Welcome to the New Year

[garden_of_maidens]

"Gokigenyou."

"Gokigenyou."

The clear morning greeting travels through the serene, blue sky.

Today, once again, the maidens that gather in the Virgin Mary's garden smile purely to one another as they pass under the tall gateway.
Wrapping their innocent bodies and souls is a deep-coloured school uniform.

Walking slowly as to not disturb the plaits in their skirts, so as to not toss their white sailor scarves into disarray... such is the standard of modesty here. Running because one is in danger of missing class, for instance, is too undignified a sight for students to wish upon themselves here.

Lillian Private Academy for Women.

Founded in Meiji 34, this academy was originally intended for the young women of nobility, and is now a Catholic academy of prestigious tradition. Placed in downtown Tokyo, where you can still see traces of Musashi Field's greenery, it is protected by God, a garden where maidens can receive tutelage from pre-school to university.

Time passes, and even now, in Heisei, three era-names past Meiji, it is a valuable academy, where nurtured ladies raised in greenhouses are shipped out in carefully packaged boxes after 18 years of schooling - an arrangement that continues to survive.
As the last note of Maria-sama's Soul rings through the chapel, echoing into the high rafters, the Yamayurikai stands tall at the front of the procession, ready to give out the gifts of rosaries to their newest arrivals.

The respective classes of each first-year are called, and each one receives their gift from the Yamayurikai members. The second and third year students are sitting by, simply watching, perhaps commenting quietly to each other whenever a particularly interesting first-year passes by, but they are quick to silence when the stern gazes of the nuns passes over them.

A new year has come to Lillian Academy, and the students are ready to start their adventures in life, love, and everything else.

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[Open post for the welcoming ceremony and the beginning of the year! Feel free to use this for the actual ceremony, shortly thereafter, or the general first day of school. Welcome!]

Comments

[truedetective]

Ah. Them. [Sorry, the metaphor sort of went past her. Naoto sighs again.]

I'm not unaccustomed to being gawked at, but I hope they don't expect me to acknowledge their attentions. It's a distraction.

[ibara_no_mori]

[The girls at least seem oblivious to how bad of an insult that was, or they're so used to it from Sei that they don't react much.]

Oh they'll get used to being in the background. They always do. [Grinning because she is being savage as hell, but, well. Noisy ghosts are just that, and she's always had little to no reason to pay attention to them.]

But you look like the type to get a couple dozen rosary offers over the next month. Be careful of who ropes you in.

[truedetective]

[Naoto frowns, stuffing the letter in one of her coat pockets. She'll throw it out later.] I don't intend to accept any of them. As I said, it's a distraction, and my extracurricular duties take priority. Unless anyone has a sufficiently good reason to outweigh that, I see no need to indulge in that tradition.

[ibara_no_mori]

Mmm, you say that now. [Man this is going to be the second time she gets to say this. Apparently there's more people that need her Onee-sama's advice than she thought.

... Too bad half the time she can't be assed to interact with most people. She still has a pretty small circle of things she's interested in.] No one can predict the future.

As long as you're in school, why not indulge it? Growing up too fast never helps anyone.

[truedetective]

[Look, Naoto wants to be an adult and she wants to be an adult yesterday.] Perhaps that philosophy may serve you fine, but I'm not very interested in it. I have other interests. My career is my highest priority. [Sorry, this is pre-character development Naoto.]

[ibara_no_mori]

How lonely. [She crosses her arms, tilting her head.]

Well, if you think the future is so set in stone... [Who is she to argue? Naoto will learn some day: Absolutes are truly the most immature thing she can hold to. Which is probably why Sei looks like she's trying not to laugh at something.]

[truedetective]

You misunderstand. It is precisely because it isn't set in stone that I'm devoting myself to it. I do not intend to squander even a moment's opportunity.

[Though...] Is something I said funny?

[ibara_no_mori]

[She holds her hands up and out in a sign of surrender. She wasn't really trying to argue it.] We'll see. [She's going to, too. If they were closer, she'd also gently remind this one that the more determined you are for something, the more likely fate itself will completely fuck you over, but...

... Maybe that's a bit of pessimism talking. Since she had her I am driven for this one thing and one thing only moment in her second year, and it completely fell apart on her.

Because of circumstances entirely out of her own control.]

You just remind me of a friend of mine. Though far less warm.

[truedetective]

[That, at least, makes Naoto shift slightly on her feet, looking uncomfortable. She answers, a brief mutter:]

I'm not a people person.

[ibara_no_mori]

You could be, if you tried. You probably should be, honestly. [Her hands are still up in the surrendering pose, but it shifts to a shrug smoothly.] No use squandering the time you have.

[truedetective]

Why?

[It's a question sincerely asked.] What use will spending time socializing have for my future? It seems like a waste of my time that could be better spend elsewhere.

[ibara_no_mori]

Oh I wonder why, indeed. [Sei crosses her arms, looking puzzled for a moment, head tilted. She is very good at this, because she honestly looks like she confused herself. To be most precise, there's a little part of her that was once 16 and thought something similar. For a very, very different reason. So it's easy to just channel that for her act.] I can't think of a single instance where social skills and connections might be important, you're right.