Chapter Text
Honnouji High School. The school in which two twin sisters, Satsuki and Ryuko Kiryuin, are now attending. It's well known by the population of Japan as one of the country's most prestigious high schools. Since its opening 10 years ago, it has made a reputation as a school where top students come from all over to attend. Those who were lucky enough to get chosen to be students at Honnouji High School were considered by others to be some of the wealthiest people around, even though many of the students there were from middle class families.
As the car that Satsuki was driving pulled into the school’s parking lot, the two sisters looked inside their bags to make sure they had everything with them. Satsuki wore a white shirt and socks, while Ryuko wore black colored ones, and both of them had on a gray jumper that had some gold and a red rhombus, which was the logo of Honnouji High. They also carried a white skirt that goes down to their knees, along with a red tie.
“Well, I have everything! Are you ready, Satsuki?” Ryuko said to her twin, letting off a rather punkish smile.
Satsuki then turned off the ignition of the car and picked up the bag from the side of the car door. “Let’s go.” She nodded, displaying the same warm and friendly smile that Ryuko had come to expect throughout her childhood.
Once they got their bags, the two of them got out of the car and stepped into the school grounds. And all the two sisters could do afterwards was gaze in awe over the school they were about to be attending.
True to the rumors that were told to them before, the school grounds of Honnouji High were huge, consisting of many beautifully made gardens, benches painted in white around the place, and some pitches and fields for football and many other games. In the center, a small stone path was laid in front of them, which would lead them inside the school building.
All of these students seemed to be rather friendly towards each other, showing off their happy smiles while walking through the beautiful campus. They also appeared to be very close with their fellow classmates, being always seen together and having fun with other students, whether they be friends or in a relationship.
“Damn….never knew the school would be this cool! It looks even better than Mom described it!" Ryuko mumbles, her blue eyes scanning around the place.
Satsuki noticed the way Ryuko was looking around and smiled back to her sister.
"You'll see more once we're inside," she said. "Just remember your manners."
"Can I still act all punk when we're in there?" Ryuko smirked.
"Of course, just don't get in trouble when doing so! We want to keep our status as students here intact." Satsuki explained, letting out a playful giggle over her twin's childlike wonder. “Shall we enter?”
Ryuko snapped out of her awestruck mood, and pulled up her bag. “Oh yeah…..oh yeah. Lead the way sis!”
The twins then walked the short distance to the main school building. Satsuki then pushed open the door, revealing the interior of Honnouji High School. Like many schools, it consisted of long hallways which lead them to their classrooms, along with paths for bathrooms, the cafeteria, the gym, library, and other rooms. Some parts of the walls were lined with lockers, some parts of the walls with paintings, photographs of former students, and a giant display of medals, awards and trophies stood right next to the cafeteria entrance.
“Probably to show off to any new students or teachers, you know? To give a good impression.” Ryuko said, gazing at the display.
As they were taking their first step onto the main entrance of the school, students began to notice them. Some stared at them with curious expressions, some kept looking away, and others openly gawked at them with wide-open mouths. After a while, a pink-haired girl spotted the twins, and quickly made her way towards them.
“Satsuki! Ryuko! You made it!"
Both of them looked over to who called their names. It was none other than… Nonon Jakuzure. Their childhood friend from Takabisha Kindergarten. She had a short 5 foot 3 figure, along with short pink colored hair that had bangs that resembled snakes. And she wore the white shirt version of the Honnouji High outfit, just like that of Satsuki.
Nonon ran up to the twins and gave them a big smile, followed by a warm hug to Satsuki.
"It’s been so long Satsuki, it’s been so long since I saw you… and you too Ryuko!” Nonon exclaims, making sure that both sisters were acknowledged. She then gazed on at Ryuko's blue eyes with a venomous smirk. “But I’m more happy to see my dearest Satsuki than you, dragon brain.”
Ryuko's face became a bit flushed at Nonon using her childhood nickname on her. "That's fine by me, little miss snake!" She teased at Nonon, referring to her bangs.
Satsuki sighs, before she pulled away from the girl’s hug, “Nonon…It’s only been 3 months. This whole display is rather unnecessary."
“Yeah but still, three months is a long time! And because of how busy I get with all my music lessons, I couldn’t visit you during the summer holidays!" Nonon said while crossing her arms.
"I see...well, that's alright." Satsuki said, smiling.
"And it's not like I didn't try to contact you..." Nonon says. "There were several letters and emails, but you never replied to any of them."
"Sorry Nonon, we were out traveling with our Mom, and I didn't really have the time to reply to you."
"Oh, but you did reply to a few replies I sent you, right?" Nonon said, giggling.
Satsuki smirked at this, referring to the emails that were a bit more......personal. "Yes, I did." she said with a blush on her face.
The three girls started having a conversation as they walked down the corridors, telling each other about their summer holidays, and of the students at school.
“Anyways, have you heard about the new students? I heard that there would be two new ones in our class. They say one of them is a girl from the slums, and the other one is a boy who's a bodybuilder, but of course, they’re just rumors.” Nonon explained to both girls.
“I also heard that there would also be 2 more new students that aren’t in our class, but are in our year group.”
Ryuko and Satsuki appeared rather intrigued by that announcement. After all, what other students would be quite curious about the new students that would be joining their class?
“I also heard that there would also be two more new students that aren’t in our class, but are in our year group.” Nonon added.
“Two more new students? What kind of students?” Ryuko asked, curiously.
“Well, apparently, they're both boys, one is supposed to be a real computer nerd, and the other is some kind of master swordsman." Nonon answered.
"A real computer nerd? That sounds interesting, I mean, I'm pretty good with computers myself. But what kind of swordsman?" Satsuki asked.
"He's apparently one who specializes in Kendo. I heard that he's also a student of the sword, and has been training under a famous teacher in Northern Kanto."
"Kendo? Isn't that one of those martial arts where you use a Japanese sword?" Ryuko asked, feeling rather intrigued.
"Yup, it's a traditional Japanese style of swordfighting. And apparently, this guy is the best of his generation!"
"I'm sure Shiro will be no match for this fellow!" Ryuko joked.
“Oh yeah, where’s Shiro? I thought he was coming with you guys?” Nonon asked.
“He’s riding in his own car, not sure what happened to him though. We all went out at the same time…..and yet we arrived earlier than him.” Ryuko explained. And then, a wide smile formed on her face, remembering a wager she made to Satsuki in the car ride.
“Wait… that’s 5000 yen for me! Take that Satsuki, I told you we would arrive sooner than him!” She said, pointing fingers at her.
Satsuki however, didn’t want to show off that she was a sore loser, and accepted defeat in her usual elegant manner. “I’ll give you the money once we get back home.”
“Yeah yeah, and don’t you forget that!” Ryuko said in a sing-songy tone.
Ryuko and Satsuki took their places on their desks in the room of their teacher, Mr. Mikisugi, with Nonon soon following. As they were sitting down, Mr. Mikisugi came over to the classroom. He was a rather old man with sky blue hair and glasses, wearing a simple blue suit. His expression was stern, but his voice was gentle and welcoming.
“Alright class, this year we have two new students joining us.” Mr. Mikisugi said to his students. “Please give Mako Mankanshoku and Ira Gamagoori a warm welcome everyone.”
The door then opened, and the two new students that Nonon had described to the Kiryuin twins earlier made their entrance. Mako was a short woman around Ryuko’s size with brown hair shaped in a perfect bowlcut. She wore a blue colored T-Shirt over the female Honnouji High outfit. And her legs were clad in a pair of white socks.
Ira however, was a rather tall man, nearly 7 feet tall, and his limbs were massive, clearly he had been doing a lot of weight lifting throughout his life. He had short, light blonde colored hair that was neatly combed with gel, and he wore the male version of the Honnouji High outfit, which replaced the skirt part with trousers.
“Welcome.” Everybody in the class said to both students.
“Hi! I’m Mako Mankanshoku, it's nice to meet you all!” Mako said, with a giant smile on her face. And to add to that, her voice was also very cheerful and peppy.
“And I’m Ira Gamagoori.” he said, unlike Mako, he had a no-nonsense attitude that demanded respect, and spoke in a stern yet elegant voice.
“Okay then, both of you, please choose one of the empty seats.” Mr. Mikisugi said to both of the new students.
They both nodded, and made their way towards the empty desks. Ira decided to take the empty spot at the back of the classroom, while Mako sat down next to Ryuko. She then wasted no time in giving an introduction to Ryuko.
“Hi! I’m Mako, nice to meet you!” She says, giving Ryuko a wave and a smile. “Looks like we’ll be desk neighbors from now on!”
“Oh. I’m Ryuko Kiryuin.” Ryuko said, unsure of what to say to Mako. “And I’ll be looking forward to that.”
Mako simply let out a giggle of agreement on that, while Ryuko simply shrugged, wondering if this was actually the start of something more.
Mr Mikisugi then began taking attendance, and in the middle of it, somebody barged in the classroom door, clearly looking out of breath. But Ryuko and Satsuki knew just who this person was.
“Shiro, about time you made it!” Ryuko said with a wink, still feeling 5000 yen richer.
Shiro was a few months younger than Satsuki and Ryuko, and he had blonde hair that was done up in a ponytail. He wore the same uniform as Ira and the other boys in his class, and his build was a bit thinner than either of the twins, making him look more like a smaller version of Satsuki or Ryuko.
“I’m sorry Mr. Mikisugi sir, there was just horrible traffic and I couldn’t make it in time.” Shiro explained before giving his teacher a bow.
“Mr. Iori, you’re nearly always late, you’ve got to break that habit of yours, Okay?” Mr. Mikisugi said as he marked Shiro as late. “Now go take your seat.”
“Yes sir, sorry sir.” Shiro then quickly went to his seat, which was next to Satsuki. After which, Satsuki just raised her vast eyebrows at her foster brother.
“Traffic? We went out at the same time, we didn’t experience traffic.” Satsuki whispered to Shiro, who just sighed in dismay.
“Yeah- that was a bit of a lie.” he whispered to her.
“What exactly did you do, Shiro?”
“…nothing.” Shiro mumbled to himself. “Nothing at all Satsuki.”
Satsuki gave Shiro a look, before she put up her hand when her name was called.
“Whatever you did, don’t do it again. You know quite well what can happen when you’re late too many times.” she tells her blonde foster brother.
“…yes Satsuki.” Shiro quietly said.
After that interruption, the first morning’s classes went as normal. Math was first, which had Mako getting so bored she slept throughout the entire class. When he saw Mako asleep, Ira then pulled on the sleeves of her Honnouji outfit and bellowed at her in a rather booming voice fitting for a drill sergeant.
“WAKE UP MANKANSHOKU!”
Mako suddenly jolts up, looking around for a while. And then, she saw that she was face to face with Ira.
“Oh- hi Gamagoori-Senpai! What happened-??” Mako said, trying not to be intimidated by his size.
"You fell asleep during class. I assume you didn't have a good breakfast?" he asked.
“Ah- I did?” Mako laughs a little at the small mistake she had done. “And breakfast? Just had some small things, don’t know if you would count that as a good breakfast…”
Satsuki and Ryuko then got out of their desks and glared towards the drowsy Mako.
“And?” Satsuki asked.
“I’m just…” she yawns again. “Class is boring and I’m tired.”
“Well, yes, but these classes are important for our future careers.” Satsuki stated.
“Future careers? Since when will math even help?” Mako asked in a rather whiny tone.
“Well, it could be for if you’re a businessperson or something.” Shiro said.
“How the hell is knowing the Pythagoras theorem going to help with that??” Mako groaned.
“It’s called the Pythagorean Theorem, and I don’t know, honestly.” Ira said.
“Then why are we even learning about it? I want to learn fun things, like- oh oh like like- like art! And maybe music! But not math…”
“Stop talking you four, and pay attention.” Their teacher, Mrs. Homiko, shouted loud enough for the entire class to hear.
To that, the group then returned to their seats and went back to their work.
Next up was Language Arts, where Nonon managed to meet Mako for the first time. The pink haired girl had her seat next to Mako’s, which is how she met her. At first, she didn’t really talk, and just took out her books.
But Mako seemed rather fixated on her bright pink hair, and how she was the same height as her. She then tried to get her attention by tapping her on the back with her fingers.
After a while, Nonon started to get a bit annoyed, and suddenly half-shouted at Mako.
“Could you stop that? It’s extremely annoying!”
Mako's face felt a bit flustered from that comment. "Sorry....its just, your hair is really pretty!"
Nonon then smiled a bit, hearing the compliment, “Thanks then. By the way, I heard about this girl transferring today who lived in the slums, you wouldn't happen to be her, would you?"
“Oh- I am! I’m Mako Mankanshoku!” She says soon after she heard the sentence, and felt obligated to do a formal introduction again.
Nonon’s eyes just twitched upon hearing that announcement. "Oh great, I'm becoming friends with a poor person....."
And then, Nonon raised her hands to get the attention of their teacher, Mrs. Kinagase.
She then looked over to Nonon, her eyes covered by her black colored bangs. “Yes Mrs. Jakuzure?”
"Can I have a change of seat please?" Nonon said, sounding rather frustrated.
“Why would you want that? I spent all of last night making sure no friends are next to each other so that nobody talks during lessons… why would you want a change of seat?”
"JUST DO IT PLEASE!" Nonon yelled while stamping her feet.
Seeing Nonon frustrated, she had no choice but to swap Nonon’s seat with somebody else’s. But Mako seemed very confused about the sudden Nonon personality change.
“Very well… Ryuko Kiryuin. Swap with Jakuzure.”
"Wait, what?!" Ryuko said, before gazing at how upset Nonon looked.
“Just… swap.” The teacher says, as she goes back to organizing the files she will use for class today. Ryuko simply did as she was told, moving to Nonon's desk, but not before casting a glare of 'seriously?' to her.
Nonon smiled a bit smugly back, as she went over to where Ryuko once sat. When she got in her new seat, she felt a bit better now that she was away from Mako. Satsuki however, knew that something was up, and wanted to find out when it was time for the lunch break.
And then, when it was time for lunch, Satsuki grabbed Nonon by the collar of her school uniform and raised her thick eyebrows at her.
"S...something wrong Satsuki?" Nonon asked.
“During Language Class....what made you change seats? That seat was completely fine, and it looked like Ryuko was completely fine as well.” Satsuki asked, to which Nonon's eyes widened in shock.
"Jeez, it's your first day at Honnouji High and you're already being nosey? I thought you were my best friend, Satsuki!" Nonon whined.
Even with that, Satsuki was still determined to find the truth. "It wouldn't have something to do with Mako Mankanshoku, would it?"
“Uh- So what if it was?” The pink haired girl asked while crossing her arms. And then, she saw Ryuko approaching her nearby.
"Is it because Mako is from a poor home?" Ryuko asked.
“A- yes.” Nonon finally says.
Ryuko and Satsuki looked at Nonon with a bit of disgust on their faces. "Seriously?! You're being all snobby on her?" Ryuko yelled, threatening to punch Nonon right there and then.
“Oi, watch where you’re directing that punch dummy head.” Nonon says with a small laugh, moving a bit away from Ryuko so that she could not punch her little face.
"Why the hell are you two even hanging out with that chick anyway?" she then asked Ryuko.
“She’s a good person!” Ryuko defends. “I know she’s poor and sleeps in lessons but she’s a good friend! At least better than you!”
Nonon was so shocked at those words, she dropped her book bag to the floor. "W....what?!"
“Yes! She’s not as snobby and-” Ryuko started to say, before being shushed by Satsuki.
“Ryuko, calm down.” Satsuki says, putting a hand on her sister’s shoulder. And she then held up Nonon's frustrated face with her other hand.
“Satsuki what are you-” Nonon began to say.
"I understand where you're getting at Nonon, in fact, I'm wondering if my social status will be affected by Ryuko's friendship with Mako." Satsuki said, looking down at the ground.
"Whoa whoa whoa, you don't wanna be with Mako either sis?" Ryuko argued.
“Not exactly that I don’t want to, it’s just that I’m worried whether my social status will drop due to Mako.”
"And what if it does? I'm okay with it!" Ryuko said. "Mako's is-"
"She's what Ryuko? You've known her for less than a day and you think she's the best thing that's happened to you!" Nonon said.
“Uh- yes, but she seems like a very good person!” Ryuko argues back, “ I mean, I know she’s like poor and everything but she seems like a good person, and she could possibly be a very good friend! Just put your status thing aside for once will you two? What if our status drops, will that even affect us??”
Satsuki felt a bit confused on what to say, and she knew exactly who'd have the best opinion. "Shiro, what do you think of this?"
She then tilted her head and saw that Shiro wasn't with them.
“Seriously sis, you already forgot that he’s always in the library during breaks? That was like- him for all of middle school!” Ryuko smirked.
"Come on, let's go find him and ask for his opinion...." Satsuki said, grabbing both Ryuko and Nonon's arms.
“AA-“ was all that Ryuko mouthed out when she was being dragged into the library forcefully.
As always, Shiro was in the library for his lunch break. He considered the library as some place of comfort, as there was not much noise, and he could read and do other things in silence.
He had been reading a book about a group of magicians being chosen to stop a group of witches, but it seemed that the story wasn't particularly interesting to him... so he opened another book, this time a non-fiction one on the history of sewing.
Once that book was finished, he then decided to go out and hunt for the books that were on the top of the shelf, ones he thought would be the most interesting.
“…come on, just a little-“ Shiro said, struggling to make it to the top. But another pale hand reached out for the same book, before handing it to him.
“Here you are. It was kind of entertaining watching you try, but I see you’re really struggling.”
Shiro looked on in awe at this fellow who got him the book. It was a young boy of his age and height, with sky blue hair and glasses with lenses of the same color over green colored eyes. He wore a navy blue colored button up suit, with a light gray tie.
Shiro just stayed silent as he took the book from the strangers hands.
“Not even a thank you?” he then asked.
“I-uh-thank you.” Shiro managed to mumble out, as he bows down a little for the help he just got.
“No need to bow down for just a simple favor!” he said with a slight giggle.
Shiro just stared blankly at where the mysterious green-eyed person was standing, before he realized what just happened and started flushing red.
… did he just-, Shiro thought, staring down at the book he was just handed, before back at where the other was once standing.
“Hey, Shiro!”
Shiro then got out of his trance and gazed on at Ryuko, Satsuki and Nonon approaching him.
"Oh, Ryuko, Satsuki. What's up?" Shiro asked.
“Well… I have a question for you, Shiro.” Satsuki said.
"Ask away then." Shiro replied.
“Well… what do you think about that Mako girl, Shiro?” Nonon asks, taking the spotlight away from Satsuki.
"She seemed alright when I saw her in Mr. Mikisugi's class." Shiro said. "How about you Nonon?"
Nonon immediately wrinkled her nose a bit when the other asked for her opinion. "What do I think? I don't wanna be seen anywhere near that bowlcut underachiever!" she said, crossing her arms in frustration.
“You don’t like Mako? Is it because of her poverty?” Shiro asked.
"Yeah, and she and Satsuki think staying with her will ruin their status in school. What a bunch of prissy stuck-ups!" Ryuko argued.
“But it’s true, if you start hanging out with her Ryuko, she will lower our status.” Satsuki says back.
"I don't care about it. She's probably way friendlier and nicer than most of the friends you had back in middle school!" Ryuko exclaimed.
“What if she isn’t? What if she’s pretending just to ruin our lives?” Nonon argued.
Just before Ryuko could reply, the group all heard the sound of books being collapsed on a nearby shelf. Shiro's heart jumped a bit, thinking it was the blue haired boy from before. But once he made it to the shelves, he saw that it was actually Mako, her body covered in fallen books.
“Whoops- I dropped the books.” Mako says to herself, looking around the ground covered in books.
She then crouched down, and began picking the books up. And then she saw that Shiro was helping her put back the books, making her a bit flustered. But she didn't say anything, until she spotted that Shiro was about to put her lunch on the shelf.
“WAIT THAT’S MY LUNCH!”
Shiro then saw the mistake he was about to do and gave Mako the bento box containing her lunch back to her.
“Sorry- I thought it was a book.” He apologized.
"No problem! Its my fault though, should've watched where I was going!" Mako said. She then got out chopsticks and opened up the box,
The smell of what seemed to be croquettes filled the place, and that caught Ryuko's attention leading her to run to Mako.
“ I smell something.” She says, as she looks over to the croquettes. From that, Mako jumped up in shock to see Ryuko back.
"Oh Ryuko! Why are you here?" she asked.
"I was gonna ask the same thing. And....what's that delicious smell?" Ryuko asked.
“Croquettes!” Mako replies, showing her lunch to Ryuko. "Wanna try one? I always have my mom bring extra in case I end up seeing a new friend!"
“Oh- sure.” Ryuko takes one of the croquettes, and pops it in her mouth. A split second later, a very wide smile began forming on her face, feeling like she just bit into a piece of heaven.
“HOLY SHIT IT’S SOO GOOOD!” She soon exclaims, grabbing Satsuki by the strap of her uniform. “Ey Satsuki, you should try one as well they’re amazing!”
Satsuki then took the croquette for herself, and her eyes widened from the flavor.
“Oh my- truly some amazing croquettes.” she said, before looking at Mako. "Perhaps I was a bit hasty to judge you a bit Miss Mankanshoku."
Mako didn't hear of Nonon and Satsuki's conversation, so all she could do was just tilt her head back. "What were you judging me about?"
Shiro then approached them to explain the situation. "They thought that your lesser living conditions would affect their social status."
"Come again?" Mako asked.
"They thought hanging out with you would make them less popular." Ryuko explained.
Mako then let out a sigh, "I see. I guess I understand where they're coming from, but it's not like I'm trying to ruin anyone's social status. I just want to make new friends and have fun."
"Well, count me in. I don't care about popularity, and these croquettes are too good to pass up!" Ryuko said with a smile.
"I'm with Ryuko on this one. I apologize for my earlier judgments. Let's all have lunch together sometime!" Satsuki added.
Nonon remained silent, but she couldn't deny the fact that the croquettes smelled amazing. She made a mental note to try one herself later.
Mako's face beamed with happiness, feeling like she was really winning when it came to friendship. "That sounds great! I'd love to hang out with you guys!"
And with that, the group of friends sat down together, enjoying Mako's delicious croquettes and getting to know each other better. Shiro couldn't help but feel happy for Mako, glad that she was able to make some new friends despite the initial hesitation from some.
"So Shiro, why were you in the library?" Mako asked.
"Oh, nothing much. Just normal book reading." he explained, before turning his head towards the Kiryuin twins. "How about you two?"
“Doing our usual stuff, you know. Walking around the corridors, having chats, then we thought about you and went over to check.” Satsuki says, as she helps herself to another one.
"See anyone interesting Shiro?" Ryuko said with a smirk.
“Oh- what- how do you know??”
Satsuki raised her eyebrows upon seeing that sudden reaction. "A new friend? What was she like Shiro?"
“She? Oh no he-… he…” Shiro felt a bit nervous… should he tell them about Houka?
"So it was a guy? Who was he like?" Ryuko asked with a wide smirk.
“He- he’s nice…” Shiro stutters a bit.
"And we've agreed to meet here in the library everyday during lunch." he added.
“Oooh… hey Shiro how about you invite your friend over to have lunch with us some day? I’d love to meet him!” Mako said, eager to increase her roster of friends.
“Ah- I- I think I can do that…” Shiro said in an uneasy agreement. What if he ends up falling for one of the girls? I can't let him see them until the time is right! he thought.
“That’s gre-”
The bell rang, signaling the next period.
“OH MY GOD IT’S CLASS TIME ALREADY!” Mako exclaims, as she starts packing her lunch at record speed, and dashes out. “I DON’T WANNA BE LAAATE!”
Satsuki and Ryuko then held out their hands for Shiro to join them.
Shiro sees as the other two hold out his hands, as he just nods and joins the other two, as they all walk towards their next lesson. But as he did, he still felt like this meeting of the stranger he met would not be the last.