Chapter 78 – Big High School Kids
Arle's POV
"*giggling*"
"*more giggling*"
"*even more giggling*"
"Well, someone's excited." Amitie said to me.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Well, you've been standing in front of the mirror giggling to yourself for the past 20 minutes while looking at your school uniform. So yeah, it was."
"Sorry. I'm just so excited. In just mere hours, I'll be going to school for the first time since kindergarten. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight."
"Well, please try to. We do share a room and all."
"Alright, aright."
Like Amitie said, I was giggling to myself while looking at my reflection. Holding my school uniform over me while imagining what it'll look like on me when I actually wear it tomorrow.
The mirror was in the room that I share with Amitie. So, she saw the entire thing.
Why did she wait 20 minutes to say anything?
I hanged my school uniform back on the hanger next to my bed then got into said bed to at least try to calm myself down enough to sleep.
"Hey, Arle. You said this would be your first time going to school since kindergarten, right? What exactly happened that made you skip 9 years of school?"
That's when I went silent and froze up at the same time.
I didn't think I would ever have to explain what exactly happened all those years before. Not in full detail, I mean. But it would be a huge weight off my chest if I did.
"Well…you see, it kinda went like this. When I was 6, I had to complete a test by scaling a large tower, collecting three magic spheres, and defeat these two creatures named Cockatrice, a fat chicken with a serpent's tail, and Mamono, a birdlike monster with the ability to teleport. Beating Cockatrice was no problem. Mamono, on the other hand, was completely different."
"How different?"
"Well, for starters…before I had the chance to attack, it created an awful illusion of my classmates turning into hideous creatures with their faces melting and eyes leaking out. I was so terrified that I was barely able to fight. But I did, and somehow managed to beat the damn thing. I then left the tower, afraid that my friends would be terrible creatures, but they all looked normal."
"W-Woah. Th-That is really scary. So, that kept you from going back to school?"
"No. It wasn't just that. Not long after, I had to go around the world to collect these eight gemstones hidden around the place. I forgot what they did, but I do remember a guy named Devil who possessed my headmaster and tried to used his power for his evil plan. I stopped him…but as you would expect, it took time away from me going back to school."
"I-I see. Anything else?"
"Well, there is the time where I first met Schezo. But that's way too dark for me to tell this late at night."
I don't want any nightmares the night before school…
"Good call." Amitie nodded.
"Then there's the time where I first met Rulue. For whatever reason, she believed that me having Carbuncle was a sign that Satan chose me to be his wife. I tried explaining to her that what she believed was the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard and that there is no way in hell I would ever marry Satan…but she didn't believe me.
So, she sent out her servant Minotauros, Mino for short, and he chased me into a nearby forest. I managed to escape from there, but my hands were torn and bloody due to frostbite caused by overusing a spell I know called Ice Storm. And on top of that, I had to defeat Mino AND Rulue with said torn and bloody hands.
She never listened to me on how I don't love Satan. And that's how that one-sided rivalry started."
"Woah."
"And then there were ridiculous stuff caused by Satan. Made a game tower, made the sun bigger so he can get women all over him, had me fight a clone of myself. Well, now that I think about it, he was possessed by that clone against his own free will. So I'll let him off the hook for that one."
"I see."
"So, now you know. Everything I had to do that kept me from going back to school. And basically kept me from being a normal girl."
"Wow. Arle…I'm so sorry all that stuff happened to you." Amitie said. Her face still filled with shock.
"Oh, don't worry about it. It was all fun, in a nutshell."
"What part of ANY of those stories were "fun"?" Amitie gained a sweatdrop.
"But all of that's behind me. Tomorrow, I'm fully going to start fresh. Starting with experiencing high school with you guys tomorrow."
"You got that right! Good night, Arle."
"Night, Amitie."
Amitie then turned off the lights and we both went to sleep. It took me a little longer than normal because of those past memories now flowing around my head. But I eventually did get a good night's sleep.
"Arle…Arle…Arle, wake up!"
"H-Huh? Wh-What is it, Amitie?"
"Arle. It's time."
"Time? Time for what?"
"Time for school."
"School…?" I then looked at the clock. "At 6:00 in the morning?"
"Well, we gotta freshen up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and met the others at the train station…all in an hour, I might add."
"An hour? *whine* That's no time at all!"
"You'll get used to it, Arle. Now, get up. You'll make us late."
"Daaaamn…" I continued whining as I rolled myself out of bed and flopped to the floor. Still half asleep from being woken up so early.
I'm starting to rethink this whole "school" idea…
Minutes later, Amitie, Ally, Rafisol, and I were standing in the living room looking over our uniforms. We each a black jacket over a white undershirt, red neckties, and red mini-skirts.
Though, for some reason, Rafisol's necktie and skirt were both a mix of light-blue and purple. And Ally didn't know why, either.
Also, from what Amitie told me, the school didn't really care about what shoes we wore. So, we were wearing the shoes we normally wear.
I thought the whole purpose of a school uniform was that everyone looks the same. But I guess I was wrong.
"Well, don't you all look cute." Melody said to us.
"Wow, Mom. That's got to be the first time you used the word cute." Amitie said.
"That was a compliment and yet you couldn't just say thank you, huh?"
"Alright. Thank you, Mom."
"You're welcome, Ami. *sigh* Man, seeing that uniform just brings back memories."
"You still have yours, Melody?" I asked.
"Yeah, I do. It's somewhere in my closet. Don't think I can fit it anymore, though. Not with these big…"
"MOM!" Amitie shouted.
"Fine, Ami. I get it. Point it, you girls look cute in yours."
"Thank you. But still…"
"What is it, Ami?" Ally asked.
"I just wish this Rainbow Puyo Hat matched this outfit. Then I would look even cuter."
Then moments after she said that, Amitie's hat started to glow. It started to float on its own. And after a short while, it stopped glowing and fell back onto her head. That's when we noticed that it had changed color from multicolored to a light shade of red.
…
…
…
"Well, that solves it." Melody said.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot that the hat grants wishes now." Ally said. "So, it looks like we gotta be careful about saying "I wish" in public, huh?"
"Sure looks like it. *sigh* Just another weird hat doing yet another weird thing."
"It looks really cute on you, Ami." Rafisol said.
Amitie then looked at the mirror nearby and took a look for herself. Moving her hair out the way to get a clear view.
"Hey, you're right, Rafisol. It does look really cute. And it even matches the uniform! So cool! Now, I'm SUPER ready for school!"
"School? What is this…"school"?"
"Gah! Wh-What the?!"
"Hi, Rafisol." Rafisol said to her reflection in the mirror.
"So, this is the alternate dimension Rafisol you girls were talking about." Melody said. "She looks just as emotionless as the original."
"Hey…"
"No, Sis. You really are emotionless." Ally said. "Thanks to you not having a soul."
"Oh." Was all she said.
"So, you are going to this "school" place, I presume?" The reflection asked. "What is it, really?"
"A place you go to. And do stuff."
"I see…"
"Sis, no. That's not a good explanation." Ally said. "School is a place where kids like us attend to for most of the week to learn things like Math, History, and Science in order to prepare ourselves for the real world ahead of us."
"Real…world?"
"By that, I mean when we all become adults."
"Learn…adults…does this "school" place teach you about love?"
"W-Well…no. But it is a place where people do find love. Oftentimes, their first."
"I see now…excuse me for I must be going. Goodbye."
"Bye, Rafisol." Rafisol said as her reflection disappeared from the mirror.
"Why do I feel like she's going to be up to something?" Amitie asked.
"Well, she is Rafisol, Ami." Ally said. "She's always been the unpredictable type."
"Unpredictable?" Rafisol asked.
"It means you're special, Sis."
"Oh." Was all she said.
*RINGTONE CHIME*
"It's the others. They're waiting for us at the station." Amitie said while checking her phone.
"Right. We should get going." Ally said.
"Oh, but first. Here, Arle. Take this." Amitie then placed something in my hand, and I lit up in excitement when I saw it.
"A-A CELL PHONE?! I GOT MY OWN CELL PHONE?!"
"Yep! We each pitched in a little and got you this a couple of days ago. That way, you can keep in contact with us."
"Wow! Thanks, you guys! Having a cell phone is so cool!"
"I'll show you how it works on the train. Now let's go."
"Right. Coming!"
"See ya later, Melody!" Ally cheered.
"Bye, Melody." Rafisol said.
"Bye, girls. Have fun at high school." Melody waved at us as we left the front door and headed for the train station.
When we got there, we saw Raffina, Raina, Lidelle, Feli, Klug, Peruvis, Sig, and Chu waiting for us to show up. all dressed in uniform…I think.
Raffina's was like ours, but orange (Raina's was lighter). Feli's was all black and her necktie was yellow. And Chu's was grey.
Are we supposed to have different colored uniforms?
For the boys, everything was pretty much the same. The jacket and necktie were the same as ours. And they both wore black pants.
Guess you can't do much when you're a boy.
"Hey, everyone!" Amitie shouted.
"Hey, Ami!" Raffina cheered.
"Morning, Ally." Lidelle said with a smile.
The two pairs of lesbian couples then hugging and cuddling and kissing their respected partners.
Right in front of us without a care in the world.
"Aw, geez! Get a room!" Peruvis shouted.
"Oh, please. Like you're any better." Raffina said.
"I am. I don't go kissing Sig on the mouth like I'm trying to vore him or something."
"Did you really had to mention the vore thing?" Sig gained a sweatdrop.
"Lay off, Peruvis. This is how couples show their affection towards each other." Ally said.
"Yeah!" Lidelle agreed. "This is completely normal, right guys?"
"No." Chu said.
"Not even close." Klug said.
"You're way off." I said.
"It's actually kinda gross." Feli said.
"I didn't think you guys would get addicted to kissing." Raina said.
"It's not an addiction, you dope." Raffina retorted her clone.
"And besides, you can't single us out, Peruvis." Amitie said. "We know about you ditching us last night to spend time with Sig."
"H-How did you know about that?!" Peruvis yelled with a mild blush on her face.
"Sig's cousin told us. She saw you two leave shortly after we went in the bath."
"We also know about that butterfly belonging to Chu." Raffina added. "You two are definitely paying for my next hairdo."
"*sigh* Damnit, Toule." Both Peruvis and Sig mumbled to themselves.
They sure seem to be comfortable around each other again. Good for them.
"Ow…my head. What time is it?" Phoenix asked as he slowly came out of Peruvis' back.
"Uh…7:05 Monday morning." Lidelle said as she checked the time on her phone.
"Monday morning?! God! I was knocked out all day yesterday!"
"All day? Why all day?" Raffina asked.
"Basically because Peruvis choked him until he eventually passed out." Sig said.
"It was pretty funny seeing him phase into Peridi's back like that." Chu added.
"Glad to see you find my pain enjoyable, Chu." Phoenix said sarcastically.
"Sorry."
"I'm not. You were asking for it." Peruvis said.
"Why you little…"
"Come on. Keep moving."
The voice we heard was from Witch, who was dragging Harpy all the way here. And of course, Seriri was clinging on behind her. Harpy's uniform (surprised she's even wearing it) was similar to ours, but the skirt was white and the necktie was a really light blue.
Her wings were coming out of the jacket. So she was still able to fly. And she was even wearing a pair of white sneakers. Which blew my mind because, for the entire time I've known Harpy, she's never worn shoes.
I guess there's a first for everything…
"Thanks for bringing Harpy here, Witch." Ally said.
"*sigh* It's fine, but you owe me big for this. Waking Harpy up was the most difficult thing I've ever done. Thank God that Genbu girl helped out."
"I see…"
"*whine* I'm so tired, Wicchi!" Harpy whined. "Why do I have to wake up this early?! It's too much!"
"Well, you're gonna have to do this sort of thing 6 days a week. So, get used to it."
"6 days?! Ally! You lied to me! This isn't tubular!"
"Come on, Harpy. We're not even at the school yet. It'll definitely be tubular. Just give it a chance."
"*whine*"
"D-Do you really have to go, Harpy?" Seriri asked.
"I guess…"
"B-B-But…I-I don't want you to go. I-I-I'll miss you…" Seriri looked like she was about to cry. And I really don't blame her. It was only recently that she was reunited with her best friend and crush. And now she's going away without her. Of course, she'll be sad.
"Seriri…it's going to be okay." Ally said.
"N-N-No it's not. Wh-Wh-Why does Harpy need to go to this school thing? I-I-It sounds stupid! WHAAAAAAA!"
"Aw, geez. She's in full tears now." Witch said.
"Seriri really likes being around Harpy, huh?" Amitie asked me.
"Yeah, she does."
Then Amitie went silent for a bit while thinking to herself.
"Well, maybe there's a way Seriri can come without being a student." She said.
"Huh? What do you mean by that, Ami?" Raffina asked.
"You know, like one of those emotional support animals you see sometimes. They're there to help the person relax."
"Wait, so Seriri would be an emotional support…mermaid?" Klug asked.
"That could work, right?"
"Well, it's a first. But there have been weirder choices." Lidelle said.
"That emotional support crocodile was interesting, though." Phoenix said.
"Right? It was really cute, too." Peruvis added.
"Wait, there was an emotional support crocodile?!" I asked.
"Yeah…people got creative with the whole thing." Amitie said.
Creative?
"Don't you have to fill out a form for that?" Klug asked.
"Yeah, we do." Ally said. "But don't worry, Seriri. We'll get you and Harpy together again soon. So, just be patient for a little longer. Please?"
"*sniff* W-Well…i-if I get to be with Harpy again, th-then I could…w-wait a little longer." Seriri said.
"And besides, Harpy will be home at the end of the day. So, you'll see her later today."
"Probably should've told her that first, Ally." I said.
"R-Right."
We then saw the train coming up from a distance. Didn't think it ran this early, but I guess it has to for people who are up this early.
"There's the train." Amitie said as it pulled up to us.
"We better get going." Ally said.
"*sniff* B-Bye, Harpy. I-I'll miss you." Seriri was trying to hold in her tears, but it was obvious she was struggling.
"Seriri…It'll be okay. I'll be back later. And when we do, we'll have extra fun together!" Harpy cheered.
"Really? You promise?"
"I promise! I would never lie to my tubular friend!"
…
…
…
"C-Can I get extra nuzzles tonight?" Seriri asked.
"You betcha!"
"Nuzzles?" Amitie asked me.
"It's complicated."
"Okay, Harpy. I feel better now." Seriri was blushing when she said that. No doubt thinking about all the nuzzles she's going to get tonight.
Stay strong, Seriri. Harpy will realize your love for her soon.
"Come on, you guys!" Ally shouted from inside the train.
"Aw, geez. Come on, Harpy." I said as I grabbed hold of Harpy's arm.
"Bye, Seriri! Bye, Wicchi!" Harpy shouted as she waved at them.
"Have fun."
"BYE, HARPY! I MISS YOU ALREADY!" Seriri shouted.
"C-Calm down, Seriri…" Witch said to her with a sweatdrop.
Harpy and I finally got on the train with the others and it pulled off from the station. Leaving from Primp Town to Suzuran City.
On the train, I started messing around with my new cell phone I got this morning. I've seen the other use this thing like crazy, and always wondered what it would be like to actually have one. Now that I do, I can finally experience this "tech-savvy" craze or whatever they called it.
But after a few button presses, the phone started making a bunch of weird loud noises. And I started panicking.
"Wh-What?! Wh-What's happening?! What did I just do?! Aw, damnit! I think I broke it!"
Sig, who was sitting next to me, was trying to hold in his laughter from watching me panicking over this thing. But failed.
"Oh, real funny, jerk." I said.
"Sorry, sorry." Sig apologized. "Here, let me see."
I gave Sig the phone and he looked at it a little. Then after a few button presses, the noises stopped and the phone showed a bright blue screen with a bunch of icons on it.
"Wh-What the…How did you do that?!" I asked.
"You were in the ringtones menu."
"The what menu?"
"A ringtone is a short sound you use to let yourself know that someone's calling you. You were in the menu for that and had selected Play All."
"Oh…" I sounded amazed.
"This is your first time having a cell phone, isn't it?"
"Y-Yeah. Pretty much."
"I gave it to her before we left home. You should've seen her face, Sig. she was so excited." Amitie said from behind us.
"Hey! He doesn't need to know that!" I yelled from embarrassment.
"Oh, right. Sorry. Maybe I should tell him how you were standing in front of the mirror last night giggling to yourself for 20 minutes while looking at your school uniform."
"Amitie!"
I then looked over at Sig, who was once again trying not to laugh.
"*sigh* Go ahead." I said.
"N-No. I-I'm good. I-I won't laugh anymore….Hahahaha!"
"Hmph! Meanie!" I started to pout.
"You know…I still find it weird that even though you two broke up, you're still close together." Amitie said to us.
"We just happen to be good friends, that's all." Sig said. "And besides, Peruvis is fine with us being this way."
"Is she really?"
"She's even hoping that the three of us are in the same class together."
"That would be nice…" I added.
"I wanna be in the same class as you too, Shigu!" Chu said as she jammed herself in between us. "And with you too, Aruru!"
"*giggle* I'm sure we will, Chu." I said to her.
*Now arriving at Suzuran City. Now arriving at Suzuran City.*
"This is our stop." Amitie said.
"We're only a few minutes away…soon, I'll fully be a high school student…the excitement is killing me!"
"Well, try to stay alive until we actually get there." Sig said to me.
"O-Oh, right. I'll try." I said with a small blush of embarrassment.
Once the train came to a complete stop, we all got off and eventually got out the station. We looked around the area and some of us were amazed at the sight. As this was our first time experiencing a place like this.
Myself included.
"Woah! So this is Suzuran City?! It's so huge!" I said.
"I know, right? It's beautiful." Raffina said.
"So, where do we go from here?"
"Not sure." Amitie said. "Ringo and Ayumi are supposed to meet us here, but I don't see them…"
"Hey! Guys!"
We heard a voice calling to us, and saw that it was Ayumi, along with Ringo, heading towards us. Ringo's uniform was more similar to mine, but Ayumi's was similar to Feli's…where instead of the necktie being yellow, it was white.
Okay, I'm really curious about these uniform differences.
"Morning, you guys." Amitie said.
"Morning, everyone. Ready for the first day of school?" Ayumi asked.
"I'm ready for a nap. Does that count?" Harpy asked.
"No, Harpy." I said.
"Harpy?"
"Oh, right. Ayumi, this is my friend Harpy. She's also from my world and is starting school with us."
For whatever reason…
"I see. Well, nice to meet you, Harpy. My name's Ayumi Katabuki."
"Hiya, Ayumi…really long name!"
"Huh?"
"She's an airhead." I said.
"Ah. I see."
"So, Lidelle. Were Auntie and Rulue excited for you going to their old school?" Ringo asked her cousin.
"Well, Mother was. She wouldn't stop taking pictures. And Poochy wouldn't let me go for a couple of minutes. Although, Rulue wasn't there, for some reason."
"Rulue wasn't there? Did she say where she went?"
"Nope. No note or anything. I even asked Mother and she said she had no idea where she went."
"That's odd."
"Well, knowing Rulue, she probably went to do some martial arts training or something." I said.
"Martial arts training?" Raffina and Peruvis asked.
"Yeah, she's really good at it. Strong too. Even gave herself the title of…geez, what was it again?"
"I believe it was Fighting Queen, Rulue-sama." Ally said.
"R-Right…" I said. Remembering how ridiculous it sounded.
No wonder I forgot what it was…
"Well, anyway…let's get going. First bell rings in about 45 minutes. We'll guide you all so you'll remember on your own." Ringo said.
"Thanks, Ringo." Amitie said.
Our group then started walking through this big city, looking at tons of things while on our way to our new school.
It really took a while to get there, though. Out of the 45-minute time limit we had, the walk took up 35 of those minutes. I was nearly exhausted. But I instantly forgot about the long walk once I gained a view of this building in front of us. I couldn't take my eyes off this beauty.
It's been so long since I've gone to a school to learn something, and today was the day all that changes. No more going on weird and scary quests with nightmare-inducing battles. No more dealing with Satan and his stupid plans to get women around him. I can finally restart my life as a normal girl. Do normal girl stuff, whatever those are. And starting today, do normal schoolgirl stuff.
Again, whatever those are.
"Yo. Earth to Arle."
"Huh?" Apparently, I was spacing out. And came back to reality to seeing Sig standing in front of me.
"You coming inside or what?"
"Huh? You mean we actually go inside?" I sounded shocked.
"It really has been a while since you've been to school, huh?" Sig gained a sweatdrop.
Is it that obvious?
"*sigh* I really hope I don't embarrass myself in front of everyone."
"You'll be fine. I'm sure of it."
"Well, you seem confident."
"That's because I didn't skip for 9 years." Sig said with a cheeky smile.
I was starting to get mad at him for doing such a thing, but then I got an idea.
"Well then, Mr. Duranné. You'll just have to be my guide." I said.
"What?"
I started laughing at Sig's reaction as I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the school building.
"Come on now, Guide. We don't want to be late."
"This is a terrible way to treat your ex-boyfriend, you know." Sig said. Still upset at what I'm making him do for me.
"Yeah, I know." I said. Returning the smug look he gave me earlier.
Inside the school was enormous! Probably as big as that superstore Sig and I went to. Well, maybe not that big. But you get my point.
We both eventually caught up with the others as they were looking at this board on the wall for some reason.
"So, what's this thing, Guide?" I asked.
"Quit calling me Guide already." Sig complained.
"Fine, fine."
"Anyway, this is the class roster. It shows who's in what class. All 10th, 11th, and 12th graders are split into four classes. You just find your name and that's the class you're in."
"I see."
"Hey, Arle." Amitie called out to me. "I already checked the list for you. You, me, Raffi, Lidelle, Ally, and Harpy are in Class A."
"Really? Wait, so that means…"
"Yeah. Looks like we're in different classes." Sig said.
"Damn." I said to myself.
"Well, that sucks." Peruvis said as she placed her hand over Sig. "But hey, on the bright side, you and I are in the same class, Sig."
"Seriously?"
"Sig, Peruvis, and Ayumi are in Class B." Amitie said to me.
"Really now?" I then turned to the couple. "Well, I guess this means that you'll be snuggling it up during lunch break, right?"
"N-No! N-Not at all!" They both blushed.
"I wouldn't mind seeing that." Ayumi said as she joined our conversation.
"Sh-Shut up, Ayumi!" Peruvis yelled.
"What about the others?" I asked.
"Well…Ringo, Feli, and Rafisol are in Class C. And Klug, Chu, and Raina are in Class D." Amitie said.
"So, Chu's on her own huh? *sigh* I figured this would happen." Sig said.
"She's not by herself. Klug and Raina are with her."
"Yeah, but…what I mean is I figured she would get singled out for her age."
"Her age?" We asked.
"From the looks of it…Chu's in the Special Ed Program."
"Special Ed?!" Chu yelled as she overheard her brother. "B-But I'm an 11-year-old in the 10th grade! Why would they put me in Special Ed?!"
"Primarily for the reason, Chu."
"*whine* Shigu…"
"Did you sign her up for it?" Amitie asked.
"No. In fact, I've repeatedly told them NOT to put my sister in Special Ed. But they went and did it anyway. I'm SO filing a complaint."
"You think they will listen now when they didn't before?" Peruvis asked with a sweatdrop.
"So, what's this "Special Ed" thing?" I asked.
"It's a program made for students who require extra help in their learning process. They also get extra time on tests and stuff like that."
"Wow…wait, but Chu doesn't need any of that stuff. She's smarter than all of us."
"That still stings a little…" Amitie and Peruvis mumbled to themselves.
"That's what I kept telling them." Sig said with an agitated look.
"Aw, don't be too upset about it, Chu." Ayumi said. "I'm in Special Ed, too."
"Really?"
"I have a bit of Dyscalculia within me. Meaning, that I'm bad with numbers."
"Woah…" This was not only said by Chu, but also Sig, Peruvis, and I. As none of us knew that was even a thing.
"And from what I heard, Rafisol, Raina, and Harpy are in Special Ed, too." Amitie said. "They usually tell them apart from others by the uniforms."
Huh. So, that's the reason.
"Well, at least you're not alone, Chu." Sig said.
"*sigh* I guess. But I still don't like it."
"Wait, so, if the different uniforms represent Special Ed, does that mean that Raffina and Feli are in it, too?" I asked.
"No, they just got theirs customed-made. It's a rich girl thing." Amitie said.
"I see…"
*Attention. Attention. All 10th graders please report to the auditorium for the Principle's Speech. I repeat…All 10th graders please report to the auditorium for the Principle's Speech. *
"Principle's Speech?" I asked.
"It's something 10th graders of any school have to listen to. You get to meet the principal and all the teachers here, too." Ayumi explained.
"I see."
I never knew my principle back in kindergarten. Schools sure are different in this world.
"Come on. Let's hurry up and get good seats." Amitie said.
"Sure thing, Amitie."
"Hey, Arle." I felt a tug on my sleeve. I turned to see Harpy floating next to me.
"Yeah, Harpy? What's up?"
"What's an auditorium?"
…
…
…
"Uh…I actually don't know, Harpy." I answered after thinking about it.
"Don't worry. I'll explain on the way." Ayumi said.
"Hehheh. Thanks a lot."
Our group made it to this auditorium place that we had to go to. On the way, Ayumi did explain to me and Harpy what this place is about. And we were able to understand it a bit more. In fact, it got Harpy interested a bit more.
"So, people actually perform here? Like as in singing?"
"Yep. And besides that, people often throw these things called plays here. That's when you act out a part in front of an audience. And you sometimes sing in those, too." Ayumi explained.
"Woah! That sounds totally tubular! I wanna do it! I wanna sing and perform here, too! Can I do it now, Arle?! Please, please, please?!"
"C-Calm down, Harpy! People are staring." I said while holding her arm and bringing her back to her seat.
"But I can't! I'm too excited! I really wanna perform in this place!"
"Well, there is the Theater Club, Harpy." Ringo said while sitting next to her.
"Theater Club?"
"They're the ones in charge of putting up plays. You can join if you're really good."
"Tubular…" Harpy's excitement had calmed down a bit, but it was still there nonetheless.
"Harpy singing on stage…that'll be a surprise." Lidelle said.
"Yeah, it will." Ally said. "But I just found a bigger one."
"Really? Where?"
Ally said nothing but giggled to herself.
"Melody Scale!"
She then used her most recent spell to have a bunch of tiny musical notes come out of her hand and went three rows down to circle around a girl with light-green hair. And then seconds later, the girl disappeared from her seat and reappeared in a seat next to Ally.
"*shriek* Wh-What the?!"
"Hiya, Marvett!"
"A-Ally?! Wh-What did you just do?!"
"You know how I said that I have magical powers? Well, I used one of them to bring you up here. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Th-That was terrifying! Please never do that again!"
"Aw. Killjoy." Ally pouted.
"So, you're attending Suzuran High too, Marvett?" Raffina asked. "That's a huge surprise."
"Well, since I moved to Primp, this was the closest school that was still open. So, I really didn't have a choice."
"That's true."
"What class are you in?" Amitie asked.
"Uh…Class D, I think it was."
"Class D? That's the same as…"
"Yay! We're in the same class, Marvie!" Raina cheered as she hugged her friend from behind.
"R-Raina…?!" Marvett stood silent for a bit. Then she patted her dense friend's head out of kindness. "Well, then…let's have a good year together, okay?"
"Okie-dokie!"
These two seem close together, too. Are they that good of friends?
"Hey, the speech is about to start." Ringo said to us.
"Oh, right. This oughta be good." I said as I paid closer attention.
*3/4 OF A SPEECH LATER*
"…And so, without further ado, here are your wonderful teachers."
"Arle. Wake up." Amitie nudged me on the shoulder.
"H-Huh? Wh-What?"
"You fell asleep. We're about to see the teachers for the first time."
"Oh, really? Well, that's *yawn* nice."
"Come on. The guy wasn't that boring."
"That's what you think, Amitie." I said while still being half-asleep.
As the teachers started coming onto the stage, we all started clapping. After a short while, though…I stopped. And so did many of the others. Mainly because we recognized one of the teachers standing on the stage. And we couldn't believe our eyes.
"Uh…Hey, Arle. Isn't that…" Amitie asked me.
"It…It can't be. Right?" Raffina asked.
"I'm not seeing things, am I?" Ringo asked.
"No. A-At least I'm not sure myself. Is that really her, Arle?" Lidelle asked.
"Y-Yeah. Th-That's…"
"Rulue?!"
Our eyes weren't screwing with us. There was Rulue, on stage, with all the other teachers. Her hair was in a ponytail and wearing a purple & white shirt/dress combo.
I haven't seen her wear that since the whole carnival incident.
Her favorite red fan was in her hands. And like always, she was standing in some kind of elegant pose with a small smile on her face.
The entire time I was looking at her, one question was swarming my mind…
What the hell does she teach?!
"You girls know her?" Marvett asked.
"She's uh…you know about the group of people that came out of a mirror during the summer?" Ally said.
"Wait, is she one of them?"
"Yep. And so are Arle and Harpy. And a few others, as well."
"I see…"
"I hope you all get to know your new teachers well." The principal said before ending his speech.
"You ain't wrong about that, buddy." I whispered to myself.
When we finally got out of the auditorium, the first thing Amitie, Raffina, Lidelle, Ally, Ringo, and I did was look for Rulue. It didn't take us long to do that. As Rulue was leaning against a nearby wall. Supposedly waiting for us.
"Rulue!" We all shouted.
"Ohhohoho! Surprised you all, didn't I?" She said after doing her trademarked noblewoman laugh.
"Rulue, are you actually a teacher here?" I asked.
"Yep. You're looking at Suzuran High School's newest gym teacher."
"Really?!"
"How did that happen?" Amitie asked.
"Well…sometime last week, Lily and I were here in Suzuran shopping for some stuff when we passed by this place. After we talked about the memories we had from here, we noticed the "Help Wanted" sign on the front gate. So, we both went in and I applied for the job. That's when the current principle recognized us from an old picture he's seen around the school somewhere. He was so excited to see past students here that he gave me the job on the spot. A lucky break, I would say! Ohhohohoho!"
"Wow. That's some story." Ally said.
"And a cool way to get a job." Ringo said.
"No wonder you weren't home this morning." Lidelle added.
"Yeah, I had to wake up early to get here for a special meeting. I would've told Yumi, but you know how your mom is when it comes to waking up in the mornings."
"Yeah, I'm starting to see it." Lidelle gained a sweatdrop.
"The guy even offered to give Lily a job here, but she declined."
"Really? That's a surprise. I mean, I know she's busy taking care of us four, but…" Raffina said.
"She said that she was okay with turning it down. And that she had enough good memories here."
"I see. That sounds like something Lily would say."
*INSERT SCHOOL BELL CHIME HERE*
"That's the bell. We've gotta get to class." Ringo said.
"All right. See you around, Rulue." I said as we waved at her.
"Have fun, girls. Ohhohoho!"
Ringo went on to her class while the rest of us went on to ours. When we got there, I was shocked at all the new people there. I've never been in a class this big. My kindergarten class was like less than 10 students including me. My nerves began to rile up. But then the others helped calm me down and then we went to sit down next to each other at the desks there.
As seconds went by, I started getting more worried. But that worriedness soon turned to excitement as the door slowly opened. I was about to meet my new teacher. The person I'll be seeing a bunch of times during the year.
I then felt Amitie tap me on the shoulder and then I turned to face her.
"You ready, Arle?" She asked me.
I smiled before giving a response to that question.
"Yep. Sure am."
Author's Note: The first day of high school is finally here! This is where most of Fever took place and I'm actually excited to reach this point again. There are some changes (both major and minor) that I want to do now that I'm dropping the Japanese School System from this story. It's just easier to understand.
I'm still doing that other story. But I just want to do a few chapters of this first. Since it's been over a month since this was updated.
Also, Rulue's outfit is her Flash Attack outfit from Quest. Which is also based on her outfit from Puyo 4. Just less revealing.
Thanks for reading. Later.
