Fate/Regalia (RP)

[Satehi]

Lapis
Location: Angelica Cage Dormitories – Lapis’s Room
Time: 06:30 - Morning
Day: April 17th, Friday

*Ping!*

Almost as soon as it had begun ringing, the alarm was silenced, its owner already long awake.

All too eager for her first proper day on OLYMPUS, Lapis had only managed to sleep for a scant few hours that night, and finding herself with several extra minutes before her alarm would ring, she had taken the time to get ready instead. She was already perfectly dressed, her hair combed and her student uniform resting comfortably on her profile. Her student bag was already packed, stuffed with whatever she thought might be useful. Not a single sign of sleepiness showed on her face.

Humming a soft melody as she folded the blankets on her bed, her thoughts drifted towards to momentous event that would occur in her life, only a couple hours away- her first day at school. Although she had heard stories about schools before, she had never actually been to a school before- and certainly never imagined she would be attending one as a student. What should she say? What were her classmates going to be like? Would she be able to get along with them? What were they going to be learning? Such thoughts buzzed around in her head, keeping her occupied until she had finished with her task of folding her blankets.

Now ready to head off to Athena Academy, she inspected her room one last time. It was rather sparse- she didn’t have many belongings in the first place, let alone things that would be worth bringing to this city. Her bed was neatly folded, the curtains were open, her alarm clock was turned off… check, check, check. Almost everything was perfect, except for one last detail.

Walking over to her drawer, she gently held up a round disk. Affectionately wiping over its surface with a small towel, she gingerly deposited it inside of her school bag. Even if it wouldn’t be of much use at school, having it around was comforting, and it wouldn’t do to leave it in her room.

With that, everything was perfect. Ahead of her own planned schedule too, which meant even more free time to go and explore Athena Academy.

Time: 07:40
Location: Athena Academy

Leisurely making her through the school, Lapis decided to make a trip to the cafeteria and grab a light meal. There was still quite a bit of time before class started to meet her classmates, and it would be amusing to check out what sort of food they offered. She could always make her own meals if she didn’t like their selection, but it would be more preferable to eat from the cafeteria.

[Verg Avesta]

Location: Chivalric Order Dormitories - Common Room
Time: 07:34 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"Honestly, not really. I have class a little later, but after school I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I didn't get a chance to really look around school when I first got off the plane, so I'll probably try and explore some. It looks like there's a lot to see."

"Oh, you can count on that," Cecilia answered with a half-smile. "I don't think there exists anything called 'a boring day' in this city, if you just take the chance to explore every now and then. Mind you, it does have its risks. I mean, not everyone around here is happy-go-lucky as yours truly and rest of the Get Along Gang. People like Pop Kim and Kagura make some places minefields to travel through."

Heaving a sigh, she quickly devoured the rest of her toast. Cecilia then threw the last piece of bacon in her mouth, before licking her fingers clean. Having left her coffee last, she started sipping it while keeping a half-interested eye on Chris. While she did not seem to exhibit any true curiosity, it also seemed to be part of her nature to check anyone new entering the dormitories. Just like a lazy, sarcastic watchdog keeping an eye on the front door.

"If you want my advice, check the libraries if you're into studying," Cecilia continued. "The arcade 'Game Over' over at Demeter Market is also a good place to meet new faces. Or, if you want to truly test the limits of your faith, check out that new amusement park they built. I heard the Templars nearly threw a fit when they saw it."



Location: Half-Blood Dormitories
Time: 07:12 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

"Oi, guys, breakfast's ready!"

"Aww, man, rice again? I told you, if you can't cook anything else, you should just leave it to us."

That was Sengoku Junpei's grumbling protest as he sat down at the table, yawning heavily and with a horrible bed-hair. He scratched his chin, as if trying to find if he had grown any hair there during the night; unfortunately, despite it being his life-long dream (or so he tended to say), growing a beard was still long ways for him. Thus he was left with nothing but the breakfast and the tepid taste of defeat lingering somewhere at the back of his throat.

"Stop whining," Tsukikuro Sasuke bluntly told Junpei, shooting him a glare. "You're the only one here who cannot cook at all."

The long-haired boy had also taken his seat, and was now hunched over the table because of his height. Despite it being still morning, Sasuke was dressed as sharply as always, looking like he had been awake for five hours already... which was by no means an unlikely scenario. The nightly excursions of Tsukikuro-san were many and frequent, but never did he fail to return during the wee hours of the dawn.

"Shut up, you're starting to sound like my sister..." Junpei grunted and dug into his breakfast with an expression that told he was still only half-awake.

"I do not consider that a bad thing at all," Sasuke shot back "If anything, it should give me her power of absolute authority over you."




Location: Athena Academy - Class 2-C
Time: 07:28 – Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

“Perhaps there’s been some sort of mistake and I have been assigned to the quarantine classroom for hooligans and misfits.”

"In fact, you're not far off."

The voice talking from not far off the left side of Noelle was refined and clear as crystallized lightning. It struck unexpectedly, but left no question about what had been said. The young woman who had spoken was sitting gracefully on her chair, leaning to her desk with her elbows. The earphones on her head had been lowered to her neck, though one could still hear the faint sound of music pouring through them.

The black-haired girl gave a sideways glance at Noelle, and smirked.

"This is Class 2-C: The Quarantine Class," she stated. "This is where they throw the most troublesome students and few extras in order to keep an eye on them all at once. Not a bad plan, but bit brutish to my tastes."

Giggling to herself, the girl leaned back in her chair and stretched, looking almost like an extremely well-bred and rare breed of a feline.

"Well, try to get the most out of it, girl," the young woman said and winked to Noelle. "Nobody wants to be the party-pooper of their class."



Location: Demeter Market - Main Street
Time: 07:17 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"Now now you musn't do that," the vampire whispered softly yet mournfully in the girl's ear. "There is no need to turn to anger, no need to resort to violence. Especially for something as trivial as money. If you don't get rid of your worldly desires, you'll never achieve enlightenment. Please don't hurt this poor thing anymore. It's not even breathing... it's not even breathing anymore..."

For a moment, Ryougi Michi went as rigid as a pillar of ice, and a shiver ran through her body. Then, the said tiny body just as suddenly fell completely limp, as if all the power had been cut off from it. It lasted only few seconds, but it was almost like Four had pulled out the plug from a particularly annoyed radio.

Finally, life came back to Michi's body, and when it did...

"I... told... you... already...!"

Suddenly, the world spun. The tiny body of Ryougi Michi turned around with enough speed and force to throw off the vampire draped over her back. Not only that, but using the spin's momentum, Michi caught hold of Four's hands and pulled hard, increasing the vampire's speed and switching the trajectory. Before the vampire could even react, she had been flung through the air and struck straight, head-first, into the said vending machine that Michi had been arguing with earlier.

"I DON'T WANT TO JOIN YOUR STUPID RELIGION, SISTER BIG-TITS!" Michi roared, pointing at Four and kicking her behind for a good measure as she laid there after the throw.

It took Michi a couple of seconds to register just who she was looking at.

"Wait..." she mumbled, slowly scratching her head. "You're not Sister Big-tits."



Location: Fujou dormitories - Room
Time: 06:17 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

"I guess we all have our own things, huh...? Come on, let's go grab something to eat."

Erika flashed a smile back at Rei, before realizing the girl could not see it, of course. She patted her friend on the shoulder and chuckled slightly, though there was a slight edge in the chuckle that told Erika was still a bit stiff from the confrontation just now.

"Where to? The usual at Blue Flamingo? Or should we just hit the cafeteria?" She asked, before suddenly snapping her fingers. The look on her face was that of a reporter remembering the scoop of the century. "Oh, wait, right! I didn't mention this to you because of... well, the last two weeks, but..."

Suddenly, the girl playfully nudged Rei to the ribs with her elbow.

"A certain grey-haired mercenary has asked me couple of times how you were doing these couple of weeks," Erika said with a very devious tone. "What's that all about, hmm?"



Location: Order of the Templars Dormitories
Time: 06:35 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"Chocolat? Jus de pomme? D'orange?"

Hearing those words, Cerise's eyes were lit up with brilliant light, one that grew even brighter when she saw what Erwin was holding. It seemed that no matter how good the porridge was before her, chocolate would always hold a special place in the hearts of kids everywhere.

"Ooh!" Cerise exclaimed. "Je voudrais une chocolat! Donne-moi ça! Donne-moi ça! Fais-le, sinon vous allez souf-"

Suddenly the armored hand of Sister Modeste bonked the little girl lightly on the head. The older girl then folded her arms, and gave Cerise a stern stare.

"What have we talked about, Archbishop?" Modeste asked, raising an eyebrow. Cerise tried to avoid eyecontact, but eventually caved in before the threat of another bonk.

"S-sweets only on Saturdays, and even then in moderation..." Cerise answered sheepishly. Modeste nodded before continuing.

"And the language?" The nun asked again, causing the young girl to sigh rebelliously.

"... Is English or nobody will understand me, I know..." Cerise groaned, flopping on the table like a dead fish. Seeing this made Modeste sigh heavily and shake her head.

"Lord, give me strength to raise her into a proper lady..." Modeste muttered under her breath, clearly not doing so for the first time.



Location: Athena Academy - Class 2-D
Time: 08:04 - Morning
Day: April 17^th - Friday

"Hey Sengoku-san, it's pretty clear that she's sorry for what she did, so can't you figure out a way for her to pay you back for it, rather than...what you're doing now?"

Hearing Stan's voice, Sengoku Haruhime stopped dead on her tracks and shot a glare back at the boy that would have probably killed him on the spot if she had had any sort of ocular powers. Instead, it was left only as a rather clear indication that the girl was not happy one bit that the boy had decided to interfere. Taking a hold of her fan, she snapped the huge weapon shut and pointed it straight at Stan, vein ready to pop in her (admittedly large) forehead.

"Shut up, you clansman!" Sengoku shouted. "You have no right to interfere with my actions! Even more, you have no idea what you are talking about! That girl is never sorry about anything, she's only playing possum to gather sympath-"

"Whoops, that's my chance!"

Now that Sengoku's attention was elsewhere, Midori was quick to act and zoomed through the classroom's airspace like a bullet. She landed behind Stan, flicked her fingers for a goodbye, and sprinted out of the door with a speed that left most people green with envy. The only thing left behind was her laughter, like that of a yipping fox.

"Nyahahaa! Thanks for the grub, Sengoku-san! I'll be sure to mooch off your meals in the future too, it was good!" Midori giggled as she retreated. "See ya!"

A stupefied silence fell to the classroom. All of the students were carefully watching Sengoku's reaction now that her prey had eluded her once more. Gritting her teeth together, the girl took her fan, grasped it so hard she nearly broke the lacquered surface and finally slammed it down to the ground which caused a huge gust of wind to sweep through the classroom.

Finally, two eyes boiling with anger were directed at Stan.

"You. After her," the little beast growled. "Now."



Location: Demeter Market - KAIROS office
Time: 06:59 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

A little over fifteen minutes after that little exchange, Lerato suddenly swung the front door open, grinned mischievously and gestured Firo and Lancer to get back to the office.

"You guys wanna see this, I promise'cha," Lerato chuckled in a way that would have sent chills down the spine of anyone who knew her. "Come on in, boys!"

As the trio stepped back into the office, what awaited them was a sight more than a bit surprising. Lerato took a proud pose and spread her arms towards the Evolve, who was now in the middle of the main room in her wheelchair. The taller girl was like an artist showcasing her latest creation... which was not far off from the truth. Not only had Evolve been stuffed into her school uniform, but the scrawny homunculus now also had a dark blue bow in her hair, and her nails had been painted with pink and bright blue, with added glitter on them on top of it. A fashionable school bag was hanging from the side of the wheelchair, matching the silvery color perfectly.

This was all topped off by Evolve who looked like a certain reaction image of a foul-mooded cat.

"I will divulge all your information online," Evolve grumbled to Lerato. "I'll send hordes of horny predators after you."

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Lerato silenced her before pinching the other cheek of the homunculus. "She looks like such a babe now, don't she, Firo? I'm moved, moved beyond belief!"



Location: Athena Academy - Cafeteria
Time: 7:02 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"So, we finally saw each other again, Miss von Einzbern. I really would like to apologize for my actions earlier in regards to sending a message to you while you were still in your beauty sleep. I guarantee you that such course of action would not happen again in the future. Again, I am sorry for what happened. I will not do such again.

And please, would you kindly introduce our club to our newcomer? I am sorry again for asking you this favor but it was just unfortunate that I have no capabilities in doing so, I would have done it if it wasn't for my lacking of abilities in properly doing so."

"Water under the bridge, dearest," Vielyna chuckled and shook her head at Juliana. "You could not possibly know about it, and I was not nearly as annoyed as I might have sounded. I simply tend to have the bad habit of speaking in extremes whenever tired."

The three of them took seats around the table, and soon enough they had secluded their own space from the rest of the cafeteria. The boy in the hakama looked still a bit confused, but it seemed that he wasn't the type to fret on the details. Even when Vielyna was giving a very roundabout, vague explanation of the Literary Club, the boy kept nodding his head as if he had understood everything. He even took the time to stand up again and bow to Millia when the homunculus introduced her as the club president.

"... and, well, that I believe is the long and short of it," Vielyna concluded her explanation. "Oh, and since I did not introduce her earlier: this here is Lady Juliana Petronova. My friend and part of this club of ours."

"A honor to meet you, Lady Petronova," the boy said and bowed his head towards the alchemist. "My name is Tsuchikumo Hideki. I am a student here at the Athena Academy just like you, and it would be an honor for me if you allowed me to your club. I understand that safeguarding and creating literature is a sacred task, and helping you is a matter of honor. Thus, I would not dare to refuse invitation to this task."

Vielyna chuckled.

"Well, as you can see, he's a bit like this," the homunculus gave a sarcastic smile. "But he is certainly not a bad gentleman, simply a bit... old-fashioned."

"Umm... like you, Vielyna?" Millia inquired innocently, only to earn a flat look from the white-haired girl.

"... And what is that supposed to mean?"



Location: Athena Academy - Pathway
Time: 07:42 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

"Because who doesn't like lemon juice am I right? Cool, so, I am just gonna work under the assumption that if you say, wanted me to carry some of those or open a can for you would tell me. So shall we go on? My home room teacher is the laissez-faire type, but you know this school has a math teacher who scares the crap outta me, I don't want 'em thinking I am skipping!"

Radana tilted her head ever so slightly at Zero's barrage of words. However, she seemed to understand what he was getting at, as when the boy started walking, she followed en suite, balancing her tower of cans the best she could. The clinks and clanks were like bells of doom, counting down the seconds until the whole thing would come down in an avalanche of juice. Perhaps it was a good thing, then, that Radana eventually caught up to Zero, having walked in a strange manner of putting almost all of her weight on her toes...

... before promptly dumping all the cans into Zero's arms.

"Hodně štěstí," Radana flatly said while taking one of the cans and opening it.

Then, just like that, she started walking ahead of Zero while sipping on her juice, clearly expecting him to follow after her.



Location: China Order Dormitories
Time: 06:40 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"... Umm, excuse me..." a sudden, very proper voice called out to Asuka as she set out into the room. "I... seem to have ended up tangled up in the sheets during the night, and am quite unable to find my way out. Any form of assistance would be much appreciated."

To accompany these words, a head popped out of one fold of the bundle of sheets, revealing the speaker to be a young Chinese girl with a straight, black hair and almost mystifyingly black eyes to the point of them being purple. Not only that, but the slight haze of the eyes and the way she stared straight ahead was a dead giveaway that these already strange eyes were in no condition to see. Whoever this girl was, it was clear she was blind.

"I assume you are my new roommate, as other possibilities are quite frankly rather scary to think about, and thus I would hope that the cordial relationship us students of Athena Academy have would be enough of a cause for helping me," the girl continued speaking. "But, if it is not, I am willing to grant you a modest reward for--"

Suddenly, the girl's head bobbed against the mattress, and what filled the room was an awful sound of snoring. Just like that, in the middle of the sentence, the girl had went out like a light; and judging by the way she was breathing, into a very deep sleep.

... a very deep sleep that lasted for all of five seconds, as after that the girl once again jolted and raised her head.

"Um, now, where was I...?" the girl mumbled, before her face cleared up a bit. "Ah, yes: Assistance. Would you be willing to grant it to me?"



Location: Athena Academy Classroom 1-D
Time: 7:51 - Morning
Day: April 17^th - Friday

“Tama."

A moment passed, as the grey-haired girl and the blue-haired boy, along with much of the class that had been around them, looked around in confusion. Finally, the boy who had been shouting at Jane earlier, looked at Ichirou with a raised eyebrow and a bit of a doubtful stare.

"Tama-what?" he asked, voicing out the confusion of the class. Then, after a second of awkward silence, he continued. "As for your questions... this is the Class 1-D. I'm it's Class President, Chidori Hinaga. That idiot there is Jane Powell, the klutz who brought that weapon of mass destruction from the Radio Club, and as for others... eerrgghh, too much of a hassle! Get to know to them on your own!"

Scratching his head annoyedly, Hinaga turned back to the smoking wreckage of the strange machine, which was still sputtering its last fumes into the airspace of the classroom. He looked around the floor, seeing the all the parts that had been scattered around, and heaved a tired sigh. Hinaga then leaned against one of the desks and raised his finger towards the ceiling.

"Question: who's in clean-up duty today?" Hinaga asked from the Class. He got a quick answer from one smug-looking boy.

"It's you and Jane, Prez."

The proud Class President of 1-D slumped in defeat after hearing those words. Jane approached him with the clear intention of trying to console him, but he simply swatted her worrying hand away, and pointed at the wreckage in the middle of the room.

"Can you at least tell me if that's non-combustible trash or not?" He asked from Jane.

"Umm... who knows?" Jane answered, shrugging her shoulders happily.

The groan of Chidori Hinaga could be heard all the way in the hallway.




Location: Athena Academy Class 1-C
Time: 7:36 - Morning
April 17th – Friday

"O-oh uh, y-yeah. I just got back from breakfast a-and figured I'd poke in and see what's up here. Oh um, if you don't mind me asking, what happened here?"

"U-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-unsure," Enola answered, firing off the first letter like a machine-gun. "S-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-something has affected my rotor-r-r-r-r-r-rs. I am sufe-fe-fe-fe-fe-fe-fe-fe-fe-fering from stutter because of that."

"Just like he says," Cravert continued and patted Enola on the shoulder. "We don't know what happened, but something's not going exactly as should inside Enola here. He's stuttering like mad because of it, and who knows what other damage it causes."

"That's why we were hoping to fix him, before it becomes anything serious," Numerica continued, placing her hand on her cheek and looking at the golem worriedly. "Unfortunately, looks like our only chance is to get him to Ms. Tetsuyama as soon as we can. Our tools simply aren't advanced enough to fix Enola here in the school grounds. Crafts Club might be able to do something, but we'll have to wait till lunch break to ask them..."

Then, as if remembering something, Numerica looked at Gin with a slightly frozen expression.

"Wait, Gin... did you know that Enola was a golem?"

[Caster]

Chris Arelius
Location: Chivalric Order Dormitories - Common Room
Time: 07:35 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

Chris tilted his head a bit, wondering what the Get Along Gang was. It sounded like it would be a pretty fun group to be part of, but chances are you had to be at OLYMPUS for a while to join. His ears perked up at those names though. Pop Kim and Kagura. Neither of them sounded particularly dangerous, so he wondered what it was that they did that was a problem. With any luck though he never would have to find out. "Well, I'll try and watch out for them. Hopefully I don't run into them." He paused for a bit, thinking about where he could go. The main issue was that anywhere he went would pretty much be the same either way, or so it felt. At least with no real direction, though on the plus side that meant there wasn't really a wrong place to go either for now. "What's wrong with the amusement park? I mean, I don't plan on going there too soon, but why did the Templars get so upset about it?" He sighed a bit, wondering how bad the drama was going to be at OLYMPUS. Even though there were a ton of people here, it seemed like everyone got along alright, but Cecila had him doubting that now.

[Tangerang]

4
Location: Demeter Market - Main Street
Time: 07:17 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

Despite the disgraceful position the vampire girl was in with her face against the ground and her ass pointed up at the sky, she did not make any attempts to change her posture. Instead the girl spoke in a tearful voice, the volume slightly muffled by the ground.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry, I apologize, but to the best of my knowledge I am neither your sister nor is my name 'Big-Tits'."

Following that, the vampire girl did a little backwards roll and hop into an upright position. Although her body was still hurting all over. Especially her face.

With some tears still in her eyes, the vampire girl turned around to properly face the violent girl.

"With that being said, one should not treat siblings in that manner. I understand that sometimes, the relationship between blood relatives can be complicated, but you have to understand sibling love is a wonderful, beautiful thing. I'm sure that the love the sister has for her sibling is truly truly one of the greatest treasures in this world of ours. However, in this case, your sister has a very unfortunate name. Or is that just a nickname? It sounds like a nickname, and a very bad, naughty nickname. Lust between siblings is... Ah come to think of it, I'm not your sister, so unfortunately I do not possess sisterly love for you at the moment. Oh? I guess that means that since I'm not your sibling, it was okay for you to hurt me so? But let's not make a habit of that, violence is bad and that was painful. Yes."

The vampire girl nodded her head as if to signal the end of that current thought.

Despite the fact that it was all nonsense to be discarded. It wouldn't be odd for bystanders to assume that the vampire girl's brains were still rattled from being thrown into the vending machine.

"Hmm? Hmmmm?"

Suddenly the vampire girl was staring intently at the violent girl. Tilting her head back and forth as if deep in thought, the vampire girl finally opened her mouth again.

"Wait, today is a school day right? Shouldn't you be going off to school right about now?"

[Tobias]

Zero
Location: Athena Academy - Pathway
Time: 07:44 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

Ah hell...Zero thought, feeling a flash of annoyance that for a delicious moment wasn't feigned. Messy head took an unstable mess of cans and foisted them off on him, saying what Zero was relatively certain was "carry these".

That wasn't really a problem, except Zero...well, wasn't very strong. The way she had just shoved the cans into his arms overbalanced him, causing his arms to strain dangerously. His hand-eye coordination was fine, probably above par, but all that really helped him do was realize a lot sooner the simple truth. There was no way he was going to get by without dropping these cans the way Messy Head had given them to him.

"Wait...crap...!" Zero said, struggling in vein.

Just as she grabbed the last can and started to spin around, every single can she gave him spilled out of his hands and was sent rolling on the ground, several off the beaten path. Zero was only able to snag one out of the air as it fell. He wasn't even sure Messy Head had even noticed, but he had to get everything together, people who had previously been giving them a wide berth were beginning to stare, and Zero didn't like being the center of attention, least, not when he hadn't orchestrated things for him to be so.

Zero almost dove for several rolling cans, catching a few runners in a running scoop that gathered the wayward bottles but didn't do much for his dignity, running awkwardly after what appeared to be desperately fleeing bottles of 50 yen lemon juice.

"Ugh, just a moment!" Zero called out, trying to think on his feet. He could use his pants pockets but somehow he got the idea things might go badly if Messy Head got the idea he was taking some for himself. If that wouldn't work then...

Zero quickly reached into his bag and grabbed out a flat board with paper on it, it was, in fact, his precious sketchbook. After sparing a moment to ensure none of the cans had sprung a leak or something, he carefully placed each one onto the book using it as a sort of carrying tray as might be used by a waiter. It probably said something interesting about Zero that the pattern he set the cans in, despite being in a hurry was neither accidental, nor the most balanced he could have used, it was the figure for seven as actually might have been found on a mahjong tile. Still, least now he could carry the blasted things.

"Your drinks, Radanna-sama?" Zero said, bowing his head playfully. He effected a servile tone of voice as he caught up to Messy Head. Actually, they must have looked quite the odd procession as they walked to Olympus academy. Then again, the aura of the strange, nigh-incomprehensible girl was enough to ensure a certain amount of unwanted attention anyway.

[hero]

Fujou Rei
Location: Fujou dormitories - Room
Time: 06:17
Day: April 17^th – Friday


"Blue Flamingo, for the old ti-Ooof..."

Erika's surprise attacks catch me off guard. Not just the physical one, but the verbal one as well. She knows about Lobo...?

I am no fool, that's why I understand what she's suggesting with that devious tone. Tch, I am not sure if Erika is just teasing me or not, but I already feel like a cornered rat. What was that idiot mercenary thinking, anyways? Asking others to see if I am doing fine... Of course people would grow suspicious... Geez! I'm definitely going to give him a piece of my mind as soon as I find him-!

Come on, Rei, calm down, put on your best poker face and say something smart. You can defeat this monster.

"Lobo?" I buy myself a couple of seconds with a rhetorical question. Even if Erika is my roommate, I don't think it would be wise to share all the truth with her. It would be too dangerous... "We're friends. He almost hurt me on accident once, so I guess he feels somewhat guilty about it." I claim with pride, as if the person in question was in my debt. Okay, good, now something to throw the ball to her side of the court... "You two know each other...?"

Hmm, I might even have enough recourses to change the topic here...

"That reminds me... Our first night excursion might not have been fruitless, after all. I have some info which may be of interest to you, #1 reporter."

[I3uster]

Location: Half-Blood Dormitories
Time: 07:14 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

"Aww, man, rice again? I told you, if you can't cook anything else, you should just leave it to us."

"What's wrong? It's the goddamn perfect breakfast, boy. You have rice, which belongs in every breakfast, you have eggs which give you proteins so you can one day, just maybe, be as strong as I am, and you have vitamins and fast-acting sugar in the ketchup! A man could live from this stuff alone for years!"

For a second Akio pondered if tomatoes in ketchup counted as fruit or vegetables as he held an empty glass under the sink. With a sip from it he flushed the last bits of sweet metallic taste from his mouth.

That hunger was taken care of. Now on to the other one.

He took a seat in between the two boys. His appearance fit neatly between the absolutely orderly getup of Sasuke and the mess that was morning Junpei.

"Stop whining," Tsukikuro Sasuke bluntly told Junpei, shooting him a glare. "You're the only one here who cannot cook at all."

"Maybe you could teach him or something. I'm more of an apprentice compared to the god-like culinary mastery of Chef Tsukikuro." There was a quite obvious teasing to his tone, but nevertheless it was compliment. Just delivered in the only way Akio could to someone who roomed with him. These people were the closest analogue to family he would have for quite a long while, so his usual formal and respectful tone had survived only one meeting with those two before it had to make way for an attitude that was usually reserved for his brothers.

"I do not consider that a bad thing at all," Sasuke shot back "If anything, it should give me her power of absolute authority over you."

"Sasuke, never tell a guy who is pussy-whipped that he is pussy-whipped. It's like cornering an animal. You just turn them into something completely unpredictable." Akio stuffed his mouth with as much egg rice as he could possibly fit in after this statement, swallowing it after chewing it for the bare minimum.

"Seriously though..." His expression tensed up a bit. "Haruhime was her name, right?"

Akio tried to keep as much names and faces in mind as he could when walking through and hearing about OLYMPUS. Especially the ones of the Hybrids, their Hunters and the Church.

"Are you looking out for her a bit? When the plane with my fellow students arrived it only took like a day until the crystal city blew up. Now we have entire new dorms and stuff."

[Sei]

Shang Lan Fen (Asuka)
Location: China Order Dormitories
Time: 06:41 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

Though I'm a bit perplexed as to how someone could get lost in their own sheets, upon seeing my roommate's face, I believe I understand why. ...In particularly troubling cases, even I've been known to lose my way in such a labyrinth of fabric; however, for someone who has seemingly lost their eyesight, I imagine such is a rather... humbling experience. Nevertheless, as this fellow human's new roommate, it is my duty to assist her in her time of need.

"U-um... Yes! Assistance." I get off to a great start, "Right away."

It'd be a lie to say that I'm not the slightest bit nervous here. After all, blind or not, this will be my first time interacting on my own with someone outside my home. In short, this is my very first opportunity to make a genuine friend. At this time, I believe it'd be right to thank fortune that it'd be this nameless girl... My body already shaking from the general excitement, it would seem that a light sweat is in due order as well. Truly a sight to see, I'm merely thankful that no one can see me like this.

Resetting my focus on the sightless damsel, I make haste... only to catch myself after one or two steps. Granted this opportunity truly has me wanting to jump right in, the simple fact of the matter is that I can't. So I have to slow myself down... Walk slowly... And proceed calmly... After all, Asuka, you're Shang! You have a family to represent here! Even if this is your first time doing something like this, this is merely common exchange for in the outside world! If you rush in and act like some kind of desperate weirdo, you'll never fit into society!

"Uhm... D-does this happen to you often?" That's right, I have to present a method of conversation first! "Waking up to this every morning seems like it'd be rather troubling."

Nice~! Taking sheet in hand, I make up for my idiocy a minute ago and get this meeting set on the proper path.

"Oh... Uhm... My name is Lan Fen, by the way. Shang Lan Fen," That a girl Asuka, keep the introduction cool~ "... But if you want, Asuka is fine too-!"

Dammit, no! You were doing so well! Why would you offer up your plebeian name!? You've doomed yourself, woman! Doomed to live a life of social awkwardness! ...Retreat! Retreat now! You overzealous, idiotic ragamuffin!

"M-may I ask your name, my fellow roommate?"

[Bloble]

Erwin Eifer Schwert
Location: Order of the Templars Dormitories
Time: 06:35 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"I..."

I...

"I'm sorry?" For some strange reason, I feel like this might be all my fault. Actually, there's nothing strange about it. This is most certainly my fault.

"I didn't realise the young Archbishop was under such restrictions, Miss Blason. If anyone should be reprimanded, it's me, for inviting her to break them." Even though I say this, I have the distinct impression that my words won't accomplish much. These two are behaving as if this is a well practised routine. It's probably not the first time something like this has happened, and I'd bet it won't be the last, so there's no need to feel too guilty about playing the part of the Snake in this miniature drama. Having said that... I still feel a bit guilty.

We were never that strict back home, but it makes sense that someone of such importance would need to adhere to even higher standards than an ordinary person. Though I'm fairly sure that part of it is simply Miss Blason's penchant for courtesy and manners, combined with the fact that said Archbishop is still fairly young and needs to be reined in before she accidentally blows up a Workshop or something.

She is looking a bit glum... from what I've heard of her temper, she might try and take it out on some unsuspecting Magi. While that does sound like a good way to relieve stress, it's probably not healthy to do so in such a dangerous place. Besides, I don't want to be the cause of a destructive tantrum on my first day here.

"Look on the bright side, Miss Sangyeux," I say, smiling at the young girl and trying to stay chipper. "Today's a Friday, so there's only one more day before you get to enjoy that chocolate I offered you. Unless a cretin from Athena Academy steals it during the day, it won't be going anywhere."

[Ivan The Mouse]

Juliana Petronova
Location: Athena Academy - Cafeteria
Time: 7:02 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

Juliana slightly bowed down to Vielyna upon hearing her reply regarding her being sent a message during her beauty sleep before the three members sat down with her on the table for the orientation of the new member, which was done by the homunculus herself. The way she did it, as the alchemist observed, was that she went on and on without making the goals of the club actually clear. The newcomer, on the other hand, was just nodding to everything that she said. She also, appropriately, introduced Millia, the Club President, and finally Juliana herself.

Tsuchikumo Hideki identified himself to her, in which she bowed back as a sign of courtesy.

"Well, as you can see, he's a bit like this," the homunculus gave a sarcastic smile. "But he is certainly not a bad gentleman, simply a bit... old-fashioned."

"Umm... like you, Vielyna?" Millia inquired innocently, only to earn a flat look from the white-haired girl.

"... And what is that supposed to mean?"

The mute then typed a message and showed it to the white-haired woman.

"With all due respect, but I think Miss President thinks that your tastes are classical and timeless. In other words, she finds you classy."

[Mormarth]

Elaine Rousseau D'Normandy
Time: 07:21 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

Several masculine shouts cried out in encouragement for their champion in this culinary consumption contest, and he seemed to absorb it, not unlike a sponge of some sort, his demonic ancestry spurring him on as he devoured his chosen prey at a speed that astonished even his feminine counterpart.

Meanwhile, after she'd finished her brief soliloquy on the nature of contests and making a comparison to that sport which she so enjoyed; Elaine's new compatriot introduced herself as: "Tosa Nashiko, Just call me Nashiko or Nashi, whatever you want. I don't sweat the small stuff."

Then she chuckled at the comparison, "Oh, that would have been too cool!" She enthused, "I could totally imagine Kushichi doing something like that to impress Umicchi. I mean, everyone knows he's got a huge crush on her -along with half of this school- so it'd be totally up his alley."

Elaine hummed in thought, taking in these bits of information. Turning her attention back towards the crowd when the shouts turned riotous, "Kushichi" had evidently decided to move in for the kill, his progress bringing him to the endgame, his opponent, "Umicchi", had only managed to progress to the halfpoint on her mountain of food.

However, Nashiko apparently had her own agenda in mind, leaping atop her seat, using it as a pedestal, and fished something out of her pocket that Elaine couldn't quite make out, bright-colored cloth covering it.

She roared out her own encouragement for the feminine contestant: "Work that mouth, move those hands, chew that food, swallow that enemy! You can do it, Umicchi! For the sake of yourself, for the sake of all the girls here, for the sake of every woman in OLYMPUS! Go beyond the limits and crash down on that breakfast! It's now or never, and never shall the choice be 'never'! Let 'er rip!"

Whatever she had obtained from her pocket presumably had a hand in what followed, a great arc of color spread across the roof of the cafeteria, shining down upon the crowd and emblazoning a firm message of Nashiko's support to all who would gaze upon it.

Elaine giggled to herself, and decided that since she had made her comparison to cameos earlier, it would not do to let her seatmate's bold statement go without a bit of back up.

She too climbed atop her seat, her admittedly impressive stature towering over the majority of the cafeteria, her position concidentally leaving her in a position to be back-lit by the Daystar itself.

[Elaine Rousseau D'Normandy]

"Indeed!" She cried out. "This foe is not one that is undefeatable! You must grasp that victory with your hands, feet, teeth, and rip it asunder! Your jaw may ache, your head may pound, your very bones may fail you, but fear not!" She spread her arms wide, exulting in the glow, her blazer flowing behind her like a great cape, "Rejoice! For the shining star of victory, the brightest in the sky, The Unconquered Sun is with you! Take heart, and grasp victory in your hands, for with your own belief and the support of those who believe in you, even all of the delights of Eden will be devoured!"

[Vampiric Hypewoman]

That outta do it, Elaine nodded decisively.

[Spinach]

Noelle Fontaine
Location: Athena Academy - Class 2-C
Time: 07:29 – Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

Noelle lightly clicked her tongue as the girl with headphones spoke up about Noelle’s suspicions, listening intently as the girl stretched out over her desk. With an exasperated sigh Noelle leaned forward, resting her chin in her palm and propping her elbow up on her desk.

“That makes twice today that I have been right about something I would rather be wrong about.” Noelle muttered in an aggravated tone to herself, hardly loud enough to be audible to anyone except herself. “With towering intellect such as mine it is only to be expected, but I cannot bring myself to be happy about being right about matters such as these.”

Standing up, Noelle turned to face the girl with the headphones, looking down at her.

“Thank you for the explanation. For being a student in a classroom such as this you do not seem so… uncouth.” Noelle said, pausing as she searched for the right word to describe the girl without actually praising her. “Tell me, who must I speak with to request a transfer to another, more reputable classroom?”

[Mooncake]

Maibe Shenouda
Location: Athena Academy – Class 2-B
Time: 8:22 – Morning
Day: April 17^th - Friday



"Wang Fang-Hua. I am the Class President of 2-B. Thus, I'd like to be the first one to welcome you officially the class. I know it can be a bit overwhelming at first, but I'm sure you'll fit right in."

The bespectacled girl girl in front of Maibe gave her a smile, and even stretched her hand forward for a handshake. Maibe couldn't help smiling in return, returned the handshake.

"Thank you very much. This seems like a nice place, so I- "

"D-don't trust her, new girl…" Yamato let out a loud burp, groaning as he did so. "Prez acts all n-nice... but in truth... she's... she's a slavedriv-"

WHAM!

Before Maibe could ask him what he meant, the class president slammed her massive book straight on top of his head, completely silencing him. Turning red, Fang-Hua retreated hastily, trying to keep her glasses from slipping off her face and clinging to her book in her distress.

"I-I am nothing of the sort!" she stuttered. "I may be a bit strict, but it is only for the good of this class! Right, everyone?"

Everyone else in the class turned away, unwilling to answer her. Maibe could only muster up one thought about this rapid turn of events.

"S-Scary..."

[Vritra]

Ichirou Tama
Location: Athena Academy Classroom 1-D
Time: 7:52 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

Finished his questions and introduction he began to enter the classroom confident in the flawless execution of his greeting only to be stopped a few moments later as a simple phrase.

”Tama-what?"

“Eh?” Freezing as the unexpected statement took him off guard, his brain quickly began to divert all its processing power to uncover just what it meant.

“It’s my name?” his face going blank as his confidence started to crack, becoming louder and more frantic as he sought to uncover his mistake.

“T-that’s how it’s-supposed to be r-right? The most common form bonding used currently, an exchange of identities upon meeting others, in this you my classmates, in order establish a foundation for a relationship that is usually expanded and built upon at a later date. W-what am I missing or doing wrong, I did everything correctly!”

Catching himself after finishing and taking a few breaths to calm himself.

"As for your questions... this is the Class 1-D. I'm it's Class President, Chidori Hinaga. That idiot there is Jane Powell, the klutz who brought that weapon of mass destruction from the Radio Club, and as for others... eerrgghh, too much of a hassle! Get to know to them on your own!"

“T-though yes, um nice to meet you and I hope to grow close to all of you in the future” he said nodding at the gathering of students. I do have some more question though, is this sort of situation the norm for this place? And is it always so full of people before classes start?

Then watching the rest of the dialogue between Chidori and Jane he began to wonder tilting his head and holding his chin in thought. The situation didn’t involve him so normally he wouldn’t get involved but Chidori looking so defeated and overwhelmed it might be a good chance to obtain some goodwill and grow closer to both of them. Finally deciding that with his apparent blunder earlier it would indeed be the best course of action he spoke up again “Um excuse me but do you need some help with that?”

[Verg Avesta]

Location: Chivalric Order Dormitories - Common Room
Time: 07:37 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"What's wrong with the amusement park? I mean, I don't plan on going there too soon, but why did the Templars get so upset about it?"

"The same thing that they've gotten their knickers in a twist over the day they've arrived. 'This is not proper for the members of the Holy Church'. 'Such a place is corrupting our brightest youngsters'. 'I cannot believe the Vatican has authorized such conduct'," Cecilia said while imitating a more high-strung, commandeering voice with a dash of mocking. "I think that Ms. Ilse would choke herself with her riding crop if she understood what sort of stuff is going on in Aphrodite Venue. I think she considers students being students and having fun a personal attack towards her. You know the type, don'cha? Ones who'd need a good smacking on their more-than-a-bit stuck up asses?"

Cecilia laughed roughly, as if the mere idea of spanking "Ms. Ilse" to more laid back behaving had been her idea of a good past-time. She sipped some more of her coffee, but cut it short when she heard a very demanding meow near her legs. Looking down, what seemed like a small, grey tiger seemed to be walking around her legs, pushing itself against her in affectionate manner and purring loudly.

Grinning ear-to-ear, Cecilia picked the animal from the floor and plopped it to her lap. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that it was not a small tiger, but rather, a very large cat. It was bandy-legged and had a face that looked like it had taken the brunt of an high-speed impact with something flat and hard. Still, the two green, almost menacing eyes were pinpointed at Chris as the cat purred in the girl's lap.

"Chris, meet Iron Giant. Iron Giant, meet Chris. He's a newcomer, so don't eat him," Cecilia chuckled and lazily petted the cat.

Iron Giant rumbled another meow as an answer.



Location: Demeter Market - Main Street
Time: 07:18 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"Wait, today is a school day right? Shouldn't you be going off to school right about now?"

Michi clicked her tongue sarcastically and poked Four's leering face away with her index fingers. She then folded her arms, raised an eyebrow in a slightly mocking manner, and assumed a position that was not far from how students after others' lunch money tended to stand in corridors. It was like she was sizing the vampire up, trying to determine if any coins would fall out of her pockets if she picked her up and started shaking.

"I could ask the same from you, you know? You don't look like the type that hangs around the same people as I, so I take it this is your first time breaking the rules. Cute, a newbie bulldog on a prowl," the girl said and cackled slightly. "Anyways, what Ryougi MICHI does is Ryougi MICHI's business... understand? I don't need any airhead trying to get a piece of this slammin' nice body, especially if you're the type to spout off nonsense."

Then, the face of the demon hunter grew a bit more serious.

"Unless you have some actual reason, in which case it's best to start yapping right 'bout now," she said coldly.



Location: Athena Academy - Pathway
Time: 07:47 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

"Your drinks, Radanna-sama?"

"Dobrý," Radana answered, giving just a sideways glance at Zero before resuming her own walking.

It didn't take the two long to finally reach the academy itself. During this whole time, the girl with bulging eyes and seemingly no need to blink them did not speak another word, even if spoken to. Instead, she opted to stare at passers-by, causing most of them to nervously gather distance between themselves and the strange girl. Only twice did someone unflinchingly return the almost dead gaze that Radana gave. The first time was with a black-haired, lithe young lady who seemed to be a vampire, if her pale skin and slight fangs could be trusted.

As for the second...

"........."

A blind-folded stare seemed to bore into the taller girl.

"........."

Eyes like those of a deep-sea fish returned that unflinching determination.

Just at the gates of the school did Radana run across the Advisor of Taima Dormitory: Juu Kimiko. And thus did start the most dreadful-feeling staring competition that the school had seen for some time. Neither girl spoke anything to each other, instead opting to simply stand there and stare. Neither of them even seemed to move the slightest, in a manner of salt-statues. And around them, the temperature of the warm spring day seemed to suddenly drop, and students hurried away from the scene before anything bad happened.



Location: Fujou dormitories - Room
Time: 06:17 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

"Lobo? We're friends. He almost hurt me on accident once, so I guess he feels somewhat guilty about it. You two know each other...?"

"Well, I guess so?" Erika answered with a huff and put her hands on her hips. "Since I arrived here around the half-way point of last semester, I had time to get to know people while I was starting at the Iris Newspaper. I suppose I fancied Lobo a bit back then, I mean: he has that whole 'mysterious stranger' charm to it. But after I realized how unflinching he was from his morals, I dropped chasing him."

At this point, Erika flashed a grin that was part malicious and part mischievous, which Rei couldn't luckily see.

"I just don't mix too well with people who can't be flexible about such subjects," she giggled, and patted Rei on the shoulder.

"That reminds me... Our first night excursion might not have been fruitless, after all. I have some info which may be of interest to you, #1 reporter."

This caused Erika to raise her eyebrows in curiosity. While she did, she pulled on her jacket and started tying her shoes, saying that they might as well walk over to Flaming while talking. As the two had finally gotten ready and exited their dormitory room to the bright and busy of the Fujou Dormitory, Erika finally returned to the subject that had managed to catch her interest.

"In any event... this something is supposed to be more interesting than your love-life?" She mischievously asked. "You're setting quite a bar for yourself there. You sure you can jump over it?"




Location: Half-Blood Dormitories
Time: 07:18 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

"Are you looking out for her a bit? When the plane with my fellow students arrived it only took like a day until the crystal city blew up. Now we have entire new dorms and stuff."

Junpei sighed heavily and leaned on his hand, using his chopsticks to poke the rice in front of him. The melancholic sound was so uncharacteristic for him that even Sasuke, stoic young man that he was, raised a curious eyebrow at the sight. Finally Junpei cleared his throat, scratched his cheek a bit embarrassed, and started talking.

"Well... I do try, you know? It's just that I don't know what sort of stuff she gets herself into these days. From what I heard, she was taking a part in a battle against that monster-Servant that was summoned a couple of weeks ago. You know, the one that's supposed to be in a Duel Battle today?" Junpei explained. "Not only that, but I did mentioned that Haruhime was adopted to our family, right? She's not of the Imperial branch family, even though she acts more like it than I do... anyways, I heard that in the start of this semester, the guy who dropped her off at our house finally showed up in OLYMPUS. So, I thought I'd introduce myself to him. We're both brothers of that kid, in a sense. But, this guy..."

Junpei seemed to shiver and adopted a very troubled expression.

"I dunno what's up with him. When I told him who I was, he looked like he would strike me down on that spot. Or maybe that's his default expression, I dunno," he explained. "Not only that, but it occurred to me that this guy was also the guy who summoned that monster-Servant. So not only did this guy fight against Haruhime whom he saved in their youth, but he also seems to be the type that can kill you if you do something, anything, to anger him. I swear I'd probably be a pile of limbs in the third floor corridor if Kuonji-sensei hadn't walked by back then."

Sasuke nodded twice after the other boy had finished his tale, before focusing back on his breakfast.

"So he's trouble, even though you thought that you both were on the same side? Nasty surprise," Sasuke concluded. "But look on the bright side: at least he isn't threatening your position as Haruhime-chan's older brother."

Hearing those words, Junpei flared red on his cheeks and hit the table with his fist.

"L-like I'd care about something like that!" he protested



Location: China Order Dormitories
Time: 06:44 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"M-may I ask your name, my fellow roommate?"

"Oh, how rude of me," the girl spoke and gave an apologetic expression to Asuka's general direction. "Of course. My name is Nin Ling, I am a third year student here at Athena Academy. It is nice to make your acquaintance, Shang Lan Fen. However, I must admit that the name 'Asuka' has a charm of its own, so if you do not mind it too much, may I call you so familiarly? It'd be a shame if your budding relationship were to get tangled up in formalities. In return, you may call me Ling if you so wish."

Speaking of tangled, as she spoke, the elegant girl seemed to get even deeper and deeper into trouble. She was squirming while talking, after all, trying to get out, but only managed to get herself worse tied up in the sheets. In fact, the red sheets had nearly wrapped her up completely, and it was starting to seem like they had a mind completely of their own. Like some sort of mild-mannered monster, they intended to keep Ling deep within the confines of the bed.

"As for what comes to my troubles of this morning, I assure you this is not a common occurrence. Most likely the culprit to my current predicament is my-"

"Jiějiě! Yahhoo, I came to visit!" a sudden shout interrupted the calm atmosphere of the room, along with the sound of the door being slammed open.

There, in the doorway of the dormitory room, stood a young girl seemingly bursting with energy. Her pink hair was a mess, most likely caused by her just waking up. She was dressed up in the Athena Academy uniform, but over the shirt she had pulled a bright yellow hoodie without sleeves, making her look like a walking traffic sign. In fact, there was a large black exclamation point depicted on the back of the said hoodie. The girl had raised her hand in an energetic greeting, only having stopped it midway because her eyes had fallen upon Asuka.

"Oh, wow!" the younger girl exclaimed. "You've got a room-mate now, jiějiě? Lucky! They still haven't assigned me anyone!"

Having happily said that, the girl briskly walked over to Asuka, caught her hands in her own, and started shaking them up and down with enough force to send a smaller person flying with the movement. Ling, on the other hand, gave a bit tired, yet affectionate, sigh from the bed and looked to the direction of the younger girl's voice.

"Although this is a sudden introduction, please meet my mèimèi, Shang Lan Fen," Ling told Asuka. "Her name isNin Pao."

"Just call me Pao-Pao, like everyone!" the pink-haired girl told Asuka happily while shaking her hands up and down.



Location: Order of the Templars Dormitories
Time: 06:38 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"I'm sorry? I didn't realise the young Archbishop was under such restrictions, Miss Blason. If anyone should be reprimanded, it's me, for inviting her to break them."

"No, I can hardly blame you, Sir Erwin. Had Archbishop showcased the restraint expected of her, she would have been able to turn down the tempting offer without me intervening," Modeste said, before giving an accusing glance to the girl who was now pouting in protest. "It is behavior like that, Archbishop, that has already caused so much trouble with the rest of the factions from Holy Church. I know it is tempting to absolve any heretic you come across, but thirteen after enrolling into Hebe Middle School is simply too many! Moderation in everything, as they say."

While she was still pouting, Cerise swung her legs up and down, and poked the rest of the porridge with a quite rebellious attitude. However, the looming threat of another bonk from the steel-clad hand was enough to quiet down any opposition from the younger girl.

"Yeeeeeees," she finally, reluctantly, said. "I'll try~"

"That is all I ask of you, Archbishop," Modeste said, nodding with content look.

"Look on the bright side, Miss Sangyeux. Today's a Friday, so there's only one more day before you get to enjoy that chocolate I offered you. Unless a cretin from Athena Academy steals it during the day, it won't be going anywhere."

The pout on the little girl's face broke momentarily into a smile, and she giggled.

"Yeah!" Cerise happily exclaimed. "And even if they do, I get to chase them down and make it rain red again, so it's alright! Whichever happens, Saturday'll be best!"

Modeste smiled warmly and petted the girl's face. It seemed that despite having a bit of a strict-streak, the nun did genuinely care about the young girl.

"Indeed. Now, be a good girl and finish your porridge. The start of the school day is not that far off, you know?" Modeste spoke like a mother to a child.

"Yeeeees~", Cerise agreed, and once again attacked her breakfast with much fervor.



Location: Athena Academy - Cafeteria
Time: 7:04 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"With all due respect, but I think Miss President thinks that your tastes are classical and timeless. In other words, she finds you classy."

"W-well, of course! As a designer, I try to keep somewhat grounded on old, time-tested basics of beautiful clothing!" Vielyna stated, trying very hard to hide just how taken she was by the sudden praise. "I may not be the biggest name of couture yet, but I can assure that I will, one day, be the star everyone looks up to when they are looking for brand-clothes that will charm others, no matter what occasion it is. It is simply matter of making myself well-known enough!"

Ending her speech with a little aristocratic laugh, Vielyna then turned her attention to her coffee cup. It was apparent that she either found the brown liquid irredeemably irresistible, or that she was trying to cover for the fact that her cheeks were burning red at the moment. Millia, seeing the way the homunculus acted, showcased a rare nervous smile and leaned in towards Juliana.

"I... I think she's having a good day," the club president whispered to the alchemist. "She's b-been all smiles... since we met her earlier."

While all this was going on, Tsuchikumo Hideki was looking around, apparently quite unsure just how he was fitting with this, frankly female-oriented, group.




Location: Athena Academy - Class 2-C
Time: 07:29 – Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

“Thank you for the explanation. For being a student in a classroom such as this you do not seem so… uncouth. Tell me, who must I speak with to request a transfer to another, more reputable classroom?”

"Sorry, you're out of luck," the girl with headphones told Noelle, and smiled with a hint of smugness. "The teachers themselves tend to select their students, and their decision is final. Although if you want to start a verbal fight with Miss Kuonji, feel free to be my guest. Just don't think you'll be able to achieve anything with that. Miss Kuonji is one of the few who can reign in even Pop Kim, a feat which is rather impressive. I am not sure if even Mikado has that in him, and he's girl's dormitory head."

Having said that, the headphones wearing girl suddenly looked up, as if remembering something. Offering the slightest of nods to Noelle, she turned a bit sideways in her chair so that she was looking at the vampire with her full attention. Sitting like that, it became more and more apparent that there was something unnatural about the girl herself. She was downright scarily beautiful, the type which could charm even the most jaded of individuals under right circumstances. However, it was that perfected beauty that also made her unnerving, as if something like her should not exist. There was also faint atmosphere of danger around her, something that seemed to trump even that of Pop Kim in the underlying intent, although not in bombastic presentation.

"Oh, right, how rude of me," the girl said, looking Noelle straight in the eyes. "The name's Telesa, by the way. Nice to meet you, classmate."

The last word seemed to amuse the girl greatly.




Location: Athena Academy – Class 2-B
Time: 8:25 – Morning
Day: April 17^th - Friday

"S-Scary..."

Hearing those words, most of the class bursted into a good-hearted laughter, causing Fang-Hua to blush in repetition. She quickly took her book, held it so that most of it hid her face, and marched to her seat where she sat down with enough force that it was a wonder the chair under her didn't break. Yamato, meanwhile, was seeing stars and the slight drool on the corner of his mouth told that the boy was out like a light. Still, it didn't seem to worry anyone, as if this had been an everyday occurrence.

However, as the door opened behind Maibe, the good-natured atmosphere of the room seemed to die down instantly, and instead, was replaced by a more awkward one. The girl who had entered was pale and with red eyes, and silvery hair that flowed like rapids across her back. It was Illumin von Einzbern, a young woman who was the embodiment of the concept of an 'honor student', and also...

-------- She was the other Class President of the Class 2-B.

Indeed, those newcomers who had came at the start of the semester, this had dawned upon the soon enough. The weird paradox of a class with two representatives. On one hand, there was Wang Fang-Hua, who had been the one elected by vote of the class itself. And on the other hand, there was Illumin von Einzbern, the star-pupil of the class and appointed to the job by Ursula von Einzbern, the homeroom teacher, herself. It was not as if Illumin was disliked by the class, however, the distance which she kept herself from others made her more unnerving than the strict but humane Fang-Hua.

This was the legend of Class 2-B, and it's "

Wang Fang-Hua

Black Queen

&

Illumin von Einzbern

White Queen

."

However, this rivalry between two leaders was not something Maibe could know about, and thus she was simply left with a strange, awkward silence that had fallen once this homunculus had entered the classroom.



Location: Athena Academy Classroom 1-D
Time: 7:55 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

The outburst by Ichirou had left the class look at him in a bit confused way, some even smiling a bit nervously and others making "cuckoo"-gestures to their friends. However, there were also others who seemed to understand the point where he was coming from, understanding the nervousness of the uninitiated boy. And, of course, there were also those who simply didn't pay any attention to him, instead opting to ignore everything that was going on.

Chidori, the class-president, was finally woken up from his stupor by Ichirou's questions.

"I do have some more question though, is this sort of situation the norm for this place? And is it always so full of people before classes start?"

"Well, to an extent-"

"Everybody's just rarin' to get this day over because of the Meteor Showers," an energetic girl announced from nearby. She had brown hair and an orange headband, and a smile that seemed almost scorching. "That's why everybody's so early here - They think they'll get the day over faster if they start it earlier."

There was a wave of agreeing, even a bit self-ironic, murmur, coming from everyone in the class. Nagame looked around him, gave a defeated sigh, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, or that, take your pick," the boy said.

“Um excuse me but do you need some help with that?”

Nagame looked at Ichirou with a bit of surprise in his eyes, but then shook his head and offered a rare smile.

"Nah, I'll be fine. It's my job as Class Prez, after all," he said.

[I3uster]

Location: Half-Blood Dormitories
Time: 07:20 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

"Well... I do try, you know? It's just that I don't know what sort of stuff she gets herself into these days. From what I heard, she was taking a part in a battle against that monster-Servant that was summoned a couple of weeks ago. You know, the one that's supposed to be in a Duel Battle today?"

"Wow, a Servant? Seems like she can take care of herself just fine" Akio shoveled as much as food as he could into his mouth whenever unpeispoke up. There was no time to waste.

"Not only that, but it occurred to me that this guy was also the guy who summoned that monster-Servant. So not only did this guy fight against Haruhime whom he saved in their youth, but he also seems to be the type that can kill you if you do something, anything, to anger him. I swear I'd probably be a pile of limbs in the third floor corridor if Kuonji-sensei hadn't walked by back then."

"Wow, that sounds pretty dramatic. Sorry for your sis, man..." Akio pondered for a second before making a hasty decision.

"Do you like, want me to talk to him a bit or somethin'? You know, just telling him that he should talk to you like a normal person. Could even get Kaoru involved, I doubt..."

He had to pause again before settling on baseless speculation. "...he likes shit like that brewing under the surface. Can't suck bad blood out of an old wound."

Akio adopted a grin that should have seemed only slightly mischievous, but with his words became rather unsettling. "Or you could just speculate on his death in the Duel Chart battle. Then that whole business will take care of itself."

"L-like I'd care about something like that!" he protested

Shoveling the last bits of his meal into his mouth Akio stood up. With proudly swollen chest he spoke to the embarassed looking hybrid.

"Don't act so embarassed, Junpei! A real man cares and looks out for his family."

Only now he noticed a few bits of rice sticking to the side of his face. Wiping them away, he hoped that it had not affected the impression he hoped to leave on the boy with his proclamation.

[Optimus]

Location: Athena Academy - Cafeteria
Time: 07:24 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"Work that mouth, move those hands, chew that food, swallow that enemy!" Nashiko suddenly roared louder than anyone else. "You can do it, Umicchi! For the sake of yourself, for the sake of all the girls here, for the sake of every woman in OLYMPUS! Go beyond the limits and crash down on that breakfast! It's now or never, and never shall the choice be 'never'! Let 'er rip!"

Something exploded from Nashiko's arms that were spread upwards. An arc of light, vibrating the whole spectrum of colors, spread across the ceiling of the cafeteria. Golden letters appeared in the kaleidoscope-like light, and the message was simple:

GO UMICCHI!

It's over.

Drake's shoulders slumped, as his motions slowly but surely came to a stop, in realization that he could not think of a new way to cheer upon his friend in this irrelevant yet at the same time trascendental contest. His magecraft was not flashy. He, besides a few cheap tricks, was a mere human.

And this girl rocked too hard because she wasn't a mortal (wo?)man.

Where had he heard that again?

Taking out his HECATE phone out of something he could only call instinct, he set the volume to 'MAX'. In that instant, the hawk phone's wings unfolded, revealing a pair of speakers hidden underneath, and in under a couple seconds, he found just what he'd been seeking.

His ultimate weapon, meant to be used only before the final boss.

First, he would need some prana put into his legs and nerves, to enhance his performance on top of a chair without falling mid-way. He was about half-way exhausting his prana reserves, but he would be damned if his friend wouldn't have all the support he could give.

In that case... time to take out the heavy guns.

Holding his broomstick like a guitar without minding the flaming jacket, he mentally re-played the song in his head, up to the point he'd skipped the song, and let his spirit do the rest.

-"Light up the stage 'cause it's time for a showdown!

NOW WE GOT TO BLOW THIS FUCKER DOWN!

COME ON YAMATO 'CAUSE IT'S TIME TO BLOW DOORS NOW!

WE'LL PILE DRIVE YA! IT'S TIME FOR A SMACKDOWN!"

He hoped that the background noise would somehow dim his rather untrained singing voice, but what mattered was the intention, right? It was no time to doubt himself or have any sense of shame for that matter, so he might as well do it big!

-"Hey Tai-ma-er, Umiboss!
We know your weakness, our rock it sauce!
We rock the tag spell, and blow your mind!
We will defeat you, for all mankind!
You hold the scepter, we hold the Command Seal!
You are the Devil, we are the Y!"

At that point, Drake was so inmersed in his world and the adrenaline high that he did not care about anything besides finishing his performance. Not even the fact that he was about to light the upper part of his uniform on fire while playing air guitar.

-"We are the Y, we are the Y, we are the Y, we are the Y...!"

Without realizing that he had dropped the Hecate phone and it had shut down, he threw the pole and by extension his jacket still lit in fire towards the air and proceeded to do the dance of his people (in the case his people were really terrible dancers bursting with enthusiasm) as the improvised flag of victory rose to the skies, and along with it soon Drake's body in a jump he couldn't help but feel proud of.

-"WE ARE THE Y!"

[hero]

Fujou Rei
Location: Blue Flamingo
Time: 06:35 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday


It's been less than an hour since Erika and I have resolved our quarrel, and she's already teasing me to no end. While my 'love life' is not exactly the most comfortable topic to talk about, I don't really mind this sort of talk. I've gotten so used to interacting with 'unique' personalities that I almost forgot how refreshing it feels to actually share a normal girl to girl conversation. In that sense, the walk towards Blue Flamingo does me a lot of good. I just hope I left it clear that Lobo and I are just friends... I don't want any stupid rumors from spreading around. Love is supposed to take time to build anyways; it's not something that shows up so soon. At least... That's what I've been taught.

In any case, now that we are here, having breakfast together, I might as well tell Erika about that scoop I mentioned earlier. To be honest, I am not exactly sure if what I am going to reveal is public knowledge already or at least part of a rumor since I haven't done much research on the matter... But it's been bugging me for awhile since it happened so even if I look like a fool by sharing it like it was some sort of secret, I'm willing to take the risk. I know that my friend will enlighten me on the matter if that were to be the case.

"Now, this will be a little difficult to explain, in more ways than one..." Not only was I unable to see what happened because of my condition, but I also haven't come up with a way to share what I did manage to 'see'. Shaking my head in defeat, I decide to start from the beginning. "After we got split, I managed to get some help from some ARES officers and got grouped with other survivors. On our way to the evac point, we got caught in an attack not meant for us. As a result, one of those crystal towers fell and almost crushed us all."

I once again make sure this talk is private before I continue.

"I think one of the ARES officers moved to destroy it in order to save us, and when he succeeded... Well, next thing I remember is being swallowed by a torrent of this strange liquid... And terrible amounts of pain." Just looking back at what happened sends a chill down my spine. "There's a lot I cannot recall... But at the end of it all, I think I... 'Saw' something." Now here's the troubling part. "It's hard to describe... But the image is still firmly buried into my mind... Symbols, words and lines... Nothing I can really understand."

Now that it's all out, I take a deep breath and try to relax a little. It's not good to be so tense.

"Do you have any idea of what that could have been, Erika...?"

[Verg Avesta]

Location: Half-Blood Dormitories
Time: 07:21 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

"Do you like, want me to talk to him a bit or somethin'? You know, just telling him that he should talk to you like a normal person. Could even get Kaoru involved, I doubt... He likes shit like that brewing under the surface. Can't suck bad blood out of an old wound. Or you could just speculate on his death in the Duel Chart battle. Then that whole business will take care of itself."

"I dunno, man," Junpei spoke with an unsure voice, and stood suddenly up from his chair. He walked over to the small paper-rack in the corner. "I mean, I'd appreciate if you could talk some sense to a guy like that, but getting our Dorm Head involved... I'm not sure how that would end. And what comes to him dying tonight in the Dual Battle, well... look for yourself."

Having picked up the day's copy of Iris Newspaper, Junpei threw it on the table. As usual, the magazine seemed to be full of articles about various stuff happening in OLYMPUS, the least not being the meteor shower later that night. However, there was a single article that dominated most of the front page, and apparently continued further on the following pages.

There, on big black lettering, read the following title:

WITCH VERSUS MONSTER
- April's #1 anticipated Duel Battle promises extraordinary amount of destruction-

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the title, and the picture underneath it. Apparently someone had taken the time to splice together a photo of both Kimon no Kazu and Pop Kim. The two of them were staring at each other with murder in their eyes, one on each side of the picture. The predatory grin on the Taima-girl's face was almost insane, but the fury within the cold, dead eyes of the Kishu did not lose an inch to the opponent.

Underneath the picture, the article did not start promisingly...

Written by: Editor-in-chief,
Sahamemar Desten

With the start of the new school year, it seems that the stakes in Dual Battles are once again taken up a notch. While we have had our share of fights during April, none of them compare on build-up to the match happening tonight between the legendary crusher of dreams, Pop Kim, and the mysterious newcomer, Kimon no Kazu. While usually the matches of Bubblegum-Popping Witch are regarded as nothing more than initiation ritual for the freshmen, it seems that this time, things might be going different. The Servant of Kimon no Kazu has been whispered to be one of the more powerful ones summoned in some time, and while the Taima magus has proven herself a master of destruction, it remains to be seen how her magecraft fares against the fabled Kishu spell-immunity.

Our reporter managed to catch Mr. Kimon after classes yesterday, and asked for a comment for the up-and-coming battle. He had this today:

"Pop Kim shall die tomorrow."

Baseless confidence is not unheard of in OLYMPUS, but we cannot yet write out the possibility that this newcomer would be the one to finally destroy the wicked First Rashoumon of the Duel Chart. Usually talkative Ms. Pop could not be reached for an interview, and has otherwise remained tight-lipped about today's duel. Neither has her Servant, Rider, given any comments to the reporters of Iris Newspaper, strengthening the rumors that even Pop Kim is taking this battle uncharacteristically seriously. It shall be seen today, which one of them will walk out victorious.

In the following pages, we shall go over what is known about the two contestant, and their Servants, as well as a little background as to how this all got started...

"From the looks of it, the betting is going on full strength today," Junpei commented and pointed at the newspaper. "Not only that, but judging from the odds, nobody knows which way the match is going to go... which is worrying in itself. Usually everybody automatically assumes that Pop Kim will win, but, I dunno... supposedly there's some nasty rumors floating around about this guy's Servant."
Sasuke scratched his chin, looking to be a bit deep in thought.
"So there's more smoke than fire about it...?" he murmured. "I wonder why...?"



Location: Demeter Market - Blue Flamingo
Time: 06:36 - Morning
Day: April 17^th – Friday

"Do you have any idea of what that could have been, Erika...?"

Erika leaned forward in her chair, her eyes intently staring at Rei. In fact, it seemed that her whole attention had been aimed solely at the other girl. It was clear that she had thrown aside all of the teasing and fooling around, and now entered her reporter-slash-mystery-solver mode. The eyes of the blue-haired Fujou narrowed, and she put her fingers together, tapping the index ones softly together.

"Image gained from a liquid inside the crystals, burned into your memory in a way that even a blind can see it...? Sounds unbelievable... but..." Erika spoke quietly, as if trying to make sure no one else heard her. "I'm not sure how much you know about OLYMPUS, but there's a reason for some of the strange stuff here. Like our phones, for example. Normal ones cannot be used in OLYMPUS because the way it acts as a gigantic lightning-rod to the information around the world. It gathers up everything, every stranded bit of hartley, and thus the sheer amount of signals from this day to who-knows how many days into the past will just jam regular phones. They're not designed for this sort of environment. Nobody really knows the reason, and I'm not the best person to explain this, but, ah, how should I say it... whatever the reason is, accidental or purposeful, OLYMPUS is a hotspot where all the information of this world crosses."

Erika took a sip of her orange juice to clear her throat, before continuing. Her breakfast laid otherwise untouched on the table, as the girl had completely engrossed herself into the talking.

"Now comes pure hypothetical thinking on my part, but..." Erika started. "... Those crystals exist in the middle of OLYMPUS. And if you gained some information you never otherwise could have from being bathed in some sort of liquid inside those crystals, well... could it be that what washed over you was just that? Information? There's... something else that makes me think that, but let's leave that aside for now. But information gaining a physical form and being stored inside crystals is just a bit unbelievable..."

Suddenly, Erika's eyes snapped back at Rei.

"Say. Could you draw or otherwise create that picture for me to look at?"

[Tangerang]

4
Location: Demeter Market - Main Street
Time: 07:18 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

The vampire girl tilted her head to one side as she looked back at the other girl. Completely unaffected from any provocation and intimidation that the girl's stance and attitude may be giving off, she simply shrugged and laughed.

"Reason? Now that is some wonderful nonsense."

Despite her teary demeanor earlier, the vampire girl suddenly seemed much more cheerful, as if she had heard some pleasant conversation.

"Come on now, one shouldn't take things so seriously. Just go with the flow, blown around by the wind, that sort of thing. It's all just a whim of mine. I just had a sudden urge to skip school, so I skipped school. If I feel the desire to follow the rules, I'll follow the rules. Don't you think living freely according to one's whims is the way to live without regrets?"

"But I must apologize, you're most right on that one point. Ryougi MICHI's business is Ryougi MICHI's business and only Ryougi MICHI's business, and I have no desire, right, nor reason to interfere. In fact, I wouldn't even know what Ryougi MICHI's business is or who Ryougi MICHI was a few minutes ago, so just think of this encounter as a coincidence."