And with this I am back on my usual schedule (so tired! god not writitng for two days with this kind of schedule is terrifying...) Sorry for the delay but sadly couldn't really help it, everything should be back on track now and I will try to make sure this doesn't really happen in the future.
Hope you enjoy the next chapter as we are slowly but surely getting into the thick of it all!
-----
Chapter 4:
Taking one last deep breath, Ze mixed and mingled with the crowd while slowly making his way through the open front doors.
Feeling similar to a tuna being squeezed inside a can he could not even control the way he was going as the mass of Yokais pushed him forward and through wide corridors.
Finally they reached something that looked similar to a giant assembly hall and inside was enough space for everyone to gather before a podium without having to press against shoulders.
A sheer endless stream of people was still trickling in behind him and only after it stopped did the doors slowly close.
A commotion at the front immediately drew Ze's attention as a middle aged man with completely white hair, bright blue eyes and a beaming smile stepped onto the stage.
Spreading his arms to quiet down the last murmurs in the crowd he began his speech.
"Welcome new students! My name is Cazhar Vandech and I am the principle of this school as well as guidance teacher. Now I am well aware that this first year here might be a bit strange as there will be no upperclassmen for you considering that everyone between the ages of 15-18 has been put into a single group but that is for a reason as every private household teaches differently so we decided to level the playing field and start from the basics to make sure that you have a good foundation before moving on to more complicated matters.
Each and every one of you is naturally well aware that this is a boarding school and individual rooms have been prepared at the dorms where your homeroom teacher will guide you later today."
Ze could already feel the headache coming as this was new information to him but it did make sense considering the unique location and trouble in getting here.
Deciding to mull over these matters later instead of missing anything lifesaving or important again, Ze tried his best to keep listening to the principal that had continued with his speech.
"There are many facilities in this school such as the cafeteria in the main building, classes will naturally also be held here and at the 4th floor we have a huge collection of Yokai related reading material as well as the general library.
You might have seen our running track as well as rather uniquely shaped playing field but all of this will be explained soon enough in PE."
Right away a unison moan of displeasure rose from the thousands of students and the principle couldn't help but show a wry smile.
"Yes I know, rarely any young people these days likes PE but it is important, especially for Yokai.
Continuing where I left off we have the dormitory which is next to the track, a stadium for school competitions, special stores where you can all buy everyday needs that you might have for your room or rare materials, the money will be provided by the school and yes you will have a monthly limit.
There is also a mission board in the dormitory hall but more of that later.
Last but not least we have the forest at the back of the school and I advice everyone who is not going into it because of a special mission that will be touched later on in your studies, a class assignment or anything else of the matter to stay as far away from it as possible.
There is a lot of rather nasty creatures residing inside it for the sole purpose of giving you all some more experience with different types of beasts and or situations but a simple lesson can quickly turn into a bloodbath if you aren't careful so I beg each and every one of you to not enter the forest under any circumstances for the first Semester.
If you are worried that these beasts might come close to the dorm or school grounds, don't be. I was the one who brought them here and I was also the one who laid the foundations for magic formations that will repel them, I am willing to bet my name and life on that so rest assured please as I am trying to warn and not scare you all."
Showing a warm smile on his slightly aged face the principal started to explain how the following year was going to look like and when their holidays would start before pointing to a hidden corner of the room.
200 men and women, both young and old stepped out of the shadows and instantly became the center of attention.
"These will be your teachers for this year, you won't get to know each and every one of them and surely are not required to know all of their names but I hope you treat them with respect as they will be the ones taking care of you for the most part this year.
Should there be an emergency situation, something bothering you or it is just simply that you are having difficulties in your studies I hope that you seek advice from one of them and even during the nighttime you can ask for help from them if it is an emergency situation as they will be sleeping in the same dormitory with all of you.
Now then, I think it is time that we select which class you will attend so please form a line so we can quickly get you all acquainted with your respective homeroom teachers."
Following those words Ze quickly found himself standing in a sheer endless line of young Yokais, occasionally stepping forward before stopping again.
As far as he could tell from standing so far in the back, each student drew a card from a gigantic pile that nearly spilled over the sides of a nearby table.
Each time a student drew a card the entire pile would for a second float up and then mix itself in the air before descending down again.
It was a mesmerizing sight and also the first time Ze saw the powers that Yokai could wield in action, even if it was currently only used to shuffle an enormous deck of cards.
The entire process was proceeding quite fast if you took the sheer number of new students into account and soon enough it was his turn.
Stepping forward he could see the principle showing him a warm smile while motioning towards the now significantly smaller card pile.
Not wanting to waste much time as it would be random anyways he picked a card that was close to the edge of the table, it had 'C-1' written on it.
"Go out of the doors and climb the stairs to the first floor, there you should be able to find your class with ease."
The principle explained before letting another student step forward.
Feeling somewhat insecure while standing next to such a powerful Yokai, Ze hurriedly followed the other students outside of the assembly hall and up the stairs.
A sheer endless corridor with an occasional door stretched out before him and he could see the sign 'M-1' on one of the doors to his right.
It was clear that they followed an alphabetic order so Ze really only needed to find the right way and walk down this hallway to reach his class.
He occasionally met other students that were also searching for their respective class but most of the time it was quite eerie to be walking down this silent and seemingly never ending corridor.
After nearly 5 minutes he managed to finally reach the door depicting a 'C-1' above it.
Taking in a deep breath and readying his mind for what was to come he opened the door and stepped inside.
The chatter was what really got him after the long silence that he had experienced and he needed a good moment to once again get a hold of his bearings as he scanned the room.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
He saw a multitude of faces with different shapes and in all forms either involved in a conversation or staring into nothingness.
Recognizing not a single one of them he could only sigh and lament that he would need to build his fear inducing image completely from scratch again.
The previous one had all just been a big misunderstanding so how the hell should he do it intentionally?
Deciding that those were thoughts meant for a later time, Ze made his way to one of the only available seats while attracting some moderate attention but not enough to warrant stares.
Sitting between nearly 40 young Yokai in a closed room was a situation that once again let a cold shiver run down his spine and he didn't mind that not one of them tried to talk to him, it was even welcomed that he was left alone as each interaction could potentially blow his cover or expose him for what he really was.
Even though the principle had seemed nice, that was only because he thought of Ze as one of his own, what if he knew that he was a human and pretty much the sole reason why this school was built in the first place?
Would he still be that nice then? He very much doubted it.
Time slowly trickled away before the door once again opened and Ze looked up but what he saw was something he really had not expected.
"You gotta be kidding me..."
He mumbled while staring at the girl with twintails standing in the doorway and freezing up the exact moment she spotted him.
.....
Making her way past door after door she couldn't help but curse her own luck as Mary had been one of the last people to draw from the then miserable pile of 5 cards.
It not only didn't really give her much choice but also left her with little to no time to find the right class which made her a little nervous but she tried her best to stay calm.
It wouldn't be like last time she was in a classroom.
Mary would go in, just start up a conversation and make friends that way.
Yes, that’s what she would do.
At least that had been the plan until she saw him sitting there.
Even though she wasn't terrified of his presence anymore she could still feel a trace of fear lingering in her heart when she looked in his direction and for some unknown reason she just felt incredibly uncomfortable being near him as if he was some kind of flashing and booming warning sign.
Gulping once she gathered all of her courage and stepped into the room while trying her best to ignore his existance.
Looking around the room she noticed that the only other free place to sit down was... right next to his.
Just what the hell did she do to deserve this?!
Was fate just playing a cruel joke on her or why did it feel like someone was pulling a few invisible strings?
Sighing mentally she put a strand of hair out of her eye and reluctantly sat down.
Glancing his way she was relieved to see that he was just stoically looking forward, apparently completely ignoring her but that was fine in her mind as she tried to do the same.
Listening to all the hubbub around her she once again wished that she was seated anywhere else in the room and not next to this silent freak.
How the hell was she going to make connections if 'hoody killjoy' was right next to her, it felt like the universe was throwing rocks in her way just to see how she would solve the problem and it ignited a tiny flame of anger in her heart.
Unable to do anything about it for now she was quickly ripped out of her own thoughts as the door opened and a tall and pretty woman in her mid twenties with light skin, long blond hair and grayish eyes entered the room.
Right away all of the attention focused on her as it was clear that she was not a student.
The males in the room started to perk up their ears in anticipation as her rosy lips parted.
"Hello guys, my name is Sarah Mitchell and I am going to be your Homeroom as well as History teacher."
Nearly every male sitting in the room did a mental fist pump for being able to stare at such an attractive lady each day from now on.
"You can all just call me Sarah, no need for something like 'Miss Mitchell' as that will only make me feel old."
Letting out an angelic laugh, even the females in the room showed an enchanted smile while a few males wanted to prostrate themselves to show their devotion to such a miracle.
Not only was she attractive but seemingly had a nice and easy going personality too, was this some kind of reward for previous good deeds?
Even Mary was pleasantly surprised about this turn of events and showed a small smile.
"Before we begin I would like you all to promise me one thing. Just like the principle said, should you ever have problems then please come to me so we can talk about it, even if it is not an emergency feel free to wake me up during the night as you are my students and I want each and every one of you to be happy and have an enjoyable time here at Vandech Academy."
Nearly every mind in the room screamed out the same thing.
An Angel appeared!
A few of the males even started to pinch themselves to make sure that it wasn't a dream.
Could this be the ultimate teacher that would show them all a new era?!
.....
Staring at this rather pretty teacher Ze couldn't help but sigh.
Didn't she understand that some people just wanted to be left alone instead of talking about their problems?
Would it really help him in his situation to tell her that he was a human?
His guess was that her angelic facade that she was showing right now was all a ploy to make her students listen and behave better so she would have less problems with them all, it would make a lot of things easier for her as a teacher if they hung at her lips like drug addicts.
All he really saw in her was a cunning Yokai that would probably kill him if she found out that he wasn't one of them so his first impression of his new homeroom teacher could be called quite poor.
Maybe it was because he was so alert and always expecting the worst in his current situation but her charm didn't really have any effect on him and if at all only helped him in keeping his edge.
Looking into those pure eyes as she showed a warm smile even towards him he couldn't help but slightly sneer.
Just who did she think she was tricking with this little show of hers?
Giving a quick look around he nearly closed his eyes in shame when he saw the vacant smiles and dreamy eyes all around.
It seemed that Yokai were just as susceptible to outward appearance coupled with honey laced manipulation as the general public of humanity was.
A rather sad but not really unexpected discovery...
-----
And there we go, once again sorry that it is late by one day but even now after finishing this I am just insanely tired and wanna shut my eyes so you can imagine why it wasn't finished yesterday (yay work! [sarcasm]).
Anyways, hope you all liked it and see you on Saturday for more Yokai Academy and tomorrow for those of you who also read Azalon ^^.
Should you find any mistakes or errors please do tell below!
PS: no PS today too tired -.-
Abbadon out!