This wasn’t the first time that James St John had asked that question of his parents, and their answer now was as unsatisfying as every other time.
“I just don’t know, son,” his father said. “The webpage was very confusing, what with it being in Japanese and all.”
“Shouldn’t that have clued you into the fact that it wasn’t the enrollment page for Lincoln High?”
“I thought they were being very progressive, and offering versions in different languages,” his father said helplessly. “I would have looked harder for the toggle to go back to English, but it wasn’t like I couldn’t read it.”
James sighed. His parents, despite being of perfectly normal American Caucasian descent, had a fascination with Japan and its culture, to the point where the whole family had learned to speak Japanese fairly fluently. It was the one thing that mitigated his parents' terrible, non-refundable mistake. He might be getting sent halfway across the world, but at least he spoke the language.
James had been told that he would be met at the airport, so he had been expecting someone to be standing with a sign when he cleared customs. He hadn’t been expecting someone to materialise at his elbow as he was arguing with the immigration official. James wasn’t exactly sure what the argument was about, partly because the official insisted on speaking badly accented English, and partly because James was so tired, he wasn’t sure what language he was speaking.
“James St John?” A Japanese voice asked him. Startled, he looked over and nodded. “My name is Professor Toei, I’m one of the teachers at your new school.”
“I— er—” James stammered, but the Professor had already turned to the official, showing him a document. The official’s eyes widened, and he quickly scanned over what Toei was showing him.
“This won’t take a moment,” Professor Toei said. He certainly looked like a professor, though he could have passed as any kind of Japanese office worker. A little taller than average, a little more hair remaining. His suit, while as anonymous-looking as all the other suits that crowded around, seemed a little nicer. Perhaps it was fitted? James couldn’t really tell.
The official seemed impressed, though, and quickly stamped James’ passport, handing it back to him with both hands and a short bow, like he was giving him a business card. James instinctively copied the gesture and recovered the document.
“This way, if you please,” Professor Toei said. “Your luggage should already have been collected.”
This proved to be the case, and James was whisked through the airport faster than he would have imagined was possible. Before he knew it, he was getting into the back seat of some kind of classic car.
“You must be tired from the flight,” the professor said.
“Yeah, I got on the plane early… yesterday? And now it’s still morning.”
“You have a long day ahead of you still,” Professor Toei commiserated. “Perhaps this will help.”
He handed James a small bottle labelled with densely printed kanji.
“What’s this?” James asked.
“Just a herbal supplement,” Toei said. “It should give you energy enough to last the rest of today.”
James felt a little sceptical, but he’d already gotten in the car with the professor. He shrugged and swigged the contents of the bottle in one go.
“Tastes weird,” he said, but he could already feel it working. He felt more alert, and he started to notice his surroundings.
“Is this a Rolls-Royce?” he asked.
“A Bentley, actually,” Professor Toei said. “It belongs to the school.”
“Um, is it normal for the school to send a teacher to pick up a student?” James asked as Toei started driving. The Bentley was completely silent, at least as far as James could tell.
“It’s fairly unusual for Aramara Academy to get overseas students,” Toei explained. “We wanted to make sure that you didn’t have any problems getting here.”
“Right… well, thanks,” James said. “It sure was easier with you there.”
He wanted to ask how it was that the Professor was able to get him through customs without inspection, but couldn’t quite muster up the courage. Instead, he settled for something more innocuous.
“Oh, you can speak Japanese if you want,” he said in that language. “I do speak it.”
“And quite well, it seems!” The professor said brightly. “That will certainly come in handy.”
“Yeah, it sure will,” James agreed. “Is it a long drive to the school?”
“About an hour’s drive, then a ferry, and then five minutes more,” Toei told him. “If you couldn’t sleep on the plane, then you might want to get some rest.”
James wanted to, but the sight of the city flowing by outside of the car was too distracting. So many unfamiliar Kanji, a riot of confusing signs and colours.
They eventually reached the ferry dock. Toei drove right on and parked precisely in what looked like a specially marked bay. “Go on and stretch your legs,” he said. “I’ll come find you when we land again.”
James nodded and went out to look at the scenery. The ferry was already launching, as if it had been waiting for their car before they were allowed to leave. Feeling a little childish, James made his way up to the observation deck to look at the view.
“New student?” a female voice asked from behind him. Turning, he saw a girl of about his age, with bright orange hair and a mischievous grin. She was wearing casual clothes, a skirt and blouse that looked fashionable, but seemed a little too light for where they were. It wasn’t cold, exactly, but there was a brisk breeze up on the deck that went right through James’ light jacket.
“Yes, are you as well?” he asked, in Japanese, which was what the girl had spoken.
“Uh-huh,” she replied. “Are you a hafu?”
“I’m American,” he said, frowning.
“Oh! Your Japanese is very good!”
“Good enough to know you’re being very rude,” he retorted.
To his surprise, she laughed delightedly. “True!” she exclaimed. “But why should an American care about rudeness?”
“Politeness isn’t exclusive to the Japanese,” he told her.
“Hmm… that sounds like a heretical foreign notion,” she replied. “But I suppose I should apologise.” She bowed. “My name is Kuzahana Harue. And you?”
“James St John,” he said automatically.
“Three names! What is the third one for?”
“My family name is St John,” he explained. “I’m not entirely sure why.”
“Ah, then should I call you James? You can call me Harue— I’m sure we’ll be good friends.”
“I suppose,” he said doubtfully.
“Wonderful! So tell me, James, what’s your deal?”
“My deal?”
She cocked her head, looking at him intently. “Aramara Academy caters to all sorts of unusual students. For you to come here, all the way from America, it must mean that you’re very special, no?”
“No,” James replied. “There’s nothing special about me. My parents enrolled by mistake, and the fees were non-refundable.”
Harue stared at him and started to giggle. The giggle became a laugh, swelling into uncontrollable peals of laughter.
“It’s not funny!” James protested as Harue started rolling around on the floor.
“No… it really is,” Harue gasped, partially recovering her composure. She giggled again and then pulled out a smartphone. James couldn’t tell the brand because it was wrapped in an excessively decorated case with protruding fox ears. Not bothering to get up, Harue took a photo of him.
“There,” she said with satisfaction. “The perfect innocent, the ultimate naif. I’ll keep this to remind me of the earlier you, for when you get all spoiled and cynical.”
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“What’s so funny about it? You think my parents enrolled me deliberately and lied about why?”
“I dunno,” Harue said. With a single swift motion, she rolled to her feet. “I just know that no one comes here by accident. If you don’t know why, that means that you must have a secret destiny— and there’s nothing more special than that!”
“That’s crazy,” James said, shaking his head. “Then, what’s your deal? Since everybody’s got one.”
“James, James, James,” Harue said, shaking her head. “A girl would have to be pretty dumb to spill out her secrets to a guy she hardly knows.”
“What the— You asked me to spill my secrets!”
“Yeah, but in my defence, you do look pretty dumb.” She grinned at him, somehow taking the malice, if not the sting, out of her words. “I mean, you are an American.”
By the time the ferry landed, James was fairly certain that he was ready for a break from Harue— and even more certain that he wasn’t going to get one. Harue was equal parts amusing and exasperating, but what she mostly was, was energetic. She’d dragged him around to explore every inch of the ferry— gotten them thrown out of a crew area— and never stopped talking, while managing to avoid saying anything.
By the time Professor Toei found them, James was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to find his dorm room and go to sleep. There was still a car ride with Harue to get through, though. At least her energy now had another target.
“So what do you teach, Professor?” She asked as they drove off the ferry.
“Japanese history,” he replied, “Though my doctorate was more general. Wait here a moment while I take a quick look around. I was told that another student caught an earlier ferry, but hasn’t made it to the school yet.”
There was a small village around the ferry dock, barely more than a single street of shops. Toei parked the Bentley and took a look around for the missing student, but she wasn’t to be found. Just as he was about to get back in the car, he paused and looked over at an approaching vehicle.
“That’s odd,” he said. “They aren’t supposed to drive those into town.”
James looked, and as it got closer, he could see that it was some sort of military vehicle, an armoured personnel carrier. It pulled into the car park, and Toei went over to it, frowning.
“Let’s go see!” Harue said, dragging him with her out of the car.
James groaned but perked up as they got closer. Being helped out of the carrier was simply the most beautiful girl that he had ever seen.
“What’s going on here?” Professor Toei said mildly. The two soldiers who were helping the girl jumped and turned. When they saw who was speaking, they stood at attention.
“Ah, the young lady got lost,” one of them said. “Found her way to the installation— we were just giving her a lift back to town.”
“How commendable,” Toei said dryly. “I’ll be sure to mention your diligence to your commander, the next time I see him.”
The soldiers winced but didn’t move until Toei made a small gesture with his head. As one, the two soldiers climbed into their truck and peeled out.
“Ikari Suki, I presume?”
“Yes!” the girl said, breaking into a smile. James’ heart stopped.
“I’m Professor Toei. Weren’t you told to wait for me in the village?”
“Well, there was a taxi… but he didn’t seem to know where to go,” Suki said. “I had fun, though, talking with the soldiers.”
“I’m sure. These are two of your fellow students, James St John and Kuzahana Harue. If you get in the car, we’ll head up to the school.
“Great! Hi, John and Harue.” Her long, straight, black hair framed Suki's face in a heart shape. Her eyes were golden, and James felt warmed by her smile. With a convulsive effort, he got his body to move again.
“Hi,” he said. Suki smiled at him and looked over at Harue. Surprised that Harue hadn’t said anything yet, James looked over at her. She was looking at Suki with a cool, considering look. A more serious expression than anything he’d seen her make so far.
“Hi, Suki, let’s be friends,” Harue said, sticking her hand out.
“Yes, let’s,” Suki said, taking the offered hand in hers. As James was kicking himself for not offering his hand, Suki looked up at him. “Do you want to ask me out?” she said.
“Uh, yes?” he stammered in reply. She smiled again.
“Good, I look forward to it.”
“Just get in the car, children,” Professor Toei said.
Toei left them at the dorm buildings, in the hands of one Honda Fujitaka, who was introduced as the first year's resident advisor. He was only a second-year student but was quite tall and well-built.
“Do you work out, Fujitaka-senpai?” Harue asked admiringly.
“I do! Athletics has always been a passion of mine, and I practice Shūtobokushingu,” the boy told them. “If you’re interested in boxing, there is a club you can join.”
He led them into the first building. “These are the student residences. The further tower is the girls’ dorm, while this one is the boys' dorm. First years are on the top floor, second years on the second, third years on the ground floor. The connecting wing is a common area, with the refectory and student lounges.”
They all got in the lift to the third floor. “You are allowed visitors of the opposite sex, but your door must remain open as long as they’re here. The floor supervisors will be watching.”
Fujitaka stopped at a door marked 308. “This is your room,” he said, knocking on the door. It opened, revealing a Japanese boy of below-average height. “And this is your roommate, Kageya Mitsue.”
Immediately upon the door opening, Mitsue’s gaze snapped towards Harue. At Fujitaka’s statement, he bowed politely. Suki and James awkwardly returned the bow.
“Mitsue, this is James St John, an American exchange student. He’ll be your roommate. These girls are Kuzahana Harue and Ikari Suki, I’m sure you’ll be seeing them around.”
“I see,” Mitsue said. “Welcome to our room.”
“I’ll leave you to get acquainted,” Fujitaka said. “Classes don’t start for a few days, so you’ve got time to settle in. Once you’ve settled in, come down to the refectory for lunch, and then just hang around there. I’ll come find you later and give you a tour of the grounds. Come along, girls.”
Mitsue’s gaze followed the group as they left. He only seemed to remember James when they entered the lift.
“My apologies! Please, come in,” he said. “I’ve taken the bed nearest the window, but I can swap if you wish.”
“No, that’s fine, I don’t really have a preference,” James said, hauling his luggage in. “What was all the staring about?”
“Ahhhh…” Mitsue said, looking embarrassed. “This is that American forthrightness that I have heard so much about.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“It’s fine,” Mitsue dismissed his concern. “It’s just… I don’t want to speak ill of someone you may know, but… I sensed great danger from the one called Harue.”
“Danger? I don’t think so. Great annoyance, maybe.”
Mitsue gave him a nervous laugh. “It’s good to know that my roommate is a man of such bravery. Did you have any trouble getting your weapons past airport security?”
“What? You’re not allowed to take weapons on the plane…” James said, confused.
“Exactly, that is why it’s generally better to purchase more locally,” Mitsue agreed. “Do you need something to tide you over until you can get some? I have an adequate selection.”
“What? I don’t understand…”
Mitsue pulled an aluminium case from under his bed and opened it. What was inside was not the bags of drugs or bundles of cash that James had expected, but a collection of sharp steel, organised and displayed exquisitely.
“These are all spares, feel free to take any that you like,” Mitsue assured him.
“What? I— Knives?” James said. Part of him wanted to reach out and hold one of the weapons, but part of him was replaying a memory of his mother warning him not to touch the sharp thing. These were all very sharp things.
There were shurikens, tiny knives, small knives and large knives. Straight knives and curved ones. There was what looked like a miniature katana, sized to fit inside the case. The twelve-year-old inside James ached to hold it and swing it about.
“Why do you have knives?” he asked, his voice a higher pitch than normal.
“Ah, of course, I should have realised!” Mitsue slapped his forehead. “As an American, you would be wanting a gun, of course.”
He frowned in thought. “I do have contacts, but guns are very difficult to obtain in Japan. Unless you have your own sources… perhaps we could procure some from the nearby army base?”
“No, that’s not what I mean! Why have weapons at all? Isn’t this a normal school?”
Mitsue cocked his head and looked at James thoughtfully.
“No…” he finally said. “Of all the things that can be said about Aramara Academy, that it is normal is not one of them.”
“Harue said the same thing, but I thought she was joking. Just what kind of place is this?”
“You really do not know?” Mitsue said, surprised. “It’s—”
There was a knock on the door. Mitsue stiffened in surprise and half turned towards it.
“It’s her!” he hissed. There was a blade suddenly in his hand. “Only… worse!”
“Chill, dude,” James said. He felt slightly embarrassed at turning into an American stereotype, but it seemed like the thing to say. “Put the knives away, and I’ll get the door.”
Mitsue hissed, but by the time James got over to the door, the suitcase was back under the bed. Mitsue’s knife wasn’t visible, but one of his hands was behind his back. James decided to treat it as a win and opened the door.
Standing there were two girls, one of them Harue, and another whom James didn’t know.
“Hi, James!” Harue said. “I wanted to introduce my roommate! This is Konoe Kana. Kana, this is St John James.”
James shook his head at hearing his name reversed like that. “Call me James,” he said. “Is it all right if I call you Kana?”
Kana was a little shorter than Harue but looked taller because of her ramrod-straight posture. Her hair was black, with a blue sheen to it, and he eyes were a striking icy blue. She wasn’t as beautiful as Suki, but she was a strikingly beautiful young woman. Her looks were only enhanced by her haughty glare.
“Yes. You may. That is a friendly thing to allow, is it not?”
“Yep! You’ve got this friendly thing down pat!” Harue said with a grin.
“Are you not going to invite us inside?” Kana asked.
“Oh! Right, sorry. Please come in.” He stepped back from the door, and they followed him inside. Harue made as if to close the door, then rolled her eyes and left it open.
James gestured at Mitsue, who was quivering with tension. He was a little surprised that Mitsue hadn’t jumped out onto the balcony at this point.
“So… Harue, Kana, this is Kageya Mitsue. Mitsue, you know Harue, and this is Konoe Kana.”
“Kuzahana-sama, Konoe-sama, I am very pleased to meet you,” Mitsue said, bowing deeply. The bow was deep enough that James could see his back, but the knife was nowhere to be seen.
“Aw, you don’t have to go all formal on us! Just Harue is fine.”
Mitsue’s expression didn’t change, but James thought he saw his eye twitch.
“I like it. But I am being friendly, so you should call me Kana-sama.” Kana said.
“As you say,” Mitsue said and bowed again. Kana smiled.
“You are afraid. This pleases me,” she said.
Harue took a breath and then paused. “You know what? That’s fine, probably. Haven’t you unpacked yet?” she asked James, glancing at his suitcase.
“How have you unpacked already?” James asked.
“Oh, I just threw it all in the closet, it will sort itself out eventually,” Harue said casually.
James blinked but decided to leave it at that. “So what brings you here?”
“Oh, I thought that we’d come over and drag you guys over to meet Suki and her roommate, and then we could go exploring!”
“Why did you come to us instead of bringing Suki and her roommate here?” Mitsue asked diffidently. “That would seem to be the more efficient option.”
“Ah. Well. There was something that I wanted to warn you about before we went over there.”
“Something that I should have been warned about before coming to this school, maybe?” James asked.
“Ah, I was about to explain—” Mitsue said.
“Nobody tell him, it's more fun when he has to guess,” Harue said.
“You can’t do that!” James burst out.
“See? Now, shush, my precious cinnamon roll, I’m going to tell you something. This is probably important, but the truth is, I don’t know what to make of it. And it involves Suki, who James is all gaga about, so he has to know.”
“I’m not… what you said!” James protested.
“I’ve got eyes, James. It’s not even a surprise, she’s a very lovely girl.”
“Is this jealousy?” Kana asked. “I have heard of it. Whoever this woman is, I doubt she can match my level of beauty.”
“Nah, I’m already engaged, I don’t need a guy. Annnnyway!” Harue tried to drag the conversation back on track. “If you want to date her, that’s fine. But you should be aware of one important thing.”
She paused for effect.
“What’s that?” James asked. He didn’t want to, but he didn’t want to find out what Harue would do if she didn’t get her lead-in.
“She doesn’t have a soul.”
Kamisama Kiss, in particular the way that the characters would run around the school doing magic and running from monsters while the rest of the school was blissfully unaware. Like: “Was that a rhino running through the corridors? Best shut the door and pretend I didn’t see anything,”
Concrete Revolutio more, in the way it just jams everything together. Cyborgs, Ninjas, Spirits, Magical Girls, Vampires… not even close to a complete list.
wrong. Since I’m not a native Japanese speaker, I’ll accept corrections on this, but bear in mind the following facts:
- Harue is spectacularly rude when she thinks she can get away with it.
- Mitsue is often rude right back to Harue. At least once he gets over being scared of her.
- Kana… is her own thing. You won’t see her offering respect any time soon.
- James and Suki are not actually native speakers of Japanese, so they will get things wrong from time to time. (I know Suki is a Japanese name… We’ll get to that.
Which character is the Author's?