Chapter 3: The White Prince of the Stars Falls in Love with a Violet on the Roadside
Chapter 3
The White Prince of the Stars Falls in
Love with a Violet on the Roadside
“It’s the Prince!”
“The Prince!”
“The Prince has graced us with her presence!”
The girls’ murmurs spread like ripples. They stood in front of the main gate of St. Spica Girls’ Institute, which shone in the white morning sunlight. They were there to see the main event of the morning—the arrival of the Prince of the Stars.
The girls, all wearing uniforms of pure white, which they called “Spica White,” stood in two lines in front of the main gate. With the same anticipation in each of their hearts, all of their cheeks pink, they fidgeted with excitement. The aisle between the two lines looked like a glorious path up to a stage.
Around the corner of the path stood a person in anguish.
Aah, my head is spinning—even though I should be used to it by now. It happens every morning. Why must it be like this every time I go to school? I feel like I’m going through intense scrutiny—though I should be used to it by now. Do I have no choice but to walk up this path? Just like this, forever?’
Otori Amane sighed from the depths of her heart.
Diiing dooong.
The sound of old bells echoed distantly from the direction of Maiden Park. It was the first bell, signaling that it was 8:15.
Not again.
She took a reluctant step forward.
“It’s almost time!”
“She will be here soon!”
Amane almost always arrived at the school gate just past 8:00. And if the Prince couldn’t find the resolve to appear early, the girls who waited for her stayed planted in that spot, even until this late time. They did it every morning.
The young ladies waited anxiously, their hearts swelling in anticipation of the moment she would finally step into view.
Oh well, there’s nothing I can do. I have to go, Amane told herself desperately.
“Good morning!” She forced out the greeting in a strong, dignified voice. At that moment, Amane’s face turned into that of a prince. She was completely unaware of this, but she was so used to the role she had played for so many years, it was already a part of her. Her role as Prince of the Campus.
The girls who waited trembled with joy as they greeted their Prince.
“Good morning to you.”
“How is your health this morning?”
“May God’s divine protection be upon you today, Amane-sama.”
As each girl gave the greeting she had spent all morning thinking about, she took the edge of her skirt in her fingers and curtsied. It was a Western form of reverence—pinching the edge of the already short skirt of Spica’s uniform and forcing it to spread a little, drawing the right leg toward the back and bending it and lowering the body as if kneeling. Then slowly, elegantly, bowing the head.
If Spica’s uniform were black instead of white, and if they were wearing white caps on their heads, the girls would look exactly like maids serving a prince.
As Amane passed, a wave of beautiful curtsies flowed down the lines of girls, like a wave among spectators at a sporting event. The only sound was the rustling of clothes.
It was an elegant sight, without a single thing out of place. The very person for whom all this spectacle was put forth, who could be expected to lord it over those who showered her with affection, actually kept her eyes directly ahead as she walked, because she didn’t want to see any of it.
Around the same time Amane reached the end of the lines, one girl from the very end walked gracefully to the center.
“Aaaaaaaa-Amane-sama!” The girl was so nervous, she had difficulty speaking.
Amane looked firmly into the other girl’s eyes. “Yes?” Amane was strong as she prepared herself and stepped forward.
Now that it’s come to this, I don’t have a choice. Just like always, they’ll release me after this.
“Uuuuuuuumm, umm, umm…” The young lady was so nervous she felt like she had to go to the bathroom. But she squeezed her thighs tight and endured it.
“What?” Amane asked with a good-natured tilt of her head. Her voice was slightly husky, low and mellow. Her bangs hung over her forehead and her eyes shone faintly in their shadow.
But her gentleness had the exact opposite effect from what she’d wanted.
“Uh, umm…” The young lady looked like she was just about to faint.
I guess I have no choice. Nothing’s going to happen if we stay here like this.
In a calm voice, Amane asked her, “Did you have something to give to me?”
“Y-y-y-y-y-y-yes!” In one of the young lady’s hands was a small package tied with a golden ribbon. She was holding it so tightly the paper it was wrapped in was completely wrinkled.
This happened every morning, and it had come out of something Amane herself had said. Before this spectacle had come to be, underclassmen would visit Amane’s room one by one every morning. Blushing nervously, in small voices, they would tell her why they had come to visit. Not only would they not be able to get up the courage to give her the present they’d brought, but they would clutch it so tightly they’d leave wrinkles in the wrapping paper.
Because of these attacks, which had waited for her every time she’d opened her door to go to school, every time she’d turned a corner in the hallways, Amane was always late.
So she had made a request. The proclamation was called the “Adonis decree” among Amane fans. From that point on, waiting for Amane-sama was permitted only in the morning when she arrived at school, as a group at the front gate.
And only one person was permitted to give her a gift.
The truth was, Amane didn’t want a single present. She didn’t want them to wait for her arrival, either. But if she told them that she would be rebuked by the current Spica Student Council President, Tomori Shion.
“If you say that, a lot of girls will try to get a jump on everyone else, and you’ll be bothered even more, you know? Forbidding your fans from doing ANYTHING isn’t a good plan. I think it will be better to plan an escape route. Pressure cookers always need a proper release valve.”
Amane had been impressed. It was just like the enterprising Student Council President to think of something like that. Shion was known in some circles as the Snow Queen. From Amane’s point of view, the girl was energetic, a person of action. But she placed impossible demands on Amane and made Amane do exactly what she most didn’t want to do—and do it over and over again.
Shion is a lot prettier and more adorable than me.
Amane thought about the Student Council President’s long brown hair and her incomparable forehead above her beautiful face.
Why me?
To Amane, it was almost inconceivable that the underclassmen would be drawn to her androgynous looks. Her tallness, her short haircut, her gallant expression and her masculine way of speaking—she couldn’t understand how people could be attracted to those things.
It was just chance she happened to be tall. Her hair was short because it was more convenient for riding her horse. She was always alone because dealing with the other girls was a pain. She was embarrassed every time they exclaimed she was “wonderful!” Instead of talking to other girls, she enjoyed talking to her beloved horse.
To Amane, this was just the ordinary truth.
I don’t have a fan mentality, but if I were them, I would’ve become the fan of a much cuter girl.
The image of a certain girl came to Amane’s mind. She’s…not like that at all. Amane’s thought denied her previous one. Now that I think about it, if I look back to before the “decree,” when I was still getting a mountain of presents every day, this is definitely much better—I just hope today’s gift doesn’t have sweet cookies in it again.
As she accepted the package, Amane was a little absent-minded. Her hand lightly brushed the other girl’s hand.
“Ah! Aaaaaaaah!”
The young lady fainted with a spectacular flopping sound.
***
“Amazing…” murmured Konohana Hikari, from St. Spica Girls’ Institute’s Third Year Class Un. Her shiny hair, which was twisted into curls that fell to her slender shoulders, gleamed in the morning light. Even her delicate features, which usually held a forlorn expression, were filled with an unusual radiance this morning.
She held her overly large bag protectively to her thin upper body. Today was Hikari’s true school debut. She was still just a little embarrassed about wearing a miniskirt, but she was getting used to it. She still walked a little pigeon-toed, which was probably a habit.
Six months had passed since she had transferred to the school. She’d heard rumors about the lines that greeted Amane-sama in the morning. This was the first time she had actually seen it, because until today Hikari had been coming in earlier than the other students in order to go to special early-morning lectures given especially for transfer students.
I…I never knew she was incredible enough to deserve THIS.
She stood in a corner of the entrance to the school building, her eyes glued to the spectacle in front of her, and her heart trembled ever so slightly. Romantic feelings for this beautiful, extraordinary person, and the feeling she was out of place at that moment…
I wonder if meeting her alone back then was just a convenient dream.
“They’re Amane-sama wannabes,” said a mellow voice next to her.
Hikari turned around. “Oh! Yaya-chan!”
Nanto Yaya, who was in her class, stood there proudly and tossed her perfectly straight, supple hair. The uniform’s miniskirt suited her well; it seemed to accentuate her glamorous physique. Her slightly tilted eyes and parted lips were alluring. From the first time Hikari had seen Yaya, she couldn’t believe the girl could possibly be in the same year as her. And this morning, as always, Yaya looked like a sultry woman.
“Heh heh heh. Good morning, Hikari-chan. You look as cute as ever today!”
“Th-thanks…” Hikari looked down, her cheeks red, remembering what had happened in the library. It was so embarrassing when she tried to see if my panties were provocative enough!
Yaya looked at Hikari with a satisfied expression and said, “Hikari-chan, your special lectures are finally over, right? I’m so happy! From now on, let’s walk to school together! It doesn’t take much time to go from the Strawberry Dorms to school, but I want to be with you every little bit I can. Besides, I can’t go with Amane-oneesama. So it’s all right with you, right? Heh heh heh heh heh heh.”
Completely ignoring Hikari’s reaction, Yaya took Hikari’s arm as if it were perfectly natural and smiled.
“Yeah,” Hikari answered in a slightly gloomy voice. Her eyes were rooted on Amane, who still held the student who had screamed and fainted. She was yelling for someone to take the poor girl to the nurse’s office.
“Are you really that worried about those Amane-sama wannabes?” Yaya asked in a disappointed voice.
“N-not at all! But what do you mean, ‘Amane-sama wannabes?’” Hikari obviously hesitated to ask, but apparently just couldn’t help herself.
Hikari’s anxious expression made Yaya shiver a little bit. You’re cute even when you’re anxious, Hikari-chan. I had the same thought back in the library too, but you just make me want to tease you.
“It’s like…Amane-sama’s fan club, I suppose,” Yaya said bluntly. “She used to have something like official bodyguards, but as Amane-oneesama got older, the number of her fans grew and they couldn’t handle it. The organization was disbanded and split into too many groups to count. At the request of Amane-oneesama herself, her fans are only allowed to have an audience with her in the morning at the school gate.”
As she said this, Yaya raised the hand holding her bag and pointed to Amane, who was leaning over the girl in her arms and looking into her face to see whether she were okay.
“Oh no, it looks like they’re kissing!”
Huh? When Hikari turned around to look, she could definitely see what Yaya was talking about. From Hikari’s angle, though, their two faces were still definitely separated. What she did see was that the girl’s face was bright red and she looked like she was so overwhelmed with joy she felt she could fly.
Hikari averted her eyes, her heart quivering. Twinge twinge.
My chest kind of hurts.
“So now people who call themselves Amane-oneesama fans are generally called Amane-sama wannabes,” Yaya continued indifferently. “Of course, they don’t have a membership certificate or anything, but there seem to be a lot of people who wear a white lace ribbon choker as a symbol that they ‘serve the Prince.’ I guess you could say their image is a little maid-like?”
She suddenly turned to face Hikari. “What are you going to do? Do you want to try wearing a white choker like the wannabes, Hikari-chan? It looks like you can make it as elaborate as you want. I think it would look good on you, Hikari-chan. It has a slave feel to it. I’m sure it would be wonderful!”
Yaya brought her face close to Hikari’s. It seemed like she’d read Hikari’s mind completely.
The look in Yaya’s eyes was bright. Hikari instinctively turned away.
“N-not at all… Besides, I’m still just a new transfer student. I don’t even know Amane-sama very well.”
“Oh, that doesn’t matter at all! Most of the girls lined up over there probably haven’t ever spoken a single word to Amane-oneesama, you know? Compared to them, Amane-oneesama loves you so much, Hikari-chan. Aah, I just don’t know what to do! Which one should I be jealous of? The beautiful Amane-oneesama, or Hikari-chan, who’s loved by the beautiful Amane-oneesama?”
Yaya writhed like she was in agony, just to poke fun at Hikari.
“N-not at all! Me, loved by her? You’re exaggerating!” But at that moment, Hikari remembered just a little bit about that night. She felt airy and happy. That night, she had felt like she was floating on a rose-colored cloud.
It was an episode that had completely changed Hikari’s idea of what her life would be like at St. Spica, so much so that it had made Hikari feel as if they had probably been destined to meet.
***
The Strawberry Dorms were a facility that served as a dormitory for the three schools: St. Miator Girls’ Academy, St. Spica Girls’ Institute and St. Lulim Girls’ School. It was located across from St. Spica, almost directly behind Astraea Hill, in a corner of the eastern edge of Maiden Park.
The Strawberry Dorms were built to look as if a rectangular building had been cut to form an equilateral triangle shape. The center was a courtyard. The three buildings were separated according to school: a Miator dorm, a Spica dorm and a Lulim dorm. Each was independent, the dorms only connected by three skywalks that passed over the courtyard, which it gave the girls a slight thrill to cross. Their nickname was the Bell Walkways.
In the Strawberry Dorms, going between the different schools’ dorms was forbidden. In order to go to the dorm of a different school, a student needed to get permission from the dorm mother. That was why the Bell Walkways started at the second level, close to the dorm mothers’ rooms, which jutted out above the front entranceways located in the center of each of the dorms like lookout points.
The stairs that led to the walkways were built to be hidden, and the entrance to each walkway, which abruptly appeared in the stairwell wall, seemed as strange as one of Escher’s optical-illusion pictures and gave them an atmosphere of forbiddenness.
When a student crossed one of the Bell Walkways, she rang a large bell by the entranceway and gave her name.
“St. Spica Girls’ Institute, Third Year, Class Un, Konohana Hikari, passing through.”
A student was supposed to perform this ritual in order to clear people from the walkway. No one knew exactly what purpose it served or when it started, but it was a strict rule of the strange Bell Walkways.
***
Hikari had been crying. Looking back on it now, she had probably been homesick. Several days had passed since Hikari had come to St. Spica Girls’ Institute and started living in the Strawberry Dorms.
She was the only new student who had transferred into Spica that year.
In the Spica dorm, new transfer students stayed in a one-person room for the first two weeks.
The nun who had showed Hikari around was nice, and the dorm mother was kind too. The fifth-year student who was the dorm leader had seemed very wise, and Hikari felt like she wanted to get closer to her. She had treated Hikari so politely it was hard to believe she was an upperclassman.
She had said, “If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me.”
The room was of a style that gave it an air of having a long history, but it also had a very beautiful art deco floor lamp. It was just the kind of atmosphere Hikari liked.
Of course, it was lonely being in a room all by herself, even though she had been totally fine being alone in her own room back home. In fact, she had loved being alone in that room, drinking tea and looking at her collections of beautiful illustrations.
But here…
She grabbed her favorite book from the bookshelf. Gustave Moreau. Usually, as soon as she opened the book she would be sucked right into it, captivated by the pictures. But she wasn’t moved at all today.
While her mind was someplace else, a single tear fell.
Drip.
Hikari just couldn’t stay still, so she left the room. Before she even realized it, Hikari stood in front of the entrance to the bell walkway. She had no reason to go to one of the other dorms, of course, but when she stood there she could see the front entrance of the Spica dorm.
The door to the outside world.
People are always coming and going from that entrance, and if the dorm mother or one of the nuns found out, I’m sure they’d worry.
When she stepped onto the Bell Walkway, she was surprised there wasn’t anyone there, but it seemed like no one would notice her. There was a thick, dark peach-colored carpet on the floor of the walkway. The lie of the carpet’s long fibers was beautiful, and there wasn’t a trace of anyone’s having walked there.
It looks like this walkway isn’t used very much.
Hiding in the shadow of the wall, Hikari stared at the front entranceway.
I know standing here like this isn’t going to help anything, but still… If I go out that front door, I can go home. It’s not like I hate this place, but… Everyone here is wonderful, but…
Hikari felt she couldn’t blend in. It was probably because of her simple, shy personality. There were a lot of refined and sophisticated students at Spica, and they were all so dignified. Hikari felt she would be bothering them if she talked to them. She gazed at the glass entranceway below with its steel ivy growing over it and let her thoughts wander. The light from the entranceway, reflecting off the glass in front of her, began to blur.
Even though she didn’t think she was that sad.
Even though there was no reason she could think of.
Drip.
Another tear fell.
Ring ring ring.
The sound of a handbell came from the entrance directly below her. In a panic, Hikari stepped back to hide against the wall.
Next came a voice. It was slightly low, mellow and dignified.
“St. Spica Girls’ Institute, Fifth Year, Class Trois, Otori Amane, coming in!”
Hikari’s heart jumped. Oh no, she’s coming this way…!
She hurriedly looked for a better place to hide. What do I do? There’s no place to hide. It’s just a walkway.
Tmp tmp tmp. She heard the sound of someone climbing the narrow stairs to the walkway. From where Hikari was, she couldn’t see the person.
Quick, quick, I have to hide somewhere!
At the end of the walkway was another school’s dorm. There was no place she could go. She was trapped like a rat.
The sound of footsteps stopped.
Aaugh, what do I do… I’m going to get yelled at!
Hikari ducked her head and covered her ears. She heard someone murmur in a husky voice. “An angel…?”
Amane was on her way to Lulim’s dorm. She had been called by St. Lulim’s Student Council President, Minamoto Chikaru.
I don’t have a very good feeling about it, either—it’s probably about THAT. This year’s Étoile competition. Chikaru wants to try and convince me to enter this year, I just know it. What a pain.
Even though Amane was half resigned to it, she still felt dejected over it. Chikaru was a friend; they used to go horseback riding a lot together. But she had a meddlesome personality and she worried about Amane even though she was from another school. This time Amane thought she was going too far and she should mind her own business.
The Étoile title, a beloved cadette—I don’t need either of those.
Just as that thought went through her head—
Ktnk.
—There was a loud sound.
She sensed someone moving in the Bell Walkway. Who is it?
She felt something wrong and raised her head.
Standing there was…
An angel.
She crouched directly under a warm arc of light in the walkway, her waist-length golden hair shining, casting a halo-like ring of light above her head. Her small, pale face shone like a dream shrouded in delicate silk gauze. Her short build was adorable and her slender shoulders trembled innocently. She looked exactly like a messenger from God who had been found by a savage person on earth and been struck with surprise.
She knew they weren’t really there, but Amane was certain she saw them: large, white, shining wings behind her back, spreading out above her. Peach lotus-flower petals of light fluttered down, overflowing from the heavens, church bells rang and the sound of angels’ singing echoed.
An angel had descended in front of Amane.
When Hikari timidly opened her eyes—
Oh no, I squeezed my eyes shut without even realizing. I always do that. When I get scared, I end up like a turtle shut inside its shell.
The image that struck Hikari’s eyes at that moment was…
The…Prince?
Amane had certainly earned her nickname. Most Spica students who saw Amane for the first time got the impression of royalty, even without knowing her or her nickname beforehand.
Before Hikari’s eyes was a prince wearing a skirt.
It wasn’t details like her height or her hairstyle. It was her demeanor, her very existence that told Hikari a prince had arrived. There was also the funny story that said Amane was under the “curse of the prince.”
The two of them silently drew close to each other, like magnets coming together.
Hikari was dumbstruck. Up until a moment ago, her heart had been full of fear because she was in the Bell Walkway without permission, but that was completely forgotten. She was fascinated by the person who had appeared before her.
Amane thought, This is the first time I’ve seen such an adorable girl. She’s just like an angel. It’s more than her being cute… For some reason I don’t understand, I feel myself strongly attracted to her. Both my body and my heart. I can’t take my eyes off her.
She couldn’t stand still; she began to fidget. Otori Amane, seventeen years old, experienced a sensation she had never felt before in her life. She might have been the White Prince of the Stars who was loved by everyone, but—though she didn’t yet realize it—this was her first love.
“Are you lost?” Amane asked.
With that one question, Hikari suddenly relaxed and felt like she wanted to laugh.
Ah! Oh yeah, now that I think about it, this is a relief.
“Yes, I’m sorry… I just moved in…” The thread of tension was cut and she was able to talk smoothly.
“I see. I heard there was one transfer student this year. I guess it’s you, then?”
For some reason, the fact that Amane knew about Hikari delighted her. “Yes.”
“What year are you in?”
“Third.”
“What class?”
“Class Un.”
“What is your name?”
“Oh…Konohana Hikari.”
“Hikari, huh? That’s a wonderful name. It fits you well.”
“Th-thank you very much.”
Their conversation faltered. Suddenly Amane said, “If you’re a transfer student, you’re still in a one-person room, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Come with me.”
“What?”
“I will show you the way.” Amane reached her hand out to Hikari.
Hikari was startled for a moment, but, for some reason, she took Amane’s hand without even a hint of shyness. Gently, elegantly, like Cinderella being invited to dance by the prince.
The two looked into each other’s eyes. Hikari felt like her body was floating, like she was in a beautiful dream. Still they gazed at each other—they couldn’t take their eyes off each other.
In a corner of this aging walkway, they had the sensation of being surrounded by a glimmering red bubble, floating away from the world together, just the two of them. They felt like they could go anywhere, holding hands, soar to limitless heights.
When Hikari saw Amane’s dark, burning eyes staring at her, her body got hot and her heart pounded. Everything in the world around Amane and Hikari seemed to shine. Hikari felt her cheeks soften, and it made her happy.
With Amane holding her hand, she walked the path to her room. Along the way, Amane talked unfalteringly about the school, still holding Hikari’s hand the whole time.
Back then, Hikari hadn’t realized how incredible that was.