“Alright everyone, enough screwing around! The new students are here, show them some respect.”
The hustle and bustle of the classroom settled into a curious murmur as all eyes darted to the front. It was a large room, and the numerous empty seats showcased the unusual state of the class - this wasn’t a standard academy, and the variety of pupils that filled the current seats were clearly not regular either.
A young man strolled up to the blackboard as he was beckoned in. His steps were wary, and while his uniform was neat and tidy, his onyx-black hair was messy and hung softly over his forehead. His features were sharp and well-defined, and while he would certainly be considered good-looking by most, he didn’t have any outstanding attributes.
The man at the front nodded, as the newcomer reached for the chalk and wrote his name on the board in broad strokes.
“My name is Ishitake Yuuji, but you can just call me Yuuji. Let’s see… I’m Japanese by birth, but I’ve travelled around the world for most of my life so you don’t have to worry about formalities or anything, I’m pretty accustomed to western culture.”
Yuuji gave a well-practised half-bow to the class as he scratched his head and stood to the side, glancing at the man at the front once again.
“Good. Alright, and you too.”
From the open doorway, a girl nervously stepped in. She was a little below average height, and her uniform looked a little tight around her upper body when she moved. Her silky hair had a deep purplish tint, but what caused gasps from the room were the two curved horns that stuck out of the top of her head. They were small and gently sloped backwards, but seemed to draw the eyes in with a mysterious intrigue.
“Oi… are those-”
“Introductions first. No interrupting.”
The man nodded again to the fidgeting girl, who stood wide-eyed as she tightened her fists. She peeked over at Yuuji who returned a comforting smile, then stepped forward once again.
“H-Hello. My name is U-Utsunomiya Hibiki. I’m also from Japan but please address me as you like. As you can see I have horns… these are part of my… um…”
Her voice trailed off as she stood in the spotlight, faltering under the gaze of her audience.
With a gentle sigh, the man leading the class stepped in beside her.
“You’ve probably guessed already, but Hibiki… and Yuuji, have certain circumstances that have resulted in them being here. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, Hibiki’s horns are a result of her unique situation, but these two are students of ours and nothing else. I will not tolerate any behaviour unbecoming of Phoenix Academy students.”
He straightened his back, turning towards Hibiki and Yuuji.
“I’m sure you’ll get to know your classmates soon. We aren’t like your usual academy… though I doubt that means much to either of you. To reintroduce myself - my name is Mr Pierce, and I run this class.”
He rapped his knuckles on the front desk as he continued.
“Here at Phoenix Academy, you won’t be studying standard topics you might have found at a university somewhere. Instead, we cover the art of identifying, and hunting, demons. Your classmates are some of the best practitioners from all over the world who have put their differences aside to create an anti-demon squad capable of making humanity proud.”
Yuuji’s eyes sharpened as Hibiki gulped, both listening intently to every word.
“But in this room, you are not soldiers. You are my students, and we faculty staff will do our part to make sure you can live comfortably. I will teach you how to live, not how to die.”
Mr Pierce’s fixed scowl finally seemed to crack slightly as he turned his attention once again to the class before him with a glimpse of a smile.
“The back row is looking empty, take the two seats behind Mitra and Wang Bao. Oi you two, wave and make yourself known.”
A handsome young man darted to his feet with a blindingly white smile. He waved grandly, laughing as he went, even though a small gesture would have been more than enough in the quiet classroom.
Beside him sat a figure that could have been mistaken for a mountain. The huge man must have been nearing 7 feet and had muscle and bulk in equal parts. Though imposing, he had gentle eyes and smiled kindly, giving a subdued wave that greeted them warmly.
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Yuuji took a seat behind the first, while Hibiki shifted into the back corner and took the seat behind the giant.
“Alright then. Let’s get started with the day, you two will just have to make do for now… oi Mitra. Face forward.”
With a gasp, the handsome man, Mitra, whipped his head back to the teacher and gave out a wry laugh.
“As I was saying. You two can stay back after we finish today and I’ll make sure you’re brought up to speed. We’ll also need… damn it, Mitra!”
Mitra jolted and whipped his head back to the front again, almost falling off his chair.
Mr Pierce gave a long sigh and pinched his temple.
“I should have known this would happen. Alright, Mitra, Hema, could you please give Hibiki and Yuuji a tour of the academy grounds? You’re not gonna hear a word I say today at this rate.”
“Wha-? Why me too? It was all Mitra!”
“Because you were scowling at him while he was staring at them. No arguments, get on with it.”
As Yuuji and Hibiki placed their bags on their short-lived desks, they followed Mitra and the girl called Hema out into the hallway, hearing the class move on to homeroom as the door clicked shut.
“You moron, why did you get me involved!?”
Mitra received a swift kick to the shin which sent him sprawling to the ground in pain, as his aggressor beside him sighed heavily.
“Sorry this happened so soon into you being introduced. I’m Hema, and this is my dumbass brother Mitra.”
So quickly after her violent outburst, she wore a disarming smile and held her hand out towards the two of them. Both siblings shared smooth olive skin and glossy black hair, and with just a glance it was obvious they were closely related.
Yuuji shook her hand first as Hibiki was frozen with confusion but quickly caught up. The numerous golden bangles lining Hema’s wrists jingled with a sweet sound on each shake, and the matching necklace and earrings she wore complemented her pretty face with good fashion sense.
“Ooooh man, that hurt. That was totally uncalled for!”
Mitra rose to his feet on wobbly legs, rubbing his shin with a groan. The siblings locked eyes for a moment with a growl, and then Mitra quickly turned back to his newfound companions.
“Pleased to meet you both! Been a while since we’ve had any new members join us, and two to boot!”
He gave a firm and reassuring handshake to each of them as they began making their way down the corridor. There weren’t many doors around, and the few they passed were empty classrooms, so they soaked in the decor of the beautiful garden outside the windows beside them.
“It may seem strange, but Phoenix only has one class right now. They plan on growing in the future, but it turns out not too many people want to uproot from their home country to come live on a floating island in international waters.”
“...Then risk their lives fighting demons, don’t miss out on the key part.”
“Well, I thought that much was obvious.”
The sibling duo bickered with each other until they reached a large set of double doors where the group stopped for a while.
Peeking inside, the canteen was spotless, and the cleaning staff who raised their heads gave a friendly wave before returning to their work, dismissing the temporary interruption. It was again a large room, enough to fit a hundred plus, but it was fairly unused.
“Most of us eat here with the faculty come lunch hours, but we’re allowed to head into town as well if we want. As long as you’re back in time you won’t get chewed out by Conrad, but if you put on a jog you could probably even make it to the edge of the island and back.”
“Conrad?”
Yuuji raised his eyebrows, as Hema turned to answer him.
“Mr Pierce. We mostly call him Conrad outside of curriculum, though I’d hold off until you know everyone better.”
Tilting her head, Hibiki chimed in with an unsteady voice.
“But… he seems like he might be a bit strict? Is that alright?”
Mitra gave a hearty laugh, and even Hema couldn’t hold in a slight snicker.
“Sure. He puts on a tough front, but he does everything he can to make our days here comfortable. He wasn’t kidding with what he said earlier.”
“He’s like a cool uncle who sometimes gets real angry with you.”
“Angry with you maybe, everyone else is fine.”
“Now that you mention it…”
As Mitra scratched his chin deep in thought, they stopped in front of the next room. Mitra and Hema looked at each other sheepishly before addressing the two of them oddly in sync.
“Well, here’s the infirmary! If you ever get banged up this is the place to go.”
“Bumps scratches and bruises are a thing of the past with the doctor here! You should go and introduce yourselves, we’ll wait outside.”
“Wait this seems a little-”
“Eh? Hold on-!”
Before they could finish speaking, Yuuji and Hibiki were driven through the doors heartlessly, only to come face to face with a figure sitting beyond the entrance.
She tilted her head upwards gently with a quizzical look on her face, as a mischievous smirk began to grow.
“My my, didn’t you think to knock?”