Intrigue

With Fumiko apparently having been born and raised in Kuoh, Vahn was able to learn much about its history and layout as she drove him around to its various landmarks and attractions. It was apparently decimated during what she simply referred to as the war, but it had bounced back after the construction of Kuoh Academy, a private, formerly all-girls elevator school with Primary, Middle, High School, and even College divisions.

Since most of the town was, unsurprisingly, residences, the places Fumiko believed Vahn needed to be aware of were the plaza, which served as the town's main shopping district and square, lined with various restaurants, its park, with its long trails, scenic views, ponds, and a large fountain, and its boardwalk, the location of an aquarium and a small fairgrounds with a large Ferris wheel serving as the main attraction. On the other hand, she suggested he avoid places such as the Red Light District, the Abandoned Church, and the Old Factory District near the scarcely-used port.

Though being told to avoid such places only made Vahn more interested in them, he promised Fumiko he would not visit them without a reason to, much to her relief and satisfaction. She warned that a boy as handsome as him could easily become a target by evil and nefarious people, so she suggested that he focus on his school work and only travel to areas with a lot of foot traffic and a notable police presence...

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"Welcome to Kuoh Academy~" hummed Fumiko, opening the door of her black sedan and offering a slight bow as Vahn disembarked it and got his first look at the school he would be attending. It was much bigger than he expected, and though he didn't have many things to compare it to, he got the impression it was a place for the children of the exceptionally rich as the main building resembled a large mansion with three distinctive floors and a steepled roof covered in muted red tiles. More notably, there was a large fountain at the center of the campus, two colossal annexes, and the grounds were very well kept. And this was just the facade of the campus. According to the Map that appeared before him, it comprised an 8x8 grid, each square representing a thousand square meters.

"It's massive..." remarked Vahn, feeling it would be easy to get lost if he didn't have access to The Path's Map.

Nodding, Fumiko revealed, "This is just the High School Division, but it covers more than thirty-two acres of land. The College Division is even larger as people travel from across the globe to attend. It's the Japanese equivalent of an Ivy-League institution."

Though he had no idea what Fumiko was talking about, Vahn offered an affirming nod as if he understood. He could always learn more about such things using the tablet gifted to him by Throne. At that exact moment, he was far more curious about the all-female group approaching them, each adorned in white, long-sleeved, button-down blouses with vertical lining, black ribbons around their collars, black, white-trimmed fabric that hung over their shoulders like a tiny cape, and a matching, button-down corset. Below that, they wore magenta-hued skirts with a white trim, a frilly white underskirt, white stockings, and shiny black dress shoes. They were also, without exception, exceptionally beautiful, particularly the duo with black hair leading the group.

Ostensibly serving as the group's leader or representative, the girl with the shorter black hair, framing her bespectacled face, set with violet eyes, in a short bob cut, adopted a smile and said, "Welcome to Kuoh Academy. You must be Vahn Mason, the new transfer student, correct? My name is Sona Sitri. I have the privilege of serving as the Student Council President of Kuoh Academy's High School Division."

Staring at Sona's face with wide, unblinking eyes, Vahn responded, "It's nice to meet you..." before turning his attention to the other four girls in the group. The one that stood out the most had an angular face, two distinctly different eye colors, violet and golden brown, and long, raven-black hair that fell past her knees in what Vahn believed was a hime-cut. Then, there was a petite and refined-looking girl with grey eyes and curly white hair that extended past her shoulders, a very tall girl with medium-length blue hair, and a girl that was almost the embodiment of adorable with bright, hazel-brown eyes and maroon-red hair fixed in pigtails. Last were two girls with matching brown hair and eyes, and though they were the most plain in the group, they were still exceptional in their own right...

Seizing the initiative, Sona gestured to each of the girls in turn, her tone curt and to the point, as she revealed, "These are Shinra Tsubaki, Hanakai Momo, Yura Tsubasa, Meguri Tomoe, Kusaka Reya, and Nimura Ruruko. Like me, they are also members of the Student Council. If you encounter any difficulties during your stay at Kuoh Academy, anyone here should be able to assist you."

"Thank you...that's very kind of you..." responded Vahn, returning his gaze to Sona and adopting a sincere, appreciative smile that caused the brows of every other girl in the group to rise. Sona, meanwhile, casually adjusted her purple-rimmed glasses and asserted, "It is our obligation as members of the Student Council. Now, shall we proceed with the campus tour? We wouldn't want you losing your way or ending up somewhere you shouldn't be when the new term begins."

"I would appreciate it," responded Vahn, causing Fumiko to exhale a faint sigh and append, "I will be waiting here when you return."

Peering back over his right shoulder, Vahn offered another radiant smile and replied, "You're also very kind. Thank you, Fumiko-san."

"It...it's no problem whatsoever..." responded Fumiko, flushing slightly as her heart skipped a beat. She was married and even had a two-year-old daughter, but Vahn's sincere and honest smile made her feel like a maiden in High School. Unfortunately, those days were long behind her, so all she could do was offer a smile and wave as Vahn departed with the gaggle of devilishly beautiful girls...

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"Unlike traditional Japanese schools, Kuoh Academy does not require students to change their shoes in the morning and before going home," explained Sona, leading Vahn into the remarkably spacious entrance of what she had called the New School Building. It had curved staircases with elaborate railings that connected to the three primary floors of the building, large support columns, and rows of lockers on both sides of the spacious hall.

"Our lockers are predominantly used to store textbooks and personal effects," appended Sona. "As for your uniforms, which you will receive shortly, Academy and local ordinances mandate that you wear it every day except Sunday, even outside the campus. You can remove it after 8 PM, but it is recommended that you wear it whenever possible."

"Why is that...?" asked Vahn. He had no problem wearing the same outfit every day, but now that he was no longer confined to a lab, fated to wear a hospital gown that never provided sufficient warmth, he wanted to try a ton of different outfits.

Choosing her words carefully, Sona explained, "Since the town was built around the campuses, students of Kuoh Academy enjoy special privileges and protections. Anyone who purposely targets students from Kuoh risks severe consequences, so you can think of your uniform as a ward against those who might otherwise do you harm..."

Piggybacking off Sona's words, Tsubaki explained, "Until a few years ago, Kuoh Academy was an all-girls school. These ordinances were enacted to protect the young and vulnerable girls who gathered at the Academy from countries around the world."

'That makes sense...' thought Vahn, his gaze instinctively lowering as Reya and Ruruko ascended the stairs ahead of him. There was no intent behind the gaze; he simply found it curious that they could wear such short skirts without feeling embarrassed.

"If you don't mind my asking, why did Vahn-kun decide to come to Kuoh?" questioned Sona, noticing Vahn's wayward gaze but not chastizing him as she sensed neither lust nor desire from it, only curiosity.

Shaking his head and meeting Sona's gaze, Vahn honestly answered, "I just wanted to attend school. The...person who sent me here mentioned choosing Kuoh because it was a neutral zone, but I'm not sure what they meant by that..."

"I see..." muttered Sona, sensing no falsehoods in Vahn's words. High-ranking Devils such as herself could naturally discern when a human was telling the truth or being deceptive, so her suspicions that Vahn had been sent as an agent of the Church were largely cleared.

"This will be your class starting April 1st," said Sona, gesturing to a room with two sliding entrances and the white placard with the characters 3-B written on it. Then, before Vahn could ask to see the interior, she abruptly appended, "As for what the person who sent you here was referring to, it's the friction between Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels. Kuoh Academy is a neutral zone under the control of the Duke Gremory Household, and each of us gathered here is a Devil."

"Really...?" asked Vahn, tilting his head slightly in confusion as, other than being inordinately beautiful, the seven girls resembled humans. The Devil he knew was a red-skinned man with glossy black horns, a forked tongue, hoofed feet, bat-like wings, and a long, whip-like tail, so he couldn't help thinking Sona was playing a trick on him.

"You're not really with the Church, are you...?" asked Sona, finding Vahn increasingly curious and odd. She couldn't sense so much as a trace of power within him, but that was anomalous in and of itself. Even ordinary humans possessed trace amounts of Aura, Life Force, and Spirit Energy, but the only thing she sensed from Vahn was his emotions, broadcasted freely.

Shaking his head, Vahn readily revealed, "They invited me to join, but I refused. After that, they sent me here."

"And where were you before that...?" asked Sona, crossing her arms and shifting her weight onto her right foot. Since Vahn didn't appear to mind sharing, she reasoned she might as well press him for everything he was willing to reveal.

Following Sis's suggestion, Vahn adopted a slight frown before revealing, "In a place with nothing but myself and my thoughts..."

"How curious..." muttered Sona, feeling that the place Vahn was referring to was the Dimensional Gap. However, as the only being known to inhabit the exceptionally unstable and dangerous dimension between dimensions was the Dragon God, Great Red, she found it difficult to believe.

Causing Vahn's eyes to widen and his body to tense instinctively, Sona abruptly revealed a pair of thin, bat-like wings, blacker than anything he had ever seen, from her lower back. The six girls encircling him promptly followed suit, so while they looked more like Goddesses, Vahn had little choice but to accept that he was surrounded by Devils.

Despite the precariousness of his situation, Vahn couldn't help but stare at Sona's wings, his curiosity getting the better of him, compelling him to ask, "Can I try touching them...?"

Though she was slightly surprised, causing her eyes to widen and brows to rise, Sona quickly adopted a smile, nodded her head, and replied, "You may. But be mindful...they're very sensitive..."

"I promise to be gentle..." responded Vahn, causing everyone but Sona to giggle for reasons he could only speculate. His focus was fully on the pair of wings protruding from Sona's back, which, when touched, felt cold and somewhat...staticky. They appeared to be comprised entirely of darkness, but the sensation was like placing his hand against a chilled plasma lamp. It was a very strange feeling.

"Would you like to see how they're attached...?" asked Sona, causing Vahn to startle as he had been fully immersed. He noticed that Sona's cheeks were slightly red when he raised his gaze to meet hers, but since she had offered, he didn't hesitate before adopting a broad smile, nodding, and confessing, "I would really like that..." with his aquamarine eyes glistening like gemstones...

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