Thirteenth Spell: Ceremony of Kimonos
When it was Haru and Chio's turn, they both got onto the giant storm petrel which flapped its wings before taking off. Holding onto the ribbon-like reigns attached to the petrel's beak, Haru kept it steady while Chio gripped its feathers for dear life. Yet the bird seemed to know where it was going as it flew out into the open sea using the wind currents to glide. Two hours later, an island came into view that was mostly mountainous with semi-tropical forests along the slopes and a giant cloud bank that covered the peak entirely.
As the petrel flew closer to the island, though, the clouds over the island parted slightly revealing a tall Japanese-style castle with roof ornaments made of mutton fat jade, faded blue and red tiles, and white walls. Built into the cliffside of the castle's western side was a wooden landing platform which the bird landed on, allowing Chio and Haru to disembark before it took off once more. Here, all the other First-Year Primary students were gathered.
"Is this everybody?" asked a woman in a green robe standing next to Higa.
Higa counted the heads with his hand and nodded. "Looks like it, Midorime-Sensei."
"Excellent!" Midorime smiled. "Follow me, children!"
Obediently, the kids followed her with Haru and Chio bringing up the rear alongside Higa. They ascended a flight of stone steps from the landing platform up to a bridge that arched over the trees below. While the kids crossed the bridge, the sun went down behind the horizon.
"I hope the others get here safely," Chio murmured nervously.
"Don't worry, kid," Higa assured. "The Ōkumo Storm Petrels can fly in the dark just as well as during the day."
"So those giant birds are called Ōkumo Petrels?" Haru blinked. "How have they not been discovered by modern scientists already?"
"The International Statute of Secrecy," Higa explained. "It's what keeps the affairs of the Wizarding World separate from the Manai World, which includes magical creatures like the Ōkumo Petrels."
"Does that also include the school itself?"
"Yep! We've fooled the Manai into thinking this island of South Iwo Jima, or Minami as we call it, is completely uninhabited. Now there are occasional planes that fly over from the nearby air base, so we use the enchanted cloud cover to hide the school from view."
"And how old is the school?"
"Oh, a few thousand years at least," Higa calculated.
Marveling at the idea of something so big being hidden from the world for so long, Haru looked up at the castle-like structure of the school as he and the other First-Year Primary students entered it. They navigated down a series of long corridors with matted floors, wooden sliding doors, and lanterns at every corner. Eventually, they came into a theater room that had viewing booths around the room, square mats on the floor, and a stage that had a wooden walkway off-center and a painted background showing the same symbol Haru saw on the back of his letter with the songbird, dragon, tiger, and tortoise. Also, there was a table onstage with a bunch of folded kimonos that were pink with yellow embroidery.
"Welcome to Mahoutokoro, everyone!" Midorime said to the kids from the stage. "I am Maruhi Midorime, Headmistress Dōmeki's personal secretary and teacher of Kampo. This is the Ceremony of Kimonos, where each of you will be given your very own enchanted kimono that will grow alongside you and change color to reflect how much you've learned. Now since you're all First-Years, your kimonos will be pink from the start."
While the girls in the class were happy, the boys weren't.
"Does the same thing apply to the First-Year Secondary Students, Midorime-Sensei?" Chio asked, raising her hand.
"Yes, it does," Midorime answered. "Because while they may be older than you, they are beginning their cycle anew in transferring from the Primary School of Mahoutokoro to the Secondary School of Mahoutokoro."
"There are two schools at Mahoutokoro?" Chio flinched. "I'm so confused."
"No, it's one school with two divisions. One division covers the education of students seven to ten years old, while the other covers students 11 to 17 years of age. The main difference between them is Primary School students head home each day, while the Secondary School Students stay in the dorms with the exception of holidays and breaks. Does that make sense?"
"I think so," replied Chio.
"Now, I want you guys to stand in a single-file line and I will call you up here in alphabetical order," Midorime announced. "Once onstage, you'll raise your arms out and receive your kimono."
Haru didn't understand what Midorime meant until the first kid stood onstage. As the little boy raised his arms out, Midorime put one of the pink kimonos from the table on him.
She then took out her wand and said, "Tsuchimono Huàn!"
A shower of sparks descended on the kimono, causing it to stretch and adjust to the boy's size. From there, the ceremony was a breeze as every boy and girl in the class got an enchanted kimono. When it was Haru's turn, the kimono was too tiny for him causing the kids to laugh. But after Midorime's spell, it adjusted to fit his height.
"You can go to the Initiation Ceremony now, Ryuji-Kun," Midorime said. "It's in the Student Dining Hall, which is down the hall up the stairs to the right. Do you want me to draw a map?"
Thinking about what happened at Kyoto Station, Haru said, "Yeah, sure."
Midorime smiled and took out a piece of scroll paper, which she drew the map on before giving it to Haru. Once he was outside the theater, he took a look at the map and it was basically a squiggly line on a blank page with an X marked where the Student Dining Hall was.
"Great," Haru groaned. "This is going to be helpful."
Remembering Midorime's instructions, Haru went down the hall and found the stairs. But before he could reach them, the walls suddenly shifted and blocked him. Looking back at the map, there was a small note written by Midorime.
Be wary of the walls. They have a tendency to move at random.
"So the walls literally move?" Haru sighed. "This is feeling more like a funhouse than a school."
To be continued…