With Grace and Elegance Ranma 1/2 / Girls und Panzer
- Thread starter Grounders10
- Start date
- Crossover
First off, I love your summary for this fic. Next off, this is going good so far, but... we/I want some real Ranma level shenanigans to start hitting, everything is going... a bit to smoothly right now. It's still good so far though.
- Location
- Kansas
Nah, more likely it will be Kasumi who is tidying up the tanks, and then she casually asks Ranma to lift it for her so she can clean underneath.
This is Jusenkyo we are talking about. A spring of the drowned Submarine would not be unbelievable.
As for the whole thing on Tea Names, I don't see Ranma having any problem with it. Sure, she might not be enthusiastic about it, but she doesn't have any reason to object either. She used the fake name of Ranko easily enough to hide from her mom. Why would she object to a nickname? Well, as long as it isn't something like "The Blue Thunder".
And then we find out that the school decides to pay a visit to a rural part of China that has cheap hot springs. Hilarity ensues as a bunch of girls decides to take individual dips.
Ranma is not amused and wonders how vehicles can drown and how they even got to the springs in the first place.
Actually, that could be a scenario where Jusenkyo could have been a historic outpost in preparations for the fight against the Japanese invasion...somehow. Then someone incompetent go put in that position and got a lot of animals or things drowned for some stupid reason. Which oddly enough, isn't at all unusual in Ranma. Not to mention China had many problems and possible shenanigans WWII since the government at the time...wasn't good at all.
Ranma is not amused and wonders how vehicles can drown and how they even got to the springs in the first place.
Actually, that could be a scenario where Jusenkyo could have been a historic outpost in preparations for the fight against the Japanese invasion...somehow. Then someone incompetent go put in that position and got a lot of animals or things drowned for some stupid reason. Which oddly enough, isn't at all unusual in Ranma. Not to mention China had many problems and possible shenanigans WWII since the government at the time...wasn't good at all.
- Location
- UP!
This story is fun and good and has improved my day.
I saw the cross over and I just had to know how the fuck this would work, full expecting this to be bad. I'm glad I was mistaken.
I saw the cross over and I just had to know how the fuck this would work, full expecting this to be bad. I'm glad I was mistaken.
- Location
- Meycauayan, Bulacan, Philippines
...historically unfeasible.
The Bayankala mountains are in Western China. The Japanese were unable to go past Central China no matter how they tried.
Given how much the suspension of reality exists with Ranma, I wouldn't be surprised if there was someone in the military who decided to do something completely crazy as a method of beating the Japanese. War does have a reputation for causing... strange reactions.
Who can say that some tanks have been.... mismanaged in the chaos of war? Maybe an officer who wasn't quite right in the head did something really bad that the military decided to hide this disaster to avoid humiliation.
I'll admit I don't expect something like this to happen anyway. Best let the author decide how to direct the story.
Who can say that some tanks have been.... mismanaged in the chaos of war? Maybe an officer who wasn't quite right in the head did something really bad that the military decided to hide this disaster to avoid humiliation.
I'll admit I don't expect something like this to happen anyway. Best let the author decide how to direct the story.
- Pronouns
- Yes
So like about 90% of the Ranma series? Everything from the Amazon tribe, to mail order power armor requires changes in the world's history.
- Location
- In the depts of despair.
Not to mention the tankette races that started no long after the Great War was over, or the fact that the current tank competitions are done in the middle of real cities and the resident actually pray for their homes to be hit by a stray shot, or the giant mobile islands that are used as high schools for ladies.
Don't underestimate the GuP universe either.
Last edited:
- Location
- Meycauayan, Bulacan, Philippines
Even if we talk about martial arts powerhouses, the mountains are where the more powerful martial artists and taoist hermits are most commonly portrayed to live.
The Bayan Har Shan is the current name of the Bayankala mountains. Before you get there, there are the mountains of the Qilian Shan and the Henduan Mountains of Sichuan. In short, the Japanese would have to get past two mountain ranges with an unknown number of Chinese martial artists, not to mention the chokepoints of Chengdu and Lanzhou which would be filled by all the martial artists and esoterics in the Republic of China Army. And that is if we ignore all the Chinese martial artists and esoterics from Beijing to Haikou, Chongqing to Shanghai who would be wrecking havoc in the rural areas.
In short, the map of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War must first turn into the Western Front, martial artist edition for the Japanese to make the Chinese start garrisoning the Bayankala. Which is hard when the map historically looks like this:
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- Yes
I am trying very hard not to think about the impossibilities in it.
Chapter Five Cafes and Classmates
Grounders10
Nine-Tailed Kitsune
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada, Mars
-0-0-0-0-0-
With Grace and Elegance
A Girls Und Panzer/Ranma ½ Crossover
By: Grounders10
-0-0-0-0-0-
Chapter Five
Cafes and Classmates
-0-0-0-0-0-
With Grace and Elegance
A Girls Und Panzer/Ranma ½ Crossover
By: Grounders10
-0-0-0-0-0-
Chapter Five
Cafes and Classmates
-0-0-0-0-0-
Tucked away at the end of a winding pathway through a maze, or on the much less confusing road behind the student dorms, was the Colonial Cafe. Styled like an average old fashioned English country house, the only advertisement of its commercial nature was the wooden folding sign outside the front door. Stepping through the front double doors the room inside was nothing like the exterior.
Cloth streamers hung from fancy gold leaf chandeliers and a rich red carpet covered the floor. Each table was beautifully lacquered wood with gold leaf patterns around the edges. Pictures of British soldiers in bright red uniforms treating with men in styles Ranma recognized as from India hung on the walls alongside decorative wall hangings. Pottery in Indian styles and small statuettes of Hindu gods stood on shelves. It was the very picture of a wealthy Indian restaurant.
"For an Indian restaurant the name is a bit strange," Kasumi said as their small group found a table near a window. The room was nearly full and she had to speak a bit louder than normal to be heard.
"That's because it isn't an Indian Restaurant," Rosehip replied, leaning forward on her heavily cushioned stool.
"It looks like one," Ranma said as she looked over the menu that the waitress had left them with. It had been a few years since she had Indian food. Nerima didn't exactly have many if any, Indian restaurants. She certainly couldn't remember any from her time there.
"And last week it looked middle-eastern," Rosehip replied, leaning her chin on her fist as she looked over the menu. The two other girls shared a look.
"Okay, I'll bite. How?" Ranma asked after Kasumi shrugged.
"The Colonial Cafe is one of two restaurants on campus that cycles its menu on a weekly basis. The other place does whatever, but the Colonial' keeps to the theme of Britain's Colonies. Every week we get something different. They never announce what it's going to be either so it's a constant surprise. Ooh, butter chicken, hmm…" the pink-haired girl hummed thoughtfully.
Small talk dominated their discussion for the next few minutes as they waited for the waitress to come back. How had they found the assembly, what they thought of the grounds, were they looking forward to anything in particular? They weren't asked so flatly, but Ranma could recognize the enthusiastic girl attempting to steer the conversation. She wasn't Nabiki by any stretch, but she was likeable enough that Ranma didn't mind so much and she suspected that neither did Kasumi.
After the waitress came by and took their orders; Butter Chicken for Rosehip, and Samosas and a small plate of Pakora for Kasumi, Tandoori Chicken with a side order of Murgh Tikka large enough to draw an incredulous look from the waitress and on top of that a large side of curry fried rice all for Ranma; the conversation took a different turn. To food initially, and Ranma's appetite, before moving onto, of all things, her necklace.
"This thing?" she asked Rosehip as she tapped one of the large rubies, "It was my grandmother's, and then my mother's."
"Ah, an heirloom. I'm not going to get many of those myself," Rosehip sighed before sipping on her tea. At Ranma's questioning look she shrugged. "I have a rather large family. Seven older siblings to start with and a bunch of aunts and uncles and cousins. All older than me. When you're at the bottom of the list you don't get too much."
"Oh," Ranma said awkwardly. She didn't have siblings, and even Kasumi only had two. It was rather hard to picture having so many other people around constantly. Maybe she would have had siblings if they had stayed with her mother rather than Genma dragging her onto the road, but life was life and there wasn't much she could do about that.
"I'm actually only in St. Gloriana's because I managed to earn my way in through grades and scholarships," Rosehip continued, "It's been…" She grinned, "Very exciting."
"Self-made then?" Kasumi mused.
"Well, I had my parents' support, but you can only divide things so far before you're on your own," the older girl shrugged, "I've done well enough so far."
"I know what that's like," Ranma sighed. Genma's attention had a tendency to be, by nature, indivisible and thus entirely focused on himself or his ideas. It had wound up leaving her a lot of time at points to just do things her way.
"Oh?" Rosehip raised an eyebrow and Ranma could practically read the disbelief.
"I'm sure it's pretty public knowledge my mother and grandmother don't get along too well," Ranma said blandly.
The pinkette nodded. "I've heard rumours from the others," she admitted.
"I didn't know I was a Hayashida until recently," she said before tapping her necklace again, "Having heirlooms like this in the first place? That's rather new for me." And not at all unwelcomed. There was something fascinating about having more to your family's history than a legacy of pawning off debts onto the next generation.
"Oh," it was Rosehip's turn to look awkward, though she hid it gracefully with a casual sip of her tea. They sat silently for a few minutes before Ranma sighed.
"Well, enough beating around the bush," she said, getting a smirk from the older girl, "I find it a bit odd that a commander in the Sensha-do club came looking for me on my first day. I haven't even been to class yet."
Rosehip shrugged and sipped her tea for a moment. "Kinda obvious, aren't I? Oh, Darjeeling would be disappointed in me, but yeah, I'm here because you're the Hayashida Heiress."
"And you're here to recruit her," Kasumi said as she leaned out of her seat to peer down the aisle for their food.
"Rather obvious, isn't it?" she sighed.tur
"Just a little," Ranma smirked, getting a shrug and a grin in return.
"I'm not much of one for subtlety," she admitted, "Look, rather than waste time are you at all interested in Sensha-do? I know rumours said your mother hates it, but your family has had a history with them so…?" She waved a hand vaguely in the air.
Ranma sipped the tea the waitress had brought her, a blend that she didn't know the name of, and remained silent for the moment. Was she interested in Sensha-do? The books had been interesting. The history and particulars of Sensha-do had been fascinating and the tanks… she would be lying to herself if she didn't admit there had been a little thrill that ran through her when the Archer turned on.
She sipped her tea again. "You're a commander for St. Glorianna, what do you drive again?" she asked.
"Crusader Mk. III. I'm the commander of the crusader section," Rosehip replied.
Ranma tilted her head to the side in thought. Crusader Mk.III? She had read about that tank. "6-lber gun, originally a maximum speed of forty-two kilometers per hour but these days gets around eighty-five to ninety-two depending on the conditions. Decently armoured and equipped, but only with enough room for three people, right?" she asked, musing aloud what she remembered. Kasumi turned to look at her.
"How much reading did you do?" Her friend asked.
She shrugged. "A bit?" she hadn't bothered to count. Certainly more than six books. Probably more really.
Rosehip smirked. "Aah, so you do know your tanks. Yeah, she's nice and fast. Quite zippy. If you aren't careful you'll start skidding and slide into things, but that speed is really useful. Good luck shaking a pack of crusaders once they've found you," she grinned toothily.
"They're a new pick up for St. Gloriana if I recall," Kasumi said, earning her a raised eyebrow from Ranma, as Rosehip sipped her tea. Before she could respond the waitress returned, setting their meals in front of them. Or as in front of them as was possible since Ranma's plates took up nearly half the table by themselves. It was lucky they didn't have a fourth person.
"Six years old or something like that, I think?" Rosehip replied with a frown as she mixed her rice with the sauce. "Not a lot of people know that."
Kasumi smiled. "I'm not as well read as Ranma, but I've been watching Sensha-do matches for years now," she said with a small smile
That drew a look from Ranma. "When? I don't remember you watching it back in Nerima," Ranma asked. She would have remembered Sensha-do matches.
Kasumi shrugged and sipped her tea. "You spent a lot of time out of the house," she said vaguely. In other words she watched during the day time when everyone else was at school. It figured, a bunch of the matches probably took place during class time.
"So are you the one that I should expect after the festival?" Rosehip asked, pausing to take a bite of her food. "This is good. Always good food here no matter what they're doing."
Ranma nodded as she chewed on a skewer of Murgh Tikka. It was quite good, even compared to the food she'd eaten in India.
"Oh, I was planning on joining the Sensha-do club from the start," Kasumi said before taking a dainty bite of a Samosa, "The question is whether I can get Ranma to join me. You really need to be more adventurous, you know."
Ranma sighed. "Coming from you?" she replied, pointing a forkful of Tandoori Chicken at the other girl. The brunette simply shrugged and took another bite of her Samosa.
"Like you aren't interested. You barely read and yet you spent the last couple of weeks devouring everything you could lay your hands on. Just admit it, hmmm?" Kasumi's smile twitched into a slight smirk for just a second.
"So this is a recent thing then?" Rosehip asked before taking another bite. She sipped her tea a moment later.
Ranma vacillated for a moment before nodding. "I didn't even know what Sensha-do was before I met my Grandmother," she admitted. She barely held back a snort at the blatant surprise on Rosehip's face. "I spent my time learning martial arts from my pops. He doesn't have a high opinion of tanks and other machines."
"Well that's a surprise," Rosehip said, leaning back in her chair, "I never would have thought that you were completely new. Geez, that makes this a bit awkward, doesn't it? And, if you don't mind the guessing, I assume your mother doesn't really want you to do Sensha-do?"
"Not really, no," Ranma replied. Silence descended on the table for a few minutes as they ate.
"So why do you do Sensha-do?" she asked as the waitress cleared away Kasumi's and Rosehip's plates, and most of her own.
The older girl perked up. "Weeell, I like the speed. The excitement as the shells wiz by and the rumble of my Crusader as it tears down the streets or across the fields. There's nothing better." She was grinning as she finished.
Excitement, huh? Well, she'd had plenty of that over the last few years. More than anyone could want actually. Though, the last few weeks had been a bit slow. Really slow actually. It had almost been enough to put her on edge. Things didn't normally go this well. It left her with that creeping feeling of anticipation that made her skin crawl. Of course, it wasn't the first time things had gone well for this long, and it probably wouldn't be the last. With luck, everything would be smooth sailing for her time in school.
And if anyone believed that she had a piece of lakeside property in the Sahara for them. No really, it was a lovely salt lake.
She set down her last skewer and sipped her tea, drumming her fingers on the chair arm. She stopped after a moment. Michiru would have been disappointed if she saw that.
"I'll think about it, okay?" she sighed.
"Hey, I'm not pressuring you. Sensha-do can be a very personal experience. You shouldn't sign up unless you're sure you want to," Rosehip said with a shrug before checking her phone. She waved at the waitress. "Check please, me and her," she pointed to Kasumi, "Miss bottomless pit can get her own check."
Ranma snorted. "I have a healthy appetite," she protested.
"For a tiger, maybe," Kasumi quipped, drawing a pout from the redhead. The waitress chuckled and wandered off. She was back a minute later with two checks as requested. Meals were paid for and Rosehip stood up, throwing her bag over one shoulder.
"Sorry to just eat and dash, but Orange Pekoe wants us, commanders, to have a quick meeting before classes. Enjoy the rest of the day and come by our club stand during the festival. See you," She waved quickly and dashed out the door, nearly running over two girls on their way in.
"She's quite energetic, isn't she?" Kasumi observed with an amused tone.
"Eh, I've seen worse," Ranma shrugged and drained her teacup.
"So, are you going to join?" Ranma twitched as Kasumi turned back to her.
"I'm thinking about it," she replied, crossing her arms.
"You're more than thinking about it. How many books did you actually read? Ten? Twenty?" Her friend asked pointedly as they gathered their own things so they could leave.
"... Twenty-one," she replied grudgingly. So maybe she should have been a bit more focused on her school work.
Kasumi stared at her for a moment before shaking her head. "I was joking. You're totally hooked on it now, aren't you?" She huffed and turned away, heading for the doors. Kasumi followed on her heels. "Seriously, have you even read that many books in the last year?"
"Reading a few books doesn't mean anything Kasumi," she replied as they walked down the path that led back through the small maze.
"It does when you don't read that much. I watched you as much as my sisters, Ranma. You don't read anything other than manga most of the time," the no-longer-older girl replied, "You don't read that much because of a passing interest."
Ranma ignored her. So what if she was reading a lot? Tanks and Sensha-do were interesting, but that didn't mean she was going to join up. And even if she did, she could only imagine how annoyed her mother would be.
"I'm thinking about it Kasumi," she finally said as they entered the center of the maze. They walked past a small fountain and a couple of girls on a bench snoring and leaning against each other. "Just thinking."
"Uhuh," Kasumi didn't sound convinced, but then she hadn't sounded all that convincing herself. "Sure you are. I'm going to join. It'll be exciting for once." She'd had plenty of exciting, but… Ranma would be lying if she tried to pretend she wasn't bored already.
"I'm thinking about it. And that's it," she said firmly. As Kasumi opened her mouth to continue she cut her off. "Where's the classroom from here?" Kasumi sighed and then fished out her cell phone, pausing to snap a photo of the sleeping couple.
"Out of the maze for a start," she said as she fiddled with it, "we've got another hour you know, we don't need to be there yet."
"I'd like to find it sooner rather than later," Ranma replied as she guided her friend out of the center square of the maze and back towards the rest of the school.
"It's… A few hundred meters that way… no wait," Kasumi paused with her hand pointed to the west of the ship, "uuuh, this way?" she pointed the other way, "I have no idea. I'm completely turned around here."
"Come on," with a sigh Ranma dragged the brunette along. They'd figure it out when they exited the maze. As Kasumi continued to mutter and glance down at her phone every few seconds she was just happy that she'd dropped the Sensha-do matter.
Now if only she could stop thinking about it.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Furinkan High School had been built in the early nineteen fifties and those who attended it would attest it looked every bit the part. A concrete box filled with identical rooms with tasteless tile floors and cheap sliding doors that jammed every third time they opened. It was the very definition of reconstruction styling and those who attended school there had grown used to the oppressive and stagnant atmosphere.
St. Gloriana's was the opposite of Furinkan High. The walls were papered with tasteful blues framed by dark wood. Hallways had small seating areas with cafe style tables for drinking tea and convenient teapots available in cabinets. Many of these small seating areas were occupied by students enjoying their lunches. Paintings of people and large picturesque landscapes decorated the halls along with a handful of bulletin boards near the elevators and stairways.
"Hey, this looks familiar," Kasumi said as the two of them paused to examine a bulletin board that was already covered in advertisements for tutoring. The brunette pointed to a picture on the wall next to the bulletin board.
Ranma examined it for a moment. "Isn't that the same as the painting with the Matilda in my room back at the mansion?" she asked.
"I think so," her friend agreed. After sharing bemused looks they continued onto their destination on this floor, Classroom 3A-1. Placed just down the hallway from the stairs was the dark wood door of their classroom.
"This is it," Kasumi said after checking their papers one last time, "Right, now that we've found it lets go explore."
"With…" Ranma pulled out her phone, "ten minutes left?" She shook her head as Kasumi wilted. "If you wanted to get here on time, you shouldn't have read the map upside down."
"It wasn't upside down! I just… Got the landmarks turned around is all," the brunette defended, her cheeks burning red.
"Uhuh, sure. Let's head in," Ranma said, dropping the topic as she slid open the door of the classroom. The lights were off as they stepped into the small classroom. Ten desks sat in a half-circle around the teacher's desk. A countertop at the back had ten identical teapots on little heating elements.
"It's a bit dark in here," Kasumi said, finding and flicking the light switch. Ranma blinked at the sudden extra light.
"Hey! I'm trying to read here!" A girl they had both missed by the window in an armchair, one of eleven around the room by small cafe tables, complained. Black-haired with twin braids and large square glasses she glared at them over the top of a very large leather-bound book. A golden question mark with unusually fuzzy edges, almost like fur, was emblazoned on the front of the book.
"Don't people usually prefer the lights on when reading?" Ranma replied.
The girl huffed and raised her book again. "I prefer natural light, thank you." Ranma glanced over at Kasumi and received a shrug as their apparent classmate went back to her book.
Walking over to the desks they found each one had a sheet of paper on it with the name of a specific student. At a guess, Ranma assumed that they were meant to indicate where each of them was supposed to sit. Their desks were right beside each other closer to the window where the other girl was ignoring them. Ranma set her bag down next to her seat and sat down. Kasumi sat down on her left.
The brunette fished out her phone and a moment later Ranma rolled her eyes at the beeps and boops of a game. She glanced towards the girl by the window and caught the annoyed look the girl was sending Kasumi. Her gaze shifted to Kasumi, and she had to stifle a snort as the brunette glanced up at her from the phone and grinned.
A couple of minutes passed before the door swung open again. The girl who walked through had Ranma half-way out of her chair before her eyes processed that no, Shampoo had not just walked through the door. Her hair was long, with the same startling shade of purple as the amazon and even more disturbingly the same style, though her buns were held up by small chains of jade with little decorative turtles. Actually, there were a lot of turtles. Turtles braided into her tie. Turtles hanging from her bag, or stuck onto its side. There was even a turtle plushie sticking out of her school bag.
"Um, hello? You don't need to stand on my account," the girl said, blinking at them behind green turtle-themed frames.
"Sorry," Ranma mumbled, blushing as she sat back down, "You just look a lot like someone I know. It's the hair." She gestured vaguely, and the other girl nodded. She plucked at her hair.
"You know someone else with hair like this? Weird," she said as she walked over. "I'm Shiori Jin. Nice to meet you." She bowed in greeting. Kasumi and Ranma bowed back. The other girl glanced over the top of her book and waved abruptly before going back to it. "Doesn't say much, I take it?"
"No idea, we just met," Ranma replied, "I'm Ranma Saotome."
"And I'm Kasumi Tendo," Kasumi waved while leaning out from behind Ranma, "And you're Shiori, right?"
"Yes?"
"Your desk is over here," she pointed to the one next to her.
Shiori walked around and checked the name. "Yeah, that's me," she agreed, setting down her bag on the desk. "So, Ranma, I've never heard of someone outside of my family with hair like this. Where did you meet them?"
"China," she replied.
"China? Huh, well, my Grandmother is Chinese, but she doesn't like talking about her life there. At all," the purple-haired girl said, tapping her cheek, "Any chance I could meet her?"
"I'd advise against it," Ranma deadpanned, "She spent the first six months we knew each other trying to kill me over a misunderstanding." Shiori paled and scooted backwards in her chair.
"Nevermind then," she squeaked. Kasumi sighed.
"Try not to traumatize our classmates on the first day, Ranma," she chided.
The redhead blinked at her. "Traumatize? Xian Pu spent six months chasing me across China," Shiori stare went blank, "with that damned sword because of her village's laws. I'm the one who should be traumatized."
"The fact you can talk about it so casually might be doing it by itself," her friend replied, glancing over at the purple-haired girl.
"I think I understand why Grandma doesn't like talking about it," the girl muttered.
"Depends on why she left, assuming she left at all. I've met a few others with hair like yours… All in China actually," Ranma mused before shrugging. China had some weird hair colours.
The door clicked open.
None of which had been green hair like the girl who walked through the door. Long locks of seaweed green hair spilled freely down the back of a tall girl with deeply bronze tanned skin and red eyes. She nodded their way before sliding into the seat by the door without a glance down at the paper.
"Hello," Shiori said, waving politely despite the still slightly spaced-out expression she had.
"Hello," the girl replied with a slight smile.
"I'm Shiori Jin, these two are Ranma Saotome and Kasumi Tendo. The girl by the window still hasn't given her name," the purple-haired girl called over her shoulder. The girl glanced over the top of her book, then promptly went back to reading.
"Setsuna Nyakuni, a pleasure to meet you," she replied, clasping her hands in front of her and bowing her head.
"Nice to meet you," Kasumi replied with a smile. Ranma echoed her. Setsuna smiled before turning her attention back to her bag.
"We've got a bunch of people with odd hair colours here, don't we?" Shiori mused. Ranma glanced around. She had a point. Her own hair was red, which was a bit odd for Japan, and there was Setsuna and Shiori as well.
"Three of five so far," Kasumi agreed.
"I didn't even realize green was a natural hair colour," Shiori said to Setsuna.
"It isn't." Shiori stared.
"Dyed?"
"No."
"... illness?"
"That would be natural."
"..." Shiori turned to Ranma and Kasumi, "Ideas?"
Ranma examined the smiling green-haired girl for a moment. "Magic?" The girl blink then nodded.
"Oh come on!" Shiori huffed and leaned back in her seat, "Magic doesn't exist!"
"Yes it does," Ranma, Kasumi, and to her surprise, the girl with the booking, all chorused.
Shiori paused to stare at all of them with clear disbelief. Setsuna just continued smiling mysteriously before going back to a notebook she had pulled out.
"Oh, so you believe in magic?" the girl with the book asked, adjusting her spectacles.
"We're from Nerima," Ranma replied. The girl paused, then marked her place in the book.
"My condolences," she said with a bow, once she had closed the book in her lap.
Ranma caught the twitch in Kasumi's eye at that. "It's Nerima. It really isn't that bad," Kasumi grumbled.
"Martial Arts table tennis," Ranma deadpanned. Shiori mouthed the words with a more incredulous expression.
"On Sundays in the park during the summer only," her friend replied with a huff.
"Phoenix. Both the tribe and the bird," Ranma continued.
"The first was from China, the second was Tatewaki's fault. You know how he gets," Kasumi said, her cheeks going red.
"Martial Arts shogi."
"That is an international sport-"
"That started in Nerima. Martial Arts Tea Ceremony," Ranma continued. By that point, the rest of the girls had stopped everything else. "You can't claim that one isn't native. They've lived there for three hundred years!"
Further description of Nerima was brought to an end as the door clicked open again, letting in two girls in mid-conversation. The first was a black-haired girl, though Ranma quickly noted the blonde roots visible from her poor hair dye-job. She was around the same height as Setsuna and had a black decorative musical note pinned to the strap of her bag. The other girl, however, was passingly familiar to Ranma. Scarcely taller than Ranma herself, Rin Kibe walked into the room with a confident stride.
"-believe I wound up in your class Rin," the blonde-who-wasn't said, "I was so sure that even if I made it I wouldn't do as well as you."
The black-haired girl sighed. "I told you you were more than good enough," she said with a shake of her head. She paused as her eyes met Ranma's. She smirked. "Ah, well here's a face I didn't expect to see. You're the Hayashida girl from yesterday, right? Rin Kibe, Heiress to the Kibe Clan, nice to meet you." She bowed.
Ranma stood up and returned it. "Ranma Saotome, Heiress of the Hayashida School," she replied as Michiru had drilled into her over the last several weeks.
"Hello, I'm Yume Oshima," the not-blonde said, waving to everyone with a shy smile.
"Nice to meet you Yume," Kasumi said, "I'm Kasumi Tendo." Introductions went around the room and the two girls found their seats. They were conveniently next to each other with Rin sitting next to Ranma.
"Neighbours twice over it seems," the other girl mused as she sat down. She fiddled with the left hairband holding together one of her twin streamers of black hair.
"Kind of surprising I guess," Ranma agreed, "I wasn't expecting to meet you here."
"Neither was I," Rin admitted. The other girl twirled a pen between her fingers as she leaned back in her chair, one arm over the back as she faced Ranma. "Life has its odd turns, doesn't it?"
"I've seen stranger," she replied, shrugging as the other girl snickered.
"Yeah, I bet you have. Is it true you came from Nerima before you-" she began to ask when the door banged open. It bounced off the wall hard enough it swung back to slap hard into the waiting palm of a girl only a couple of inches taller than Ranma.
She had large blue, nearly purplish, hair that hung loosely down to the backs of her knees. Purple eyes that sparkled behind glassless frames. A high-collared red cape, which Ranma was sure was against regulations, billowed dramatically around her ankles. Her spare hand, the one carrying her bag, was thrust into the air palm open and bag hanging from her thumb.
"BEHOLD! Class 3A-1 of St. Gloriana's first year, your star, Takara Seto, has arrived!" she shouted. You could have heard crickets chirp in the silence that followed as the entire room, and several girls passing in the hallway stopped to stare at the girl.
Everyone jumped in their seats as a book was slammed shut. "YOU!" Ranma blinked as the girl in the chair snapped to her feet in an instant, her book held before her like a shield. Her eyes were welded on the new girl with hate Ranma rarely saw directed at anyone other than herself.
Takara grinned and threw her hands out wide. "Mari!" she shouted with a sly grin. "So my archrival is here as well. I should have known."
"Known! You said you were going to Saunders!" 'Mari' snarled.
The new girl shrugged. "Mother decided otherwise, which suuuuuucks, but hey, we get to continue our competition, ain't that great?" Ranma took the loud teeth grinding as a sign that Mari didn't agree.
Ranma leaned over to Kasumi. "Wasn't this place supposed to be less weird than Furinkan?" she asked.
"Yep." Kasumi smiled, "I'm sorry Ranma, but your luck strikes again." She giggled as Ranma's face fell. In the background, the two girls were having an… calling it an argument was inaccurate. You needed two people to be disagreeing and despite the amount of anger radiating off of Mari she was not two people.
Honestly, wasn't St. Gloriana's supposed to be peaceful compared to Nerima?
The door opened again and everyone turned once more to see who it was. A woman, probably in her late twenties or early thirties, stepped through the door wearing a blue blazer and several flowers in her hair. She smiled as she saw everyone. "Ah, we're all here already. Wonderful, that doesn't happen too often on the first day," she said, making her way to the front desk. "Everyone, please take your seats." She paused to smile specifically at Takara. "Quietly, please."
Takara blushed and found her seat… directly on the right-hand side of Mari. The twin-tailed girl rested her head on her desk quietly as she realized who was sitting next to her. Takara helpfully patted her on the shoulder.
The grinding of teeth intensified.
The woman, who Ranma assumed was their teacher, pulled a few stacks of papers from her bag and set her bag into her chair. She smiled brightly at the class, somehow managing to look almost as young as they were for a moment. "A new year, a new class, with new students. I love this time of year," she said, "Why don't we start with some introductions? I'll go first, but only after that cape is stowed in your bag, Ms…?"
Takara blushed under the teacher's attention. "Takara Seto, Ma'am. Do I have to?"
"I'm afraid so. Capes are not an approved uniform deviation. If you feel cold or it is raining there are uniform jackets available Ms. Seto," their teacher chided her. Once the cape was put away she smiled. "I am Mrs. Atsuko Totoyama, age thirty-eight," which, Ranma thought, would put her at the same age as her mother, "and I am an Alumnae of St. Gloriana's Girls College and later the University of Cambridge in England. I was a member of the Tea Room before my graduation and went by the name Jasmine. You are free to call me either Mrs. Jasmine or Mrs. Totoyama. I'm happy to answer to either. I enjoy Tea Ceremony and watching Sensha-do. Now, we'll start here on the left," she gestured to Setsuna, "and work clockwise. Remember to include some of your personal interests. Please begin, Ms?"
The seaweed-haired girl stood up. "Setsuna Nyakuni, age fifteen," she said with a smile, "I attended middle school in Sasebo. I enjoy dancing and tennis, and my hair is not dyed." She took her seat again.
"What sort of dancing?" Mrs. Jasmine asked.
"Ballroom," Setsuna replied. Mrs. Jasmine nodded then gestured to Mari.
The bookish girl stood up, adjusting her square glasses. "I am Mari Miyabi. I am fifteen years old and attended middle school at Minari-Toshima Academy in Yokohama. I have two sisters still attending there, and I enjoy reading and studying," she said.
"And fluffy things," Takara chimed in as Mari sat down.
"Let others speak for themselves Ms. Seto," Mrs. Jasmine said, "And it is your turn now."
Takara leaped to her feet and onto the desk with what looked like a very practiced motion. Yume and Mari both scooted to either side as the desk rocked. "I am Takara Seto, age fifteen, a brilliant and beautiful straight A+ student from Minari-Toshima Academy," she declared, "I love reading manga, watching anime, and attending conventions~! I will one day collect every manga in the world!" She posed, pointing dramatically at the sky with her head thrown back.
Ranma and Kasumi exchanged looks of exasperation. Well, Ranma's was exasperated. Kasumi just looked resigned.
"Your luck," the brunette grumbled under her breath.
"Not. My. Fault," she hissed back.
Polite applause came from Shiori, Setsuna, and Yume once it was clear that Takara was done.
"How… Ambitious," Ranma could hear the effort required as Mrs. Jasmine tried to keep a straight face, "Please get off the table Ms. Seto. If you could avoid making that a habit?"
"Maybe?" Takara offered as she scrambled down. Ranma definitely caught a small sigh from their teacher. She could sympathize, but there was no way Mrs. Jasmine would have lasted a week in Nerima if she was already having problems with one little girl.
It was a slow week if at least two students didn't declare absurd goals at the top of their lungs. That and at least one honour duel that may or may not have included Ranma.
"Next?" Mrs. Jasmine said.
Yume stood up at a positively normal pace compared to Takara. She bowed to the teacher. "I'm Yume Oshima, age fifteen. I attended middle school here on the Ark Royale at School one-oh-three on floor, section 14C. I enjoy studying, flower arranging, and playing the piano." She took her seat.
"How long have you practiced the piano?" the teacher asked.
"Three years," Yume replied, "It's a lot of fun." Her smile was beaming.
"I would suggest the music class when it comes time for electives. You'll probably enjoy it quite a bit," she turned to Rin, "And next?"
Rin stood up gracefully, brushing one of her twin-tails back over her shoulder. "My name is Rin Kibe, age fifteen. I'm the Heiress of the Kibe Clan. I attended middle school at School one-oh-three as well. I enjoy studying, reading, and practicing Sensha-do."
"Oh? I assume you're going to sign up for the Sensha-do club then?" Mrs. Jasmine asked.
"That is correct. I'd have already signed up, but they don't accept applications until after the festival," Rin sighed, taking her seat again.
"Unfortunately. I never did have the courage to sign up myself," Mrs. Jasmine sighed melancholically, "But a girl like yourself should go quite far. And, next?" She looked expectantly at Ranma.
She stood up, butterflies forming in her stomach. Introductions always got to her. She bowed to the room. "I'm Ranma Saotome, Heiress to the Hayashida Family. Age fifteen" she said, the lie slipping easily off her tongue, "I was homeschooled," another lie that made her butterflies worse, "and I enjoy reading manga and practicing martial arts." She hurriedly sat back down. The chair bounced slightly with the force.
"Martial Arts? Not Sensha-do?" Mrs. Jasmine sounded surprised.
"I didn't even know what Sensha-do was until a few weeks ago," she said, getting startled looks from everyone except Kasumi. After a moment the teacher's eyes widened and she sighed.
"I see. So what Martial Arts do you practice?" their teacher asked.
"Umm…Mainly the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, but I've picked up a lot of others. These days I basically practice a bit of everything."
"Everything? You can't be serious," Takara said, incredulously.
"You mean, like Karate, aikido, jiu-jitsu, that sort of thing?" Shiori asked.
"Those are basic things," Ranma shrugged, "You have to learn all of those and a bunch of others before you can even start on the Saotome School. I've learned a lot of more esoteric schools like Martial Arts Tea Ceremony since."
"... Tea Ceremony?" Mrs. Jasmine repeated.
"It's a branch of Ninjutsu," she replied.
"Well… It is nice to see that you're fairly active." Ranma just barely kept herself from rolling her eyes. She seemed like a nice lady, but there was no way Mrs. Totayama would have ever survived Nerima with her sanity intact. "And next we have…?"
Kasumi stood up with her most innocent and charming smile. "I am Kasumi Tendo. Age fifteen. I attended Furinkan Middle School in Nerima previously." The teacher dropped her pen in shock and several of their classmates stared. "I enjoy cooking, studying, and I'm looking forward to signing up for Sensha-do. Furinkan never had a Sensha-do program."
Probably, Ranma figured, because the Kuno's didn't want their nutty children to have access to tanks.
"With good reason," Mari deadpanned, earning nods from Takara and Rin. Ranma stifled her snickers politely behind one hand as she watched Kasumi twitch slightly.
"It- It is nice to have you, Kasumi. I hope you enjoy your time here," Mrs. Jasmine said with a smile that seemed even more forced than before.
Shiori stood up without waiting for prompting. She bowed to the class, her turtle hair ornaments jangling. "I am Shiori Jin. Age fifteen. I attended middle school at Toyoahis Middle School in Yokohama. I enjoy Historical European Martial Arts, the sciences, and turtles."
"Another martial artist. I don't believe I've ever had two in one class before," Mrs. Jasmine said with a more genuine smile as Shiori sat back down. "We do seem to have quite the varied class this year."
She sorted her handouts for a moment while the class waited. "Today is the first day of class. For today my job will be simply to welcome you to St. Gloriana's. Is anyone here familiar with St. Gloriana's first week practices?" Rin raised her hand, as did Mari, Takara, and Setsuna. "Hmm, an even split. St. Gloriana prefers to let our students get used to their classmates during the first week. As such you will not be receiving homework or assignments this week, though I would recommend reading the assigned textbooks ahead of time. Being prepared is never a bad choice." Something Ranma had learned the hard way.
"This week your classes will consist of whatever the eight of you desire so long as you travel in a group and do not leave this building," their teacher continued. Ranma shared a surprised look with Kasumi. This was nothing like Furinkan. "At lunchtime, I will come and inform you. You will still be required to travel as a group, but you can go anywhere on campus to eat. Visit the cafeterias or some of the restaurants."
Mari put her hand up.
"Yes Mari?"
The hand went down. "Anywhere on campus, but only as a group? We can't split into two groups?"
"No, we would prefer, and in fact require, you to move as a single group for the rest of the week," she replied, "Anything other questions?" No one was forthcoming immediately. "Do not be afraid to ask questions in this class. I expect you to do so. Especially since those here are the best in the grade as it stands today." Rin, Yume, and Mari all nodded, with Rin and Mari giving off small smug grins.
"Best in the grade?" Shiori asked, before blushing and clamming up, "Sorry."
Mrs. Jasmine chuckled. "It's okay. Eager, but better than not asking. Yes, for those of you unaware St. Gloriana sorts its students into classes by grade average. You eight have the highest GPA in your grade. Several of you just barely managed to cross the threshold with your entrance exams, but all of you are within the highest percentile in the school at present."
Highest- Ranma leaned back into her seat. Sure she'd thought she'd done well, but not that well. There had to have been mistakes made that lowered her grade. She had been sure there had been.
A glance confirmed that Kasumi was stunned with her mouth hanging open. Charming.
"There are expectations. I will be teaching with the expectation that you will be able to keep up." Takara raised her hand. "Yes, Takara?"
"And what happens if we fall below the minimum?" she asked.
"Good questions, Takara. If, at the end of the semester, you have fallen below the minimum threshold for the class you are in then when the classes are reshuffled for the next semester you will be moved to a different class of the appropriate grade average," she said, "Any questions?"
After a moment of unquestioning silence she smiled. "But I'm sure we won't have to deal with that. All of you strike me as smart girls, you should do just fine. Now, a few small things before I leave you for today. First, handouts." She passed out the stack of handouts.
Ranma flipped through the first stack of stapled pages. It was a list of electives and clubs with dates, times, and website addresses written in. The second handout was a single page double-sided pamphlet covering the 'St. Gloriana's Girls College's Opening Banquet'. Well, this would explain why Tsuya had told her to expect to be home late. She would have known about this.
Their teacher held up the first handout. "This is a complete list of offered electives and clubs. You are required to pick a club, which I know several of you already have. You are also required to select two electives. The clubs will be required to be handed in after the festival. The electives, however, need to be handed in on Monday next week. You can hand them in soon, but I would suggest doing a little research beforehand," Mrs. Jasmine said.
The list of electives was extensive with many standards like 'Art', 'Band', 'European History', and 'Home Economics'. There were a few odd ones mixed in like 'History of Tea', 'Fencing', 'Horse Racing', 'Racing', and 'Mechanics'. The clubs were even more eclectic with societies, clubs, organizations, and at least two 'foundations'. It was an odd showing for what seemed to be an otherwise ordinary school. As ordinary as a school this rich could be anyway.
"Consider them carefully. Talk them over with each other, and your parents or guardians," she continued, "Many of these electives can help determine your future. Now, as for your second handout. Tonight, at six in the banquet hall St. Gloriana's will host its annual opening banquet. All students are required to attend. Your parents have been informed. The doors open at five-thirty, do try to be there on time, and remember, stay together as a group." She wagged a finger at the lot of them. Everyone nodded.
She smiled. "Good. Now I'm going to leave you. Enjoy the rest of the day. Try to stay out of trouble please," She suggested as she shouldered her bag.
Rin's hand shot up. "Just one question before you go Mrs. Jasmine," she said.
"Hmm?" Their teacher looked up from where she was fiddling with a glasses case.
"If we already know what we want, can we just hand it back to you now?"
"I'm afraid not. You still need your parent or guardian's signature," she replied as she pulled out a pair of sunglasses, "Now enjoy the day." With that she strode out of the room, the door closing behind her awfully quickly.
"... Well, this seems like a waste of time," Takara opined, flopping back in her chair.
"First days usually are," Kasumi sighed as she flipped through the handouts. "At least we have these… Though why they waited until now to hand them out I have to wonder."
"It's to give us something to talk about," Rin said, "Where are you going? What are you going to do? Etc."
"Or we could just talk about how their lesson plan is 'lock eight girls in a room and see if they kill each other'," Takara snarked while crossing her arms. "It's like we're a social experiment."
"Thankfully we're not locked in the room," Mari said, glaring at her neighbour, "She said we can't leave the building unless told." Ranma rolled her eyes. She would have placed money on Mari attempting to kill Takara if that had been the case.
"So which ones are everyone going to take?" Everyone turned to Yume who blinked back at them, clearly surprised at the attention. "Um, I mean, one of us has to ask the question, right?"
"I thought I knew, but it really is a long list," Shiori replied. A chorus of agreements came from everyone except Rin and Setsuna.
"Why are there two racing electives? One for horse racing and just… racing?" Takara asked.
Rin, it turned out, was the girl with the answers. "St. Gloriana's fields an amateur period racing team," she said, "Think the 1930s style, only with more safety measures."
"... Shouldn't that be a club? Like Sensha-do?" Yume said after a moment. Rin shrugged.
"You'd think, but…" She flicked one of her twin-tails over her shoulder, "Anyway, I'm taking Fencing and Home Ec."
"Fencing sounds interesting," Kasumi mused.
"But not Home Ec.?" Ranma asked with a smirk. Her friend rolled her eyes.
"Oh don't start," the brunette grumbled.
"Not any good at cooking, I take it?" Shiori asked.
"Hahaha," Ranma started laughing, covering her mouth with both hands as Kasumi glared at her,
"Rather the opposite, actually," Kasumi said, ignoring Ranma with an overdramatic sniff, "I've had more than enough Home Ec. to last me a lifetime."
"Or two," Ranma chirped, ignoring the huff in favour of grinning at her friend.
Shiori blinked. "Ah… Hrm… I might try Fencing and… not sure about the other one. At least they have a HEMA club," she said, "Oh, hang on a sec. There's a combined archery and kendo class? Why combined? And why a class and not a club" The other girls shrugged.
"There's a kendo club," Mari pointed out, "Page fifteen." Everyone flipped to the page in question.
"Huh… Then why is there a class?" Shiori asked. No one had an answer to that.
"What about you Ranma?" Rin asked.
"Me? Not really sure," Ranma replied absently as she read over each entry. There were a lot of choices, and many of the things that interested her weren't exactly of a level for her to enjoy them.
"Maybe you should consider Home Ec.?" Kasumi suggested slyly, earning an eye roll from Ranma. Suggestions came in from the rest of the girls and soon everyone, except Setsuna, was offering ideas and suggestions for each other. Or making loud comments like Takara.
And that was how things began for class 3A-1. Several hours of talking about classes, clubs, and dealing with Takara,
As for Ranma, she was just happy that at least it wasn't entirely boring.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Five-thirty rolled around rather more quickly than Ranma had anticipated. Their group had, at the prompting of herself and Rin packed up some ten minutes earlier and started their walk over to the banquet hall. In the 'south-east' corner, technically the stern-starboard section, of the campus the banquet hall was situated atop a small hill overlooking the rest of the campus. Tucked away behind the theater it was of a similar English style.
Other groups of girls were converging on the building in groups of eight to ten. From all across the campus in little streams of people that trailed up staircases and down pathways. Voices filled the air across the small plaza outside the main entrance.
"Our destination!" Takara all but shouted, posing on top of a decorative rock beside the top step of the staircase they had just climbed.
"Can you calm down, or do you just have the one setting?" Yume asked, sounding tired as she watched the hyperactive girl point dramatically at the banquet hall, her cape fluttering in the constant low-level breeze that ran over the top of the Ark Royale.
The cape-wearing girl clenched her fist. "There is only one way to our destination! Forward! Always forward and onwa-hey!" she yelped as Mari dragged her off the rock by her cape. "MARI! My speech!"
"Later, when we aren't going to be late," her glasses-wearing rival deadpanned as she dragged her towards the hall.
"We have a half an hour!"
"Move!"
The rest of their classmates watched them go with various levels of bemusement. "This... This is going to be the new normal, isn't it?" Shiori asked the world. Ranma patted her on the shoulder.
"It'll be fine, don't worry about it," she assured her classmate with a grin. Things certainly weren't going to be boring at least.
"Come on everyone," Rin said, stepping out in front, "Let's go and catch up. I'd rather avoid getting in trouble because we split up."
"Oh they wouldn't blame us for that, would they?" Kasumi asked as they quickly followed the other girl. Rin shrugged.
"Who can say?" She replied with a dainty shrug.
"They would," Ranma sighed, falling in beside Rin.
They followed the flow of students into the entryway of the banquet hall. The building was quite similar to the theatre with the walls decorated in pictures of various clubs, scenes of battle, and a shrine in the corner room by the bathroom doors. A coat check was busy accepting coats, hats, and bags from the various girls who stopped there. Teachers scattered throughout the hall were gathering groups of girls to them, before leading them into the hall.
Mrs. Jasmine was waiting with Takara and Mari waiting by her side. The hyperactive girl looked slightly mutinous while Mari looked simply resigned. Mrs. Jasmine smiled as she caught sight of them. She waved as they walked over.
"Well, you got here on time. Lovely," Mrs. Jasmine said as she gave them all a look over. "No problems navigating I hope?" At the chorus of negatives, she smiled. "Wonderful. Now I will show you where you will be seated. This way please girls, you can take care of anything you need to after you know where to sit." She turned and headed through the broad double doors of the hall.
The girls looked around, with only Kasumi and Yume showing any real awe at the place. It was a very large hall, admittedly, with booths along the wall closest to the doors and more booths running half the length on the left and right. Round tables filled the rest of the floor, each large enough for the groups of eight to ten that made up each class. Several teapots and enough cups for the chairs sat in the centre of the tables. The left wall was a series of large windows that looked out over the rest of the campus. The banquet hall was just high enough up that it cleared the top of the theatre. The other walls had decorative wall hangings from both Japan and the United Kingdom. At the far end was a long table where the staff were sitting and behind them a large stage where a small band was preparing instruments. Unlike earlier this band appeared to be made up of adult professionals.
Mrs. Jasmine led them through the maze of tables to a table to the front off on the right-hand side. Most of the tables around them were older girls. "Here you go girls. Your table for tonight. Enjoy the evening," she said, nodding to them before heading for the head table.
"So this is it? An empty table?" Takara groaned as she flopped into her chair. She yelped as Mrs. Jasmine reappeared at her side.
"Oh, and Takara, turn in your cape at the check-in. Now please," their teacher said before disappearing again. Takara puffed her cheeks out.
"Why doesn't anyone like the cape?" she grumbled, standing up and heading back towards the entrance.
Rin sighed and shook her head. "Hasn't she read the uniform policy?" she asked.
"Has anyone?" Shiori asked. She blinked as everyone else raised their hands. "Oh."
"Page eighty-four of the student handbook," Rin said as she slid into a seat next to Ranma.
"I haven't gotten past page twenty," Shiori sighed, "I hate rulebooks, everything is always so boring."
"Then take breaks with something else. It helps," Yume suggested. Their table devolved into yet more small talk for a few moments before a familiar voice spoke up from behind Ranma.
"Hey, look who it is," Ranma glanced behind her.
Rosehip grinned as she leaned against the chair in the table behind them. "Hello, Rosehip," she said, waving to the older girl. Her eyes slid past the girl to the rest of her table. Most of the older girls were talking amongst themselves. A single short girl with bright chestnut hair pulled back in a small braided bun at the base of her neck was watching them over a cup of tea. She raised her cup in greeting and smiled gently when she caught Ranma's eye. She nodded back before turning back to Rosehip.
"Of all the luck. I never would have thought we'd be neighbours for the banquet. Any further thoughts on joining the Sensha-do Club?" Rosehip asked with a joking tone. Ranma rolled her eyes.
"Rosehip," the girl at the other table said sternly. It was Rosehip's turn to roll her eyes.
"Yeah, just joking Pekoe," she sighed, taking her seat. She shot the other girl a look. "Honestly, do you have to take up Darjeeling's role that well?" Pekoe just raised an eyebrow and sipped her tea.
"Ranma, would you like some tea?" Kasumi asked.
"Hmm, oh yes please, Kasumi," Ranma replied. Beside her, Rin leaned out from her chair.
"You're Vice-Commander Rosehip?" Rin asked, her eyes glittering eagerly.
"Hmm, yeah that's me," the older girl confirmed after a sip of tea from a cup one of her classmates had handed her. "And you are?"
"Rin Kibe. I'm planning on joining the Sensha-do club as soon as I can," she said.
The pink-haired girl grinned and leaned back in her seat. "Really? It's always nice to get new members. Any experience before?"
"I served as a gunner for the last three years," she replied.
"What type of tank?" Rosehip asked.
"Ranma, your tea," Kasumi set a cup in front of the distracted redhead. She smiled at Kasumi as she picked it up.
"A Hotchkiss H35," Rin said.
"Thank you Kasumi," Ranma replied, sipping the tea. She paused and glanced down at it. She sipped again. The tea had a bold and tart kick to it with a strong sweet taste mixed in. It was rather refreshing. "What is this?"
"Ooh, I drove one of those a few years ago. Spent six months driving one for my middle school before they picked up a Chaffee," Rosehip sighed.
Kasumi looked at the label on the small metal can of tea. "'Ruby Red'," she said, "Why?"
Ranma sipped it again. "I like it," she said after a few moments. Behind her Rin and Rosehip continued their conversation until, some ten minutes later, a soft 'ting ting ting' echoed through the room. Conversations around the room died out as the many filled tables turned their attention to the head table.
The Headmistress was standing at the centre of the table, a teacup and spoon in her hands. She set the spoon down and sipped the tea. "Good evening students of St. Gloriana's," she said, her voice carrying through the room with the help of speakers that were… Ranma glanced around. They were somewhere in the hall.
"I hope everyone has enjoyed their first day of this new school year?" Headmistress Tieguanyin asked. A few girls, Takara, Yume and Rosehip included, loudly called "yes". The Headmistress nodded as though it were expected, and it probably was. "Excellent. To our new students, welcome. To our old students, welcome back. I look forward to seeing how we all grow throughout this new year," she paused to take a sip of her tea, "Now, seeing as you have already sat through one long and, I'm sure many of you thought boring speech," a more than a few girls around the hall shuffled nervously as the Headmistress smiled, "I will try to keep this short."
"First, introductions for our new students. Allow me to introduce our capable and responsible staff. Starting with our dorm medical attendants. First, a new addition to our staff! Ms. Julie Statmore from the United Kingdom," a young blonde English woman stood up and bowed politely from the staff table.
Introductions continued with teachers, dorm mothers, and medical personnel being introduced one at a time to polite applause. After a while, the last teacher sat down and the Headmistress was left standing alone.
"Well, this has been quite the introduction and I'm sure that you are all getting quite hungry," on cue more than a few stomachs rumbled loudly. A few nervous giggles filled the hall as Tieguanyin smiled. "Then let me just say, enjoy the evening, enjoy the year, and enjoy the food." With that, she sat down even as the doors around the room opened and a stream of waiters and waitresses flowed into the room.
A pretty young man with his hair in a ponytail came to their table. "Good evening ladies," he said as he laid down menus in front of them. Each one was a leather-bound book with a trio of laminated pages inside. The selection was surprisingly broad as Ranma flipped through it. It was, however, also entirely English in inspiration. Beef roasts, fish and chips, roast potatoes, lamb chops, cottage pie, and various seasonal vegetables dominated the menu. She didn't even recognize most of what was listed in the appetizer or dessert sections.
What exactly was a 'Reuben Sandwich'?
"Hello," Yume and Kasumi chirped. Ranma glanced up at her classmates and promptly politely ignored how both of them, and oddly Setsuna, were eyeing him up like a steak.
"My name is Daisuke, I will be your waiter tonight," he said with a smile, "Tonight we have a few options for you, but first would anyone like anything to drink beyond the provided teas? Or perhaps prefer to order a tea from the menu?"
A few of the other girls placed orders for things, but Ranma decided to stick with her tea. It was quite nice. After the waiter left she leaned over to Kasumi. "Enjoying the view?" she asked smugly. Kasumi blinked at her, then blushed.
"He's cute," she defended.
Ranma grinned. "Sure he is. Are you sure you turned back into a high schooler just to get better grades?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Kasumi's blush deepened.
"I have no idea what you're suggesting," she replied.
"'Younger men are boring' I think Akane said you said," Ranma replied smugly before going back to her tea and ignoring her friend was now as bright red as Ranma's hair. After a couple of minutes, she was pulled into small talk by Rin and Yume discussing the clubs.
Eventually, the waiter returned to take their orders. Ranam ordered several meat pies, a Reuben sandwich, and two orders of fish and chips. Bye the time the waiter left her entire group was staring at her.
"Can you actually eat that much?" Takara asked, staring at her horrified. Yume nodded her agreement.
"... I wouldn't have asked for it if I couldn't?" Ranma said, glancing around. Why was it always how much she ate that caused this?
"She normally eats more," Kasumi said.
She shrugged. "I'm saving room for desert."
"... Of course. Because ordering enough food for ten men is leaving space for other foods," Rin deadpanned before taking a sip of her tea.
"If it works, don't question it," Ranma said flatly in reply before taking a sip of her own tea.
"The number of things wrong with that statement…" Shiori mumbled.
Ranma shrugged and ignored them. She was hungry, she would eat.
A while later, as the food arrived and the band began to play and the amount of conversation slowly ticked back up, Ranma had to admit it had been a decent first day. Certainly a lot better than Furinkan. It was a lot better than her middle school with Ryouga as well. No brawling in the hallways or cafeteria over bread. Everyone had been polite, the food was good, and things were looking up.
As Takara got into another argument with Mari over something and she answered a few questions Shiori had about martial arts other than HEMA she had to concede, it wasn't just a decent day. It was a good day.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Several hours later, Ranma set her bag down on her desk with a sigh. The day had proven to be quite long and it was already night time. She pulled the form for clubs out of her bag and set it down on her desk. She spared a moment to look it over again. Most of it hadn't caught her eye so far and wasn't likely to. Then there was that small, and growing, part of her that wondered what it would be like to do Sensha-do.
It wasn't like she could get anything out of the other martial arts clubs.
She shook her head and sighed. There would be time to look it over tomorrow. For now, she was just going to relax and waste a little bit of time.
She fished her phone out of her bag and checked the charge on it. It was still fairly good. Nodding to herself, she walked over to her bed as she flicked on the cell phone.
Cell phones. They were funny little things. Small, palm-sized at most, and so versatile. Her pops had insisted that they were 'useless toys' and deliberately refused to use anything that didn't have a wire attached to it.
Ranma lay down with a sigh and flipped open her phone. It was his loss. Had she known how useful they were before she would have picked one up herself just for the boredom relieving aspect. And speaking of boredom.
She tapped one of the game apps on her phone and a moment later the folk music theme of Farmville drifted out of her phone's speakers. Launching her saved game she sighed and adjusted her pillow.
"So much better than Nerima," she yawned as the game loaded in.
An hour later, as she was still playing the game. Everything was quiet and the breeze was blowing in from the far end of the room keeping it nice and cool for her. It was a good evening to relax. No homework yet and no classes beyond the continued meet and greet the next day.
Nice.
Quiet.
Perfect.
Then the breeze shifted.
In a room with one open window.
Her phone dropped to the pillow as she kicked up into a handstand, twisted her body on the fulcrum of her wrist, and launched herself at the suddenly open window beside her bed.
Shoeless feet met flesh and cotton as her father wavered into sight. His eyes bulged out in pain as her foot caught him in the stomach while he was halfway through her window. Spittle flew as the force carried them both out of the window and into the air over the backyard.
As she passed through the window she caught the barest glimpse of Mr. Tendo balancing precariously on the ledge, his jaw agape as he watched them pass by.
She kicked off her father and flew back up into the air in an arc that saw her land lightly on one of the decorative spires. Her father, on the other hand, plowed into the concrete below, sending debris and bits of powdered stone into the air. The racket alone must have woken everyone who had turned in early for at least a block.
Ranma scowled down at her father, radiating annoyance. This. She did not want to deal with this.
So much for her perfect day.
-0-0-0-0-0-
A/N: Hello~ It's been a rather long time since I wrote a chapter for this *awkward kitsune* Maybe a little too long, but I've managed to successfully distract myself a lot. By accident. Here, Ranma with british school girls who aren't. I hope you enjoyed it~
Proof-read by me, as usual~ *Floofing Kitsune* ~ @Gekkou_Yoko
Vortex279
Changer of Fate, Seeker of Donuts
- Location
- Del Rio, Texas
Oh heck Yes! Im glad you are still writing this story! I really hoped that I would get to see Ranma upend all the delicate sensibilities of the snooty girls that are present in this school! LOL!
EDIT: Though I must say, after giving this chapter a second readthrough, they actually get along better than I imagined at the start.
EDIT: Though I must say, after giving this chapter a second readthrough, they actually get along better than I imagined at the start.
Last edited:
jwolfe_beta
Semi Genre-Savvy Overlord
- Location
- Canada
Formatting bug here. That or something got cut off.
Or for anything not involving driving your tank at maximum speed.
Walls can't be that high. Just have Ranma do a straight standing jump and she can see the exit.
Bets that Shiori is going to get some first-hand examples of magic as the story continues?
AHAHAHAHAHAHA- Oh wait you're serious. Let me laugh even harder.
No, just weird in a different way.
Genma and Soun, doing what they do best: Halping for their own personal gain.
Vortex279
Changer of Fate, Seeker of Donuts
- Location
- Del Rio, Texas
quick question @jwolfe_beta , how do you quote like that without getting the supertitle that usually shows up on normal quotes, as well as having so many in a row? I've tried, but it always comes out awkward and messed up?
jwolfe_beta
Semi Genre-Savvy Overlord
- Location
- Canada
OK when you quote somebody you get a string that gives the memeber name and the post your quoting.
For instance when I quoted you I got -bracket- QUOTE="Vortex279, post: 17409866, member: 25054" -bracket-
All you need to do is delete the bolded parts so the only thing you have is -bracket- QUOTE -bracket-.
You can also get an empty quote box by going right of the smilies button (insert) and select 'quote'.
Vortex279
Changer of Fate, Seeker of Donuts
- Location
- Del Rio, Texas
OH! "Gibbs Smacking occurs" I can't believe that I missed something like that! Those will both be useful for my quotes in the future! Thanks so much!
And on another note, I have a question for @Grounders10. Is Takara supposed to be a token stand-in for Kuno (Kodachi or Tatewaki, although Tate fits Takara better)? She is certainly bombastic enough for the comparison.
And on another note, I have a question for @Grounders10. Is Takara supposed to be a token stand-in for Kuno (Kodachi or Tatewaki, although Tate fits Takara better)? She is certainly bombastic enough for the comparison.
BlackoutSampler
So Easily Forgotten
Honestly, I'm surprised Genma isn't a panda since he probably swam onto the ship.
And oof, collateral damage in a actually rich neighborhood. This might cause trouble for Ranma moving on.
And oof, collateral damage in a actually rich neighborhood. This might cause trouble for Ranma moving on.
Erk.
Well, being a British stereotype is on point, I guess.
He does have a lot of practice fighting under various exotic restrictions. Surely this new one won't be a stretch too far?
That would be 'alumna', which is female and singular, 'alumnae' is the female plural.
It's also not capitalized, it's not a name.
Deck. This is a ship. It also needs a number.
Fewer than you are thinking I fear.
Not that much. Someone just secretively forced entry into her rooms, her violently objecting is entirely reasonable. If anything, security is far more likely to have an issue with Genma and Soun for their actions.
Last edited:
Grounders10
Nine-Tailed Kitsune
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada, Mars