Toaru Kagaku no Railgun: Garden of Maidens

by p1ka chuu

School Garden is Academy City's secluded, all-girls district where five elite schools for rich, young ladies are located. The story follows a group of girls who attend one of the most prestigious schools in the world, Tokiwadai Middle School. The first volume contains their day-to-day hardships and solving the mysteries of School Garden.

3. Chapter 3 - A Lady's Secret

Chapter 3

Part 1

School Garden was bathing in the hot, although calm, orange light of the sun. It was the first official day of summer vacations in Academy City, but it was already evening. The days of freedom were soon about to fly away so fast, as they usually do when students do not have to attend school.

But even though summer vacations had started, some students still had to attend their clubs and after-school activities such as cram schools or language schools. That rigor was especially strong in School Garden. The students of Tokiwadai still had their responsibilities such as attending their clique meetings, if they belonged to one, taking part in club activities and continuing school projects. Not to mention, the amounts of homework they had for the summer vacations.

Contrasting to the rest of the city, which actually may have had a proper summer vacations experience, School Garden students still had to dedicate 70% of their time to school.

A girl walking down one of the Garden's narrow, cobbled streets, almost squeezed by two monumental, cathedral-looking buildings, was holding a black violin case in both of her hands. She was walking gracefully, gently placing her every step and her long, wavy hair was dangling from side to side. A black headband was securing her fringe, which was pulled back, showing off her forehead completely.

She must have been really tired. She was coming back to her school dorm from her violin lessons she had been taking for two years now. The practice usually took two hours, then she had to play in front of her violin teachers to get a grade and, occasionally, she had to play in big, international concerts. She was not only one of the most talented students in School Garden, but also in Academy City in general. Her teachers were strict, demanding and expecting the best performances from her.

The sun was shining bright at her, it was a hot evening after all.

She was extremely tired.

But she was still walking gracefully.

The way she was holding the violin case, too, was very ladylike. Her fingers were not squeezing the handle, but rather embracing it gently. Her pale complexion was shining in the orange sunlight as a small drop of sweat appeared on her big, bare forehead.

(What is this weather...? I can't take it... I have to buy something cold to drink or else I'll melt...)

She was thinking quietly while walking down the narrow street.

(Hmm... But I would have to turn right to get to the closest convenience store... And the dorm is right around the corner, too.)

She frowned as she saw an arch at the end of the street. It was leading to one of the spacious, main streets. After she went under it, she saw a big, cobbled square with a fountain in the middle, a big, embellished clock tower, a couple of big buildings around it and a bunch of tall, golden archways at the back. They were leading to the entrance gates of the Garden. If she went past them, she would be in District 7 of Academy City and would leave her precious, safe space.

But she was not trying to do that. She instead turned right, walking down the square's sidewalk. The smell of perfumes, delicious cakes and bread coming from the stores which were accommodated in those European-styled, monumental buildings, made her zone out. She wanted to sit down in one of the shops really badly, but the curfew was soon about to be announced by the chiming of the Garden's tower clocks, so all she could do was to buy something cold and drink it as she rushes to her dorm.

Even though her Dorm Mistress was not that famous demon of Tokiwadai, which was haunting the dorm outside of the Garden, she would still get punished if she came too late.

As she was gracefully walking towards the convenience store, she suddenly noticed something, or rather someone, she knew very well, but was very surprised and confused as to why that person was in the same place as her at that hour! What was even more concerning, that person was walking towards the big, golden archways.

Was that person trying to leave School Garden? When the curfew was just a couple of minutes away?!

The wavy-haired girl panicked. Well, if she did not know who the person was, she would just assume that she had her dormitory outside of the Garden, even though she would probably be severely late and punished by the demon Dorm Mistress.

But the situation was completely different.

Minami Himeka knew who that person was. And her dormitory was not outside, it was in School Garden. It was that same dorm as the brown-haired girl's.

The lady heading towards the exit gates had Tokiwadai Middle School's uniform. A short skirt. Black thigh-high socks. Brown Loafers. A pretentious, tacky ribbon tied into her long, blonde hair. And a large, beige handbag made of something that looked like alligator leather, worn on the crook of her arm and swaying left and right as she was walking.

Ogura Iori. Her classmate.

What was she doing? Leaving School Garden around curfew? Why? She knew that this blonde girl was a troublesome child, not listening to rules, not studying for tests, ignoring the school's dress code and many many more, but, even the way she was, she was not dense enough to leave the Garden around curfew.

(Wait...)

Minami's eyes widened as she was observing her classmate from the corner of one of the buildings.

She suddenly remembered something. She was so shocked she almost dropped her very expensive violin case with an even more expensive object inside it.

But now everything started to make sense.

She clenched her gentle fingers on the violin case's leather handle.

She thought of something. She knew what was going on.

Around at the beginning of July, she started to hear rumors from her year older friends about Ogura Iori. Apparently, she had been seen leaving the Garden at the same time of the day, fully dressed up, with shiny hair, good-looking, designer bag (some even had speculated she had been holding custom-made or very rare limited edition ones) as if it was afternoon or Sunday. Minami Himeka normally would not believe such a rumor. A second year student attending school none other than THE Tokiwadai Middle School, going out somewhere around curfew, coming back god knows when, not saying a word to anyone? That would normally sound hilarious to her.

But not only had she been hearing those rumors daily, but they were also coming to her through her trustworthy friends from class 3-A who were naturally mature enough not to make up foolish gossips just to entertain themselves. In addition to that, that same rumor had been told by many people, sometimes not at once. Even one of the girls from Minami's violin club had seen the blonde girl sneaking out. But there was no connection between her and the wavy-haired girl's third-year friends, so she must have really seen her with her own eyes.

Which means, there must have been tons of occasions on which Ogura Iori had allegedly left School Garden, when she should be long ago in her dormitory room. To Minami Himeka, such behavior would only suit a delinquent from some unknown, public, co-educational school where 95% of the students are Level 0s, but Ogura was a Tokiwadai Middle School student! An innocent rose bud. A sacred angel. A high-class girl. A perfect example of a lady.

Sure, she was well-mannered, polite, ladylike and she had been taught a proper etiquette, but she was behaving more like a home-schooled princess rather than a proper, mature student of Tokiwadai. She was basically a child who had been given a credit card with no limit (which was almost completely true), she had no governesses or maids going after her and checking her every move like in her family's mansion, she was almost as free as a bird in School Garden. Well, a bird locked in a cage.

And now, she wanted to get out from it.

Minami hesitated for a second to run up to her and ask her what was she doing at this hour, but she soon realized it was too late. The blonde-haired girl pulled something from her beige, alligator leather bag. The object looked like a big, plastic card put into a see-through sleeve, with a girly keychain. A pass card. Every School Garden resident had one.

The blonde girl pressed it against a small scanner. It soon lit up and the gate opened for her.

She was gone from Minami's sight.

The metallic gate closed itself. Ogura Iori was outside of the Garden. In District 7 of Academy City.

The girl who had a black headband on her head stood in place for a minute, absolutely shocked by what she had witnessed. Hearing and starting to believe the rumors was one, but actually seeing her own classmate doing something so unsightly and making the rumors she had heard come true, was something completely different.

She was trying to think of a reason.

Why?

Why would Ogura Iori be leaving the Garden on the worst time of the day possible?

It was exactly ten minutes before the curfew.

Minami Himeka did not have much time to just stay there and try to come up with a reason why would her classmate do that.

But. She had been thinking about a certain possibility from the very beginning, right after she heard the rumor from her friends from class 3-A. And that was the first reason that had come up to her mind. The only motive that Ogura Iori could have for leaving this late.

There was no doubt about it.

(It has to be a gentleman.)

Minami Himeka thought to herself.

Part 2

The next morning in Academy City was sunny.

School Garden was filled with chirping of birds and sounds of cicadas.

In the bright sunlight, Tokiwadai Middle School's dormitory was standing proudly, showing off its monumental facade. Made of red brick and with a cobbled square surrounding it, it was blending perfectly into the Garden's European architecture. It was a building in which half of the Tokiwadai students used to reside in. In contrast to the dorm located in District 7, School Garden's dormitory was big, three stories tall and accommodating around seventy rooms. It gave more space to the students, as almost all of the rooms were singles, in addition to that, all of them were at least two times the size of the other dorm's rooms. Thus, lot of personal furniture and items could be stored in them. Some could even fit inside a terrarium for an exotic animal or an entire cabinet displaying their rare Western Dolls collection.

Some could say that the Garden's dormitory was simply a better choice. However, in order to reside in it, an extra fee had to be paid and while living in such beautiful area could be a dream for somebody, the fact that sleeping, going to school, then having club activities and going back to sleep all were happening in one, secluded space was a reason why most of the Garden residents were completely cut off from the "outside world". Simply because there were not many occasions to go out, or because everything the students needed was already right beside them, or because they were so used to this kind of lifestyle, that they had decided to stay and not move from the place where their living space and school was.

The other reason could be a kind of fear of "outside people", high class ladies had a feeling like they did not belong in the vast and diverse Academy City. Some places were indeed beautiful and splendid, where only businessmen and students of top schools like Nagatenjouki Academy resided in, but there were also places filled with poverty, crime and danger. Even the ones with middle-class students were not suitable for a daughter of a billionaire.

But none of those problems belonged to the students living in the dormitory outside of School Garden. Their living space was indeed smaller and they had to share their room with someone else, sometimes even with two other people, but their daily routine was far from monotone. For 24/7 School Garden residents, every trip to some place outside seemed like a big adventure. But the other half of the students had those "adventures" everyday in order to get to their dormitory.

In the end, a vast majority of those students only visited the Garden because their school was there. Being so familiar with the "outside world" made the beautiful, although very small and cramped, area less attractive than the spacious Academy City, with 23 huge districts and countless exciting places to visit. School Garden was just too bland and repetitive with its traditional, European motif, like a theme park you go to once and never come back.

Minami Himeka, naturally, belonged to the strict group that would only leave the Garden on special occasions. A person whose future was to inherit a multibillion company, could not potentially risk her health by getting exposed to the world of unknown that was Academy City, with its citizens not being thoroughly checked and examined like they were in School Garden.

The city of science was a dangerous, crazy world and that was why the most precious, the most valuable students were put in a space protected with thick, hard walls, strict curfew and closed gates.

So if you lived in the Garden, you were not supposed to go outside very often. It was as simple as that.

But there was a one person that clearly did not understand this rule and Minami Himeka, whose life was almost completely dictated by rules, could not understand why.

Ogura Iori.

She had not only been leaving School Garden frequently, but she had also been ignoring curfew. It was something that, to a person like the wavy-haired girl, was unacceptable. To make things worse, she was a witness of this truly unladylike act herself.

There was no other way to fix this problem other than to directly confront the blonde girl.

Minami, who was lost in her thoughts about what had happened yesterday, clenched her fist on her dorm room's keys.

She was standing in the dormitory's hallway, right in front of a wooden door leading to her room. She was holding a bunch of keys in her right hand and a large smartphone in her left.

As everyday, even though it was summer vacations, she was wearing Tokiwadai Middle School's uniform. A simple, plain, black bag was hanged on her shoulder.

She quickly locked the door with a key. She did not have to trouble her head over anybody else, as she was living alone. Whenever she had wanted to leave her room, she was free to do so. Not having a roommate was a blessing for someone like her, who loved cleanliness, silence and peace.

When the door was locked, she quickly put the keys inside her bag and checked her phone.

It was 10 AM.

(Good. She should be heading out now.)

Minami Himeka had a plan.

She started walking down the long, carpeted hallway. Her steps were firm and assertive, and her face was focused on her mission. Even that formidable walk had grace in it.

The girl with a black headband was heading towards Ogura Iori's room. Since they were classmates who lived in the same dorm, Minami knew exactly its location, as well as at what time in the morning the blonde girl leaves the dormitory. It was exactly 10 AM. If it was not for her plan, Minami would have had been long awake, since she had a strict ritual after waking up that she had been practicing for 10 years. It was mainly the reason why her complexion was always perfect.

Her plan of approaching Ogura Iori was quite simple, but she had hope that it would work. If someone had to correct the blonde girl and give her a proper lecture, there was not a more suitable person for that than Minami. She was not in Judgment, but she felt a strong feeling of responsibility for the second year students' reputation. By her mature behavior and exquisite manners she was showing that even second-years could be an example to follow. She wanted to prove that she is mature enough to be on the same level of mentality as the third-years.

In a perfect world, she would have liked everyone from her class to act flawlessly, use proper words, obey the rules, set an example for younger students.

Obviously, that was not yet achieved, but Minami Himeka was not a girl who would easily give up. She could not scare anyone with her esper power, but instead she had her strict and persuading personality. She believed she would be able to talk some sense into Ogura Iori. That would not be the first nor the last time she would have to do that.

The blonde girl who had a liking for wearing flashy designer ribbons in her hair still had a long way to becoming a perfectly-mannered lady, but turning her into one was a challenge that Minami had been prepared to take on.

In the weekends, Ogura Iori used to wake up at around 9 AM, then at 10 AM she would usually leave her room and go out to eat breakfast at one of the Garden's restaurants. She preferred not to eat at the dormitory's canteen, as her noble taste buds were not satisfied by a mere canteen food. Even though for a normal person Tokiwadai's breakfast meals could have seemed like something prepared at a 5-star restaurant, there was a whole new world above that. Only high-class ladies had an access to it, though.

As everything that School Garden's ladies looked at, eating places had their strict hierarchy. Some restaurants were so exclusive that they were only accepting customers to eat from their menu if they showed a waiter a very special item. If anyone thought that a mere 2 million yen bag was enough, they could not be more mistaken. Those special items were known as "keys". If there was possibly a key that could unlock the treasury full of meals of the highest quality possible, it had to be something outstanding. 2 million yen bag was affordable for anyone living in the Garden. A "key" was something that even daughters of billionaires would scream with delight at. Something not only valuable, since at that stage of wealth high price does not make anyone thrilled, but something that has a legend around it.

Ogura Iori was a girl who hated commoners' tastes and styles. Her bag collection was not just expensive. She was a sublime connoisseur. Limited collections, 50 year old bags which had not been touched ever before, custom made ones, collaborations of four most exclusive designers. Those were the ones that she would wear around. Naturally, for a normal person it would just seem like a collection of pretty accessories, but who would expect anyone without a sense of delicacy and sensitivity to understand their true value?

Though, today it was expected to see her coming out of her room wearing one of her most splendid items, since today she was going to visit "L'ambroisie", the crème de la crème of restaurants in School Garden. A cuisine for someone who has to deserve, to earn the privilege of tasting this magical, holy food. A cuisine for someone who possesses a "key". Additionally, the fact that the Queen of Tokiwadai used to dine in this restaurant with her clique members, really boosted its popularity and value among all of the Garden's residents. So, naturally, Ogura Iori had to show up and present her best "key" that she had.

Minami was walking past the hall of wooden doors and bare, white walls. She was elegantly stepping on the carpeted floor without a sound, only her bag's chain was making subtle noises.

She finally stopped and stood in place as the hallway's path turned right. Ogura's room was right around the corner.

The wavy-haired girl pressed her body against a wall. She was awaiting for the closest doors to open.

She stuck her head from the corner and looked to her right at the hallway expanding further.

(It's Room 203. She should be coming out any second now.)

She looked at her phone once again.

(10:02 ... )

Suddenly a violent pressing against a door handle could be heard. A slamming noise forcing the door to open, exploded in the completely silent hallway. Minami Himeka's heart jumped and her whole body twitched suddenly. She hid herself behind the wall as fast as she could. She did it so quickly that her black headband almost dropped to the ground.

She heard two girls talking loudly while her heart was pounding from the shock.

She was listening carefully and awaiting a chance for her to come out.

A high-pitched voice with a noticeable princess-y mannerism could be heard from the place Minami was hiding in.

"Yeah, so basically I can't do anything with it now."

Another girly voice responded.

"Why not?"

"Well, it's not like I can wear it around after that. I thought that now, during summer vacations, she would stop harassing me, but she's still, like, popping out of nowhere and telling me how much of a vegan girl she is. If she saw ME wearing that same bag that she was about to buy, you know how messy everything would get?"

The other girl tutted.

"Ok, so you basically tricked that girl into not buying the bag because YOU wanted it and she believed your cheap story way too much and now she thinks you both are animal cruelty-free friends."

The other girl responded with a scoff of annoyance.

"Yeah and now that she idolizes me so much, wearing ANY bag with real leather like, let's say, this one, around the Garden is a huge risk. Do you understand how much of a pain that is?!"

"Ugh. That is a pain."

It seemed like the two girls stopped their conversation for a while. Then, a rattling noises of bag flaps closing and something like a lip gloss plumping followed after.

"Do my eyelashes look good?"

The second girl took a while to respond.

"Did they ever look good?"

The other lady scoffed.

"Oh, please. Look who's talking. You don't have your makeup artist with you in Academy City, either, so don't tell ME that my lashes looks bad."

Both of them laughed sarcastically.

"Ok, let's go. I'm so hungry."

The voice started to get closer with every spoken word. The wavy-haired girl who was leaning against a wall right around the corner, clenched her fist.

(Ok, it's my chance!)

Minami thought as she flipped her hair to give it natural volume and walked out of her hiding spot, trying to emulate a natural pose.

She faked a surprise perfectly when her eyes saw the two girls that were talking to each other.

"Ah!"

"Oh, my!"

The two of them gasped upon seeing Minami Himeka.

The two girls were no one other than Ogura Iori and her roommate, Hisakawa Ayako. The blonde girl had an extravagant, orange ribbon in her hair and a glorious tote handbag hanged on her arm. It was either Hermèise's Bourquin or Louise Vuitton's custom made City Steamer. The wavy-haired girl could not exactly tell which one it was, since she wasn't as keen on fashion as her blonde-haired classmate, but even she could guess possible brands judging by the design. And she could also tell that what Ogura Iori was carelessly holding in her hand, like a common student holds their school suitcase, was enough to both buy someone a house and also let her enter the magical world of high-class cuisine here in School Garden.

The brown-haired girl with two pigtails and two sides of her bangs flanked on her forehead, was holding a binder in both of her hands.

Minami Himeka, without much energy, smiled towards the two ladies and raised her eyebrows in a sign of a slight surprise. Her acting was on point. She knew how to pretend to be herself in certain situations because she knew herself very well. Her acted out reaction was completely believable.

"Ara~. Ogura-san, Hisakawa-san. Good morning."

"Minami-san, what are you doing here, at this hour?" The blonde girl asked confused.

"Ah, I was just going to head out and have breakfast."

Ogura and Hisakawa looked at each other with disbelief.

"B-But you would normally have been already done with breakfast at this hour."

The headband-wearing girl giggled quietly.

"My, my. Here I am, caught oversleeping by you, Ogura-san. Ohoho." She said as she gently pressed her pale, slender fingers against her cheek. "I guess even I am guilty of doing that when we don't have school."

Hisakawa Ayako tilted her head in confusion. Minami then proceeded with a smile on her face.

"Well, then. What are you two up to? I suppose going out, as well?"

Ogura Iori nodded.

"I'm going to have breakfast in L'ambroisie. I want to try their secret menu, since I haven't been there in a while."

"Hisakawa-san, are you going, too?"

The brown-haired girl shook her head with a tired smile on her face.

Ogura responded instead.

"Ayako has a clique meeting in the Rose Garden. Even though she really does not want to go..."

The girl with two pigtails sighed and pressed the binder against her chest.

"Ah, that's right. You were complaining about the meetings some time ago if I recall correctly. My goodness, forcing her clique members to start working so early during summer? What a cruel woman she is, that Akiyama Izumi."

The blonde-haired girl with an orange ribbon smiled bitterly.

"That's what cliques are. I'm sure Shokuhou-sama's clique members go through the same, if not worse."

Minami Himeka flipped her hair and put a hand on her hip.

"Well, then. How about I join you, Ogura-san? Both of us were supposed to eat alone, but I'll gladly accompany you."

"Sure. I would love to." She answered cheerfully. She then remembered something and frowned slightly. "Ah, but first we will have to visit a boutique and buy you something nicer. They won't let you in with that bag you are holding."

"Ah, you're right. They accept customers who have those infamous 'keys'. Well, we're gonna have to do something about it. After all, a bit of extravagance once in a while won't hurt."

The blonde-haired lady shrugged her shoulders. "Was eating at L'ambroisie really that extravagant?". Either way, they had to leave the dormitory soon, since Ogura Iori's growling stomach and Minami Himeka's urge to lecture her classmate were both growing stronger with each passing minute.

The two girls headed towards the stairs leading to the ground floor of the building. The ribbon-wearing girl turned around and waved towards Hisakawa.

"See you later, Ayako!"

"Good luck on your clique meeting, Hisakawa-san."

The brown-haired girl waved back with her thick, red binder. She soon turned right and started walking down the hallway.

Minami Himeka smiled towards her blonde-haired classmate as they were both going down the beautiful, carpeted stairs with wooden fencing. But not because she was excited for the fact that she was going out with a friend. Nor because she wanted a new, expensive bag nor because she wanted to eat at one of the most exclusive restaurants in the world.

Her happiness was malicious. She was smiling because she had finally gotten the chance to be one-on-one with Ogura Iori. A chance to give her a lecture she had not heard in her entire life.

(Leaving the Garden around curfew? On my watch? I knew you thought you can do whatever you want here after the school is over. But I'll gladly inform you.)

(You are a student of Tokiwadai Middle School. And I will show you how to behave like one.)

(And that gentleman of yours that you want to see so often? I'll make sure you forget about this nonsense.)

Part 3

School Garden's streets were glowing in the morning sun.

The skies were clear like the ocean, not even a cloud could be seen on the deep blue surface high above the city. The European town was filled with doves and pigeons, which were nowhere to be found outside in Academy City, flying around the fountains, chasing each other on the cobbled sidewalk, gathering in the belfries.

It was too early for cicadas to drown the sound of those doves with their own. They were usually the loudest in the noon, but now the many birds of School Garden were dominating.

As they were listening to their beautiful songs, Minami Himeka and Ogura Iori were walking down one of the streets leading to the fashion district. The wavy-haired girl had not been there since their last visit with Mizushima Sayuri in the evening of July 12th. The street they were walking down could have been mistaken for a Parisian one by someone. Fancy-looking stores and bakeries were being passed by the two ladies, with their logos and awnings all having French words and full sentences, some even had menus exclusively in French, even though geographically School Garden was still in Japan. After all, it was artificially created to fulfill the needs of high-class ladies who would naturally rather live in Paris than Tokyo.

The Garden was clearly not a place suitable for commoners from Academy City. There were so many layers of barriers separating the rich ladies living here from the rest of the City's students that it was almost impossible for the two worlds to coexist. It wasn't just the wealth barrier. Yes, not many people from outside could afford items sold in School Garden, but that was not what had created the biggest gap between the two social classes. Money could come to anyone. But there were things that for a commoner would require a lot of skill and hard work, even though they were the absolute minimum in order to function properly in this small, all-girls society. For example, knowing French on communicative level was required to even read what you want to eat from the menu. Without knowing how to play the violin, no school in this district would accept you. Using proper words and having perfect manners were expected from the students by default.

The only people who would not have a problem adapting to this strange, strict system could only be female students of other top schools in Academy City. Actually there were many instances of those students transferring to one of the schools in the Garden, but truth be told, having to enter a completely different world where everything is keeping the students as "safe" as possible had created in the transfer students' minds a feeling of being closed in a cage, with almost no freedom.

But some people preferred it that way. Not having to even think about the possibility of running into a peasant on a street was a relief on a minimal level that could lead to a better functioning overall. Living in a town full of people almost exactly the same as you could be both a blessing and a curse.

The ones who stayed in School Garden naturally felt like it was the former.

But Minami Himeka could not understand one thing.

Why would Ogura Iori want to leave this beautiful space? Space made with one intention; for you not to leave it. Closing it off completely would go against the law, but sometimes the wavy-haired girl wished it was closed for some people. Maybe then they would understand and appreciate the protection it gave them.

The blonde-haired girl was humming some adorable, trendy song this summer, while checking her phone. It was white on the back, but the front was almost completely covered with screen and... how was she even holding it? Her hands were small, as she was quite a petite, 14 year old girl. The fact that she was using it with her one hand was impressive.

An orange tote bag was hanged on the crook of her elbow. Her long, blonde hair was decorated with a big ribbon placed on the side of her head. It matched the bag.

She was scrolling through a site that looked like a social media platform.

She clicked on something and her blue eyes shone like little stars.

"Wa~h! Papa is in London right now!" She squealed and put her smartphone right in front of Minami's eyes. "Look, look, Minami-san!"

A picture showed a man in his 40s wearing a black suit. The background consisted of a nicely-decorated interior. There were; a chandelier, tall windows and a marble floor visible in the picture, which gave it a luxurious atmosphere. Although, not much else could be deducted from the photo.

How did she know he was in London? Minami could only tell he was in some kind of palace.

"Is that your father, Ogura-san?"

"Yes, papa is doing some business meetings or something like that in the UK, so he is going to stay at our mansion in London." She said cheerfully. "Aa~h, how long have I not been there? Could it be... 4 years?"

"Ahaha, that's great..."

(When is she going to give me a hint? I need something. Something to start that subject...)

Minami frowned slightly, trying to find an excuse. She had to bring back this unladylike behavior she had seen yesterday, but she couldn't just say it out of nowhere.

And she also couldn't just wait without saying anything herself.

"Yesterday evening was really hot, wasn't it?" The wavy-haired girl said in a gentle tone.

"Yes, it was. The first day of summer vacations really made us remember how hot summers are in Academy City, didn't it?"

Minami squinted her eyes a bit. She was getting closer.

"But that EVENING... Who would have thought. Normally weather like this occurs in the middle of August. And the EVENINGS are especially hot..." Minami was constantly looking at the sky while talking. She tried sounding as seemingly as possible. "When I was going back from my violin classes to my dormitory yesterday, it was almost CURFEW, you know? I got so thirsty, I had to rush to the convenience store..."

The blonde girl did not respond in any way.

(Great, I think I've got her there.)

Minami smirked barely noticeably as she was already certain that her plan worked.

Ogura Iori was silent.

The wavy-haired girl breathed in the fresh air. Her mouth opened a little.

"S-"

"AAAH!" The blonde-haired girl screamed suddenly. Minami Himeka jumped.

(What?! What now?!)

"Minami-san!"

"Yes?!"

Ogura put both of her hands on her cheeks.

"How could I forget?! Minami-san, you have your international violin concert in, like, a month right?!"

"Huh?"

The headband-wearing girl looked at her classmate with a defeated, lifeless expression.

"W-Well, yes. In a month and 9 days..."

(I... I was so close.)

The girl with an orange bag put her hand near her chest. She seemed very worried about it and her voice was shaky.

"That is so scary! Aren't you stressed about it? I mean, performing on a huge stage, with people from around the world who are basically classical music connoisseurs watching you and... and... did you even decide what you will play?!"

Minami sighed exasperated.

"Of course. This is a big event so its participants have been given their pieces in advance."

The ribbon-wearing girl seemed impressed.

"Th-then what will you be playing, Minami-san?"

"Vivaldi's Concerto for Strings in D Major. But I'll obviously not be alone on the stage. It's a piece for an entire orchestra. The thing is, I'll be the main violinist, that's why I have so many practices and classes."

Ogura's eyes were shining like little stars.

"C-Concerto..."

Minami sighed once again.

"Yes, concerto. Now, where is that boutique where we can find a 'key' for me?" She said as she was looking around the square they had arrived at.

The blonde girl put a finger near her mouth and spun around trying to find the best option possible. Her orange bag, which she was wearing on her elbow, almost flew out as she was doing that.

"Hmm... Cucci or Rosiello won't be enough. They don't have many special items. Well... normally bags like the one I have with me require paying in advance, have long waiting lists and aren't available in stores at all."

"Then what are we going to do?" The girl with dark brown hair sounded irritated.

Ogura Iori was intensively thinking.

Until she finally spoke.

" 'L'ambroisie' is a restaurant beloved by the Queen. It is, in a fair percentage, the reason why it became so renowned and why it requires very expensive and rare 'keys' to enter it. Do you maybe know, Minami-san, which brand is also beloved by the Queen?"

The headband-wearing girl tilted her head in confusion.

"N-No, I do not."

Ogura smirked.

"Well, it's a fairly large brand of luxurious items. Just like Cucci, Rosiello, Louise Vuitton and Hermèise. But the brand's prestige does not come from skyrocketing prices, rarity of the items, nor do they look very good if you asked me..."

Minami Himeka was even more confused now.

"Th-Then how would it be useful to us?"

The blonde girl swung her index finger around and smirked.

"The one merit that it has... is their 'key'-ability, as the Queen would say. Pufu! Eghem... You see, when it comes to 'keys' , their value is tied with different factors. Their connection to someone famous is the case for this brand. Because the Queen chose it to be her 'favorite' , its value rose significantly, to the point of becoming a 'key' to the most luxurious restaurants, stores and clubs."

"H-huuhh..."

"But. What do you think would happen if everybody now bought every single bag from the Queen's favorite store and used it as their 'key'?"

"Well, naturally, the brand's value would decrease."

"Exactly. The items themselves are not expensive. But they have the biggest value. They are protected so that scenario would never come true. Locked, you could say."

Minami put a finger on her chin. She now realized something.

"Locked?" She said faintly. "So it needs..."

"A 'key'." Ogura grinned.

She flipped her long, shiny hair in the blonde color.

"The 'keys' so precious, valuable, rare and exclusive that you would need another 'key' to obtain them. A 'key' protected by a 'key'. The pinnacle of luxury. At least as long as the Garden's walls go."

The wavy-haired girl gulped loudly.

"So..."

The girl who had an orange ribbon tied into her hair smiled confidently.

"The 'key'..." She outstretched her arm forward, showing off the tote bag that she had been holding this whole time. "...is right here."

Part 3

(Eeehhh... What am I doing? Shouldn't I be talking with her about that reprehensible behavior of hers?!)

Minami Himeka sighed with fatigue. She was walking down one of the streets of School Garden. The weather was getting hotter and her frustration was growing stronger.

But she didn't have that same small, plain shoulder bag that she had been seen wearing when she encountered Hisakawa Ayako and Ogura Iori.

The two girls wearing Tokiwadai Middle School uniforms had left the Queen's favorite brand's boutique. What Minami Himeka had hanged on her shoulder was a gorgeous white bag made of snake skin. It had many golden embellishments on the bag's flap and on the logo, which also had a small star engraved beside it.

"Such a basic brand." Ogura said under her breath. "Well, at least we can safely go to L'ambroisie now."

"Um, I'm sorry, Ogura-san, that you had to pay for it."

"Oh, please. Don't even worry about it. As I said, the only difficulty of obtaining those bags is the needed 'key'. I've already spent a fortune on this custom-made Hermèise, which can quite frankly unlock anything I want in the Garden."

"But isn't the one I have more valuable than the one you have? That isn't fair..."

"Minami-san, please, I could buy myself twenty of those by using my Hermèise. And while, in fact, as 'keys' in Academy City, they do posses a bigger value, when I show off my 'key' I do not necessarily want it to be 100% successful. I want to show off my style and preference. Why would I need something that I do not personally like nor connect with just because it's an effective 'key'? I would rather have something less effective, but something that expresses ME, not Shokuhou Misaki, nor anybody else. A 'key' should be a 100% personalized, customized object. Well, now we're obviously going to use a 'guaranteed win' but it doesn't matter for you, I suppose."

"H-huuhh..."

Minami Himeka could not believe that someone was even able to take fashion so seriously. Her whole life, she had been using items solely for their practicality. She had very rarely been guided by her emotions. But it seemed like Ogura Iori's heart was way more artistic, sublime and sophisticated than she had previously thought.

The wavy-haired girl checked the time on her phone and frowned.

(Ugh, I have to go back to that subject... Or do I just... No, my manners do not allow me to just lecture her out of nowhere. I have basically spied on her yesterday... I must pretend like I have just heard about it from my other friends.)

"Let's go, Minami-san!"

"Eh?"

Before she even realized, both of them were right outside of the L'ambroisie restaurant.

The facade of the restaurant was, indeed, very luxurious-looking. It took only the ground floor of the European-looking building that it was accommodated in. The windows were covered by shiny, yellow curtains. It was protecting potential clients from the sun by a red awning.

"Let's go inside." Ogura Iori said as she made two steps towards the glass doors.

As she had expected, the doors opened for her. But those weren't automatic like the ones in 7Eleven convenience stores. School Garden preferred older, more traditional methods of showing luxury. The restaurant had people exclusively hired for... opening the door for customers.

Two ladies wearing fancy suits opened the two sided, glass door and let the blonde-haired girl inside. Additionally, they showed a welcoming sign with their hands.

Minami followed her classmate.

She soon stepped inside the building, while the shockwave of visuals and smells hit her gentle senses.

There was a small reception area right in front of her as she walked in. A middle-aged woman wearing a black, knee-high dress was sitting in a wooden desk. There was a supposed backstage space behind the receptionist, hidden by thick, embellished curtains.

When Minami Himeka looked to the left, she saw the actual entrance to the restaurant. It was a big, marble arch guarded by two other women wearing suits. If you went past them, you would enter this magical, exploding with wealth and splendor room. The wavy-haired girl could only catch a glimpse of that view, as the woman sitting behind the desk quickly spoke to them.

"Welcome. May I help you?"

Ogura Iori smiled gracefully and, with a small hand gesture, pointed at Minami, who was standing behind her.

"We would like a table for two people. And we would also like to get access to the secret menu, if we could."

"Of course." The woman said in a comforting voice. "Could I see your 'key' first, madame?"

"Yes, of course."

The blonde girl placed her orange tote bag on the wooden desk and the woman quickly opened a small box laying beside her. She took out a pair of disposable black gloves from it. She gently put them on her slightly wrinkly hands and adjusted her glasses.

While still sitting down, she very delicately grabbed the bag's handle and started to look at it from different angles.

"Let's see... What do we have here?" she mumbled quietly, but the inside of the restaurant was so silent and noiseless that the two girls wearing Tokiwadai uniforms could hear her very clearly.

Ogura Iori was standing in place patiently, while her luxurious item was being examined by the receptionist.

"My, if that isn't the Hermèise's Alligator Bourquin!" The woman gasped while running her gloved finger over the bag's surface, admiring the high-quality texture of the animal's skin. "Yes, yes. This is truly an example of a work of art. This carefully handcrafted piece must have required the highest quality materials. Yes, I see, those double needle saddle stitches here on the back and right beside the handle are most certainly done by hand. The ones done by a machine cannot compare to this sturdy and solid craft."

Minami Himeka was standing there, listening to the woman's mumbles and gasps of delight. Her confusion was growing stronger and more visible as the seconds were passing by.

She whispered to her classmate as quietly as she could.

"Ogura-san, I'm sorry, but... what is she doing?"

She received a fast, also whispered, response.

"She's checking if the bag is authentic."

"Ah."

The orange Bourquin was being gently spun in the air, checked from below, tested with touch and even smell.

"Mmmn, yes. This texture... this subtle, sophisticated matte finish... Now this is called a testament to craftsmanship. This incredible softness on the alligator's skin could have only been achieved by rubbing the leather over a wooden dowel, which requires an exceptional precision and skill. And the 230 grams of white gold adorning the belt style closure... truly a splendid addition worth any price." the woman said with adoration as she finally lifted the bag by its two upright handles and handed it over to Ogura Iori. "Thank you, madame, for presenting your key. You may now get access to our restaurant and the privilege of tasting our new secret menu. Now, I'll just quickly check yours, madame, and one of our waitresses will seat you."

It was Minami's turn to place her bag on the desk and let the receptionist examine it.

As she was about to do that, the woman quickly reacted as she caught a glimpse of the medium-sized shoulder bag that the headband-wearing girl was holding.

"Ah, no, excuse me! You do not have to do that, madame! I can already tell that what you are holding is more than enough." she said quickly, almost in a nervous manner. "V-Very well. Thank you for presenting your key. You can now enter our restaurant. The waitress will be standing by your table."

The wavy-haired girl froze in place for a second, but the voice of her blonde classmate forced her to pick her bag up and move.

"Thank you very much." She said cheerfully to the woman behind the desk and pushed Minami slightly, with a confident smirk. "Let's go, Minami-san."

The headband-wearing girl eyed Ogura with a suspicious expression on her face.

"Why didn't she examine my bag?" she whispered to the blonde-haired lady as they were walking towards the seating area's entrance.

The bow-wearing girl shrugged her shoulders with a smile on her face.

"I'll answer the question with a question: What do you think those two places in School Garden, which are oh so beloved by the Queen, have in common?"

"Huh?"

Ogura Iori scoffed quietly.

"The answer is fear. A Level 5 esper with psychological powers, who walks around the town with minimum 20 people, but possesses around 50 in her clique full of trusty, loyal guards, is the most famous person in School Garden and a regular client at both of those places. Naturally, whoever is affiliated with her is a respectable persona from the high class of Tokiwadai students. A restaurant who's visited by those people and the Queen herself, at least once a week, knows very well the power, importance, fame and prestige of the clique. But they also know its favorite brands, supposing that the members were using their bags as 'keys'. And the one brand that you have a bag of here, is mainly, if not only, tied with the Queen of Tokiwadai Middle School. Guess what do they think when someone visits them wearing this specific brand?"

Minami was shocked. She raised her eyebrows and swallowed her own saliva.

"Are you joking? So I was just pretending to be a part of Shokuhou Misaki-sama's clique?!"

The blonde girl giggled.

"Oh, Minami-san, don't be so angry. It was a great plan."

The wavy-haired girl rolled her eyes.

(I'm doing all of this because I just wanted to talk about what happened yesterday?! This is crazy! I have to finally get to the point.)

Part 4

The two girls were sitting at a rectangular table covered with a white tablecloth, facing each other. There were many of those in the fairly spacious restaurant.

Its interior was what the "Parisian Luxury" truly meant. Kept in a very traditional, strictly baroque-inspired style, the restaurant was shining and shimmering with gold which, frankly, could be seen on every single furniture and on every single centimeter of the walls. A big, golden chandelier with hundreds of tiny crystals dangling from it was hanging from the ceiling, which, in a true baroque style, was vaulted and painted with a gorgeous, detailed fresco.

The floor was carpeted, with many flower motifs and a big, embellished with gold, marble fireplace was gracefully crowning the entire interior design.

Was it one of the royal chambers of the Palace of Versailles, but just renovated to serve as a restaurant? If Minami Himeka would just see a picture of this restaurant on the internet, that's what she would think. The inspiration drawn from the royal palace of France was very apparent.

The chairs that the two girls were sitting on, had their frames made almost completely from pure gold and the silky fabric of the furniture was beautifully and finely tufted.

There was a fancily-dressed waitress standing beside the table, in a perfectly straight posture, awaiting for her two customers to decide on what to choose from the menu.

Because not many people, even in School Garden, had a habit of eating breakfast out, especially not in high-class restaurants like L'ambroisie which was mainly focused on the dinner meals, the place was almost completely empty. There was only one, large group of girls wearing black school uniforms with long, black skirts sitting in a table at the corner of the room. They had their own waitress serving them.

If you filtered the amount of girls in the Garden with their wealth and level of extravagance high enough to enjoy eating at L'ambroisie, the possible number of them wouldn't even be enough to populate a small village in the middle of Japanese mountains.

So usually, in the mornings, the restaurant was deserted.

But Ogura Iori preferred it that way.

She had been intentionally choosing to go eat breakfast at evening restaurants because she loved the way that this light, golden interior was shining and glowing in the bright morning sunlight and also she loved the silence and privacy that the lack of people was giving her.

She was now holding a menu with a hard, calfskin cover and a golden logo of L'ambroisie engraved on it.

It was a secret menu.

Normally, for some people even entering the restaurant could be considered a privilege, but getting an access to eating from the secret menu, unavailable for normal customers, was only given to those with exceptionally breathtaking and valuable 'keys'.

Ogura Iori's ¥50,000,000 piece was seated on a third chair beside their table. A bag like this could absolutely not be placed on the ground, or nowhere near it. Putting it on a chair was the least she could do to give the alligator skin masterpiece a suitable resting place.

Minami Himeka's white snakeskin shoulder bag was hanged on the golden chair's back.

The two of them were flipping very vintage-looking pages of the menu, presenting them the exquisite meals available in L'ambroisie's offer.

It was so quiet that the chandelier's crystals' subtle clicking against each other could be heard.

Not until Minami Himeka sighed while looking at the breakfast options in the menu. She was leaning on her hand and lazily flipping pages.

"Hmm... what do you think about... the... Croque madame, Minami-san?"

"Hmm... I'm not really a ham and egg kind of girl."

"Then how about the lemon and fig crêpe?"

The wavy-haired girl tilted her head and raised her eyebrows.

"Well...? I might go for that one."

"Excuse me!" said the blonde girl from behind her shoulder, looking at the waitress standing patiently behind her.

"Yes, madame?"

"Do you still have the... um..." she ran her finger over a textured, yellow page. "The Kopi Luwak with vanilla and soy milk?"

"Yes, it is available in our secret menu."

"Then I think I'm ready to order."

"Of course, madame."

The waitress pulled out a small notepad and a pen, which were previously hidden inside the pocket of her apron.

"I would like the lobster, the baked chocolate croissant with strawberry jam and the vanilla Kopi Luwak." Ogura said as she was closing the hard cover menu.

The waitress was taking notes on the page of her notepad. Once she was done, she looked at Minami.

"And for you, madame?"

"Hmm..."

The headband-wearing girl looked undecided and a bit puzzled, but she eventually answered.

"Um... I would like the... the caviar, lobster and truffles-layered pancake and the pâté de campagne with wholewheat bread as the side dish."

"Anything to drink, madame?"

"Just sparkling water, please."

"Understood." The waitress finished making her notes and hid her notepad back inside the apron's pocket. "Thank you very much."

She took the menus and went back to the reception area, where the kitchen entrance was, leaving the two middle school girls in an almost empty, quiet room full of golden furniture and magnificent paintings.

Ogura sighed with relief and bliss.

"The air conditioning here is always so nice... Our dorm room is unbearable to stay in during summer. Tokiwadai should really do something about it."

"You know they won't. Our school is very traditional and strict when it comes to design changes."

The blonde girl rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Ugh, I know. But I can't store my bags in this hot, sweaty closet of ours. Do you know, Minami-san, what happens to exotic leather when exposed to that level of heat and moisture?!"

She smiled bitterly and was looking at her classmate's genuine anger.

"Yes, exactly! It can rot! My alligator purses, ostrich purses and calfskin bags will all ROT if this continues on." She then sighed defeated. "I might as well keep them in our mini fridge at this point... although it's probably, like, 50 years old and anything that you put in it, melts after a day."

"Th-that must be hard for you."

(I wish my only concern in life was the condition of my multibillion yen bag collection... Has this girl ever... worked hard?)

"But how about you, Minami-san? How were you spending the summer vacations so far?"

A sudden impulse struck the brown-haired girl's brain.

Yes. This was the chance.

Minami Himeka smirked.

"Ah, you know, practicing and preparing for my concert, progressively finishing the summer vacation homework, walking around the Rose Garden with Arakawa-san and the others..." she said in a simple tone, but then she pretended as if she suddenly remembered something. She put her finger near her chin and stared at the fresco on the ceiling. "Ah, yes! Now that I think about it. Arakawa-san called me yesterday evening saying that she had seen you walking around School Garden around curfew."

The blonde's body twitched a bit. She nervously smiled with closed eyes.

"Oh, haha. I'm sure it was just someone that looked like me. Haha. There are many girls in Tokiwadai who have long, light-colored hair."

The wavy-haired girl shook her head.

"No, she said she was CERTAIN it was you. Well, she wasn't concerned at first, but the reason why she even called me, was the fact that she had seen you... LEAVING THE GARDEN!"

The group of girls wearing black school uniforms who were sitting in a corner of the restaurant turned around and started staring at the two Tokiwadai girls, once they had heard Minami's loud voice cutting the overall silence in the room like a sharp sword.

Ogura gasped. She was truly shocked.

...

At least that's what anyone would think, but Minami Himeka spotted her acting right away.

"M-My, what a horrible thing to do! Around curfew?! What was that girl thinking?!" As she was talking, she covered her mouth with her hand. Her complexion was growing pale. "M-Minami-san! That was not me! I would never do that!"

The girl with a black headband was growing annoyed, but she still had a plan.

"How about dropping the act, Ogura-san?"

"Wh-what do you mean?! I- I was-"

"You had been spotted wearing a Cucci Dionysus shoulder bag and a pink ribbon. Nobody wears accessories like these other than you."

The most unexpected for the "audience" reaction followed after Minami Himeka's words.

The blonde-haired girl's chair fell down on the carpet as she stood up viciously and slammed her fists against the table.

"F-FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD NEVER. AND I REPEAT. NEVER. WEAR A DIONYSUS CUCCI BAG! THIS DISGUSTING PIECE OF FABRIC DESIGNED FOR COMMONERS CANNOT EVEN BE IN MY PRESENCE. AM I A PEASANT TO YOU?! WHO WEARS DIONYSUS CUCCI BAG?! A PEASANT. SECOND OF ALL, A BEIGE SHOULDER BAG PAIRED WITH A PINK RIBBON? A P-I-N-K RIBBON?! SHE MUST HAVE BEEN BLINDED BY THE SUN, BECAUSE, LET ME INFORM YOU: I WAS CLEARLY WEARING MY BRAND NEW. YES, MY BRAND. NEW. HIMALAYA BOURQUIN BAG MADE FROM ALBINO ALLIGATOR SKIN, WITH 20K WHITE GOLD AND SILVER HARDWARE. AND THIRD OF ALL, THE RIBBON WAS BEIGE! B-E-I-G-E! NOT PINK! MY ACCESSORIES WERE MATCHING PERFECTLY! AND I WOuld ne...ver... ahhh... umm... ehhh..."

The silence that followed after than sudden and unexpected burst of anger that had been stored in this small, petite body of a 14-year old girl, was the longest in existence.

Ogura Iori was standing up, with her palms pressing against the table covered by a white cloth.

She could not let even the most faint sound out of her mouth.

She was completely silent.

A blush of embarrassment appeared on her face and her eyes started watering.

Minami Himeka grinned maliciously after looking at her classmate, who was frozen in place.

"Huuh... So that's how it is."

"Ah- no, I-"

"That is true. You were wearing the beige Bourquin."

"No, um-"

"You fell perfectly for that bluff." She smirked, but then put on a serious face. "Now, you will tell me... everything."

Part 5

Ogura Iori sipped on her, still hot, coffee trying not to spill it, as her hands were slightly shaky from what had happened a moment ago.

She was looking at the porcelain cup's light brown contents with a nervous, undecided expression.

"I... I don't know where to begin..."

Minami Himeka responded in a cold voice.

"Start wherever you want. I'll understand either way."

The blonde girl quietly mumbled something with a frown on her face. The fact that she was put on the spot clearly didn't make her comfortable.

She was fidgeting in her seat and nervously playing with her hands.

(That's a bad sign. So it really is a gentleman.)

"W-well..." she loudly gulped and looked at Minami timidly. "...I'll tell you."

The wavy-haired girl rested her hands on the table and focused her mind. She was ready to listen.

Ogura breathed in.

"Before enrolling into Tokiwadai, I used to go to an elementary school outside School Garden. As many other girls who would have later ended up here, I was really anxious and homesick. I actually didn't want to have esper powers, because I was scared of complete strangers tampering with my brain and I couldn't take the necessary drugs for the first year... But my family kept saying that they had already made a very valuable contract with Academy City and the amount of money that went for my power's development was too big for me to just give up on it. Because I was so uncomfortable, I didn't have many friends. Actually, I was quite the opposite of the rest of the kids that were in my class. I felt like I was an alien in a completely different world and so my classmates were at first perceiving me as such. But then, in the second grade... I actually got to make a friend. We were very, very close from the very beginning and I remember feeling so, so loved. It was really strange. It was a different kind of relationship from my family, you know? Actually seeing similar habits and interests in another person, who enjoys spending time with you not because of the blood connection that you two have, but because they voluntarily choose to do so was incredible for the 7 year old me. After a whole year of solitude and being depressed in my dorm room, finally meeting someone I could consider a friend was so special."

Ogura looked down and a sad smile appeared on her face. She then scoffed trying to brush that sad emotion off.

"I remember having nightmares about my one and only friend abandoning me out of nowhere. I was so paranoid and scared of going back to those dark times from a year ago..."

The wavy-haired girl's eyes widened.

(I-It must have been love...!)

The ribbon-wearing girl then cleared her throat and looked Minami in the eyes.

"Years were passing by, and we were still inseparable. As I was growing older, I realized that having a friend actually gives me confidence. So I started to talk to other people from my class. I've finally told myself 'socializing really isn't that hard'. Yes. It wasn't. But I would then soon realize that the cycle would repeat, once again, when I would enter middle school."

Minami was starting to get intrigued.

"6th grade. Winter. With the new school year coming, we all had to say goodbye to our old elementary school. Naturally, groups of very close friends would discuss future plans and apply to the same schools. Well, with me and my friend... it was a different story. Now, the elementary school that I have been attending was quite cameral, quite small, but it was the best option for me, according to my family. A lot of politicians used to send their kids there because it had a very high security system and their power development program was very well-organized. But, as elementary schools tend to be, it wasn't anything crazy. So jumping straight into the mystical realm of Tokiwadai Middle School was quite a big and sudden upgrade, if you ask me. I didn't know, until the end of Fall, that my family had a spot at that school already planned and reserved for me. I thought... I really thought I could decide on my future school myself. But then I realized something. Living in Academy City for 6 years and seeing my parents only on certain occasions like the Daihasei Festival, made me completely forget about the reality. My reality. The truth is, when I lived with my parents for the first 5 years of my life, I've never had anything to say. Every dress that I had, every toy that I had... they were all already picked out for me. Going to Academy City wasn't my choice either. But as a child, that didn't really bother me as much. As long as I could play and get a new doll each week, I was content with that lifestyle. But that winter... in 6th grade... that was a first major moment when I was actually furious. Furious because of my family."

"Why was that? Couldn't your friend also apply to Tokiwadai?"

Ogura shook her head slowly with a melancholic expression on her face.

"That... wasn't possible. We were from a bit different worlds."

(Oh. My. Goodness. That explains everything.)

(I can't believe it.)

(Ogura-san, I simply cannot believe it.)

(I can't.)

(Did that gentleman really mess with your head that much?)

A short silence followed after, but Ogura quickly continued with her story.

"Ah, em, well... So when I knew that me and my friend would not be able to go to the same school for the next three years, I tried talking to my father about it. And his response was... 'You're a daughter of a multibillionaire family, the heiress of Nomarché. Our only daughter. Our precious treasure. A yet uncut diamond. But trust us, we have picked Tokiwadai Middle School to prepare you for your future. It will help you grow, it will help you find your true, mature shine. After that, you will become a magnificent, perfectly-cut diamond, sparkling brighter than the stars above'. I felt helpless because I knew that no matter what I would have done, nothing would change the fact that Tokiwadai was a certain next stop in my journey. What was worse, investing in my Power Curriculum Program turned out to be a huge success. My ability became highly profitable for the city and my father was being given the reports regarding my progress after every System Scan. So he was clearly not willing to stop pursuing better and better results any time soon. The better my ability was becoming, the more certain it was that I would end up in Tokiwadai. Me and my friend, we had to say goodbye."

Minami Himeka sipped her sparkling water from the crystal cup. She looked at her classmate intrigued.

"And then?"

"Then middle school started. From that point on, the thick gated walls were separating us. I was later informed about my friend's new school, which, let's just say... did not make me very happy. The fate just did not want us to be together anymore."

"Hm."

"And thus, I got through my first year in Tokiwadai. At first I was scared to come back to the main parts of Academy City, so I did not leave School Garden much at all. Hah, that may sound dramatic, but I wanted to start all over again on a blank page. I wanted to learn from my mistakes I had made in elementary school and make new friends, from a completely different environment."

Minami squinted her eyes a bit. Something was still missing in that story.

"But." Ogura finally said. "We were still in contact. We were texting each other almost everyday, sometimes calling if I had time. We would soon realize, though, that it wasn't enough. That we want to meet up somewhere and talk, just like back in the day. One day during winter break we decided to finally meet up after almost a full year of separation. And that moment, when our eyes met after such a long time, is such a nostalgic, but joyful memory of mine. We both bursted into tears of happiness, celebrated with a huge shopping spree and then went ice skating in District 7. Ah, I remember it as if it was yesterday."

(Am I hearing it right? This is a romantic comedy scenario if I ever seen one!)

(Ogura Iori... she's deeply in love!)

"So. After that, we both continued our friendship, since we realized we missed each other way too much and that the outing we had in the winter made our bonds deepen even further."

(This... What is this? I can't handle it.)

(Is this what girls my age are interested in?)

(Love?)

"Now, let me explain why-"

(But there's obviously no way I can allow it to bloom into a full flower!)

"Stop, Ogura-san!"

"Eh?"

The girl froze for a moment.

"I... I want you to stop."

"Oh, um. Ok." the blonde girl mumbled slightly confused. "Do you... want to maybe ask me something?"

"Oh, no. I have absolutely no questions." Minami answered assertively with a serious, cold face. "I want you to listen to me."

"Um, ok."

"Ogura-san. In all seriousness, this is a very, very important stage in your life. Tokiwadai Middle School is in the Top 5 of Academy City. And that can probably be also the case for schools worldwide. Your family invested immense amounts of money in your education, thus, your future. I would truly recommend sticking to what's best and most important for you, and to what is the main reason why you have been sent to Academy City." She then breathed in and continued with a more harsh tone. "And. I would also like you to break off this nonsensical relationship that you have. I do understand childhood memories may mess with your sense of understanding and judgment, but this is not something you can leave Tokiwadai Middle School for."

Ogura Iori, with a resentful expression on her face, put a hand on her chest and was judgingly looking at Minami.

She was hurt, disgusted and disappointed by her classmate's words. She was lacking words to describe her emotions at first, but she then scoffed with indignation and said.

"Y-you are so cruel, Minami-san! O-Of course, I'm not as good of a student as you, but I think I deserve to have other friends, not only the ones from Tokiwadai?!"

"But you do not understand! What you are feeling towards that person is not friendship!"

"Then, what is it?!"

"W-Well..."

"No, tell me what is it?!"

"I-It's dangerous for you!"

"Answer me! If you understand my situation so well and you are telling me how I should behave, tell me what is my relationship like! Because, clearly, you know better than me who to be friends with and what path I should take!"

The fight between two ladies, once again, attracted the other group of girls' attention.

They were staring at Ogura and Minami angrily arguing at the small, rectangular table.

"I'm not saying how you should live! I'm giving you reasonable and objectively best solutions to this problem! Because it is a problem! What do you think would happen if the Dorm Mistress found out about your evening sneak outs?! And she's eventually going to find out if this continues on, because the rumors are growing more and more extensive to the point where not only Tokiwadai students are talking about it! If the rumors reach the teachers and the Dorm Mistress, you might-"

"That's what I was trying to explain to you, but you never listen to me!" Ogura shouted angrily. "The reason why I even started telling you this story is the fact that I tried to explain why I'm doing this!"

"Ogura-san! There's not justification for this unladylike, reprehensible behavior! Risking, potentially, an expulsion from a school like Tokiwadai cannot be in any way justified! If you continue that, it will just make you more and more addicted, just because you wanted to be with some gent-"

"What do you mean by "addicted"?! She's my friend, whom I genuinely love and want to spend time with!"

"..."

A striking shock paralyzed her body.

Minami Himeka was frozen after what her classmate had said.

Even her thoughts had completely vanished.

That one word.

That one particular word made their entire argument instantly lose any sort of sense.

A one word was all that was needed to silence her.

In the most confused tone that Ogura had ever heard her speaking, Minami asked.

" 'She'?"

The blonde-haired girl was also confused now.

"Um, yes. Is there something wrong about it?"

Minami was silent for a couple of seconds.

She did not respond at all.

"What? Is it wrong to have girls as friends, too? What am I even suppose-"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

The wavy-haired girl panicked.

She was sweating like a wild animal.

She covered her face with her hands.

A shockingly strong feeling of embarrassment went through her body and rendered her entire confidence useless. Frankly, she did not have any right to be confident in that moment.

A silence was what was expected.

An awkward, long silence.

...

Ogura Iori decided to be the one who would finally break it.

"I'm sorry, but I do not know what is going on right now."

"Um..."

Minami squealed from behind her hands, covering her mouth.

She looked at Ogura through the gaps between her long, slender fingers.

"So... your friend... it was a girl all along."

The ribbon-wearing girl flipped her hair angrily, with a frown on her face.

"Of course she was. What else were you thinking?!"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

Minami cleared her throat and uncovered her face. She put her hands on her thighs and responded in a serious tone.

"From the moment I've seen you yesterday while walking around the Garden, and yes, it was me who had spotted you, not Arakawa-san, I thought you were going out to see... a gentleman."

The blonde-haired girl's face turned deep red as soon as the headband-wearing girl finished her sentence.

In a flustered tone and shaky voice, she nervously responded, fidgeting in her seat.

"Wh-wh-wh-why would you be thinking that, Minami-saaan?! At first I thought it was a joke since you were t-t-teasing me about it, but were you serious this whole time?!"

"O-of course I was! I was concerned about you getting hurt somewhere in the deep, dark alleys god-knows-where with no cameras or security systems! More than anything, I wanted to make sure you weren't going anywhere dangerous!"

Ogura pouted.

"But why would you think that it was a gentleman?!"

"I-I don't know! You just made it seem so romantic and... besides... um... never mind..."

"No, tell me!"

Minami started to blush heavily as well, trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

"I s-said, never mind!"

"Answer me! Minami-san!"

"Gh!" She groaned quietly and squeezed the fabric of her skirt in her fist. "I guess... I was thinking that... because... well... I guess... you are... um... pretty."

"Hm? What was that?"

"N-NEVER MIND! JUST EXPLAIN WHY!" the wavy-haired girl screamed suddenly as her defense mechanism turned itself on.

At this stage of embarrassment, the only way of fighting it was by trying to cover it with anger.

And it was very effective on the sensitive Ogura, who obediently squealed "Yes, ma'am!" like a tiny mouse.

...

Both of them had to calm down.

Ogura took the last sip of her vanilla-scented coffee and let out a deep sigh, trying to stop her loud and fast heartbeat.

This conversation was so stressful and draining. Minami could not forgive herself for that clear and foolish misunderstanding, but that wasn't the time for thinking about it.

The blonde girl cleared her throat and kept a straight face during her speech.

"So. As I was saying, my friend could not go to Tokiwadai with me. While my family alone could provide me a place there, she had to apply normally. Even though we knew from the beginning she would not get accepted, due to the power level restrictions, she at least tried other schools that are in School Garden. She applied to three of them, but not one accepted her."

"So... where did SHE end up?"

"She enrolled into Inarizawa Girls' Academy - a school who teaches future sportswomen and gives a lot of opportunities to start a career easier, such as organizing exchange programs, making contracts with big sports companies and inviting famous athletes to share their experiences."

"Sounds great. Then, what is your concern?"

Ogura pursed her lips and looked down at her empty cup.

"It's a double shift school. One half of the students starts lessons in the morning just like us, and the other half has lessons from the afternoon, lasting until evening. The problem is, her parents wanted her to take the later shift. It's apparently more exclusive and less people have the privilege of having it, most of the students start in the morning. But because of that, our schedules do not align at all. When I'm at school, she is sleeping and when our school ends, her first lesson starts. The only moment when we can meet is after her last lesson, which is around 8 PM. So we have a barely 2 hour time frame to spend time together before the curfew. Even though yesterday I was quite pushing it..."

"Well, what about summer vacations, then?"

"And that is probably the worst part. In the summer, Inarizawa 'provides' physical trainings, school competitions and field trips for their students. Their goal is to prepare the students as well as they can for their future athlete careers, so they are busy with outdoor activities in the mornings, afternoons and even evenings. They are very similar in that sense to the schools like Ryouran Maid Academy."

"Uwah, it sounds strict." Minami scowled.

"It really is. Plus, if we add my flower arranging club activities which I now have to participate in everyday at 5 PM, there really aren't many occasions to go out with her anywhere."

The wavy-haired girl sighed. She was drained from energy and she looked very troubled by that issue.

"Well... it is a very unfortunate situation. It's not like I can change anything or give you two more free time, but... Why can't she visit you from time to time? You would show her School Garden and go to nice places... I'm sure she would love it here. AND it's safer than out in the city. Plus, you wouldn't have to risk your reputation by leaving around curfew."

The blonde girl lowered her head and gave Minami a sad smile.

"Y-yes, it does sound like a perfect plan and all, but... it's not like I haven't already tried it."

"Then, what's the issue?"

"I tried begging the principal to obtain the friend invitation, but my applications were all getting declined. 8 times, I think? Then I just gave up."

Minami Himeka raised her eyebrows.

"And why was that?!"

"You know, the probability of you getting the option to invite someone to School Garden depends on the principal's will and mercy. They also check your grades, behavior and overall school performance. With me it was... ah, you know how it is." She responded, nervously scratching the back of her head.

Something bursted inside the headband-wearing girl. It was frustration.

She hit the surface of the table with her fists and reduced the distance between her and Ogura by around 10 centimeters.

She looked at her with a serious expression.

"Then why didn't you ask me for help sooner?!"

"Eh?"

"Ogura-san, look at me! If you just wanted to get the invitation card for your friend, you should have asked me in the first place! I would have gladly helped you!"

Yes. Minami Himeka was a perfect student. The teachers not only liked her for her excellent grades, but for the perfect example that she was for everybody else.

She was hard-working, skilled, ambitious and strong-willed. Those were the traits that Tokiwadai was aiming for in their students.

Her modesty and humbleness added to those already perfect traits only made her impossible to be refused anything.

If she asked teachers for something, for the first time in a year, they would have no second thoughts about agreeing on it.

On the other hand, Ogura Iori, was not only incapable of getting those privileges because of her carelessness and bad reputation, but she was also at the teachers' mercy. In the principal's eyes, she didn't have the right to ask for anything. She wasn't even doing the bare minimum expected from the school, so how could she be begging for something that was only reserved for those situated "up there" in the hierarchy?

Thankfully, she had that highly-situated student as her friend.

A friend?

Was she her friend?

Did Ogura even think that Minami Himeka, the second-year student who could be mistaken for a perfectly mannered third-year lady, was considering them "friends"?

The blonde girl was asking those questions to herself, not able to believe in the words spoken to her.

She had never would expected the girl she considered an example to follow, to do something like that for her.

But...

She was glad.

She uncontrollably smiled. It was warm and genuine, and a faint blush appeared near her cheeks.

"W-would you... do that for me, Minami-san?"

The wavy-haired girl's tone was so obvious.

"Of course I would! What are you talking about?" She said as she was leaning over the table. "Listen. When there's something you are struggling with, or if there's a problem you need help with, you can always, and I repeat, ALWAYS count on me."

Ogura's big, blue eyes started shining like diamonds, as tears were slowly filling them.

She opened her mouth slightly and the corners of her lips lifted up in an awkward, but genuine smile.

"Do you understand that?" She said harshly. "Nod if you understand."

"Unm..." the blonde girl answered inaudibly while nodding her head.

She then wiped her eyes with a pink handkerchief she was always carrying in her pocket.

She felt like she was still getting to know Minami.

At first her impression of her was very flat and unfair. She would naturally perceive a person who lectures others, as someone mean and selfish. Someone who enjoys exalting themselves.

But Minami was just someone who wanted to change the bad in people. If something was the reason for someone's bad behavior, she would do anything to help fix it.

Maybe she wasn't sometimes very honest with herself, but her intentions towards others were never to hurt them.

At least now, after what she had said to her, Ogura did not have a doubt about Minami's good heart.

As the blonde-haired girl was wiping tears off of her eyes, she smiled towards her classmate sitting right in front of her.

"Minami-san." She said cheerfully.

"Wh-what?"

She grinned like a little child, who sees no bad in the world, with a heart full of love and hope.

"I just thought, I'm so happy that I have a friend like you!"

The wavy-haired girl could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, that hot, squeezing feeling in her heart and the weird tingles in her stomach.

"Wh-what are you t-talking abou-"

She was interrupted by an unexpected stimulus.

She noticed someone placing a plate of food right in front of her. She jumped suddenly and looked up.

The waitress was standing beside her, holding their breakfast order.

"S'il vous plaît, madame. Your three layer crêpe with truffles, lobster, caviar and our fresh, wholewheat bread with pâté de campagne." She then placed a beautifully decorated and dandified plate in front of Ogura Iori. "And here is the lobster frittata and the baked chocolate croissant for you, madame."

The blonde girl smiled towards the waitress as if she didn't just make Minami completely embarrassed.

"My, thank you!" She responded joyfully.

"Please, enjoy." The waitress smiled back and bowed with grace.

Part 6

The double glass doors of L'ambroisie restaurant finally closed, as their last two customers left the building.

Minami Himeka and Ogura Iori were standing in front of the luxurious local's facade, under a red window awning, which provided them a little bit of shade.

The blonde girl, holding an orange Bourquin on the crook of her arm, sighed relieved as she was stretching.

"Waah, I'm so full."

"Well, I must say, I don't know when was the last time when I have eaten such a delicious food of that high quality."

"See? Our dormitory's canteen food does not even compare."

The wavy-haired girl looked at her tiredly.

She did agree with that statement, however if she had been eating breakfast at L'ambroisie every morning, she would have lost money for any of her other expenses at the end of the month.

Unlike Ogura Iori, who aside from being filthy rich by birth, was being paid by Academy City for her accomplishments in the Esper Power Development department, Minami Himeka could not afford that high level of profligacy and extravagance because of her "humble" status of a Level 3 Esper.

She looked at her phone.

"My, it's already half past 11? Oh goodness, the time just goes by so fast." She said as she pressed the "off" button on the device. "We should go back to Tokiwadai now. From what I know, the principal stays in her office until 1 PM during vacations."

Ogura closed her legs together and pursed her lips with uneasiness. She looked at Minami with a sense of fault.

She kind of did not feel worthy of her classmate's help, but at the same time her heart was getting warmer just by thinking about someone doing such things for her.

"Um... Minami-san, are you sure it won't be a burden to you?"

The wavy-haired girl rested her hand on her hip.

"Of course not. Besides, I have never asked for a friend invitation before, so they should all the more accept it." She then smiled, trying to comfort her. "Don't worry. If I said 'I'll take care of it' , then that means I'll do it, whatever the case."

Part 7

The principal's office.

The most feared and respected room in the entire school.

Its menacing, imposing, tall, wooden doors were displaying the power and importance of the person inside. This part of the school was rarely visited by students, as it was mostly the teachers' and the staff's area. There was even a private canteen for the Tokiwadai Middle School's staff, as well as many rooms with desks, bookcases and storage furniture.

There was a long corridor with wooden floor and tall windows onlooking at the school's enormous and various courtyard. Near the principal's office's giant door, there was a long, wooden bench which the blonde-haired girl was sitting on. She was alone, waiting for Minami Himeka who had gone inside.

Ogura was waiting patiently, with her orange handbag seated beside her. With her petite arms crossed and her knee-socked legs twitching from time to time, guessing that she was nervous would be obvious.

But she was very patient. She knew that the process of submitting a spoken application, as well as getting the principal's acceptance, then receiving a printed document could last hours. But the strict rules of Tokiwadai and even School Garden as a whole were the reason why Ogura Iori could feel safe in here, after all. If not for this high security system, gated entrances and monitored streets, School Garden would end up in the same condition as the rest of Academy City, but that thankfully wasn't the case. The ground rules had to be established, or else the whole system would collapse.

In order to accept an application for letting someone from outside into the Garden, the person applying had to be very trustworthy and known for their good performance at school.

Even though Ogura knew that Minami Himeka was the perfect person for that, she still couldn't forget about those 8 times her application got declined. Were they not seeing her efforts? This girl did not give up after being denied the 7th time and still had the courage to come back to this old, dusty office and beg for the document.

But she was clever enough not to try again after the 8th time. She realized that no matter what she would do, she would not get the invitation acceptance. There was no way she could. The teachers and the principal already had an opinion on her. And once that opinion became solid enough, there was no way of changing it. She had to live with the fact that she will always be 'the most wealthy but the least hard-working one' in the eyes of everyone.

...

The wavy-haired lady wearing a black headband was standing in the middle of a big, spacious room.

The walls of it were tall and imposing, covered by wooden paneling. They were at least two times the height of the ones in a regular classroom, if not taller. Naturally, the windows were very tall as well, with very expensive-looking curtains which were opened so that the morning sunlight could lighten up the space.

The floor was wooden, with some parts covered by a fine, matte carpet. The walls were mostly covered by big, cabinet-style bookcases reaching all the way up to the ceiling, or beautiful, hyperrealistic, traditional paintings.

Right in front of the girl wearing Tokiwadai's vest uniform, was a big, wooden desk. It additionally had a side table attached to it, so it looked very grand and impressive. There was a middle-aged woman wearing a black blazer, black, knee-high skirt and a crystal broach on her chest, behind it. She was sitting in a big desk chair made of black leather and looking, with a serious, almost paralyzingly imposing face, at Minami Himeka.

This was Tokiwadai Middle School's principal.

The head of one of the most prestigious, worldwide famous schools. This almost mythical persona, had the expected amount of terrifying aura around her. Being able to hold the entire Tokiwadai Middle School, whose grandeur, splendor, renown and glory cannot be expressed by words, in the palm of her hand, required skills and personality even beyond Minami's understanding.

A golden plaque on the principal's desk, probably built along with the entire furniture, displayed the Tokiwadai's head's second name.

'Unabara'.

A famous name around the school's campus.

Probably the most terrifying one, as well.

Minami Himeka, even though her grades and reputation were flawless, couldn't help the constant stress dominating over her body. She was nervously playing with her hands, trying to calm down.

But her face was confident. She was trying to show as little emotion as she could. She was a Tokiwadai's student. While talking to the teachers, let alone the principal, she had to act professionally and calmly.

Finally, Mrs. Unabara said to the wavy-haired girl.

"So, Minami-san, you would like to submit an application for the School Garden Invitation Document, yes?"

Her voice was a bit raspy, low and serious.

The headband-wearing girl answered with no hesitation.

"Yes."

The principal squinted her eyes and looked at the student tiredly. She seemed like she was going to deeply sigh any second, but that did not happen.

Probably the hot, summer sunlight made her exhausted as she was daily spending most of her day in a closed room without air conditioning. Her attire was also not very fitting for the hot weather.

"Well then." She spoke in a menacing voice. "Please, go ahead."

Part 8

The wait was unbearable.

Her nervousness and stress level were growing stronger, as the minutes were passing by.

She was sitting outside the principal's office, shaking her legs and looking at the empty courtyard from time to time. During school season, she would see many girls wearing Tokiwadai uniforms, sitting at the café, having picnics, drinking tea in the Rose Garden. But summer caused all of the students to spread around the town, shopping, sitting in parks, doing homework in their dorm rooms, having clique meetings in the distant, remote Districts of Academy City.

Everyone was now doing their individual things. Things that they liked, things that they had to do, things that made them relaxed, things that made them proud.

What was Ogura Iori doing?

Asking her classmate for an invitation document for her childhood friend, because she couldn't obtain it herself?

She still felt really bad about this.

She looked at her phone and opened some social media site to kill time.

What was happening inside there? She did not know.

She could, however, imagine just how hard Minami Himeka was trying and devoting herself in order to get the document and help her.

What she was doing could be considered a fraud, so Ogura Iori was all the more surprised that the wavy-haired girl would even propose that.

After all, she was the most strict and rule-obsessed person that the blonde girl knew.

So, she realized, her relationship with Minami must have been very deep and serious, if she was willing to cheat, in a sense, just for her classmate's sake.

A sudden, unexpected sound woke her up.

She closed her phone and looked in the direction from where the sound came from. She looked at the principal's doors.

She could see them slowly opening, with a loud squeak of the old hinges, and a melodic, soft voice saying:

"Thank you very much, Unabara-sensei. I am truly grateful."

It was Minami Himeka, which could be seen bowing next to the exit.

A quiet voice of an older woman responded after.

"You are welcome, Minami-san. Please, use it wisely."

"I will. Now, I'll excuse myself."

She bowed once again, but this time her entire figure could be seen by Ogura, sitting on a wooden bench.

The wavy-haired girl reached to a golden handle and closed the big, double doors.

A loud, echo-y sound spread around the corridor.

Minami had finally left the principal's office.

But...

She had something in her hand that she couldn't be seen holding earlier.

It was a small, rectangular, white object which looked like a credit card. She was also holding a piece of paper with many words written on it, in the same hand.

Ogura Iori came up to her as soon as she could, even forgetting to pick up her orange handbag seated on the bench.

She wasted no time and started nervously talking to her classmate.

"M-Minami-san! D-Do you have the invitation? How was it?!"

The wavy-haired girl looked at her. She didn't seem impressed, or thrilled, or nervous. Her face was kind of bored and unamused, even.

She shrugged her shoulders and answered.

"It was a piece of cake. What do you mean?"

"Eh?"

Did the blonde-haired girl hear something differently? "Piece of cake" she said. But Ogura could not believe it.

8 times. That's how many times she tried to get the thing that Minami Himeka, a perfect student, was holding in her right hand with an indifferent facial expression, claiming it was a "piece of cake".

That made her quite depressed.

"W-well... what did she say to you?"

"She said she wants me to quickly summarize for who will the invitation be, what school they attend, their basic profile and background, then I had to fill in some documents and then I was ready to have the invitation card printed." She answered in a monotone, usual tone.

"Did you say exactly everything?"

"Well, I did say that she attends Inarizawa Girls' Academy, that we are childhood friends and that she is from a very good household." She then sighed relieved. "But I'm glad you have told me her name while we were walking up here. If I just made it up on the spot, we would have a whole lot of problems."

Ogura smiled.

"Thank you so much once again, Minami-san."

"Hey, you've thanked me enough. Now, take it." She said as she handed the documents over to the blonde girl. "You can scan it and send it to her on her e-mail. Unabara-sensei said the gatekeeper accepts electronic invitation cards, too. Now whenever she has time, just plan your next outing and she can visit you."

Ogura Iori was beyond excited. She stared at the documents while checking the filled gaps.

"Looks like everything is right in here."

Her eyes were smiling, too. Her lips and cheeks turned red as the blood rushed towards her face.

Her excitement was visible.

The headband-wearing girl smirked and patted Ogura's shoulder.

"Good luck. Now, excuse me, I have my violin club practice in a bit."

She made two steps forward, passing by the ribbon-wearing girl and heading towards the end of the corridor.

Ogura felt a sudden reflex as well as her own emotions causing her to turn around and shout towards her classmate.

"I... I'll accompany you!"

That was the least she could do to return the favor. It wouldn't feel right to her to just get what she had wanted, which was achieved by her friend's efforts, and just not care at all. She may have looked vain, materialistic and selfish, but she had a strong sense of justice and her delicate heart would not take the feeling of inconsideration or being given everything for free.

Minami stopped and stood in place for a second, until she turned around and looked at Ogura.

She hesitantly responded after a sarcastic scoff.

"Well, if you want to. But it's a two minute walk from here."

The ribbon-wearing girl cheerfully laughed.

"Ahaha, that's fine. As long as I can be with you for a little bit longer, I don't care!"

"Hah." Minami Himeka flipped her hair. "Sure, although I'm starting to feel a bit fed up with you." she added, smirking sarcastically.

Ogura picked up her handbag and responded.

"Oh, please. Who else is going to give you your daily dose of craziness and humor? After all, spending all of your time with adults, books and violins can cause you to age too soon."

"What?!"

"Hmph, you know, aging is a mental thing, too. What is happening in your life, diet and mental state, can have an impact on your physical aging as well. Soon I may be calling you 'auntie' ... pfft!"

Minami's face turned red instantly as she frowned with anger.

"O-Ohoho! On the other hand, you, Ogura-san, should stay with playing dolls!"

The blonde girl closed her eyes and giggled quietly.

"Maybe I will." She said as she was walking past her classmate. "Let's go, Minami-san! You don't want to be late for your violin practice, do you?"

(Urrgh, that Ogura-san!)

The wavy-haired girl soon joined her and the two of them were walking down a long corridor, from time to time looking at the school courtyard through the big, tall windows.

Cicadas were starting to get louder, dominating over the chirping of doves, as the morning had already ended.

...

Keys, keys, keys, keys everywhere.

The first 3 parts were very key-tastic.

And even if you disagree, you have to admit they had quite a key-ability.

Yes, ma'am, the keys. They are a major part of the plot in Railgun SS3 novel (best raildex novel ever imo, and probably the biggest inspiration for me to write this lmao) and are very clearly said to be connected with School Garden, ShokuHOE and the life of luxury, so naturally Iori would have them and use them a lot.

Now, the luxury brands are not me misspelling them, they are changed intentionally. Like Sakibasu had a Stativarius instead of Stradivarius im pretty sure. Plus Hermèise looks fancier than Hermès XD and yeah, 50 milion yen for a birkin bag is not an exaggeration. I'm pretty sure Himalaya Birkins are sold for around a million dollars now (?) and Rose Gold Kellys can be worth up to 2 million if I remember correctly. But I'm not sure.

Now I'll answer those three questions :|

First, Yesss, Kuroko will appear : ) she's a bad bitch, we love her and she's coming in VERY near future. Maybe not the next chapter, but pwetty soon. :))

Second, Yes, AIM Radar is the same ability that the girl from the Jailbreaker arc has. They didn't give it a name yet (but they probably will soon) so I decided to name it that, following Takitsubo's ability name's pattern. Instead of stalking, she's a radar. Cute.

Third, I know I know, Touma is sent to Shidarezakura and that's where the mess starts, but as he is running from them, the news that a boy entered School Garden spreads around the whole town and Tokiwadai students get involved in this, too.

Now I have a question.

Because I wanted to include the next chapter in THIS one to make the "Iori's Friend Mini Arc" a one, start-to-finish kind of thing, but then I realized 1) the amount of words 2) the amount of time that writing would probably take me and 3) I realized that probably people prefer reading stories with smaller chapters, but updated more frequently.

So, a question. Do you want;

A. Give us all in one, every 2 months or so :|

B. Give us smaller bits but more frequently :,)

Thank y'all for reading

As always, there are probably some errors?

Correct me if something's off?

K, bye. :,)