Enrollment
No matter how much comfort she received, no matter how thoroughly she prepared — when the moment actually arrived, there was no stopping the trembling.
"All set?"
"Yeah."
To Eunhyuk's quiet question, I answered as calmly as I could manage.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
I opened the door and stepped outside. My bag swayed against my back, and the hood brushed the tips of my ears.
It was Monday.
Starting today, I was going to school.
"Nervous?"
"…Yeah."
"You'll be fine."
We traded soft words as we walked. The time right now… from the clock I'd checked before leaving, it was around seven in the morning. School started at eight-forty, they'd said.
Truthfully, I still hadn't gotten used to the way people here divided time into such fine increments. Clocks must have been luxury goods once — and yet here, they said, there wasn't a place without one. It never stopped being strange.
Step by step, we walked.
After a fair amount of discussion, we'd decided I would walk to school for this first week. Buses, taxis, the subway — all sorts of options had come up, but none of them seemed like something I could handle just yet. I'd wondered if they were something like a shared carriage, but then again, I still didn't properly know how to spend money, so I'd simply agreed and left it at that.
I still didn't understand why money was made of cloth, either. Or what a card even was.
There was so much to learn.
"You've got the route memorized?"
"Of course."
We tossed the words back and forth as we walked. Over the weekend, we'd gone back and forth along the path several times together, and I'd committed it thoroughly to memory. Simple concepts like traffic lights, roads, and sidewalks had all been packed into my head as well. If anything happened, I was supposed to go to the nearest police station — and if I mentioned Eunhyuk's name, or that officer named Unho, things would apparently get sorted out on their own. …Probably. Even Eunhyuk hadn't sounded entirely certain when he said it.
"If you get caught up in anything, run first. Don't try to handle it yourself."
"Okay."
"Especially watch out for suspicious people. You're a girl, so be careful. At school is one thing, but keep your hood up properly on the street."
"I already know that. …What is it?"
I suddenly felt his gaze and glanced sideways. Eunhyuk had been quietly studying me — more precisely, my clothes — and at my question he tilted his head slightly.
"A student without a uniform… just wondering if that's really okay."
"…Does it look weird? I tried to dress close to what was in that photo, at least."
I gave my outer layer a little flutter to show him. Beneath the black hooded jacket, an ivory cardigan glowed softly.
"It's similar enough, but still pretty different. Doesn't look weird, though. It suits you."
"Really?"
"And they said they'd send over a uniform along with beastkin-adapted clothes within a few weeks anyway. Just a matter of waiting."
"Beastkin-adapted clothes…"
I rested my chin lightly on my hand and let my mind drift back for a moment. Back in my original world… well. I'd only ever worn the bare minimum, so my tail had never felt cramped or anything. Naturally, specialized beastkin clothing had never been necessary. I'd just thrown on whatever I could find and wandered from place to place. I hadn't exactly been in a position to choose what I wore.
A strange feeling settled over me — something that felt both long ago and not so long ago at all. At the very least, back then, I never could have imagined I'd one day wear clothes this soft and nice.
"Hmm… I wonder what beastkin clothes even look like?"
"Beats me. …But why are you asking me? You're the beastkin here."
"Ahaha…"
I gave a wry smile at Eunhyuk's deadpan reply. Well, what could I do? I didn't know either. I'd glimpsed them before, but never actually worn any. No — more precisely, I must have worn them as a child, but… it was all so distant that the memories wouldn't come.
"…Pretty nervous, huh?"
"Hm? …Ah—"
Suddenly Eunhyuk's large hand settled on top of my head. Then, over the hood, he stroked slowly.
"You'll be fine."
"Mm…. …Ah."
When he pulled his hand away, a small sound of disappointment slipped out of me unbidden. Feeling that pang of regret over a stopped head-pat was a little embarrassing, even to myself.
"It's the first day, so it'll probably wrap up pretty quick. When it's over, go to the teachers' office, borrow a phone, and call me. Coming back… you can manage on your own, right?"
"Yeah. I need to get used to it fast."
"And if any of the other kids try to drag you off somewhere, don't go wandering down side roads."
"Okay."
There was still so much I didn't know. Preparing for school these past few days had driven that home with painful clarity. I couldn't stay like this. I had to learn. It was scary, and I was tense, but… even so.
As we walked on, I gradually became aware of more people around us. Glancing this way and that, I saw they were all dressed in the same kind of clothes.
"We're almost there."
At those words, I swallowed hard. A heavy knot of nerves settled deep in my stomach.
"…That building?"
"Yeah. That one."
Looking at the somewhat familiar structure that had begun to appear at the edge of our vision, we turned to each other at the same time.
"From here on—"
"I go alone."
"Have a good day."
"Okay."
We exchanged the words a little stiffly and nodded. Then I slowly set off toward the school on my own. Eunhyuk's silhouette, visible out of the corner of my eye, grew smaller and smaller.
From here on, it was my time alone.
"Hoo."
A large entrance. Because it was still early, the school wasn't crowded yet. I stepped inside, taking deep breath after deep breath.
"Hoo…"
Stand tall, Cecilia.
You don't have to be afraid.
There are people looking out for you. There's someone who treasures you.
It's okay.
Those people aren't here.
"Welcome to Pyeongdong High School, everyone. Uh…"
Inside the building, in the auditorium. Besides me, a number of other people had gathered in various states of tension, and a distinctly unenthusiastic teacher was there to greet us.
"I'm Kim Gwonsik, the Grade 1 head teacher. Uh…. As of today, you have all been transferred into Pyeongdong High School. Please arrive by eight-forty on weekdays, and also…"
Most of what followed in that lethargic drone was material I'd already finished studying. Letting my attention drift, I quietly turned my gaze toward the people gathered around me.
A rough count put the number at around thirty or forty. Their races varied wildly, but there wasn't a single Normal Human among them. In other words, every last one belonged to the races commonly called "otherworlders" here.
Elves, beastkin, birdkin, demons, succubi, vampires, dragonkin…. Truly every kind imaginable. Races so diverse you couldn't have found them all gathered in one place anywhere in my original world.
"…Everyone's so young."
"This building is huuuge…"
"…"
"My, he's handsome."
"…Yaaawn."
"Hmph."
Soft murmurs of every sort filled the auditorium in a low hum. Thankfully — and just as I'd expected — there were no groups that looked like they'd already known each other beforehand. People under police protection often shared the same lodging building, which made it easy to get acquainted. Easy to become friends. And given the nature of this transfer system — "training to adapt to this nation's society" — having people who already knew each other stick together in cliques was apparently considered less than ideal. So residents of the same lodging were deliberately assigned to different schools. According to the orientation materials, nearly all the otherworlders within any given school would be complete strangers to one another.
Looking around now, that certainly seemed to be the case. Everyone was muttering to themselves; almost no one was actually talking to anyone else. There were one or two exceptions, but that was well within the margin of error. Probably.
"…Hiya."
A whispered greeting suddenly reached my ear. A familiar voice.
"…?"
I glanced sideways and saw familiar red skin.
"…Sherry?"
"…Hehe."
A demon — a Red Demon. One of the few otherworlders who, like me, was staying in a private home rather than under police care. We hadn't met many times, but we'd broken the ice a little over dinner last time. …Though the way she kept trying to touch me was still a bit unsettling.
"…So you're here too…"
"…Yeah. Long time no see."
Even so, the way she grinned without a single calculating thought in her head was so cute I couldn't bring myself to dislike her. We whispered back and forth for a short while, keeping our voices low enough not to bother anyone around us.
Before long, though, the teacher in front of us shifted his tone.
"All right, from this point I'll be assigning you to the classes you'll be joining. First, uh… Miss Adel?"
"Yes."
Saying so, the teacher began handing out thin sheets of paper one by one. With a speed that belied his unimpressive appearance, he finished distributing them in an instant and continued.
"I'll guide you by class now. First, Class 1, this way…"
At that, six people moved toward the auditorium entrance as directed. Sherry seemed to have been assigned to Class 1; she was mixed in among the moving group.
"See you later."
"Yeah."
We exchanged a light farewell, and Sherry headed for her classroom under the guidance of another teacher waiting outside. Next, the Class 2 assignees moved in much the same fashion…
"Next, Class 3. Please move."
That was my turn. Feeling the heavy weight of nerves, I stepped forward.
"You all already know this, but as of today our school has been designated an otherworlder integration school. Uh, even if there are differences between us, don't treat them carelessly — try to have a considerate attitude."
The first impression upon entering the classroom was how quiet it was. There were plenty of people, yet it was remarkably still. Only the teacher standing at the front was speaking. And yet the stares somehow burned with intensity. That gap was a little unnerving.
"Well then…"
The middle-aged teacher standing up front turned to look at us. With an expression tinged with mild awkwardness, he continued.
"Self-introductions… ah, no."
Looking like a man with far too many thoughts and worries, he changed course. From what I'd heard, this world had never had any races besides Normal Humans… so the sudden appearance of entirely unfamiliar species had clearly left him more than a little flustered.
"Would it be all right if we… took a short question period first?"
The teacher asked carefully. In the quiet classroom, thick with silence, we seven otherworlders eyed one another for a moment. Then, one after another, we nodded.
"Good…. All right, anyone have a question for these friends — within reason?"
"Are those ears real?!"
"Those horns are so cool!!"
"Can you breathe fire?!"
"Do you guys wear earrings and stuff?!"
"So your physical abilities are different from ours, right?!"
"Your skin color is so unique!! Is it different for every person?!"
"How long can you live?!"
"Can I touch—"
"Hyeek."
And at the explosion of enthusiastic reactions, I flinched hard and recoiled.