Chapter 9
Towa and Setsuna get to their own lockers after receiving their schedules for the school year. "It's quite odd to see how the students behave around here." Towa said as they pass by a few other students in the hallway. Like what the headmistress told them that there are half demons attending this school, so it's no surprise that any of them would feel out of place.
From one half demon after another, the species are not just like the twins but also different animals. Cat, horse, monkey, bat, goat, sheep etc. It doesn't even bother them at the least. "We just got here and you want to know more about them?" Setsuna asks as she gets to her assigned locker and follows the directions on how to open it.
"I mean we just stay low and act natural and casual. We don't want anyone here to be suspicious about us." Towa shrugs it off and opens her own locker the same way Setsuna did. They're in the required uniforms that they got from the school's store. Like Moroha, Setsuna is in the same fashion of the blouse, checkered shirt and long tan socks and loafers.
Towa on the other hand prefers to wear tan slacks instead of a skirt because she finds it more comfortable to wear. But everything else is noticed with the blouse and the footware. "Ok so our first class of the day is science." Towa said to her twin.
Setsuna looks down to her schedule. "Seems we have classes together. Maybe this could help us out." She said as they enter the assigned classroom.
"Towa, Sestuna." Moroha waves to after seeing them coming in. "Morning, Moroha. Is your schedule the same as ours?" Towa asks as she hands Moroha hers. Moroha looks between hers and Towa. "Pretty much." She confirms it. The twins sit in the two desks by Moroha.
"Okay class, we have some new students joining us." A teacher enters the room. A female in her mid thirties with brown hair and blue eyes with a cheery smile.
"Morning, Mrs. Kiko." The class responds to her.
Ms. Kiko smiles. "Like I said, we have new students. Would Takahashi, Moroha, Towa and Setsuna please come forward.
As requested the three girls come up to the front of the class. "I'm Moroha." Moroha introduces herself. "I'm Towa. It's a pleasure to be here." Towa bows her head.
"I'm Setsuna. I'm honored to be chosen." Setsuna said in a more professional tone.
"Ok, that's nice to meet you girls. We're going to focus on the plants that send off fragrances." Ms. Kiko spoke as she writes something on the board.
"Can anyone tell me a popular fragrance?" She asks the class. A few students raised their hands. "Towa."
Towa stood, "There's lavender." She said proudly. Ms. Kiko nods. "Yes, lavender has a fragrance that makes people relax. Can anyone tell me another one? Let's see, Moroha? Do you know one?"
Moroha stands up. "I believe there's lilac." Ms. Kiko nods again. "Correct. Lilac is something that is used to help relieve stress and anxiety." She writes it down on the board.
"How about you Setsuna, do you know one?" Ms. Kiko asks the girl.
Setsuna stands up. "There's cherry blossom. I found out it's important to our country and its culture." Ms. Kiko nods. "That's correct. You see Cherry blossom is a common thing here. Even our school's Cherry Blossom tree here is very important. For it symbolizes both life and death as well as beauty and violence. Sort of like Yin and Yang."
The one of the other students raises its hand. "Yes Guro?" Mr. Kiko asks the half bull demon. The creature looks like the other half demons except for the little brown horns on top of his head with red short hair and green eyes. "Why would cherry blossom represent those things?" He asks in a low voice.
Ms. Kiko smile. "That is a good question, Guro. You see Cherry Blossoms has its mark in history in both good and the bad. The good times cherry blossoms did was to present human life, transience and nobleness." The teacher explains to the class. She then sees them taking notes of that part.
The teacher resumes, "The bad part of Chery Blossoms is more on the political party. Even though they parties can't agree on each other, they both agree that cherry blossoms help make they fight along side with one another in war. One person once said that for those who fall are like the blossoms themselves as they fall from the tree branches in beauty and grace." Like before the students wrote down that part.
Another student raises her hand. A half sheep demon. Her gray fluffy hair and floppy ears hang on the side of her head. "Yes, Yoshi?" Ms. Kiko points with her dry eraser marker. "How did this school get the cherry blossoms trees?" She asks curious.
Ms. Kiko nods. "Well, the thing is that the trees have been here way before this school was build here. Over the course of history of this particular area, the demons and humans who offspring half demons like yourselves wanted a place of education safely. And when they came to this area, they agreed to build the school to make sure you get the proper education in a calming environment." Ms. Kiko explains to the class.
The school bells to dismiss the class. "Ok class, you're one assignment is to find a fragrance that you only know of and write a report on it." Ms. Kiko tells her students as she writes it on the board.
The rest of the morning classes weren't any different from the classes they had back in the old school. It's time for their lunch break. "So where do you want to have our lunches?" Moroha asks as she reaches the twins at their own lockers.
"We could do it under the trees like the one back at our old school." Towa offers her one idea. Setsuna on the other doesn't seem to care. She just shrugs her shoulders.
"Um excuse me." A female half bat demon comes up to them. The trio can see that's she pretty. She has deep tanned skin, purple eyes with a gentle expression. Her hair is long and white. "I'm Shiori." She introduces herself.
"Hello. Nice to meet you, I'm…"
"Moroha, Towa and Setsuna. I was in your class just recently." Shiori smiles at them.
"Would like to join us for lunch Shiori." Setsuna asks her politely. Shiori nods. "I'd like that. I know where to have our break. Follow me." Shiori speaks happily and leads them somewhere in the school.
It doesn't take long for Shiori to take them to the roof of the school. "I always come up here." Shiori said as she let them gets comfortable around the concrete floor.
"Thank you for having us here, Shiori. Have you been here for long?" Towa asks as she unwraps the bento box her mother made for her and Setsuna.
Shiori sits in her spot by the fence. "No, I just arrived a few days ago." She said in a more serious tone. Her cheery demeanor vanished. "I know why you're here." She said to them.
That made Moroha stop her first bite of her lunch. "How do you know about us?" She asks the bat. Shiori sighs, "You see that wall that surrounds the school." She points towards one direction. The trio nod. "That's my position to keep the barrier up at all times."
"We know about the barrier that protects the school." Setsuna points out.
Shiori nods. "Yes, that's true. But that's not all." She frowns slightly. "The barrier must be up at all times. My position happened after my father died of an incurable illness. Little did I know at the time that I inherited the ability to create a barrier. According to mother, the barrier gets weaker by age. I'm the same age as you three are. So I hardly knew what I was doing at the time until I was told that I would be perfect to be here to practice. So that's why I haven't left this place ever since."
The trio looked at each other in confusion. "So you have been here for that long?" Towa asks first. Shiori nods, "I have to be in an area where the barrier is up. If I left, the barrier would vanish." Shiori said in a simpler manner.
"That why do want to be with us for lunch?" Setsuna asks her curiously.
"Tell me, what do you know about this place. Basically." Shiori asks them seriously.
"Well, Moroha was originally going to attend here for a mission, until our grandfather Toga told us about it as well. We know about the history of the school and the apparent deaths that happened here." Towa explains to her.
Shiori nods. "True that this school has a shady history about that. But the victims weren't themselves for when it happened."
"You mean that someone influenced them to do it?" Moroha asks in surprise.
"Yes. But the problem we don't know who it was." Shiori responds.
"There's another thing that we to know." Setsuna said to her. Shiori turns her sight. "According to our grandfather, there's an individual who is the mastermind of the place. We need to know who that person as soon as possible."
"It's not you. Right?" Towa asks in concern.
Shiori shakes. "No, I just got here like you, and I don't know who the mastermind would be. If I know something, I'll let you know." The bell rings to signal that it's time to resume the school hours. "I'll see you girls later ok." Shiori waves goodbye and goes back into the building.
The three girls don't know what to say or expect or anything for the moment, so they decide to head back to class and hope for something else to help them out with the mission.