There wasn't much time for bickering when they both had to get ready for classes bright and early in the morning. Dio found a way to make time for it anyway. He was standing by the front door as Jonathan searched frantically for his shoes. "I don't want to be late," Dio said. "If you're going to take so long then I'll leave without you."

"But I just had them!" Jonathan lifted up the carpet in the entranceway as if they could have gone flat beneath it. "Did you put them somewhere?"

"No." He had. "I'm going now, Jojo."

"Just wait!" Jonathan dashed upstairs. "I'll wear my old pair."

Dio left and started walking, but it wasn't hard for Jonathan to catch up with him. "Those look ragged," Dio said as he glanced at Jonathan's shoes. "I guess you're not worried about putting your best foot forward."

"It's better than going barefoot," Jonathan retorted. "And anyway-oh." He went stock still. "Wow! There's a lot of students and a lot of girls!"

There were, indeed. It seemed like a nearly even mix of boys and girls, all in uniform teal and making their way to campus.

Jonathan pouted. "I wish I could have found my good shoes."

The classes flew by in a whirlwind, but noon came with a generous hour-long free period. Jonathan's stomach growled; he had skimped on breakfast. As the last class before the break ended, he turned and held out his hand to the boy behind him. "Hello! I'm Jonathan Joestar, but people just call me Jojo. I'm a new student. Do you know the way to the dining hall?"

The boy gave his hand a firm but brief shake. "Oh, hello! So you're one of the new students? It's nice to meet you. I'm Miki." He smiled; his face was open and friendly, but he had a sort of serious, thoughtful air. Jonathan noticed that his uniform was also markedly different from the standard solid teal; it was instead a more formal looking white and sky blue. "Has nobody else from the student council talked to you yet?" Miki asked. "Usually the president is supposed to at least leave a note at your dorm."

Jonathan shook his head. "Student council? No, I don't think so. Are you in it?"

"Oh, I'm the secretary." Miki looked away with shy satisfaction. "It's an interesting position, that's for sure. Oh! You asked about the dining hall. I usually eat lunch with our treasurer. Would you want to join us?"

Jonathan beamed. "Absolutely!"

This campus needed a damn map. Dio peered out over the stone railing to the courtyard below. He was pretty sure that the dining hall was on the second floor, but perhaps it was the second floor of a different wing.

"Lost?"

Dio turned on his heel and looked at the young man behind him. He was tall and lanky with long, wavy hair. His uniform was white cut with grassy green. "You must be one of the new students." He held out a hand. "Saionji Kyouichi."

"Dio." He shook his hand firmly. Saionji's nails dug into his palm; he refused to wince, even when Saionji twisted his wrist and peered down at his fingers. "Kyouichi… what is that, Welsh?"

Saionji quirked an eyebrow. "Huh? No. Anyway, I'm the vice president of the student council. Usually, the president greets the new transfers, but he's busy. Want to join me for lunch? I can give you a tour of the place after."

Dio nodded and flashed a smile that did not reach his eyes. "I'd be honored."

The lunch being served was light, pleasant fare. Jonathan took a plate with a sandwich, mixed steamed vegetables, and an apple, then filled a glass with water from the spigot. He glanced around the open-air courtyard packed full of tables and students eating their lunches. Miki waved at him from a distant table secluded in a corner. Jonathan grinned and hustled over to join him. He set his lunch down on the table, pulled out a chair, and found himself frozen by the intensely pointed stare of the young woman sitting across from him. Her outfit was similar to Miki's, but was instead accented by a sunset orange color. She had long, curly ochre hair and eyes as light and sharp as a shard of ice.

"Uh," he said, clearing his throat. "Hello."

She held the serious stare for a few more moments, but her face soon softened with laughter. "Hello. Jojo, right? I'm Juri, the student council secretary."

After a moment of hesitation, Jonathan held out his hand and smiled. Juri shook it with enthusiasm, then leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms behind her head. "Welcome to Ohtori. Sorry if I spooked you."

Miki laughed as he pulled the tomato slices off of his sandwich. "She's not sorry. She does that on purpose. So, Jojo, how has your first day been?"

Juri looked at him attentively but she put a green bean on her spoon and slowly, subtly bent it back as he was talking, aiming it directly at Miki. Jonathan glanced at her, but Miki didn't seem to notice. He suppressed a smile as he answered. "A little overwhelming! There are so many more students here than I was expecting. I'm not from a small town exactly, but this is really different."

Juri released the spoon; Miki dodged the flung green bean perfectly and grinned. "That's four for three, Juri. I'm ahead again."

"Ah, but for how long?" she replied, loading another one onto her spoon. Jonathan laughed.

"Would you please eat your food instead of throwing it," Saoinji grumbled. He brushed the stray bean off of his uniform and stole a seat from the neighboring table before sitting beside Miki. Miki gave a little huff of annoyance but said nothing. Juri was peering off over Jonathan's shoulder; he turned in his seat to look.

Dio stared down at him impassively. He pulled a chair over and sat between Jonathan and Juri, then smiled at Miki. "I see you've already met Jojo. I'm the other new student. You can call me Dio."

Miki tilted his head and reached out; they briefly shook hands. "Nice to meet you."

Dio held his hand out to Juri, who gave it a single shake before she returned to reclining. "You're both in the student council, I presume?" he asked.

"I'm the secretary, and Juri is the treasurer," Miki answered. "Do you know Jojo already?"

Jonathan's throat went dry. He ventured a sidelong glance at Dio, who took a sip of water before responding. "We're roommates," Dio answered, and he left it at that.

The group finally turned their attention towards their lunches, except for Saionji, who crossed his arms and huffed until someone noticed him.

"Where's your lunch, Saionji?" Juri asked without looking at him.

"Himemiya's supposed to bring it," he complained.

"Just go get one from the counter," Miki said. He pushed his empty plate away from him and retrieved a watch from his pocket. He stared at it pensively as it ticked.

Saionji twisted around in his seat, looking out at the crowded courtyard. Unable to find what he was looking for, he crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. "Where is she?"

"You're the one that should know," Juri replied tersely.

Jonathan looked at Saionji with concern. "I've got my apple left if you want it."

Saionji sneered at him and stood. "I'm going to go look for her. She probably forgot it was lunchtime again."

Dio raised an eyebrow as Saionji turned to leave. "Shall we save the tour for another time, then?"

Saionji frowned, but he did actually look a touch guilty. "Well, no. Just come with me. You too," he said, nodding towards Jonathan. "Since you're new."

"Oh, a tour would be good." Jonathan stood and pushed in his chair. "The campus is so large."

They followed Saionji as he begrudgingly led them through the main academic wings, pointing out the playing field, the swimming pool, the music and arts rooms, the fencing gym, and other significant areas. Jonathan was pleasantly surprised to see that Dio was genuinely interested by Saionji's distracted explanations. "What's the tower?" Dio asked, waving his hand toward it.

"Oh, that's the chairman's residence," Saionji answered. "The student council meets up there, too. You can probably see the balcony from here." He ducked around a corner and pulled open a door, revealing a supply closet. "Ugh. Well, she's probably watering the roses again." He strode off; Jonathan wasn't sure if the tour was over yet or not, so he continued to follow him. He descended a stairwell and led them to a long hallway that was open to the outside. In the middle of a small courtyard, there was a glass greenhouse. The door was propped open, and a young woman with dark skin, round glasses, and hair pinned carefully into an updo stood just inside, looking intently at a rosebush. Saionji glanced back at Jonathan and Dio. "Tour's over. The free period is going to end soon, anyway. I guess I'll see you later." His tone made it clear that he had no desire to do so. Jonathan gave him a halfhearted wave goodbye.

"So," Jonathan said tentatively to Dio, "how is your first day?"

"Fine." He gave Jonathan a cool, even stare. "Did you get to meet the student council president?"

Jonathan shook his head. "No. I think he might be absent today or something. Miki said he was supposed to greet us." His gaze flicked up to the distant Saionji, who had just entered the greenhouse. "He's the vice president, right?"

"Yes. I wonder what you have to do to become a member. I'd join," Dio replied as he leaned against a pillar, "if only so that I don't have to wear this hideous uniform anymore."

Jonathan couldn't help but smile. A joke from Dio that wasn't at his expense was a rare thing. His smile faltered when he saw Saionji storm out of the greenhouse clutching at the young woman's wrist. He yanked her by the arm and she nearly stumbled.

Jonathan was nearly in shock; Dio turned in order to see what he was looking at. Saionji's face was screwed up in anger and the girl wasn't so much cowering as she was catatonic. Saionji's arm raised and she turned away, anticipating the blow. His hand landed with a loud crack.

Dio felt a cold chill; he glanced around the greenhouse exterior for things she could have used to defend herself. A brick to the head would have worked fine, or a metal rake to the face. If she didn't fight back, then it wasn't his problem. He had no idea what their argument was about, either.

Saionji lifted his hand again. Dio turned to look at Jonathan, but all he caught was a blur as Jonathan sprinted across the yard and tackled Saionji to the ground. Saionji wheezed as the breath was knocked out of him.

"What kind of student body representative are you?" Jonathan jostled him by the shoulders. "You can't just hit one of your peers! Especially not a girl!"

Saionji slammed an elbow into his ribs and tried to squirm out from under him. Jonathan coughed and rolled to the side, which allowed Saionji to get to his knees. Jonathan lunged in an attempt to tackle him again, but Saionji tore up a clump of grass and threw it at his face as he scrambled backward. The dirt scattered everywhere. Jonathan shook his head and spat some out of his mouth.

The girl looked down at them with vague astonishment. "The grass," she murmured quietly to herself.

Dio heard a sigh. Behind him was another young man in the student council uniform; his outfit was decorated with a strong red that complimented his long, flowing hair. "I suppose I should break this up," he said, nodding towards Jonathan, who had grabbed a yelling Saionji by the collar. "I'm Touga, by the way. Student council president, at your service. Sorry I didn't get to say hello earlier, I've had a very busy morning. Pardon me."

Dio nodded and gestured widely towards the courtyard. "Go right ahead."

Touga went towards Jonathan and Saionji in a leisurely jog. Saionji finally managed to get back on his feet; he grabbed Jonathan and threw his weight to the side. Jonathan stumbled and fell against the girl, who let out a tiny gasp of pain. He froze and his face went beet red. "Oh! I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

The girl said something, but her voice was so soft that he couldn't hear her.

"Vice president, this is not how we're supposed to welcome our new students," Touga said sternly.

"He started it," Saionji spat.

Dio was preparing to leave his next class when a girl with a brown ponytail stopped by his desk. She was bubbly and anxious all at once, her eyes wide and full of curiosity.

"Hi, new person!" She smiled widely and her hair bobbed as she nodded at him. "I'm Wakaba Shinohara. Welcome to Ohtori Academy!"

He smiled at her and dialed up the charm. "It's lovely to meet you, Wakaba. What class do you have next?"

"Oh, I have history next," she answered. "Room 320-A."

"As do I." He pushed in his chair. "Would you like to walk there with me?"

She practically squealed with excitement. "Of course! Let's go!" To his surprise, she grabbed him by the elbow and practically pulled him out of the room. Once they were in the hall, he wrenched his arm back to his side; she either didn't notice or didn't care. "You've met all the student council already, right?"

"Yes," he answered, maintaining a friendly expression. He gave her standard uniform a quick once-over. "You're not a member?"

"Oh, no, no." She shook her head emphatically. "That's way too much work. I have enough from my classes as it is! Plus, I wouldn't have enough time to make new friends." She bumped her shoulders against him playfully and his smile twitched at the contact.

"How do you join the student council?" he asked.

"Good question." She frowned in thought. "I think it's mostly up to the chairman as to how many spots are open. I know you have to fill out an application and there is a vote, but that's about it." Her face grew mischievous. "Didn't you see the fight earlier? The chairman apparently hates it when students fight. I can't believe the other new student picked a fight with Saionji!"

"Oh, yes," Dio responded. "Jojo has such a short temper. Saionji insulted him so he got mad and shoved his girlfriend around." He sighed. "Jojo's a real piece of work, you know."

"Saionji's girlfriend? You mean Himemiya?" she asked, her face screwed up in confusion. "She's not his girlfriend."

That's the part you're worried about? Dio thought to himself.

They neared the history classroom and Wakaba broke out into a sprint. Dio watched bemusedly as she bolted down the hall and leapt into the unsuspecting arms of a boy with long, strawberry-blonde hair.

Or, not a boy. While she was wearing what looked like a modified version of the boy's uniform, she was certainly a girl. Her knees wobbled as she adjusted to Wakaba's sudden weight, but she smiled warmly. "Wakaba, you have to be more careful. One of these days you're gonna knock me over and break something."

Oh, so she was just this touchy with everyone. Dio was used to a culture where going on a long walk with a woman was about the same as getting engaged. Sure, it was a lot different in London, but he had spent too much time in the overwhelming decorum of the Joestar estate.

Wakaba wrapped her arms around the girl's neck and played at strangling her. "You're not gonna abandon me for the walk home too, are you?"

"I promise, I promise." She bent forward and Wakaba slid off of her, but once she stood she threw an arm around her shoulder. "This is my boyfriend Utena," she said happily to Dio. "Isn't she adorable?"

Utena grinned nervously. "Aw, Wakaba, come on. Hey, you're one of the new students, right?" she asked Dio.

He nodded. "Dio. A pleasure to meet you."

Utena ducked out from under Wakaba's arm and offered him a hand. He shook it and took note of the white ring she wore. He had noticed the same rings on the student council members when he shook their hands. That combined with the nonstandard outfit made him wonder if she was yet another member, so he asked outright. "Are you a part of the student council, as well?"

She blinked at him. "Huh? No. I'm actually a recent transfer, too. I've been going to Ohtori for about a semester now."

That piqued his curiosity. "Oh? Where are you from originally?"

A bell rang and reverberated through the hall. The loitering students scattered into their classrooms. The instructor leaned out the door and gave them a pointed look. Wakaba grinned at Utena. "Hey, cover for me. I want to run something down to the kendo hall. It'll just be a minute; if the teacher asks, say I'm in the bathroom."

"The kendo hall?" Utena gave her an exaggerated pout. "Should I be worried about losing my boyfriend status?"

"Nooo," Wakaba replied as she pushed Utena into the classroom. "I'll be right back!"

"Alright, alright." Utena found a desk to sit at. Dio peered over the remaining seats and spotted an upset looking Jonathan sitting at the back. There was an empty desk beside him and Dio took a seat and grinned.

"You know, I think you actually won that," he said. "Even though you almost bowled that poor girl over. Did you get in trouble?"

"No," Jonathan muttered. "The president just sent me to the nurse. I wasn't hurt or anything, though."

"Ah. Pity." Dio turned his attention to his notes as the lecture began.

The school day drew to a close. The final bell rang and the students spread out over the campus, some heading back to their dormitories and others staying to participate in after-school events. Jonathan was interested in joining one of the sports clubs, perhaps track or rugby, so he made his way to the bulletin board. For some reason, there was already a dense crowd around the board, and it was nearly impossible for him to weave his way in.

He jumped when Dio suddenly appeared at his side. "Do you think they have a debate club?" Dio asked as he tried to peer over the crowd of people.

"Probably," Jonathan answered. "It seems like they have most things here."

The crowd broke out into laughter. A boy close to the bulletin board was reading something tacked to the wall. It seemed like awful poetry. "And so, I dance with you in my dreams, dear Saionji," the boy read with a snort. "You smile at me gently. I guess I'm a fool… Oh, man! Who wrote this stuff? They are a fool! How embarrassing."

Someone shoved their way through the crowd and elbowed the boy out of the way. Utena tore the poem off the wall and fixed the crowd with an enraged stare. "You're the fools! There's nothing lower than what you guys are doing."

"What's wrong with reading something that's tacked up? This board is for everyone to read," the boy sneered, but he wilted under Utena's glare.

"It's obviously someone's love letter! In this case, a real man wouldn't read it." She shouldered past him but paused and went pale when she saw Wakaba standing at the edge of the crowd. Wakaba turned and ran away; Utena chased after her, her face stricken with concern.

So Saionji was in some sort of relationship with Himemiya, Wakaba had confessed her love for Saionji only to be utterly rebuked and humiliated, and Wakaba also claimed that Utena was her boyfriend while Utena only somewhat returned the sentiment. Dio was going to need to start taking notes. He had set up a short-term goal for himself in order to keep from growing bored at the boarding school: by the end of the year, he wanted to earn himself a spot on the student council, and if the voting came down to a popularity contest, he needed to know who to sway and how.

Jonathan watched as Utena ran down the hallway, following Wakaba. Here, at least, was someone with the moral character of an upstanding gentleman, even if she was technically a gentlewoman.

Jonathan did find the time to meet with the clubs he was interested in. To his relief, Dio didn't intervene at any point to try to slander him. It almost seemed like Dio was avoiding any of the clubs he approached, which he supposed he was grateful for. He was ready to head back to the dormitory and was walking along a side path when he stumbled over a broom. He inhaled sharply, landed on one foot, and barely kept his balance. He looked around in confusion when he heard enthusiastic clapping.

Two plain-looking girls were sitting in front of a wall. They had scattered random items around them: buckets, brooms, mops, planks of wood, and pieces of cloth. One girl smiled at him. "Bravo for balance!"

The other waved her hand apologetically. "Sorry, sorry! Our props got away from us."

"I think we got away from our props," the first girl said. "What's the skit supposed to be today?"

The second girl bowed her head thoughtfully. "Oh, good question. I think we changed the script right at the last second."

"Script?" Jonathan asked. "Are you putting on a play?"

"We are the illustrious Ohtori Drama Club," the second girl said as she puffed out her chest. "Of course we're putting on a play."

"What kind of play?" he asked.

"All kinds!" the first girl answered. "Tragedies, comedies, dramas, parables. Tragi-comi-drama-bles."

He smiled. "Histories? Those are my favorite."

The second girl nodded enthusiastically. "Ooh, we love histories. Those tend to be tragi-comi-drama-bles, anyway."

"...Do you take auditions?" he asked tentatively. While the sports clubs had been welcoming, he already knew that he was decent at them. The drama club seemed like something strange and new.

The first girl tapped her chin. "Hmm. We're a pretty exclusive troupe... but I guess we can give you a shot. How about we start you off as a stagehand, and then you can work your way up?"

He clapped his hands together. "Yes! That sounds like a lot of fun."

"Perfect!" The second girl pointed at a box overstuffed with props. "You can start by carrying that."

Dio looked up from his reading when Jonathan tromped through the door. He looked tired but elated. He waved a rose-sealed envelope as he spoke. "My club activity ran a bit late, but this letter was under the front door. It isn't marked, but we are the only ones living here." He set it down on the desk and began unpacking his school bag.

"Well," Dio said as he closed his book, "aren't you going to open it?"

"Oh! Yeah." He picked at the wax with his nail and pulled the thick envelope open. He frowned and turned it over; a white ring with an engraved rose crest fell onto the desk. "It's not a letter, it's a ring."

Dio stood and approached the desk, staring at the ring intently. "There's nothing else in the envelope? It doesn't say who it's for?"

Jonathan pulled the envelope open and peered inside. "No, there's nothing else." He gave Dio a cautious glance. "Why, do you want it?"

Dio snatched the ring and slid it on, then held his hand up to get a better look. "It's not like you would wear it. I'll take it."

"Isn't that what the student council members wear?" Jonathan tilted his head inquisitively and tried to get a better look.

"I think anyone can wear it," Dio replied flatly. "It's just the class ring. This one must be complimentary."

"Hm." Jonathan shrugged and returned to unpacking his bag. Dio peered at the ring and tilted his hand; it glinted in the light but revealed nothing further.