako was to be honest with herself, had saved them from extreme embarrassment and the need for a follow-up retraction on more than one occasion.
The photo they were handed showed a beautiful (some would say gorgeous) young woman with long strawberry blonde hair and with a body and features that would put any professional model to shame. As was always the case in Tsutako's photos, they could feel the grace, elegance, and purity of the young woman shining from the pigments of the photo. Tsutako never just captured an image with her camera, she seemed to be able to capture the essence of her subjects and transmit that essence to the viewers. As much as she hated to admit it, Minako knew that Tsutako's photos told a better and fuller story than anything she had ever put into print. Minako sighed and admitted failure once again.
"How," she asked simply, already knowing the response she would get.
"Just lucky I guess," Tsutako shrugged, still smiling. "I happened to be on my way to the club room when I saw her walking towards the administration building very early this morning. I'll let you have a copy of these photos if you like as soon as I get her permission for publication. I'm heading to class right now and will try to catch up with her at the break. If you're lucky you might be able to catch up with her then as well."
Minako handed the glossy, camera-ready copy photograph back to Tsutako-san reluctantly, knowing that she would never get her hands on it if the young woman in the picture didn't give her permission. Along with a heart of gold the reporter believed that the photographer also had the ethics of a saint and cursed her for it each and every day.
"Let me know just as soon as you get that permission and, if you can, please let me know what class she ends up in. I would greatly appreciate it," Minako asked, smiling once again now that she at least knew what the new transfer student looked like. She and Mami would be scouring the second year classes for her as soon as they reached the education building.
"Of course," Tsutako said putting the picture back in her bag and turning towards the education building and her own classroom. As she walked briskly away she couldn't help but glance over her shoulder, grinning once again and parting with two-fingered salute, "it is always a pleasure doing business with you ladies. Good day".
"Good day," Minako and Mami called back together, smiling falsely and resuming their walk to their own classes.
"Bitch," Minako added under her breath so low that even her petite soeur couldn't hear her. It wouldn't have been ladylike.
Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for all your previous support and I hope you enjoy this story. I promise that you some of your favorite Roses (i.e. Yumi and Sachiko) will show up next chapter.
Any and all reviews will, of course, be greatly appreciated.