Angel vs. Demon
Chapter 53 – Graduation
Almost two months had passed since the big incident, and everything had basically returned to normal. The school was fully renovated, the teachers and students were closer than ever, and the injured were on the road to recovery. Apollo had somehow disappeared after visiting me in the infirmary; he was probably just off on his own, like usual, contemplating the meaning of life and wandering around doing his own business. Aside from that, everything was back to the way it was before all the drama happened.
And, of course, classes and school still continued on like usual. My friends and I were all seniors, so this meant…
"Ugh, graduation!" Kurumu groaned, flopping over on the couch in the girls' dorm. We had already finished our final exams (it was a bit hastily written and done, mostly because of the battle that had happened merely a month before), and it was almost summer vacation. The school was holding a graduation ceremony in the auditorium hall the day after tomorrow.
"Think of it as a good thing," Yukari said to Kurumu, patting her on the knee. "You'll get to leave this school, have a job, and go places."
"Those are all bad things!" Kurumu cried, laughing. "Well, except for the going places part. But I don't wanna have a job! And – I never thought I'd say this, but – I don't want to leave. Mostly because of you guys…"
"We're going to have to leave too, Kurumu," Moka replied, smiling sadly.
I had something bothering me in the back of my mind, though, that I needed to voice out loud. "Um, I don't know how it works here in the monster world, but for normal humans, we're going to have to get a job in the human world. So… does that mean that we're all going to be separated?"
I said the last sentence in a panicky voice, the thought suddenly making me nervous. I'd just met these people for a year! I didn't want to leave them just yet.
"It's kind of different here," Moka answered thoughtfully. "Some monsters choose to have jobs in the human world. But, of course, those monsters have to disguise their true forms and practice great self-control. They basically have to mingle in and pretend to be a human for the rest of their lives."
"That doesn't sound very… exciting," Kenta muttered, looking down at the ground. "I don't think I could stand doing that for my entire life…"
I had to agree. Monsters had certain urges, I knew that… and what use were your monster powers if you couldn't even use them? It'll be like a bird trapped in a cage… moving, living, but unable to fly freely.
"Then again," Moka continued, "not a lot of monsters stay in the human world. Most monsters find odd jobs to do here, in the monster world."
"What kind of jobs?" I asked curiously.
"Ah, you know, we mostly take over what our parents do. Say, if your family owned a monster restaurant, you'd inherit the place and run it and stuff. Or, if your family was rich and wealthy, you would inherit the mansion and live there. Things like that." Moka paused, and then continued. "There aren't a lot of laws here, though… monsters don't run this place like you humans do in your world. We mostly trade for what we want and hunt whenever we feel like it. It's all about power and rank, here. It's very different."
"Very," I agreed. I briefly wondered if I could live in the monster world… I probably could (and would), if my friends were with me. I definitely wouldn't be able to survive on my own, though. Sadly, I was sure of this.
I shook my head, ridding myself of these thoughts. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay in the monster world even if I wanted to (which I doubtlessly did). I had my family to consider. They needed my help… especially my parents. My siblings could be a real handful sometimes.
Besides, I had other things to worry about. Like, say, the graduation ceremony!
All the students were gathered in the big auditorium room. The place had been equipped with chairs (for the students and the few parents/guardians that decided to attend), refreshments, balloons and banners, and a podium for speaking. The Headmaster had showed up, of course, but he stood in the sidelines while he ushered Ms. Nekonome up on stage to greet everyone.
"Meow, um, welcome to the graduation ceremony, everyone! Thank you all so much for coming today. I know a lot has happened, and it must be hard on many of you. So, to start us off, I'd like everyone to commemorate all the students and staff in the memorial site that will be forever be remembered for their sacrifices and bravery."
Ms. Nekonome went on like this for about ten minutes, naming all the students and teachers that had died in the battle, while the crowd mourned. Then, she finally moved on to normal graduation procedures.
"And finally, here is the Headmaster, meow, who is going to say a few words! He will be giving out the diplomas to the graduates."
The Headmaster finally stepped onstage and took the microphone from Ms. Nekonome. He tapped against it with his finger to make sure it was working properly.
"Thank you, Ms. Nekonome. And thank you, everyone in the audience today. What a great and eventful year this has been, for all of us."
The Headmaster was a man of few words, and he summarized the entire speech of a Headmaster/Principal in a few short sentences.
"I'm impressed," Kiseki whispered from beside me. "I wish all Headmasters were like him. Then, maybe fewer students would be falling asleep."
I giggled a little. It was true, though; a few monster graduates were snoring slightly in the back of the room. I even heard the sound of a slap (probably from some impatient parent), and the whine of a monster who had just been woken up.
From up onstage, the Headmaster was calling out graduates' names in alphabetical order by last name. He spoke a few words about them each, and handed out the diplomas. I saw Kurumu and Moka tear up and sniffle as Tsukune went up. Since his last name was "Aono", he was one of the first ones to climb on the podium and receive his diploma.
"Tsukune Aono brought many… changes… to the academy," the Headmaster said, smiling ambiguously as he shook hands with Tsukune. He listed off the clubs, activities, and awards Tsukune had been engaged in and received over the past few years, and ended his little dialogue with: "Tsukune is a courageous and dedicated student, both to his friends, teachers, and fellow peers. We were all pleased to have you here at Yokai Academy. May you continue to succeed and prosper in the future."
Tsukune nodded his head, shaking hands with the Headmaster again.
And so it went on like this, with each student shaking hands with the Headmaster and receiving his or her diploma. Not all the students had such positive comments made about them, mind. Some were barely able to graduate, with their unsatisfactory grades and behavior… a few even had to stay back a grade.
Moka, Kurumu, Mizore, Kiseki, Kenta, and Yukari all had good comments made about them, though.
Moka was – according to the Headmaster – an extremely "intelligent" and "charismatic" student, who excelled in almost all her courses. Kurumu was "enthusiastic", and won the "Culinary Student of the Year Award". Mizore always tried her best, and Kiseki was a "witty" and "knowledgeable" student. Yukari received the most praise, though… she had gotten a scholarship to some university for witches, I heard. She was really brilliant and smart; I felt so incredibly proud of her.
As for myself, the Headmaster – in his words – had said that: "Although she stayed with us for only a year, Ame has proved to be kind and caring towards her fellow classmates and teachers. She brought a lot of excitement to this school," – here the Headmaster smiled at me knowingly – "and I hope she will continue down the right path. Keep the scale in balance, Ame."
I had almost rolled my eyes at his last sentence, but I smiled nonetheless. Shaking his hand, I received my diploma and headed off stage to sit in my spot again.
Student after student went up to get their diploma. I hadn't noticed how many students we had here at Yokai Academy until just that moment. It brought back many memories, just watching these people go up one by one. I wasn't close with every single student, granted, but I still remembered the fun times we had together in classes. Some faces I would never forget.
Finally, after an eternity of waiting (there seemed to be millions of graduating students at Yokai Academy; the ceremony was finished. Everyone tossed their hats up into the air, and began laughing and yelling in relief an happiness. Most students left with their parents right away after this, but many also stayed behind to sample the refreshments and talk with the Headmaster. He was wandering in the crowd of people heading each in their own, different directions… and I saw him speak with many of the parents, guardians, and students near the food tables.
Moka and the others were hugging their friends and classmates and saying tearful goodbyes to everyone. I was going to join them, but I had to quickly go to the washroom.
I planted myself behind Kurumu's back and tapped her lightly on the shoulder.
"Kurumu, I-,"
"What…?" she said, turning around to face me.
I almost had a heart-attack. Kurumu's eyes were red and teary, her nose was stuffy (I guessed that Kurumu had wiped it so often that it looked like a tomato), and she had shining, tear-stained cheeks. I'd never seen her like this before, and it shocked me – though not in a bad way. It was hilarious, the way Kurumu looked. If she wasn't feeling so sad, I would've laughed.
"I'm, um, going to the washroom," I answered, stifling my laughter with my hand. "I'll be right back, okay? Can you guys wait for me before leaving?"
"Yes," Kurumu sobbed, looking like someone died. "Go… just go…"
I patted her on the arm in condolence before turning around and heading to the girls' washroom. I had to weave in and out of the crowd to get there; I bumped into plenty of grumpy parents and guardians on the way.
The washroom was down the hallway to the left. I was just turning left around the corner to get to the washroom… when I bumped into someone I never expected to see again in my entire life.
Author's Note:
Hello again :)
Sorry this chapter was kinda short… I had to save the rest for the next chapter.
Anyways, I hope you liked their graduation! I know it's nothing like a real graduation, but hey, they're monsters… they can bend the rules and change things up a little ;)
Alright, everyone, so read on to the next chapter to see who this mysterious new arrival is…!
- ACookieZ
