Hi there~!
Okay, so, before starting this story, I've got some things I must tell you, dear reader.
First: This story is originally being written in Portuguese, by yours truly. It means that some jokes might get lost in translation... But I'll try my very best to make it as enjoyable. It also means my native language is NOT English: feel free to point out my mistakes, if you please!
Second: as you're obviously going to notice, the girl narrating this chapter is British. I've spent half of my life learning only American English; if any British English speaker is reading this and notice something out of place on the character's speech, please, tell me! I'd love to improve my British English vocab 3
Third: This story is based on the official "Gakuen Hetalia" game. Anyone who has ever played it (DS or PSP version, it doesn't matter), any similarities aren't mere coincidences...
Fourth: Please enjoy! The original story has more than 70 chapters by now, so I'll try to translate them at a faster pace (when I've got time for that, of course...)!
A very special thanks to Thatlonelylittlewriter, who gave me the strength I need to start this translation. Thank you very much
Chapter 1 – Sekai W Gakuen[1] – Elisa Thompson
If I was already thinking that my first day in High School would be completely different from everything I've already went through, now I was dead sure.
Everything started on that April Sunday, when hundreds of students and I were barred at our future school's gate, the World Academy[2]. The World Academy was built on an island in the middle of nowhere, and houses students from all around the world, boarding school style. Or rather, used to house. That's because the gates were the only thing that stood tall after the fire that devastated each and every building beyond it.
Therefore, since we couldn't be simply sent back home unfoundedly like that, our principal found a way we could all be transferred to our ex-future school's biggest rival: the Sekai W Gakuen, an eccentric school with the same standards as the World. I say it's eccentric because, well, who builds a huge school for only 194 students?
We didn't understand neither why the restrict students number, nor why they refused to accept us at the beginning, until everything was cleared for us at the opening ceremony. The 194 students were, in fact, the personification of the world's 194 countries – as strange as it may sound. Why do they need to go to the school, I haven't got the foggiest idea.
The whole school has a kind of weird way of functioning, to be honest. The classes were separated by continents, similar to the division of classes by grades at normal schools. I guess they probably increased the classes' number now… Moreover, each student has the possibility to adequate their schedule with subjects matching their likings, including classes in their mother language. All the classes are taught in English, a great strike of luck for a British girl like me, though there is a kind of Japanese atmosphere inside this school…
I was staring at the newly-added plate on the door they sent me to, at the girl's dormitory's second floor. It pointed out the name of the three people that would share that room. Usually, the girls wouldn't share their rooms, since there weren't that many girls around here, but now things have changed.
"Elisa Thompson" was the first name. That would be me. I'm 15 years old, and I was born in London, England. I've got dark brown, long hair, green eyes, and nothing else worth describing on my physiognomy. Your typical London lady. My high grades threw me in the Asia 1 Class. May it be stereotype or not, the Asian classes would be the equivalent to the geniuses' classes.
The second name on the list was "Sachiko Kurogawa". I hadn't got the foggiest idea about who she was, but I could at least deduce she was a Japanese girl. The third name… Liechtenstein. A country. I still can't believe it.
"Hn… Excuse me… This room is mine and I, well… Is it okay if I enter it?"
The voice came from a delicate girl, with very short blond hair, a tad short girl by the way, with green eyes. Decorating her hair, there was a blue, skinny ribbon. She was wearing the same uniform as me: a white shirt hidden by a white vest and a dark blue blazer, a checked, crimson skirt (which, for my eternal displeasure, went straight to our ribs and had two suspenders with the same pattern; thankfully, the vest covered it all), long, blue stockings, brown shoes and a green necktie. It probably looks like a weird combination of colours, but it's actually visually pretty.
"This happens to be my room too," I said, smiling. I pointed to the plate. "Which one are you?"
"My name is Liechtenstein, and it is a pleasure to meet you." Pretty formal, this Liechtenstein…
"I'm Elisa, nice to meet you."
Liechtenstein looked at the plate before keeping the conversation going.
"Thompson-san[3], welcome to Sekai W Gakuen," she bent on a slight reverence as she spoke.
"You can call me Elisa, I don't mind it."
I think I shouldn't have said that. Liechtenstein became red and started to stutter.
"B-but…! We have just met each other, I cannot…! Das ist peinlich[4]…"
To avoid any more embarrassment, I opened our room's door and made she enter as well. The room was beautiful: three beds with three bedsides, three dressers, each set leaning on a different corner. On the centre, three refined armchairs with a tea table, over a fuzzy rug. On the corner there was no bed, there was a door that must lead to our private bathroom. The whole room was decorated with wonderful artworks and figurines and a window turned to the dorm's entrance garden. I thought of letting Liechtenstein choose her bed first but, after that commotion at the entrance, I simply threw myself on one of them. My bed would be the one by the door's right side, while Liechtenstein took the bed by the window's left side. It looks like the bed by the window's right side is going to be Sachiko's.
"Konbanwa[5], roommates!"
The girl, obviously Sachiko, was standing at the door. She'd got very long hair, coloured in pitch black. Her eyes were dark brown, and she had such a big chest that made the non-busty Elisa and Liechtenstein feel terribly bad. Like both of us, she was using the whole uniform. We introduced ourselves shortly and went to sleep, anxious for the next day, the official first day of classes.
The breakfast was simply marvellous. Just to know that I could choose any dish from any country of the world's culinary – it doesn't matter what, they promised to do it on the spot! – was much more than I could imagine for this school. My first period at Asia 1 was Math, along with Sachiko. Sachiko was, as they'd say at her homeland, a genki girl[6]. Always agitated, I wouldn't be able to assure she was part of the geniuses.
At our table, besides both of us and Liechtenstein, there were other two friends of her: Seychelles and Hungary. Seychelles had her brown hair tied in two red ribbons, in two low pigtails. Her eyes were brown, like her hair, and her skin was slightly tanned. Hungary had wavy, long hair, coloured in light brown. Her eyes were green, matching her orange strap that held her fringe still. Seychelles was wearing the uniform's complete version, but Hungary wasn't wearing the blazer. I couldn't find out much about their personalities, but I guess I'll get to know them better later. Since Liechtenstein and Hungary were at Europe 2 Class, and Seychelles at Africa 1, we departed after the breakfast.
"Sachiko, care to go ahead? I'm going to pour myself a cup of tea before going."
"Ii wa yo[7], alright, Elisa-chan[8]!" Unlike Liechtenstein, she didn't see any problems with calling me by my first name. "Just don't be late, ne[9]!"
I nodded and went straight to the tea table. I got fascinated with the porcelain cup with painted pink flowers, and I probably lost my focus staring at it, as when I noticed there was someone standing behind me.
"If you're not pouring yourself a cup, get out of here."
The boy who said that was blonde, with green eyes and eyebrows so big that scared me. He was wearing the male uniform, more or less like the female's, just changing the skirt for checked, blue trousers. His vest was blue, darker than the blazer. To be honest, this school had a very big uniform's options scale. We could opt for blue or white vests (for the girls), or maybe beiges (for the boys). Furthermore, there were sweaters in the same colours. According to Seychelles, until last year, the Africa Class wore a khaki uniform with red scarf or necktie, but it was abolished since it generated prejudice towards the Africans. Who would've guessed, even here…
"What a rude way of speaking with a lady," I retorted.
"Lady? Do you mean a gentlewoman, or a dame, as a matron of sorts?"
"Who uses the word lady on that way? You're probably the only one," I said, while I poured a cup of black tea.
"A gentleman like me does not say such things."
"Gentleman? Where? Because, as far as I know, the one who said it was you."
"Tush! You git! That's one of the reasons why they shouldn't have allowed people like you come to our school!"
"No gentlemanliness..." I sipped my tea. "Wait a minute, did you say our school? What kind of country with no culture are you?"
"Tch!" he grunted. "Country with no culture is the one you came from, you who can't even recognize an authentic gentleman. I'm only saying it once, so try to remember it well. My name's England but, for you, it's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."
I didn't know whether to cry because my country was an ill-mannered boy with hairy caterpillars on his face, or to laugh because he just called himself 'country with no culture'.
"You should think before accusing the other's countries. After all, my country is you. Or rather, it's England. But you're England. Oh, who cares."
"Y-you?" he was shocked. "No, I refuse to believe that you're British!"
"Hello, England! Making new friends?"
Another boy suddenly appeared and put an arm around England's shoulders. He'd got blond hair, blue eyes and looked a lot like England, minus the ridiculous eyebrows, plus glasses. Instead of the blue blazer, he was wearing a brown coat, his vest was slightly grey and his necktie, bluish grey. What was his problem with the uniform?
"Don't pester me, America! Not even in a million years this one is going to be my friend!"
America? Do you mean, United States of America? Ah, that explains the similarities between the two of them.
"So, who is she?"
"Someone that doesn't let me have my tea."
"My name's Elisa Thompson." I stared at America, avoiding any eye contact with England. "Nice to meet you."
"The pleasure's mine, Elisa! I'm America, this school's hero, no, this world's hero!"
"Have fun, you two idiots. I'm going to my class." He was turning his back to us, when he suddenly stopped and turned to us again. "Don't tell me we're going to be in the same class?"
"But of course not." I smirked and cocked. "I'm in Asia 1 Class. It's one of the geniuses' classes, isn't it?"
England restrained his conniption and went away stomping the floor.
"The Asia Classes might be the geniuses' ones, but only America 3 Class has a hero, and that's me! See, even my name match the class' name, because, of course, I'm the leader!"
I let America boasting out alone and went to my first period.
[1] Sekai W Gakuen (世界W学園): "World W Academy", in Japanese. A school created by the awesome Hidekazu Himaruya for Hetalia. The W probably means "World".
[2] World Academy: The name was chosen as a name play with the school mentioned above.
[3] -san (さん): a Japanese honorific that shows some respect or, at least, lack of intimacy.
[4] Das ist peinlich: "this is embarrassing", in German.
[5] Konbanwa (こんばんわ): "good evening", in Japanese.
[6] Genki girl (元気ガール): a Japanese term that pictures a girl who is always lively, with energy to give away and lacking some good judgment, at times.
[7] Ii wa yo (いいわよ): "alright", in Japanese, with some emphasis that everything is really alright.
[8] -chan (ちゃん): a Japanese honorific that shows lot of intimacy. Generally used with women or children, not mattering their gender.
[9] Ne (ね): A typical Japanese emphasis particle. It's said that, when the Portuguese people went to Japan, the only thing the Japanese people could understand of their speech was the occasional "né", that fixated itself in the Japanese language.
