Wonder Ville-A small town which is the suburb of a city in Japan called Wonder City. In the middle of Wonder Ville is the Central Plaza housing various shops, a hospital, a bank and a police station, all of them surrounding a roundabout which branches out into four roads, each leading to a different place.
One road leads to Wonder Ville's residential area north of the Central Plaza. The road heading east of the Central Plaza branches into two locations, the town's local park and a beach. The southern road serves as the entrance for people to come into and go out of Wonder Ville. Finally, the western road takes people to Wonder Ville's local high school, Shinzo Academy.
On the western road, students are walking towards Shinzo Academy ready to begin their morning at school. The date is April 3rd, the start of a new schooling year for Japanese high school students. It is at this time of year that people look forward to new things. And something new is happening indeed.
A group of students walking on the western road caught the attention of some of the other students there. The group was comprised of a young boy with light blue hair and a group of girls whose appearances made the heads of boys turn.
The group was none other than Jack and the Blood Maidens. Jack and the girls had been looking forward to being in a school. It is not strange for them to think like that as they never knew the concept of a school during their time in the Jail. For that purpose, the group had made preparations together with their guardian, Doctor Shirosagi-Mr. Shiro for short-in their shared house in the residential area.
For starters, Jack and the girls were allowed to wear the same clothes they wore during their time with the Dawn. However, Hameln was required to wear proper clothes since her usual ones laid most of her form bare. Though Hameln was initially reluctant to do so, she accepted after being convinced that what she would wear would suit her image. With that, Hameln settled for a white blouse covered with a black cape which parted in the middle and was adorned with a grey ribbon, along with a black beret.
Additionally, the weapons that the group used to fight the Marchens were left under the care of the National Defense Bureau. It was obviously the correct decision as bringing them to Wonder Ville would elicit suspicion from the town's inhabitants. People would be bewildered if they were to for instance, see Red Riding Hood walk around town while carrying her humongous pair of scissors.
Jack and the Blood Maidens were also provided with the standard items an ordinary high school student requires courtesy of Mr. Shiro-A school bag containing books and stationary along with a hand phone. Jack and his friends were particularly fascinated by the hand phone and it's features. In fact, Rapunzel was easily amused by the various noises it makes when it is used.
With everything in order, Jack and his friends left their house for Shinzo Academy. After walking for some time, they reached the school's main gate and marveled at it's appearance-A huge red and white colored three story building with an automatic door as it's entrance. Jack and his friends were even amazed at the school's barren but, clean front yard.
"So, this is a school…" Alice stated as everyone gazed at Shinzo Academy in awe.
"It's very huge!" Cinderella remarked.
"So huge!" Rapunzel expressed delight over the school's size. "Rapunzel wants to play in it!"
Gretel gave a small chuckle. "I wonder what mysteries lie in wait inside this "school" that we are about to enter,"
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Jack smiled at his friends. "Shall we go in?"
"Of course!" Red Riding Hood spoke with excitement. "I can't wait to see what's inside together with everyone!"
"It was quite a chore to have walked all the way to this school though," Kaguya said in her usual lazy tone. Smiling, she added, "But, if it means discovering new things, I find no problem in doing so,"
"You sure have grown out of your laziness, Princess Lazy," Thumbelina was seemingly impressed by Kaguya's words.
"Do not misunderstand," Kaguya replied. "I still wish to slack off when the opportunity arises,"
"Well, then!" Hameln addressed everyone with gusto causing some passing by students to notice her. "Let us venture into the unknowns of the school and reveal it's bountifool-I mean; bountiful mysteries! Onwards, my fellow friends! Hurrah! Hurrah!" With that, Hameln walked ahead of Jack's group and headed for the school's entrance. The rest of the group was slightly surprised at Hameln's behavior.
"Hameln's really into this…" Snow White commented.
"Yeah," said Jack. "Anyway, let's catch up with her,"
"Alright, let's go, everyone," At Red Riding Hood's words, the group followed Hameln into the school.
Shinzo Academy is Wonder Ville's one and only high school. It has three floors each corresponding with a school year; first years on the first floor, second years on the second and third years on the third. Each of the floors has four classrooms at the front of the school building which can have up to 20 students each. The three floors also have two restrooms as well as two rooms for Home Economics lessons and rooms for club activities.
Additionally, the teacher's office, cafeteria, assembly hall, infirmary and storeroom are situated on the first floor. There is even a library on the school's third floor. Furthermore, Shinzo Academy has a huge backyard where Physical Education lessons are held. On top of that, there are changing rooms containing lockers and shower rooms in each floor of the school.
In the classrooms, word had spread about a bunch of newcomers who will be joining the first years. The first year students were standing around in their classes, chatting about their soon-to-be classmates. As they talked, each of the classroom's respective teachers along with the newcomers came into the class. Seeing this, the students quickly went back to their seats.
The newcomers were Jack and the Blood Maidens. They have been enrolled into all the first year classrooms; Jack and Alice in Class 1-1, Thumbelina, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty in Class 1-2, Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Rapunzel in Class 1-3, and Kaguya, Hameln and Gretel in Class 1-4. The minute the students looked at their new classmates, they became awestruck.
"Everyone, today we have a group of students who have recently moved into Wonder Ville. Two of them, whom are with us now, are joining all of you as first years along with their friends," said Class 1-1's teacher, Ms. Joshima. Ms. Joshima is a woman in her thirties with short black hair. She was dressed in a black coat with a red dress underneath it. After addressing Class 1-1, Ms. Joshima turned to Jack and Alice saying, "Would you like to introduce yourselves to everyone?"
Jack felt a little nervous. This was going to be his first time joining a group of ordinary people living a life outside of the one he and his friends previously lived in-Their life of battling Marchens in the depths of the Jail. Despite this, Jack maintained his natural kind self and with a smile, began introducing himself.
"Um… My name is Jack. It's nice to meet all of you. I hope we can get along well with each other,"
"My name is Alice," Alice followed up. "It's a pleasure to meet every one of you. Let's do our best together," As Jack and Alice introduced themselves in Class 1-1, the rest of their companions did the same in their respective classes.
"I'm Thumbelina and I'm the eldest among my sisters here. Hope we can get along,"
"My name is Snow White and I'm the second youngest. Snow White is pleased to meet all of you!"
"I'm… Sleeping Beauty… Nice to meet you…" Sleeping Beauty spoke in her sleepy tone which she normally does.
"Yo! Morning, everyone!" Red Riding Hood gave a cheerful greeting to Class 1-3's students. "I'm Red Riding Hood. Looking forward to being with all of you!"
"My name is Cinderella," Cinderella spoke in a refined manner. "It is a pleasure to meet every one of you,"
"I'm Rapunzel!" Rapunzel introduced herself in an innocent, bubbly tone. "Rapunzel wants to be friends with everybody!"
"I am Kaguya," Kaguya held her hand fan as she spoke. "You may address me as Princess Kaguya,"
"I am the great Hameln!" Hameln gave a passionate introduction, surprising the whole of Class 1-4. "And I have a dream-To conquer the hearts of all men and women alike by becoming their friend!"
"My name is Gretel," Gretel spoke in a deadpan manner. "My primary objective is to learn about the world and it's many wonders," With a sly grin, Gretel added, "And if the opportunity arises, I would gladly research all of you," A few of Class 1-4's students seemed to cringe at Gretel's words.
With the introductions done, the students in Classes 1-1 to 1-4 gave varied reactions. A majority of the male students fell head over heels for the Blood Maidens, notably Alice, Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. A few of the female students in Class 1-1 commented on how cute Jack looked. A few other students along with Ms. Joshima found it peculiar for the Blood Maidens to be named after fairy tales.
Regardless, Jack and the Blood Maidens were welcomed warmly. Everyone then began to settle down for classes. In Class 1-1, Jack and Alice took two seats at the back of their classroom, next to the windows. Thumbelina and her two sisters sat in the middle of their class. Red Riding Hood's group also sat in the middle of their class while Kaguya's group sat at the front seats of their classroom.
With that, morning lessons began. As the lessons progressed, it was clear that Jack and his friends were standing out from their classmates. In Class 1-1, Alice gave a correct answer to a complex Science question posed by Ms. Joshima. Jack offered to help a student answer a question although he had to flip several pages from his textbook in order to find the answer.
As for Class 1-2, Thumbelina and her sisters impressed their classmates during Home Economics by baking a batch of delicious cookies. Their classmates, especially the boys, became elated when Sleeping Beauty distributed them to everyone. Sleeping Beauty's aesthetics combined with her kindness won the hearts of Class 1-2's students, making her called the class's "Goddess".
In Class 1-3, Rapunzel was intrigued by the works of her classmates during the Craft lessons. She became so excited to the point where she played with their craftworks as if they were toys. Though the students were initially surprised by Rapunzel's actions, the latter's innocence and bubbly behavior won them over, causing the students to be amused by her actions. Even Red Riding Hood and Cinderella were amused to the point of laughing at Rapunzel's antics.
Class 1-4's students were astounded by their new classmates' performance in the Music and Mathematics class. Hameln played a full pipe song ahead of her classmates, who were learning the song from scratch. As Hameln was playing the pipe, Kaguya mesmerized the class with a Japanese fan dance. During Mathematics class, Gretel wrote down complex mathematical equations on the blackboard at lightning speed. She appeared to be enjoying herself as Gretel wore a huge grin on her face while writing them down.
The morning lessons then ended giving way to lunch time. During this time, the school's students would go to the cafeteria. The cafeteria, located on the right of the school's first floor, was spacious. It has four long tables for students to sit at and have their meals. After buying food from the cafeteria's counter, a lot of the students would sit at the tables. The other students would eat in their classrooms or at any other part of the school.
Jack's group decided to sit together at one of the tables. The group enjoyed their food especially Rapunzel, who had the most voracious appetite among them all. Some of the students in the cafeteria were flabbergasted from watching Rapunzel wolfing down huge portions of food. But, for Jack and the Blood Maidens, they were happy to see Rapunzel do so as it was a sign that Rapunzel was enjoying herself.
While Jack and his friends ate their lunch, the group talked about what they did during their classes. In the middle of their conversation, a group of second year and third year students rushed towards their table and attempted to hit on the girls.
"Hi, pretty girl," said a second year to Alice. "Want to go out with me?"
"I'm sorry, I'll have to pass," Alice responded politely.
"Hey, cuties," a third year said to Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Rapunzel. Pointing to his two companions, the third year continued, "How would you girls like to go out on a date with us?"
"A date? What's that?" asked Rapunzel.
"I apologize but, we have to kindly refuse your offer. We're quite busy ourselves," Cinderella gave the three third years a gentle smile.
"Aw, come on, don't be shy," said one of the third year's companions. Looking at Red Riding Hood, he then said, "You're pretty cute you know. What's your name?"
Red Riding Hood laughed lightly. "Oh, stop it, you! I'm not that cute," While Red Riding Hood was speaking, a trio of second year students was trying to woo Sleeping Beauty. Thumbelina, being protective of her sister, scared them away with a glare. At the same time, a few more students attempted to hit on Alice. Upon seeing the students, she felt a little uncomfortable.
Seeing Alice's reaction, Jack decided to step in. "Excuse me. Could you give us some space for a moment?" Jack said firmly to the students hitting on Alice. "We're in the middle of lunch. If there's something you need, we can talk more afterwards,"
"Jack…" Alice raised her eyebrows. She knew that Jack would stand up for her at times. This time, however, she felt as if Jack's words were more intense than usual even though he was not displaying any strong emotions.
"Who are you?" asked one of the students hitting on Alice. "Are you her boyfriend or something?" Hearing this, Jack became surprised.
"Huh?! No, it's not like that! It's just that she's important to me-" At this, the Blood Maidens stared at Jack in surprise. The Blood Maidens knew that Jack cares for them greatly. However, this was their first time seeing him getting worked up over someone hitting on them or in this case, on Alice.
"Um… I mean my friends here are important to me," Jack motioned towards the Blood Maidens. "We grew up together so, I just want to make sure that they don't get disturbed too much," The students hitting on Alice, Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Rapunzel became shocked at Jack's words and shouted out a loud, "WHAAAAAAT?!".
"You're friends with all these girls?!" one of them exclaimed.
"And you grew up under the same roof with them?!" said another.
"What kind of guy is this?! He's too lucky!" The students then left Jack's group, still shocked over what they had just learnt. Seeing that the students were gone, Thumbelina breathed a sigh of relief.
"Glad that's over," Thumbelina said to Jack, "Good thing you chased them away, Jack. I kind of felt that they were getting obnoxious,"
"Did I? I didn't really do much…" said Jack.
"You came up with a lie that we lived together just to imply to them that we are with you," Gretel smiled mischievously at Jack. "Quite the move you made, Jack,"
"I-I just said that instinctively!" Jack was slightly embarrassed. "I didn't mean anything in particular!"
"Still, Jack, you really were something. Saying things like 'She's important to me!' when it came to Alice," Red Riding Hood started to tease Jack and Alice. "Could it be that the two of you have something for each other?"
"What are you saying? That's not true!" Alice exclaimed.
"Exactly! We're just friends!" Jack followed suit.
"Your faces are turning red though," Red Riding Hood continued.
"Did Jack and Alice make babies?" Rapunzel asked with a smile.
"We did not!" Jack and Alice started to blush. As Red Riding Hood playfully teased Jack and Alice, Gretel got out of her seat and began leaving the table.
"Where are you going, Gretel?" asked Kaguya.
"I am going to do some research," Gretel said as she walked away from everyone. "There are many places in this school that I have yet to analyze," As Gretel left, Jack and his friends continued talking at their table. So far, things are going well for Jack and the Blood Maidens. It was clear that they were enjoying their first day of school.
The rooftop of Shinzo Academy contains nothing save a shed in which the roof's staircase is located. It is even ringed with a parapet decorated with the school's emblem-A heart lined with a silver border imprinted with the words "A heart above all else". Rarely anyone goes to the rooftop as there is nothing up there.
One exception is a group of third year delinquents comprised of five males. They are Ichijo, a brown haired youth with a bony face, Nijima, who has green hair parting into two side bangs, Sanji, a young man with orange spiky hair and a fiery temper, Yoshikawa, a blonde who constantly puts on a serious face and lastly, Gotou, a stocky student with a black bowl cut.
Ichijo and his friends are the perfect example of a typical gang of school delinquents. They never study, they threaten any student who irks them, and they bully new students of the school. Because of this, they are feared by most of the students, particularly the first years. The school's principal had warned them a few times on their actions and gave them a chance to renew themselves. Despite this, their actions persisted.
The gang frequents the rooftop as their hideout during lunch. At their behest, a first year student would bring food to them. Usually, the gang will have their lunch delivered to them promptly. Today, their 'deliveryman', a black haired bespectacled student from Class 1-1, was late. Upon his arrival, Sanji berated him for the late delivery.
"You're late, shrimp! What took you so long?!"
"I-I'm sorry," the bespectacled student replied nervously while giving the delinquents their food. "I was about to talk to the new first year students. Then, I remembered your lunches and-"
"What's this?" Gotou walked menacingly towards the student. "A bunch of new students are more important than us? What makes you think you can leave us for them, huh?"
"I didn't say anything about that-"
"Then, stop wasting your time, you idiot!" Gotou cut the student off. "You're supposed to serve us lunch not to see anyone else! If you're late again, I'll set you straight, you incompetent junior!"
"Y-Yes!" the bespectacled student flinched at Gotou's words.
"If you understand, then go," Yoshikawa said. The bespectacled student then left the delinquents quickly.
"I got to say," said Nijima. "These new students that everyone's talking about are getting on my nerves. I feel as if they are going to hog all the first years' attention for themselves if we leave them be for too long,"
"In that case," Ichijo said in a serious tone. "How about we go say "hi" to them?"