Bonjour tout le monde! (Sorry, it just seemed appropriate for this story!) So I really really REALLY want to play Gakuen Hetalia, but don't really have the means to do so. So I decided that, to make up for it, I'd write a fanfic!

Not sure exactly where I'm going with this, but the idea that I have so far is that Seychelles is the new girl, and she lives in a dorm at the school and is working on making new friends while preparing for the school party, and possibly finding a significant other (this probably won't be the focus). It'll probably be largely based on my high school/college experience (minus being sent home my first year and having to commute sophomore year because of covid). High school because they're in high school and college because that's when I was living in a dorm. I went to a public high school, so I was living with my family at the time, but if any of you go/went to boarding schools and have some valuable input (and I do very much value your input) that you're willing to share, please let me know and I will make whatever edits you suggest! The school calendar will be based on an American public school calendar, since that's what I'm used to, although it might be slightly different (e.g. they might get some days off that I never did, or they might have a half-day on a day that I never did). As for the storyline… it'll probably form as I go along. I'll very likely deviate from the game's storyline. I'm thinking the format will be a couple of chapters (not sure how many). Some will be related to the goal of the game, others won't. And I'm not sure if the story will end once the game's goal is reached… I can imagine a few things that would happen afterwards. We'll see.

Also, I gave the countries parents… but they don't play much of a role other than helping their kids out with stuff. They are NOT canonical Hetalia characters. The parents use their children's human names, but everyone else uses country names. When there is no dialogue, I might use them interchangeably. Also, the parents and school staff aren't supposed to be any Hetalia characters. They are technically OCs, but only play supporting roles. Finally, if a character's age is revealed, it'll be what is realistic for a normal human in their stage of life.

I owe my mom too much money to buy myself ownership of Gakuen Hetalia. All rights belong to their respectful owners. See citation at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 1- Move-In

Seychelles POV

Nobody said transferring sophomore year would be easy, but according to my parents, it was easier than staying at my old school. You see, I was bullied really badly, to the point where my parents were getting in trouble with the law because they were allowing me to stay home without a "genuine reason" such as illness. How bullying isn't a "genuine" reason, we will never understand, especially given the toll it took on my mental health. A lot of it had to do with my appearance, which I was able to brush off at first, but soon I was hearing it so much that I stopped eating… and if I were forced to eat I would immediately expel it (do I really have to explain what I mean by that?)… Once I started therapy, it became evident to my parents that this all started because of body-shaming at school, and given that school bullying literally gave me anorexia, it was clear that, unless significant interventions were put in place (they weren't!), my school was a very dangerous environment for me.

All that aside, as relieved as I was to have somewhat recovered and to be going to a different school that had a culture of acceptance (in every sense of the word), I was also terrified. I mean, I had been in the building for orientation over the summer, and saw signs advocating for pretty much every social justice cause there is, but what if that was just a façade? What if they do this to attract students from marginalized groups, but they don't actually treat those students equitably? Even if I am accepted for who I am, what if the environment is incredibly cliquey, which would make it pretty much impossible to make friends? Social things aside, what if I can't find my way around the campus? What if I get in trouble for something really silly? I mean, I knew the rules and would do my best to follow them, but what if I make a mistake? What if I'm really far behind academically? Although the curriculum was basically the same as in my old school, I missed so much that it was amazing that I could enter as a sophomore. What if I had to repeat a year, or, worst case, was asked to leave because my grades are so bad?

My stream of consciousness was interrupted when I heard the car door open. "Michelle, we're here!" said my mum.

I unbuckled my seatbelt, then got out of the car to grab all the things I packed for my dorm. This led to another worry- what if I couldn't get along with my roommate/other girls in the dorm? I had found out who my roommate was about a month ago and connected with her. She seemed nice enough, but what if we found out that we couldn't live together? Most of the time, roommate conflicts occur because of logistics rather than things like love interests. To be honest, dating was the last thing on my mind, so I didn't really anticipate that being much of an issue, but I do find it hard to keep my room at home organized (this was my first time living in a dorm). I know Res staff don't really care what the rooms look like as long as they're not a health hazard, but what if my roommate is a total neat freak and can't handle my desk being a disaster? Even if I don't get in trouble for it, would I lose her as a roommate/friend? I'm also a night owl. During the week, I'd probably be up late doing something quiet, but on the weekends, I wouldn't mind going to a good party. What if that's a huge issue for her?

Grabbing a suitcase full of clothes, stuffed animals, and personal things, plus a different bag full of bedding (the school requires you to use a mattress they provide, but does not provide linens), I checked to see what my parents had after putting my backpack on my back. Mum was carrying a shopping bag full of decorations and a smaller bag full of personal hygiene items, and Papa had a large shopping bag full of cleaning supplies and another bag full of hangers. In my backpack were my school supplies (including my computer and it's charger), my phone charger (my phone was in my pocket), and a mini first-aid kit that had some bandages, antibiotic ointment, a thermometer, covid tests, a small container of hand sanitizer that I would bring with me whenever I went places, and a pulse oximeter. Neither my roommate nor I had any serious medical issues, so we didn't really need much in terms of first-aid supplies. I had also brought a fridge (and food and drinks for it), but those were still in the car. I really didn't want to bring a fridge, as my roommate had said that she'd bring one and would be happy to share her food and drinks, but my parents made me, as they thought that me bringing some food would be a way for me to prevent myself from relapsing. I promised them that I wouldn't relapse no matter what, and said that I'd just buy breakfast and dinner that the school provides (school lunch is free), but they insisted that I at least bring snacks; besides, school food is expensive. Also in the car were my storage ottoman and a laundry basket (which also had my wastebasket and detergent in it).

I put my phone up to the card reader, as my school card (which served as my ID, key to get into my dorm, and debit card to buy food), and that let me into the building. As soon as I entered, I saw a table with two people sitting at it, whom I guessed were RAs. I knew my RA represented the nation of Belgium and that her name was Emma, but I had no idea what she looked like.

Until I smelled the distinctive (and delicious!) smell of chocolate, and I saw a blonde girl sitting at the table, typing something on a laptop. I decided that I should probably go over to her, so I did.

« Bonjour! » she said enthusiastically. "Are you the nation of Seychelles, also going by the human name Michelle?"

"Oui, I am!" I said, feeling a little more relaxed now that it seemed like my RA is nice.

"I'm Emma, your RA. Enchantée! I just need to check you in…"

After doing whatever she needed to do on the computer, Belgium closed her computer, grabbed it, then got up, saying, "Follow me. Your room is just down the hall, and your roommate has already moved in. She's very nice, I think you two will get along perfectly!" I was relieved to hear that, and actually started to feel really excited about meeting her!

Belgium handed me my room key, which I put on a lanyard that I had brought for that purpose. I didn't need to use it immediately, though, because the door was already propped open.

Peering into my room, I could see a girl with dark brown hair sitting on a bed, looking like she was FaceTiming someone. Once she sensed that we had arrived, she said, "Sorry, but I need to go. Bye!" and hung up. Then she looked at me, and said, "Welcome, Seychelles! I'm Hungary, also going by the human name Elizabeta."

« Bonjour, Elizabeta! Enchantée! » I said, feeling relieved that it seems like my roommate and I will get along just fine.

My parents and Elizabeta helped me set everything up. Emma had to attend to other people's rooms, but before leaving, had told us that she's staying on our floor, so if we need her we could just find her. Luckily, most of the setup was pretty easy, and once all my things were put where I wanted them to be, I quickly ran out to grab my storage ottoman, and Mum got my laundry basket. Papa got my fridge, and pretty soon, everything was set up!

Once we were all set up, I had to find Emma to let her know. Emma did a brief check (to make sure I didn't have anything I wasn't supposed to), then helped me get on the school WiFi. Once that was all set, my parents and I hugged and kissed each other, then they left. I was on my own, responsible for many of my own decisions. In a way, it was terrifying, but quite exciting.

Aaand that's it for chapter 1! The next chapter will probably be about Seychelles adjusting to her new environment- I'll skip orientation since I had a friend who transferred to my high school as a senior, and that was INCREDIBLY awkward for them as the only non-freshman. So, since I do not wish to subject France's petite fille (a reference to a previous story I wrote- check it out!) to the same humiliation, let's just pretend orientation never happened.

Also, happy Halloween to those who celebrate!

French: "Bonjour tout le monde" means "hello everyone"

"Oui" means "yes"

"Enchantée means "nice to meet you"

References:

Gakuen Hetalia. (2007).

The title of this story comes from a quote by Charles Dederich, and I learned it on my first day of middle school. Just thought it really resonated with Seychelles' experience.