Entrée 1: Tenouji Ren
Toou Academy was a world-famous institution for its unimaginably vast courses on offer. No doubt, students could study on pretty much any topic, so long as their family could afford the expenses needed.
Erected at the heart of its privately owned, self-sufficient metropolis, the academy consists of 3 departments: primary, secondary, and tertiary. What sets apart the tertiary division from the other two is the infinite time allowance to its members in pursuing as many fields of study as they please before graduating; the only issue to them, then, would be the maintenance of outstanding findings and proof of excellence throughout their stay. If not, a forced graduation would be implemented.
It's only fair that they keep up with the school's prestigious standards. After all, only 0.1% of secondary students make it into that branch.
One of the current residents of the tertiary suite building is Tenouji Ren, an extremely handsome 20 year-old legend known to have retained a full scholarship upon admission. His hair had a smooth texture with a dirty blonde color. He had eyes that shone an icy shade of blue and a sexy beauty mark under the left eye. All in all, the lean, five foot nine young man was deemed so attractive that he was ranked #1 in the Toou's Most Wanted Boyfriend category. Not only so, the distant-yet-so-close-to-touch aura had always drove the females in the academy crazy. Personal items like sports towels and stationary were common to sudden disappearances and appearances on secret auction websites. It would not be surprising to find pictures of him either, but as long as the girls weren't raiding his quarters, he didn't care.
This year, Ren had enrolled himself into a new course and was on his way to take a look at the place when…
“Ah, Tenouji-kun, just the person I wanted to see!” his former first-aid instructor called out. Ren halted and turned to face the elderly man. In the meantime, though, he noticed a brunette trailing after the teacher. Her head was lowered so that her fringe was covering her eyes, but Ren could still see the anxiety hidden underneath. Nevertheless, Ren mumbled a greeting as he briefly bowed.
“This here is Louise Chevalier. She’s recently applied to be a member of the tertiary branch and wants to check the place out, so who better to ask as a tour guide than the pride of the school himself?”
Ren remained speechless. That day was meant for him familiarizing himself with the new work station… how in the world was he to do so with a newcomer next to him?? He would have to politely reject the old man before it’s too late.
"Sir, I-"
“You've been here since you're how old... 10? I’m sure you can walk around the campus blindfolded without getting lost!”
He was referring to Ren entering the tertiary division at the age of 15.
The instructor chuckled at his own jesting and quickly urged the hesitant girl to join the young man before he could argue any further, much to the latter’s exasperation. Did he have no say in this? “She’s new, so don’t tease her too much eh. Introduce her to the others, will you?”
After giving Ren’s shoulder a pat, the senior instructor left the two students to their own devices. Classes wouldn't begin until the following week so she could explore the grounds on her own... Why would the instructor give special attention to her?
What a pain… Ren thought as he resumed towards his initial destination. Although apprehensive, Louise followed suit. She didn’t know of anything she could do anyway. Neither one of them broke the steady shoe-clicking beats against the cobblestone road, so Louise focused her attention onto the leafy cherry blossom trees by the path.
“Tenouji Ren,” Ren abruptly introduced himself.
“Louise Chevalier.”
Louise was a short girl with fair skin - not even reaching Ren’s shoulder height. Her shoulder-length hair took on a color leaning more towards light brown than strawberry blonde. The right side of her hair was purposely grown longer than the rest though, so it was reaching just above her waist and tied loosely into a braid. As rare as eye colors go, Louise had a pair of grayish eyes. Ren was unsure as to whether she was French, since her last name was the only information source he had at the time. However, she didn’t carry any French accent in her speech.
Ren was, in reality, one-eighth Japanese, quarter French and half English, so he knew of the struggles one would face when they don’t have a pure ethnicity background. People would become confused whenever he spoke fluent Chinese, Korean, Spanish or German, besides his three mother tongues. After all, Ren looked neither fully Asian nor fully Western.
Before long, the two reached a multi-storied building, which modern exterior was achieved by a beautiful blend of timber, marble, and bulletproof glass walls. A nearby sign board displayed the word "Culinary".
“This is the tertiary department's culinary building,” Ren stated.
“Uhm… Tenouji-senpai? Are you, by any chance, enrolled in the culinary arts course?”
“Yeah.”
“Ah, I see. I’m in the textile program.”
This grabbed Ren’s attention; as far as he knew, rarely anybody in the branch was interested in that department. Everyone else went after more professional fields, like medicine and law. This girl, on the other hand, practically screamed hobby.
“You like clothes making?” Ren asked without thinking.
“Yes, very much!”
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Colored ribbons and ties, in Toou Academy, are a part of the uniform that serve to categorize students into one of the three sections of the school. Light green is for primary, fiery red for secondary, and golden-lined navy blue for the tertiary elites. Unlike their underclassmen, however, tertiary students are only required to wear their uniforms during special occasions, e.g. graduation day. Any other day would be casual wear.
It was the beginning of a new school year; all students have returned from vacations or trips back home. The cherry blossom trees along the cobblestone roads were near to blooming season – a relaxing scenery for a stroll along the way to the school buildings.
Contrasting the highly compacted restaurants, malls and miscellaneous stores further down the city district, the tertiary suites and education buildings were built relatively close to those of the lower divisions – around five minutes’ walk. Some underclassmen tend to use this advantage to talk to their favorite upperclassman.
“Good morning, Tenouji-sama!” chirped a female student with a red ribbon. Her friend next to her squeaked a greeting, as well.
“Good morning,” greeted Ren with his normal poker face, earning himself squeals from the secondary students. It was unusual enough for someone like Ren to respond to his underclassmen, much less returning a greeting.
~ Earlier that morning ~
“Ren, you have to be nicer to girls and smile more, alright?” Ren’s mother chided over the phone. “You’re already twenty years old! It’s high time you bring home a girlfriend for me to talk to.”
“But I don’t want to.”
“Ren~! Come on, your beloved mother wants to have a female companion to spend my retiring years with! Won’t you do this tiny favor for this poor old mother of yours?”
“…just ask your friends out for tea or something then. Whether or not I have a girlfriend should be none of your business, mother.”
Ren was growing irritated by the woman’s tedious nagging. It was all she did the moment he hit 18.
“Could it be that you’re shy, Ren?” his mother taunted. “Don't worry, I know just how to fix that, only if you ask politely. I’ll make sure to teach you the ways to a maiden’s heart!”
Ren facepalmed.
This conversation was going nowhere; lessons were about to start soon, too. Better coax his hopelessly whiny mother before she makes it worse the next time he calls home.
“The girlfriend thing won't happen anytime soon, but I’ll try to be nicer if that makes it any better.”
Ren knew, at that very moment, that he was going to regret the words that escaped his lips.
…and he was right.
~ Later that afternoon ~
“Ugh…” Ren groaned weakly as he lay sprawled out on the library carpet. Though built next to each other, only tertiary students are allowed into the tertiary library building, meaning: student IDs have to be checked. But for someone who had been a frequent visitor over the years, Ren was an exception.
Toou's tertiary library is a colossal ten-story building with each individual floors uniquely designed. The current floor Ren was situated in, for example, has a theme of lime green, white and maroon, which gives off a somewhat refreshing yet elegant feel to it. Theme-matching bean bags, sectional couches and coffee tables are also parts of this library, as well as the permit to eat and drink within premises.
Towering over Ren’s weary figure were mountains of thick, hard-covered books about the culinary arts, most of which he had yet to finish reading. For the entire day, he had to smile and respond to everyone who greeted him, including members of his fan club who knocked on the glass wall outside, leaving him mentally worn and unable to concentrate - he was on the ground floor, after all.
Never had he had this in mind the amount of effort needed of him when he made that promise to his mother. He could’ve sworn that he heard her laugh mockingly throughout the day at how pathetic he was.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
What have I gotten myself into…?
“Oh, Tenouji-senpai. Lying on the floor like that, are you alright?”
Ren blinked and redirected his gaze from the ceiling to the owner of the voice. Louise was bent over with a book held over her chest; her eyes gleamed a beautiful shade of gray against the late afternoon sun. Ren took a weary deep breath as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his arm. He then proceeded to shift himself up into a sitting position.
“It’s none of your concern, Chevalier,” he replied coldly as he tiredly ran his fingers through his hair, the golden strands almost shining under the sun. "You were allowed in here?"
“Yes. Am I not supposed to be in the library?”
“Technically, you're still not a member of the tertiary department, so you shouldn't be allowed in here."
“Oh, Ryuusei-sensei told the guards that I could come in."
That old instructor again...! Who the hell is this Chevalier!? Ren could barely keep his irritation in check when he noticed Louise's book.
"What's that?" Ren questioned, gesturing towards the book.
“This?” Louise held up her book questioningly before a sense of realization hit her. “Oh! I’m just looking for a good spot to read this. I’ve only skimmed through a few pages, but so far, I think it'll help with my entrance tests.”
It was a relatively thick paperback book with a drawing of a teddy bear in pajamas. Anybody could easily mistake it for a children’s bedtime storybook if not for the title A Beginner's Guide to Comfortable Wear. Ren narrowed his eyes.
“So your tailoring skills are so far behind that you're reading this? Basics in there should've been second nature if you're hoping for a chance in here.”
The brunette furrowed her brows and puffed her cheeks, from both the embarrassment of the truth in her skills and from the frustration towards how rude he had worded it. Aside from that, Louise could find no words to counter him.
“Tenouji, there you are. I’ve been looking the entire campus for you," a raven-haired man in casual clothing nonchalantly cut into the stale atmosphere. "Ryuusei-sensei wants me to get a book from you. What’s it called again… something about muscles? 'Said he’s been waiting to read it for a while.”
“Sorry, but you’re going to have to tell sensei that it’s been sent back home last month.” While it was true that Ren had sent the book home, he didn't want to have yet another book-casualty to that forgetful pair of wrinkly hands. That first-aid instructor had misplaced all of the books he's gotten from Ren! And the funny thing was that some were found crinkled on the school's toilet sink, while others were located among bushes in torn states near the city. Despite all of the teacher's denial, Ren could've sworn he was doing it on purpose.
“Man, he’s seriously gonna flip out and pull at his next-to-no-hair head when he hears this…! Should I auction off the last hair?”
"I'll pull it out now if you want."
The shorter man burst out in laughter, his sharp voice echoing the entire floor. Lucky for him, only the librarians were present and it didn't seem like they could care less about the noise. It was then that he finally realized he and Ren were not the only people there. “I didn’t know we had a new member. Tenouji, won’t you introduce us?”
"She's just a member wannabe. She's no one important."
"Hey hey hey, you shouldn't talk about girls like that. No wonder you're still single!" he teased. "As your senpai, I can give you a few pointers if you want?"
“Louise Chevalier,” Louise introduced herself as she made a small bow.
“Mitsuhashi Seijuuro.”
Seijuuro was a lean man standing just below Ren in height, probably around five foot seven. Nerdy, rectangle-framed glasses rested securely at the bridge of his nose. His eyes were a shade of brown that closely resembled dark red. Unlike Ren, who wore his navy blue tie and full uniform, Seijuuro settled with a comfortable white T-shirt and a pair of greenish brown, knee-length pants. He wasn’t outstandingly handsome, but his charming smile and bright laughter was enough to rank him within the top 10 most handsome men on campus.
“You Tenouji’s girlfriend?”
It was a sudden question, and Ren just so happened to be in the middle of drinking some water. Neither could the poor, choking boy deny his senior’s assumption, nor could the blushing girl make sense with all the frantic, weird arm dancing sign language of a performance.
A funny scene it was.
Seijuuro broke into an amused laughter. “I’m just joking~ There’s no way little Renny here would cheat on me and date a girl behind my back!”
This time, Ren spit and choked on his water. He had, for a brief moment, created a sprinkling water fountain to hydrate the carpet germs.
The fact that he "joked"about it without blinking left Louise wondering whether or not she should believe him. Heck, no sane person would dare publicly claim Ren as their own… not when there was a possibility of his fan club eavesdropping. “Wow, really? Mitsuhashi-senpai, please be careful of Tenouji-senpai’s fan club! They’ll skin you alive if they find out about it.”
…How many times had Ren choked on water that day…?
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Ren heaved a sigh of relief as he wiped his wet hair with a towel, having just exited the shower. He trudged across the bedroom, only to flop, face-down, onto his king-sized bed. The day had clearly drained much more of him than he’d hoped.
Just then, his cell phone, which had been previously left at the edge of the nightstand, began to vibrate.
Ren groaned in frustration. Who could the inconsiderate bastard be to call him at this time of day??
“Hello,” he answered, the grumpiness audible in his voice.
“Hey honey~!” No doubt, he knew exactly which jerk would slur the last two syllables on purpose. “Me and the others are throwing Louise-chan a good-luck party, and it’ll be great if you could come over now.”
Now? Ren looked down at his attire – only a bath towel wrapping around his hips. Besides, that girl wasn't his responsibility to begin with. Heck, the thought of simply associating with her sent shots of frustration up his head; she didn't belong here, and yet here she was getting special treatment to compensate for her lack of knowledge when he had to climb his way up like everybody else here.
It's unfair.
"That girl doesn't belong here. I'm against throwing her a party, too. Good night."
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“Cheers!” Sounds of clanking glass echoed the lounge as the members made a toast. Nothing sure is better than booze on a spring evening. Underage individuals were given the leisure of enjoying mocktails, of course.
Ren, who clearly had the word ‘unhappy’ plastered all over his face, rested his lower arms against the white-stoned balcony railing; at this point, he wanted nothing more than to lay down comfortably on his bed.
After he'd hung up, Seijuuro and a few of the guys crashed into Ren's suite and hauled him out with only the clothes he's currently wearing at the party. In the end, he's forced to join the party.
Ren heaved a fatigued sigh and grew fixated onto the glistening lights from the city district below. It was then that Seijuuro approached to him with a smile. "Why the ugly face? Everybody's being happy for a new person possibly joining us... even though you were kind of forced into coming."
"I'm leaving." At that, Ren turned towards the exit, only to be stop by the shorter man grabbing his arm. The blonde tilted his head, eyes slightly narrowing at Seijuuro's serious expression.
"You know, it's not so bad to just accept it as it is. What are you fighting against?"
My own principles.
“Huh? What crap are you blabbering about?” Ren turned and tugged his arm out of his upperclassman's grasp. Seijuuro didn't make any remarks. "Besides, a soon-to-be tertiary member won't be revising about the basic of the basics when their entrance exams are this close-"
"Enough!"
The raven-haired's voice rang in the air. Luckily, everyone else were too busy or drunk to even notice the conflicting atmosphere. Ren's eyes widened; never had Seijuuro raised his voice like he had that day. Why was he shielding the girl so much? Could it be that she's bribing everyone at the academy? If so, it would be good to get to the bottom of this--
"Who are you to judge her without even seeing her test scores?! I know you're the one of the best students here in Toou, but it seems like you're getting a little too conceited and arrogant." At that, Seijuuro stomped pass his junior and stopped in front of the balcony door.
"There will come a time where humility is something you'll need to survive."
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[Edited 08/29]
Author's Note:
Do feel free to express your opinions about the story so far and suggestions on how you want it to go!
...there's no guarantee that I'll fully implement that but it never hurts to get some afterthoughts from another person's perspective :3
I hope you'll stick around to read!