My preliminary timetable was delivered to me by a raven that afternoon, shortly after I finished unpacking and setting my new home up. Apparently this is the method used within the academy to send messages quickly and efficiently. I was expecting that there's a spell which can make letters fly on their own, but apparently there isn't. I still have a lot to learn, and a lot of misconceptions to get rid of first.
"This is a lot..." I lie down on the bed and look at the sheet of paper. There's no concept of weekends here. I have classes five days a week, and apparently a week has five days. But it feels strange, considering a month has twenty six days. Five weeks every month, but one day is extra. Maybe that's a day off?
In either case, I have to attend the beginner classes of all elemental affinities, three elements a day. Apparently a day is separated into morning, afternoon and evening classes, with noon being reserved for lunch. There is a concept of timekeeping here, after all, but it doesn't separate the day into twenty four hours. It's in six parts with abstract names: Time of Enlightenment, of Ascension, of Radiance, of Luminosity, of Fall, and of Darkness. I can guess what they refer to, but I can't associate set times with them. I think that's among the first things I'll have to find out about in the library today.
Since class stars for me the very next day. I guess there's no concept of school terms, either. Kamii was enrolled as well, but her schedule looks much less complex. Every other day, she has to attend Defense Against Dark Magic and Application of Dark Magic classes, with one day a week being reserved for Magic History. For some reason I don't have that, though. Well, it's only a temporary timetable for me, so things will change.
I try to get up again and head for the library, but Kamii is lying on top of me, asleep and in a state of half-undress . She's like a cat who will find a cozy spot and just take a nap, regardless of where it is. Senka is sitting on her new bed and dangling her legs idly, seemingly in thought. Ah, this is really comfortable, just lying about and doing nothing.
But I'm sorry, Kamii-chan, onee-san has to do some research, so I don't look like a complete fool when I can't find the classroom the next morning. Well, it does say that the first class is Basics of Wind Magic on the field, which is visible from my window. Still, I need to know the exact time, else I'll most likely be late.
I lightly pinch the little dark elf's cheek and she stirs a little. But it doesn't wake her up. I poke her in the side, but she lets out a small groan, twists her body a bit, then her breathing relaxes again after a moment. Hm... I touch her practically nonexistent chest and draw a circle on her breast through her thin top. She squirms a little and a shiver runs down her body. My finger moves down, across her exposed midriff and circles around her belly button. A slight giggle escapes her lips, but she's still asleep. With this, my hand moves deeper...
"What are you doing?"Senka's voice shakes me from my trance. Really, what am I doing? "I don't mind you doing that, but you should tell me next time... I'd leave you two alone then." Her expression doesn't reveal what she's thinking about my actions.
"Um, Kamii-chan?" I shake her lightly and she finally wakes up. Looking around slightly confused, she takes note of her surroundings and smiles at me. Your innocence is hurting me! I'm sorry for playing around with you while you were asleep! "I have to go to the library to do some research. Do you want to come, too?" This is directed at Senka, since I know that Kamii won't leave my side either way.
"I'm fine, I have sufficient knowledge about this world." Senka refuses with a distant look out the window. Wait, why didn't I consider asking her about these things?
"Then explain this timekeeping method to me." I hold out the timetable and point at the words on the side.
"You heard the bells earlier, didn't you?" Now that she mentions it, there were two times when the bells rang, once when we had the tearful goodbyes with the other party members, and once a while after I returned to my room. I didn't pay too much attention to it, though. "The first was to denote that it's the Time of Radiance. Basically lunch break. The second was the signal that lunch break is over and that the day entered the Time of Luminosity - which is simply the afternoon." Wow, that's really vague. "Yeah, it seems very irregular. Apparently proper timekeeping is a rare ability in this world, especially since they don't have the concept of clocks here. I mean, is it that hard to make a sundial?" That reminds me of the bard, who seemed to know the time at all times. "Time of Enlightenment is for sunrise and Ascension is when the sun is in the process of rising. Fall and Darkness should be self-explanatory then." Fall for when the sun is nearing the horizon, and Darkness for when it's completely dark - so the night, I guess.
"So there'll be a gong for when the separate times begin and end?"
"Convenient, right? Almost like a school!" Her sarcasm isn't lost on me, but I ignore it. "But I think that's only here in the academy, or have you heard bells elsewhere so far?" Now that she mentions it, I haven't. Even though this world has churches - and we went into the cemetery dungeon, which was behind a church. But that one didn't have a bell tower, as far as I could tell.
"Then I don't have to worry about getting the times wrong?" I'm relieved. But still, I'll have to keep my current sleeping rhythm up, where I go to sleep soon after the sun goes down, and wake up at the first light of the day. I just hope I won't have too much homework so that I'll have to stay awake until late. I'm not a morning person, after all. "Do you have an alarm clock setting?"
"I see what you did there. Very clever." Her smile is really fake, before her expression changes into an annoyed one. "But yes, I can wake you up if you want me to. I don't sleep anyways. At least not very often." The heavy dark rings under her eyes are a testament to that. Although I wonder how they even formed in the first place, if she doesn't have any bodily functions.
"Can you wake me up for sunrise each day?" Sunrise should be about seven in the morning and nightfall around the same in the evening. Well, guessing by the climate, the days should be shorter and the nights longer in this country. "I do want to be a model student, after all." At least I want to make a good first impression tomorrow.
"Alright." She has quite an amicable attitude and can be reliable in that regard, despite being so sassy all the time.
So, what now? There's not much I can do in the dorms right now. Actually, I think I need some writing materials like paper and pens. I know that paper exists here, since the rulebook is clearly a work of print. Which reminds me, I should take a look at the rules, too. I pick it up from the table and open the first page, for the index. Apparently it's over two hundred pages long and is written like a legal code. Ugh, I can feel my motivation vanishing...
I toss it back onto the desk and lie down. I'll read it some other time. Kamii takes this as a sign that she can snuggle up to me again. But before she can, I sit up. No, I can't just laze about. If anything, I could just take a walk around the school, maybe visit Luna in her room, or find out more about the demons enrolled here. Aside from that, I might want to grab something to eat, too. The trolls inside my body are mostly gone, and I've done my best to dissolve their bones as well. While I don't like them, I can't just spit them out, since disposing of them might be a problem within the academy.
I take out a clean skull from my chest area and look at it closely. With big eyes, Kamii watches the action and looks between the skull and my face. She should know that I can put things inside my body at will, from the time I demonstrated it to her with the survival knife from my starter kit. But I guess it's always wondrous to watch.
The skull features a set of sharp teeth and long canines, while the space for the brain seems quite small. It could be mistaken for belonging to a monkey, but at one glance, anyone can tell that it's not human. Maybe I can use this as decoration in this room. In my time here, I'd like to make it feel as crowded as the room in my previous life was. Much like the guild master of Hovsgaerden, Ingrid's office. I put it on the small shelf above my desk. The first sign of individuality to this room, and evidence of me living here.
A knock on the door takes my attention. I guess it's alright for others to see the skull, I can always make up the excuse that I found it when we went through the mountain. "Yes, come in." The door opens and Luna stands there with a curious expression. She spots Senka lying on the other bed first and a grimace flashes over her face, but then she looks around.
"This is a pretty nice room. I'm sharing mine with someone, too, but she isn't back from classes yet." She comes in and sits down on Senka's bed, but makes a point to stay away from the cursed doll. "How does your schedule look like? Master Eklundstrom did say that you would get one tailored for your needs, but will temporarily join the classes for other elements, right?"
"It is quite packed. I will not be having much free time." I show Luna my timetable. Reading through it quickly, a hard to understand expression plays over her face. "So you will be mostly attending beginner classes." Wait, is that your smug face?
"That reminds me, how did your test go?"
"They say that I must be a genius for being able to meld elements so well, but my incantations are very inefficient. I did teach myself, after all. That's why I'm attending classes on advanced and master incantations." Hey, aren't you being really cocky right now? I'll overtake you in no time, just you wait! "But it seems we do not have any classes together." Oi, you looking for a fight? "I am really looking forward to tomorrow."
Well, so am I. I'll make a huge impact for having impressive mastery over magic and go into the master classes as quickly as possible. Then I'll be able to pay you back for that smug expression.
"So we will only see each other during noon break and after school, then. Good luck on your first day." She does show me a genuine smile at this and my irritation is blown away. I have to admit, she's quite beautiful. She's a half-elf after all. Leaving my room with these words, I'm back to being idle.
Soon after, another knock on the door interrupts me doing nothing. It's the dorm mother, Ninlil, who hands me three sets of academy uniforms. They're all for me, to cycle through during the week. Laundry will be washed for the students, as long as we leave them in the basket beside the door. "Kamii's uniform will be done by tomorrow morning."
Then she takes out a handful of crystals from the pocket in her apron and puts one of them in each of the lamps on the desks. She looks up to the small hanging lamp in the middle of the room. It's too high up even for me, so is she going to fly up there with wind magic or something? Nope, she jumps and at the apex of her ascension quickly puts in two crystals, before falling back down and landing softly on her feet. Agile and dexterous like a cat.
"In case you don't know, the incantation to turn on lamp crystals is Limino. To turn them off, it's Bice." At the words, the crystals switch on and off again. Their light is quite bright, too. "They recharge using natural light, so don't leave them on during the day. And they won't last you the entire night, so don't use them that way, either. Any questions?"
"Thank you. We're fine, Mistress Ninlil." I have to hold myself back from touching her ears and can't think of anything at the moment.
"Remember that dinner takes place during the Time of the Fall, and breakfast will be served during the Time of Enlightenment, and only then. Go to sleep early today. It's your big day tomorrow." With this, Ninlil leaves.
Big day, huh? I try out the uniform and look at myself in the wardrobe mirror. A white shirt with a long-sleeved sweater over it - much like high school uniforms in Japan. Of course, the clothes style is different, as the shirt doesn't have a collar or uses buttons, and the sweater is tied with leather straps. It's not really fashionable... I think I might want to suggest some improvements eventually.
And the skirt is really long. It reaches all the way down to the ankles and it's not so easy to move around in. The underwear in this world is obviously nothing like the modern ones, although Japanese fantasy would like you to believe that girls in a medieval setting such as the one I'm in right now all wear cute panties. The uniform has bloomers, but that makes me think of old lady pants.
How about changing this up a little? For one, I'll make the skirt shorter and plaid it. Luckily, it's tied with a string and there's a lot of extra fabric to create folds. I work pretty quickly and sew it up - although I'm pretty bad at it. Still, it's not hard, so the result is pretty good. It's only one of the three sets, but I'll use this as an experiment, to see how people in this world take this look.
As for thigh-highs or knee-socks, I'll use my body paint technique until I can get real ones. After all, a skirt has to have a zettai ryouiki. If someone were to touch my legs, they'd realize that it's just body paint, so I'll have to be careful until then. Panties? I don't need them, since I can discreetly change my private parts to be nonexistent. But when I wear a skirt, I'll just do it the same way as the socks, until I can get a tailor to make real ones for me.
I've been keeping my hair rather long since coming here, but I can go back to the style I had in my previous life. In the mirror my hair shortens. It's still blonde and my eyes are still blue, so it's a strange feeling, since my face is still Japanese. Handsome, if I may say so myself... I look even more like a boy now...
But with a skirt and black thigh-highs, I'm more like a cool onee-san type JK. Kamii looks at me with huge eyes when she sees my transformation. Well, she only saw my arm turn into tentacles, but didn't know that my entire body is basically a playground for my imagination.
"High school girl outfit... why does it not surprise me that a high school girl is doing this in an alternate universe?" Senka gives a sassy comment.
"Leave me alone. I feel most comfortable this way." But when I think about it... "Actually, I feel most comfortable without any clothes on... no wait, that came out wrong." The doll girl is giving me her Glasgow grin. "This body doesn't require protection from clothes and I can erase the traits that make a human feel shame in walking around naked." I already feel myself being apart from humans.
"You've become a proper pervert alright." From a human's perspective, that may be true...
"Anyways, I'll make an impact on my first day."
I forgot about dinner that evening...
A shaking wakes me up and I open my eyes too quickly for my own good. Really close to my face is that of a horror movie monster. Dark rings under eyes with a piercing gaze, stitches on wounds running across a pale white face. I would have screamed, if I didn't know this is just my third, secret roommate, Senka.
"Rise and shine, Miss Marcott. Rise and shine." She says with a weird accent. "The right girl in the wrong place can make all the difference." I have no idea what you mean.
Ugh, I can't get up. This bed is really comfy and the outside is quite cold. The sun is just barely peeking out from the horizon. I knew it, waking up unnaturally messes with my rhythm and I become my normal lethargic morning grouch self. Ah, now I know why I can't seem to move. Kamii is under my sheets and her crab arm is draped over me, weighing me down.
"Kamii-chan, you have to get up. You have classes, too." The dreaded moment of truth is approaching. Will she be able to go on her own, or more specifically, will she be able to leave my side? I'm sure it'll take some convincing.
It took a lot more than "some convincing". She even cried, until I assured her that we would see each other during lunch only a few hours later. I taught her pinky-swearing and told her that I would swallow a thousand needles, if I broke that promise. I think I can even make good on that, if something really happens and I can't meet her then. The advantages of an amorphous body~
Still, I'd prefer not to let her down the first time we separate since I freed her from that cage I found her in. It's actually quite emotional for me, too, seeing her leave my side after all this time. If there're any problems, let onee-san know, alright?
After dropping her off in the lecture room on the first floor of the main building - after we had breakfast in a corner of the large canteen together - I go to the field where the wind magic class is going to take place. The sun is up enough to display its full radiance already, and showers the grassy field in its rays. It's a nice day to be outdoors. I almost feel like running a few laps as a warm-up exercise, but this body doesn't seem to need that - no muscles means no way to pull one from strenuous activities.
There are already a few students gathered, and I'm really happy to see that the angel girl is among them. So she's only a basic learner, huh? When I approach them, all eyes are on me, and some are looking at my short skirt with either shocked or slightly indecent expressions. The former are the girls, the latter are the boys. How obvious.
One girl, looking to be around my actual age, comes forward. Drill hair... she actually has blonde drill hair! She has another one in tow, and both of them look like typical bullies. The other girl beside her has quite a forgettable face. They're obviously approaching me to make the pecking order clear. Perfect for me, I'll show them that I'm not someone they can mess with.
"Who are you?" The blonde one asks. She actually has pretty white skin and could be considered a beauty, if not for her haughty expression. Her clothes somehow look of a higher quality than mine. Don't tell me she's a rich little princess who has a custom-made uniform? Her companion, who has brown hair, has a gleeful grin on her face, as if she's expecting a good show. "And what is wrong with your clothes? Not enough money to afford a proper skirt?" Wow, she's actually playing the money card, in a place that is clearly based on merit rather than wealth. Well, maybe some people can make it in based on that alone. She's the oldest of the students in this beginner class after all.
"My name is Chloe Marcott, and who are you?" I won't play her game.
"That is quite the stupid name. I am Svanhild Tofisdottir. My father is the Master of Arms of the kingdom, Tofi Haroldsson." And she takes out her father card. What are you, a little child?
"Nice to meet you, Svanhild. So, what are you doing in this class?" I look around demonstratively, but I think my tone is quite innocent. "You seem older than everyone else here." That's gotta sting.
"Wha-" Yep, that did indeed hit home. She's grasping for words and it looks like she's going to explode already.
"Umm, please don't fight..." A voice from the side takes our attention. It's the angel girl. Seeing her from up close, she looks to be around the same age as Luna. Her skin is really white and her hair is silver. She has an ethereal air about her, especially with those light blue eyes. And her expression shows that she's the type to be bullied. Then I notice that her chest is bigger than mine, despite her being smaller than I. For some reason I feel like bullying her even more now...
"You stay out of this!" Svanhild swings her arm to backhand the angel girl and I catch it before it can hit.
"You should not raise your hand against the face of a girl, you know?" Her mouth is hanging open at the speed of my reflexes. Her target didn't even realize what was about to happen just now. "Oh, is that the teacher?" I look behind Svanhild and her unimpressive companion with an exaggerated stretch of my neck.
"Uhhh, I will remember this." Drills girl, you just raised the flag for you to become the stock bully who will always fail and whose plans will always backfire. Not that I care. She walks away without even ascertaining whether the teacher is really coming or not - which is not the case.
"Are you alright?" I turn to the angel girl, who seems confused about the situation.
"Ah, th-thank you..." She suddenly expresses her gratitude to me. And now she's looking up at me with a blush. "My name is Hestia. I-it is a pleasure to meet you."
Flag get?
My preliminary timetable was delivered to me by a raven that afternoon, shortly after I finished unpacking and setting my new home up. Apparently this is the method used within the academy to send messages quickly and efficiently. I was expecting that there's a spell which can make letters fly on their own, but apparently there isn't. I still have a lot to learn, and a lot of misconceptions to get rid of first.
"This is a lot..." I lie down on the bed and look at the sheet of paper. There's no concept of weekends here. I have classes five days a week, and apparently a week has five days. But it feels strange, considering a month has twenty six days. Five weeks every month, but one day is extra. Maybe that's a day off?
In either case, I have to attend the beginner classes of all elemental affinities, three elements a day. Apparently a day is separated into morning, afternoon and evening classes, with noon being reserved for lunch. There is a concept of timekeeping here, after all, but it doesn't separate the day into twenty four hours. It's in six parts with abstract names: Time of Enlightenment, of Ascension, of Radiance, of Luminosity, of Fall, and of Darkness. I can guess what they refer to, but I can't associate set times with them. I think that's among the first things I'll have to find out about in the library today.
Since class stars for me the very next day. I guess there's no concept of school terms, either. Kamii was enrolled as well, but her schedule looks much less complex. Every other day, she has to attend Defense Against Dark Magic and Application of Dark Magic classes, with one day a week being reserved for Magic History. For some reason I don't have that, though. Well, it's only a temporary timetable for me, so things will change.
I try to get up again and head for the library, but Kamii is lying on top of me, asleep and in a state of half-undress . She's like a cat who will find a cozy spot and just take a nap, regardless of where it is. Senka is sitting on her new bed and dangling her legs idly, seemingly in thought. Ah, this is really comfortable, just lying about and doing nothing.
But I'm sorry, Kamii-chan, onee-san has to do some research, so I don't look like a complete fool when I can't find the classroom the next morning. Well, it does say that the first class is Basics of Wind Magic on the field, which is visible from my window. Still, I need to know the exact time, else I'll most likely be late.
I lightly pinch the little dark elf's cheek and she stirs a little. But it doesn't wake her up. I poke her in the side, but she lets out a small groan, twists her body a bit, then her breathing relaxes again after a moment. Hm... I touch her practically nonexistent chest and draw a circle on her breast through her thin top. She squirms a little and a shiver runs down her body. My finger moves down, across her exposed midriff and circles around her belly button. A slight giggle escapes her lips, but she's still asleep. With this, my hand moves deeper...
"What are you doing?"Senka's voice shakes me from my trance. Really, what am I doing? "I don't mind you doing that, but you should tell me next time... I'd leave you two alone then." Her expression doesn't reveal what she's thinking about my actions.
"Um, Kamii-chan?" I shake her lightly and she finally wakes up. Looking around slightly confused, she takes note of her surroundings and smiles at me. Your innocence is hurting me! I'm sorry for playing around with you while you were asleep! "I have to go to the library to do some research. Do you want to come, too?" This is directed at Senka, since I know that Kamii won't leave my side either way.
"I'm fine, I have sufficient knowledge about this world." Senka refuses with a distant look out the window. Wait, why didn't I consider asking her about these things?
"Then explain this timekeeping method to me." I hold out the timetable and point at the words on the side.
"You heard the bells earlier, didn't you?" Now that she mentions it, there were two times when the bells rang, once when we had the tearful goodbyes with the other party members, and once a while after I returned to my room. I didn't pay too much attention to it, though. "The first was to denote that it's the Time of Radiance. Basically lunch break. The second was the signal that lunch break is over and that the day entered the Time of Luminosity - which is simply the afternoon." Wow, that's really vague. "Yeah, it seems very irregular. Apparently proper timekeeping is a rare ability in this world, especially since they don't have the concept of clocks here. I mean, is it that hard to make a sundial?" That reminds me of the bard, who seemed to know the time at all times. "Time of Enlightenment is for sunrise and Ascension is when the sun is in the process of rising. Fall and Darkness should be self-explanatory then." Fall for when the sun is nearing the horizon, and Darkness for when it's completely dark - so the night, I guess.
"So there'll be a gong for when the separate times begin and end?"
"Convenient, right? Almost like a school!" Her sarcasm isn't lost on me, but I ignore it. "But I think that's only here in the academy, or have you heard bells elsewhere so far?" Now that she mentions it, I haven't. Even though this world has churches - and we went into the cemetery dungeon, which was behind a church. But that one didn't have a bell tower, as far as I could tell.
"Then I don't have to worry about getting the times wrong?" I'm relieved. But still, I'll have to keep my current sleeping rhythm up, where I go to sleep soon after the sun goes down, and wake up at the first light of the day. I just hope I won't have too much homework so that I'll have to stay awake until late. I'm not a morning person, after all. "Do you have an alarm clock setting?"
"I see what you did there. Very clever." Her smile is really fake, before her expression changes into an annoyed one. "But yes, I can wake you up if you want me to. I don't sleep anyways. At least not very often." The heavy dark rings under her eyes are a testament to that. Although I wonder how they even formed in the first place, if she doesn't have any bodily functions.
"Can you wake me up for sunrise each day?" Sunrise should be about seven in the morning and nightfall around the same in the evening. Well, guessing by the climate, the days should be shorter and the nights longer in this country. "I do want to be a model student, after all." At least I want to make a good first impression tomorrow.
"Alright." She has quite an amicable attitude and can be reliable in that regard, despite being so sassy all the time.
So, what now? There's not much I can do in the dorms right now. Actually, I think I need some writing materials like paper and pens. I know that paper exists here, since the rulebook is clearly a work of print. Which reminds me, I should take a look at the rules, too. I pick it up from the table and open the first page, for the index. Apparently it's over two hundred pages long and is written like a legal code. Ugh, I can feel my motivation vanishing...
I toss it back onto the desk and lie down. I'll read it some other time. Kamii takes this as a sign that she can snuggle up to me again. But before she can, I sit up. No, I can't just laze about. If anything, I could just take a walk around the school, maybe visit Luna in her room, or find out more about the demons enrolled here. Aside from that, I might want to grab something to eat, too. The trolls inside my body are mostly gone, and I've done my best to dissolve their bones as well. While I don't like them, I can't just spit them out, since disposing of them might be a problem within the academy.
I take out a clean skull from my chest area and look at it closely. With big eyes, Kamii watches the action and looks between the skull and my face. She should know that I can put things inside my body at will, from the time I demonstrated it to her with the survival knife from my starter kit. But I guess it's always wondrous to watch.
The skull features a set of sharp teeth and long canines, while the space for the brain seems quite small. It could be mistaken for belonging to a monkey, but at one glance, anyone can tell that it's not human. Maybe I can use this as decoration in this room. In my time here, I'd like to make it feel as crowded as the room in my previous life was. Much like the guild master of Hovsgaerden, Ingrid's office. I put it on the small shelf above my desk. The first sign of individuality to this room, and evidence of me living here.
A knock on the door takes my attention. I guess it's alright for others to see the skull, I can always make up the excuse that I found it when we went through the mountain. "Yes, come in." The door opens and Luna stands there with a curious expression. She spots Senka lying on the other bed first and a grimace flashes over her face, but then she looks around.
"This is a pretty nice room. I'm sharing mine with someone, too, but she isn't back from classes yet." She comes in and sits down on Senka's bed, but makes a point to stay away from the cursed doll. "How does your schedule look like? Master Eklundstrom did say that you would get one tailored for your needs, but will temporarily join the classes for other elements, right?"
"It is quite packed. I will not be having much free time." I show Luna my timetable. Reading through it quickly, a hard to understand expression plays over her face. "So you will be mostly attending beginner classes." Wait, is that your smug face?
"That reminds me, how did your test go?"
"They say that I must be a genius for being able to meld elements so well, but my incantations are very inefficient. I did teach myself, after all. That's why I'm attending classes on advanced and master incantations." Hey, aren't you being really cocky right now? I'll overtake you in no time, just you wait! "But it seems we do not have any classes together." Oi, you looking for a fight? "I am really looking forward to tomorrow."
Well, so am I. I'll make a huge impact for having impressive mastery over magic and go into the master classes as quickly as possible. Then I'll be able to pay you back for that smug expression.
"So we will only see each other during noon break and after school, then. Good luck on your first day." She does show me a genuine smile at this and my irritation is blown away. I have to admit, she's quite beautiful. She's a half-elf after all. Leaving my room with these words, I'm back to being idle.
Soon after, another knock on the door interrupts me doing nothing. It's the dorm mother, Ninlil, who hands me three sets of academy uniforms. They're all for me, to cycle through during the week. Laundry will be washed for the students, as long as we leave them in the basket beside the door. "Kamii's uniform will be done by tomorrow morning."
Then she takes out a handful of crystals from the pocket in her apron and puts one of them in each of the lamps on the desks. She looks up to the small hanging lamp in the middle of the room. It's too high up even for me, so is she going to fly up there with wind magic or something? Nope, she jumps and at the apex of her ascension quickly puts in two crystals, before falling back down and landing softly on her feet. Agile and dexterous like a cat.
"In case you don't know, the incantation to turn on lamp crystals is Limino. To turn them off, it's Bice." At the words, the crystals switch on and off again. Their light is quite bright, too. "They recharge using natural light, so don't leave them on during the day. And they won't last you the entire night, so don't use them that way, either. Any questions?"
"Thank you. We're fine, Mistress Ninlil." I have to hold myself back from touching her ears and can't think of anything at the moment.
"Remember that dinner takes place during the Time of the Fall, and breakfast will be served during the Time of Enlightenment, and only then. Go to sleep early today. It's your big day tomorrow." With this, Ninlil leaves.
Big day, huh? I try out the uniform and look at myself in the wardrobe mirror. A white shirt with a long-sleeved sweater over it - much like high school uniforms in Japan. Of course, the clothes style is different, as the shirt doesn't have a collar or uses buttons, and the sweater is tied with leather straps. It's not really fashionable... I think I might want to suggest some improvements eventually.
And the skirt is really long. It reaches all the way down to the ankles and it's not so easy to move around in. The underwear in this world is obviously nothing like the modern ones, although Japanese fantasy would like you to believe that girls in a medieval setting such as the one I'm in right now all wear cute panties. The uniform has bloomers, but that makes me think of old lady pants.
How about changing this up a little? For one, I'll make the skirt shorter and plaid it. Luckily, it's tied with a string and there's a lot of extra fabric to create folds. I work pretty quickly and sew it up - although I'm pretty bad at it. Still, it's not hard, so the result is pretty good. It's only one of the three sets, but I'll use this as an experiment, to see how people in this world take this look.
As for thigh-highs or knee-socks, I'll use my body paint technique until I can get real ones. After all, a skirt has to have a zettai ryouiki. If someone were to touch my legs, they'd realize that it's just body paint, so I'll have to be careful until then. Panties? I don't need them, since I can discreetly change my private parts to be nonexistent. But when I wear a skirt, I'll just do it the same way as the socks, until I can get a tailor to make real ones for me.
I've been keeping my hair rather long since coming here, but I can go back to the style I had in my previous life. In the mirror my hair shortens. It's still blonde and my eyes are still blue, so it's a strange feeling, since my face is still Japanese. Handsome, if I may say so myself... I look even more like a boy now...
But with a skirt and black thigh-highs, I'm more like a cool onee-san type JK. Kamii looks at me with huge eyes when she sees my transformation. Well, she only saw my arm turn into tentacles, but didn't know that my entire body is basically a playground for my imagination.
"High school girl outfit... why does it not surprise me that a high school girl is doing this in an alternate universe?" Senka gives a sassy comment.
"Leave me alone. I feel most comfortable this way." But when I think about it... "Actually, I feel most comfortable without any clothes on... no wait, that came out wrong." The doll girl is giving me her Glasgow grin. "This body doesn't require protection from clothes and I can erase the traits that make a human feel shame in walking around naked." I already feel myself being apart from humans.
"You've become a proper pervert alright." From a human's perspective, that may be true...
"Anyways, I'll make an impact on my first day."
I forgot about dinner that evening...
A shaking wakes me up and I open my eyes too quickly for my own good. Really close to my face is that of a horror movie monster. Dark rings under eyes with a piercing gaze, stitches on wounds running across a pale white face. I would have screamed, if I didn't know this is just my third, secret roommate, Senka.
"Rise and shine, Miss Marcott. Rise and shine." She says with a weird accent. "The right girl in the wrong place can make all the difference." I have no idea what you mean.
Ugh, I can't get up. This bed is really comfy and the outside is quite cold. The sun is just barely peeking out from the horizon. I knew it, waking up unnaturally messes with my rhythm and I become my normal lethargic morning grouch self. Ah, now I know why I can't seem to move. Kamii is under my sheets and her crab arm is draped over me, weighing me down.
"Kamii-chan, you have to get up. You have classes, too." The dreaded moment of truth is approaching. Will she be able to go on her own, or more specifically, will she be able to leave my side? I'm sure it'll take some convincing.
It took a lot more than "some convincing". She even cried, until I assured her that we would see each other during lunch only a few hours later. I taught her pinky-swearing and told her that I would swallow a thousand needles, if I broke that promise. I think I can even make good on that, if something really happens and I can't meet her then. The advantages of an amorphous body~
Still, I'd prefer not to let her down the first time we separate since I freed her from that cage I found her in. It's actually quite emotional for me, too, seeing her leave my side after all this time. If there're any problems, let onee-san know, alright?
After dropping her off in the lecture room on the first floor of the main building - after we had breakfast in a corner of the large canteen together - I go to the field where the wind magic class is going to take place. The sun is up enough to display its full radiance already, and showers the grassy field in its rays. It's a nice day to be outdoors. I almost feel like running a few laps as a warm-up exercise, but this body doesn't seem to need that - no muscles means no way to pull one from strenuous activities.
There are already a few students gathered, and I'm really happy to see that the angel girl is among them. So she's only a basic learner, huh? When I approach them, all eyes are on me, and some are looking at my short skirt with either shocked or slightly indecent expressions. The former are the girls, the latter are the boys. How obvious.
One girl, looking to be around my actual age, comes forward. Drill hair... she actually has blonde drill hair! She has another one in tow, and both of them look like typical bullies. The other girl beside her has quite a forgettable face. They're obviously approaching me to make the pecking order clear. Perfect for me, I'll show them that I'm not someone they can mess with.
"Who are you?" The blonde one asks. She actually has pretty white skin and could be considered a beauty, if not for her haughty expression. Her clothes somehow look of a higher quality than mine. Don't tell me she's a rich little princess who has a custom-made uniform? Her companion, who has brown hair, has a gleeful grin on her face, as if she's expecting a good show. "And what is wrong with your clothes? Not enough money to afford a proper skirt?" Wow, she's actually playing the money card, in a place that is clearly based on merit rather than wealth. Well, maybe some people can make it in based on that alone. She's the oldest of the students in this beginner class after all.
"My name is Chloe Marcott, and who are you?" I won't play her game.
"That is quite the stupid name. I am Svanhild Tofisdottir. My father is the Master of Arms of the kingdom, Tofi Haroldsson." And she takes out her father card. What are you, a little child?
"Nice to meet you, Svanhild. So, what are you doing in this class?" I look around demonstratively, but I think my tone is quite innocent. "You seem older than everyone else here." That's gotta sting.
"Wha-" Yep, that did indeed hit home. She's grasping for words and it looks like she's going to explode already.
"Umm, please don't fight..." A voice from the side takes our attention. It's the angel girl. Seeing her from up close, she looks to be around the same age as Luna. Her skin is really white and her hair is silver. She has an ethereal air about her, especially with those light blue eyes. And her expression shows that she's the type to be bullied. Then I notice that her chest is bigger than mine, despite her being smaller than I. For some reason I feel like bullying her even more now...
"You stay out of this!" Svanhild swings her arm to backhand the angel girl and I catch it before it can hit.
"You should not raise your hand against the face of a girl, you know?" Her mouth is hanging open at the speed of my reflexes. Her target didn't even realize what was about to happen just now. "Oh, is that the teacher?" I look behind Svanhild and her unimpressive companion with an exaggerated stretch of my neck.
"Uhhh, I will remember this." Drills girl, you just raised the flag for you to become the stock bully who will always fail and whose plans will always backfire. Not that I care. She walks away without even ascertaining whether the teacher is really coming or not - which is not the case.
"Are you alright?" I turn to the angel girl, who seems confused about the situation.
"Ah, th-thank you..." She suddenly expresses her gratitude to me. And now she's looking up at me with a blush. "My name is Hestia. I-it is a pleasure to meet you."
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