Yeah right. As if Kamii would just let me go alone. She's obviously running after me, as I go in the direction Hestia disappeared into. Since the academy building's roof is a tiled one, there's not going to be a typical high school rooftop confrontation scene. Instead, I catch a glimpse of her wings as she runs down the stairs.
She's clearly not the physical type, as she's quite slow on her feet. Well, compared to me, few in this world could be considered fast. Running techniques developed through idleness and world records have changed greatly since the beginnings of their records. I catch up to Hestia quickly, but since there are many students around, I don't stop her yet. She doesn't even notice that I'm almost right behind her.
Kamii is actually keeping up pretty nicely. I did expect her to be the physical type, else that cool crab claw would seem wasted. She didn't lose me in the crowd and is now catching up again, as I slow down to begin tailing Hestia. I'm interested to see where she's running to.
Apparently towards the wall surrounding the citadel. She climbs the stairs and I can see her getting out of breath. Why aren't you flying, angel? Or are those wings only for decoration? Really though, at this point you should have noticed that somebody's following you. She clearly still hasn't, as she walks up to the battlements slowly and stops to look into the distance.
"... I want to die..." She sighs and turns her gaze downward. Wait, don't be hasty! Ah, she jumped off. Waaah!!! I run up to where she stood only a second ago and peer over the battlements.
Accompanied by a gust of wind, Hestia flies upwards with her wings spread wide. She glides through the air with her eyes closed, as if enjoying the sensation of freedom. Ahhh, she didn't kill herself... I feel my knees going weak from relief. Dammit, don't say such dangerous things and then do something that will give people the wrong impression.
But really, she's really beautiful, as she soars through the skies. I stretch out an arm towards her, when she stops in front of the sun and is basked in its radiance. Those wings... I want them, too.
"M-Miss Marcott?" Ah, she finally noticed me. Landing right in front of me, she folds her wings and her figure seems to shrink under my gaze. I won't feel satisfied if I don't punish her for this. I grab her cheeks and pull on them. They're pretty soft. I squish them together, then pull them apart again. How fascinating. Her weak struggling can't peel me off of her. After a while I let go and she rubs her reddening cheeks with tears in the corners of her eyes. "W-what...? Why...?" She's confused. I bop her over the head.
"Don't ever talk about wanting to die again." Even if she didn't really go through with it.
"Y-you heard me?" She's shocked as she holds the place I hit her. "I... I am sorry. For earlier, too..."
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. Kamii-chan." I call out to the little dark-elf who's been hiding behind me. "And you, you should also learn to accept that I'm not yours alone." I chastise her. All this time, I've been coddling her too much . Oh, I think I just realized why parents have to be strict with their children sometimes. Else they turn out too dependent.
Still, they both look reluctant to speak to each other. Kamii looks at Hestia defiantly, prompting her to frown in response. What are you, kindergarteners? They glance at my face and see my annoyance, flinching under it, before turning to their opposites once again.
"I... I apologize... for my outbreak earlier." There's no concept of bowing in this world, it seems. But it does sound sincere at least. Now, for the actual problem child.
"Sorry..." I guess I was worried for no reason. It also sounds sincere. While she isn't very articulate, she's a good child at heart.
"Alright, let's go back for lunch." I pet both of them, each eliciting a different reaction. Kamii is obviously used to it and hugs me in return. Hestia, however, blushes furiously and looks at me as if I just touched her in an indecent way. Was that a social faux pas among your people or what? But she doesn't say anything and when I stop, she seems disappointed. Oh well, just her then.
"Um, Miss Marcott?"
"You can call me Chloe." Even though that's technically my surname.
"M-Miss Ch-Chloe..." She seems embarrassed addressing me in such a familiar way. "Your speech... seems different."
... crap. I fell into my usual speech pattern, when talking to Senka. I've adopted a more formal way to speak with everyone else so far, although I've neglected it quite a bit with Kamii recently. Well, she's like family already, so that doesn't matter. But letting it slip in front of Hestia is a misstep.
"When I talk to people I feel close with, I'm less formal." I'll just roll with it. It earns me a joyful expression, so I guess all's right.
By the time we return to the canteen, most people already finished and left. We pick up our food and sit down together. It seems Kamii followed my example and went for the set that sounded like it had the most to it. A meatloaf with what I assume are steamed potatoes and other vegetables I can't really identify. It's interesting to see that the setting of another world isn't just a carbon copy of the world I'm from, just with fantasy elements and different names - as lazy writers all over Japan would make one want to believe. The meat has a taste I've never had before, and it's certainly not ground beef or pork - but I like it. The things I thought were potatoes taste quite similar, but are less starchy and slightly sweet. All in all, it's a pretty hearty meal. Hm, why are you looking at me eat like that?
"Are you fine, eating so much?" Hestia's amazed at the amount stacked on my plate. I did ask for an extra large serving. I look at her plate and find that she's having scrambled eggs, and quite the small amount at that. Leaving aside the strange image of a person with bird wings eating eggs, she seems to have a pretty small appetite. Where did those large breasts come from then, huh? "Uh, if you stare so much, it's embarrassing." Oh, I was staring at them, huh?
"I'm a big eater. When I get the chance, I can eat a lot more than this." My record was a dozen Vularen, but I shouldn't say that out loud. I turn to look at Kamii and find that she's already dug in, eating in large bites. There's some sauce on her cheek and I wipe it with the cloth handkerchief provided along with the cutlery. I hear a gasp from my other side. Yep, as expected, Hestia is looking jealous.
Really, what did I do for her to fall for me like this? There's no other explanation for her behavior than that she actually has. But I'm very obviously female in appearance? I mean, I do prefer girls - I've become quite aware of that only yesterday - but I didn't think that there were such cases in this world, too. For that, the general sense of shame and decency is too... well, medieval.
The remainder of the lunch break passes in silence as we finish our respective meals. I feel like eating some more, but Hestia's watching me closely. If I got any more, my stomach should visibly bulge, but with my body being the way it is, that would never be the case. I could simulate it, but I'd appear unrefined then.
Kamii took a lot of convincing before she would separate from me again. I told Hestia to go ahead, because with her going along with me, Kamii would have never agreed to it. I already expected it, so I left enough time between lunch and the start of class for just this. Only when the bell rang did we finally go to our own classes - and once again, the little dark elf was close to tears over our separation. I think I'll have to coddle her a little again when we're back in our room after classes.
Afternoon class is Application of Wind Magic, taking place in one of the lecture rooms on the first floor of the main academy building. It appears it's the same class as before, including the teacher, Dregana. Apparently this class is on how wind magic can be applied in everyday life, where it can find use in various fields of work, as well as in special ways one would normally not think of. Unlike the morning class out on the fields, we don't practice any actual magic, and instead focus on something like a seminar, with conversations between teacher and students.
Drills is a failure in everything, it seems. Not only is she bad at actual magic, but she apparently isn't very bright either. When asked questions about how to apply the gale spell we learned earlier, she actually answered that it could be used to knock people over. Only because my spell's power was so strong and blew Hestia off her feet...
"It can be used to clean streets." That's how a boy responds. You, of all people, who tried to use it to peek under my skirt! He notices my glare and looks away quickly.
"That is such a peasant way of thinking." Drills mutters. That's just digging a hole for herself. Not only could she not answer properly, now she's bashing proper answers. I think with my arrival, she's been completely dethroned. Nobody is taking her seriously anymore. I mean, why was she even taken seriously in the first place? Because everyone feared her attitude and the power of her father? Bring it!
In either case, this class is much more like how I imagined school to be. While it's not a lecture per say, it's all about theory and gaining knowledge from books. We were actually provided textbooks for the class, which we have to return after class. Apparently the academy runs a system where students don't have to buy any books, but also won't have any books to study with outside of class -unless they go to the library. This is a means to ensure that we don't slack off on our notes during lessons and will be forced to go to the library to study for exams, rather than stay cooped up in our rooms at that time.
Writing utensils, though... I had to ask Hestia too borrow me some, since I completely forgot about them yesterday afternoon. They actually use fountain pens and ink to write on unbleached paper. With the proper calligraphy, it looks like one is writing historical texts to be unearthed by future generations.
"What are these runes, Miss Ch-Chloe?" I look down and realize that I've been subconsciously writing in Japanese. Drills immediately picks up on that and quickly leans over to see what Hestia means.
"You are not even able to write properly? Are those not simple doodles? What an uneducated peasant life you must have led so far." Wow, she's beginning to piss me off... It was entertaining the first few times, to see such a textbook wannabe bully, but it's getting on my nerves now.
"This is a short form I developed to make notes quicker." Might as well use this opportunity to gain a few more stardom points. "These 'doodles' are more efficient when fast writing is required." I never even practiced the letters used in this world, and although I can read them, it certainly wouldn't come easily to me to actually write them out. Even now I somehow instinctively understand what they mean when lined up, but I can't tell at all how most of them are read individually. I think they are actually runes and work in syllables, much like hiragana and katakana.
Everyone immediately surrounds me and looks at my notes with great interest. I find that the teacher is actually among them. Sigh... You're shaping up to be a pretty bad teacher, you know? Must be because education science doesn't exist in this world. This is clearly favoritism, Miss Tarragon. In my previous life, the teachers would have called for order in the class and told the students to sit back down, since it interferes with class, no matter how interested they themselves are. But having a lot of time for class might give teachers a bit more leeway in digressing from the lecture more often here, I guess. At least she doesn't ask me to teach the students my short form.
There is the sound of a bell and the class is dismissed. The teacher actually asks for me to stay behind and I must have made an impatient expression at that, since she looks at me disapprovingly even after I comply. Kamii will surely become worried, waiting for me in the canteen. Hestia is sent to wait outside and the heavy wooden door of the classroom is closed in front of her nose.
"I have been informed that you are a demon, Miss Chloe." The teacher finally says. Uh-oh, why does this feel like it'll be a bad conversation? "You do not have to be alarmed. I will not change my way of treating you because I know this. However, I cannot approve of the way your relationship with another student is developing." Ah, this must be about the friction with drills. "Miss Hestia is a noble of the Fatas Triarchy."
I blink.
"Fatas are extremely pure existences and very susceptible to the corruption spread by a demon's aura." It seems to be a difficult topic for her to breach. "While only the demon lord has the ability to corrupt the entire world with his presence, all demons have some form of that aura to their bodies. It cannot be detected normally and it is an unconscious effect. Of course, the Fatas have means and rituals to protect themselves against it, but she does not have access to them while at this academy." Uh, this hurts. It's like telling me that I have a bad smell about me, and then playing it down by saying that it's something I can't help but have. "I will have to ask you to keep your distance from her."
Ahhh, this sucks...
Yeah right. As if Kamii would just let me go alone. She's obviously running after me, as I go in the direction Hestia disappeared into. Since the academy building's roof is a tiled one, there's not going to be a typical high school rooftop confrontation scene. Instead, I catch a glimpse of her wings as she runs down the stairs.
She's clearly not the physical type, as she's quite slow on her feet. Well, compared to me, few in this world could be considered fast. Running techniques developed through idleness and world records have changed greatly since the beginnings of their records. I catch up to Hestia quickly, but since there are many students around, I don't stop her yet. She doesn't even notice that I'm almost right behind her.
Kamii is actually keeping up pretty nicely. I did expect her to be the physical type, else that cool crab claw would seem wasted. She didn't lose me in the crowd and is now catching up again, as I slow down to begin tailing Hestia. I'm interested to see where she's running to.
Apparently towards the wall surrounding the citadel. She climbs the stairs and I can see her getting out of breath. Why aren't you flying, angel? Or are those wings only for decoration? Really though, at this point you should have noticed that somebody's following you. She clearly still hasn't, as she walks up to the battlements slowly and stops to look into the distance.
"... I want to die..." She sighs and turns her gaze downward. Wait, don't be hasty! Ah, she jumped off. Waaah!!! I run up to where she stood only a second ago and peer over the battlements.
Accompanied by a gust of wind, Hestia flies upwards with her wings spread wide. She glides through the air with her eyes closed, as if enjoying the sensation of freedom. Ahhh, she didn't kill herself... I feel my knees going weak from relief. Dammit, don't say such dangerous things and then do something that will give people the wrong impression.
But really, she's really beautiful, as she soars through the skies. I stretch out an arm towards her, when she stops in front of the sun and is basked in its radiance. Those wings... I want them, too.
"M-Miss Marcott?" Ah, she finally noticed me. Landing right in front of me, she folds her wings and her figure seems to shrink under my gaze. I won't feel satisfied if I don't punish her for this. I grab her cheeks and pull on them. They're pretty soft. I squish them together, then pull them apart again. How fascinating. Her weak struggling can't peel me off of her. After a while I let go and she rubs her reddening cheeks with tears in the corners of her eyes. "W-what...? Why...?" She's confused. I bop her over the head.
"Don't ever talk about wanting to die again." Even if she didn't really go through with it.
"Y-you heard me?" She's shocked as she holds the place I hit her. "I... I am sorry. For earlier, too..."
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. Kamii-chan." I call out to the little dark-elf who's been hiding behind me. "And you, you should also learn to accept that I'm not yours alone." I chastise her. All this time, I've been coddling her too much . Oh, I think I just realized why parents have to be strict with their children sometimes. Else they turn out too dependent.
Still, they both look reluctant to speak to each other. Kamii looks at Hestia defiantly, prompting her to frown in response. What are you, kindergarteners? They glance at my face and see my annoyance, flinching under it, before turning to their opposites once again.
"I... I apologize... for my outbreak earlier." There's no concept of bowing in this world, it seems. But it does sound sincere at least. Now, for the actual problem child.
"Sorry..." I guess I was worried for no reason. It also sounds sincere. While she isn't very articulate, she's a good child at heart.
"Alright, let's go back for lunch." I pet both of them, each eliciting a different reaction. Kamii is obviously used to it and hugs me in return. Hestia, however, blushes furiously and looks at me as if I just touched her in an indecent way. Was that a social faux pas among your people or what? But she doesn't say anything and when I stop, she seems disappointed. Oh well, just her then.
"Um, Miss Marcott?"
"You can call me Chloe." Even though that's technically my surname.
"M-Miss Ch-Chloe..." She seems embarrassed addressing me in such a familiar way. "Your speech... seems different."
... crap. I fell into my usual speech pattern, when talking to Senka. I've adopted a more formal way to speak with everyone else so far, although I've neglected it quite a bit with Kamii recently. Well, she's like family already, so that doesn't matter. But letting it slip in front of Hestia is a misstep.
"When I talk to people I feel close with, I'm less formal." I'll just roll with it. It earns me a joyful expression, so I guess all's right.
By the time we return to the canteen, most people already finished and left. We pick up our food and sit down together. It seems Kamii followed my example and went for the set that sounded like it had the most to it. A meatloaf with what I assume are steamed potatoes and other vegetables I can't really identify. It's interesting to see that the setting of another world isn't just a carbon copy of the world I'm from, just with fantasy elements and different names - as lazy writers all over Japan would make one want to believe. The meat has a taste I've never had before, and it's certainly not ground beef or pork - but I like it. The things I thought were potatoes taste quite similar, but are less starchy and slightly sweet. All in all, it's a pretty hearty meal. Hm, why are you looking at me eat like that?
"Are you fine, eating so much?" Hestia's amazed at the amount stacked on my plate. I did ask for an extra large serving. I look at her plate and find that she's having scrambled eggs, and quite the small amount at that. Leaving aside the strange image of a person with bird wings eating eggs, she seems to have a pretty small appetite. Where did those large breasts come from then, huh? "Uh, if you stare so much, it's embarrassing." Oh, I was staring at them, huh?
"I'm a big eater. When I get the chance, I can eat a lot more than this." My record was a dozen Vularen, but I shouldn't say that out loud. I turn to look at Kamii and find that she's already dug in, eating in large bites. There's some sauce on her cheek and I wipe it with the cloth handkerchief provided along with the cutlery. I hear a gasp from my other side. Yep, as expected, Hestia is looking jealous.
Really, what did I do for her to fall for me like this? There's no other explanation for her behavior than that she actually has. But I'm very obviously female in appearance? I mean, I do prefer girls - I've become quite aware of that only yesterday - but I didn't think that there were such cases in this world, too. For that, the general sense of shame and decency is too... well, medieval.
The remainder of the lunch break passes in silence as we finish our respective meals. I feel like eating some more, but Hestia's watching me closely. If I got any more, my stomach should visibly bulge, but with my body being the way it is, that would never be the case. I could simulate it, but I'd appear unrefined then.
Kamii took a lot of convincing before she would separate from me again. I told Hestia to go ahead, because with her going along with me, Kamii would have never agreed to it. I already expected it, so I left enough time between lunch and the start of class for just this. Only when the bell rang did we finally go to our own classes - and once again, the little dark elf was close to tears over our separation. I think I'll have to coddle her a little again when we're back in our room after classes.
Afternoon class is Application of Wind Magic, taking place in one of the lecture rooms on the first floor of the main academy building. It appears it's the same class as before, including the teacher, Dregana. Apparently this class is on how wind magic can be applied in everyday life, where it can find use in various fields of work, as well as in special ways one would normally not think of. Unlike the morning class out on the fields, we don't practice any actual magic, and instead focus on something like a seminar, with conversations between teacher and students.
Drills is a failure in everything, it seems. Not only is she bad at actual magic, but she apparently isn't very bright either. When asked questions about how to apply the gale spell we learned earlier, she actually answered that it could be used to knock people over. Only because my spell's power was so strong and blew Hestia off her feet...
"It can be used to clean streets." That's how a boy responds. You, of all people, who tried to use it to peek under my skirt! He notices my glare and looks away quickly.
"That is such a peasant way of thinking." Drills mutters. That's just digging a hole for herself. Not only could she not answer properly, now she's bashing proper answers. I think with my arrival, she's been completely dethroned. Nobody is taking her seriously anymore. I mean, why was she even taken seriously in the first place? Because everyone feared her attitude and the power of her father? Bring it!
In either case, this class is much more like how I imagined school to be. While it's not a lecture per say, it's all about theory and gaining knowledge from books. We were actually provided textbooks for the class, which we have to return after class. Apparently the academy runs a system where students don't have to buy any books, but also won't have any books to study with outside of class -unless they go to the library. This is a means to ensure that we don't slack off on our notes during lessons and will be forced to go to the library to study for exams, rather than stay cooped up in our rooms at that time.
Writing utensils, though... I had to ask Hestia too borrow me some, since I completely forgot about them yesterday afternoon. They actually use fountain pens and ink to write on unbleached paper. With the proper calligraphy, it looks like one is writing historical texts to be unearthed by future generations.
"What are these runes, Miss Ch-Chloe?" I look down and realize that I've been subconsciously writing in Japanese. Drills immediately picks up on that and quickly leans over to see what Hestia means.
"You are not even able to write properly? Are those not simple doodles? What an uneducated peasant life you must have led so far." Wow, she's beginning to piss me off... It was entertaining the first few times, to see such a textbook wannabe bully, but it's getting on my nerves now.
"This is a short form I developed to make notes quicker." Might as well use this opportunity to gain a few more stardom points. "These 'doodles' are more efficient when fast writing is required." I never even practiced the letters used in this world, and although I can read them, it certainly wouldn't come easily to me to actually write them out. Even now I somehow instinctively understand what they mean when lined up, but I can't tell at all how most of them are read individually. I think they are actually runes and work in syllables, much like hiragana and katakana.
Everyone immediately surrounds me and looks at my notes with great interest. I find that the teacher is actually among them. Sigh... You're shaping up to be a pretty bad teacher, you know? Must be because education science doesn't exist in this world. This is clearly favoritism, Miss Tarragon. In my previous life, the teachers would have called for order in the class and told the students to sit back down, since it interferes with class, no matter how interested they themselves are. But having a lot of time for class might give teachers a bit more leeway in digressing from the lecture more often here, I guess. At least she doesn't ask me to teach the students my short form.
There is the sound of a bell and the class is dismissed. The teacher actually asks for me to stay behind and I must have made an impatient expression at that, since she looks at me disapprovingly even after I comply. Kamii will surely become worried, waiting for me in the canteen. Hestia is sent to wait outside and the heavy wooden door of the classroom is closed in front of her nose.
"I have been informed that you are a demon, Miss Chloe." The teacher finally says. Uh-oh, why does this feel like it'll be a bad conversation? "You do not have to be alarmed. I will not change my way of treating you because I know this. However, I cannot approve of the way your relationship with another student is developing." Ah, this must be about the friction with drills. "Miss Hestia is a noble of the Fatas Triarchy."
I blink.
"Fatas are extremely pure existences and very susceptible to the corruption spread by a demon's aura." It seems to be a difficult topic for her to breach. "While only the demon lord has the ability to corrupt the entire world with his presence, all demons have some form of that aura to their bodies. It cannot be detected normally and it is an unconscious effect. Of course, the Fatas have means and rituals to protect themselves against it, but she does not have access to them while at this academy." Uh, this hurts. It's like telling me that I have a bad smell about me, and then playing it down by saying that it's something I can't help but have. "I will have to ask you to keep your distance from her."
Ahhh, this sucks...
