"Oh, Serin-chan, I wish we could show you the way so you don't get lost again-" The worry in the blue-eyed angel's voice was nothing short of adorable. Konohana Hikari, the doll of St. Spica.
".. But it's almost time for dinner, and Miator resides in a separate hall from us. We'll see you in a while, okay? Think you can manage?" Yaya had spunk and the body to match.
As Serin walked down what she supposed was Miator's hall in the Strawberry Residence, she thought back on her parting with newfound friends, Hikari and Yaya. Friends. Could they be called just that? She'd met them not fifteen minutes ago. Serin looked down at her watch. 6 P.M.. She then wondered what time dinner was, and where that would be. Sighing, she scanned the numbered doors for the room number she was assigned. To say she felt like a fish out of water would be an understatement. Serin felt as though she was grappling around in the dark, lost as to where she was, or what she was to do. Silently, she cursed under her breath. Her sister was vile: things could have been so different, just as Serin had imagined them. But no, this wasn't what she had imagined her first day at Miator would be like. In fact, up until a few months ago, she hadn't put the slightest thought to Miator at all. But now she was here, and that was that. She could do nothing about it. As she walked down the halls, her mind wandered, going over the events of the day thus far. Her thoughts drifted over Hikari, and Yaya; the gossiping girls, the beautiful nature of Astraea Hill; her reluctant driver, and... The first person she'd met upon her arrival.
Hanazono Shizuma. She was extravangantly beautiful, to say the least. Serin wondered if all the girls on Astraea were physically attractive, in some way. "Maybe the beauty of the hill falls down upon the girls here..." Serin's mind continued to linger on the silver-haired gem she'd meet earlier that day, until she finally reached her destination. She stood in front of the door for a while, looking down at a paper she'd retrieved from her bag, and back up at the door. She remained standing for a while, her nerves writhing about inside her once more, making yet another appearance. She sighed, and, with determination, reached out for the door handle, and turned it.
A hot shower was exactly the thing needed after what seemed like a long day: and it wasn't even over yet. Fourth year Suzumi Tamao sighed; she wished she could remain in her dormitory's bathtub forever. The temperature of the water was scalding, yet refreshing, and the blue-haired girl coaxed it to relieve her of her stress, and worries. But, even after about two months, she was still troubled...
She knew she'd been in the shower a bit long, and dinner should be soon. Tamao contemplated whether she wanted to attend or not, but figured she'd surely be punished if she missed yet again. A part of her didn't care much: the part that had left with her happiness two months ago. But her stomach grumbled angrily in protest, and though she didn't feel geared towards food, she knew she was hungry. Sighing, she reached for the faucet handle, and the water flowing from the shower-head slowed to a trickle, then a few drops, then stopped entirely. She wrung out her long, azure hair, and stepped out of the bathtub. Dark, violet eyes watched swirls of steam wrap around her and caress her body. She deeply wished it was the arms of her beloved. "Where are you..." She looked at the ground, at the wet towel she stood on. A second later, she heard the opening of the door. The dormitory door. Her dormitory door.
Tamao's face and spirits lifted instantly, soaring as high as they'd been in a while. Excitedly, she reached for a towel, fumbling as she wrapped it about her slim figure, tucking the corner in the wrap so it would hold itself on her body. She sprinted for the bathroom door, slipping a bit as she reached for the handle. She threw the door open, and flung herself out of the bathroom, with arms wide open. "Nagisa-chan, you're back!" She shouted delightfully, throwing herself on the girl who'd entered the room.
"Wha-" Serin turned in a moment to see a whir of blue, white, and the color of skin rushing towards her, but had no time to react. She felt herself being tackled, and in her surprise, yelped as she was knocked to the ground. She attempted to catch her fall, but instead landed on her shoulder. Recovering from the attack, Serin attempted to gather just what was going on.
"Oh, Nagisa-chan, I knew you would return! Oh, you've gotten so thin, whe-" Serin's attacker cut off her sentence abruptly as she got a look at who'd she'd hugged and tackled over. Her violet eyes grew wide with shock, as she looked at the girl who'd she never seen before in her life. Chestnut hair, bright green eyes, fair skin... "You're not.." Tamao's voice rasped, ".. Nagisa..." She finished, the surprise still clearly evident on her face.
The crazed girl's eyes staring straight into Serin's own made Serin feel unbelievably uncomfortable. She cringed a bit, tugging herself out from under the girl's body, who had nearly pinned her to the floor. She supported herself up on her right arm, but winced, as she'd landed on her shoulder, and it hurt to put her weight on it. "Uh, no..." She didn't know what to say, she didn't know who this girl was, or what she was talking about. The girl's blue hair, quite pretty, was soaking wet, droplets of water falling from the girl's strands onto Serin's body and her clothes. The girl's skin was wet too, and Serin noticed she was in a towel. She took in the girl's hair, her face, her violet eyes, her shocked expression, and... Her exposed body. Emerald eyes widening, Serin pulled herself back, attempting to point at her violet-eyed attacker. "Your.." She breathed, turning her head away, in order to avert her eyes. She gradually scooted out from under the girl, finally succeeding. Serin stood up, and moved a few steps away, brushing herself off. Wasn't this just a bit awkward. "Uhm.." Serin started, now looking down at the back of the girl, towel draped over her crouching figure. She hadn't moved, but Serin could see she was clutching the wet towel to her chest. Wet strands of blue were haphazardly sticking to the girl's skin, and hanging over her face. "I'm Oshiro Serin..." Serin offered, her voice low and her demeanor awkward. "I just transferred here..." She trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"I'm sorry..." Tamao finally found her voice, though it croaked through her lips as she choked back her tears. She gazed at the floor, breathing in short, shallow rasps. Her chest throbbed emptily, her spirits were crushed. "Could you give me a second, please, let me gather myself." She forced out a sentence to excuse herself from the current situation. She was still on all fours, on the floor, her skin still glistening with droplets from her shower.
"Uh, yeah-" Serin paused, "Yes, of course." She nodded, and stepped backwards, reaching for the door. She felt the handle after a few steps, and, pushing downwards, opened it and exited the room. She closed it softly behind her, and let her hand linger on the handle for a second, before letting it fall down to her side.
She looked up, still feeling very, very confused. "What the hell was that?" As she waited silently outside the door, she heard movement and broken sobs from within the dormitory room.
Author's Note:
So, a bit short, but I couldn't wait. As you can see, most chapters are probably going to be broken up into several parts. I'm still getting into the flow of things on here, so maybe I'll mash them all up together later: we'll see.
Serin meets the lovely (and anxious) Suzumi Tamao, though not in the most graceful manner of greeting. A bit of useful information: the (traditional) Japanese academic term is divided into a trimester: with first term from April-July, with a summer break that varies. We'll say the summer break is in June. The second term lasts from early September, until mid-December, with a Christmas/New Year's break of 2 weeks at the end of December/beginning of January. Lastly, the third term is from January-March, with a week-long spring break in the middle of March. The graduation ceremony is held at the end of March, and the new year begins with first term in April.
Assuming Aoi Nagisa transferred in May of the current school year's first term, Serin has arrived 4-5 months after Nagisa. Nagisa's whereabouts will be explained later.
Again, thanks for reading! R&R, if you'd be so kind. xo