Chapter One: Amanotsuka Academy for Girls

“Ugh, how annoying! I’m going to be so late!”

Cherry blossoms fluttered down around me as I ran along the footpath, my forehead sweating.

How did this happen? I thought I left home early enough. I guess it was a mistake not to visit the school at least once beforehand, but I never expected it to be this far from the station.

Today was the first day of the school year. Not only that, but I was starting at a brand-new school. I really didn’t want to be late on such an important day!

My two pigtails, tied with donut-shaped scrunchies, seemed to be hurrying me along as they slapped against my back. My crisp, new uniform was flapping wildly. I couldn’t have looked more disgraceful.

Thankfully, there was no one around to see me, let alone pay any attention to my undignified appearance. Sadly, the lack of anyone else nearby was enough to tell me that I was in a truly dire situation. Looking down, the carpet of blossoms on the footpath was undisturbed, making it especially clear how late I was. Like a pristine blanket of freshly fallen snow, the petals proved that it had been quite some time since anyone else had gone this way.

I was fairly sure it was at least 8:20 a.m., but I didn’t have a watch on, so I couldn’t be certain. The last time I’d looked at a clock was outside the station, and if I remembered correctly, it had been a little before eight o’clock then.

For a brief period, I’d walked along at a leisurely pace. I had been so sure I had time to spare. By now, however, neither the beautiful rows of cherry trees lining the street nor the warm and invigorating spring air held any meaning for me.

My destination, Amanotsuka Academy for Girls, was at the top of a small hill. From the station, it hadn’t looked too far away. Initially, I had taken my sweet time, humming a tune and imagining what kind of school life awaited me. After ten minutes, though, I had begun to feel a cold sweat, and after another five or so, an alarm bell had started going off in my head.

It had said: If you keep walking, you definitely won’t make it on time!

Amanotsuka Academy’s imposing appearance—like a European castle—and its excessively vast grounds had interfered with my sense of distance, making it look closer than it really was.

I had started running to make up for lost time, but that was easier said than done. The path to the school was on a slight upward slope, so despite being fairly confident in my endurance, I found it pretty tough.

Still, I ignored this and ran flat out. Eventually, I reached level ground again. Now I had almost reached my goal—but sadly, a new problem presented itself.

Surrounding the academy was a six-foot-high fence.

It stretched to the left and right as far as the eye could see. I could not discern anything resembling a gate.

Of course.

Though a building towered in front of me, clearly part of the school, I was definitely looking at the back of it, not the front. This meant that the front gate would be on the opposite side, and to reach it, I’d have to follow this endless fence, running at full speed once again.

“Now I have to go all the way around?” I muttered to myself. I was fast approaching my limit already. My thighs were starting to cramp. Getting all the way to the other side would easily take ten minutes or more, and that was if I ran at full speed.

Fighting to keep myself from collapsing, I started looking around, hoping I might see a back entrance somewhere nearby. Thanks to that, I ended up falling anyway.

Unfortunately, I knew that no matter how much I lamented, the situation would not get any better. In fact, the longer I stayed there, the worse it would get.

Time would not stand still for me. I only had one choice.

I ran.

And I ran.

But somehow, the front entrance did not get any closer.

I couldn’t stop myself from groaning, “Why does this have to be so long?! They could have at least put in more than one gate!”

Going in the opposite direction might have been quicker, but it was too late to turn back now.

Anyway, I just have to keep running. There’s nothing else I can do. It’ll be fine! I just know it! It was wishful thinking, but I was determined to hold onto it. It was all I had.

Eventually, my intense efforts bore some fruit, and I caught my first glimpse of the front of the school building. The clock tower entered my field of vision as well—with hands that were almost pointing to half past eight. More precisely, it was 8:27 a.m.

I had to be on the school grounds by 8:30, but it was crystal clear that I would never manage it in just three minutes. I still couldn’t even see the front gate!

Unless I took drastic measures, I would definitely be late for the entrance ceremony. I was supposed to be taking the first step on the road toward my dream, but at this rate, I’d be losing my footing before even getting that far—and it was my own fault.

What if I became “the girl who was late to the entrance ceremony” and was blacklisted for it? That would be it for my dream of going to a good college—ideally based on a recommendation from the school—and then getting a job at a top-notch company.

Even if “blacklisted” might have been a bit of an exaggeration, I still didn’t want to mess up the very first step toward my new life!

Which meant there was only one option left.

I stopped, took a deep breath, and gave myself a moment to recover.

Of course, I wasn’t giving up. I turned to the side and looked at the fence head-on. I’m sure you’ve realized what I had in mind.

I took the bag I was holding, with the academy’s logo on it, and swiftly threw it over the fence and onto the school grounds.

If I try to run there normally, I won’t make it in time. But if I climb over the fence...

Yes, the other side of that fence definitely counted as “on school grounds.” It was right next to a school building, in fact.

No one else appeared to be watching. With a silent prayer, I stretched and mentally prepared myself. If I’m doing this, it’s now or never!

I ran up to the fence at full speed, then jumped and kicked off it about halfway up. I used the momentum to push myself further upward, then grabbed the very top of the fence with both hands. Finally, I put as much force into my hands as I could and threw my body over the fence.

That description might suggest I did it in a stylish, ninja-like fashion, but the reality was that I barely scrambled up and over, desperately clinging to the other side for dear life.

Still, no matter how clumsy it was, what counted was that I had successfully managed it in one try, especially given that I was pretty much out of stamina.

Anyway, now I would be able to sneak into the school.

As I hung from the top of the fence, jumping down didn’t seem like a reasonable prospect, so I climbed down slowly and laboriously. Even so, when I reached the ground, I raised my hands in the air, posing like a gymnastics competitor.

Yes, a perfect landing! Now I just have to get to the entrance ceremony and try to look like nothing’s wrong.

I wiped off the dust clinging to my uniform, picked up my bag, and turned around to go—but just then, my eyes met those of another girl.

For a moment, I was frozen in place.

“Goodness,” said the girl. “A cute little thief has sneaked in.”

My eyes widened as I choked back my urge to scream. Oh no! There was no one around on the outside, so I completely let my guard down! Who would’ve thought there would be someone right there on the other side?! If she was there all along, I wish she’d reacted when I threw my bag over the fence.

“Are you a new student?” the girl asked. “You picked an interesting place to enter from.”

I had the impression that she was an older student. Her hair, which hung straight down to her waist, had a faint trace of purple in it. It gave her a mystical air and wavered in the gentle breeze, sparkling as it reflected the light. Above her left ear was a hair accessory that looked like a fluffy ball with two white feathers sticking out of it. She was perfectly dressed in a spotless white uniform and appeared very dignified indeed. I could tell without even asking that she was a young lady from a high-class background.

Her sapphire-blue eyes were staring at me, but not disapprovingly. Instead, they held a glint of curiosity, as if she had happened upon something highly interesting.

The ribbon on her chest had a red, jewel-like object embedded at the center of it, just as pretty as her eyes. It decorated her chest triumphantly.

Was this sense of refinement something all the older students would have, or was it unique to this girl because of her upbringing?

What intrigued me even more, though, was the color of her uniform.

The uniform I wore was black except for the cuffs and lapels, whereas hers was—in stark contrast—based entirely around the color white. The ribbon was also very different from my simple string tie. The frilly design was so elegant, it gave me an urge to ask what sort of noble family she was from.

I wondered if I was even at the right school. Without thinking, I asked for confirmation. “Um, this is definitely Amanotsuka Academy for Girls, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Little Miss Thief, you’re in the right place.” The girl in the white uniform gently put her right hand up to her lips and chuckled.

“Oh, no, I’m not a thief. I just climbed over the fence because I was going to be late otherwise.”

“Really now? Either way, you picked a very strange entry point. Did you deliberately walk all the way over here?”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, you must have taken the bus here, right? In which case, you’d have to have purposely walked all the way around here from the bus stop for some reason.”

Yes, well, that does sound like a sensible conclusion. And yet... “No, I didn’t have the money to ride the bus, so I ran here.”

“You ran?!” the girl blurted, clearly appalled.

Quite honestly, the current contents of my wallet were a little embarrassing. Due to various life circumstances, I was flat broke. If someone had told me to jump up and down on the spot, it wouldn’t have even made a clinking sound.

Timidly, I added, “I did think it would be a little closer, though.”

I definitely should have come and checked it out in advance. Only, my financial situation hadn’t even allowed for that, and I’d been far too busy. Incidentally, I had taken the entrance exam in my own district, so this was the first time I had ever actually come to the academy.

“It sounds like you’ve been through the wringer, and I understand that, but... if you’re talking about the bus from the station, students can ride it for free.”

“What? Really?”

Now that she mentioned it, I had seen quite a few girls waiting at the bus stop in the same uniform as me, and I didn’t recall seeing anyone else lining up with them. Darn it! Why didn’t I look more carefully?

“Also, whatever your reason, climbing over a fence is not exactly praiseworthy behavior.”

Yes, I can understand that. I accept it 100%. “Well, I was just so caught up in how late I was, and how I wasn’t going to make it, that—wait, now I really don’t have any time left. Do you mind if I go?”

This wasn’t the time to be chatting. Even as I stood there, time was ticking away.

“If you want to go, that’s fine with me.” The girl in the white uniform rolled up her sleeve a little way and looked down at her watch. “Although you’re out of time.”

What? Is it 8:30 already? I opened my mouth and said, “That’s—”

But before I could add the words “not fair,” I was interrupted by the loud ringing of a bell, signaling that my time was up.

Ding, dong! Ding, dong!

It was not an electronic sound, but that of a real bell. Looking at the clock tower, I could see the golden bell swaying violently within. It was an immensely powerful noise, but pleasant to listen to nonetheless.

At that moment, however, it was the very last thing I wanted to hear.

“How unfortunate. Getting expelled without even managing to attend the entrance ceremony. As far as I can recall, you’d be the very first case.”

“Excuse me? Did you just say ‘expelled’?”

“Yes, that’s what I said. After all, if a student is late for the entrance ceremony, obviously that would be taken as a lack of interest in joining the school, right?”

“But that’s—isn’t it going a little too far to expel someone just for being a few minutes late? At most, I’d expect to get a stern lecture, and for the teachers to keep an eye on me for a while.”

“That might be how things work at a normal school, but this is not a normal school. Besides, aren’t you in the Domestic Arts program? How could you not know that?”

“It’s news to me! Domestic Arts or not, why am I supposed to know about it?”

Outrageous! This is simply outrageous! Admittedly, it was my own fault for being late, but how did that justify being expelled?

“You really don’t know, do you? Tell me, why did you even come here?”

“Why? Well, to study.” I’m a student. What else would I be here for?

“To study? Just... study normally?”

“Of course!” I insisted. “I want to study as hard as I can and get into a good college.”

In response, the girl in the white uniform cocked her head to the side and stared at me as if she were looking at a rare creature. “Hmm. You really don’t know what kind of place this is, do you? How unusual. I never imagined I might find someone like you here.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?

“This school is—”

Just then, she closed her mouth and took a brief glance behind her. When I looked in the same direction, I could see someone in the distance, running toward us in a flustered state.

It looked like a teacher. She couldn’t have come to look for me, could she?

“How about this,” said the girl. “I’ll help you, if you’re interested.”

“Huh?”

“That teacher running over to us is in charge of discipline. There’s a sensor at the top of the fence for security purposes. She must be running over because she got an alert about someone tripping the sensor. If she catches you, it won’t even matter that you’re late—you’ll be expelled regardless. They would never let someone into the school who was caught doing anything as improper as climbing over a fence.”

“What?!”

Ugh. I should have known. In this day and age, security devices like that were common enough. For a grand-looking place like this, it would be all the more important.

“So let’s do a deal. If you answer in a way that satisfies me, I’ll get you out of this mess.”

“Huh?” I could still hardly follow what she meant.

“There’s no time, so I’ll get straight to my questions. First of all... yes, that’s it. The reason you came to this school. It was just to study normally, right?”

“Yes, that’s right,” I replied hesitantly. Despite my confusion, I had no choice but to put my trust in this girl.

“Not to become a maid?” she asked.

“Excuse me?” A maid? I’m a student; why would I want to be a maid? It was such an unexpected question that I struggled to answer.

As if to call attention to the big question mark above my head, she pressed, “You passed the exam for the Domestic Arts program and came to this school, but you don’t want to be a maid?”

“Look, I really don’t know what you’re getting at, but I have no intention of becoming a maid.”

“I see.” She nodded as though she was happy with my answer. “And it’s clear that you don’t know who I am. Right?”

“Huh? I mean, I only just met you.” I looked at her, wondering if she was famous. “Are you some kind of celebrity?”

For someone as beautiful as her, it seemed well within the realm of possibility. Unfortunately I was not very well informed about that kind of thing. Even if she told me her name, I probably wouldn’t have known who she was.

“No, no, no.” She chuckled again. “Very well, though. I’ll help you.”

Regardless of everything else, that seemed like a plus. I still had no idea what she meant about maids, or why I would know who she was, but things were turning out all right.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

After a moment’s hesitation, I replied, “Misaki Hotaru.”

“I see! What a nice name.” She put her hands on her chest and grinned broadly. “Well then, Misaki... you’re going to be my Seraph.”

“Your what?”

What in the world is a Seraph? No matter how lovely her smile was, I had absolutely no clue what she meant. Can someone please come and explain all this?

“No time for that. You can ask your classmates about the details. I expect everyone but you should be pretty familiar with the concept.”

“Oh.” I’m starting to think I might have ended up somewhere really weird...

“For now, just put this on.” She held out a golden badge bearing the school’s emblem: a crown surrounded by feathers. “This connects you to me, Misaki. It’s proof that you are a Seraph.”

This thing proves I’m a Seraph?

The regular school badge was bronze-colored and looked very plain. In comparison, this golden badge came across as something far more special.

“Um, by the way,” I asked as I switched out my school badge for this new one, “could I ask your name, maybe?”

It felt rude to keep thinking of her as “the girl in the white uniform” when I was asking for her help.

She began, “My name is—”

But at that moment, the teacher finally reached us. Panting, she interjected, “Miss Amanotsuka!”

I was suddenly on edge. If I didn’t get past this, I wouldn’t even be allowed to stand at the starting line.

Also, did the teacher say “Amanotsuka”? Isn’t that the same name as the school?

As if to answer my unspoken question, the girl whispered in my ear, “My name is Himeko Amanotsuka. Call me by my given name. Apart from that, just follow my lead. Got it?”

Himeko Amanotsuka... Is it really okay to call her by her given name?

“Yes. Got it, Himeko.”

“Excellent,” she replied. Then she turned around and put on a beaming smile. “Good morning, Ms. Minegishi,” she said, greeting the teacher with a calm and composed voice. The way she bowed her head slightly and lifted up her skirt just a touch was very graceful.

“Yes, good morning,” said the teacher. She looked at Himeko, giving me only a cursory glance. “Miss Amanotsuka, it seems that someone climbed over the fence near here. I don’t suppose you know anything about it?” After that, her eyes slid toward me again.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, I put every effort into not looking suspicious.

Himeko put a hand on my back and tugged me in gently. “Yes, my apologies. That was all because of Misaki here. Misaki Hotaru—she’s starting today.”

I lowered my head a little, leaving myself in Himeko’s hands as she drew my body close to hers.

“Miss Hotaru, you say?” asked the teacher, staring at me without reservation now that we had been introduced. “You’re a new student, aren’t you? The new students are supposed to all be in the auditorium by now. Wait... That badge! Does it mean what I think it means?”

When the teacher noticed the badge fixed to my uniform, her eyes widened. So it really is something special, I guess.

“Yes, this girl is my Seraph,” Himeko replied. “We arranged to meet on the day of the entrance ceremony and enter into the contract, but then we noticed that a little kitten had climbed up onto the fence and couldn’t get down, so Misaki went up to save it. In the process, she tripped the sensor.”

“Oh, I see.” To me it sounded like a highly implausible story, but it sounded like she had taken it at face value.

“I’m so sorry to have caused all this trouble at such a busy time,” said Himeko, bowing her head deeply. I lowered mine to match.

“That’s fine, as long as nothing is amiss.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Incidentally, this must be the reason you didn’t have a Seraph with you. You were simply waiting for Miss Hotaru. Am I right, Miss Amanotsuka?”

“Yes, exactly. I probably should have told everyone, but it didn’t seem right to talk about it when we hadn’t even made the contract yet.”

“That’s a good point. The other girls seemed to be fretting about it quite a lot, but I think it was a very prudent decision on your part.”

“Thank you for saying so.” Himeko bowed her head again. This time, she gently grasped my hand as well, as if to say, See? Everything’s fine! One way or another, I could rest easy for now.

“Now, you two should get to the auditorium right away. The entrance ceremony is about to start.”

“Yes, we’ll be right there. Oh, that reminds me! It turns out that Misaki forgot to register. I guess she was just in such a hurry to meet me.”

Oh, now that she mentions it, that is a whole other problem. It sounds way too suspicious, but maybe the power of this Seraph business, whatever it means, is enough to overcome this as well.

“No helping that now, I suppose,” Ms. Minegishi replied. “I’ll tell the teacher in charge of registration, so you just get a move on.”

And that was that. We had gotten off scot-free.

What on earth is a Seraph? Why is it so important? And who exactly is Himeko?

“Much appreciated. Anyway, Misaki, let’s go.” She took my hand and started walking.

“Um, thank you,” I said once we were safely away. “You saved me.”

“That’s fine. You are my Seraph, after all.” She seemed to be in an oddly cheerful mood as she dragged me along.

“What is a Seraph, anyway?” It was still bothering me.

“That’s a secret for now. But I can’t wait to see your reaction later on when you find out!”

“You’re so mean.”

“Goodness, what a thing to say after I just came to your rescue!”

I sighed. In the end, I couldn’t exactly deny that. Still, I was starting to worry about what I might have gotten myself into.

✤

We ultimately reached the auditorium without her telling me a single thing.

“Here we are,” she said.

We had entered the castle-esque structure that I’d thought was the school building, but apparently, it wasn’t actually used for normal classes. Instead, it included this auditorium, a variety of special classrooms, and some other rooms. This meant that I’d been very close to the venue for the entrance ceremony, but the normal classrooms were somewhere else.

However, the building with the normal classrooms also looked like a castle, as if that was totally normal. An academy with two towering castles?

I sighed without meaning to.

Himeko opened the door to the auditorium and peered inside. “Looks like everyone’s there, but the ceremony hasn’t started yet. Oh, that reminds me. Tomorrow after school, I want you to come to the elevator hall on the top floor of this building.”

“There’s an elevator?”

“Yes. If you take it all the way up, there’s a nice little place for drinking tea. We often meet there, so I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

“Um, sure. All right.”

“You don’t seem happy.”

“It’s just one mystery after another, that’s all. But you seem pleased enough, so that’s a relief.”

I’d included a bit of a snide remark, but that didn’t seem to have any impact on her. She just giggled in amusement. “Yes, I’m having a lot of fun. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this kind of excitement.”

“That doesn’t make it any clearer.”

“It’s fine if you don’t understand it yet. The more you get used to this school, the more it’ll all start to make sense. Until then, why not enjoy the sense of adventure?”

“I’ll try, I suppose.”

She giggled again. “What a great day this is. I’m so glad I got to meet a girl like you, Misaki.”

I was feeling utterly exasperated.

Himeko opened the door with so much enthusiasm I thought she might burst into song, then entered without the slightest hesitation. It was if our lateness didn’t bother her at all.

I followed her in—and the moment I stepped inside, I forgot about all my indignation. Instead, I let out a gasp.

I’d expected the auditorium to be something like a large gymnasium, but if I had to compare it to anything, it was more like a church or a concert hall. The rows of chairs were not the cheap folding kind, but rather expensive-looking ones with plush cushions.

At the front was an enormous pipe organ. I was overwhelmed by its sheer magnificence. In front of it were two girls in the same white uniform as Himeko. One was playing the organ while the other played the violin, together giving an exquisite performance of a song I had heard somewhere before. Was it The Four Seasons by Vivaldi? Yes, I was fairly sure it was the “Spring” section. It was a lively song, and I felt my spirits lifting. It made me think, Now’s the time to really give it my all!

“Stop looking so flabbergasted and come over here,” whispered Himeko, leading the way. “First, we need to find out what class you’re in.”

“Oh. Right.”

I followed her and looked around in the middle of the room. This was the entrance ceremony, so of course all the students here were new, like me. However, when I looked at the girls sitting in the rows of chairs ahead of us, something struck me. They were neatly divided into two groups. On one side sat students in black uniforms like mine, while on the other sat students in white uniforms like Himeko’s. The black-clad group appeared to be the larger one.

“Why are there two different uniforms?” I asked.

She stopped and turned back for a moment. “Oh, right. I guess you don’t know about that, either. In short, the Societal Arts students wear white, and the Domestic Arts students wear black.”

“Wow, I didn’t even know there was a program other than Domestic Arts. I didn’t see anything about Societal Arts when I took the exam.”

“Most of the Societal Arts students already came here for middle school. It’s pretty rare for any newcomers to be on that course.”

“So that means you’re a Societal Arts student as well? You must’ve come to the academy for middle school.”

“Yes, precisely.” With that, she turned back around and started walking again. Clearly, she had no desire to explain anything in detail. “Now, who will I need to ask? Wait here a moment.”

“Sure.”

We stopped right behind the group of students in black uniforms, and Himeko went over to a group of teachers to check what class I was in.

It felt awkward to be left on my own. All the other students were already seated, patiently waiting for the ceremony to start. Meanwhile, I could do nothing but stand there. My feet began to squirm restlessly.

Just then, I happened to meet the eyes of another student. She must have noticed that I still wasn’t seated and wondered what was going on. Her gaze said, What are you doing?

At this point I couldn’t just ignore her, so I gave a slight bow—but suddenly, her expression changed from dubious to astonished. Even though she’d already been looking at me, her eyes turned into saucers, as if I’d done something to shock her. She stared at me fixedly.

What? Is there something on my face?

I couldn’t think what would make her look at me like that. I knew my uniform didn’t look sloppy. I’d taken care to wipe all the dust off after climbing over the fence. Nothing had gotten torn, either, as far as I could tell.

Nope. Everything’s normal.

But as soon as I thought that, I realized what wasn’t normal.

As if to confirm my suspicions, when I looked carefully, I could see that her gaze was focused on one particular spot. She was staring at it so hard, it felt like she might bore a hole in my body.

There was no denying it—she was looking at the golden badge.

So it really is more than just a normal school badge. Ugh, this might end up being kind of annoying. I wish I could hide it.

I tried readjusting my angle a bit to make it less visible to the other student, but it was too late.

“A Seraph?” the girl murmured—and those two words were enough to set other voices rustling, like a ripple spreading across the surface of once-still water. One after another, the students all turned and looked at each other, saying things like “What?” and “A Seraph?”

Eek! This is not good at all.

The crowd grew louder and louder, until this hall, which had previously been silent except for the gentle melodies of the violin and pipe organ, was a state of disorder. Students looked at me, whispering all sorts of things, their gazes filled with a mixture of curiosity and jealousy.

And yet, weirdly enough, the only ones who reacted that way were the students in black uniforms—the Domestic Arts students. A few of the ones in white uniforms, who were in the Societal Arts program, gave me inquisitive glances, but none of them started chattering.

Did that mean it was only something special to the Domestic Arts students?

Just as my face started twitching, Himeko returned, wearing a totally nonchalant expression. “Goodness, what a commotion. I wonder what happened?”

It’s your fault. All of this is your fault, Himeko.

But when I opened my mouth, ready to grumble at her, the crowd erupted in a way that made their whispering up to that point feel like nothing. The students broke into high-pitched screams.

“Lady Himeko!”

“It’s Lady Himeko!”

“Aaaaah!”

“Oh dear,” she said. “This might be because of me.”

Why was she being treated like a celebrity? It seemed crazy to think she was famous enough that even the new students knew who she was.

“There’s no ‘might’ about it,” I snapped. “Obviously it’s because of you. Even before that, everyone had a big reaction to this badge, too. What in the world’s going on?”

“How annoying,” replied Himeko, although she looked like she was thoroughly enjoying herself. “Anyway, you should get to your seat for now. Class two, seat number... well, there’s only one free seat, so that one.”

“Got it.” When Himeko put an arm around my shoulders and began pulling me along with her, I added, “Now that I know where I’m going, I can get there on my own.”

Goodness, the stares. All the stares were digging into me so hard that it hurt.

The screaming of Himeko’s name did not die down. Instead, voices filled with envy started filling the air as well.

“Who is that girl?”

“How does she know Lady Himeko?”

“Aaaaah!”

This is scary! I hope it doesn’t mean I’m going to be bullied! It felt like my late arrival might have completely rewritten my destiny.

Himeko appeared to be unmoved, as though she was used to this kind of thing. “Here, this is your seat.” Then, after sitting me down, she turned around and clapped her hands twice. “Everyone be quiet, please. The ceremony is about to start.”

That alone was enough to make the clamorous students fall silent.

Wow.

Those girls had been making so much noise, but they’d immediately listened to her, even though she wasn’t a teacher, but another student.

Who on earth was she?

After showing a charming face to all the girls nearby, Himeko flashed a devilish smile only at me. “Anyway, see you later, Misaki.”

Then, she walked toward the stage—and up onto it.

Huh? Why is she on the stage?

She went straight to one of the luxurious chairs positioned on either side and sat down with a perfectly composed expression.

Aren’t those seats meant for speakers and special guests? I had an urge to poke fun at her for being such a scatterbrain, but then it hit me.

Oh, I get it! Himeko must be the president of the student council!

If so, her picture would have been included in the school’s brochure, which was probably why the new students had recognized her. It would also make sense for her to be sitting on the stage, since of course the ceremony would include a speech from the student council president. It also matched up with her earlier show of leadership.

Perhaps this meant “Seraph” was some kind of jargon related to the student council, and the golden badge was proof that you were part of it. I still didn’t understand all that business about maids, but maybe she was just making sure I had enough free time to join the council?

Yes, it all makes sense.

Still, forcing me to join with no warning wasn’t exactly appreciated. I glared at her, but when she noticed, all she did was wave back at me.

As I scowled, deep creases appearing on my forehead, I heard a voice from the girl sitting next to me. “Is Lady Himeko an acquaintance of yours?”

I turned to look at her. “Huh?”

Her ponytail was secured with a star hair tie, and she had a slightly intense look in her eye. A lock of her bangs was also clipped to the side with a barrette that had stars on it.

I guess she really likes stars.

She’d phrased her question politely, but I had a feeling her words had a little bite to them. It was like she was harboring some sort of jealousy or distrust toward me, but she was doing her utmost not to let it show. Maybe she thought it would be unwise to say anything too negative if I really did know Himeko.

“Oh, well, I wouldn’t go that far,” I replied vaguely.

“Really? Then why do you have that badge? Did you not get it from Lady Himeko? If you did get it from her, you must have become her Seraph before the entrance ceremony. Does that mean it was all arranged in advance? Not to mention that you arrived after everyone else and didn’t get told off for it. Was that because Lady Himeko put in a good word for you? What’s going on here? If Lady Himeko would help you despite not even knowing you, then who are you?”

“I, uh...”

As soon as she found out I didn’t have a close relationship with Himeko, she had begun rattling off an endless stream of questions, as if she was fiercely determined to press me for information.

Why did Himeko help me? That’s exactly what I want to know!

I couldn’t answer a question if I didn’t know the answer myself. I thought about making something up to get her off my case, but if she was sitting here, that presumably meant she was in my class. If I said anything too outlandish, she’d find out later, and that would only lead to trouble for me.

I looked around in the hope that someone might come to my rescue, but no such luck. Quite the opposite, in fact. Although everyone was looking straight ahead, I could tell that they were desperately straining to listen to every word I said. Are they really that interested? Every single one of them?

“Well,” I began uncertainly, “if I started from the beginning, it would take a while, so maybe I can tell you later? The ceremony’s about to start, right? Won’t we get into trouble if we talk among ourselves?”

There. My most deadly weapon: the delaying tactic.

Not that it was especially deadly in the grand scheme of things. What it boiled down to was that I didn’t really understand all this myself, so how could I explain it? Buying some time was the only option.

Besides, this girl seemed a little agitated. Even if I told her exactly what had happened, I wasn’t sure she’d believe me. “I was going to be late, so I climbed over a fence, and Himeko was there. When I told her I didn’t want to be a maid, she gave me a golden badge.” Yes, clear as mud.

Before trying to explain it, I had to get the story straight and at least understand what a Seraph was. And, if it really did mean that I’d been selected to join the student council, I had to find out what my position was going to be. Being forced into something like that was kind of awkward. I still wanted to turn it down if I could.

“All right,” said the girl at last. “But after this, I’m making you tell me everything. Actually, I... No, never mind.”

She seemed satisfied for now and ceased her interrogation, but I was painfully aware that she still really wanted to know.

As if to make up for it, she said, “Could I at least ask your name?” She faced forward and spoke quietly enough that only I could hear her.

Just my name? I’ll tell her that as many times as she wants. “I’m Misaki Hotaru. Today’s my first day at this school.”

“Well, obviously. Why else would you be here? More importantly, I guess that means you really are Misaki.” For some reason, she sighed when she said my name. It sounded like she knew something about me as well.

“Am I famous in some way?”

“You... could say that. You were the only one who didn’t move into the dorm.”

“Move in? Oh, right, everyone lives in dorms here. But, wait—can you move in before school even starts?”

“Of course you can! Didn’t it say that in the brochure? The official move-in date isn’t until today, but the early birds checked in two weeks ago, and even the latecomers arrived yesterday. You’re the only exception. I waited and waited, but you never showed up. I was convinced you’d given up on coming here at all.”

“Oh, you know, life got in the way.”

Ugh, I REALLY should have come earlier. If I’d known all this, I could have cut down on expenses AND arrived on time.

“Still, I’m surprised you remembered my name.”

“If you’re wondering why, it’s because I’m your roommate.”

“Fair enough.” My roommate? But that means...

“There’s no use trying to brush me off. There’ll be plenty of time to make you talk.”

She’d seen right through me. A dry laugh came from my throat. “Haha...”

Well, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk about it at all, just that I couldn’t explain it very well because I didn’t understand any of it. Once I’d made sense of things, there would be no problem.

So I’ll be sharing a room with this girl for a year?

“Um, nice to meet you. About the dorms... Is it two people to a room?”

“No, they’re four-person rooms.”

“I see. So there are two more.” That was a relief. If it had just been the two of us, that would’ve been a lot of pressure. “By the way, could I ask your name too?”

“Nah,” she replied.

“What?!”

“I’m kidding.”

It had sounded pretty serious to me. It was like she saw me as her enemy.

She added, “I’m Kirara Hoshino.”

“Miss Hoshino... Can I just call you Kirara?” I thought maybe we’d develop a closer bond if we called each other by our given names. And yet...

“Nah.”

My breath caught in my throat.

“I’m kidding! Do whatever you want.”

I sighed helplessly. Was it really such a crime to look like I was friends with Himeko?

I bet it’s not just Kirara, either. The other girls must be thinking along the same lines. Telling them the truth—that I wasn’t Himeko’s friend or acquaintance—was starting to feel a little more urgent.

I let out a quiet breath as the springtime melody softly drew to a close. It seemed the ceremony was finally starting. Sitting up a little straighter, I applauded the two bowing musicians.

While I couldn’t exactly say it had all gone smoothly so far, I had at least been able to reach the starting line, and that was good enough. Now it all depends on good old hard work. I can do this!

✤

The entrance ceremony was the kind you’d expect to see at any other school. Amanotsuka Academy may have been slightly unusual, but even here, the ceremony started with an opening speech and then followed a completely normal program: the national anthem, an address from the principal, then some celebratory words from a guest speaker.

The solemn atmosphere made me keenly aware that I had taken the first step on the road to my new life. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest. Even Kirara, who had looked so tough before, watched with sparkling eyes.

Then it was announced that the next item on the agenda would be a greeting from the representative of the current students.

I cocked my head in thought. Hmm. That has to be the student council president, right? I bet it’ll be Himeko.

But that was not the case. Instead, a girl sitting on the side opposite Himeko stood up and walked to the center of the stage. “Congratulations to all of the new students, and welcome to the academy! I’m Rika Yasuki, president of the student council. As the current student representative, I’m so glad to see you all here.”

This was definitely the student council president, and it was clearly not Himeko.

Still, she seemed to be pretty popular and well-known herself. Soft cheers broke out, with voices crying, “Lady Angelica!”

Incidentally, the cheers were once again coming only from the Domestic Arts students. Not one of the Societal Arts students was making the slightest fuss.

The student council president was wearing a white uniform, so I could surmise that she was a Societal Arts student as well. It seemed like maybe all the Societal Arts students held some special significance for the Domestic Arts students.

I’d only just arrived, but already I had the feeling that there were a lot of students in the Societal Arts program who were particularly elegant and refined. It was like wherever they stood, they shone as brightly as their white uniforms.

But why “Angelica”? Hadn’t she just introduced herself as Rika Yasuki?

Unable to hold that question in, I turned to ask Kirara. “Hey, why are they calling her Angelica?”

“If you write her name in kanji, it’s like this.” She drew in the air with her finger. “And if you read the kanji differently, it could be pronounced ‘Angelica,’ right?”

“Right, right. I was wondering if she was from another country or something.”

“There are rumors about that as well, but I don’t actually know. It’s not like I’ve checked. Her features don’t seem wholly Japanese, though.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Her soft, silvery hair, her high-bridged nose... and she’s just a little too beautiful.”

In terms of looks, she gave Himeko a run for her money. I could see why she was so popular. Still, something bothered me. As I listened to the student council president’s words, I whispered another question to Kirara. “Everyone seems to know the current students really well. Why is that? Normally you wouldn’t know anyone at a school before you start going there.”

“I mean, why wouldn’t you do that level of research before arriving? Isn’t that the bare minimum?”

“The... bare minimum?”

“You’re so weird. You walked in here with Lady Himeko but you hardly even know her. You haven’t moved into the dorm yet. You don’t seem to have the slightest clue about this school. Why did you even come here?”

I suppressed another sigh. I was pretty sure Himeko had asked me the exact same question. Timidly, I asked, “Is this not a normal school?”

Kirara gaped at me as if I were spouting nonsense. “You really don’t know anything, do you? And someone like you went and beat me to the punch. How humiliating.”

A wall had gone up between me and Kirara; that much was clear. I thought we’d been starting to get along, but now it felt like we’d taken a step backward.

I wasn’t sure how to respond. “Um...”

“It’s fine, you don’t have to say anything,” Kirara replied, sighing and pointedly looking away. “You’re going to tell me everything later anyway, right?”

“Right,” I muttered. “I’ll tell you everything, so... could you tell me a few things, too?” I was starting to feel like things could go very wrong for me if I spent too long at this school without knowing anything about it.

After a moment, she said, “Fine. You’ve got some connection to Lady Himeko, so I suppose getting along with you could be good for me, too.” With calculating eyes, she smiled, the corners of her mouth twisting.

The next part of the ceremony was a pledge delivered by a representative of the new students. This role was also filled by a Societal Arts student. Every single one of her movements was graceful, and just looking at her made me enamored with her beauty.

I wondered if everyone knew this girl as well, but I decided not to ask Kirara because I didn’t want her to look at me exasperatedly again and say, “How could you not know that?!”

Then, when the ceremony was on the verge of ending, a lingering question that I’d almost forgotten about was finally resolved: the mystery of why Himeko was sitting on the stage. She had been sitting so perfectly still, it had completely slipped my mind.

“Next we have the address from the chairman of the board,” said the emcee. “However, due to various circumstances, today’s address will be delivered by the deputy chairman.”

In response, Himeko stood for some reason. I couldn’t keep myself from thinking, Absolutely not. There is no way. And yet, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary, she walked over to the middle of the stage.

Nevertheless, she abruptly began her speech. “Congratulations to all the new students on your arrival at the academy. On a day like today, with the cherry blossoms in full bloom, I am overjoyed to be able to greet so many new schoolmates.”

My jaw dropped of its own accord.

Why was a mere student the deputy chairman? That was obviously weird, wasn’t it? I half expected someone to stand up and shout, “Objection!”

But no one seemed to think it was strange except me. Everyone was listening to her speak with earnest expressions on their faces. The Domestic Arts students were practically spellbound.

Deputy chairman? Really?

That would definitely explain why she was so famous. It also meant I’d been right to think it was odd that her surname was the same as the school’s name. Himeko Amanotsuka. Amanotsuka Academy. Her family must own the school, I guess.

“Whew.” I unconsciously let out a sound that was both a sigh and an expression of wonder.