Chapter 2
The years passed by way too slowly for Ayano's taste. She'd shown advancement but always refused to move grades. She had a reason, but not a good one. She attributed it to the one thing that had interested her. A group of demons.
Without proper context it sounded like Ayano was making things up, hence the reason she never told anyone. But it was true. She'd had a dream where she was surrounded by five demons. She could remember a feeling of excitement as she studied each one. She remembered a handless one with a gaping mouth, one with a flames for a head, a succubus, a shadowy person and a high school girl. Nothing had happened. She got a look at them, they'd got a look at her and then she woke up.
Still...it had felt real. It was the first time Ayano had laughed and she wondered if she had gone crazy like the people in those horror films. Nothing came of it and she was still stuck in this boring, predictable world.
When she reached highschool she convinced her parents to let her live alone. It wasn't much, just a small apartment still within walking distance of her parents house, but it alleviated some boredom. She could distract herself with work and preparing for her second year of high school. If something unplanned happened, then she had to rely on herself. It rarely happened, but when it did Ayano's day would get a little better.
When the first day of school began, it was like every other day. Her years at Akademi would pass as slowly as her years at every other school. She put on the uniform, a white and navy blue uniform shirt with a red mini scarf, a matching navy blue skirt, black stockings, and black shoes. She had no time to prepare her usual breakfast, so she grabbed a slice of bread and left the house. She quickly returned to grab her forgotten bag then headed out the door again. Before the door closed she thought she heard a woman laugh. But there was no time to check, so Ayano left thinking about the mysterious laughter in her apartment.
I could have been hearing things. Ayano thought. It could have been one of the neighbors. Maybe a tv was left on.
Her mind had gone into overdrive after hearing the laughter in her apartment. She'd given up on trying to distract herself from it by reading. She'd figured out the culprit in her mystery novel after the first chapter. So instead she walked to school chewing on her bread while her mind went over every possibility of what could have caused that laughter. In the end her mind decided it was her imagination. A very predictable response.
"Hey look out!" Ayano looked behind her and stepped out of the way of two boys.
They think they're late for school. Ayano watched them run. They'll be in track. With how much they enjoy running...Ayano almost smiled at the thought of one of her predictions being wrong.
Orientation wouldn't start for another twenty minutes and she could see the gates right in front of her. She had nothing to to worry about. She'd make it on time.
The school was nothing impressive. It was a large building: three floors and the rooftop, a plaza, the gymnasium was a separate building to the west. She remembered being in her first year and perfectly mapping out the school after her first day. She'd gotten weird looks but people wanted help with finding classes. Ayano drew at least twenty maps that day.
It was the same gym teacher standing at the door. Ayano hadn't bothered to remember her name. It was boring to remember. She'd rather she get some excitement out of not knowing the teacher's name. She walked to the gymnasium and waited for the ceremony.