It took them ten minutes to wake Zach back up. The minute Genjuro uttered that answer, there was a loud thud as Zach smashed her head onto the table, fainting. The girls and Genjuro instantly rushed to her aid, their voices shrill as they watched her fall. After five minutes, Genjuro picked her up and took her out of the room taking her to to infirmary once again, with Hibiki, Tsubasa and Chris in tow.
'I'm being carried... did I faint?' Zach opened her eyes, eliciting a cry from Hibiki.
"Commander she's awake! COMMANDER!" The group stopped in their tracks, looking at Zach cradled in Genjuro's arms.
"Are you ok?" Genjuro looked down at her, his face solid as granite. "If you need to go see someone tell me now."
"No no, I'm fine... I think. Would you uh, mind putting me down?" Genjuro obliged, setting her down on a nearby bench. Zach sat with her legs open, resting her forearms on her knees and putting her face in her hands. She let out a big sigh and looked at the four people surrounding her, their faces worried.
'Today has been a long day... I need a good sleep...' She'd given up with trying to believe her life wouldn't change much, but that was the icing on the cake.
'I'm going to be attending a girl's only school... not only that, but it's quite a prestigious one too...' Sighing again, she leaned back on the bench and stared at the ceiling, oblivious to the four people around her.
"If you're going to board with me I'm gonna have to teach you some etiquette..." Chris remarked, looking at Zach's sitting position. Zach sat back up, still not closing her legs.
"I'm boarding with you?" Zach looked into her eyes, a bland look on her face.
"Yes, you are." Genjuro cut in. "We thought if you boarded with Chris she could teach you some things... since Tsubasa prefers to live alone and Hibiki already has a roomate."
"C'mon, it'll be fun!" Chris put on an inane smile, staring back at Zach.
"I doubt it would be less interesting than today." Zach replied, grinning. She raised her fist, and to Zach's surprise, Chris bumped it.
"Speaking of which," She turned to Genjuro. "How long was I out?"
"Two days and four hours." Genjuro replied in an instant, looking at the clock above the door down the hall. Zach cursed under her breath. "We assume you were out so long because of the havoc the transformation wreaked on your body."
"Havoc indeed... What about my stuff, if I'm staying with Chris, what's happened to my stuff? Did you damage my guitar? So help me god if you did..." Zach clenched her fists.
"Your stuff is fine. We already moved it to Chris's place. You'll find most of it in the closet."
"You play guitar?" Tsubasa cut in. "What kind?" She looked at Zach eagerly, her face lighting up.
"Uh.. I play electric but I know accoustic... I play a Gibson Flying V." Zach unclenched her fists, looking at Tsubasa. "Why?"
"Well... all we do is sing, so you knowing guitar is pretty cool, Zach-chan!" Hibiki commented,looking at her phone.
"Could you show us sometime?" Tsubasa asked, pleading faces on all three girls.
"Yeah sure. But can I get some sleep or something first? It's been quite a day..." Zach stood up, brushing herself off.
"We had planned on taking you to the dorm tomorrow, but you're in good shape. Even I can see how you'd want to get settled in as soon as possible. Follow me!" Genjuro turned down the hall, walking towards the door.
After trudging through the submarine for five minutes, the group found themselves at the ladder to the hatch. Genjuro, Chris, Hibiki and Tsubasa climbed the ladder no problem, leaving Zach waiting at the bottom. When Genjuro reached the top, he looked down to see her stood there.
"Hurry up, Zach!"
"Sorry... I just didn't want to embarrass anyone by accidentally looking up their skirt..." Zach began climbing the ladder, face fixated on the rungs. The three girls above her suddenly grew very embarrassed and red-faced. When they reached the top, Zach looked out to find herself on a private dock, a black SUV waiting on the road.
'These guys are definitely government...' Zach thought to herself as she crossed the immense submarine top. If the giant submarine HQ didn't give it away, the black suited driver and black SUV definitely did. Genjuro was already there, having a conversation with the driver. When Zach got there, the driver saluted Genjuro and walked onto the bridge Zach had just crossed, heading to the submarine hatch.
"Who was that?" Zach asked, Genjuro turning to face her.
"Nobody, just someone we hire to drive places and not ask questions. He's very skilled at what he does, saved me three times over the years." Genjuro responded, walking around to the driver's side. "We don't need him for now though, otherwise we wouldn't all fit in the car." He unlocked the door and jumped in the seat, ushering everyone to do the same. Tsubasa got in the front seat next to her uncle, and the three other girls clambered in the back, Zach in the middle. Genjuro started the car and drove off after he heard everyone had clicked their seatbelts, heading north into the city.
"So... what is the dorm like?" Zach hesitantly asked, staring out the windscreen.
"They're so big! It's twice as big as my room at home by far!" Hibiki exclaimed, a smile on her face.
"Of course they'd be twice the size of you room, they're designed for two people. But she's right, they're pretty spacious. I suppose it's the bunk beds that saves so much space, they'd be tiny with separate rooms."Chris rested her chin on her hand, looking out the window.
"They don't have separate rooms? Where do you get changed?" Zach flushed red.
"Why would you be worrying about that?" Tsubasa asked from the front.
"Well... if I'm going to be boarding with a girl I can't just watch her... well watch her changing." Zach stared into her lap, grimacing as she was reminded of what she was wearing.
"Well why not? We're all girls here." Hibiki chimed in.
"I was a dude up until two days ago, you know."
"Yeah so?" Chris asked. "You do realise that you'd get the same effect watching yourself change in the mirror, right? Sure, if most girls found out who you are they'd probably be freaked out. I'm not 'most girls'." Chris's question hit deep, sparking new ideas in Zach's head. Hibiki swore she could see them ignite. It only served to make Zach redder and more embarrassed.
The car stopped outside a grandiose school building wedged in between office blocks.
"Ooh, we're here!" Hibiki looked out the window, and moved to get out of the car.
"Tachibana, wait a second." Hibiki stopped in her tracks. "That point you made earlier Zach, about boarding with a girl. I'm sorry to dump this on you now, but remember we did have plans for you to come here tomorrow. It's just... is going around calling yourself 'Zach' going to be beneficial to you, at an all girl's boarding school?" Genjuro turned around, a look of sorrow on his face. He knew he was robably taking the last bit of masculinity Zach had, but he had to. To protect not only her, but the four other girls looking at her, he had to ask her that question. Zach only sat there, grinning.
"I thought this would happen... I chose something hours ago, when you left me alone to get dressed. Ladies, and gentleman, I present to you, Zoe Lowe."